Retro Channel price announced

Yeah, I was thinking the only way for them to compete with Matrix would be to price it at least $100 less, if not more.
 
Yeah, I was on the email announcement as well.....
Really didn't expect that price for a SS power amp. I agree, thought it would be priced for competition with a Matrix. That type of money for a 200 watt "tube feel" amp is pretty high. IMO
 
The MATRIX GT1000FX is a better deal IMHO. Can operate in bridged and stereo and has more watts. Oh...and costs less! Retro is too late and too expensive.
 
Also... 5-6 more weeks? That's enough time to book gigs, buy the Matrix, wait for it to arrive, then play the gigs and make your money back...
 
I finally sold my MESA 2:90 after 10 years of trying out solid state amps to replace it. The new series of Matrix amps is amazing. To the really deiscerning ears, I'll put them to the challenge any day. I NEVER thought I'd replace the Mesa.....but I did and I am VERY PLEASED with the Matrix!
 
The retail price is 1099.00
We tried our best to bring it in for under a grand but we do American manufacturing in Austin and its just expensive to do.
The amp is in essence two of our RR1 power sections in a box.
Two transformers, custom boards, box etc.

I wish I could tell you that we could build a USA made amp for $399.00 but it can't be done while providing the tone that we expect from this product.

The amp uses our proprietary technology and sounds like a 65 pound stereo tube amp at 18 pounds. Those who are interested will be very happy with the performance.

Our commitment has been to build all of our products in the USA.

I understand that some will choose to go a different way. I respect that.
 
Lance - I highly, highly respect that you are committed to keeping all aspects of your business within the USA. Fair labor is something that is VERY important to me. However, I simply don't have the cash for this product, and Matrix also makes all their own products.
 
Lance kindlly showed me his whol rig at the Namm show and I can tell you that the Retro Channel sounds fantastic. I have no doubt that the Matrix also sounds great. The difference that I see (other than the power rating) is in the controls. The Matrix (and I'm only going by the info on the website so correct me if I'm wrong) only has channel level control. The Retro Channel has channel level control (master volume) pus input gain control, presence control and cabinet resonance control. I'm guesiing that the extra control circuits and harware have an impact on the cost.

For me the input gain control was the deciding factor in going with the Retro Channel.
 
Loren9050 said:
Lance kindlly showed me his whol rig at the Namm show and I can tell you that the Retro Channel sounds fantastic. I have no doubt that the Matrix also sounds great. The difference that I see (other than the power rating) is in the controls. The Matrix (and I'm only going by the info on the website so correct me if I'm wrong) only has channel level control. The Retro Channel has channel level control (master volume) pus input gain control, presence control and cabinet resonance control. I'm guesiing that the extra control circuits and harware have an impact on the cost.

For me the input gain control was the deciding factor in going with the Retro Channel.
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Very good selling points especially for guys that are using guitar cabs. The other thing to point out is the Retro is also built for other preamps in mind and not just the Axe. Where the Matrix was pretty much pointed to the Axe as a clean power amp that has the feel of a valve power amp.

As to the Retro and the Matrix I think they are two different animals and to compare the two from a price standpoint or otherwise is not the best way to go about it.
 
I thought this amp sounded really good from the video they did a while back, however it appears that it works best with the power amp sims disabled which seems to be missing the point to a degree with the Axe FX - or am I missing the point?
 
Well... owning the Matrix GT1000FX... I find the Retro... pointless... With the matrix I can run it in stereo, in mono bridged, single channel, through guitar cabs, through pa cabs... it weights NOTHING, It has 1/4 and quick connect connections. It comes in single rack and two space rack... You can use the axe to its full potential with it.
 
farrakon said:
Well... owning the Matrix GT1000FX... I find the Retro... pointless... With the matrix I can run it in stereo, in mono bridged, single channel, through guitar cabs, through pa cabs... it weights NOTHING, It has 1/4 and quick connect connections. It comes in single rack and two space rack... You can use the axe to its full potential with it.
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Of course you do because you already own the Matrix which I know to be a fine amp. That being said I assume you can do all of the above with the Retro and if there are some added benefits due to the additional controls perhaps the cost is justifiable.

It reminds me of acoustic guitar shopping when I tried every guitar in the shop and told the sales guy not to tell me the prices because I wanted to decide based on tone not cost. Believe it or not It came down to a Takamine and a Taylor 810. The Taylor was more than twice the price and did it sound twice as good? I don't know, maybe and maybe not. However there was something magical about that tone and I couldn't put it down so I threw down for the Taylor. If the Retro has that magical quality I suspect others will happily buy it.

Suggestion for Retro guys: put a higher profile announcement on your site about it under a News heading or something. There is a tiny one line mention and that's no way to create a buzz about a new product. If somehow I missed it then my apologies but if it's there it wasn't obvious.
 
I guess the Retro has some aspects over the matrix - controls primarily, but I dont see the input gain as a plus with the AFX - just turning up the AFX output is pretty much the same.

Also, the Matrix has also been used as a power amp with other pres's with great success - though I agree thats not its primary use.

I suspect at that price, in the US, there will be takers of both products. In the EU however, I cant see any takers at all. The Matrix would work out around half the price of the RC IF that would be your choice. If not - then something like the New Fryette Power amp comes in at the same kind of price (actually less as its UK pricing is £999) , the same kind of weight, similar controls, is a 1U design and is a valve power amp. No point using a SS amp that emulates a valve one, if the key down sides of valve designs (weight and cost and size primarily) are no better in the SS option.

http://www.stormshadowtoneworks.co.uk/product_details.aspx?pid=380

Frankly, with that Fyrette due release soon I think the RC is going to have serious competition in the US as well.
 
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I'm quite certain there's room in the market for quality products from Matrix, Atomic, Fryette, Retro etc.

Having a great time on the road with my GM50.
Although I wish it would have a Presence control, like on my Atomic 50/50.
Wise of Retro to add that to their amp.
 
The Buy American theme seems to have subsided significantly over the past decade and now everything is about price and price only, one only needs to visit Walmart once to realize this.
 
luke said:
The Buy American theme seems to have subsided significantly over the past decade and now everything is about price and price only, one only needs to visit Walmart once to realize this.
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I don;t think thats actually true. There are things people buy on purely price, and there are things people buy on quality. If I had just bought a guitar at Walmart, I guess I would probably by happy with a Walmart amplifier too.

Some people wear are quite happy with their Walmart wrist watches, some people wear something Swiss, its a personal choice.

At the end of the day, you will always have people shopping based on price alone. Sure, you always have to keep an eye on value for money, but when it somes to guitars its about feel and feel-good factor. You buy something nice, something crafted by a company thats not just building to price, but building what they know is going to give a nice feeling of warm satisfaction to the buyer ... and thats a different thing from the "pile em high, sell them cheap" Walmart approach.

They may do (roughly) the same job .. but one will have a resale value way ahead of the other 10, 20 ... 30 years down the line.

So sure, some parts of the market are about price, but those are usually the people buying a cheap strat copy and 5W amp for their kids first guitar. Other sections of the market are about feel-good factor and quality much more than price. An AFX is always going to cost more than a cheap mass-produced FX pedal in a shiny cardboard box, but sometimes you just gotta have the best.
 
Maybe I wasn't clear enough. To most consumers the "made in America" theme adds no value because they have become accustom to most of their purchases being manufactured elsewhere. I agree that if something has more features or is of better quality, some will spend more, but very few are willing to pay more to support American manufacturing.
 
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