Laney GH100L

Single channel with a drive switch. Effects loop is cool to use, especially if you plug your effects straight into the return, means that you utilise the power amp and that's it, bit of a waste though cause the knobs are great. I use it live, plenty of power, one thing this amp is, is VERY loud, volume at about 7 and a little gain, about 2/3 and the valves sing!

The built in distortion isn't bad, especially when paired up with an overdrive pedal, or a guvnor! I just use the clean channel as i use a Digitech RP7 alongside for effects, very cool, no noise at all. The channel stays clean right up to the hilt. Good low sound too, i have used it in the studio and performed well. I use 2 Laney 4x12 GS412V cabs which are a bit limited, i recorded using a MArshall cab which gave a much warmer, round sound. I use it for a well heavy death metal distrtion almost but with some middle and it is excellent. Harmonics are great with the middle at about 6. Getting the balance between the prescenece and the treble EQ is the trick. I use the treble at about 3, but counter it with the prescence. Works wel for me anyhow.

Regretfully i have to say i have had major problems of late. I have had the head and cabs for 2 years and cause i bought the head and cab 2nd hand - no warranty. It broke about 9 momths ago and it hasn't been working since. Laney have been on the phone to my engineer and still no joy. Every time i turn it on the internal HT fuse blows. I have replaced the guts of it completely to no avail. I hope i get it sorted soon.

As i said, Laney have been unable to advise the engineer looking at it to provide a solution.

If it worked i would be the happiest guitarist alive! The volume and power is incredible, i played a large venue, 1000 capacity, and during sound check i took it out of the PA and REALLY cranked it. It filled the hall! Clear as a bell. It performs best up loud. Played alot of heads and power amps, even the newer LAney models, and haven't found anything with the power and clarity. I would buy it new so you get a guarentee.

I got this amp in 1994 or 1995, can't quite remember...it was just after they had come out and I read a glowing review in a magazine. Although the GH100L is a master volume type amp with just one channel and switchable 5th stage gain, I never found this to be a problem as I can have the gain at around 6 and this provides enough distortion, with the drive on full, to play even metal. The inclusion of a switch to change the fx loop from insert to side chain style is handy, but overall it is low on features if you mean knobs and buttons to mess around with. What it does have is lots of sounds ranging from sparkly clean to screaming lead and everything between. I no longer play in a gigging band, but have used the amp in both indie and metal, and rock bands and it sounded quality.

The best compliment I can give, and the thing that struck me most about the GH100L is that it's virtually impossible to get a crap sound out of it. I have an Ibanez RG570GF with Dimarzio Tone Zone, PAF Pro and single coil pickups and I find that any single, or combination of pickups produces a deep rich sound at any level on my guitar volume knob.I tend to keep the resonance switch on, the gain around 6 and the drive on full with the eq's all pretty close to 12 O'clock. With this setup I can go from jazzy clean sound through grades of bite and crunch, all the way through rock rhythm sounds to Slayer and Pantera sounds just by changing pickups, adjusting the volume on my guitar or flicking the drive on the range of sounds is astounding and the quality even more so at this price. I was originally going to buy a JCM900 stack and tested the two side-by-side whilst I was saving the money. The GH100L was better and I managed to get that and an ex-demo Laney cab for #650 instead of around #900 for the Marshall. I do have to say that my cab is pre 1995 and not as good as the ones Laney recommend you get. I played the amp through my mate's Marshall 1960a cab and it sounded even better.

The amp is sturdily built and bloody heavy!! It doesn't help that my old Laney 4x12 that I have is sincerely the heaviest 4x12 I have ever touched. I lent my head to a mate for a gig and he managed to blow the tubes(he replaced them with Mesa Boogie tubes so I'm not complaining)..I've never had any trouble personally, so I suppose once in 7yrs isn't too bad.

the amp is low on features....but who cares! I always thought that the most important thing for an amp was its tone, and that if you have a good base sound to work with, then its easier to get a wide variety of quality sounds from your set up. The Laney seems almost like it was made to prove this point by showing just how many sounds you can get with such few buttons and dials to play with. I have been playing the guitar for 13yrs and have owned as well as played several amps. Only my mates Peavey 5150 and a few Boogies and Soldanos have been able to compete with my Laney for quality tight smooth powerfull distortion and the 5150 was no where near as versatile whilst Boogies and Soldanos cost over twice as much. The only thing I would have instead if it was stolen is a Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier or Soldano Dectatone. Bottom line is that I got myself an amp for #500 which is as good as anything I've heard and that's value for money...

