Laney HC25R

The amp I have is from the 90's and I bought it secondhand.
Feats are pretty typical - Hi-Low inputs, Equalizer, Reverb, Gain and Volume knob.
I am using it mainly as a practice amp at home, but it is loud enough for smaller gigs.

Well, distortion is pretty good. I compared Zoom G2 distortion effects to Laney and finally ended up trashing my G2:)

Higher soloing notes are not that good (no juice in the tone) and the clean channel is good only at low volumes.

knobs have started distorting sound while touching them. probably from aging. Otherwise no problems.

I dont think this amp is bad at all... i mean if you want to fix the weak soloing tone, you gotta go for the tube amp... and pay more:P

quite good bang for buck for home and smaller gigs.

This is a older model from '97..(no MAX button)..interesting range of sounds, does the "crunch thing better than most ss products.H/L inputs Clean and crunch channels,(footswitchable) with shared EQ, Ext sp, HP, resonable features for the $ Useful as practice amp, can get loud enough for small gigs and jams. One useful feature that is rare on similar amps..amd now left off,is the ability to foostswitch the 'verb out.

Mostly used with a MIM Tele(think 'QUO..)does sorta clean thru classic rock pretty well, impressive for ss. A bit noisy a higer gain..a good soild British sound...with a bit more balls than Marshall..'verb howls at high settings..(hey it's not a surf amp)

Resaonalbly well made, a friend had trouble (lots) with his LC-15 so I was leary..but got a good shop warranty, so far so good..Crackles ocassionaly, speaker baffle could be better cut.

OK website, answerd a email promptly..US support a bit weak, few dealers.

Playing a LONG time..had lots of good tube gear "back in the day" mostly just play for fun now..picked this up on a whim, after giving it a blast..nice sounds better than current Marshall stuff AND UK made! Laney is a bit of a non starter here in the US..a pity. Losts of cool features on the older ones the new ones seem a bit too "metal" for my liking...Stupid name for a nice amp.

Made in 2001. 2 channels; clean and dirty footswitchable. Reverb is footswitchable as well. Has headphone jack, sounds nasty through headphones (as does every amp I've every tried), cd input, 3 band equaliser. No effects loop. Use it as a practice amp and it's brilliant for that. Has this great little button called max which scoops the midrange out, for switching bettween a British and US sound.

Using a cheap guitar with a single humbucker but really like the sound I get. With this the clean not that nice (but with single coils it's fines) I haven't had the clean channel distorting at volume. I really like the distortion, plenty of gain. I play mainly metal as well and don't feel I need any more gain. The dirty channel is really versitile especially with the max button. Go pretty loud too for it's size (too loud for my flatemates)

Never had any problems.

Never need it.

I've been playing for a couple of years, but bass is my main instrument so used this amp mainly for playing at home and writting songs. I'd definitely buy an amp like this again.

I'm not sure of the year probably somewhere around 98 or so not sure sitting around the guitar shop along time, it's a 25 watt 1x8 i'm guessing laney hardcore series amp with reverb, has high and low inputs for whatever, i'm guessing active or passive pickups probably off alittle on that.

I have an 80's model charvel strat i think a model 3 stripped of all electronics and backplates that i stuck an EMG 81 in with no volume, also have a modified ibanez Rg7420 i'm currently trying to sell( if interested email me) upgraded with a blaze neck pickup in the bridge and the stock pickup with an EMG Pa-2 preamp booster, I run this thru an Art extreme pedal, This amp has been pushed hard at times, i run it usually with a linebacker model of some sort under it and doul output off the art pedal, stacked like this it's a great sounding combo this thing has alot of highs it has an open back on it which gives it more highs and alittle less mids and not alot of bass response at all, I'm a tone nut and this thing pisses me off because i can't get the lows with just this amp but it's a practice amp nothing more so for it's purpose it's great... everything works pretty good the gain is alittle understated for something that says harcore it's very mild, not useful for much at all, the reverb is pretty good the EQ section works pretty good to shape tones with, pull all the mids out and you can get some decent sounds, the clean channel sounds good pretty full sound.

like i said before i've pushed it pretty hard while jammin with my friends, we play outside and crank our amps up to around 11 so this thing has had workouts, no problems no funny things that pop up, pretty good all around amp very solid i would never gig with this thing though so i don't think it really matters if it can with stand insane noise levels

no clue bought it from a shop and have never talked to Laney.

