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Sean's new Matamp GT200 and Cabs


Billy Apple
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Just commissioned Matamp to build me a GT200 an some Cabs... Here is the story so far...



Hello Jeff,



Following our conversation this morning, I'm confirming my order for the following;


1x GT200 Bass Amplifier
2x 4x10 Bass Speaker cabinets

My playing style is rooted in 70's punk and rock, with overtones of 60's mod, beat and RnB. I almost always use a plectrum, striking notes individually with occasional chords. I'm a percussive player with some melodic counter point to the guitar. Sometimes my pick work can be very rapid, but prefer to play less than more. I have never used any pedals, and don't think I ever will. All I look for is simplicity and truth. I have never found it necessary to be carried by equipment, and most stuff I've played through has been pretty crap. My guitar is a 1962 Fender Precision (re-fin), which I got from plumber when I was 16, and it's the only bass I've ever played. My guitarist plays a first run Squirer Telecaster, which he got when he was 17, and we've stayed with these ever since, he is a man full of Mod sensibility.

The sound I'm looking for is clean and full, with a hint of a growl, but a rumble, not a bark. Any distortion would be natural from volume, but not contrived, and no fuzz. I want the amp to be as simple as simple can be, so the truth can shine through.

Influences-

John Entwhistle
Paul Simonan
JJ Burnel
Stuart Morrow
Adam Clayton

Dislikes-

Mark King
Anything that is too treblely or too busy


Equipment Aesthetics

All hardware to be gold
Amp logo to be 1224gt style as shown on website, with same border
All lettering/graphics in gold
Round knobs with gold position marker
Cab speakers TBC
Vinyl TBC
Gold piping on head and cabs
Speaker cloth TBC or metal grille sprayed gold
Logo on cabs to match amp, in gold


Thoughts-
Could you do an amp head where the fascia is clear, with the same lettering/colour as above, but the inside of the amp illuminated (LEDs?) showing the valves? Yes, I know that the valves are at the back, just a gentle glow showing them in the distance


Please send me a selection of Vinyl samples- Spanish Plaster, Black Reptile, Black Snakeskin and Black Pebble, also some swatches of speaker cloth- Salt and Pepper, Black Nylon, Brown Shimon an Ox-blood.


Look forward to speaking soon.


Best wishes,


Sean



Hi,

Following my call this morning, I would like to add the following-

top 410 cab to be sealed, infinite baffle
bottom 410 cab ported
Speakers most likely to be Neo's
Power/Standby light lenses to be amber (as in gold)
If I cant have the front panel see-through, can I have a switch on the back to illuminate the front panel? Most likely a straw coloured light
On the back of amp I was thinking about the following-
effects send and return loop
DI output
Slave output
an attenuator (please ask Matt Allsop about this)
Anything that you can recommend that would be useful

Jeff, you were talking about the business honouring Matt Mathias. What kind of Amp do you think he would have built for me?

Thank you in advance for sending the samples, and look forward to speaking soon


Sean



Hi Jeff,

Thanks for the prompt despatch of samples, they arrived today.

The covering will definitely be Spanish plaster, with salt and pepper cloth. I have also been considering 2x212 cabs as an alternative to the 410's. are the 212's available with Lloyd loom cloth? I'm also thinking about having the Matamp logo placed top right on the cabs in the style of the old series 2000 cabs

Obviously I have to try both cabs to make a decision. Will let you know when I'm coming.

Please could confirm that you have my deposit


All the best for the new year,


Sean




Hi Andy,

Following our conversation today, I thought I'd confirm the following changes-

GT200
Head in Spanish plaster
silver hardware *see PS below*
Fascia plate in white with black lettering GT1224 style (underscore?), no border, please see attachment.

No effects send and return loop
power light red maybe Amber
White position marker on round knobs
DI output- please advise
Slave output- please advise
an attenuator (please ask Matt Allsop about this)
Anything that you can recommend that would be useful

Cabs
Spanish Plaster vinyl
Silver hardware *see PS below*
Cab logo to match head
Drivers/ Cab configuration/ Speaker cloth to be decided upon visit to factory

Best wishes,


Sean

Stop Press. The jury is out on Silver hardware. Need to see both Silver and Gold at factory to make decision





Hi Andrew,

Thanks for getting back to me. Forget about the attenuator. What does the back panel look like already, and how would it be changed for a slave output? Is it wood, as I've seen some pics of some pretty cool looking alloy backs, and also fronts. Are these available?


Regards,


Sean

Edited by billyapple
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It is perfect, i have sold 70% of my pedals because of the tone from the matamp. I got a flight case from nsp and got it orange. If you get a flight case ad a extra cm for the handle and ad another for the length, i had to rip out the side foam and buy a thinner bit so the case would fit but i called them so next time they will have it bang on. so 55/56cm length, 31cm depth,31cm height. Anyway i took the head to practice and cranker the gain and it was so smooth and they could hear it at the front door, i was 12 rooms away. i used to use a ampeg svt2pro and this is much louder. the three depth switcher i find best at the left one and the gain on the second left for a useable tone but again it is smooth with tones of bottom and the presence about 3 o'clock that just makes it sing. i just got a t-rex twin clean boost so i can use the amp distortion rather than a fuzz because nothing sounds like it, The travis bean helps. let me know how you get on.

