Laney GH50L

Laney GH50L. It's a single channel high gain amp. It's 50 watts, and it's all tubes. For what I do, this amp is perfect for me since I don't have to go clean to dirty/dirty to clean mid songs. It has a very versatile FX loop, and I dig how the EQ's laid out. One thing I wish it had is reverb. That'd make this amp complete!

I retubed mine with JJs 6L6s in the power section, and their EC83s in the preamp. It still has very pronounced mid range the Laneys are known for, but it seemed to have tamed the top end a bit, and added more bass to the sound by going to 6L6s. I'm still experimenting, but so far, I like the 6L6s better.

I use a Les Paul and a Strat. This amp gives me all the sounds I want. I mostly play rock, and it does rock so so well. The distortion on this amp is out of this world (not because how much gain it has, but the sound quality of it). Another thing it nails is that SRV bluesy sound. You leave gain on around 3 ~ 4, and turn the drive around 5 ~ 6 for a little sizzle... I love how that setting sounds with the neck pickup on my Strat. No matter where you leave the gain/drive, you will find a smooth tube driven sound out of this amp at a resonable level. I'm absolutely happy with it.

I've had it for about 5 years, but it's only been through 4 shows. It delivers every time I fire it up, and hasn't let me down yet. All i've done is retubing, and biasing the tubes. It's a solid amp.

Can't say.

As I said, this would be my perfect amp if it had reverb, but I can do without it. This Laney sets the standard on ROCK TONE. I love it, and I'd buy it again.

This is a 1 chanel amp but it is as versatile as a 2 channel. Plenty of effects loop features and lots of choice about cabs. For a 1 channel amp it has a lot of fetures

This amp does a range of tones. with lower gain on the amp and not o the bridge pickup the amp has a thick clean/crunch sound. with the drive off it makes some nice rock tones at heigher gain levels and more than enough gain with the drive on. I use it with humbuckers and it sounds great. it is quite noisy at high gain levels but still rocks. I use it with a home made 1x12 vintage 30 loaded cab

I got it used (ebay) and it has never shown any signs of breaking. it is very solidly built.

Never had to contact them

I have been playing for about 3 years and this is my first valve amp. If it were stolen i woul buy another, as it is awesome. I also have a marshall valvestate vs100 and this sounds much better then it. i chose it cause it didnt cost too much.

Don't let the 6 make you think I don't love this amp. Instead of Laney trying to make some kind of do it all Head they just made a rockin amp. No reverb, one channel it's a basic amp. If you want Marshall tone but don't want to spend the money on an 800, Plexi, Old Hiwatt, or a 70's Laney for that matter this is your amp. I would rather have an amp that does one thing great rather than an amp that does four things ok.

I've played though every amp Imagineable and I've never written a review for any Fender, Marshall, Vox or various others. I was looking all over ebay and other places for a early 80's JCM 800 which is a grat amp(I was playing through a 900 at the time, not a great amp) Every one I found needed a repair of some sort. So included in the cost of the amp was a repair bill to bring it up to full potential. I went to the local shop which had an '81 JCM 800, sounded like shit, the shopkeeper said it needed new tubes and filter caps and then it would sound good. Then he suggested I try the GH50L. For AC/DC-Zepplin tone this is the Amp. With the resonance and Drive off this am has no hiss even at high volumes.

I bought mine used. It was built in '03, but it looks and works like new. This amp is very similar to the JCM800, except it has even more gain! It is versatile because you can dial in many different sounds. However, it is single channel amp, and there is no channel switching. But, you knew that going in. It has more gain than I need, more EQ range than I could ask for, and is LOUD! I am using it with a Recto 2x12 cab loaded with V30s. It's bright, and has that lovely British honk. It came with TAD brand tubes, but they've been promptly replaced with JJ's EL34Ls and ECC83s. I can honestly say I can match, if not blow away Marshalls. The best part is, is that it only cost me $500.

Paul Gilbert is the reason why I picked up the guitar, and the reason why I picked up this head. I've been a fan of his tone for years, and he says Laney is his secret. I believe it now when he says Laney has the best amp distorion ever. I usually use it with Ibanez RGs, and I really can't ask for more. This is THE standard rock tone! But this isn't a one trick pony. It loves it some blues. Low gain, with mid drive, it is SRV city. It does clean very well, too. You just have to use the LOW input if you have a hot humbucker. This amp gives me the sound I've been after, for that it gets a 10.

