FS: 2 Handmade Amps - Single Ended Plexi and Matchless Lightning ... Now with video.

4114Effects · April 2016

I have far too many amps now - keep building them and never playing them so someone else may as well benefit.

First up - Matchless Lightning type circuit. 2xEL84 for an amp that's loud, punchy and has a decent amount of headroom. Active 2 band EQ is unlike anything else out there and you can shape some really great tones. Loud and aggressive vox-style overdrive when cranked. Master volume is very useful too.

Probably slightly quieter than a genuine Matchless as the transformers are a little smaller to keep the size of the build down.

This amp is built into a cab made of jointed solid strips of black African walnut, with a satin tru-oil finish. The grain and finishing really is lovely to look at.

It's also tiny - ideal for carrying to gigs or jam sessions.

£350 would take this one and I'll order and fit a new set of valves.

Next up is something a little different ...

It's a Marshall Plexi style circuit - into a single EL84 - think of it as the high gain channel of a plexi with slightly less headroom. Not too much headroom, depending on pickups, but lots of lovely crunch and drive available. Unlike most single ended amps the circuit includes a faux phase inverter and negative feedback as well as a cathode follower for the tone control. This makes it behave a lot more like a real plexi.

Switchable boost at the front end, master volume and a single knob tone control make this a simple turn on and rock out amp.

Also features a VVR circuit to power scale the whole amp - so you can reduce the wattage at the turn of a knob - perfect for high gain at home! Use this in conjunction with the master volume and you get all sorts of tonal possibilities.

It's set up with a nice NOS EL84 at present which I'll leave in.

As you can see it's I've gone for a bold finish in bright green tolex, might be an acquired taste but I think it looks great.

£300 would take this.

I'm in Queensbury, West Yorkshire if anyone fancies trying one out.

May entertain trades too but cash would be much preferred.

Gulliver · April 2016

that Plexi in green has got me fully erect...

Zoolooter · April 2016

Do you have anything 6v6 and tweedy??

4114Effects · April 2016

Zoolooter;1035187" said:
Do you have anything 6v6 and tweedy??

Yep. I have a 5e3 clone, but it's mine and I love it. :-)

DrBob · April 2016

So the Green Plexi.

How much gain are we talking ? Angus ? Eddie ?

4114Effects · April 2016

@DrBob I'd say more Angus than Eddie. Would need a boost pedal in front to get really high gain. Crunch to overdrive would be good description. Although it does get more saturated when you turn the voltage down.

I can try do a vid if you like? Playing will be really basic though as I get nervous and 100x worse at playing on video ... :-)

Wazmeister · April 2016

Dan, as ever, they look stonking !!

DrBob · April 2016

4114Effects;1036271" said:
@DrBob I'd say more Angus than Eddie. Would need a boost pedal in front to get really high gain. Crunch to overdrive would be good description. Although it does get more saturated when you turn the voltage down.

I can try do a vid if you like? Playing will be really basic though as I get nervous and 100x worse at playing on video ... :-)

Dan that's very kind of you but I think I'm coming at this arse backwards. I love the look of it so much I'm willing it to be the amp I want !
That said should you ever get the urge to build a 15-20w Hi Gain single channel + boost with VVR in a cab like that then do bear me in mind !

I'd have to shift the Budda first mind you

4114Effects · April 2016

Right, here's a very quick video taken on my phone of me playing a few chords (excuse the tuning ...) on the Marshall Plexi style amp. Clean first then with the gain up to about 3/4.

Played on a Baja Telecaster flicking between positions throughout the video.

Amp was at around 3 on the master as I'm quite fond of my ears - this is a loud 8watt amp!

Zoolooter · April 2016

If you sell give me a shout.

4114Effects · April 2016

Matchless provisionally sold pending payment and all that jazz :-)

4114Effects · April 2016

Matchless now sold. Green machine still available :-)

Chairs · May 2016

I’m retroactively amending all my comments for privacy’s sake. I know they’re cached in places, but this is still a best attempts effort. Mods - if any rules have been broken, please revert this post.

4114Effects · May 2016

@Chairs , I'll post for free:)

Chairs · May 2016

I’m retroactively amending all my comments for privacy’s sake. I know they’re cached in places, but this is still a best attempts effort. Mods - if any rules have been broken, please revert this post.

4114Effects · May 2016

Bump - trades for a Baby Taylor or GS mini or similar travel guitar would be lovely! smile emoticon

4114Effects · June 2016

Forgot about this. Somebody has just been around to test another amp today and played this too, he was raving how good it was so here's a bump.

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FS: 2 Handmade Amps - Single Ended Plexi and Matchless Lightning ... Now with video.

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