Product: Laney LC15R Price Paid: GBP 249
Submitted 11/12/2009
at 07:45pm
by Lionel
Features
:9
I think mine is 2004/2005.I have the often criticised H&H Invader speaker.This has been covered well by other reviews. I dont mind the reverb, its subtle, again I have a zoom GU2.1 so I almost just need power really.However the big plus is the extension cabinet facility which the LC15 does not have.No bloody headphone Jack stops it from a full 10.Lets get serious about these amps, for people who need more headroom etc there are other options notably the LC30R.I dont even know how to use the effects loop.The bright switch is marginal, unlike the bright switches on a Marshall, but to criticise it for this is like complaining that Jessica Biel wore a red lycra micro skirt and not a lime green one.At this wattage and with a 10" speaker it has limits, so lets judge it accordingly.
Sound Quality
:10
I have a Cort KX5, I use it for everything.Fixed bridge so it has limits. It aint noisy, it is however an amp that likes to get hot.Clean as a whistle, overdrive may not be to everyones liking, but I use a zoom GU2.1 which negates all that to a point.I rarely use the amp 'as is.' I manage to get a very clean tone out of mine.As others have noted it works well with effects units.It will not sound like a JCM800 no matter what you do, so if thats what you are expecting, you will be disapointed, however spend another grand or so and you can fix that problem.I.e, if you want a Marshall, buy one and dont be disapointed with other makers little tube amps for not sounding like fully fledged Marshall amp monsters.For what it is, a full 10.
Reliability
:10
Reliable yes, but it does get hot.
Customer Support
:No Opinion
Cant say as it has been reliable I have not had to use them. I bought this in London and its with me in NZ now, so I hope I never have to either. I am going to self repair the output transformer as I have just started to get wavering volume with the new Laney GS2x12 closed back with 70/80 celestions.I think this is where I need to upgrade, then maybe the valves which are original.
Overall Rating
:10
Been playing 20 years, have owned a Marshall VS100 stack, a crappy roland (actually people lov em) a few guitars and pedals. They are $995.00 over here in NZ, so I hope I never have to replace it, although I would love to.I like the fact I have uprated it by adding the Laney GS212 and its now all the amp I will ever need.Its clean, its loud, there is no extraneous noise whatsoever.When I uprate the tubes and the output transformer, it will be an absolute beast.By the way with the Laney 2x12, it looks very professional, the covering is similar and the increase in sound quality makes you play even better.Much Much better than the Marshall in my opinion, the size for starters and in a small practise environment i.e your own bedroom or similar you can just use the original combo. Add the 2x12 in your stage gig and you will have no problems with your fellow musicians or the audience.If you need further grunt or distortion, sure there are plenty of options. I think people get 'involved' with this amp and cant help but nuturing it from a little 10" Invader, with standard tubes to some stage monster with all of the original tone and to be honest, thats no bad thing...and to many its the only way to have a relationship with your gear is to do it this way, others might find buying a 100w marshall and leaving it standard for years and thats fine too.
Product: Laney LC15R Price Paid: 340
Submitted 06/22/2009
at 05:49am
by daniele
Email: danmetal<dot>bn4 at hotmail<dot>it
Features
:8
15w tube amp
equipped with 10' celestion speaker
2xEL84 3xECC83
spring reverb
very light
effect loop
extension speaker 8\16 ohm jack
what else?!
Sound Quality
:9
i use with a lefty cort x11 with 2humb and 1 single coil,with a lefty mexican strat and with a dano dc59 and sound very gooooood with each guitar
i play blues\psychedelic rock with my band (we make our own songs) and it suites perfectly with this kind of music
the things i liked at first was the clean channel,far better than a lot of fender...very warm and nice and it break up very beautifull
the dirty channel is good too,but at high volumes (and thath's what i like about this amp!)
the only "problem" i s the speaker thats hasn't bass and sound boxed..for this reason i bought a epiphone valve junior extension cabinet...and the sound becomes far better than after...
now it has more bass and at high volumes sounds awesome!
i use with a big muff,a(i'm gonna buy a graphic fuzz or a fuzz face) dano chiken salad and a vox v847 wah
i use the muff or on the clean channel or the dirty with gain not very high and sounds goooooooood
this amp is awesome for blues and classic rock...
do you know acdc's highway to hell,back in black or tnt?
on the dirty channels you have the same sounds!
it's good for hendrix,srv,sabbath and zeps,too
15 watt are enough for playing with a drummer,but if you might be in bigger stage,like outdoor or i don't know you can mic
the reverb is good,too but i don't use it
i give it 9,not 10 becouse you might buy an extensional cabs for a awesome sound
Reliability
:No Opinion
i have it from 2 months and it's sound good
it a valve amp,you MUST be carefull!
