Tokai tube amps?

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mick55

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Has Tokai ever made any serious large size tube amp before?
I was just always wondering this.
 
mick55 said:
Has Tokai ever made any serious large size tube amp before?
I was just always wondering this.

Nope... not to my recollection, anyway. The little solid state tweed Champ style combo is the only one I'm aware of.
 
mick55 said:
http://www.guitarsjapan.com/1981_7okai_TA-35_Champ_Amplifier.html

:eek: This?

Looks like it but the ones I've seen have tweed tolex on it..... not bare wood. Perhaps this one was stripped and finished.
 
marcusnieman said:
mick55 said:
http://www.guitarsjapan.com/1981_7okai_TA-35_Champ_Amplifier.html

:eek: This?

Looks like it but the ones I've seen have tweed tolex on it..... not bare wood. Perhaps this one was stripped and finished.

Yes, that ones been stripped. The look much bigger in the pictures thay are only 12" square, sound great though, transistor or not!
 
Tokai UK used to have a small valve amp on their website with the statement - Coming Soon !!

They never appeared.

They were however being made by Matamp at their factory in Huddersfield. Could well be they were rebadged and are now for sale in Canada and the UK as a limited run.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Matamp-Spirit-4-watt-valve-amp-combo-8-Jenson-speaker-/150442997142?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_MusicalInstr_Amplifiers_RL&hash=item230719f596

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-TWEED-MATAMP-SPIRIT-1X8-4-WATT-TUBE-COMBO-JENSEN-/290398155701?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_2&hash=item439d1433b5
 
JohnA said:
Definitely a Tokai cab, very cool looking little amp!


Your spot on John

Just seen one of these in the flesh at the Northern Guitar Show, Haydock Park today - very nice indeed.

The story I was given was that Tokai Uk imported New Old Stock Tokai TA-35 Cabinets and had Matamp put a Valve amp into them.

They had a Matamp metal plaque on the front above the speaker, but Tokai etched into the control panel on the top. On the back stuck on was was a Tokai, Musical Instruments of the World black panel with white lettering.

There are two versions, one has reverb and the other has an attenuator.

Chris
 
Now that MATAMP/TOKAI hybrid is an amp i seriously have GAS for!Cheers fellas ,you may have just made me even poorer if i pull the trigger.... :-?

Resist!!!Resist!!!


MOJO HOBO
 
mojo hobo said:
Now that MATAMP/TOKAI hybrid is an amp i seriously have GAS for!Cheers fellas ,you may have just made me even poorer if i pull the trigger.... :-?

Resist!!!Resist!!!


MOJO HOBO

Alas I couldn't resist !!

http://officialmatampownersclub.yuku.com/topic/3938/t/Matamp-Spirit-Combo.html

One is on it's way to me right now !!
 
It's arrived

There is no doubt that the Matamp is housed in an old Tokai cabinet

Check it out for yourself.

IMG_2877.jpg


IMG_2875.jpg


I've put an alnico celetsion speaker in the Tokai and at present it's the better sounding of the two for the clean tone!

Here's some shots of the inside of the Matamp Spirit - One of the transformers states it's from a Minimat

IMG_2879.jpg


Nice boutique point to point wiring !

IMG_2880.jpg
 
Yeah, the simplicity of the wiring and electronics is a thing of beauty. Like looking at the engine of a 65 Mustang compared to the current model.
 
Although I am a Matamp fan and owner I cannot belive for the life of me that Jeff at Matamp still insists on putting those cheap handles on his cabinets. Well I suppose I can he is a typical Tyke (tight).
Must admit I was less than impressed my self with this model when I visited the factory while one was on soak and heard Hayden (bulldpog pickups) play through it. My Matamp First Lady may have been ?300 more than one of these but it sounds 3000% better.
 
schoey said:
Although I am a Matamp fan and owner I cannot belive for the life of me that Jeff at Matamp still insists on putting those cheap handles on his cabinets. Well I suppose I can he is a typical Tyke (tight).
Must admit I was less than impressed my self with this model when I visited the factory while one was on soak and heard Hayden (bulldpog pickups) play through it. My Matamp First Lady may have been ?300 more than one of these but it sounds 3000% better.

The handle is the first thing I've changed, ?9.50 from seller Modulus-amps on ebay. Nice on Michael


IMG_2882.jpg


I'm tempted to change the on-light switch from the cheapo one to a vintage style one, as in the link below:-

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/MODULUS-AMPLIFICATION_Jewel-Lights-Quality-Range_W0QQ_fsubZ1471158015QQ_sidZ121668335QQ_trksidZp4634Q2ec0Q2em322

I've got a Matamp Little Rock and the Spirit doesn't match up to that at present.

The amp, as I mentioned in an earlier thread doesn't have that good clean tone, but when pushed with a Hughes and Kettner Tube Factor it comes to life.

The spirit combo is basically a Minimat Mk1 amp within the NOS Tokai cabinet. Research on the Matamp Forum shows that other Minimat users have also noted that the amp has better tone when pushed with an overdrive or treble booster.

Jeff from Matamp suggests:-

(from Jeff) The mod is to change the capacitor on the tone pot in to a lower value e.g. 4n7.

http://officialmatampownersclub.yuku.com/reply/22100#reply-22100
 
Hi Chrisheyes
If pushed Jeff would also say that the Little Rock is also the worst amp Matamp have ever made, nothing more than a toy in fact.
 
Hi Chrisheyes
I am very sorry, re reading my previous post I come across as dissing your Little Rock. I ment nothing of the sort.
If you like it and it works for you thats great. I am only repeating what Jeff has said to me face to face regarding "his"view of the Little Rock
 
hi there all, just registered to the forum and was quite interested in this topic. i bought an amp a while ago that is apparently a prototype for the matamp spirit. it has a matamp badge on the back (nothing on the front). this one is actually built on two circuit boards rather than p-t-p, but the traces are nice and thick! it has reverb but no attenuator. the circuit boards have matokai etched on them and the serial number is tc1. it has tokai ce etched into the undercover. controls are volume tone reverb. i think its a lovely sounding little thing and my go to practise/recording amp. i can post some pictures if anyone is interested?..now i need a nice old tokai lawsuit to go with it! peace groovers
 
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