Laney GC50

Others have covered these well enough.

Firstly, the EQ knobs have a small range of effect on the sound. If you want lots of tone-shaping power, this one is not for you. There is certainly plenty of bass to be had from it and it's a pretty broad spectrum clean sound, but it is instantly recognizable as a solid state sound. On the clean channel, there are no dynamics and not much warmth, just an instant hifi reproduction of what you play.
In my opinion, the overdriven sounds are useless - totally processed, artificial, sludgy, fuzzy and yucky. If you are going for a synthetic early 80s sound with your distortion then it just might please you, but for all others be prepared to laugh and wince!
Mine is just a little bit noisy on the higher gain settings and almost not at all on the lower ones. However, sometimes and puzzlingly not others, hammering the bass strings with downstrokes will get you some very noticeable sproinging bouncing out of the reverb tank. You would not want this sound at a performance! For practicing, it wouldn't be a big deal, as it fades quickly.
It probably sounds like I do not like this amp, but I do. It does one thing, and only that one thing well: big, hifi clean sounds. There are certainly many amps that do this even better than the GC50, but if you want clean sounds and only clean sounds and you want them BIG, coming through a 12 inch speaker, this will give you that for very little money

It seems very solid and heavy. Is it reliable? I have had no problems yet (as of 2009), but who knows?

I have no idea at all!

If you don't mind - or actually like - solid state tones, give this one a listen. Its best feature in my opinion is its wide-spectrum voice and while the solid state circuitry does not add alot of character to your guitar's tones, it also does not degrade it - which is more than can be said for most cheaper amps. The distorted sounds are worthless, but the clean sounds are pretty damn great. It is cheap, and if you are sick of playing through 8 or 10 inch speakers and want a real, big sound this might be a good one for you.

I love my GC50. Period. It has all the features that any guitarist cold ever want out of an amp. mine dosen't have a foot switch just the push-pull level knob. The only thing that I wish it had is a seperate eq for the clean channel. i have never used the headphone jack or the effects loop.I use this amp for playing gigs,practice, or just sitting in my room playing. I just recently played a show at our school outside and hade no pre-amp and only had the volume on about 4-5. this little amp kicks!

I play a fender cyclone and this amp makes this guitar scream. I love the distortion that the amp get.I play alot of white stripes and other rock and this amp gets a great sound for it.I love the clean channel also, it sounds great.

My amp has never broken down on me, the only thing I have had to fix the the tolex cover that is on it. I got the amp used at my local music store and it was in pretty bad shape then. I recovered it with a yellow fuzzy material that is made for making stuffed animals. I think that it looks awesome.

Like i said it has never broke for me.

Overall this is the best amp I own(I own a marshall 2x12,a fender hot rod,and a fender pro 185). I lover this rocking little amp.

I got the amp in 1997, I think it has all the features a combo in it's pricerange and for playing modern rock music. It has two channels and I use them both I like the sound when its maxed out. The effects loop is helpful but I don't use it all the time. I don't use the headphone jack either but I'm sure my mom wishes I did.

I use a jackson v a les paul and an Ibanez all with humbuckers. The clean channel gets dirty at higher volume settings but it produces a good clipping sound. The distortion is pretty smooth and warm it's not grinding with too much high end.

The amp is very reliable and seems to sound better the longer I own it. The amp dosen't have any sound after I unhook the effects loop. I play it every day. I've used it alone at a few gigs.

I want to get two more for my live set ups but it's been a few years and the place I bougt it dosen't sell them anymore.

I've been playing for almost ten years and the amp has been one of the best I've owned. I would replace it if I could. I got a footswitch when I bought the amp with only one button but it cut off the reverb. I picked up a peavey switch that works for channel and reverb the buttons work backwards because the amp is british.

I'm not to sure the year that it was made. It is my first real amp, but man it's sweet stuff. The variety in sound is unbelievable. It has 2 channels, but no switch. It had an effects and a headphone jack, and a hi and low imput. I wish that the clean channel had an eq. I have never really used the distortion after the purchase of my distortion pedal. I mainly use it in my house, but i've used it at a couple of practices. It gave me the most bang for my buck, used for $140. I couldn't pass it up.

I play a Silvertone, by Samick, with a single and a hum. I have an Ibanez distortion pedal. The sound is SWEET. It is loud. I mainly play rock metal or punk and all these sound great through the amp. I got together with some friends in a spare room. The bassist played a Create 60w amp and the drummer played on a Pearl 6 piece set. I only had to set my volume on 3-4 to be heard over all of that. And I was told to turn it down a little. I was "drowning out" the bass.

I would of rated it higher if it had done better and didn't act up, but I got my amp fixed. Apparently, the hi imput came lose from the circut board. My neighbor, also a laney fan, came over and reattachend it with some sodder. It works better than ever. I would now use my amp with out any backup at all.

I never delt with the copmpany before. I got my amp used from a mom and pop shop in Livonia, MI. I took my amp there to try and get it fixed. I returned the next day for them to tell me that it was fine and they couldn't find a problem. My neighbor had them problem fixed in a snap.

