1970 Orange Matamp SL-100 Slave Amplifier w/ GEC KT88 Quad, Ormat

Up for sale, a circa 1970 Orange Matamp SL-100 Slave Amplifier in excellent condition and in perfect working order, loaded with a quad of vintage UK-made GEC KT88s. Orange famously began as a London used gear shop (the first of its kind) until, in 1968, founder Cliff Cooper decided to begin producing his own proprietary line of amplifiers, largely due to difficulties in acquiring stock and a deal he had cut with Fleetwood Mac to provide the band with equipment for an upcoming tour. He turned to Mat Mathias, whose company Matamp produced handcrafted, premium amplifiers up north at their Huddersfield factory. The two joined forces, and the amps produced during the Orange/Matamp run (1969-71, with the partnership officially dissolving around ‘75) are widely considered to be among the finest to ever bear the Orange name, prized for their “beefed up” British tone and power.

This particular SL-100 Slave amp can, of course, add a massive amount of power to any paired signal, yielding a very true, balanced tonality with terrific warmth and balance. The circuit is largely original and freshly serviced by our techs here at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar, retaining the original lacquer-soaked Partridge transformers. This amp is loaded with a matched quartet of highly desirable GEC KT88 power tubes, and the circuit has been tweaked so that each power tube can be individually biased.

The original head sleeve has been retolexed in silver tolex, and the original faceplate is extremely clean.