Well, I think it's the best Amp ever... The only problem is that it has only one channel. But you can play anything, from Dire Straits to Metallica. Very good clean and a lot of Gain in any style you like. With high gain may be noisy, so close your guitar volume when you aren't playing.

I play with an Epiphone custom with Puff 59 (neck) and a Tom Anderson H2+(tail). Very good clean channel and a lot of gain.(Specially if you change the FX loop settings).You can play almost anything, any style of music.

Very strong and reliable. The best amp for me...

I used Marshall, Peavey(Van Hallen series)Roland,nothing like Laney.

Brand spankin' new. I had studied the literature mailed to me from Laney and that helped me know what I was getting; though getting the direct phone number was tough. My closest dealer didn't want me to have it for some reason. Anyway, the set up is simplicity at its best. Want a different sound - just turn knobs. No frills. This one came with a resonance switch (good feature that I generally leave on) and a presence knob for high frequency adjustment. If you want alot of frills and buttons to memorize and play with, you will be dissappointed in this amp. If you want a tube amp that drives like a dream, look no further. This amp is single channel but will actually clean up! It is powerfull beyond beleif. I use it for practice at home, recording, and gigs. It does it all. For home use I keep the master volume on 1 or 2. I crank it to 3-4-5 for recording with an off-set mike - all tightly wrapped in a sound studio. For gigs, just set with the band.

I play through a Gibson SG. I generally play heavy metal but occassionally will get alittle lighter and even attempt some electric classical stuff. Regardless, the amp produces nice tone, deep cut distortion, sweet highs and cruchy mids. The only noise I get from this amp is from a few of my cheaper cables but it is less than any amp I have ever heard. The distortion stays clear and responsive regerdless of volume or the level of gain.

I almost decided against this amp after reading a few of the not so good reports of others who filed opinions. Thank God I didn't. One thing I have learned with many amps is that some folks get them and don't read the manuals regarding set up. This is a serious piece of equipment that is designed for professional use. If you buy one, READ THE MANUAL. Otherwise, you may screw up the tubes or even create speker damage. Go easy with it while learning the set up and various tones and volumes. After a couple sessions you'll have to wipe the xxx off your pants and - well you'll see. Obviously I have had no problems. I do use it without a back-up.

Haven't needed it. However, Laney does offer a free 3 year extended warrenty when you mail in the card.

I have played Marshall, Peavey, Rogue, and Crate. Nothing compares (particularly for the price) with this amp - except maybe the GH100TI. If it were lost I would cry for about a month - then buy a knew one and guard it with my life.

100 Watt head used with the laney 4 x 12 angle cab loaded with HH speakers. All valve with boost function. No reverb there is a resonance switch?!? Not as many knobs as on other amps.

Absolutely amazing. Like a cleaner more focused Marshall (6L6 tubes help to retain clarity at high volume). This thing is very deep and loud. The boost is spot on with not a hint of fizz. Very Hi-Watt sounding but more versatile!!!

No problems with any Laney gear - ever.

Never called them.

I got one of the first ones in 1995. It had a rave review in Guitarist Mag. They were right it could be Soldano or Hi-watt tone. Its the crap name that puts snobby types off. Its a shame cos' they are missing out. Tony Iommi and Paul Gilbert knew what their doing when they started using this gear. It just boils down to no-frills awesome tone. If I could give it 11 here I would.

This is just an update to my earlier review!!

