Laney GH50L

Remember this is a single channel Hi Gain amp.For a Single channel to have so many features (ie;swichable gain,series/parallel valve effect loop,slave and resonance switch)is unbelievable for the price.

This is such a versatile amp.It does super cleans,crunch an awesome hi gain.Iuse an Ibanez RG565 and a handbuilt JEM,both with Evolutions in the bridge.
I play mostly Metal/rock,but play other style aswell,and this amp does it all.All uou need is a decent amp and guitar(use your guitar's vol control!!).I use a Gmajor in the loop to give me a bit of depth and a Vai wah.thats it ,no overdrive.The Laney has mor than enuff!

No probs in 10yrs,1000=gigs.Change tubes annually(JJEL34's)

Very helpful on Email

Been using Laneys on and off for 20yrs.They have my sound.The GH L's are simple no brainer amps with an awesome sound.....ask Paul Gilbert!!
And they are cheap .......and English!

Update to an earlier review

I forgot to mention, that an external EQ is a must,(should be pretty obvious) as with most of other brands/models of tube amps. The amp`s own eq is NOT effective enough, nor it is supposed to be. With 6l6GC powertubes(JJ/Tesla), the sound is even better, than el34`s. Sinister as hell! This amp fucking grinds!!!!!

p.s. MXR KFK is GREAT, give it a try, if you're looking for an EQ.

around with the knobs, and you`ll find what you`re looking for.

2002, Very versatile for all kinds of music, I am into heavier styles. The features are well described below. It also has plenty of power for even larger venues.

I am using currently an U.S.A Jackson soloist and an ESP Jeff Hanneman neckthru guiars. Both are humbucker type of guitars. It has no exessive noise considering it an extremely high gain amp. The distortion sounds are very tight and vulgar sounding, and cleans chime like a bell. You WILL NOT find better sounding amp at this pricerange, or even considerably higher.....Remember to set the speaker impedance higher than the amps output impedance, for example, speaker 8 Ohms, amp 4 Ohms, this will take care of the unwanted speaker breakup distortion and the original signal from the amp will retain its tightness and sound quality. My amp has JJ`s EL-34`s, by the way.....

I have had it for few weeks now, bought it used. No problems so far.

I have been playing for 24 years now, own couple of other amps, but this is by far the best sounding I have ever had. If it were lost or stolen I would definitely buy another one. I wish it were a 100 Watt head with an optional 50/100 Watt powersplit switch. It would be perfct, but it is very close.

Single channel amp. It has drive boost and a resonace switch. Amp has a self bias so you can switch tubes from 6L6's (mine) to EL34's.

CRUSHING. This amp is exactly what i was looking for. Fans of single channel Marshalls ( 800, Plexi, etc...) will love this amp. This is not a amp for nu metal so if you are a sloppy distortion hog please look elsewhere. Tone is so subjective, some like a Mesa, some like Marshall some, like Fender, and so on. I like the British distorted sound so this amp is right up my alley. Its has smooth mids, just the right amp of bass with getting into nu crap territory, and you can set the highs to be piercing or smooth depending on what you are looking for. This amp has all the punch to cut trough in any situation. i was looking for a Zakk Wylde on steriods tone and i now have what i think is it. The cleans on this amp with single coils remind me of SRV's Little Wing. I will give it a 9 only because i know (for proably 4 times the cost of this) there is something better.

No problems yet.......knock on wood

Never used them

I have played and owned many, many amps. I have played for 18 yrs. My opinion of a good tone and yours may be different but for me this king so far. Let your ears be the judge and don't be afraid to turn those knobs. I don't know how many people i have seen play through a tube amp with the volume on 1 or 2 and then say "this sucks" or "my solid state sounds better then this." It is a tube amp CRANK IT UP.

