Matchless 1994 Chieftain Reverb 2x10 Mark Sampson Era Amp Excellent

No sales tax for US customers outside California.

Mid 90s Matchless amps are coveted pieces that have gone far beyond cult status.  The Chieftain is Matchless's take on a high-headroom, Class A British-voiced amplifier, and this 2x10 configuration delivers that character with a focused midrange punch and three-dimensional clean headroom that opens into harmonic saturation as you push it. Forty watts through two 10-inch speakers gives you the broad, airy top end associated with an EL34-based circuit. This example is in excellent condition throughout: cabinet, chassis, grille, baffle, covering, and speakers all present without issue.  I wouldn't call this amp light, but it is more manageable than more-common, 2x12" version.

This is a Mark Sampson-era Chieftain, built in 1994 — the period widely regarded as the peak of Matchless's original run. Mark Sampson co-founded Matchless in 1989 and was the designer behind the amplifiers during those early years. The company changed hands in 1999, and the original Sampson-era amps have become benchmark references for the boutique amp movement that Matchless helped establish. The Chieftain sits above the DC-30 in the original lineup — a single-channel, cathode-biased 40-watt design with onboard reverb, built on a Baltic birch cabinet and baffle with hand-wired point-to-point construction. Transformers are all original, with date codes consistent with 1994 production. 

All components are original: knobs, handle (leather), covering (black vinyl), grille (black sparkle), potentiometers, filter caps, and reverb tank. Power tubes are JJ EL34s; preamp tubes are JJ 12AX7s; rectifier is an Amperex 5AR4. All the tubes have been tested so you won't have to replace worn tubes for some time.  Tube sockets and pots have been cleaned.  No internal repairs have been made. 

SPECIFICATIONS

• Date: 1994
• Weight: 74lbs
• Dimensions: 24-3/4" w x 18-1/2" h x 10-1/2" d
• Watts: 40 watts
• Case/Cover?: none
• Covering Material: vinyl
• Covering Color: black
• Covering Original?: yes
• Cabinet Material: Baltic birch
• Cabinet Condition: excellent
• Cabinet Repairs/Changes: none
• Cabinet Original?: yes
• Grille Style: black sparkle
• Grille Condition: excellent
• Grille Original?: yes
• Baffle Material: Baltic birch
• Baffle Condition: excellent
• Baffle Original?: yes
• Baffle Repairs/Changes: none
• Speaker 1-2 Brand: Celestion / Matchless
• Speaker 1-2 Size: 10"
• Speaker 1-2 Cone Code: 4475
• Speaker 1-2 Cone Original?: yes
• Speaker 1-2 Condition: excellent
• Speaker 1-2 Original?: yes
• Chassis Material: metal
• Chassis Condition: excellent
• Chassis Original?: yes
• Chassis Repairs/Changes: none
• Knobs Original?: yes
• Handle Material: leather
• Handle Original?: yes
• Power Transformer Manufacturer: WTI
• Power Transformer Date Code: 11 16 94
• Power Transformer Original?: yes
• Output Transformer Manufacturer: WTI
• Output Transformer Date Code: 9356
• Output Transformer Original?: yes
• Choke Transformer Manufacturer: WTI
• Choke Transformer Date Code: 9355
• Choke Transformer Original?: yes
• Reverb Transformer Manufacturer: WTI
• Reverb Transformer Date Code: 9459-8
• Reverb Transformer Original?: yes
• Reverb Onboard: yes
• Reverb Tank Original?: yes
• Tremolo Or Vibrato Onboard: no
• Pedal Included?: no
• Rectifier Tube: 5AR4
• Rectifier Tube Brand: Amperex
• Power Tubes: 2 x EL34
• Power Tube Brand: JJ
• Preamp Tubes: 5 x 12AX7
• Preamp Tube Brand: JJ
• Potentiometers Original?: yes
• Filter Caps: Original
• Internal Repairs: none
• Power Cable: included
• Documentation: none

We buy, sell, and take trades.

Be sure to check out the other cool guitar related stuff on our site!
Vintage & Used Amplifiers — Fender Electric Guitars — Gibson Electric Guitars — Vintage & Used Effects Pedals

Shipping Policy
By completing your purchase you are agreeing to this shipping policy. Shipments require signature on delivery, no exceptions. Less than 1% of our shipments are damaged in transit, and we are committed to making sure your item arrives safely. If there is damage, retain all packing materials intact, photograph them immediately, and send the photos to sales@maharsvintageguitars.com.

Amplifiers: We take additional precautions to prevent common shipping damage. Depending on the amp, this may include removing tubes, pulling the chassis from the cabinet if heavy transformers present a drop risk, or removing heavy speakers that could crack baffles in transit. Reassembly is required on delivery — we label everything clearly. These measures add to shipping costs but reflect hard-won experience. Vintage amplifiers (20 years or older) are sold as-is — all amps are tested in our shop upon intake and again before shipping. We cover shipping damage but cannot be responsible for the failure of vintage components in instruments that are 20 to 50-plus years old.