Customer Support
:No Opinion
--
Overall Rating
:No Opinion
for rock,blues it's perfect,but not for metal if you play without pedals
Product: Laney LC15R Price Paid: UNKNOWN
Submitted 04/14/2009
at 08:33am
by Ryan
Features
:9
Mine is a brand new LC-15R, but dosen't have the same face plate as every other one I can find on line. And it dosen't have an "R" on it anywhere, but does have a reverb tank. Wierd.
I've been searching for the perfect, small, portable tube amp and have gone through quite a few; Creat, Pignose, Fender, Vox, Carvin and even a few S.S.; Tech 21, Randall. I think I have finally found a perfect combo for my needs. Not that it's perfect in every way, but perfect for what it does.
This little 10"-15 watt amp sports a 3-AX7A 2 EL-84 setup, but not in typical class A but AB. The AB powered 15 watts is much less powerful than my EL-84 class A amps. Line out, effects loop, reverb, handle, power cord, etc. Everything amyone could want in a tube combo. And this model features the highest qulity Celestion speaker that they have ever offered in this amp.
Sound Quality
:10
I play many guitars through this amp. Fenders, Gibsons, both electric and acoustic. It sounds just like the sound I've been searching for! I find myself having to crank this little guy up more than I thought I would, but the tone holds on fairly well. The cleans, with modest volumes, are pretty sweet. Not Fender 100-clean-watts sweet, but nice and warm. Being a Laney, as this thing starts to break up, my smile grows a little bigger with each increase. This amp will produce more gain than I'll ever need which is nuts considering its a little box with a 10" speaker...but it will. This amp would be just fine without a "Gain" pot. All you have to do is keep increasing the volume, and the overdrive curve is very controllable. I'm a Roots Rock/Rock and Roll guitarist...sometimes I needs chorusy cleans and sometimes I need that first stage of breakup sound. I've got pedals for the rest. This amp does my musical style justice. Again, for what this amp is, it does it's thing perfectly! Even the cheap, overseas reverb sounds convincing and holds it's own.
Reliability
:9
I don't know why it took me so long to try out Laney's combos. My main amp for the past 6 years has been a Laney TT20 tube head. This head gives me "my" sound. It has worked flawlessly for me until recently. I was retubbing it for the third time since getting it six years ago, and after installing the new tubes, I couldn't get any output. It is in the shop as I write this. But I do believe in Laney's quality 100%. Have they had problems with some models? Sure, who hasen't? I've owned some real crap from Fender and Carvin also. Not bad products just a bad apple in the basket. I do trust Laney to either repair a know problem, or remove a problem product from the market. Hot tube amps without a backup, are you crazy! I really don't like Laney's 100mA fuse that blows when your tubes are dying. You can hear when the tubes are about shot, and that size fuse is a bugger to find. I've had to hunt this fuse down twice now.
Customer Support
:7
Laney direct is a pain in the ass. But the network of dealers is pretty easy to deal with. They are Brits after all...they'll take our money, but don't really care how we feel or what's wrong with our product. Okay, maybe that is a little harsh. Their website is pretty crappy.
Overall Rating
:9
I bought this brand new off of ebay from a Laney Dealer. Again, this LC-15 has a completely different faceplate than any others that I've seen...maybe Canadian model or something. The price was good, and I feel I got a whole lot of bang for my buck(s). I'd replace this in a heartbeat with the same amp. It is the least "boxy" sounding small combo I've ever played through. I've always been a Blues Jr. fan (until they moved production to Mexico!), but Fender and Carvin's small amps sound, well, SMALL! Vox's AC-15 has am almost perfect "small combo" tone and sound. The Laney isn't quite up to par with VOX but mainly due to a 10" speaker vs. a 12er. An amp in this price range isn't really a keepsake. I'm sure the thing will fart out in a few years, but for now, with the price I paid, I feel I"ve found my perfect combo.
