Lab Series L9

after reasearching it I belive this amp was made sometime in the late 70's early 80's it has 2 channels each with an input for high and low, On the left side(which I use for bass and vocals) has four knobs, one for volume, bass, midrange, treble. The other (or guitar side as I use it) has volume, bass, midrange, frequency, treble, multifilter, reverb. each has a switch for bright. on the right side there is a master volume and compressor knob w/ switch. Now I have had this amp for about 12 years thus far. the only thing that is not impressive to me is the amount of distortion you CAN'T get from the settings on the head alone and yes I do have the original 4 x 10 cabinet. Barring that if you have a good distortion pedal or efx processor, that WILL not be a problem. Now the absolute best thing about this amp is that it can handle being used as a Mixer and when I say that, I do my vocals on the high input the bass side while my bass player plays through on the low input. On the "guitar" side I play an digitechRP10 I have done this for years without the amp ever remotely giving me a problem. it can also handle keyboards very well and all at the same time. I honestly think that it sux that no company has remotely come up with a design simalar to this. I have used this amp for practice to gigs for years

Because of the frequency Know you can really open up the various tone of any instrument - I tend to play a vintage SG through it myself. but due to the lack of built in distortion it doesn't have the kind of grind I am looking for (though with the compression switch on and up all the way, it can give you some decent sabbath style crunch.) What this amp does cater to VERY well is alot of low end and with the frequency and multifilter you can really tweek your sound. the clean setting on here is pretty un matched - I also have a fewnder princton twin and it barely comes close. I play a mix of clean and dirty imagine the tone of floyd for the clean and a mix between tool and dimebag for the dirty, but like Isaid for brutal distortion you will need a pedal or efx board (and belive me no matter how you tweek your FX, the lab series settings can only add to them) I tend to play in mid sized carpeted rooms or in a giant living room with wooden floors and 22 ft cealings. and belive me it sounds amazing.

as far as depending on it hell yeah. Like I said I have had it for 15 years and use it if not weekly then daily. also I use it very innapropriately. and have for years - everyitem have have used for it so far is the following - Electronic drums, bass, guitar keyboard and vocals, the latter 3 with usually an EFX processor. if you find one of these ever snatch it up. it does what no amp can usually handle!

never needed it repaired.

I've been playin about 15 years. this is the only half stack I have ever needed to own. If I see another one I will smatch up immeadiatly. Like I said this thing does what amps shouldn't able to.
I got originally due to affordablity. and split the bill with my very supprtive parents (I was 15 at the time) but considering it's the only amp my lass player and I need when we practice and I need no extra vocal amp, It covers all my needs (and then some).

Overdrive, compression, spring reverb, and para-mid. What more can you want to shape and contour your sound?

I mostly play my pedal steel through this, as I didnt want to play through a Nashville 400 like everybody else. Its got the ability to get that classic pedal steel sound. For my guitar, I can pull out a warm jazz tone, a driving blues tone, or use a Tele for snappy twang.

Had ben abused and had broken solder joints when I got it. Slemmons Music service fixed it for $95. Havent had a problem since.

What service? They stopped making these over 20 years ago.

I've got a Twin and I think I actually like this just as much, if not more. Probably the best solid state amp I've ever heard. Plus it's a rare, unusual amp that looks cool, sounds cool, and will have everyone wonderin' where they can get one. If you run accross one, snatch it up.
I think the only small drawback is that the spring reverb gets kinda raunchy at higher settings, although if youre into garage/psychobilly/shoegaze that may be a plus.
I'm mostly into country and jazz right now and this amp can go from clean and sweet to weird and nasty in a heartbeat.

I got this amp in 1980, new off the showroom floor. I won't repeat what's already been said, but compared to the modeling amps of today, the treble, midrange and bass seems a little lacking for features. Still, it's my sentimental favorite.

A little hard to get good distortion our of it, but it does OK. I used to play everything from older rock to coutry with it, never had a problem being heard regardless if it was a room or an open field.

Had it since 1980, never had a problem at all. Lately, it's been sitting alot, but it's always ready to go when I need it.

Huh? Didn't have to try.

Loud, reliable, maybe a little short on features compared to today's modeling amps. I put a Johnson J-station in front of it and it does just fine. What fun.

not sure what year the amp was made . tried them all but this 1 15 e v does it all! 2 channel amp kinda like a twin in the layout EXCEPT this amp is more versitile!! i own 3 twins 2 of them from the sixties and i can't keeo my hands off this on i think it blows them away! it has a really cool saturation when you crank the master and keep the gain about halfway and use the compressor...sounds like an old rectifier tube with the "dig in feel" awesome!plenty of power! wish you could have a ext speaker jack but that can be worked out as long as your careful of the ohmage! i use this amp everywhere but it really is a great recording amp the best rhythym tracks you can get when you use the compresser right. also very quite!

