S-500+Matchless Gig report

[supereiv]

Hey folks !

as I told you, here's a little report from saturday night gig.
The first with the S-500 deluxe, and the Matchless.

here's the stage from my point of view :
the pedalboard is a work in progress, I will soon add a booster, another overdrive and whatever I want/need


Here's the same point of view 5 mn before take-off (the audience is outside smokin' and drinkin'):

the current band is a 7 pieces group : bass, drums, congas, perc+samples, tenor sax, alto sax and guitar



and one special for Salmon, Autumn burst is very hard to photograph, especially with a mobile phone, it is less orange and the edges are less dark :
here's the S-500 dlx proto and the Matchless Chieftain.



All in all, the S-500 is an ultra versatile beast, which is even emphasized by the tonal properties of the Matchless. The use of the PTB is über comfortable and musical everytime. I dial my sound with the bass half way, treble full on and vol at 75%. The Matchless is very sparkly and has a very well thought out equalization which is subtle and dead on the right frequencies to be heard and have a dynamic sound.
The amp was dialed to be at the edge of breakup when I put the guitar vol to full on : gain on 12, bass on 11, mids on 11, treble on 1 and Brilliance on 12. Master was on 3 o'clock.
That amp is really easy to dial in, it sounds always refined and elegant.

I had a lot of compliments about my sound, from the audience and from my bandmates. The association between the MFD and the Matchless produces a dynamic beast of a guitar, each nuance is heard,
and that amp reacts a lot to the onboard controls. I went from super stratty sound à la Gilmour with the bass rolled off at 25% to a big growl à la Jeff Beck.
As always, the dual fulcrum is a real delight to use. Every position on the selector is usefull and musical, I was surprised to find a real utility to the 2 extra positions.
The only drawback is the weight is a little on the heavy side (applies to the amp too).
But if it's the price to pay to play a no non-sense rig that sounds killer and audible whatever you play, well... I'll pay.

[y2kc]

Very nice report on your amp and guitar. That s-500 is very attractive.

Thanks,

y2kc

[supereiv]

Thanks, actually that guitar has such a strong personnality and versatility at the same time that I barely play the 3 others.
I'm toying with the idea of buying another S-500 dlx but with a swamp ash back and a maple fretboard.

[darwinohm]

Thanks for the report Xavier. It sounds like you have found the sound! That is often difficult for some people. You can see the excitement in the photos! Gigs are a blast especially when the crowd enjoys it and expresses their appreciation.-- Darwin.

[Salmon]

Xavier,

This would make a good background for a G&L poster.

There is room for all of the text at the bottom.

Actually you should use that as a band poster.

[El Fug]

Clips? I'd love to hear that combination.

[supereiv]

Xavier,

This would make a good background for a G&L poster.

There is room for all of the text at the bottom.

Actually you should use that as a band poster.

Thanks Salmon, I don't think we'll be using this photo as a band poster ever, the leader/singer/composer/ is the bass player of the band, actually the band has his first name "Francky Fluid System"

Clips? I'd love to hear that combination.

we are currently working on the video of this gig, but we aren't sure it will be possible to sync it with the record... we'll see in a few days/weeks.
But be sure I'll post it here

[El Fug]

we are currently working on the video of this gig, but we aren't sure it will be possible to sync it with the record... we'll see in a few days/weeks.
But be sure I'll post it here

But I want to hear the rig, either at the gig or by itself. Did you use the same combination on the record?

[supereiv]

But I want to hear the rig, either at the gig or by itself. Did you use the same combination on the record?

I meant, the recording of the gig, the output of the PA if you will.
So yes indeed, my rig will be the same.

[El Fug]

Awesome! Looking forward to it. I've been intrigued by Chieftains for a while now.