This amp isn't a great source of tone, if your going for something cheap to sound like metallica or slipknot or korn keep shopping, this amp won't even come close, if your looking for somethin just to mess around with and use as a practice amp or a first amp it isn't to bad, i give it a high score because it does what it's meant for, i'm just picky as hell about my sound.

I don't know what year the amp was made in as i bought it second hand from a music shop but it has held well. It is quite a versatile amp but you really need a footswitch to change the distortion if you are going to play gigs. All the features are mentioned in the other reviews so i won't bother mentioning them. but i have to say it is a very powerful 25 watt amp and at half volume drowns out a drum kit with no problems.

I use this amp with a yamaha pacififca(2 single and 1 hu,bucker pickup) and it sonds pretty goog although i have only used it with one other amp and that was in them music shop where i bought it and it was a marshall stack. There is quite a big difference in sounds when i change the pickup selector but i don't know whether it's the amp or the guitar. The distortion isn't really suited for the music i like to play, like grunge, thrash and punk. My friends 25 watt page amp sounds better but that could be his fender toranado guitar. It's more suited to jazz or blues.There is quite a big variety in the distortion levels on the amp and it provides loads of different sounds, but the best thing is the feedback, especially with a guitar with a tremolo arm.The reverb sounds pretty crap but overall it's ok.

This was my first proper amp and i bought it second hand and i have had it for over a year and i've had on problems

Never needed

I have been playing for just over 2 years and i've had 2 guitars. My first was a gibson epiphone junior with one pickup and that didn't sound as good as the guitar i now own(yamaha pacifica). I'd like to think im pretty good as i learnt pretty fast but i sound much better on my guitar teachers marshall amp but this amp is one of the best 25 watt amps i 've seen and it's british made which adds to the quality. If it were stolen i probably would buy an upgraded amp as i', progressing pretty quickly and my band are going 2 be doing gigs pretty soon, but it woul probably cost a lot more, im talking #400. I bought this amp when i had been playing the guitar for less than year so i was pretty inexperienced in the buying market and i probably made a fool out of myself when i was trying it out but ill stick with it until i've got at least #400 to my a much upgraded one but im not saving up yet.

This amp, the HC25R has some of the usuals, headphone jack, hi/low inputs, bass, treble, mids. Also, it has reverberation and built in distortion. I got this amp for my birthday about 2 months ago, and it is my first real amp (my first amp was only 8 watts). I have only been playing guitar for about 8 months, but I think I've used this amp enough to know what I'm talking about. The amp is versatile, while I can't speak for everyone, I play kinda ska music, all the way to punk, and stuff like that. Mostly stuff like Sublime, Green DAy, Weezer, etc. A little country, but only CAke's country sounding stuff. Anyway, the distortion works pretty well, it has a lot of different sounds, ranging from the heavy (not too heavy though, forget heavy metal) to the slight distortion found in a lot of softer alternative songs. However, I prefer the distortion that my friend's FX-69B distortion pedal puts out, so I use that. Also, unless you buy a footswitch for the amp, you can't really play a song that has both distortion and clean guitar parts. Unless there is spare time where you can use your hands. The reverb on this amp is....alright I guess. I have never used reverb so I have no idea if this one is especially good or bad. I think the treble/bass/mids made this amp more versatile, and by cranking the guitar volume up or down, you can get more agressive or more passive sounds. I prefer to turn it up with distortion, down when I'm playing clean. While this amp is only 25 watts, it is extremely loud. I was worried when I first got it, because I anticipated playing some pretty decent (non-paying) gigs pretty soon (hence the reason for getting a new amp), and was worried if it could handle playing for 150 people. I have not tried it out in this regard yet, but my friend and I (he has a 150 watt bass amp from Peavey, were playing music outside my house one day and my mom was driving in her car and heard the music from about 500 feet away. She was driving in her car and she heard us, so that gives me some indication of how loud the amp is. Also, it was only at about 8 at the time, so it can get noticeably louder. (My friend's amp was at 6, but it is a beautiful, loud amp, a house-shaker at 1/4 volume). By the way it is a solid state amp.