I've had this amp for about 3 months, so it's too early to tell. When I opened it up to replace the tubes, and bias it, I got to get a good look inside. Everything's tidy, and tucked. They used big gauge wires, and good components from what I can see. I think it'll last forever with proper maintenance.

They're in England, but they will reply to your emails. I've dealt with Gary from Laney, and he's helped me with biasing the amp. I was surprised.

I've been playing for about 10 years. I don't gig or play in a band any more, so I hope this is the last amp I'll have to buy. As I said, the sound I've been searching is right here inside the Laney. If you're looking for a simple amp that'll get the job done, this is your amp. Did I mention, it cost me $500? It don't get no better than that.

Cheers.

Single channel tube head (2*JJ6L6 + 4*12ax7) with a footswitchable drive option.
Presence, Bass, Mid, Treble controls shared by both channels.
Gain, Master volume (clean channel) and a single volume control (you clearly have to compromise if you want to switch between clean & overdrive, but more of this later)
Resonance switch is a nice addition to add depth to your sound
2 Inputs (hi/Lo)
FX loop, Slave in/out, LS oputputs 4, 8, 16 Ohms
Switchable bias el34/6l6
Not the most versatile amp I've come across, but I was looking for JCM800-like amp without the price tag of an JCM800
Looks quite sturdy and should withstand live gigging. I never gig without a back up, though...

Quite loud. I use it with a 2x12 Framus cab (loaded with V30's) and this things rocks!
I set my "clean" sound so it crunches when I hit the strings harder (Gain on 3, Master on 4 and all tone controls between 6-7). For OD/distortion purposes, I rely on my trusty JH1 (Visual sounds). Nice, thick sound that easily cuts through the mix.

bought 2nd hand (6 years old). When I first tried it it was all snaps, crackles & pops. The guy who was selling it offered me to have it fixed at little extra charge. Eventually, it came back fully serviced and retubed. It now works fine and hope it will last. ime will tell...

Diagrams, user's guide available from Laney's website.
If any problem should occur, I'll get in touch with the very competent amp tech who fixed this amp.

This amp suits my needs and fits my music style (heavy rock) perfectly. If stolen or lost, I would try to get hold of an amp similarly designed.

Not to many features, but everyting you need. Only one channel which you know when you are buying. It's a clean/crunchy and then you have the distortion, so it's kinda two channels. If you wanted you could get a clean and a distorted sound, you just wouldn't get as much distortion. But I don't use alot of distortion

Wow!!! I play a Schtor C-1 Elite (with Semour Duncan Livewire and a ESP LTD Viper 400 with stock active EMGs. The cab is a Laney cad, but with 4 Celestion Classic Lead 80s. It sounds so bright and clear and really gives me that attack I'm looking for. You can get: clean, crunchy, light dist, to heavy dist. Anything you'll ever need.

Nothing wrong with is so far, I've had it for 2 years. I've replaced the tubes, just because though.

I love this amp, it sounds amazing.

This is a one channel amp with footswitchable gain. 50 watts,effects loop.

I use only Gibsons,Les Pauls,Flying V,Explorer..all with EMGS.I play Metal/Hard Rock. I own a JCM800 50 watt that Ive had for years,and have prevously owned a Marshall DSL100 and Mesa Dual Rec.Basically Ive been searching for that 800 sound with more gain,since my 800 sounds great{think AC DC,crunch} but it needs a overdrive pedal of some sort for really heavy sounds,and lead playing.Ive always felt any type of overdrive{and Ive tried em all!}pedal adds an "artificial" sound which I never liked. The GH50L has all that gain built in and it sounds pretty natural.With the drive off and just the gain up,It gets the 800 style crunch,but with more high end,which some may or may not like.Its a little too "presence-y" for my taste,even with the treble and presence knobs low.Being a one channel head,you wont get crystal clean sounds but rolling down your guitars volume gets a nice clean/dirty sound,which ,for gigs works fine for me.With the drive on,and up ,this amp has the most natural sustain of any amp Ive ever played through,however it is noisy,as you would expect.Its a loud amp ,but not as loud as others I have owned.

the stock tubes,as others have said,are pretty crappy,and I had to replace them after just a few hours of playing.I put in EH12ax7s and it sounds way better.Other than that, this amp seems really well made.And on a side note..this is the LIGHTEST head Ive ever owned,which is pretty nice if you play often,Its WAY lighter than my 800.

havent had to deal with em..probably never will.