Single channel amp with resonance switch, presence, bass, mid, treble, and to drive knobs. Got all the features i need. 50 watts, 6L6 tubes( can be swithed to EL34's)

SSWWEETTTTTT. This amp was what i have been looking for. Tight, Punchy, and clear as a bell. This amp Sounds like a Marshall JCM 800 on racing fuel. From the moment i played the first notes through this baby i knew it was the one. I can not get over how much punch this amp has. It cuts through drums and bass like butter. Well as i said earlier it is a one channel amp but there are an array of tones in this sucker. I love the clean with its chimey tube muscle and the gain goes from Rolling Stones to Zakk Wylde. As with any one channel amp, you have got to use your guitars tone and volume knobs to vary the sounds. If you play any amp where you hide behind the muddy gain please read no further this amp is not for you. But if you are a fan of tranparent distortion and understand good tone do yourself a favor and grab one of these. This is rated at 50 watts (ha ha). I played with a guy with a "other name brand amp" and me on 3 and him on 7 was about eqaul and his is rated at 120 watts. I could go into detail about the tones in this amp, but if you have ever used a single channel Marshall then i promise you this will make your current amp collect dust. Sorry kid this is not a Nu-metal amp, this is for the adults. Go try one now if the British tone is what you are after.

No problems yet

never used them

I have been playing for around 16 yrs. and i think this thing is one of the best i have played. Just for thoughts i have owned or been around Mesa's,Marshalls, Peaveys, Crates, Line 6, Fender, Badcat, Vht, Bogner, and Soldano. Most of them in some form or another make a decent amp with strong and weak points. But, IMO i think Laney is towards the top of the heap in making a great Rock/Metal amp period.

Laney GH50L is a 50 watt single channel valve driven amplifier.
This puppy comes stock with a Sovtek 6L6 duo for the power section and 4 12x7 preamp tubes. This amp features a standby. Lo and Hi input Lo for the Ballsy guitars "featuring Humbuckers" and High for the Lush of Single coils. Features an overdrive circuit that is switchable from the front panel or footswitch. A "Presence" switch that enhances your highs. Resonance that simulates a form of compression that bottles up the bass offering a slightly tighter low end. Variable speaker outputs for maximum compatability with different cabs... helpfull when dealing with speakers with a different tolerances "Ohms".re-biasing from 6l6 to el34's at the flick of a switch "handy". A valve coupled effects loop that comes with a rotary to control the level of effects output. Slave in and out for chaining amplifiers. I bought this amplifier because it was too much for what he wanted "I think he wanted something with integrated effects and was intimidated by a tube amp in its raw form.I payed 400$ for the head and the 4x12 cab ... a GOOD deal.

Now for the sound.... Factory this amp is very raw,grainy, and loud.I was never satisfied with the stock sound and chose to replace the power section with mesa el34's.... this evened out the tone and the harmonic was better but the amp was still very "Flat sounding" and lacked character but..... after much research in the tube area cramming my skull with much info I finally purchased a full re-tube kit with JJ E34L's a balanced ecc803s "blanaced triode" for the phase inv. 2 ecc83s graded HOT for high gain and then a standard ecc83 in the v4 position all for about 70$.... This combomation LIVENED up this amplifier. The tone is thick and creamy WONDERFULLY harmonic's .. not quite as beefy sounding as a marshall... or as crisp as a deluxe reverb but somewhere in between. The high's are trimmed and not piercing , the low and mids are where this amp comes alive. The amps natural drive is so appealing to me now that I am contemplating laying my rat and option5 destination overdrive pedal aside for the footswitch to punch in and out the amps natural drive that is as smooth as they come. Clean this amp is smooth and crisp and starts to break up around 7 in the preamp offering a slight vintage drive. This overall sound is very appealing to the "Shoegazer" in me. To sum it all up the tone is truly "Unique"

"Cab Info"
4X12
__________celestion_________
(g12m greenback) ( Vintage 30 )
( vintage 30 )(g12m greenback)

"Custom not original config"

Solid for a tube amp. The amp features a 30 sec warm up time from power-on that saves the tube section a bit. The Standy can also add to the life of the tubes by Keeping the tubes primed and warm but reducing the load or demand. So when you are gigging this amp you can more safely and effectively prime this amp before you deliver.

The site is helpfull with manuals... they offer copies of their manuals in pdf format.. easy to locate.
I consult a local tech prior to speaking to laney .. Im not fond of tech support over the phone..

I have been playing for 12 years 7 of those years "Active".
I have alot of gear... Here are a few items..
I own a fender 65 deluxe reverb "Re-issue"
Fender 62 Jaguar "U.S. Re-issue"
Seagull 12+ Cedar top
67 Hofner Galaxie
After A re-tube and a better heartbeat in the cab that featured stock 4 H-H 12" speakers...
I would recommend the head and one of the newer cabinets that feature celestions in their cabs.

