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Suzy  Starlite

  • Home
  • JOURNAL
  • Music
    • 1966 | THE DEBUT ALBUM BY SUZY STARLITE
    • MUSIC PROJECTS
    • ALBUMS & SINGLES
  • Events
  • Art
    • Raising A Nation
  • Hire me
    • SESSIONS
    • Tuition
  • Gallery
    • VIDEOS
    • IMAGES
  • Equipment
    • Bass guitars
    • FX & accessories
    • Amplifiers & cabinets
    • Synthesisers & keyboards
  • About
  • Contact

Amplifiers & Cabinets


SUPERTONE 'MATAMP' 200

Starlite Campbell Band live at the Met, Buy, England with the Supertone 'Matamp' 200 and 120

And now to the other vitally important and essential part of my sound - the fire in the belly of the dragon. The flame thrower! The roar of a mighty valve bass head!!

When I started playing bass, Simon bought me a 1974 HiWatt DR201 200W valve bass head as a Christmas present. I used this exclusively for a number of years but also needed a new amp as a backup. 

What I wanted doesn't exist so, we set out on a mission to create the amp of my dreams and after much discussion, Supertone began working together with Matamp, England,

Introducing the mighty Supertone Matamp 200 valve bass head!

Based around the preamp circuit of the Supertone 'Matamp' 120 guitar head it has a quartet of KT88’s in the power section which delivers close to 300W. Due to the gigantic mains and output transformers, it has a huge open tone and soon replaced the HiWatt as my favourite.

What does that mean in terms of sound? The Supertone ’Matamp’ is a total monster with lots of finesse!! 

The bass, treble and presence tone controls really work and you can dial in a great tone in seconds. It just sounds ‘right’, like 'proper bass'! A superb alternative to the American sound of the SVT and dare I say, more reliable. 

Supertone 'Matamp' 200 valve head

FEATURES

  • Custom pre-amp design
  • 200W of valve power
  • Eight and four Ohm speaker outputs
  • Four KT88 output valves
  • Transformer balanced DI output
  • 240/220V or 240/115V mains voltage
  • Huge C-Core mains transformer, made in the UK exclusively for us, along with massive filter capacitors
Supertone Matamp with Bergantino 610

I have recorded the amplifier with the Bergantino 610 (see below) and two Supertone 4x12” cabinets which sound fantastic! 

It's incredible to be a part of the team working with Supertone and Matamp in developing a British amp with so much history, skill and knowledge!  

It sounds fantastic! Unique!!  

Great news! You can have your very own 200 Supertone 'Matamp'  valve head - it is now available to buy via the Supertone shop.

VISIT THE SUPERTONE ONLINE SHOP
Matamp
Supertone

SUPERTONE 2 X 15

My current go-to cabinet is the Supertone 2x15. It has two Weber Bass 15F speakers and a big, rich vinatge sound!! It sounds incredible. 

There are not many people making 2x15's these days, but we love the tone and decided to offer a world class cabinet optimised for bass valve heads.

Watch the video below to hear me playing and recording live in the Supertone Studio and you will know what I mean…

It is available to buy from the Supertone shop. Drop us an email if you would like to find out more - Simon and I would love to hear from you.

FEATURES

  • Textured black paint
  • Penn Elcom hardware
  • 15mm high density laminated birch ply cabinet
  • Two Weber Bass 15F loudspeakers
  • Four Ohms
  • 350W power handling
  • Four tuned ports
  • Two back castors and black corner bar handle (tight radius) for easy moving
  • Two large flightcase-style recessed handles
  • Two Neutrik Speakon connectors on a recessed connector plate
  • Hand made in Portugal
VISIT THE SUPERTONE ONLINE SHOP
Supertone 2x15 speaker cabinet
Supertone 2x15 speaker cabinet

HiWatt DR201 (1973) #3255

1974 vintage HiWatt DR201 valve head

My heavyweight baby

I have never owned an amplifier before I started to play bass and had no idea what to go for so I asked Simon what was the best amp to use. Knowing the style of music we create, it had to be a tube amp. He mentioned the vintage Ampeg Portaflex B-15-N, Orange/Matamp 200 and Ampeg SVT but totally forgot about the HiWatt but when we saw that master amp guru Roland Lumby had one in for repair, we made an offer and the rest is history.