Ive been playing 15 years,If it were stolen or lost I might replace it,but would probably look around first.Overall this amp has great tone and balls. I still prefer my old JCM800 tone wise,but the Laney kicks new Marshall{DSL<TSL} ass. Id also take this kind of British distortion over Boogie fuzz anyday.If your into classic metal/rock tones definately check this amp out,for the money its unbeatable,and may be better than amps twice the price.

As stated before, this is a single channel amp. You have to learn how to use your guitar volume to clean up your sound. This amp has just what you need and no bells and whistles that just muck up your tone. I thinks it is really based on a JCM-800 with an additional gain stage to push more front end distortion than a stock JCM-800. There is a very versatile effects loop, many output choices for different cabinets, a slave output for running into other heads (I believe Tony Iommi runs his main Laney into 7 other Laney heads), a resonance switch for tightening up the low end thump, depending on what cabinet you are using, Presence, Bass, Middle, Treble, Master Volume, Gain (for preamp level) and Drive (for tube overdrive). There is also a Hi and Low input. On the back there is a jack for switching the drive off and on, the effects loop with level control, the slave in and out, the multiple speaker impedance outputs and a bias switch for using either EL34's or 6L6's. I believe this to be a very versatile amp even though it is technically a single channel.

I had to add my two cents worth because this amp is absolutely the best sounding amp I have ever played. There are "cleaner" sounding amps, but this amp just kicks ass in the gain department. For reference, I have a Marshall JCM-800, Mesa Nomad 55, Sunn Sentura II, and a Peavey Classic 50 4x10. The Marshall is great, but you have to put something in front of it to get enough gain. The Laney has it built in. The Mesa has really nice cleans and the gain channels are good, but they don't have that edge and cut like the Laney, the Mesa is almost "mushy". The Sunn is a single channel amp that has a beautiful clean sound and tremelo, it has to have something in front of it to get any gain and then you are on the quest of how may different pedals will do what with it, the Laney just works on it's own. The Peavey again is a totally different clean and a nice overdrive, but nothing like the balls of the Laney. If I had my way, my Laney would be on 24/7 because it seems to inspire me to play more and better. I think that is the best thing any amp can do. If you look at your amp and just wish it did something else than you won't get anywhere. With the Laney, you turn it on, let the tubes cook a while and then you just don't want to stop because it just keeps sounding better and better. I mainly use humbucking guitars and all of my guitars have Seymour Duncan JB's in the bridge position. When I play my strat, it gives you more of a cleaner sound with the single coils, but when playing with my Ibanez or Les Paul the distortion will rip your head off. I'll be honest, when you turn this amp up with the gain switch on it can be noisy, but I run a Rocktron Hush in the effects loop and it keeps the noise out and doesn't affect the sound at all. I am a huge Rush fan, but Alex never used Laney's, still, you can get some great old Rush sounds out of this amp. Guys like Tony Iommi, Paul Gilbert and Andy Timmons use Laneys and they have some great guitar sounds so I thought I would give it a shot and now it is my number one amp. Also, since I am a huge fan of the "English" sound
I retubed my Laney with EL34's and a new set of preamp tubes. All of the tubes are JJ's. Originally my amp came with 6L6's, but I prefer the EL34's. In that respect, your ears will be your guide. A word to the wise, even though there is a bias switch, when you go from 34's to 6L6's, or vice versa, be sure to check the actual current output on your amp. My amp was perfectly biased for 6L6's, but when I moved the switch to EL34 and installed my new tubes, the bias was way out of whack for the 34's. It is very easy to adjust, so I used my bias probe and set the bias internally for the 34's. Now the amp just sings. Also, I am using this head with a Marshall JCM-900 Lead 4x12 slant cabinet.

I take care of my gear and I don't see why this amp would ever give me trouble. As long as you take care of the tubes and the bias this amp should last forever. I'm sure if I dropped it down a flight of concrete stairs and then it fell into a pool of burning acid it probably wouldn't survive, but then again I would have followed it right down the stairs and I wouldn't survive either!

I had some silly questions and they emailed me within 48 hours, I think that is very respectable. I'd venture to say you would never hear back from somebody like Fender. Laney seems to care.