i use a yamaha pac 112 which i put a paf neck and a 59' jeff beck bucker and locking sperzels!!! my fav guitar (yea i know it was cheap but these necks and basswood bodies are great building blocks for a great guitar)i own about 35 various guitars ranging from a 59" tele to some 70's strats,a prs McCarty,several les pauls ,a gem, s g, and a s r v strat all sound great (not to mention my 63 country gentleman)! it is used manly for blues and funk stuff but can handle rock real well but i keep the BROWN stuff to my trusty old marshall. this amp is REAl quite as i said great for recording. the night i took this amp home i played it for 5 hours straight !!! fell in love !!!the compressor in it is so cool it can really give you that roy buchanan sound when pushed right ...i dont even use the clean channel but it is clean and cool ! the distortion is very pleasing kinda like when we were in the early seventies and just getting it together with this stuff oh by the way try some Duane allman stuff with this amp WOW look out !!!!this sucker really sounds vintage to me nails it ..and no tubes ! iknow the tube heads are cursing me but i like tubes also but hey this IS a great sounding amp so enjoy the reliability of no tubes!!!

haven't had it long enough to know but from what i hear they are bullet proof! i always carry a backup... used my marshall for 15 years and never had a problem till one gig i left the backup home and.... you guessed it, it blew up!!!

never had to deal with them at all
heard these were a snap to fix!

man i own about 12 amps and to many guitars... i have been looking for this saturated blues tone (kinda like duane allman stevie ray and clean jimi and i tried ALL the big bucks amp mesa ,hughes and kettner, vox, just always felt for the money they weren't worth it (although the hughes and kettner was real nice BUT i bought one and 3 weeks later it developed a short problem! so i lost faith in it but a nice sweet amp. as far as a van halen sound it is not too close but that is what the marshall is for, but as far as chords and blues, man this is a great amp FOR THE BUCKS ...you can have all those $2,000 mesas and buddas and other so called wonders I LOVE THIS AMP!!! i know where another is and i am gonna buy it !
i had an old concert with a rectifier tube in it and it sounds like that!!! wish i still had it ...er i think thisa is the amp

1972 L9 solid state amp that sounds like a tube amp. This thing is the ticket for guys looking for that fat or bite in their sound without having to turn up to 11. There are 2 channels but I only use the 2nd channel that has low mids highs and a sweeping type of eq setting that you can use to really taylor your sound. The 15" EV is a great speaker. I have owned a L5 with the 2 12's but they just don't sound the same to me. The compressor is the true key to this amp. I have 2 of these and I have tried to find an external compressor to duplicate what this does and have yet to find one. The compressor also gives you sustain.

I currently am using a G&L but have also used a Tele with it. I play Country and old Rythm and Blues. It's great for any type gig, small to large venue. This thing can get painfully loud if needed without a very much distortion.

I own 2 of them and have been playing thru 1 of them since 1983. I had to have a transistor replaced and the reverb sucks but other than that just the usual re-coning and such.

any shop can repair it

I use a digitech 2101 studio tube pre-amp processor which really makes this thing sing. Guys who don't know what the heck a Lab is always ask me, and are shocked to find out, if it is a tube amp. Man, I have tried them all and for my money these things kill. I love the versitlity and being able to keep my sound at low volumes as well as cranking it. The only thing that sucks with these things is the spring reverb. It sounds really harsh so I choose not to use it. I do suggest that if you see one for sell....buy the dang thing. They sound great in stereo.

Made around 1978-1983 the 100W LAB SERIES AMP's (L5=2x12", L7=4x10", L9=1x15, L11=Head with 200W)feature all the same controlling specs. I'm playing Swing, Bebop, Latin, Modern Jazz and some funky stuff with the amp. I have them all, from L5 to L11. Live performance in stereo playing over two LAB's is great. With a L9 and L7 on stage you can play acoustic and electric guitar - and the are so loud, if you need it...

Playing old Gretsch CC, Gibson Super 400, LP's, Strat's and - newly a Epiphone PR 5 with the LAB in Jazz-Club's, on rehearsals, at home since 1983. I have compared it over the years with Fender Showman 115, Polytones, Boogie MK II, Roland JC 120 ... no amp can rival with the sound of the LAB! Try this setting as the typical Michael Sagmeister(you should know him !!!) live-setting:Lo-Input 2nd Channel/Bright:out/Volume:2,5-3/Bass:4-4,5/Frequency:to the 8 of 800/Midrange:0-0,5/Treble:5,5-6/ Multifilter:0/Reverb:3-4/ Compressor:out or in -3/ Master:6-7 YOU WILL GET A FANTASTIC POWERFULL LIVE SOUND NOW WITH ANY GOOD GUITAR!

Over the years sometime cancelled reverb springs because of transport in the car. A broken down Compressor on one amp.