I've been playing guitar for three years. I'm nothing special, but my amp is. I've had it for a year and a half now and after the minor repair it is working better than ever.

This amp has 2 channels. I only use the Overdrive channel because I don't have the footswitch, and since Laney currently (as of May 2000) does not have a U.S. distributor, the footswitch is unavailable. I have never used the headphone jack or the external speaker jack, and I'll probably be afraid to use either when I get it back from the repair shop (more about that later). I always have my Peavey Deltafex Twin processor plugged into the effects loop, no problems there. The 3-band EQ is fairly versatile, but I wish the clean channel had it's own independent EQ... I might actually use the clean channel if it did. It's always been plenty loud.

I bought this amp because of how good it sounded. I run an Ibanez RG-550 into it, and it gives me a nice range of tones. The distortion is warm, heavy, and musical-sounding. I tend to leave my overdrive and master volume set in the same place and adjust the volume from my guitar. The distortion is VERY responsive to different pick attacks.
It's hard to believe this amp is solid state. I took for granted how integral this amp is to my sound until it fried on me (again, more on that later), and I had to use a friend's amp... I won't name names, but I just cannot finesse good tones from the borrowed amp. I want my Laney back!

Now... here's the problem. I have only had this amp for 2 or 3 years. Up until 3 weeks ago, my Laney was always ready, able and willin'! I thought it would never die. Then, on Easter Sunday, in church, with a packed auditorium, during the slowest, softest song... the entire congregation lost in worship... I am barely brushing my strings with the tip of my finger, playing soft, delicate chords... my Laney lets out a shriek like an electrocuted chimpanzee, followed by loud static and hum. I spin around, whip the master volume all the way down, and watch in amazement as the power LED's dim to nothing. I toggle the power switch... nothing. After the service was over, (and after I had laughed off all the comments about my demon-possessed amp), I checked the main fuse. It was fine. I sniffed around the chassis for smoke or burnt wiring... nothing. I should mention that this church is a new building, and the wiring is fully up to code. I was also plugged into a surge-protected outlet. The next day, I took it back to the shop I purchased it at, only to find out that they no longer carry Laney products. This is not their fault... Laney lost their U.S. distributor. This is where things get frustrating...

The problem was internal, by the way, a blown output transistor (or transformer... I don't remember), along with 2 blown internal fuses. I have no way of getting in contact with Laney now. I tried their website... nice graphics. My local shop informed me that it wouldn't have mattered, since Laney's warranty is only ONE YEAR. What kind of crap is that? It is partially my fault for not paying attention to this detail. Fortunately, my local shop has a guy who is fixing the amp as we speak. However, the cost for this will be coming out of my own wallet, which was already empty! I really have mixed feelings in this area concerning customer support... my Laney sounds wonderful, and I have been totally satisfied with it until now. But when a company only warranties their product for ONE YEAR, how long do they honestly believe that product will last? If that is all the faith Laney has in their amps, I won't be buying another one.

Again, mixed feelings here. I miss my GC50, and I am anxious to get it back from the repair shop. However, I will be shopping for a new main amp... one with a much better warranty, and made by a company that expects their product to last more than a year. I just hope I can find a RELIABLE amp that sounds as good as my Laney. Just keep this in mind: It don't matter how good a piece of musical gear looks or sounds if you have to deal with this kind of crap when it breaks.

See above

I play either a Vantage super strat style guitar or a Takamine electro/acoustic. To start with the clean channel was great, although as it has a gain control, to add crunch, the volume levels of this are pretty limited. The overdrive channel was great, plenty of distortion, every style imaginable can be found through this thing.

This is where the amp fails. I bought mine second hand, which turned out to be a grave mistake. I go it from a retailer with a three month warranty?! unfortunately after about five months, the thing packed up on me. There seems to be power going through it, but the volume levels are non-existent, most of the time. This means that to get any sound you have to turn it right up, then the volume kicks in for a couple of seconds and your ear drums break. No-one seems to know what the problem is and so its been going on like this for months. This recently got worse for about a month, with no sound at all. At the moment its no too bad. (If you've got any idea whats wrong with it please e-mail me!)

I've E-mailed them a couple of times, with no response. Very disapointed cause they make beautiful amps, most of the time.

Well if it worked properly it'd get an 8 or something close as it is the score has to be a lowly 5. Hopefully I'll save the money for a decent valve amp soon and I can forget about this thing.

I got my GC50 in mid 98 so im guessing its a 97...When i got the amp it was great. I had been using a Crate G60, But i got this to replace it and i have to say its much louder than the Crate..The amp has 2 channels..although the Overdrive and Clean share the same EQ which limits verstility..its got an Effects Loop..which is near useless, I do like the speaker input though..Bein you can just plug a cab straight into it without rewiring it.