No. I couldn't depend on it. I first had one of these that broke down three times, when I took it to the store the third time a got a new one. I had only been using it for a half an hour when it failed the first time... Then I got a new one just like it, had it for three weeks without problems and then suddenly it started making these sick "hhhrrrbbbhhhrrrff" noises loud as hell!! I had to go switch it off all the time ...just like rebooting a computer!! So I brought it back and got a Line6 head for it + 870 Skr. Two amps in a row(in less than three months) is enough for me and I have never had any problem with any other amp I've had and I've had 8. I'm actually glad to be rid of it.

Mid-90's all tube one channel head with switchable 5'th gain stage. All tube effects loop, resonence switch and NO REVERB. I don't miss the reverb but some kids find that to be a big drawback. I miss having a "clean" channel, but it has forced me to start using my volume knob. Something young guitarist tend to overlook.

I'm playing a Gold Top Les Paul w/a Dimarzio Tone Zone in the bridge. I run the head into a Laney 4x10 cab with 75 watt Fane's at 16 ohms. Shit the bed, this rig is loud!!! I use a Boss Noise Supressor live to kill microphonic noises, but the head isn't super noisey by it's lonesome. The 5'th gain stage is the secret weapon on this amp. The gain is so huge when it's maxed out. I play emo/metal along the lines of At The Drive In,Piebald,Cave In,Hot Water Music etc...I can't belive how good this amp sounds. This is the best distortion you are going to find under $1,000. Period. I was playing a Soldano Hot Rod 50 and I was craving a more saturated gain. I debated getting the Soldano modded(XL mod), but I took a chance on the Laney and ended up happier overall. I needed something that could deliver a wide palate of sounds and be loud. If you play metal,punk,industrial,ska,whatever you need to find one of these heads. The presence knob was a bit shifty at first but proved to be very usefull once I got it under control.

This is a tank. It seems to be pretty easy on tubes and fuses. It's bit heavy, but who cares? I play without a backup(I sold my Soldano to pay my student loans off), but I don't worry too much.

I bought this second hand, but I've always heard good things.

I have been playing 10 years and have been through my share of shitty gear. It's nice to find a piece of gear you can get attached to and really learn to use. If it was stolen, I'd buy a new one. They are always on eBay under $400.00.

This amp is very simple, which is nice, I like simple setups!
and fact is, it's still versatile enough for me! There's no real clean channel, only a switch to turn on/off the 5:th gain stage...but that is no problem at all for me since my guitar has separate volume controls for each pickup...so to get a clean sound i turn down the volume on the neck pickup and switch off the extra gain.
Then for shredding, ripping distortion i swith on the bridge pickup with full volume and the extra gain too. I can go from jazz-clean to blues-crunch to death metal-distortion by just switching these simple things! There's really nothing i miss in it, not even the fact that it has no reverb, which i generally like to have in my amps, bothers me.
I can't give it a 10 because alot of other players do find it limited, it has what i need but it's not like a 4-channel amp with built-in effects and a huuuge footswitch if that's what you're looking for.

I use a Shaftesbury Les Paul with a DiMarzio Classic Air in the bridge and it's original humbucker in the neck. I play Progressive metal/rock in a band called Abandoned(http://www.abandoned.nu) and i use a couple of different sounds, mostly i use a fat heavy distortion, but also a mellow clean sound and some semi-distorted/crunchy sounds...the only changes i make on the amps settings is switching on/off the fifth gain stage, everything else is controlled from my guitars controls.
I give it an 9 because it's great but not perfect! though it's as close to perfect I've ever been with an amp!

It broke down a couple of times in the first week i had it, I had it serviced twice. It had a bad output-transformer when i bought it, got it replaced and since then there has been no problem. I'm going to use my laney TF700 as a backup for gigs.

I wrote some emails to laney a couple of years ago but never got any answers...however when the transformer broke they sent a new one in a week...I got a one-year warranty for this baby...

