Matamp GT200 vs other all-tube heads?

[slave]

Title says it all really.
Been looking at the Matamp..... and living over in OZ means importing, but the insane pricing compared to the brand new Ampegs and Oranges (and the Markbass, Eden all tube heads) are all within a few hundred dollars compared to the Matamp.
So really it's coming down to tone over all else.

[i]I know there's not many of these GT200 heads around yet - but to those of you that DO have one, or have trialled one;[/i]
How does the Matamp GT200 match up compared to the more common tube heads available like the Orange AD200B, the Ampeg SVT-VR, CL and others?

Are there any minuses?

What would you do?

[Noisyjon]

Hello slave,

I don't own one but I guess a good starting point is what sort of tone/sound are you looking for and what style of music do you play?
A good starting read is this thread: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=103114&hl=matamp"]CLICK HERE[/url]

Good luck!

Cheers,
Jon

[Basszilla]

I've had a gt200 for a couple of years almost. In the past i've owned a mesa boogie 400+, an orangeAD200B and a fender bassman 135, and i've played on an SVT a few times.

They are all vastly different both in tone and operation. They all sound gorgeous in my opinion. The orange gets closest to the matamp in sound, but still is quite different. The orange has a linear gain knob, whilst the stock GT200 has a 'click' gain knob.

The matamp breaks up nicely and will deliver the 200watts clean before getting into breakup zone. It's a really loud amp. And heavy.

I've hammered my amp for two years and it's going strong, no issues whatsoever.

The only minus I can think of is that I can't afford a GT400 haha not that i'll ever need that kind of headroom, and that Huddersfield is a long long drive from where I live!!! Beautiful part of the country though!

Matamp for me are the be-all and end-all, superior tone, build quality, excellent customer service and quite simply, they rock.

[slave]

[quote name='jonthebass' post='1116218' date='Feb 5 2011, 05:02 PM']Hello slave,

I don't own one but I guess a good starting point is what sort of tone/sound are you looking for and what style of music do you play?
A good starting read is this thread: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=103114&hl=matamp"]CLICK HERE[/url]

Good luck!

Cheers,
Jon[/quote]

Thanks for the link - that was a very informative read.

I'm a stoner rock, finger and pick (no slap) and like P-basses and Stingrays strung with flats in C tuning. Think wall of oomph, with lots of mids, with a heavy attack.

I already use a 200w tube amp, but it's a slave - no EQ or gain adjustments, and thats why I'm here right now.
What I'm looking for is an amp that'll be capable of staying fairly clean with that lovely power tube OD and still be nice and full, and have the versatility to be able to go all rage when I need it to.
I really don't want an amp that's gonna suck out mids or lows.

[quote name='Basszilla' post='1116433' date='Feb 5 2011, 08:33 PM']I've had a gt200 for a couple of years almost. In the past i've owned a mesa boogie 400+, an orangeAD200B and a fender bassman 135, and i've played on an SVT a few times.

The matamp breaks up nicely and will deliver the 200watts clean before getting into breakup zone. It's a really loud amp. And heavy.

Matamp for me are the be-all and end-all, superior tone, build quality, excellent customer service and quite simply, they rock.[/quote]

Cool.

In the thread link above, someone stated the AD200B was "lower" in the lows.
I've found some tube amps in the past to be quite finnicky about input strength - and a hot signal would just end up over staurating the input - and cutting lows.
......could this be what they're alluding to?
What was your take?
How did you see the lowest lows of the Orange compared to the Matamp?

[Mr. Foxen]

If you already have a 200w slave, maybe just get a preamp. What slave is it?

[Noisyjon]

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='1116493' date='Feb 5 2011, 01:24 PM']If you already have a 200w slave, maybe just get a preamp...[/quote]

A good idea right there.

[slave]

It's an aussie made, kiwi engineered 200w (4x6550) 70's Holden WASP Slave.
It's the only amp I have currently (sold the back-up due to WASP never missing a beat)
Problem is, lately the WASP has been missing a few beats........ looking to get a second amp to avoid hiring amps, and there's really not many people in Oz who make tubers.

I've had separate pre-amps like the DHA, Sansamp, VT bass etc. which have all been pretty good.
.....but I wanna keep it as simple as possible.
So I'm looking at what serious all-tuber options are out there.........