My guitar is a real piece of garbage, but hey it's my first guitar. It's a Washburn Maverick Series, costs about $200 new with an 8 watt amp. The sound quality is good (in my opinion), but I have never used any amps other than the HC25R and my little 8 watt. And my friends 150 bass amp, but I was playing his bass. The sound seems pretty good, but I have never experienced the joy of really expensive amps, and my guitar is really crappy, so with a nice guitar I'm sure this amp could put out some nice sounding tunes. It suits my music style (alternative, punk--Sublime, Green DAy, Weezer, etc..) very well. The amp starts to distort a bit on the clean setting at around volume 9, but I'm guessing that plugging it into the low gain input could help that problem some. The distortion gets a little crunchy and temperamental around 8, but it is so loud at that point that for the sake of your ears you shouldn't play it inside that loud. I think the amp is good for ska (with the reverb the sublime sounds real nice) and punk (the distortion is loud but you can still hear what you are playing), and everything in between.

I've only had this amp for two months, but I bought it used from a big name dealer. It has never broken down, never had a problem at all, but I don't abuse it too much, not much moving it or anything. I have noticed the back of the speaker gets pretty warm after playing for awhile, but that is alright. Also, it is an open back amp, they say that this helps give a more full sound, like with surround sound or something. But I've never had a problem, and would use it in a gig without a backup (especially since I don't own another decent amp).

Never had to bother, I don't even know how to contact them, since I bought it used.

I've only been playing for about 8 months, and I play a crappy Washburn guitar (soon to get a new one). I also play through an FX-69B distortion pedal, and some really terrible cords that make a racket if you step on them. If this amp was stolen or lost, I would shop around a bit more for an amp, but I feel that I would buy this one again, or possibly save the money towards a Laney HC50R, same model but twice the wattage. However, at this point in my guitar playing, I think this amp suits me well enough, and I got one heck of a deal on it, so if I could get the same deal, I would do it again. THe things I love about this amp: the full sound I get from the reverb, the amount of power it puts out, and the versatility of sounds it can achieve. The thing I hate: That the built in distortion requires a footswitch to turn the distortion on and off in the middle of a song. Quite a few one the songs we play requires both distortion and clean, and so my friend always has to bring his pedal, or I do a little thing with the palm mute to try to imitate the clean channel (that is one option--kind of fun, not good for gigs I'm guessing).
I compared this amp to this other beat up one that cut out a lot, so that was definitely out. I also compared it to a remade Gibson amp. It sounded pretty good, but this one had built in distortion, and the guy said it this amp would much better suit my playing styles. Also, it is much louder. (the Gibson was 30 watts, but this 25 watt amp was a lot louder). I also was looking at a 30 watt Fender, but that was gone by the time I got there. By the looks of it, this one looked to be in better condition, and had as large of a speaker and was probably louder. The one thing I wish it had is a method for turning the distortion off, or if it came with a foot switch for it.

By the way, I think all stores selling amps should test them all out at high volume some time and write their own reviews for them, such as what volume levels the clean channel distorts at. Also, the decibel level the amp reaches, and the level it reaches without sounding hissy, etc. Because I always feel bad playing an amp really loud in the store with other people there, but you have to test them. That way, if they wrote a good review, you would only have to crank it up for a couple of seconds, just to verify what they said. Then you could be on your way. It would save a everyone a lot of trouble.

Just so you know, this amp is much louder than I expected, so it is probably louder than you are expecting.

I won't talk too much on the features as they are outlined well enough in the other reviews. The only downside to this amp is that when the reverb is set on a setting higher than 6-7, a strange feedback slowly intensifies and doesn't go away unless the reverb is turned down. (maybe that's just a fault with my particualr amp)
Its distortion rocks quite well. It has more of a fuzz than a crunch, but that's cool.
It has all the right features you could expect or ever need from a small amp.

