Laney DP100 Bass Combo

This amp has all things you wish for, looking in this pricerange. It's got preshape, very nice if you're slapping, active 11 band equalizer, which can help you create a very nice warm sound, but you can as well get roaring metal out of it, just a matter of trying things out. It's a problem though, getting to know the features, but on the laney website, you can get a manual in pdf format.

It's not bad, although sometimes it's a bit noisy, when using sounds like fuzz etc... I'm currently using it with an active ibanez roadgear 600, bassline elements. The sound doesn't distort, if you've taken good care of the gain control.

My pre-drivers broke, had them fixed, and works like a charm again, although it has some fevers sometimes. Nothing too bad though.

Bought mine second hand, thus never had to deal with them

I've been playing for 2 years now, and I've played through a lot of amps. It's for sure not the best amp, but I'd recommend it to anybody, with some space, muscle and a solid room (things can start to shake when playing!). I love all the features, I hate the fact it's heavy. It's very comparable to tracy elliot amps, much alike in features. I'd replace it with an upgrade of this kind of amp, but perhapse a head + cab combination.

The Laney DP100 combo was the smallest of Laney's DP early 90's bass amp family. The separate DP150 and DP300(?) heads rounded off the range, together with a variety of cabs ? mainly 4x10 inch and 4x12 inch, as far as I remember. I think my DP100 is a 1992 production model as I bought it new back in summer 1992. Soon after, a newer range was introduced and the DP100 was replaced with the DP120 which, although more powerful, did not appear to be as well-built.
As the model number suggests, the DP100 is a 100W bass amp and I use it both for practice and performance. The bass combo consists of a 15 inch speaker and the 19 inch sized amp unit (3U) which can be conveniently removed from the combo case and mounted directly in your rack system at a later date. The DP100 has a good sound, but I find it sometimes a bit too noisy ? especially when playing an active bass through it with a load of effects units.
The front of the DP100 features a variety of controls which can be a bit daunting at first. First off, there is a single input jack, a Gain knob with a Pre Amp Peak LED - which is useful when playing slap bass ? and a Volume knob.
The 11 band graphic equalizer is controlled using slider controls and features toggle switches for Pre Shape and Graphic. Another slider control allows you to adjust the overall level of the graphic EQ. There is also a jack socket which allows you to connect a remote footswitch in order to switch the graphic equalizer on or off. I use a BOSS FS-5L pedal for this purpose.
The DP100 also features an FX Loop with Send/Return jack sockets on both the front and rear panels. The built-in Limiter and Noisegate are controlled using toggle switches and there is a D.I. XLR socket with a toggle switch which allows you to select either Pre EQ or Post EQ.
To round off the spec, there is the DPC (or Dynamic Power Control) switch which allows you to control the level of attack. The DPC is turned on and off using a regular toggle switch, however if you pull the rotary volume switch you can also adjust further parameters.
A headphone socket is included on the rear panel, however this does not mute the single main speaker output. The mains power rocker switch/fuse holder and power connector, together with the mandatory heatsink, complete the rear panel.
The DP100 has just about everything you could ever wish for. I second input jack would be useful, but otherwise I cannot complain.

I play mainly two basses through my DP100 ? a cheap and nasty fretless Vantage and a somewhat exquisite Jaydee Supernatural active bass. Both basses sound great and the 1x15 driver gives a good overall sound whatever style I play ? although for slapping I reckon a 4x10 cab would sound better. I find a lot of the controls superfluous and I'm not sure how much they contribute to the overall sound. I never received any documentation, despite buying the amp new and eventually I will get around to requesting some manuals etc. from Laney. Perhaps then I can exploit the abilities of the DPC control and the somewhat complicated EQ system.

Considering I've owned my DP100 for 6 years now, I haven't actually played it that much. For practising, I prefer my 30W Marshall 3505 Micro Bass system (see separate review).
The DP100 is very well-built and the feels extremely robust. It weighs in at about 30 kg so you can just about manage to hump it around single handed. The metal 19 inch amp case has handles on the front which should help protect the various switch and controls on the front panel, should the amp topple over.
I have checked out the newer breed of Laney bass amps and they don't appear to be built to the same high standard as the earlier DP models.

I haven't had much to do with Laney UK, except for brochure requests etc. which have always been promptly fulfilled. I intend to request some long-overdue documentation for my DP100 and it remains to be seen what kind of response I get.

The Laney DP100 bass combo is a great amp which is absolutely packed with gadgetry at a sensible price. It is ideal for both practice and gigging and it feels as though it is built to last.
If mine got lost or stolen, I would probably use the opportunity to upgrade to a bigger system with separate head and cabs. I would also probably move a bit further upmarket and look at a Trace Elliot rig.
This is not a criticism of my Laney however ? I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking to buy a 100W bass combo. In this case, I would recommend that you look for a used, well looked after DP100 combo rather than a brand new Laney model. Not only can you save yourself a lot of money, the older Laney products also appear to have a much better build quality.