I've been playing for 27 years and have been through all the phases. I own many different guitars and like to find the qualities in each one. I don't swap out pickups anymore (so all my guitars sound the same). These days, I'm really into hearing the unique differences in each one of my girls. I've always been a Laney fan because they seems to produce amps that really let your style and the distinct tones of each instrument shine through. I'm a traditional rock guitarist in that I have an analog pedel board, I play older guitars, and I own (with this combo) five low-watt tube amps. I love this thing plugged into my '70s Fender 2x12 cab which is also great for breaking in that crispy new Celestion speaker!
I do wish it was class A only for a little more volume, but it's tone is unique because it's not just another EL-84 class A combo. Set the Gain at 3 and the volume at 7-8, and you're in the sweet spot. Well, my sweetspot anyway. Give one of these little sleepers a try, and I think, if you know what you are after, this little guy will impress you.
The bottom line: If I could find a combo that sounded just like my Laney TT20H head, I'd be tickled. Well, I did!
Product: Laney LC15R Price Paid: UNKNOWN
Submitted 01/07/2009
at 10:48am
by Matei Negriu
Email: mateinegriu<at>yahoo dot com
Features
:8
I bought the amp second hand from one guy on a forum. The features are pretty basic: 1 channel, 3 band EQ, gain and volume knobs, parallel FX loop (the fact that it's parallel makes it great in my opinion. A switch to toggle the FX loop on/off would have made it perfect), external speaker connection jack, line out jack (I think it doesn't work, or maybe I didn't know how to properly use it), hi and lo guitar input jacks, bright switch, Celestion tube 10 speaker.
Power - 15 W - it's loud enough for my needs. I tested it in open space with the gain at about 4 and volume at 10 and, I could barely stay next to it. I used in a rehearsal room, and, using an extension cabinet it could stand up to the drummer at moderate volume settings. I usually play it in my flat, with volume up to 2, gain up to 2 and a marshall jackhammer for distorted sounds in front of it. If I want overdrive from the amp, i set the volume very very low. It's LOUD. The fact that it only has one channel doesn't bother me too much because it is really dinamic. If I turn the gain as hi as 4-5 and I play softly with the pick or with my fingers I still get decent clean sounds. If I hit it harder it rocks. The only thing that I wish it had is a way to switch the FX loop on and off.
Sound Quality
:7
Let me describe the sounds:
I use a Epiphone Les Paul Custom (everything stock) and sometimes a Marshall JackHammer between the guitar and amp. Very rarely, I place a Digitech Digidelay in the FX loop. I have no mods on the amp so far - it's all stock. I am planning to have a friend of mine modify the overdrive, and I will post a review if the change will be relevant. My styles are: blues, jazz (the amp is perfect for dark jazzy tones), 70's rock, 80's rock, thrash - the most extreme being something like Pantera.
If the volume is about 5/10 and gain about 4/10 you get a nice personal tone that lets the guitar shine through. I also plugged a Fender American Standard Stratocaster and it sounded amazing.
The gain:
1. Clean: When turned up to 2, using HI input, the sound is pretty clean - very bluesy, but a little muddy (very jazzy if you like - it's not bat, but not for Metallica like clean-tones). If I engage the bright switch the sound changes drastically. I get very crisp cleans - think the Another Brick in the Wall Pt2 solo. From gain 4 and up, the bright switch doesn't affect the tone anymore.
2. Blues: Between 2 and 4 you get very nice blues overdrive tones (I think this is the part where the amp really shines),
3. Crunch: between 4 and 6 you get decent - crunchy 70's hard rock tones (if I boost the mids I get pretty close to Steppenwolf - Born to Be Wild tone).
4. Metal: Between 6 and 10 you should get crunchier tones (80's rock - even metal - there is plenty of gain). However the overdrive sounds really crappy when the gain is turned past 6/10. It's really harsh, without upper mids, and with very "pungent" highs. It sounds like smelling burning phosphorus. So, I don't really use this setting.