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  • 2 weeks later...

OK, Just returned from Matamp, and this is my finalized order;

1 GT200, Standard innards, with white fascia and large black Matamp underscore logo. "Hand built in Great Britain", with small union jack logo in right hand corner. Black basket weave vinyl with white piping. All hardware in chrome. Amp box front square, not bevelled


2X 212 cabs loaded with Celstion BL12-200X 'Green' ferrite drivers
Front of cabs to be one off square frame, not bevelled as is standard. Black basket weave vinyl with white piping and salt and pepper 2 strand cloth. Chrome hardware. Black on white underscore Matamp logo placed top right on speaker cloth

Had a great morning, and a right old natter with Jeff and Andrew. Got a few snaps, which I'll post soon enough

Edited by billyapple
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  • 4 weeks later...

[quote name='billyapple' post='1125233' date='Feb 13 2011, 02:22 AM']OK, Just returned from Matamp, and this is my finalized order;

1 GT200, Standard innards, with white fascia and large black Matamp underscore logo. "Hand built in Great Britain", with small union jack logo in right hand corner. Black basket weave vinyl with white piping. All hardware in chrome. Amp box front square, not bevelled
Mock up-
[/quote]

Sounds great.
Have you received it yet?

I'm almost getting my head around what custom options I'm going to order for a GT200 too.

When you say bevelled/front box square etc. - what do you mean?

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[quote name='slave' post='1153340' date='Mar 8 2011, 07:43 AM']Sounds great.
Have you received it yet?

I'm almost getting my head around what custom options I'm going to order for a GT200 too.

When you say bevelled/front box square etc. - what do you mean?[/quote]

Everything is finished, just awaiting delivery. The standard GT200 'box', or sleeve, has a 45 degree angle cut around it on the inside. What you would call a bevelled return. Jeff has built mine squared off, to match the square front cabs he has built, which all looks hyper old school. I'll post a pic Matamp have sent me, it looks very similar to my mock-up, but maybe you will spot the difference. Its only a small detail, but thats what Matamp can do for you, especially if you turn up, and get involved. You try getting Orange/Marshall/Ampeg etc to do a one off cut of an an amp sleeve for you, and see how far you get. As the truth is they are all made many miles away, and the truth with Matamp is they are 100% hand built from the ground up, in England

Edited by billyapple
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  • 4 weeks later...

[quote name='quimbymeat' post='1108949' date='Jan 31 2011, 01:56 AM']It is perfect, i have sold 70% of my pedals because of the tone from the matamp. I got a flight case from nsp and got it orange. If you get a flight case ad a extra cm for the handle and ad another for the length, i had to rip out the side foam and buy a thinner bit so the case would fit but i called them so next time they will have it bang on. so 55/56cm length, 31cm depth,31cm height. Anyway i took the head to practice and cranker the gain and it was so smooth and they could hear it at the front door, i was 12 rooms away. i used to use a ampeg svt2pro and this is much louder. the three depth switcher i find best at the left one and the gain on the second left for a useable tone but again it is smooth with tones of bottom and the presence about 3 o'clock that just makes it sing. i just got a t-rex twin clean boost so i can use the amp distortion rather than a fuzz because nothing sounds like it, The travis bean helps. let me know how you get on.[/quote]

Got her. Love her! What do you have your Bass and Treble settings on?

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  • 4 months later...

[quote name='daz' post='1355265' date='Aug 29 2011, 02:27 PM']Looks great. I like the simple approach. I know little or nothing about amps though. What is 'presence' 'drive' and 'depth' ?[/quote]

Thanks Daz. The Presence is a Mid boost, it does not change tone or volume, but increases intensity or pressure if that makes sense to you. The Drive dial is a pre amp gain boost, furthest left is the 'normal' setting. Andy at Matamp told me at this position, with the volume full is 200 watts clean. At this setting you can crank the vol. to full and there is very little hum or anything coming out, but hit the strings and she's as clear as a bell. The further right you go with the drive the higher the gain. At its max you would think you were playing thru a pedal, but it's lovely and warm, no harshness of tinniness. The Depth is a band by-pass filter, which kind of works the wrong way round. Furthest left is maximum bass, and clicking right increases Treble. I never move this off max bass, but was told this is for players with fancy-pants active pre-amps on-board the wood. As is the inputs, which are kind of backwards. My passive Tbird and PBass are way louder thru the low input than the high, but it's not low and high in terms of gain, but rather in terms of guitar. Passive Basses thru low input, active thru high.

Anyway, hope this helps. Let me be very clear, I love this amp. I can get a very wide range of tones, volumes and moods out of her, far more than you would ever expect from a box with 6 knobs on the front. Plus I love the fact that the whole rig was built to order for me. Jeff altered the amp sleeve for me AND went out of his way to tell Celestion to sell him 4X BL200X drivers when they were asking for a minimum order of 200. I had even phoned up Celestion myself, and they would not sell me the drivers (unless I bought 200), but we got them.

There is no Matamp without Jeff. He has a reputation of being a bit of a fire-brand, and hard to deal with. I found him to be the exact opposite. He is a passionate man, who lets his craft do the talking. Yes, he is plain speaking, but if you are too I guarantee* you will enjoy the experience.










*This is not a guarantee

Edited by billyapple
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