Matchless HotBox Classic

The Matchless HotBox Classic is a guitar preamp that is essentially a Matchless amplifier inside of a box. I've used both the 'Classic' version of this pedal and the original, although I don't believe that there is much of a difference between the two pedals, or at least not that I was able to tell right off the bat. Perhaps if I shoot them out and had them both on hand at the same time I would know, but I've yet to have that opportunity. The pedal is an analog one, consisting of two 12AX7 tubes. It has standard 1/4" connections and I can't remember exactly, but I'm pretty sure this has it's own power supply. It isn't rack mountable since it's a foot controlled pedal.

UTILIZATION

The make up of the Matchless HotBox Classic shouldn't be too hard for users to understand, as it's fairly straight ahead. Basically the pedal is split up into two different channels, with the first channel being clean and the second one being an overdrive channel. From left to right, the parameters the pedal has include those for gain (channel two), bass and treble, output level for channel two, and a clean volume for the first channel. It's really that easy, so a manual won't be necessary.

SOUND QUALITY

The sound of the Matchless HotBox Classic is really unlike any pedal I've heard before, as it's really an amplifier inside a box! It's possible to get a number of different sounds with this pedal, ranging from clean to slightly overdriven to all out distortion. While I like using the pedal mostly for getting some slight overdrive by just plugging thru it, it's awesome for getting some super heavy yet transparent sounding gain for solos and leads. Basically, if you want the closest thing to a Matchless amp without actually owning one, this pedal is it...

OVERALL OPINION

The Matchless HotBox Classic is a seriously cool pedal. It's unlike most that I've used before, as it's really more than just a simple stomp box as it's an amplifier inside a pedal's casing. For starters, this thing can absolutely rip, sometimes to the point where it's too much. Having said this, there is a good amount of differing sounds possible making it a versatile guitar preamp to say the least. While the price isn't very cheap for a pedal, it's certainly quite cheap for an amplifier. If you're interested in building your live or studio set up around an awesome guitar preamp, it's going to be hard to find one better than the HotBox Classic.