Lab Series L7

Amp was made late 70's early 80's. I use it for the clean sounds, especially use the midrange sweepable filter to remove some of the lower mids (a bit muddy) without robbing the low end punch. Have used it as a makeshift PA running drum machine into dry channel, guitar into reverb channel. TONS of headroom! Great tone controls and compressor on lead channel.

Mostly use it with an old Ibanez Roadstar, also have used it for acoustic guitar and bass (quiet gig). Don't like the distortion, so I always go to a stomp box for lead. Play rock, blues, some jazz.

Unbelievably tough. I got my amp as a "head" after the original amp was in a fire - lost the cabinet and speakers. Smoke marks on the back of the amp - but it still worked perfectly (built a single 12" combo-cabinet. Then, believe it or not, was playing in church and the place got hit by lightning. Most electronics in the place were fried. The amp went zzzt-hmmm and smoke came out the back. I figured it was a goner but turns out only a pre-amp chip was cooked. Total repair was about $30. Has worked perfectly ever since.

Have played 30 years, have owned Fender Twin, various Peaveys, Marshall, won't likely ever part with the LAB. The reliability, versatility and cost are unbeatable. Sometimes use other amps for gigs, usually because I'm lazy and don't haul the LAB along or because the soundman wants to mike something so I take a small amp along, but whenever I plug into the LAB I find myself just playing for the enjoyment of it. A great amp.

Built in compressor that works better than any pedal compressor. It also has a great spring reverb but I use an external DIGITAL DELAY/REVERB unit through the effects loop.

This amp has the best clean sound going next to a Peavy. The Peavy amp has a great clean sound that has been used by almost every hot pickin Nashville Guitarist around. But the Lab L7 was the top choice for Ray Flack. (Ricky Scaggs Guitar Player on his first album.) Also Alan Holdsworth used 2 L7's stacked on top of 2 straight faced Marshall cabinets with a Marshall head on top. (What an impressive stack!) He used the Lab's for his clean rhythems and the Marshall for his mind bending solo's. Some users complain of not enough distortion. I play in several different style bands and have had no trouble playing George Jones one night and Van Halen the next night. This amp is very versital!

After over 20 years of torture, I finally sent one of my 2 L7's up in smoke last summer playing a large outdoor party. Thankfully it was the last song when it went. Some people thought it was part of the show and were very impressed. I wasn't impressed and I'm not sure if I'll ever play PURPLE HAZE again. (I never blew up an amp playing Your Cheatin Heart) Overall this is probibly the most reliable transister amp ever built!

None. I had mine repaired at J.M. Electronics. Bloomfield Indiana. Contact Mark or Jane Adams (owners) or Bruce Raper (audio tech.) for expert service on these and other brands of amps. I know J.M. Electronics is a good repair center because I worked for them for about 6 years.

I'm 44 years old. I've been playing since my older brouther put a Ukilaily (or however you spell it) in my hands at 8 years old. I didn't like the tone of the instrument and after seeing Tiny Tim playing one I'm glad I did'nt pursue it any further. At 10 I started playing bass guitar. I had started to develope my ear for music and found most rock music very easy to play. This lasted untill I was 15 and I heard Michael Shenker from the the band UFO. This was the first guitar player since Hendrix that really caught my ear. I loved his screaming lead tones so much that I traded all of my bass equipment for guitar equipment. That's when the work began. Since I started on bass guitar the lead solo's of the time were simple for me to pick up. It was Some of the Rhythem that was hard. Ex.(Thin Lizzy's song The Boy's Are Back In Town). Some of you guys are probibly laughing because it was easy for you But I strugled with it when learning the song. I guess I'll be playing through my Lab L7's untill I die or they do. (hopefully they will go first). My overall rating is excellent!