To get the head up to speed I would suggest 1st Eurotubes.com Bob is a great guy and offers a great deal of info,JJ electronics knows what they are doing. Dougstubes.com for more variety.
NO HH LOADED CABS!
The GH50L is a great value.

See the other reviews all I can say is USE YOUR VOLUME AND TONE KNOBS and its very versatile. I am rating this beast for classic rock and metal. Thin Lizzy to '87 Whitesnake type stuff.

Yes its true this is a tone monster,forget distortion/overdrive pedals you wont need them, honestly the distortion is that good, why do you think Paul Gilbert uses Laney and Andy Timmons and these guys can play a bit and could use any amp out there. I use the effects loop for delay and put a Boss ns-2 in the loop too as I have the DRIVE pot at 7 and it can hiss like a snake but its worth it for the sound. So yes it is noisy at high gain sounds. Back to the sound, its the best I've heard, makes your solos sound huge and holding a note even at lowish volumes makes you sound like Gary Moore on steroids. I'm bored now so just buy one and stop pissing money on names on amps.

Been playing 10 years, gone through MARSHALL/MESA/SOLDANO AND NUMEROUS RACKS etc etc etc tried everything and finally got THE sound shame it took 10 years and thousands of pounds and this bloody thing cost peanuts. I would like to compare it to a CORNFORD MK50H as thats the only amp I think could kick its ass, shame about the ?1000 price difference. Check out JAN CYRKA too, he used the GH50L for the majority of his sounds on his albums and he has a beautiful tone, hes a bit good too. Fek it just buy one and thank me for sharing my good luck.

The chassis says 95'. Pretty straight forward one channel all tube amp with an effects loop and footswitchable gain. I got mine used, which I think was played with to use different resistors in the power amp section(I could have gotten a sunburn from the tubes running so hot). Anyhow, I run this with a THD Hotplate since this is one LOUD amp. I loaded it with re-issue Mullard EL34's and Groove Tube 12AX7-M's with a Golden Dragon for a Driver Tube. There really is a difference in the tubes you select.

I pretty much like a distorted sound that cleans up somewhat when I roll the guitar volume back a bit. I have a bunch of Strats and Les Pauls that I use from gig to gig. I like to change guitars around when I play so none of them get jealous.

Clean channel.... I don't need no stinking Clean channel.

When I got the amp, the sound was OK but I had to roll the treble and Presence back alot to keep it from cutting my head off. I've since added several resistors and capacitors to the design to change the sound. The result it a ballsy basic sound that really gets great when you activate the Drive switch. I think the Master needs to be turned up to about 5 to get the power tubes working.

The distortion was a bit harsh to me before the modifications. Now it sings pretty nicely. Really, how many Distortion sound do you want a one channel amp to make. I have several pedals to alter the sound for variation. I give it a 9 with my mods.

The driver tube went tits up a while back. It made me really think about a backup unit since I had none and no tubes. I give a break to a 95' unit here.

These guys don't let you write them with questions. I don't think there's much support unless you live around the corner in England.

I've beem playing 25+ years. I owned or played a number of amplifiers. I can't see paying a ton for amps for the name. Look for the schematic to see what you are really getting. If you want an all tube amp that you can mess with to get your sound, this is a great amp at an unbelievable price (new or used). I have a Marshall 800, a modded Sovetek Midget 50H, a Trainwreck clone(from a Fender Bandmaster by me incidently), and a Line6(that's not that bad). This one's definately in my small Hall of Amps collection.

Read below for the specs. Keep in mind, this is a single channel, master volume amp. As for features, for what it is, this thing is loaded! Tube biasing switch, multiple ohm matched speaker outs, switchable distortion, resonance switch, slave out, and serious effects loop routing options. Not too versatile, but enough extras to suit me fine.