[Noisyjon]

Understood.
I would say the Matamp GT200 would be right up your street then!

Cheers,
Jon

[Anders]

Slave,so none of these are avaliable for you to try them?
Which ones have you heard or tried?
If it comes down to tone alone,the choice is very much up to your taste,in other words it might be really hard for others to help as everyone has their own taste.

Edit: You were basically asking about Matamp GT200 sound.I read your post more closely now.My bad.

Look at Jonthebass link.

Edited February 5, 2011 by Anders

[Mr. Foxen]

A proper good service should sort you then really. Where are you based? Chambonino's site recommends a tech is Australia, and he makes good calls on such things.

[slave]

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='1116681' date='Feb 6 2011, 12:33 AM']A proper good service should sort you then really.[/quote]
You're pretty much right.
...... unless I have a tube die, or a fuse repeatedly blow at a rehearsal space or venue (both have happened)
Another amp on hand is something i'm leaning towards, and it would also mean I could use the slave for keys or guitar or even vocals.

[quote name='Anders' post='1116629' date='Feb 5 2011, 11:37 PM']Slave,so none of these are avaliable for you to try them?
Which ones have you heard or tried?[/quote]

I have tried and/or rehearsed through SVT2pro, modern SVT-CL and once tried the Orange AD200B.
Done recording through a vintage 70's SVT.
I liked all of them, but been unable to do a back-to-back.
A lot of retailers over here are a bit protective of their big bass amps, and don't like people trialling them if you don't flash the cash.
I like all of what I've heard so far, but leaning towards the Orange compared to the SVT-CL, bearing in mind I've only been able to use the SVT2pro with the band.
A vintage SVT for sale is something pretty well impossible to find where I live......

The ORange's [b]power tubes resting on the PCB[/b] has me wondering how long the amp will actually last with those hot 45 degree days running at full whack, and knowing how hot my slave gets....
Not knowing about the Matamp, been very keen to find more info about them.

[quote name='Anders'](From different thread linked by Jon)
Believe me i have tried an AD200MK1,Matamp GT200 and AD200MK3 side by side.The MK1 and Matamp is louder but the MK3 has a tiny bit deeper bass.
The Matamp and MK3 can distort about the same(maybe i found the Matamp distortion a bit more interresting),but the Matamp could get really loud when distorted and the bottom end was still there,where as the MK3's bottomend diappeared when it broke up.[/quote]

[i]I guess this is what has me most interested.[/i]
So the Orange has a little more depth whilst clean, but at louder volumes or using high gain the bottom breaks up to mush?
Is this comparable to the old OR120 on bass? - which I have used with the band.
Very cool amp, but suffered the same broken up bottom which made it something awesome, yet not awesome at the same time.

......so I guess my real question is;
[size=3]Is the difference in the bass "depth" whilst playing clean-ish or slightly overdriven, at band stage\rehearsal volumes enough to justify buying one over the other? - or is it only very minimal?[/size]

[size=1][i]BTW - my main cab is a sealed Berg NV412.[/i][/size]

[Anders]

[quote name='slave' post='1117331' date='Feb 6 2011, 07:00 AM']You're pretty much right.
...... unless I have a tube die, or a fuse repeatedly blow at a rehearsal space or venue (both have happened)
Another amp on hand is something i'm leaning towards, and it would also mean I could use the slave for keys or guitar or even vocals.



I have tried and/or rehearsed through SVT2pro, modern SVT-CL and once tried the Orange AD200B.
Done recording through a vintage 70's SVT.
I liked all of them, but been unable to do a back-to-back.
A lot of retailers over here are a bit protective of their big bass amps, and don't like people trialling them if you don't flash the cash.
I like all of what I've heard so far, but leaning towards the Orange compared to the SVT-CL, bearing in mind I've only been able to use the SVT2pro with the band.
A vintage SVT for sale is something pretty well impossible to find where I live......

The ORange's [b]power tubes resting on the PCB[/b] has me wondering how long the amp will actually last with those hot 45 degree days running at full whack, and knowing how hot my slave gets....
Not knowing about the Matamp, been very keen to find more info about them.