The EQ:
I don't know if it's the amp or the guitar, or both, but the tone is really muddy and dark - like having the tone knob on the guitar turned down very low. So I keep the bass at 2 - 3, hi at 6 - 7 and mids depending on music the style that I want to play. Mids up get very nice Ac/Dc ish tones, Pink Floyd - Time, Steppenwolf - Born to Be Wild. Mids scooped get very nice standard rock sounds (Black Sabbath, Maiden, Metallica etc.) With these settings I manage to make it sound pretty bearable. However, when turning the volume up, the "dark sound" problem starts to be not so intolerable, so I turn the bass up and hi down.
It is not noisy at all.
Let me tell you how I use it: I usually play at home, with volume turned down very low (maximum 2 out of 10), using a Marshall Jackhammer with gain at maximum 5/10 - 6/10 for creamy stuff - and very rarely a Digitech Digidelay in the FX loop. For crunchy sounds I use the Marshall Jackhammer on the OD setting in front of it. If I want to get steamy metal sounds (Whitesnake - 1987, Metallica, Pantera, Anathema - Sleepless etc) with lots of harmonics and squeals, I put the Jackhammer on distortion setting, the amp on clean WITH the BRIGHT switch on. Without the bright switch on it sounds reeeeaaalllyyy muddy.
In conclusion, the combination Epi LP custom + Marshall Jackhammer + Laney LC15R makes playing every style of music you can think of playable. Some styles (overdriven blues, clean blues, clean rock ballads, jazz, mild distorted hard rock, funk) sound really pro, others (hard rock, metal) - where I have to use the Jackhammer - sound not so pro. Because my favourite style is hard rock, I will take the Laney to a technician to see if he can modify it to sound cool at higher gain. That's why it only gets a 7. If I wanted it just for blues, I would have given it a 9 (considering the price - about 220 Euros)
Reliability
:8
I used to practice with a band, having it plugged into external 4x12' cabinet. The sound was huge. However it had a couple of moments when I changed the guitar from hi to lo input and it just died. After 10 mins it was back "online". I heard that it has some sort of automatic fuse, and sometimes it's normal to act like that. I'm not good at this things, so I don't know what to say ... I would gig without a backup, but I'd be very careful when I plug in/out my guitar.
I've been playing it for about 7 months. It was not new when I bought it, and I heard that everything in it was stock (even the tubes). I haven't had any permanent damage with any component.
Customer Support
:No Opinion
Haven't dealt with Laney customer support. I don't think we have such a thing here in Romania
Overall Rating
:8
I've been playing for 8 years at an amateur level. Haven't gigged in my life, but I can play decently around camp fires and at friends' parties. I once played 3 songs at a wedding together with a bassist and a guitarist. I attempted to have a band. We did some rehearsals, but it didn't work out. For 7 years I've had a cheap Stratocaster copy, a Roytek 10W amp, and a Zoom 505II as my only electrical gear. It sucked balls, but for my level was almost ok. I then had an old tube radio turned into a guitar amp (copy of Soldano SLO100) but didn't like it and sold it. Now I play an Epi LP Custom through a Marshall Jackhammer into this Laney. Sometimes I plug a Chinese Drive bass straight into the amp (sounds really good for home recordings). I am pretty satisfied with the amp. In conjunction with the Jackhammer it allows me to play all the styles that I want. However, I want to ditch the Jackhammer and use only amp drive. This is not possible, because at gain settings higher than 4/10 the amp distortion sucks donkey balls. However, I want it modded to have this problem solved.
Bottom line is that it is great value for the money - in my country, Romania, I think it's the best value for the money. The rating would have been 9 or 10 if I had only wanted to play blues with it
Product: Laney LC15R Price Paid: GBP 140 USED
Submitted 12/02/2008
at 06:36am
by Stubbo
Features
:9
Bought Second-hand from my local guitar shop - I was after a small tube amp (probably smaller than 15w) and this was the closest thing in the shop. I took a gamble cause I wanted something there and then - I would normally do my homework, first - but it sounded nice in the shop.
It has an older H/H driver but has an extension cab output (which was another feature I wanted). Bass, Middle and Treble pots with, obviously a gain pot and a master volume. There's a high and low input jack and a 'bright' switch which has a minimal effect on the sound. There is also a solid-state reverb, controlled by a footswitch, which is really very pronounced when turned up high.
