Laney Amps

[PUCKBOY99]

What's with them???

Just made a trade, my Epi LP for a Laney VC30 1X12 combo....4 EL84s/12AX7s. Aside from the speaker being a little on the muddy side, it seems like a super nice, well made amp.

In reading up on them prior to doing the deal, it seems everyone that has a Laney loves them..........so why are they so cheap or should I say inexpensive???

I read some reviews over at that "other place" (HC...ssshhhh!!) & the 100 watt heads are compared to being a hot-rodded JCM800.

SO....WHAT GIVES???

 

[DeadSkinSlayer3]

Re: Laney Amps

Heh, that Laney with have GORGEOUS cleans, IMO, I love them. Laney's are just not well known, but are made in England, and get that classic Marshall crunch. I know Drucifer loves his, so does Saggy, and the guys in Opeth use that amp exclusively for cleans.

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: Laney Amps

I have an old Laney Pro Tube 30 (single channel, 2x 6V6) from the 80's that I personally think is a little "meh"; but I've heard players like Vinnie Moore get great tones out of them in the 80's. When the gain is dimed, I think that the head has what I would classify as a more murky Marshall tone. Tony Iommi was a Laney user for decades, tho I heard a rumour that he's jumped ship to Engl. Paul Gilbert currently uses an Ibanez/Laney combination with great results. When I saw Angra, they were using Laney combos for their clean stuff ...

 

[DeadSkinSlayer3]

Re: Laney Amps

Nope, Iommi's still with laney, tho his tone blows IMO, live, the solos hurt my ears.

 

[Fatty]

Re: Laney Amps

I have a Laney VH100R, and I love it. When I was looking for a new head about a year ago, I tried all the ones we had in the shop at the time (including Bogner, Orange, and Marshall), and liked the Laney the most. It was also the cheapest ($899.99 for a 100-watt head). I would recommend Laney amps to anyone.

 

[Neeradj]

Re: Laney Amps

I actually didn't even know Laney untill I was reading some guitar magazines on the flights of my holiday. I checked 'em out when I got home and man those prices are bogus compared to the quality they provide. I think it has something to do with, cheap amps usually being bashed just because of their price. You know like some people think cheap amps sound cheap. That's why I often hear about people who buy great cheap amps and being insulted by others just because of that stupid little thing.

I'm desperately trying to get my hands on a Rivera KH-55, but if that doesn't work out I'm defenitely getting the Laney GH series, they're supposed to sound awesome, I know Paul Gilbert does

 

[PUCKBOY99]

Re: Laney Amps

Well, thanks for the responses fellas. The way I see it, I traded a guitar I wasn't playing for an EL84 based combo amp, which I wanted. I love that clean chime !

I'll give a review when & if I get it.......hurricane permitting!

 

[Mr Wolf]

Re: Laney Amps

I think its the GH50L, i wanna try that one day, is on my list of contenders for my decent tube amp for the future.

 

[xerxes]

Re: Laney Amps

laney amps do sound a lot like the marshall, a lot!

 

[aleclee]

Re: Laney Amps

According to a tech whose opinion I respect, Laney uses a lot of "labor saving" designs. They still sound really good but they're not exactly built like a brick shizzle hizzle. If something goes wrong, they're a bit harder to repair, too.

 

[PUCKBOY99]

Re: Laney Amps

According to a tech whose opinion I respect, Laney uses a lot of "labor saving" designs. They still sound really good but they're not exactly built like a brick shizzle hizzle. If something goes wrong, they're a bit harder to repair, too.

Thanks for confrming this Alec.....I heard that somewhere too. I guess that's why they tell ya' to use that stand-by switch often & don't let the tubes burn out.

I figured if I liked the amp, I'll upgrade the trannies & try to hook it up a bit. If not, there's always "FLEABAY" !!!

 

[Thames]

Re: Laney Amps

Hey dudes,

Im the proud owner of a Laney GH50L for about a year now. Cant complaint 'bout it. IMO, its the best damn amp for the money, and more. Here's the story :

I bought earlier this year a late 90's Laney GH50L. I needed a british sounding head, 400-500 bucks to spend. So I give this underrated brand a try. And damn! I've been more than satisfied so far! Cleans are great, and drive is more than enough, and I can set it fairly low for a TS like drive, w/o too much mid-hump and with tight bass! No harshness at all. Of course, all of this after a tube swap... (very cheap tubes stock)

I opened it again last evening, to see any opportunity of improvement, and apart from the tube sockets (kind of plastic), to my surprise, the stock components are not that cheap! All full-size components (check out a PV C50 and you'll know what I mean!!), film caps, full-size pots, very *clean* PTP wiring (tube sockets, output jacks, OT/PT).

Those Laneys are really underrated... the GH50l/GH100L are very simple designs, no reverb, switchable serie/parallel efx loop (tube-coupled btw), and with Slave/Master functions... I cant complain!

They cant be harder to work on than Marshalls, Peaveys, Crates and co. Laney is very underrated. It is not a as tough as an old Hiwatt, but it's better than any of those modern ones.