I use a Les Paul copy called a Topaz. I have had the amp longer than the guitar (about 6 months) and i must say that although i have tested the volume capacity on this amp many times before (what can i say, i like to be loud) the amp has never broken down on me. It is a loud amp! I actually chose this one over a Fender Champion. Mainly because it's made in England and not Korea, and it is louder than any other amp in its class. It's strong and has a nice distortion. I like to play heavy blues and rock. The distortion is like a fuzz but what can you expect from a small transistor.
The clean channel tends to distort at high volumes (at about 7-8). Sometimes i would be playing a clean song at a high volume and i couldn't tell whether i was using the distorted channel or the clean one. This is mainly because the intense vibrations caused at high levels is too much for this little amp.
The reverb is ok (when it is set at a lower level).

I have never needed to repair this amp. It is a strong litte thing and will take anything you throw at it. I have used it many times at volume settings higher than 8 (with good earplugs of course!) and it has never once blown itself or concked out.
I have used it a couple of times at gigs (mainly because it is light and easy to transport) and it has proved itself quite well when placed up against a 120 Watt Fender. (these gigs were blues performances. Not much volume was needed.)
The amp heats up a lot when used for a long period. But like i said before, it has always kicked butt and has been very reliable.

Never needed servicing!

Its a great little amp. I have been using it for about 7 months now and am only now replacing it with a Roland Jazz Chorus. I use a Boss ME-30 with the amplifier. The extra volume you can get out of one of these things really helps. A huge difference between rhythm and solo volume can be experienced when a little digital effects board, such as the ME-30, is used. The amp has never failed me even with intense volume use.
The amp gets a 9 because, in my opinion, it is the best 25 Watt amp money can buy!!

This amp has all the normal - Bass, Mid, Treble controls, 2 channels - clean\crunch, reverb and sockets for a foot switch (for changing channels i think), external speaker and headphones. Im dont really like amps with lots of onboard effects so this is fine for me.
It also has 2 inputs, high and low, but unfortunatly you can only plug one guitar into it at once, so you cant 'share' the amp :o\

I play 2 guitars, a modified telecaster (humber at the bridge) and a Vox Custom 25 (similar to a Les paul) and play mostly rock music and abit of blues. This amp is pretty good at medium distortion, but once you put it up above 6 or 7, it gets very hissy, and every little tiny vibration of a string makes a racket. If you accidently knock the low E, you will hear about it :o)
The clean channel is perfectly usable, but it does have a tendancy to get abit twangy when turned up.
It is a VERY loud amp for its size. It is only 25watts, and it only has a 10" speaker which i didnt think would be able to physically move enough air to get really loud, but it certainly can. I usually practice at home, and when the house is empty, i like to walk about playing. I have stood in a part of the house with 3 closed doors inbetween me and the amp, with the amp turned up to 4 and still heard it loudly. I cant imagine anyone needing the volume above 5 at a gig, and im not sure that the speaker could take much more, let alone cranking the thing up to 10!
The reverb isnt brilliant, but when used on the clean channel, it definatly ands a bit of sparkle to the sound as is definatly worth getting on the amp (the reverb is the only difference between this amp (HC25R) and the HC25).
The amp has two inputs, high and low, but they dont really seem to make much differnce, the amp distorts slightly more on the high socket but that is all.
overall, it suits my needs, being able to be played clean , and getting abit dirty when required, but you cant get *really* heavy with this amp if you want to be able to hear what you are playing.

I havent had a single problem with this amp.
Oh yeah, it gets quite hot round the back when played for extended periods, but ive always thought there was somthing nice about a glowing amp, makes it feel loved :o)

I have had no problems, but it came with a years warranty, and a thin, but detailed (enough) manual.

