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{{Sources|date=September 2022}}{{Short description|British Manufacturer of Electric Guitar Amplifiers}}
{{Infobox company
{{Infobox company
| name = Matamp
| name = Matamp
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| predecessor =
| predecessor =
| successor =
| successor =
| foundation = {{Start date|1958}}
| foundation = {{Start date|1945}}
| founder = Mat Mathias
| founder = Mat Mathias
| defunct = <!-- {{End date|1989}} -->
| defunct = <!-- {{End date|1989}} -->
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==History==
==History==
Matamp founder, Mat Mathias, started the company RadioCraft as early 1945. What started as an interest ultimately developed into a fully-fledged business building amplifiers for the burgeoning music scene in the early sixties. Behind his wife’s retail shop, selling accessories to young musicians, Mat’s workshop/manufacturing facility also extended into a fully fledged recording studio complete with disc cutters for young bands to record and cut their own demos. This resulted in the formation of MAT Records. His customers would come and see him, tell him what they wanted, and he would build it and/or record it. Patterns would emerge, and trends soon changed into product lines.
Matamp founder, Mat Mathias, started the company RadioCraft by 1946.<ref name="about">{{cite web |url=https://www.matamp.co.uk/about-matamp/?v=7516fd43adaa |title=About Matamp |publisher=Matamp |accessdate=21 November 2018}}</ref> What started as an interest ultimately developed into a fully-fledged business building amplifiers for the burgeoning music scene in the early sixties. Behind his wife’s retail shop, selling accessories to young musicians, Mathias’s workshop/manufacturing facility also extended into a fully fledged recording studio complete with disc cutters for young bands to record and cut their own demos. This resulted in the formation of MAT Records. His customers would come and see him, tell him what they wanted, and he would build it and/or record it. Patterns would emerge, and trends soon changed into product lines.


Long-term friend and hi-fi amplifier designer Tony Emerson joined with Mat in the early 1960s, shortly after the name MATAMP (Mat and Tony amplifiers) was coined. As word got around Matamp would soon be working with such musical luminaries as Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac (who Mat joined on their US tour in the late 60’s) and recording early demos with the likes of Graham Gouldman who would go on to form 10cc.
Long-term friend and hi-fi amplifier designer Tony Emerson joined with Mat in the early 1960s, shortly after the name MATAMP (Mat and Tony amplifiers) was coined. As word got around Matamp would soon be working with such musical luminaries as [[Peter Green (musician)|Peter Green]] of [[Fleetwood Mac]] (who Mathias joined on their US tour in the late 60’s) and recording early demos with the likes of [[Graham Gouldman]] who would go on to form [[10cc]].


After Tony’s departure and development work with Fleetwood Mac, the company moved on to form a partnership with Cliff Cooper who owned a music shop called simply ‘Orange’, and as such started producing Orange Matamp from the Huddersfield workshop. In 1971, Orange Matamp outsold Marshall, and gave Cliff Cooper a taste of volume sales. However; Mat was not prepared to forego quality standards in favour of mass-production, and so Orange amps moved away from the company that designed the originals
After Emerson’s departure and Matamp's subsequent development work with Fleetwood Mac, Matamp formed a partnership with Cliff Cooper. Cooper owned the Orange music store and the new partnership began producing Orange Matamp amps from Mathias's Huddersfield workshop. In 1971 Orange Matamp outsold Marshall, giving Cooper a taste of high volume sales. However Mathias was not prepared to forego quality standards in favour of mass-production {{Citation needed|date=September 2020}}, so the Orange Matamp partnership was dissolved. [[Orange Amps]] went on to be a major international amplification company so Matamp has also become widely recognised due to this early collaboration with Orange.


Their [[mixing console]] Matamp Stereo Supernova was named one of the world's best mixers by [[Mixmag]] in a 2012 list,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mixmag.net/tech/tech-features/worlds-best-mixers |title=Mixmag &#124; WORLD'S BEST MIXERS |accessdate=2014-12-19 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141219155922/http://www.mixmag.net/tech/tech-features/worlds-best-mixers |archivedate=2014-12-19 }}</ref> and features on the cover of the 2013 compilation album ''12"/80s/Club Classics''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.co.uk/80s-Club-Classics-Various-Artists/dp/B00E1ZIZ5W|title=12" 80s Club Classics|date=2 September 2013|publisher=|accessdate=18 January 2017|via=Amazon}}</ref>
Matamp is famous for its collaboration with [[Orange Amps]] in the 1960s.