[i]I guess this is what has me most interested.[/i]
So the Orange has a little more depth whilst clean, but at louder volumes or using high gain the bottom breaks up to mush?
Is this comparable to the old OR120 on bass? - which I have used with the band.
Very cool amp, but suffered the same broken up bottom which made it something awesome, yet not awesome at the same time.

......so I guess my real question is;
[size=3]Is the difference in the bass "depth" whilst playing clean-ish or slightly overdriven, at band stage\rehearsal volumes enough to justify buying one over the other? - or is it only very minimal?[/size]

[size=1][i]BTW - my main cab is a sealed Berg NV412.[/i][/size][/quote]
As you've tried the OrangeAD200MK3 you know how deep the bass of that amp is,atleast compared to the other Ampeg heads you tried.In my opinion,the Ampeg 300w tube heads(I've tried 2 different SVT II PRO,SVT,that I can think of.They all are able to deliver bottom end punch I've never heard any other amp do.Including Orange AD200MK3 because the Ampegs are louder.
The Orange AD200MK3 goes deeper than a Matamp GT200(standard and untweaked)Also the bottomend is more firm on that Orange.
As I've said before(probarbly)I asked Jeff at Matamp about more lowend,deeper and firm.He then said that would bring the total output down a bit but it was possible.
Let's say very roughly the Orange AD200MK3 is 150w clean,the Matamp GT200 200w or (slightly less if you want more and lower bass)the Ampeg II PRO 250+and SVT, I don't know is it even louder?I haven't compared it side by side to any of the others,only read about what others found.
That's what I heard when I tried the Matamp and Ampeg side by side and Matamp and Orange side by side.

If I were you,having that cab and tried the amps you have tried,I would go with what I know works:Ampeg or Orange if you think it will be loud enough.
I thought about the construction of the OrangeMK3 too,but I haven't heard too many people owning them complain,so.
Just to be clear,this is my opinion of what I have heard and experienced.You might have different oppinion.

[quimbymeat]

Just deal with a Matamp you will feel better about it. Ask them to make it sound the way you want.

[Musicman20]

I seriously suggest trying before buying. I am more than happy with the Mk3, but that's me.

[umph]

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='1116681' date='Feb 5 2011, 04:33 PM']A proper good service should sort you then really. Where are you based? Chambonino's site recommends a tech is Australia, and he makes good calls on such things.[/quote]
mervin is an awesome amp tech

[slave]

[quote name='Musicman20' post='1119214' date='Feb 8 2011, 02:26 AM']I seriously suggest trying before buying. I am more than happy with the Mk3, but that's me.[/quote]
Wish I could.
But I'm not heading to the UK any time soon.

[quote name='quimbymeat' post='1118854' date='Feb 7 2011, 09:28 PM']Just deal with a Matamp you will feel better about it. Ask them to make it sound the way you want.[/quote]

Yeah that's what I thought.
So Quimbymeat - I saw your Matamp here - very nice looking amp!
Did you get any custom options besides the faceplate?
Have you had a chance to compare yours to other amps?



And everyone - is there a resource anywhere with dedicated sound recordings of the Matamp, with or without a band?
I've found a few, like the one from Monobrow, but not too many others I've found have the bass loud enough in the mix.

[the_brow]

[quote name='slave' post='1119936' date='Feb 8 2011, 06:41 AM']Wish I could.
But I'm not heading to the UK any time soon.



Yeah that's what I thought.
So Quimbymeat - I saw your Matamp here - very nice looking amp!
Did you get any custom options besides the faceplate?
Have you had a chance to compare yours to other amps?



And everyone - is there a resource anywhere with dedicated sound recordings of the Matamp, with or without a band?
I've found a few, like the one from Monobrow, but not too many others I've found have the bass loud enough in the mix.[/quote]

I just got my amp back from a little makeover and we got a pretty decent recording setup at our rehearsal space now. I should have some good quality clips of the GT200 this weekend...stay tuned.

[quimbymeat]

I did not get anything sound wise custom and i am glad because its perfect.

[JTUK]

Tubes....?? it would be down to whether the premium you pay on the Matamp is evident in the build quality.

I would suspect it is... as some of the better U.S valve makers ship out the places where production costs are lower..so with that ethos, I'd be thinking they are cost-cutting elsewhere as well. Whether this manifests itself in to a tangible thing, I don't really know..

Maybe a tech who has worked on these types can detemine otherwise.