I have been playing just under a year, and this is my second amp (my first being a Park G10) and it was my first 'proper' amp, ie, i tried it out properly, unlike befor when i just wanted an amp and nothing else. Ive never done a gig, but i imagine that it would perform well enough, but i have played with others, and it can certainly hold its own against bigger amps. Maybe the distortion could have been better implmented at the higher settings, and maybe a 12" speaker would help get the sounds out abit better, but this is a very lound amp anyway :o)

It's a 25 watt amp, pretty basic features: 2 channels (high and low input, the difference is about 6db), switchable 'crunch' circuit EQ with bass, mid and high controls, a reverb and outputs for foot switch, external speaker and head phones. On the back of the amp there are also fx loop connectors, but I haven't used this feature yet. I think bass control could enhance basses a bit lower, because what it does is enhancing low-mids which results in fat sound without deep bass when set high. The other complain is about reverb, which sounds pretty cheap to me, but works just fine (anyway, it's probably me being used to those hi-end DSPs ).

I play mainly rock and blues, and use a strat most of the time. The amp sounds very nice when soloing on the clean channel, at any position on the guitar, especially using the middle pickup. It produces that 'fender twang' fairly. One thing i noticed is, that volume control on the guitar can change the characteristics of the sound dramatically (considering adequate volume change on the amp). It sounds much more aggressive, almost like with active single coils at highest setting and very controlled, almost muddy when set lower. That's natural for a strat, but I have never heard such a difference on any amp so it adds extra versatility to it. I can get that 70s Clapton-sounds like on Wondeful tonight and that muddy Dylan's sounds on Time out of mind. Getting the surf sound from a strat is also no problem for this amp. The distortion channel is also pretty usable because of it's capabillity of distorting sounds well on all levels, from slight overdrive to hardcore crunch but the amp shows certain weakness here. It is also quite noisy and hissy. Sound itself is good and loud but it seems like it's coming from a much smaller loudspeaker. Imagine listening very old recordings of the lowest possible quality with distortion guitar on a good hi-fi system and you'll get the picture. It sounds like there was a slight chorus effect added and this gives a feel of warmth to it but it is far away from the sound of the tubes. It is quite noisy and hissy too, although guitar itself is very quiet (checked on my hi-fi system and other amps) and I am using hi-quality cables and everything is grounded. In short: clean channel very good, usable for many styles, distortion ok but forget heavy metal sounds here. Can be used with an electric-acoustic or classic-electric too if you're not an audiophile. -2 because of distortion, -2 because of the EQ and +1 because the ratio price/sound quality is very good.

I have been using it for about 2 months now, so I can't say how durable it is. But it is very strongly built and ssems to be able to withstand hard times. I use it at home for practice, rarely for performances, but if, I use it without backup. I think I can rely on it

Never dealt with them

I've been playing for about 5 years and this is my second non-tube amp and I use it almost exclusively at home. I can't compare it to tube amps but in its price range I think it is a good buy. It has all the most important features that practice amp should have and is versatile enough for most styles. I like clean sounds using a strat the most, it is loud and could be used in bigger rooms too, if not, there is very usable speaker output. If it were stolen or lost, I might have bought another one but more likely i would try something else because it is very much the same to me what I use for practice and I like to explore new sounds. If you're looking for a good clean strat sound it might be the right thing for you.

The HC25R is a 25 watt solid state amp with a British buitl 10 inch "invader" speaker. The main features are hi and low gain inputs, volume (clean), crunch (gain: switchable) master volume, bass, mid and trebble and a reverb switch. There are also inputs for a foot switch (I use a Marshall one) and outputs for an external speaker/ext. cabinet and headphones. According to the Laney catalogue there is an FX loop but I haven't found it yet. Although it is small amp, I have used this amp at many gigs and found that it can certainly hold it's own against more powerful amps.

The overdrive channel can go from a warm clean sound to over the top distortions although at high gain levels the amp is quite noisey. I mainly play rock such as Radiohead with a Yamaha Pacifica 112 and Zoom 505 and in my opinion, the HC25R produces better distortions than the Zoom. There isn't much to say about the clean channel, as it is standard. Finally, this amp is LOUD. I bought it as a practice amp similar to a Marshall VS30R, but at gigs I only use volumes upto 5.

No complaints, it's never let me down yet!

Never needed it!

I've been playing about 2 years and I love this amp. It's small enough for easy transportation to practices and gigs, but once there it has the power to match expensive amps such my friends Marshall JTM610 (which has three speakers). However if you can afford it get the HC50R as it is even louder (!)