Matchless Lightning 15 Reverb
Specs
Format: 1x12 combo with reverb
Watts: 15
Preamp Tubes: Three 12AX7s
Rectifier: 5AR4
Controls: Volume, bass, treble,
master volume, and reverb knobs
Speaker: Matchless-modifi ed
Celestion G12H
Price: $2,384 street (Also available
as a head for $2,013 street, as a 1x12
combo for $2,119 street, as a 2x12
combo for $2,331 street, and as a 2x12
combo with reverb for $2,599 street.)
matchlessamplifiers.com
The Matchless name stands as one of the
most esteemed godfathers of the boutique
amp scene. The company first made waves
with its top-shelf, Vox AC30-inspired designs,
but its Lightning model has long been legendary
for its ace AC15-inspired tones, too.
Locke: I liked this amp a lot
because it allowed the
guitar, the pickups and
controls to speak. I
didn’t have to re-EQ
the amp for different
pickup settings. It
sounds good clean, has
a very smooth, linear
transition into overdriven
tones and plenty
of gain for lead. I only
turned to gain up to
12 o’clock and it had
plenty of juice. If I had
a solidbody guitar and
cranked the gain all the
way up it would have
enough gain for metal.
The reverb was really
good—nice and thick.
Derrico: What I
like about this amp is
the dirty sound and the
chime and that it’s nice
and girthy. It would be
cool for country lead
stuff. I like the reverb,
though the dial is pretty
touchy and you can get into reverb overload.
But it’s actually really nice reverb.
I like the clean tones, but I don’t know
if I could crank it too much and still get
that clean sound. I do like the glassiness
of this amp. Especially when I crank the
master—I always like to crank the master—
it has a nice, warm sound with nice
highs, lows and mids. It would sit nicely in
a band mix.
Trovato: You can’t go wrong with
this amplifier as far as projection goes. It’s
bright, robust, and Vox-style jangly. The
EL84s give you that jangly top end without
the flubby bottom end you tend to get
with these low-wattage amps. The bottom
end is really tight. It has a great-sounding
reverb—like a cross
between an old Fender spring reverb and a
digital reverb. So it’s got that digital clarity
plus that surfy reverb and you can dial
between the two of them. The amp is a
little heavy, and the names for the tone
controls are a little hard to see quickly,
which is important when you’re changing
things on the fly on a dark stage.