Matchless

Named after a British motorcycle manufacturer, Matchless , the company was founded in 1989 by Mark Sampson and Rick Perrotta, with the idea of making the greatest sounding and most reliable (or least prone to malfunction) guitar amplifier possible. Steve Goodale joined them as the third co-founder in 1991, bringing financing and marketing for the company. Goodale insisted that they participate in the 1992 Guitar Player Magazine boutique amplifier shootout and he delivered an early DC-30 from Los Angeles to Cupertino, putting the amplifier in the hands of editor Andy Widders-Ellis. The amplifier won the competition and this event effectively launched the company. Borrowing heavily from and perfecting designs of early Vox (a famous British amplifier company) amplifiers, this first Matchless amplifier model - the acclaimed DC-30 (the name bearing tribute to the legendary Vox model AC30), was the first model that saw regular production. Since its first appearance, the DC-30 has won much praise amongst guitar players and has earned several positive reviews in guitar magazines like Guitar Player and Guitar World.