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Click on the picture of the PRS and the amp to hear it. High speed connection and real audio required.

The Matchless fared somewhat better in the UPS test due to being shipped in a proper amp box and of course the thing is built like the Space shuttle. ( better actually , the space shuttle didn't get Teflon sheathing for the wiring until VERY recently.

This amp has the biggest transformers you are ever gonna see in an amp under a kilowatt. Especially the power transformer.( same ones you get in the Chieftain for 1/2 the price though) It is about the size of one of those small hotel refrigerators. {and does not have crappy copper foil peeling off it or mysterious stuff oozing out of it either} No wonder this amp never sags and has such a power reserve. If you have never heard one of these you will be amazed at how loud 30 watts can be. It is twice as loud as the MAZ and the MAZ has Celestion Blues which are very efficient .The wiring was beautiful but every screw in the amp was loose . Transformers, chassis bolts, AC outlet, AC acc. outlet, everything! The #1 input jack was falling out etc. I think maybe it was put together in a hurry by people who knew they were losing their jobs due to the company going under.The actual wiring and cabinet construction are flawless. it's just the final assembly that sucked. No problem . I fixed it with a screwdriver and some removeable Loctite.

The JJ is a single channel Thirty watt bomb of an amp with good reverb and KILLER tremolo that is based on the EF-86 vari-tone channel of the SC-30. [ The original Vox AC15 and very early ac30 s featured the EF86 input gain stage. Matchless was the first to resurrect this design and incredibly DR Z and Mark Sampson on his new amp are the only ampsters I now of currently using this great tube. Mark Sampsons' claim to fame was answering the following question with an invention. " Why didn't Vox put ( keep)the EF86 tube in the AC30 as well as the AC15?"Presto chango!! An amp was born with the Vox power section and the pre-amp section from the AC15 (EF86) and the AC30(12AX7)in one .. the DC30. With the half power setting on the EF86 channel of the C series or the Jorgenson you essentially have a supercharged vintage AC15 of WAY better quality. The JJ-30, or John Jorgenson signature model was the true flagship of the Matchless line.

This two input class A amplifier has Gain-Tone-Speed -Depth-Reverb-Cut-Master controls.She's also got a half power switch, speaker phase switch, output impedance selector switch, AC acc. outlet, extension speaker jack, a very nice padded handle,a very sturdy cab with a T brace in front of the speaker which stiffens the unit ( nothing like a stiff unit)and also protects the speaker from your foot.

The JJ lists for $4049.00 and came with Sovtek power tubes . Let me up!!The stock Sovtek EF-86 went crack-up about 2 hours into the life of the amp. I replaced the Rooskie EF-86 with a Telefunken ( gee, reckon that made a difference?) and the power tubes with a quartet of NOS Sylvanias.I also replaced some of the Chi-comm 12AX7 tubes with RCA's. I one in as it was OK in the trem circuit.While we are on the subject of tubes let me mention some of the advantages to the half power switch on this amp. First and most obvious is that this amp is very loud so it behooves you to run it at half power in small clubs. Second and maybe most cool is that the Matchless system achieves 1/2 power by shutting off two of the tubes. If you only run one pair of tubes you actually have a spare pair in the amp ready to go in case of a failure. This is a real gig saver in case of a tube failure.You just shut off the amp and exchange the 2 outside tubes with the 2 inside tubes fire the amp back up and go for another 6 months to a year on the fresh pair!!This feature plus the phase reverse on the speaker, (which really saves the ears of the people in the front ) the reverb ,tremelo and killer gain on tap make this one of the ultimate club amps. The master volume defeat function is also very cool.There are a tremendous variety of tones on tap with the phase switch, the master volume defeat, the half power switch and the impedance selector all affecting the sound.

This amp also sounds a ton better with the Mullard 12AT7 in the phase inverter position.Once again a glassier less humped up in the mid range tone and better dynamics . This amp has a shit load of gain and is LOUD enough to be a nuclear deterrent.The reverb also sounds better with the 12AT7 due to the increase in bandwidth.It still sounds like a VOX but with a Fender / Marshall edge. And no VOX ever had as much gain as this puppy.The JJ has about as much gain with the the volume on 12:00 CHT as the Maz does full up.I have not yet turned this amp all the way up because it is too loud.It sounds particularly great with a good fat Tele. or even better an ASAT classic by G&L.