I don't know what year this thing was made, I have owned mine for 17 or so years, and I got it used from another guy. It has been my only amp until I recently purchased a Peavey tube head and speaker cab. It now sits unused, but I will no doubt use it again, as it has the sweetest clean sound that I have heard. I don't care for the overdriven sound that it produces, so I have always used a stomp box with it. It does have a very impressive array of equalizer adjustments, you can make it sound as thick or glassy as you like, and then some. I have used it with a keyboard as well, with nice results.

I play rock, with Ibanez guitars. I have never had anyone beat up on me while playing against Marshall halfstacks or anything like that. It definitely holds its own. Some folks like the distorion that it produces, I don't. Dial up a nice, clean tone, then stomp the fuzzbox, and hang on.

NEVER BREAKS. NEVER. I MEAN, NEVER. YES, I WOULD GIG IT WITHOUT A BACKUP, AND WITHOUT A WORRY, AND I HAVE.

They are outta business, so you are outta luck on that, but who cares? The damn thing won't break anyway.

I won't ever part with it. I don't gig with it anymore, since I went to a tube head, but I will definitely use it for a backup, when (not if) the Peavey Ultra lets me down.

Purchased this amp new in 1979. Very versatile solid state 100 watt amp with 4-10 inch drivers. fx loop.Parametric EQ, reverb, 2 channels built in compressor that works better than pedals Ive used.
plenty of volume for any gig.
This is a 23 year old high quality solid state amp that still holds its own all these years later!

sounds great with differnt guitars,Heavenly clean sounds, takes to a keyboard well and makes a great acoustic guitar amp. No noise... solid state. simulated distortion sounds good and very smooth, its not a tube amp but has its own thing going which is very nice. Plenty of usable gain for solos. In its day it was top of the line.

This amp desrves an 11 for reliable.
I gigged extensively with this amp for about 10 years... never, I said never so much as had to replace a fuse. Still sounds great.

dont know, I remember the dealer telling me how great the warranty was on this amp.... never used it.

Been playing 20+ years and have bought sold and traded a lot of gear but this amp is special to me and I will keep it...its like an island I can return to if I start drowning in new amps that may not be so reliable and pleasant to own. I see these on ebay often still fetching $300. to $500. so evidentally many others know about this wonderful vintage SS amp with many virtues.

I purchased the amp from Whicomb's Music,Claremont, NH 1977
I used it for guitar in a Cover band from 1977-1985
I used it for Bass from 89-92.
My son used it for Bass from 95-2000, when I took it back to save it!
I don't think the reverb works, i'm looking to refurbish it.

I used it with a Gibson LP Deluxe, Baby Humbuckers
I used it with a 58 Strat
I used it with a JB Player Bass Guitar
Never had a problem with it, the amp is freakin' awesome
Almost sounds like someone threw a blanket over it(that's not a bad thing)

The most dependable amp built
It's been in salt air in the Keys(the worst thing)
20-30 below in Vt(didn't seem to bother

Never needed support-I repeat-NEVER

Playing since 1965
I'd find another, if lost or stolen
I love the sound and reliabil.
I had a Fender Super Reverb(blackface)The L7 is much louder
I want to refurbish mine!

2 CHANNELS,100 WATTS,COMPRESSOR,REVERB,MASTER VOLUME.

I JUST PICKED IT UP USED FOR $200 U.S. STILL LOOKS ALLMOST NEW! I HAVE'NT PLAYED IT MUCH YET BUT WHAT I HAVE HEARD SO FAR REMINDS ME OF A CROSS BETWEEN A MARSHALL HALF STACK & A FENDER AMP,CLEAN BUT BALLSY.

SO FAR SO GOOD IS ALL I CAN SAY

DOES ANYBODY HAVE OR KNOW WHERE I CAN GET AN OWNERS MANUAL FOR THE L 7?

I DO WISH IT HAD A FOOTSWITCH FOR DISTORTION AND OR CHANNEL SWITCHING.OTHER THAN THAT I HAVE NO PROBLEMS WITH IT AT ALL

Built by Moog, FOR gibson in the late seventies early 80's. I was told mine was an '83 when i bought it 8 years ago.
Everything you could want. effects loop, 2 channels (which comes in handy) and more power than you need. I used to play it in a very large room with another guitarist using a marshall, and a bass and drum kit, and never had to turn it up past 6.

