Laney Klipp 100 Watt Head

I know I shouldnt really, but I bought my Klipp about 8-9 years ago and have already submitted once but after almost a decade of usage I felt I owed it to my old lady (the amp in this case) ;).
I dont know exactly what year it was built.. but I was made 1976, and I know that laney stopped making these amps 1974... so at least 2 years older than I... and probably works better as well!
But lets see... 2 channels, no footpedal (wich would have been nice in a perfect world) I use it both for gigs and rehearsal, have done all the time, never needed another amp. We (Blowback.se) play heavy 70ies rock/stoner, blues. (led zepp, sabbath, greenleaf kinda music y??know). Enough power? Let me put it this way, if it was louder it would be illegal...

I use (mostly) a Gibson SG standard .. and it suits my music perfectly thank you very much. But I played all kinds of music with it.. it has the most beautifull clean sound I ever heard.. and it stays clean almost to the very end (no 10 on the dial). But I have only used the very highest volume once or twice because its fuckin loud!!!! (that was in the studio recording an album, I found that was a good way to skip the footpedal I usually use(marshall jackhammer) at least when using the od channel, the KLIPP. Its very fuzzy on the klipp ch. but if you use less klipp and more volume you can usually find a setting that will suit your tastes and needs.

Its good! Ive had it for 8-9 years and had it in the shop about 3-4 times.. for tube changing, and once I burnt the resistance? (resistorer in swedish, where Im from) but that was quite easily fixed... I guess its a bit like old cars... easier to fix if they brake, no unecessary shit inside. Ive never really had a backup amp, what does it feel like???? I have thought about it... but that means finding another klipp, wich is hard and... actually is beginning to get a bit pricier. It did burn a few fuses for awhile but after changing tubes it has worked perfectly.

hahaha its over 30 years old man... but! I needed the schematics for it once and laney gladly sent them over. So... good service indeed ;)

So.. Ive been playing for about 17-18 years, used the laney for 8-9 of them, that should speak for itself. I would kill the person that stole it! Hunt him down and fucking kill him! And yes I would get another KLIPP if I could find one. Its very priceworthy! The down side is carrying the bloody thing, cause its heavy! Ive tried loads of amps over the years... I guess that only a old mesa I tried comes close, and I quite liked the JMP from marshall, but Ill never change.

Ok this is a 1972 liney klipp.it has 2 separate channel(you can bridge them):one normal and a vintage fuzz channel,the klipp where you can find a gain control.it has two master volume knobs,one for the clean channel and one for klipp ,i suppose that the klipp channel mix the clean channel with the famous valve state fuzz.there are also four knobs for the equalisation:presence,high,middle and bass i think that for this kind of amp equalisation is absolutly useless.No reverb,no effect loops no headphones jack.it's a british amp so you can find in the back a voltage selector.

i play stoner rock,70' rock,and also some noise/doom.The quality of the clean sound its absolutly AMAZING its like a plexi but with tons of tones!the klipp channel is amazing too.with "normal" switche on you can get a very warm tube sound otherwise with the "bright" you can get a more acid/vintage sound.the klipp channel is a joy!i can get a creamy deep distortion with the gain turn at 7 and a fuzz/seventies experience with gain at 8-9.i use a Ginbson sg and its perfect for thei amp,but i want to try this machine with a fender too.it is a bit noisy but when its sounds...no problem!
LOUD machine...cant play at home.
perfect for stoner rock!

i buy this monster 3 months ago,so i don't know.till now its works perfectly.

ahaha too ooooold!

i ve been playing for 11 years.i've had marshall(mg series,crappy solid state) and a Mesa/Boogie Nomad 55.But i ve played through a lot of amps and i think tha this is the best one!im from italy so i payed this amp a lot(damn!)but i think that in england or in USA you can fond its at a ridicolous price for the sound you can get from the laney klipp!

I bought used, the seller says me it's a 1969 old item.
Two channels with separate master volume e treble boost (bright switch).
100w pure clean tube power usable also with bass guitar in normal channel.
The klipp (red) channel has a distortion circuit that seems at a fuzz.
It hasn't a lot of features, compared wit modern amps but it's enough for me and who play the rock of 1969 age.
Perhaps a spring reverb could be right but i don't want anymore.

Mine was comed with original mazda 4xEcc83 and 4xEL34 tubes of the '69 era.
The clean is amazing in the normal channel and the bright switch does the work very well, you can feel all harmonics of your strat/tele or trasform your fat Les Paul in a strat with only a push (or viceversa).

I have a chance to compare this amp with a marshall '73 jmp100.
Tendentially, this laney is darker and fatter, but comes very treblier with the bright switch. It has twice low end even bright switched.
In two words, you can obtain more EQ colours than the jmp, switch??n' bright and eq knobs.

I don't like the klipp channel, the sound is very wet and fuzzy (that's why i give 9). It's only useful to play in a gadda da vida...
I prefer the distortion/drive of my pedals (ms10 or jackhammer), this amp has a better punch with pedals than any other.
TS9 can't be too thin and trebly as plugged to a marshall, I gave all the fat power of my les paul out of my greenbacks cab.

