Laney AOR 50 Series II Head

Features are great, they are actually useable unlike most modern amps that pack a bunch of useless features into the box.

I use this amp with an SG '61 reissue, stock as a rock. The sound quality is absolutely brilliant... it can make beautiful warm blues/jazz tones.... but switch on the AOR channel and you'll be in high gain heaven... sooooooooo much gaain...

Serviced occasionally, had the odd tube changed here and there. Nothing I wouldn't sacrifice for the sound this thing produces.

Emailed Laney once and they got back to me with a response.... haven't realllly dealt with them though.

Sounds better than anything else i've heard in it's price range and I personally think it kicks even the dual rectifier's arse!

Just a followup from my last review..this Amp is a Killer..I've got 2 now and they do sound really similar so I did nt buy a one off last time. I put a KEELEY BOSS DS-1 as a boost and it sounds stupid, me god Steve Vai would be proud of the sounds this head produces, still under #250..$350 ish..with the KEELEY!! Add the Rocktron Replifex and I have nt heard better sounds, funk to metal!! Laney are still sooo underated, again check out Mr Gilbert and Mr Timmons for a slight thumbs ups from the two best guitarists still breathing,playing and pissing me off!!

Only wish it had reverb. As said below its very versatile especially if you know where your guitars volume/tone pots are!!

This has got the best sounds I've ever had and I've gone through alot of amps and racks etc. I prefer this amp to amps costing 8 times what it cost me (#200) no joke, save a fortune and get one if you can, I've used it live every week for 6 months now and I'm always impressed with the sounds. I play in a function Duo and also a Rock band (70's,80's 90's stuff) and I can get all the correct noises when used with my Rocktron replifex in the effects loop. Cant praise it enough, again considering the price. Buy one if you dont like it e-mail me grahambrace@hotmail.com and I'll buy it from ya.

Been 100% so far.

Been playing for about 10 years properly, 3+ hours a day. I've had Marshalls,Boogies,Soldano etc etc and I've sold them and dont miss them, they were all good but theres something about this cheapo Laney that I like, if you've still got doubts about Laney check out my favorite Guitarists gear a certain MR ANDY TIMMONS yep hes a Laney user as too is MR PAUL GILBERT another player who is a bloody demi-god in my opinion...so there.

I'm reviewing an AOR50 Series II. I bought it second hand in 1993 in mint condition.

See reviews below for features. I might add that it would be nice to have a GOOD QUALITY reverb on board, but at least I can choose my own with the configuration provided.

Lets get this out of the way right now. The sound is awesome, but not in a Marshall way. This is no ordinary amp, it can reproduce any sound including classic (early and late) Marshall, but is has it's own sound which I just can't find in another amp.

I've been playing guitar since 1983. My main influences have been (funnilly enough) 80's hair bands and classics (Black Sabbath, not Led Zepplin and not AC/DC). More recently I've drifted into softer (Van Morrison, REM) and harder (Nickelback, Limp Bizkit, Offspring) genres. I have an old HH IC100 combo that I just can't part with and I have used your standard range of Marshalls but not owned one.

Anyway, my main guitar is a Kramer Nightswan, however I used the amp extensively with a US Fender Strat with a Seymore Duncan Hotrails in the bridge. I run the head through a 4x10 Laney cab to get a bit of a punchy sound. I have replaced the original tubes with Groove Tubes. Expensive to do over here, but worth it. I play with virtualyl no effects. I use a noisegate and kick in a small amount of delay with a solo.

During the 90's I was in a couple of different covers bands playing everything from Bad Company to Pretenders to Pink Floyd to Live to Offspring and Greenday.

OK, so you know what I do and how I do it - let me tell you how the amp copes. This amp does it all. By using the right guitar with the right settings this amp can produce any sound perfectly.

Volume:
Don't be put off by the 50W rating. This things cranks to high heaven! I have played with BIG drummers (you know the ones - they opund the kit and chew through sticks and break sticks, big hitters) and loud PA's (mainly clubs) and I have only been miked up once. But here's the killer - I usually set the Ch1 volume (rhythm) on 5/10 and the Ch2 (lead) on just over 5/10. I have been on 6 once and had to wear earplugs on stage! I'm not kidding (I was reasonably close to the amp though). Anyway, I cannot think of a real life situation where you would run out volume, it's just not possible with this thing. And for some reason it cuts through the mix every time. I have done a lot of three piece work and the sound just massive.

Clean tones:
As mentioned by some of the other reviewers, the low gain input can produce vibrant tone with chrystal clarity. A decent strat through the low gain is better than a JC120! I'm not exaggerating. The sound does not distort and the tone is just perfect. You need to tweak the settings of course but it is worth spending the time getting to know the amp - it has a lot of character.

Overdriven:
I'm trying not to use too many superlatives here, but there is really no way to describe this amp when it's overdriven other than SCARY. I spent a little bit of time during the early 90's tweaking the amp settings (especially after putting the GTs in), but I have used the same basic settings for that last 8 years. However (and this is why I'm writing about it tonight) two weeks ago I revisited the settings. I went to a nice quiet industrial shed and cranked up my normal stage settings on the Laney with my Kramer (no effects at all - straight in). It sounded great as usual, but I dialled in a couple of changes that I hadn't bothered with previously and the things just started to scream. I don't want to sound like an idiot here, but it was the best live guitar sound I have ever heard. I really felt like it was out of control - like I couldn't keep up with it. Imagine dialing in a few changes to your car and then getting in to find it has an extra 600hp. Thats what I mean by out of control. It was a real hybrid Mesa-Boogie / Marshall sound. Oh my God it sounded good. I just cranked it for hours. By the way, this is Ch1, the rhythm channel. You are probably aware that the AOR system is known for its ability to be HEAVILLY overdriven (Ch2). I spent a lot of time playing with Ch1 and haven't done amything unusual on the AOR channel, but if the sound of Ch1 is any indication I will be leaving the shed in an a

I cranked it hard for a few years in the early to mid 90's and then left it sit for four years. When I dragged it out again I just plugged it in an bang - dead. Not surprising - tube problems. Filled it full of Groove Tubes and it has not stopped since. Recently it has sat fr two years and I dragged it out and it has been running like a dream. I have not had any other problems with it.

I have to agree with some of the other reviewers - this thing feels like it is built like a tank. I am pretty careful with it though, but I don't baby it.

Never dealt with them, but I am annoyed that they don't support some older amps on their web site. Also I am a big fan of HH gear (which Laney now "supports") and they don't seem to have much to do with it.

If this were lost or stolen I would be pretty upset and I would definitely buy another one. Actually, i'd be laighing all the way to the bank because I would only have to cough up a couple of hundred bucks for another one (if I could find it, this particular model is pretty rare). This is the great thing about this particular amp - it not only sounds better than everything else out there (except MB), it is the best value amp I have ever come across - and I've been looking!

One final note if you are considering buying an AOR50 Series II (which is written on the back of it), buy with confidence, if you can't get the worlds best sound out of this thing don't blame the amp.