Needless to say, it is a great amp!

A little about HiWatt: "Dave Reeves started HIWATT and Hylight Electronics in 1966. In order to raise capital for his young company, Reeves accepted a contract to build a line of amplifiers for Ivor Arbiter's store Sound City. By mid-1968 and the contract with Sound City fulfilled, Reeves focused on his own brand, HIWATT. 

By 1969, The Who and Pink Floyd were the most well-known users of HIWATTs. Later that year, Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin) had HIWATTs custom made for him. Jethro Tull and Manfred Mann were other famous users at that time. 

By 1970, Hiwatt produced PA amps as well as 50-watt (DR504), 100-watt (DR103), and 200-watt (DR201) all-purpose amplifiers. Until that time, Reeves had been building all of the amps in his garage with the help of his wife Daphne and Doug Fentiman.

1974 HiWatt DR210 top - Danger, danger, High Voltage
1974 HiWatt DR210 rear

In early 1970, Reeves accepted that he could not keep up with demand and began looking for well qualified electrical technicians to be contracted. 

Harry Joyce Electronics was selected and by mid-1970 was wiring chassis that were then sent to Reeves for final assembly and testing. This arrangement lasted until Reeves's death in 1981 and Harry Joyce Electronics continued to wire chassis for the short-lived Biacrown Electronics (1981–1984)"

Bergantino NV610 Cabinet

For all my gigs I use the Bergantino 6x10 cabinet.

In my opinion, Bergantino Audio systems is the #1 in bass cabinet design and am a proud Bergantino artist!!

Smaller and somewhat lighter than an 8x10 this 6x10 cabinet is perfectly paired with either the HiWatt DR201 or Supertone 'Matamp' 200.

It has a healthy low end but with a lot of definition in the upper mid range which sits really well on stage.

Forming part of my sound, without question, the cabinet is always miked for live performance to capture the sound of both the amp and cab.

Backup is a second mic - no DI. Nada. Never. 

My Bergantino does not have the tweeter, which as I use flatwounds, is perfect for me.

Bergantino Audio Systems logo
Bergantino 610 cabinet pictured with the 1974 vintage HiWatt DR201, Mike Lull Custom Guitars M4V and Neumann U47FET microphone

MarkBass Little Mark III

I'm a tube amp aficionado through and through and will carry as much gear as necessary in order to make sure I have the right sound at gigs!

For duo gigs in the smaller venues when my Supertone Matamp / HiWatt DR201 would be too much, I use the MarkBass Little Mark III.

It's a great practice amp too and comes in handy for rehearsals outside of the studio environment. It may be little but it still packs a punch and has a great EQ section with many facilities.

It's got to be said, I do miss the warmth and grunt of a valve amp, but it's a great tool in the right environment.

Mark Bass Mini Mark III

Bergantino HD112 Cabinet

And here we have the Bergantino HD112 1x 12" with tweeter.

You will be surprised at the sound of this cabinet - it is an excellent piece of gear and perfect for intimate gigs, rehearsals and practice. It is responsive with a natural open tone and surprisingly 'big' for its size! I turn the tweeter all the way off.

We've tested a lot of cabinets over the years and you can hear why Bergantino are the #1 name in bass enclosure design.

Combined with the MarkBass Mini Mark III, I have never been disappointed in a small venue - but certainly not suitable for rock 'n' roll! Leave that to the 610 big boy!

Bergantino Audio Systems Logo
Bergantino HD112 350W 8 Ohm bass cabinet

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