Ive used this amp with a 60s Style Strat, old 0s V with 2 hums, and an Ibanez with 2 hums..I use to use it with a Danelectro Fab tone distortion..and with Humbuckers this had a great crunch. However this amp has about the worst overdrive ive ever heard, Its noisey, Eq doesnt do much to it, The clean is good at low volumes but because of the Gain and Volume setup, at loud volumes you simply cant get clean tones..which brings me to another problems this amp is muddy..1-4 with the gain..its fine after 5 its all mud..horrible sounding, Ive been using a 2x12 cab..and a 8x10 cab with it live and it helps alittle

you cant rely on this amp AT ALL..I play a high school basket ball game..easy gig, but no..heh I had so many problems, Even with a 4x12 cab at 5 it was muddy..and on leads...oh god..Fogerty gets better lead tones..And this amp cannot not push it.1 hour of playing at 5..Screwed this amp up..the volume wont go past 2 now, The reverb doesnt work at all(external reverb tank. no loss)And also never turn this thing on with a speaker plugged in,I screwed up and did that and now i have no F/x loop or high input, and the Bass EQ does not work now

Too lazy to mess with company..had to get a guitar store to fix it because i dont think a Laney Service Center exsists in this area, 1 year warrenty..which it fried after the warrenty was up

been playing 5 years, dont own much gear..It were stolen or lost i would laugh..I hate almost everything about it, it cant even compare to other amps..well maybe if it worked..I could use better circuits..and a "remote" that came with it..EQ for the overdrive seprate from clean, Dont buy this...simple

The gc50 is an extremely powerful amp for a 50 watter. It features a normal and overdrive channel, with master volume which controls both, as well as great reverb effect, especially for a solid state. It has inputs for effect loops and a headphone jack, as well as a high and low input, which has never seemed to make any difference whatsoever in the sound to me...

An extremely versatile amplifier which will fit a variety of musical styles and create a large variety of sounds. I play in a fuzzy feedbacky spacerock band and the distortion is just right for me, with sounds varying from warm and full to harsh and crackly, depending on the settings. I rarely play using the clean settings on it, but the gc50 will probably not disapoint in this area as well. It is an extremely loud amp for 50 w, in fact when playing with a friend who had a 50 watt fender amp (I don't know what specific model) I had to turn my master volume down below 2 to hear him playing with his amp at full volume. This amp can create a ton of noise, which is great for my style as well...

Usually pretty reliable, but it has broken down recently and is being repaired at this time. This is not completely uncommon for an amp that is a few years old, though, especially one that has been playing very loudly very often as mine has. Besides this one incident, it has never faltered...

never dealt with them

I couldn't be happier with the amp. Except maybe for its recent breakdown, and I am only too happy to pay as much as it costs to get the amp up and working again. Worth well more than it costs...

Many features for a 50-watter. It has a nice clean and overdrive channel, with easy switching. It has a master volume switch that controls the whole amp, plus volume and drive switch for overdrive channel and gain switch for clean channel. Has sweet reverb sound. Great for a solid-state amp. Has headphone, return, send and di/line jacks as well.

Very diverse sounds - excellent. Great clean channel - smooth and light with gain switch to go from very light to a nice, warm crunch. Overdrive channel is great. For a 50-watter, this amp can put out an unbelievable amount of sound, yet has a nice crunch at very low volumes as well. I use a Hamer Flametop Strat with bridge humbucker,and the amp has a very nice crunch. Can play anything from blues to aggressive metal. Deep bass and nice treble, with as much middle as needed.

I've only had it a few days, but it has a great reputation in my area. It is very dependable, and being a solid-state, tubes are not a worry. Could be used by itself at a gig.

I just got this amp,and it has a one-year warranty. I know several people who use Laney amps and said customer service is good and very helpful. But, they also said they had never had any really major problems with the amp, which shows how well they are made.

I would definitely buy this amp again. Great value - blows away any other amps I have had that have similar features. Compares very favorably to Crates, Peaveys, Marshalls of the same size. If you need a nice amp to play with even a loud band,this amp is for you. Effects also go through this amp very nicely.

This amp is extremly powerfull for only being 50 watts. It has an effects loop,headphone,DI Line, and I socket for another speaker output. I use it for practice and for playing in a band. It's very versitile and not to heavy. The only this that I might add to the amp is an imput controll for the effects loop.

I play a wide range of music. Everything from metal to some acoustic stuff and this amp handles it all great. It is extremly loud for only 50 watts. It has great distortion and clean channels. This amp sound better the more you crank the volume knob. It sounds as good or better than a tube amp when you have it cranked up. The distortion loves to make harmonics if you ask it to. I have an Ibanez SG series with humbuckers in the neck and bridge.

I have have had this amp for almost five years and have never had any problems what so ever. I use it at gigs all the time and has never failed yet. It's extremly reliable.

I haven't had any problem at all so I haven't had to talk to Laney about anything at all. The amp has a 1 year warranty.

I would definitly buy this amp again. The only thing that I would try to improve is the distortion at low volumes. It's still great but it lacks some harmonics and gain unless you have it up pretty loud. I also have a Zoom 2020 that I use with the amp and they compliment each other perfectly.