I've been a guitar player for 8 years soon...I own this amp, two Laney Tf700, a traynor mark3, one laney tf412 cab(which projects the sound pretty poorly and has too much mids)and a marshall jcm 900 4x12 cab.
I also used to have a fender roc-pro 1000 which sucked, and a marshall lead 100 mosfet which was kinda nice but didn't have really what i needed soundwise...and a marshall 2x12".
I hate the fact that it's damn heavy to carry around but I love the sound and the simplicity..
Before I bought it i compared it to every single amp I could find in entire stockholm...the only amp that was as good was the Elmwood 3100 head but it costs about 21000 Skr so it was no real hard desicion for me to make! And this one has everything i need. It suits ny needs very well!

This head was first presended in '94, I think. This amp is THE perfect one for my kind of music. I am a Metallica freak, and together with the Zoom 8080 effects processor, I can produce sounds about identical to the one's Metallica use..! It has only got one channel, but as the guys before me has explained, it has a Drive switch which you can toggle on/off either through the head or the FS pedal (extra). For those who doesn't use special effects, I think that reverb would be great for this one. Other than that, maybe a clean channel. But if you use special effects, that's no problem, since there's only one channel. I've only used the head together with the GS412P cabinet. Producing 240 watts, it's ok for me. As I am only 16, I am not that experienced with tube heads yet, so I have plenty to learn... But I have tried a LOT of heads, mostly Marshall, and that stuff just doesn't match the GH100L, neither in power or in overdrive...! You can push it to the limits without having to listen to irritating squeaking sounds and screaming from the amp. The only thing that matches this, is the heavy-duty Mesa heads. Only difference is the prize, especially up here in cold Norway, where you got taxes for everything. The Mesa amps cost about three times as much as the Laney's, and I haven't got that kind of cash:)
So this is an economical, superb head..!!

I'm using a Gibson SG with original pickups, and the soft sound of the SG just matches perfectly with this head. It is clear, bright and straight-forward, or it can be mushy, fuzzy and heavy. It's a perfect all-round amp, but as I mentioned earlier, I miss the reverb.
It's noisy all right, since I haven't had the guts to set the volume button above 4.... (at this level it almost blew the windows of my room out) Try as best as yu can to avoid the volume button when you are using a crunchy, disorted sound, 'cuz it will blow your ears up..!! I've done this by a mistake as I was changing the parametres for the button next to it, an suddenly I couldn't hear from my right ear....for about half a minute, then the pain came...I soon realized that the volume button had hit about 8 (out of 10!!) and I had turned it down automatically.... That's dangerous..! Use ear protection around this baby...:)

I really can't say anything here, since I've just recently purchased it.

Same as above here.... but the amp has been absolutely free from problems, and I hope it will stay that way...!

I've been playing for eight years myself, I use a Hendrix wah for special effects together with a Zoom 8080.
If the head was stolen, I would definately buy the same one....
(or a Mesa, if I have enough cash...)
Tha's about it, I guess..!!

I'd say this amp is great for all forms of music with a lot of distortion. I wouldn't know about the clean sounds because i'm not the "clean-type-of-guy". Effect-loops - yes. It's single-channeled, but you can switch off the drive-control with a footswitch (not included)i've played everywhere exept for big arenas with this amp and it works out great for me. just keep away from the laney cabinets because they suck. use this amp together with a marshall JCM800 cabinet if you want it to sound heavy.

i would just say this is the perfect amp if you're into a heavy high-gain sound. i've played a lot of different amps and the only one that can be as good as the mesa rectifier is this one. if you stick mostly to one channel and if you play heavy stuff then this is the AMP. if you're the "footswitch-kinda guy" and if you don't want to use effect-pedals you probably wouldn't be satified with this one. whenever i want to change my sound in the middle of a song i use effect-pedals and the controls on my guitar instead. it's really worth the trouble for me cause this amp has such great sounds. i've also used it as backlinegear on rockfestivals and everyone who have played it have had a great sound even though they've played very different types of music.

Make sure the tubes of your GH100L are in good condition before you play it through double cabinets. If they're not the amp might get overheated.

Just make sure you've got a good guitar with quality pickups before you spend money on this one. I use:
Gibson SG1, Gibson 500T pickup
Fender Toronado, Fender Humbucker pickups (mexican made)