I've been playing for 30 years and right now this is my favorite amp. I actually like all the amps I have for vastly different reasons. I really don't want to get rid of any of them, but the Laney is the only one that really inspires me to play and play better. It is also the first amp that I really don't want to use effects with because I love how it sound on it's own. Sometimes I use my RMC wah with it, but that is just the cherry on the cake. Eventually I'll add phase, chorus and delay, but right now I am just in love with the primal distortion of guitar into amp setup. By the way, the EQ controls are very responsive and you can get some very different, but very usable sounds out of this amp. You can back off the treble and get a very singing smooth distortion or add a little treble and get more bite and clarity. It is also very reactive to guitar volume and pick attack. Back off a little on the pick attack and it sounds almost classic then hit it a little harder and it screams. I love this amp and would definitely get another if some bastard had the audacity to try and steal this thing from me. Get a Laney and get the TONE you are missing! Even new, these things are well worth the price.

Laney GH50L: 2005

I play all types of indie, experimental, punk and Garage rock. The amp is great for the types of music I play.

Features: 50 Watts
Inputs HI & LO Jacks
Channels 1: with footswitchable Gain
Equalisation Bass, Middle, Treble
Master Presence Control Yes
Switchable Resonance Yes
Preamp Valves Premium ECC83
Output Valves Premium EL34
Switchable valve bias (5881 / EL34) Yes
Class A/B
Link Jack (Line Level Slave) Yes
Footswitch FS1 (Not included)
Speaker connections Connections for 1 x 16 ohm, 2 x 16 ohm, 1 x 8 Ohm, 2 x 8 ohm
FX Loop(s) Yes (Switchable Insert / Side Chain) with return level
Weight 20 kg
Dimensions (mm) 674 x 231 x 250

These features are great! Love the resonance switch. Dialing in tone is easy. Wouldent mind some Reverb. Anyway, I love how loud this amp can get. 50 watts is more than enough. I got mine with the stock tubes. They sound great imo. I will be getting some JJ's very soon, so i'll keep you guys posted.

I have a Fender American Standard Strat. With stock pickups. I run the amp through a Mesa Boogie Recto 2x12. All I have to say is WOW!!! I AM IN LOVE!

My favorite playing is using the neck pickup. Man, the cleans are incredible. This amp is not noisy at all. I crank it up, very nice.
Sounds ok at low volumes. Add delay to the cleans and you are playing the most beautiful tones out there.

For distortion, this amp screams from rock to metal. I use a SD pickup booster. I flick the resonance switch on the amp and pedal. And my tone is soooooooooooooooooooooooo fat.

I was thinking of getting a guitar with humbuckers but with the pedal my tone is fat.

I want to be real, so I will give it a 9.

Hopefully nothing will happen. I think this amp will last.

I emailed Laney with some questions. He replied within 48 hours.

This amp is a winner!

Single channel, mid-90's model, footswitch-able gain. Plenty of cabinet options, and great effects loop.
Power? It's SICK loud. Reverb would be nice, but why sacrifice the tone with adding a bunch of bullshit? I give it an 8. If this amp were 2-channels w/reverb, it would be a 10. Still high ratings based on it's features/layout for a single-channel high-gainer.

I play a stock Gibson SG Standard, and boost it with an MXR Wylde OD. With the additional gain stage disengaged, it gets a REAL NICE bluesy tone, again, boosted.

As far as the distortion, with an OD in front, it gets into 5150 territory. I find a mean, pissed off Marshall tone, which leaves the DSL in the dust, PERIOD. I run JJ E34L'S, which maintain that British EL34 growl, but nice and thumpy, warm, and actually quite brutal. I highly recommend these tubes, as well as a change in preamp tubes over stock.

I play metal with NO PROBLEM! The tone is SICK! Suits me just fine.

No problems. I bought it used, (very clean, well taken care of), for $450. The absolute BEST DEAL out there on an all-tube tone monster.
I suspect it will not give me any troubles.

Laney is pretty responsive to emails. Of course they're in the UK, so answering questions tend to take a day or 2. They don't seem eager like some though, just "there". Seem like good people though.

10 - Fantastic value indeed. If you're him-hawing around about buying one, drop your cock, and grab your socks. In it's price-range, it IS the $%^&. As a matter of fact, it rips a new @$$%^&* into the JSX, Triple XXX, and DSL's, based on tone alone, IMO. It is in-your-face aggressive, raw, a POWERFUL. It will surely hang in a band mix, and cut through better than some twice it's price. This is NOT just a great value, it's a GREAT AMP in it's own right. Don't let the price fool you - it's a wolf in sheep's clothing - a Marshall killer indeed. AWESOME amp, even if they wanted $1000 new.