Wow...I had no idea Laney made such a sweet sounding amp. You need to know that my main influence is old school hard rock, and this amp does not dissapoint. Think Ratt, Dokken, Racer X, and all the sounds are there. Originally, I was going to get the amp just for it's clean channel and run my PODxt through it, but the distortion is wayyy better on it's own. You can dial in a very warm clean sound, but I agree with others that there's that magic 'sparkle' missing somehow. I would think that Laney really focused on making the distortion the amp's forte however. Noise? No more so than any other hi gain amp I've owned, and even more refined than most. Anyone that claims this amp doesn't have enough gain is smoking crack.

I've had mine for 6 years now with no issues whatsoever. The day I purchased the amp from my local music store, it had no output. A quick inspection revealed that the speaker output jack had a solder come loose. One minute with the soldering iron fixed the issue, which is also the last one my amp has ever had. I can say that I baby all of my gear, and rarely have issues with anything I own, so I'm glad my Laney is no exception.

As much as I love my amp, Laney's support (or lack thereof) sucks. Their website has absolutely NO e-mail address, physical address, or contact information anywhere. Thier site only provides links to their dealers. Amp comes with 1 year warranty on amp, 90 days on tubes, and another 2 years if you submit the registration card.

I love my Laney! In fact, I bought the 100 watt version of this amp a few weeks ago. As a point of reference, I also currently own a Marshall JCM 800, and a Peavey JSX. I have owned Mesas and most recently an ENGL amp as well. Laney amps are the best kept secret out there! It's really a shame that Laney's marketing is so lame, because they made a winner with this amp! My only complaint with the amp is it's super huge logo. They could have made it a bit more subdued, but instead it's able to be read from hundreds of feet away. It's styling shows that they're shooting for the Marshall crowd. Since I already own a JCM 800, I can honestly say the Laney sounds more like a Marshall than the Marshall does! However, it tends to have more punch and sounds much warmer to me than my Marshall does. I also recently tried the TT50 triple channel Laney head, and it's distortion didn't seem to sound as nice as the GL series. I love the ability to re-bias the amp with a simple switch and swap EL34's or 5881's so easily. I can own any amp I want, and at ANY price, the Laney is the best choice I've made in amps in a long time.

Single Channel with Switchable Gain Stages
6L6 or EL34 Power Section
4 12AX7 Preamp Tubes
Effects Loop with Level Control

Basically, it's stripped down and simple, so there's less to go wrong. It's not going to have 30 different tones inside of it, but it will do the rock tone extremely well.

This amp is probably THE best value on the tube amp market today. I picked mine up for $600 new, and spent $40 getting it retubed and biased and it is the best sounding amp I own. My signal chain is as follows:
Les Paul Studio w/ Duncan JB or American Tele w/ Noiseless
BOSS SD-1, BD-2, BF-2, and TU-2 into either
Laney GH50L, Modified 1983 Marshall JCM 800, or Peavey Classic 30. The cab used is a Marshall JCM 900 slant with 2 Vintage 30's and 2 G12T-75s.

As far as clean goes, this is not a Fender amp, nor is it supposed to be. The clean is passable as a clean tone, but it doesn't really "sparkle". I would not use this amp for ska/country, but as a rock clean tone, it gets the job done.

The distortion is where this amp shines. It is higher gain than my 800, and due to the extra 12AX7 in the front end of the amp, it compresses a little more. Whether you like that or not is another topic. I find that it gets a really nice hard rock tone, and this amp is also warmer due to the midrange being there as opposed to Marshalls, which tend to have a more nasal mid control. I changed the output tubes to EH EL34s and had it biased a little hotter and it made the amp seem much more alive. I would say that now, the amp has the gain of a Peavey 5150/Mesa, but a very typically British tone, without the midrange boxiness that a JCM800/900/2000 can tend to have.

I toured with this amp for two years, I've changed the output tubes once, the preamp tubes twice, and that's all I've done to it. As far as gigging without a backup, tube amps are inherently an unstable creature, and when you gig without a backup, you are asking to have something go wrong, so I never gig without a backup. But if it came to the point where I had to, I would feel best about this amp being my #1, as it is newer and the wiring inside is very well done and clean.

As above, I haven't had to deal with Laney, so I've got nothing here.

This is by far the best sub-$1000 amp head on the market right now. I put it up against a $2500 Roccaforte amp, and the Roccaforte beat it, but it was a narrow defeat, and considering the price point, this amp was the value winner.