It's got a great base sound that you can manipulate into whatever you wish. i use lots of pedals, and effects, and it handles it well.
I tried looking for another amp, but realized the sound I had was the one I was searching for.

This thing is a tank. It's been all over, in all kinds of weather. I live in Wisconsin, so we get it all, and it takes it in stride. You cannot possibly build an amp better than this.

hello?

It's a fantastic amp. If you want to hear it in all it's glory, go to www.menlomusic.com and download some of our songs. (atmospheric pop/rock) and look for other upcoming Menlo releases. It is a great amp all around.

I had a Lab L-7 for about ten years and I sold it to get a Marshall. Big mistake. The distrotion was great and the tone was amazing. With an aditional boss distortion box I was good to go.

The sound was fat, great tone, and clean was the best I ever heard. I used a Gibson Les Paul Custom and with the compressor it really had punch.

When I first bought this amp I was a teenager living in New England and I used to push this amp through the snow about a mile to my drummers hous to play. No Kidding!!!! By the time I was ready toleave I was usually half in the bag and would drop the amp onto it's side a few times instead of droping my beer.

Never needed any.

I loved this amp.

Lab amps were made and distributed by Gibson in the 70's and early 80's. For their time they were pretty impressive solid state units, and they seem to enjoy a bit of a cult following. I understand that BB King frequently records with one - one of his recent CD's has a picture of him plugged into one. 100W into 4-10" speakers. Great onboard compressor. Effects loop. Two channels, no channel switching.

At the time I had my Lab, I was playing a 80's strat and a 335. When I had this amp, I also started my still-current practice of using a Boss GE7 graphic EQ to provide extra gain for solos, rather than the usual overdrive or tube screamer. Also, I used to Y-connect into both clean and dirty channels simultaneously, which seems to get the most out of this amp. If anyone out there has one, try it, you will be surprised how much better the amp sounds. Also you can mix the clean and dirty channels in whatever way you wish.

The L7, to my ear, has a pretty compressed sound, like a Marshall or HiWatt, rather than a Fender "punch." Given the junk that other solid state makers like Peavey and H/H were making at the time, this is a leader in its class.

This is not a super-high-gain unit, but was able to produce some real nice blues and rock sounds. Note again that BB uses one in the studio. I've owned lots of amps over the years, and I'd put this one solidly in my favourite few.

Mine died. Completely. Irreparably. Sigh... When it "passed away" in spectacular fashion the way only solid state amps do, it was probably 16 years old. I've heard of a few others checking-out in similar style, but I also hear from time to time about someone using one for a jillion gigs, dropping it of pickup trucks in rainstorms, that kind of thing, and having the dumb thing work, so who knows??

Warranty? Ha Ha!!

If I found another for under a couple hundred bucks Cdn, I'd pick it up. I have a lot of recordings I made with it in the late 80's and early 90's and it really does sound great. Also I really cut my teeth as a club musician with my Lab, so I will always have very fond memories...

2 channel solid state amp sold in the 70s and 80s. Built by Norlin division of Gibson. Built in compressor, multifilter and master volume. Reverb and pre-amp input and output included. Fairly sophisticated amp for it's time. 100 watts with 4 10 inch speakers. Made in USA.

Very crisp clean channel and with the master overdrive you can get pretty good tone for a transistor amp. Compressor does a pretty good job and it is amazing that if you are on a really tight budget you can pick up one of these old Lab series amps for around $150 to $250 .

I have lugged this amp around the country for the last 17 years and I still can't seem to break the damn thing. Never been serviced and Tolex and grill cover look as good as new

Never needed it. So who knows

If you are low on cash and would like a durable amp that can produce numerous sounds ranging from clean to killer overdrive. These old amps are a real hidden treasure.