Amp's out of warranty when little faults comes up. No problems to repair the amps with my local musical dealer. Only high components where used in the amp he said. Tht's true!

Playing the LAB SERIES AMPS for 20 years, would buy it again, best sounding amps for my playing style, very heavy - but there are 4 wheels under the cab and the sound will please you the hard working of a roadie and give's a lot of inspiration while playing...

Bought used in 1987. I beleive that it was made by Moog and marketed by Gibson. The schematics say Moog. Has two channels and four inputs. One with the basics, the other with bright, volume bass, frequency (curve), mid., treble, multifilter (kinda like presence), reverb, compressor and master. The high and low inputs on each channel seem to refer to impedence, the low is loudest. On the back, a speaker out, effects loop and footswitch plug. Spring reverb.
It has plenty of power, 100 solid state watts will shake the walls and I beleive you could play anywhere without having to mike it if you could stand the volume. 1-15" heavy, cast framed EV speaker.

I use this amp with Telecasters and a G&L ASAT and play three fingered pickin' country. This amp is great for a real ballsy Tele sound! This is the amp model that Ray Flacke used with Ricky Skaggs. I can adjust it for pefect tone with the mid and multifilter by adding or subtracting the frequency needed or wanted. The brights are extremely bright if you want them, I can get that Pete Anderson kind of Esqiure sound. The Bass is plentiful if needed. I don't play with heavy distortion, but slightly overdrive it. I can turn it up to deafening volumes without distortion, but with enough master volume the distortion is actually pretty pleasing for a solid state. The compressor is very nice for a built in and I use it at all times. The spring reverb really doesn't sound very pretty.
I use this amp for recording too.

I have dragged this heavy amp around to hundreds of gigs and it has never given me any problems! I have never brought a backup amp.
Shortly after I first bought it and before I started playing out I did have to have one diode replaced.

Buy a set of schematics.

I've turned this amp on a thousand times and been using it as my main amp for 16 years. I just bought a Fender Blues Jr. so I wouldn't have to tote around the 85+lb L-9 to small gigs or practices... I guess I'm getting older. I play through an Ibanez PT-5 multiprocessor which is what I use if I want heavy distortion though the L-9 sounds great no effects anda little compression.
If this amp were lost or stolen I would get another L-9. I will never get rid of this, it has been my back bone since day 1. When I first started playing I heard that Ray used a Lab Series and wanted to emulate that sound. I lucked out and later found out that the L-9 was the model.
I have tried out ten other amps including Peavy, Music Man and Fender Tubes, Tube Driver and even other Lab Series models and always come back to this one. It has the tone I'm looking for and is old home!
The only downfalls to this amp are its weight and crappy reverb, but I use a processor for reverb anyway.

100+ watts, 2 channels, 'verb, parametric midshift, compressor, 1x15" Force EV speaker. Not as heavy as same model equipped with EVM, similar sound. Also sounds very good with Celestion 15" or high-powewr Weber models.

I use it with a early RI Tele, a variety of hollowbodies, or a MSA steel-sounds great with them all. The only other amps I use are '50s tweeds...the L9 is for big gigs or very clean stuff. The tone is suprisingly good-like a BFTR made right. Not too bright, very balanced sound, very responsive and dynamic. The compressor works fine for evening out Tele string-popping, Chet-style finger picking,
doesn't 'pump', has a very even rise time. Not bad... Distortion is typical FET sounding-can be tailored with the midshift to sound OK. Onew thing this amp does to a "T" is a classic 60's/70's BB King sound. Not suprising, since he was an endorser of these things. Sounds like they tried to copy his earlier sound when they designed it. No joke-this thing nails it.

Pretty reliable-bought it as a wreck in a pawnshop for 100$ and have had no problems. Has a loud turn on thump, so one has to make sure amp volume is down before turn on. Pretty simple design and prolly easy to fix.

Manufacturer long gone...

Been playing for over 35 years and this is the best solid state amp I've ever used. Have used it for western swing steel stuff as well as for backup for Lil' Ed (modern blues). Joe Kubek used to use 'em, Ray Flacke and Randy Skaggs too...a great deal for a good loud combo with pretty good tone. I would buy another if it were lost-have been looking for a smaller version w/1 x12" which would be great for jazz stuff. I am a confirmed tube amp user, but this thing is very good for the money.

I am unsure what year this amplifier was produced. As far as I know, this amp was NOT made by Gibson, but by Moog. The service manuals that came with the amplifier [schematic diagrams and parts layout] are manufactured by Moog, along with the electronics. The amplifier has many features, including a frequency knob, compressor, and more. Over all, the amp has a big fat sound. When the compressor is in use, its even better. With the 7 knobs on the second channel, you are able to manipulate the final output in many ways. The frequency knob is very interesting, and can create many different effects. The amplifier creates nice distortion also. The L9 is transistor, but unlike countless others, this amp is actually good. This amplifier is 100 watts, and sounds better loud. Two channels each with a high and low input. The first channel is clean, while the second can sound however you adjust it. Each channel has a Bright switch. The reverb is toy-like, and might as well have not been built in the first place. Also the amp is very heavy.

