When it comes to guitar amplifiers, there is a wide range to choose from depending on your proficiency with the instrument. If you are a beginner or someone who likes to play a guitar as a hobby, you would probably want an amplifier that is not too expensive but still gives you decent sound quality. At the same time since you are not going to be subjecting it to the kind of rigors that equipment takes when it is taken on the road, you would probably be happy with an amplifier that is sturdy enough for your use.
On the other hand if you are a professional musician and your livelihood depends on the quality of your equipment. You want a guitar amplifier that not only gives out the best sound but also one that is reliable, sturdy and durable to withstand all those road trips. There are quite a few high end guitar amplifier manufacturers whose products are able to meet the requirements of professional musicians. But when you enter the realm of the really Class A guitar amps there are very few companies that deliver the quality and sound that is expected from these amplifiers. One company that has really made a name for itself for the quality of their equipment is Matchless.
This company is based in Los Angeles, California. Surprisingly this is one of those companies that has just a handful of employees and is very small in size, but what this company is known for is their handmade Class A amps, built in the old school style of hand wired point to point soldering and using only military grade connectors and components. All their transformers are hand wired, and their amps are built to last. Even the cabinets are made of solid birch wood which makes these amplifiers very strong and able to take on the road travel easily. Matchless takes extreme care in each and every detail even down to the finish and looks of these amplifiers. Special care is taken to see that even the stitching on each amplifier is of the highest quality.
The Matchless Company started by building amplifiers one at a time. Even today they believe in building these amplifiers the same way despite the fact that this increases labor costs and reduces their profit margin. They do not believe in outsourcing any of the production since they would not be able to control the quality. Their amplifiers are tested at each stage of production. They leave the door only after the quality of every component is inspected to withstand their high quality requirements.
Matchless amplifiers do not come cheap, but they are still in high demand because they are high quality built. These amplifiers are used by a lot of renowned musicians who know what the quality of the amplifiers enhances the music they produce. In this small niche, of handmade Class A amplifiers the company has had its ups and downs it even closed its doors in 1998 due to financial problems, but reopened in 2000 under a new administration and today it manufactures one of the best guitar amplifiers to be found.