I do know that my amp tech, who is an old skool 60's designer, is scathing about the innards of some top marques and some of them would be the direct competition you may be considering.

[slave]

[quote name='JTUK' post='1122692' date='Feb 10 2011, 10:36 PM']I do know that my amp tech, who is an old skool 60's designer, is scathing about the innards of some top marques and some of them would be the direct competition you may be considering.[/quote]

Yeah - I've seen some of that too.
I wonder how much of that is from a tech. point of view (difficulty to work on) similar to a mechanic, or whether it's about overall design?
Many people love how an Alfa goes, but I'd never own one.......
A tech I met a while ago was pretty prickly about the big Fender tuber, and wasn't a big fan of the SVT either.
My guess was because of weight and difficulty to work on?

[size=4]But I'd love to know of the ones that are thought to be poorly designed with longevity in mind.[/size]
I really don't want an amp that'll last 5-10 years, and then have to have a load of work done to it because a pcb has melted/warped to to heat issues.....


[quote name='quimbymeat' post='1122506' date='Feb 10 2011, 08:25 PM']I did not get anything sound wise custom and i am glad because its perfect.[/quote]

Cool.
Yeah your response seems to be the norm. This must be a pretty good amp!
Everyone who has given me a positive response aren't strangers to tube amps to start with, some having 3 or 4 previously (including some of the others I've asked about).
Thanks everyone.

[Mr. Foxen]

[quote name='slave' post='1124558' date='Feb 12 2011, 12:46 AM']Yeah - I've seen some of that too.
I wonder how much of that is from a tech. point of view (difficulty to work on) similar to a mechanic, or whether it's about overall design?
Many people love how an Alfa goes, but I'd never own one.......
A tech I met a while ago was pretty prickly about the big Fender tuber, and wasn't a big fan of the SVT either.
My guess was because of weight and difficulty to work on?

[size=4]But I'd love to know of the ones that are thought to be poorly designed with longevity in mind.[/size]
I really don't want an amp that'll last 5-10 years, and then have to have a load of work done to it because a pcb has melted/warped to to heat issues.....[/quote]

[url="http://www.chambonino.com/workconst.html"]This site/guy[/url] has breakdowns of tech work in amps, so is a pretty good source for what makes things good or annoying.

[slave]

Awesome site.
Thanks!

[JTUK]

I took him an old SM400 which had been knocked to the ground at a gig and that has been the only issue I have had with it for nigh on 20 yrs..( so far.. )
He told me he wouldn't have designed the input stage the way they did, but was very impressed with the components used and the general lay-out. There was an element of truth about weight as he was a bit of an iconic designer of 60's gear and so was not the youngest and I guess he couldn't lug around 20 plus kgs of amp onto his bench but he saw many many valve gtr amps and he was NOT a fan of certain marques through the sheer build. He said he wouldn't have one if the paid him.

I was thinking about giving him an old Selmer combo to rebuild but I doubt if it is worth the time and money it would cost.

Anyway, I generally believe him when he talks about amps.

Back to the OP... and this is important...what sort of resale would you get from your end choice?

[GarethFlatlands]

If I had the cash I'd got for the Matamp, they're handwored and use top notch components and they're real old school experts. Having heard Finbars, the sound is amazing too. I might be slightly biased though, already owning a GT1. Plus I live about an hour from the factory so any repairs are dealt with by the guys who built the amp, done for a fair price and while you wait if they're not too busy and the problem isn't major.

[the_brow]

As promised here are some GT200 clips from our last rehearsal. Nothing polished, recorded with and SM57 into a Tascam 4-track tape recorder. Used a Mojo Hand Cream Pie for some boost (always on) and an OxFuzz Bass for the distorted/fuzz sounds. Cab was a mid 70's Ampeg 810 and the bass was a 4001 Ric with flats.

[url="http://soundcloud.com/the_brow/0212-starships-holodecks-and"]http://soundcloud.com/the_brow/0212-starships-holodecks-and[/url]

[url="http://soundcloud.com/the_brow/0212-bennington-triangle-blues"]http://soundcloud.com/the_brow/0212-bennin...-triangle-blues[/url]

[url="http://soundcloud.com/the_brow/0212-store-high-in-transit"]http://soundcloud.com/the_brow/0212-store-high-in-transit[/url]