There is a parallel effects loop. All in all, a nice set of features whilst keeping that basic, down-to-earth feel.
This is used as a practice amp but would easily be sufficient to cut-through in a club. Very load for a 15 watter, methinks, but the master volume pot can adjust it to all environments.
Sound Quality
:9
I'm using this with two H/H guitars - a nice Gordon-Smith G60 and an old, battered 1980's VOX Standard 24 with high-output DiMarzios. The G60 has tap-able Pups and is the most versatile (non-modelling) guitar that I've ever heard.
The amp would sit in the middle of the sonic spectrum, not ultra- clean or high distortion (although I've not tried it with a distortion pre-amp, yet). I don't mean that it is mediocre, though. What i mean is that it's very versatile - i play everything from jazzy, ambient stuff right up to heavy rock and it can produce all that.
High gain settings can be a bit noisy - especially of course in conjunction with single coils but no more than any other amplifier.
The overdriven sound is bright and defined - like walking on gravel rather than the 'crump' of deep snow, and the just-breaking-up tones of the gain pot at around 4 or 5 are excellent. I'd like a little more definition in the bass but a changed speaker (or using a cab) would solve this. The amp's reaction to playing style really is fantastic - you can easily change the gain considerably by strength of pick-attack but the natural compression of the amp controls the subsequent volume change - this is definately the outstanding character feature of the Laney LC15R in my opinion. The tone stack is good and versatile but to honest I have found my perfect tone which I rarely mess with. (If you're interested, it's Gain at 6, Bass at 7, Middle at 5, Treble at 8 and reverb, if used, at 4). At these settings I can control all the tones I need from my guitar.
The effect loop (like them or hate them) does the job very well and definitely helps the pre-amp do it's job without time-based effects getting in the way.
It seems to my ears that it can take a while for it to warm up properly - maybe an hour or so - I'm not sure why this would be unless the power tubes are taking that long when I play at low Master volume (but surely the master volume is after the power amp section?) Anyway, when it is fully warmed-up, it developes a new side to it's character - an organic, woody sound with a little 'sag' - very nice indeed - which makes me reluctant to switch it off and the main reason that I haven't changed the stock valves, yet.
Another small minus point really and that is that when I play a bottom e or lower, the decay has a slight glassiness to it - but I'm sure that this is the tubes so I'm not taking points off. So only the poor speaker takes away from top marks here.
Reliability
:6
Well, the jury's out here - I got it home from the shop and it didn't work! (I treated it properly, I swear!) The shop was great about it and they took it back so their amp guy could take a look - I had checked the fuses. It turned out to by dried-out solder near the power xformer. To be honest, this shows that the internal bits can be serviced easily and given the age of the amp, I didn't mind a bit.
Mine doesn't get too hot, as others have said happens.
Customer Support
:No Opinion
Emailed Laney with the problem and symptoms mentioned above and got a reply within 24 hours. Very impressed indeed.
Overall Rating
:9
A like the idea of having lots of gear but to be honest the thought of a simple guitar and amp partnership appeals even more - natural tone through native instrument sound and playing technique. My normal signal path is therefore my Gordon-Smith G60 > a Crybaby Wah > Laney LC15R with a Chorus and Delay in the effects loop. That's it. I also have a solid state Marshall (MDFX30?) which I use for super-clean sounds if needed (rarely).
Occasionally, when recording, I run straight into a Line6 sound card and use Guitar Rig or the Line 6 modelling software because it's easier than micing up an amp but you don't get the tone that the Laney (or most other tube amps) can give.
Better tone than any solid state at the same price (though less features) - a great amp.
Product: Laney LC15R Price Paid: UNKNOWN
Submitted 04/23/2008
at 04:57pm
by HB
Features
:8
Class A/B valve amp. 3 x ECC83 pre amp valves, 2 EL84 output valves, Celestion Tube 10 speaker. Single channel amp with accutronics reverb unit.
Simple set up and very easy to use. To my ears the three band EQ doesn't have that much range but the brightness switch is great.
Sound Quality
:9
I use this with a Les Paul Standard and a G&L Legacy - Great for Hendrix, Chili Peppers, AC/DC, Zeppelin - even Husker Du with the right pedal.
