Tokai tube amps?

schoey · Post by **schoey** » Tue Jul 13, 2010 1:42 pm

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.

chrisheyes · Post by **chrisheyes** » Tue Jul 13, 2010 3:14 pm

schoey wrote: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

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-AMPLIF ... ec0Q2em322

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.co ... eply-22100

schoey · Post by **schoey** » Wed Jul 14, 2010 1:41 pm

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.

schoey · Post by **schoey** » Wed Jul 14, 2010 1:46 pm

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

tick-tok · Post by **tick-tok** » Mon Aug 16, 2010 4:21 pm

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

chrisheyes · Post by **chrisheyes** » Tue Aug 17, 2010 2:02 am

tick-tok wrote: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

Hi Tick-tok,

Welcome to the forum!

The name Matokai etched on the circuit board would go some way to confirm that the amps are a hybrid Tokai and Matamp.

Photo's of the amp would be really great.

As I mentioned in my earlier posting, the amp I saw at the North West Guitar show was one like yours, with reverb. It sounded great with the a Nigel Crinson relic tele going through it.

Regards,

Chris

tick-tok · Post by **tick-tok** » Tue Aug 17, 2010 2:25 am

hey chrisheyes, yep i can get some pictures together this afternoon! i don't really use photobucket, is there a way to put them straight into this thread? if not i'll upload to my myspace pictures and then post a link. that wont create any problems will it? i've been on forums before that wont let you link myspace or personally created music! just spotted a surf green tele copy that would match up with it nicely...well...in a sickly 50's sweet-shop kinda way!

thank you for your welcome to the forum! peace

chrisheyes · Post by **chrisheyes** » Tue Aug 17, 2010 2:33 am

tick-tok wrote:hey chrisheyes, yep i can get some pictures together this afternoon! i don't really use photobucket, is there a way to put them straight into this thread? if not i'll upload to my myspace pictures and then post a link. that wont create any problems will it? i've been on forums before that wont let you link myspace or personally created music! just spotted a surf green tele copy that would match up with it nicely...well...in a sickly 50's sweet-shop kinda way!
thank you for your welcome to the forum! peace

Photobucket enables you to embed photo's/ images into the posting, you don't have to click on a link. I use it as it easier for the reader, they don;t have to click on a link. however, if you can't do that, then a link to where they are is fine.

Chris

tick-tok · Post by **tick-tok** » Wed Aug 18, 2010 6:23 am

message deleted

tick-tok · Post by **tick-tok** » Wed Aug 18, 2010 6:25 am

i really didn't do that right did i! sorry, pretty new to this!

chrisheyes · Post by **chrisheyes** » Wed Aug 18, 2010 7:40 am

tick-tok wrote:i really didn't do that right did i! sorry, pretty new to this!

No worries !

Cut and paste the image links instead of the web links

tick-tok · Post by **tick-tok** » Wed Aug 18, 2010 8:29 am

chrisheyes · Post by **chrisheyes** » Mon Aug 23, 2010 6:33 am

Great looking amp Tick-toc

The additional line outs for 16 and 8 ohm speaker cabinets are a bonus on yours, they're not on my version.

Nice one, enjoy your amp

It's now time for you to try a tokai guitar through it

Chris

tick-tok · Post by **tick-tok** » Fri Sep 03, 2010 5:07 am

thanks for the kind words dude, its a great little amp! sounds great through a 12 cab! its not quite a tokai but i've just turned an old tele copy into an esquire and it sits with the amp beautifully...yucky surf green to really pump up the kitsch! i don't need the 16 ohm out or the foot switch so i'm hoping to get a tech friend (its a little above me!) to add a line out with dummy load and an attenuator...fun fun fun!

chrisheyes · Post by **chrisheyes** » Sun Sep 12, 2010 6:11 am

tick-tok wrote:thanks for the kind words dude, its a great little amp! sounds great through a 12 cab! its not quite a tokai but i've just turned an old tele copy into an esquire and it sits with the amp beautifully...yucky surf green to really pump up the kitsch! i don't need the 16 ohm out or the foot switch so i'm hoping to get a tech friend (its a little above me!) to add a line out with dummy load and an attenuator...fun fun fun!

Tick-tok

Matamp already make an external attenuator for ?45+ p&p !!

Get in touch with them and they'll sort you out.

Check out this link:-

http://officialmatampownersclub.yuku.co ... -Rock.html

Chris

Tokai Forum - a subsidiary of TokaiRegistry.com

Tokai tube amps?

there we go!