Used with a vintage Gibson Flying V, and two hand wound humbucking pickups. The L9 is great for vintage sounds, as well as anything else. Adjusting the filters and frequencys correctly can result in many different sounds. The L9 can create some highly unusual sounds for a transistor amplifier. The clean channel stays mostly clean even while at full level. A bit of distortion is noticeable. The distortion on the second channel is versatile. It can range from nothing to heavy grunge.

This amp can definately be relied on. I bought mine in 1997, and nothing has gone wrong with it yet. If the amp needed to be serviced, it could be done by practically anoyne, due to the simple circuitry.

I haven't needed to contact anyone for service, but I'm sure there is no one to contact anymore. It can easily be fixed with little electronics knowledge.

I've been playing guitar for 10 years. If something bad happened to this amp, I'd definately buy it again. I love everything about this amp, even if the reverb is cheesy or it weighs too much. This amp is very unusual considering the sound it makes, and its not tube. It could be mistaken for tube. Again, I am sure this is made by Moog and not Gibson. As far as I know, Moog isn't or was never in the business of printing schematics for devices they didn't design, and the original service manual for the L9 states Moog all over.

I have no idea when this amp came about. Our history together started in the summer of 1999 when I saw it sitting over by the basses and guitars in a pawn shop. The guy there didn't know exactly what kind of amp it was, guitar or bass, only that it sounded good and that I looked interested. I find this amp rather nice and enjoy using it. The compressor is strange, so I don't use that much--it seems to me more of a limiter than a compressor. It has 100watts running into a 15" speaker with 8 ohms of resistence...I think that the previous owner replaced the speaker (as well as added some crappy casters to it). It's big and awkward to carry, having only one suitcase-style handle on top and weighs exactly 55 lbs. First channel has a Bright switch, 3 EQ Knobs, and volume, the second channel has a Bright switch, 3 EQ knobs, a Frequency knob (for the Mid EQ), a Multifiter knob, and a Reverb knob, then there are the Compressor knob, the Compressor On/Off switch, and Master Volume.

I play a Peavey Milestone II bass and it sounds fine. Nice and loud and clean. It does distort at high volumes and the distortion is pretty nasty...but I don't use the compressor ever which may be part of my problem there.

I would imagine that this amp has been neglected--just looking at it, it you can tell it bas been through a lot of stuff, but it still works great, and has never failed me once, not even for a second.

I have no customer support experiences...the company went out of business before I was born (I think).

I wish it had a deeper case...the shallowness of the case in combination with the crappy casters some guy put on it causes it to tip easily while being pushed...down the hall for example.

Wow, lots of features. 2 channels - channel 1 has Vol, bass, mid, treble, bright switch. Channel 2 has volume, bass, frequency (for mid), mid, treble, multi-filter, reverb, bright switch. Master volume, compressor (switch in or out). 100 watts of solid-state running into a Electro-Voice EVM15L speaker. I imagine this thing gets ungodly loud.

I'm presently playing a bass through it (P-bass, Alembic series 1) but have tried a silvertone and a SG with soapbars. Seems to distort nicely and gradually, almost tube-like, but it occurs at very very high volumes. Haven't been able to crank this sucker continuously due to presently being an apartment dweller. Noticed a cabinet buzz when playing bass, took a while to tighten things down. The sounds you can get from this amp are numerous given all the usable controls it has. Line out but don't hook up until you have powered on - HUGE turn-on thump. The EV speaker is a really nice touch as it sounds so much better than most generic crap. One warning - the amp stays very clean to very high volumes and therefore lets every mistake or fret noise shine through. If you use a distortion box it just makes the box sound lifeless and tinny. Again, this amp seems best with no effects except your playing technique. A "Fat" sounding guitar would work best. A Tele would sound like razor blades scraped on a mirror. I think this would be about as ideal as you could get for something like an ES-335 or other semi-hollow gibson product.

Works fine for me, however I noticed a possible problem - the potentiometers are protruding out the front of the amp and the amp weighs over 75 pounds - so, it looks easy to put some serious force onto the knobs when you carry it and lean it against your leg or hit a wall. . . .

Ex-Gibson/Norlin product. What customer support? Uses discrete transistors rather than integrated circuits, so if anything blows up anybody can get parts for it.

I really like this for a solid-state amp. Very versatile tones, etc. Very clean sounding at first so you must have good style (I don't)unless you run some sort of effects box up front. If you got your chops down this would sound awesome with a cord from the guitar straight into the amp. If I'm not mistaken this is the amp BB King used a lot . . . .