The company is out of business so I guess you can forget about that lifetime warranty.Also we have the price,the little teeny speaker leads, the chassis bolts could be bigger. I would like to have a midrange control so I could take some out sometimes ( instead of just the cut and 6 position bass switch.)The Russian power tubes are a joke in an amp of this caliber. Hey, at least pop for some USA made Groove tubes or hunt down some NOS EL-84s, they are very easy to find. ( unlike good EL-34s.)

Where do we start? The component quality is second to none ( except for the tubes). ALL 1 watt resistors,(1/2 watt resistors are the norm, even in the Z) Teflon sheathing on all the wires.The transformers are bigger than those in some 100 watt amps. The inside is so well insulated and shielded that there is no bare wire showing. This is a pretty safe amp to work on due to the fact that all the leads coming from the filter caps , transformers and the like are either covered with Teflon or plastic sheathing. There is also a good bit of neatly applied blue shielding paint. It paid off. This is an extremely quiet amplifier until you step on the gas. As a matter of fact one day I was playing the amp pretty loud and got a long phone call . I left the amp on and forgot about it until I picked up the guitar to move it and it hit a huge loud chord and about scared me pissless. I weigh 220 pounds and I can use the amp for a step ladder and it doesn't even creak. The speaker phase switch gives you a fuller sound in a two amp setup. The A.C. acc. outlet is nice to see again.

The sound of this amp is not to be believed. It is sooo fat. it sounds like you have 2 high E and 2 B strings on your guitar. You can get very high gain sounds without a pedal. Great Peter Green type blues tones and anything an AC 30 can do the JJ can do three times better. With the master defeated, the gain on about 10:00 and the cut full it does a great deluxe( well maybe a great three Deluxes) boost the gain and you have an amp very similar to a Dumble overdrive. This is a good thing.It is very, very, very, freaking loud!!! The sound is very rich due to the midrange emphasis of the amp and of course the EF ( E xtended F requency )-86.This tube also digests pedals very well . No issue of squealing with the Fulltone although this thing does not need a pedal.With the gain maxed you can do Spirit or Santana sustain for days thing. Jazz, rock, blues, country, fusion (if anyone still plays that crap) even Metal. This is the ultimate desert island combo. If I had to settle for one amp this would be it. Killer clean, killer distortion, great reverb and tremolo built like a brick shit-house ( told ya' I wasn't gonna say tank) The JJ is not as sensitive to guitar choice as the DR Z although I think my G&L ASAT classic sounds the best through both of them.

The tremolo really is unbelievable. The best I have heard hands down. You can use it as a dramatic or very subtle effect, your choice. No tick, tick, tick, like the vibro king either.

BLUES TONE ......................................... ..... .9

CRUNCH TONE ( WHO etc.) ...................... 10

VOLUME AND POWER ..............................10

VALUE..................................................... ......8

HIGH GAIN TONE....................................... 10

ROAD WORTHINESS................................. 10

SERVICE AND TECH SUPPORT ................ 0

COLLECTABILITY....................................... 10

CLEAN TONE.................................................8

COMPONENT QUALITY...............................9

After some more testing I have to tell you that the speaker for the Matchless is very well matched to the amp. The JJ actually sounds no where near as good hooked up to the 2-12" Maz cabinet with the Celestion Blues. It is brittle sounding through the Blues and loses some richness. Also I believe Matchless amps sound better running at 8 ohm loads. Also the tubes will last longer and the amp will make less heat with the greater load.(I'll bet you know someone who has blown a power amp by running it too hard with a 2 ohm load.) Of course the Super Reverb had a 2 ohm transformer and was designed to run at 2 ohms so...The Blues ARE perfectly matched to the Maz 38 and I would not order one without them but it runs 4 ohms and you can make a grilled cheese on the top of the amp unless you put a REAL fan on it. It eats Sovteks like candy. They cannot stand the Voltages in these amps. Sovtek makes some good tubes but their EL84 (and 6v6) tubes really do suck longevity wise even though the tone of the Sovteks is OK in the MAZ. They sound like puss in the Matchless.