Matamp also made P.A. amplifiers in the late 70s and into the early 80s. These were known as Clubmans. There were 2 versions of these; the Clubman 1 with 4 inputs and the Clubman 2 with 4 inputs and selectable Echo which was run through an external effects unit. There were approximately 245 solid state 100 Watt Matamps made between 1974 and 1980. These consisted of Clubman 1&2s and Slave amplifiers. In 1981, they switched to Hitachi MOSFET Technology. Between 1981 and 1989, around 90 Mosfet 100 watt units were made.
Their [[mixing console]] Matamp Stereo Supernova was named one of the world's best mixers by [[Mixmag]] in a 2012 list<ref>http://www.mixmag.net/tech/tech-features/worlds-best-mixers</ref> and features on the cover of the 2013 compilation album ''12"/80s/Club Classics''.<ref>http://www.amazon.co.uk/80s-Club-Classics-Various-Artists/dp/B00E1ZIZ5W</ref>


Davesounds is believed to have the single biggest collection of Matamp amplifiers. He bought his first pair in 1988. In 2018, he famously sold all 9 of his 120 watt Valve Slaves citing " I can't carry the ruddy things anymore". In 2019, he also sold most of his Transistor Matamps leaving him with around 18 Mosfets, 2 Transistor slaves and 3 Matamp X6 Mixers. He still uses them for his sounds company to this day and they are still, as of March 2022, in use for Disco and P.A. use.
== Current Products ==

=== Bass amplifiers ===
==References==
*GT200
{{Reflist}}
=== Guitar amplifiers ===
*Minimat
*1224 MKII
*GT40
*GT1
*GT2
=== Guitar cabinets ===
*1x12
*2x12
*4x12


== External links ==
== External links ==
* {{official website|http://www.matamp.co.uk}}
* {{official website|http://www.matamp.co.uk}}


[[Category:Companies established in 1958]]
[[Category:Electronics companies established in 1946]]
[[Category:Electronics companies of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Audio equipment manufacturers of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Guitar amplifier manufacturers]]
[[Category:Guitar amplifier manufacturers]]
[[Category:1946 establishments in England]]

Latest revision as of 19:31, 1 July 2023

Matamp
Company typeLLC
Founded1945 (1945)
FounderMat Mathias
HeadquartersUnited Kingdom
ProductsAmplifiers, speaker cabinets
Websitewww.matamp.co.uk

Matamp is a British electric guitar amplifier manufacturing company, best known for its handwired amplifier heads and speaker cabinets. It was established in 1964 by Mat Mathias.

History

[edit]

Matamp founder, Mat Mathias, started the company RadioCraft by 1946.[1] What started as an interest ultimately developed into a fully-fledged business building amplifiers for the burgeoning music scene in the early sixties. Behind his wife’s retail shop, selling accessories to young musicians, Mathias’s workshop/manufacturing facility also extended into a fully fledged recording studio complete with disc cutters for young bands to record and cut their own demos. This resulted in the formation of MAT Records. His customers would come and see him, tell him what they wanted, and he would build it and/or record it. Patterns would emerge, and trends soon changed into product lines.

Long-term friend and hi-fi amplifier designer Tony Emerson joined with Mat in the early 1960s, shortly after the name MATAMP (Mat and Tony amplifiers) was coined. As word got around Matamp would soon be working with such musical luminaries as Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac (who Mathias joined on their US tour in the late 60’s) and recording early demos with the likes of Graham Gouldman who would go on to form 10cc.

After Emerson’s departure and Matamp's subsequent development work with Fleetwood Mac, Matamp formed a partnership with Cliff Cooper. Cooper owned the Orange music store and the new partnership began producing Orange Matamp amps from Mathias's Huddersfield workshop. In 1971 Orange Matamp outsold Marshall, giving Cooper a taste of high volume sales. However Mathias was not prepared to forego quality standards in favour of mass-production [citation needed], so the Orange Matamp partnership was dissolved. Orange Amps went on to be a major international amplification company so Matamp has also become widely recognised due to this early collaboration with Orange.

Their mixing console Matamp Stereo Supernova was named one of the world's best mixers by Mixmag in a 2012 list,[2] and features on the cover of the 2013 compilation album 12"/80s/Club Classics.[3]

Matamp also made P.A. amplifiers in the late 70s and into the early 80s. These were known as Clubmans. There were 2 versions of these; the Clubman 1 with 4 inputs and the Clubman 2 with 4 inputs and selectable Echo which was run through an external effects unit. There were approximately 245 solid state 100 Watt Matamps made between 1974 and 1980. These consisted of Clubman 1&2s and Slave amplifiers. In 1981, they switched to Hitachi MOSFET Technology. Between 1981 and 1989, around 90 Mosfet 100 watt units were made.

Davesounds is believed to have the single biggest collection of Matamp amplifiers. He bought his first pair in 1988. In 2018, he famously sold all 9 of his 120 watt Valve Slaves citing " I can't carry the ruddy things anymore". In 2019, he also sold most of his Transistor Matamps leaving him with around 18 Mosfets, 2 Transistor slaves and 3 Matamp X6 Mixers. He still uses them for his sounds company to this day and they are still, as of March 2022, in use for Disco and P.A. use.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "About Matamp". Matamp. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  2. ^ "Mixmag | WORLD'S BEST MIXERS". Archived from the original on 2014-12-19. Retrieved 2014-12-19.
  3. ^ "12" 80s Club Classics". 2 September 2013. Retrieved 18 January 2017 – via Amazon.
[edit]