Straight out of the box the amp certainly does deliver plenty of volume. I use a couple of effects pedals that allow me to ???channel switch??? between various levels of gain and distortion.
Having read a few reviews I became intrigued about upgrading valves and speaker. I bought the Celestion G10 upgrade kit from Watford Valves and the change has been dramatic.
Changing stock TAD ECC83s for Harma STRs really tightened the pre amp gain response. With the stock valves the gain would sound OK up to about 6 or 7 but then get really mushy after that. With the Harma valves the gain response is smooth, focused and usable all the way to 10!
Upgrading the output valves has been a revelation at higher volumes. With the pre amp gain turned down, the Harma E84Ls deliver great, creamy overdrive with plenty of headroom. I had always previously had to dial in a bit of pre amp gain to get that overdrive sound at higher volumes but with the Harma upgrades you can balance the pre amp and output valves perfectly depending on required volume and drive levels ??? the way it should be!
Changing the stock Tube 10 for the Celestion G10 is the icing on the cake. It brightens the sound and delivers real punch. Great for ballsey chord sequences ??? think AC/DCs You shook me all night long.
Before the upgrades I???d give the LC15R a 7 for sound, afterwards a worthy 9.
Reliability
:8
I???ve had this amp for over a year. It did develop a 60 cycle hum after four months or so that I put down to capacitor issues. I sent the amp back to the shop for repair under warranty and it has been solid ever since.
This is a 2007 model so all previous overheating issues seem to have been resolved. Even after a couple of hours the front panel feels only lukewarm to the touch.
Amp is nice and quiet too. Only really makes a noise with single coil PUPs at higher volumes but that's a PUP issue.
Customer Support
:9
Had my amp repaired no questions asked. A courier arrived at my door within a couple of days, the amp was picked up and returned to me two weeks later good as new, again by courier, all FOC.
I also sent email to Tech support regarding changing speaker and had a response back the next day.
Overall Rating
:9
A great little amp with bags of potential. In stock form it???s a bit of a wild man ??? loud and snarling but with the upgrades it becomes a real thoroughbred.
Ideal for classic rock and blues ??? add a distortion pedal and it nails heavier sounds too.
I also own an original JCM800 combo but that is just too loud for anything other than playing live. The Laney is perfect for home use and can easily be miked up to PA or jacked direct into speaker cabinet for live work.
Product: Laney LC15R Price Paid: UNKNOWN
Submitted 03/24/2008
at 10:20am
by ax1ss
Features
:10
full tube with 3 pre amp tubes and 2 final tubes
Sound Quality
:10
excellent sound with very nice clean sound and nice bluesy distortion..
i play metal with a lot of bass and treble (and no middle)_SCOOPED sound and i put a full tube pre amp pedal and the sound is PERFECT! the ideal sound for me..the sound is very flexible
Reliability
:10
i have this 1 and a half year and all are OK!
Customer Support
:5
i would prefer 2 year waranty
Overall Rating
:9
Product: Laney LC15R Price Paid: UNKNOWN
Submitted 12/31/2007
at 12:50pm
by Tony
Features
:9
LC15R Silver Anniversaty model. The cab is covered with silver Tolex cloth. Tester label inside says it was made in 1998. Usual features for this amp.
Have replaced the H+H Invader speaker with a heavier duty Celestion G10. Have replaced the stock valves with 3 vintage Phillips ECC83 and 2 Mullard EL84.
Used for practice at home and jamming at work.
Sound Quality
:9
Used with a Strat.
The Celestion G10 speaker gives much better lows than did the stock H+H. Changing the stock valves for vintage English/USA valves improves the smoothness and harmonics - you could easily hear the improvement straight away.
Reliability
:5
I have taken it apart and noticed that while the ECC83 valve sockets were all ok, the plastic EL84 valve sockets were discoloured and starting to melt. Possible reliability problems for the future.
Also, compared to my old WEM 14watt amp, the 2 transformers are very small - one being tiny. A few times it has lost volume for a short period, but then it came back. This is a sign of overheating, but which actual component is overheating is not clear at present.
