Laney Lionheart L5t

[Kostas]

Re: Laney Lionheart L5t

I have played the Lionheart L5T and it's my favorite low budget amp. Nice warm clean & OD sounds, reverb and very good selection of speaker for the amp. You will need a pedal for high gain sounds.

[Hoss]

Re: Laney Lionheart L5t

I have played the Lionheart L5T and it's my favorite low budget amp. Nice warm clean & OD sounds, reverb and very good selection of speaker for the amp. You will need a pedal for high gain sounds.

low budget amp...compared to what?

these things go for well over $1000 new!?

[James Rock]

Re: Laney Lionheart L5t

low budget amp...compared to what?

these things go for well over $1000 new!?

In America yeh and Australia they are but our dollar is so bad now everything is really expensive. In the UK and I assume Europe I'd say its much cheaper. Like how VOX's are quite cheap there relative to how much they cost in the US (and Australia).

[Kostas]

Re: Laney Lionheart L5t

low budget amp...compared to what?

these things go for well over $1000 new!?

There are cheaper amps like the Valve Jr I have but I meant complete amps, not one knob amps or amps made with cheap parts. The L5T has quality in it's aprts and it's sound. And it's cheaper in Europe because it's european like american products are cheaper in USA. Regardless of price it's a good amp.

[Hoss]

Re: Laney Lionheart L5t

doesn't look like the lionheart deal is gonna work out either...

i've got the 808 on the bay now...then i'm just gonna wait for a good deal on one of the types of amps i've been looking at and then just buy it!

thanks for all the advice fellas!

[wildstar]

Re: Laney Lionheart L5t

Got one, LOVE IT. The honeymoon just won't end. It always sounds good, but mainly I leave most of the controls about 12-o-clock. Always a good sign, in my book. I've been playing a Tele, Ibby 540 shred machine, Les Paul clones, and a few other guitars through this amp, always great results. I can't stand fussy gear.

Clean channel is lovely and clean, with nice break-up as you turn the volume up. The break-up on this channel seems Fender-ish to me, perhaps. Sparkly, spanky... smooth and buttery. Different guitars and different pickup settings will give you endless tones.

Drive channel gives you gritty clean all the way to hard rockin distortion. Awesome distortion tone, just AWESOME. I feel like I can dial in Vox, Plexi, and JCM800 tones with ease. For super-violin leads and modern metal, you'll want an 808 or something in front.

It eats pedals for breakfast, then comes back for more. FX loop works as it should. Reverb is surprisingly subtle as you crank the Reverb control... kind of wish it would get to "too much" at the end of the dial, but oh well. Sounds really nice, though!

I can't imagine a better recording amp. Stick a 57 or 906 or 421 or any solid guitar mic in front, adjust to taste, and get killer tones. I've had unbelievable results mixing a 57 with a Fat Head ribbon mic. All without pissing off my neighbors! Or my wife. Or waking the baby.

I use it only for home recording, playing. But this puppy gets LOUD if you want it to. You can gig with it. If you can't fill the venue with the amp alone, the venue will have a PA.

And despite rumors you may have heard to the contrary, it is SO metal to mic a combo amp on stage. It sends a clear message that you are so metal, big amps are scared of you but small amps don't know any better. Yet.

Did I mention that I highly recommend this amp?

Besides the reverb mix range, my only other quibbles would be:

1. wish it had a record out for feeding my looper
2. wish the bright control were only for the clean channel, or that there were at least one separate overall tone shaping circuit for the two channels
3. wish the FX loop were footswitchable, as is the reverb and channel.

Go for it!

Cheers

[wildstar]

Re: Laney Lionheart L5t

An addendum: after posting above, I got curious and tried working with some heavy tones with the Lionheart, without an overdrive or distortion in front. I may have spoken too hastily about modern metal tones!

Since 5 watts really allows you to crank the volume... then dime the gain... and I think you can nail a lot of modern heavy tones.

When recording, you can double-track if you need it huger In a live situation, maybe you'll have a second guitar player.

This amp just can't be beat for tone, versatility, and build quality at its price point, IMHO.

[porterburst]

Re: Laney Lionheart L5t

I usually don't bond with EL84, but this amp does sound really good. Plan of grabbing one soon.

[playas]

Re: Laney Lionheart L5t

I play through one and put a review of it in the amp review thread.

Iīm still happy with it after a couple years. Itīs more or less Marshall styled as are a lot of Laneys I guess but itīs got a bright switch and an overall tone knob to give more control over the EQ which allows for a wider range of available sounds. Itīs not designed for extreme metal but still manages to squeeze in a fair amount of gain.

Itīs great for classic rock and blues and I bought it as the best combination of value for the money, (Iīm based in Europe so theyīre probably significantly cheaper here) and versatility of sounds. Or at least the best I could come across here, at any rate, without going over a grand. There is a bit more competion for this style of amp now though.

As mentioned by wildstar the reverb is very nice but doesnīt ever reach the super surf levels of Fenders and the highlight is the drive channel for British style overdriven sounds. I often use it with the drive volume cranked - even for clean sounds - and use the drive control or the guitarīs volume to allow for neighbours. Quite doable despite the available volume levels.