Customer Support
:No Opinion
Overall Rating
:6
A good sounding amp, but some of the components have been selected down to a cost, rather than up to a standard. Ceramic valve sockets - just a few pence more, and standing off the circuit board by 5mm would have cured the valve socket overheating/melting issue.
Product: Laney LC15R Price Paid: UNKNOWN
Submitted 09/26/2007
at 09:37am
by Lon Hodges
Features
:9
I bought this amp new in July 2006.Features have been listed before(I
read the heck out these reviews after stumbling across this amp while
buying an Epiphone Dot Studio at a local music store.),but I believe I
saw a "1997" sticker on the H/H speaker.One channel,effects loop,bright
switch,line out(underused in my case),speaker out(Yum!),wickedly versa-
tile gain knob.And,oh yeah,TUBES.And for what it is,it has plenty of
power.15 watts 3 unlabeled 12AX7s and 2 Sovtek EL84s.
Sound Quality
:10
TUBES,I said!Can you hear me NOW? Excellent sounds.A tad "girthy" for
chicken-pickin',but I like it.Blues,rock,reggae,rock,vague jazz ram-
blings,did I mention rock?,country,you get the idea.
It broke up early and none to pretty with the stock preamp tubes,but
I eventually fixed that.Plays OK with my '83 Strat(Select single coil
replacement p/u's),likes most pedals and loves the Alnico V's in the
same Dot Studio that some bored music store guy(bless his heart,as we
say Down Here)first plugged it into before I even knew that Laney pro-
ducts were available 'round these parts.Not to noisy.Glassy and asser-
tive,it demands that I play better. It Rules!
Reliability
:8
I play mostly around the house(sigh),so it is somewhat babied. I use
a small fan with it and always let it warm up.I would carry a back-up
for any situation involving tubes.
Has never given me any problems,but(props all around),as per these
reviews,I spoil it.It's mutual.
Customer Support
:No Opinion
Never dealt with them.I waited until the one year warranty expired be-
fore I started swapping preamp tubes.
Overall Rating
:10
I've been playing on and off(mostly off) since 1979.My other amps are
a Behringer GM110 (not to bad,really) and a mid-seventies master volume
Twin Reverb desperately in need of new power tubes,biasing and some cap
work.However,it turns out that there were several RCA and GE (stock?!!)
12AX7A and 12AT7 preamp TUBES(I said!) in the Twin that turned this amp
into a beautiful tone maker.Over the years I've played or owned a var-
iety of Fender,Sears and Marshall tube and Vox and Peavey tranny gear.
The only amp that really interested me besides this one was a Peavey
Delta Blues(15" speaker,whoomp)which was twice the price.I found the
Fender Blues Jr. to be more expensive (I paid 279.00$ USD - nobody a-
round here knows how good these products are!!)and lacking in tone
and features.
I plan to buy another one whether I "lose" this one or not! A bigger
speaker would be nice,but hey,it has a perfectly good speaker out
(Yum).This amp is an excellent value and an inspirational product
Product: Laney LC15R Price Paid: UNKNOWN
Submitted 06/04/2007
at 10:35am
by Pete Martin
Features
:No Opinion
Already covered many times
Sound Quality
:10
It's a simple Class A/B valve amp. Mine had the standard HH speaker in it, i replaced it with a Jensen... little improvement. I changed all the valves after 2 years og gigging the OE Sovtek's, Harma's from Watford Valves went there, big improvement!!
Feeling a little flush i replaced the speaker with a Celestion G10 Vintage... The amp is totally transformed into a complete beast!
Clean tones are fuller and more defined, crunch sounds have more low end, and it's controlled low end, not the mushy type.
Another few years of gigging an i replaced the output tubes with some Harma Cryo versions. The low end is the same quality but the top end has a bit more presence, me likey!
Reliability
:10
see the reverb issue below.
Customer Support
:10
Reverb died all of a sudden, phoned Laney and they sent me one Free of Charge.... the amp was 8 years old and had been gigged 3 nights a week! it was always kept in a purpose built flightcase though.
Overall Rating
:No Opinion
it was my main 'small' amp for 10 years, i love it... I had one at college, then sold it, only to find the exact same one in a music shop some 6 months later, so i bought it back!!
Sadly it's not getting anymore use due to the arrival of a Matamp First Lady.... but i've not sold it..!