Well, the laney klipp has 4 preamps tubes but is cleaner than the jmp with 3 tubes.
I don't know why, but the marshall come crunchier at lowest volume than the klipp.
I try to put the preamp tubes of the marshall in the klipp, but it's the same, the laney (without klipp on) is a bit cleaner.
Ok, the jmp has the perfect crunch with volume 6 and loss definition and details at full volume, when the klipp is almost clean till full charghed when spits the pure crunch... i presume it's a output transformers calibration (partridge, no shit).

Usually I play with effects (JH1 distortion, TS9 overdrive, EH spring reverb and boss digital delay) and the klipp reacts better specially when overdrived.

The laney klipp, nude (guitar straight to the amp at full volume), is very warm, I advise seriously to put it with a eminence governor/wizard or g12h30 celestions speaker 4x12 cab to feel the jimmy page taste.

The signal goes trough all the 4 preamp tubes in normal and klipp channels, giving a wonderful sustain.

Tip: some ebayers sell this amp with the "master of reality" story, yes is true, but the klipp is not a monster of distortion by itself, it's a very clean amp till full pushed!
But is simply an amp that reacts with distortion pedals better than any other.

It feels the sings of age, all switches comes rust, but nothing more.

I always play at full volume and it ALWAYS does the work very well also in extreme conditions (heat, humidity...).

At the same conditions i blow some mesa triple recto, marshall jcm's (900/2000) and london city amps...
The klipp is a tank!

There's enough schemes on internet for repair it.... and I never need yet...

I have the klipp from some years and I'm very satisfied.
Yes, it hasn't the marshall mids (marshall has only mids....) but marshalls hasn't that fat bottom and high end sparkle...
Well, I own both and sometimes i use both on a gig to have the right thing between.

Probably I could put a better distortion circuit but I'll never open it while recap or retube.

I also have a london city dea100 amp that does the right sound between jmp and klipp, but has continous troubles of reliability and I prefer carry out two amps instead to walk on thin ice.

Let's get down to the nitty gritty: I paid less than the jmp and works better.

I'd just like to add this to my previous review.
As the Klipp has 2 separate channels I found it very interesting to use a Roland GP 100 with it. This is a preamp/effects processor with 2 separate(stereo)outputs A & B. My clean presets are sent to output A and my rangemaster/fuzz simulations to output B. From output A I go to the clean channel on the Klipp and from output B to the Klipp channel. With my Behringer foot controller I switch presets AND amp channels with just one step on a pedal ! This is the digital solution if you don't want to modify your Klipp with a built-in channel switching system. Another thing I found out is that you shouldn't send a signal that's too strong to the Klipp channel. If you do that you'll have less volume with your Klipp gain on maximum than on a halfway setting. The Klipp valve clips ! So when you send a signal go gradually from zero to full open and check if there's a volume loss. If so, lower your input signal and compensate by turning up the volume (volume 2) on the amp. By the way, I really nailed down Tony's sound on the Master of Reality album by using a fuzz preset with all mids boosted and just a bit of drive. Have fun checking this out !

According to the people who take care of old Laney amps ( that's no longer Laney but MAJ Electronics) my Klipp was made between 1973 & 1976. The serial number says 33 X 826, but they couln't be any more specific ... Anyway, the Klipp is two amps in one. The first channel gives you a warm sounding Plexi , one of the best I 've ever heard. And then there's the Klipp channel which truly makes this amp a one of a kind. Each channel has separate treble boost and volume. Only the klipp channel has a gain control. See other reviews for a complete list of all features.
I wish it had an effects loop or a "poweramp in", but that can always be fixed.

The clean channel is all you could wish for. Warm tube sound ! But if you like the sound of the brilliant channel on a Hiwatt you got it with just a flick of the "top"-switch. The klipp channel is the strange part of this amp. Like I said before, no amp produces this kind of overdrive. It's not modern hi-gain, because it's done by only one tube in the preamp section. What you get is plain Black Sabbath tone ! And the heaviest Sabbath sound ever (Master of Reality). I do recommend a treble booster or an overdrive pedal so you can keep the volume down and still get a great tone. I don't use the treble switch here because it makes the amp sound too harsh and fuzzy. I don't think this amp is noisy. I also have a Laney GH100S (Tony Iommi Signature head)and a Laney GH100L head. These amps are noisier but then again they are a lot louder and have five gain stages !

I just bought it a week ago, so I don't know. I always use a backup because tubes are fragile.

I contacted Laney UK to get some information about when my amp was built but they no longer take care of their old models.
Another company, called MAJ Electronics, makes spare parts and provides information as much as possible. Both Laney & MAJ Electronics immediately answered my e-mails and proved to be customer-friendly.

This is a must have vintage amp. Very underrated, I think. People tend to go for the Big-Name-amps because it's more reassuring.
Those who know good tone and how to get it, will listen first instead of buying the latest hype.

I'm proud to say i own 3 of these babies.1970-1971 & 1972(Ranging from 300 to 400$ each).Although the 1971 amp was modded to have a footswitch input installed,but i don't use that as i bridge the 2 channels together.Has a slave output which is handy,but i don't use this option either as i just A/B it with other amps such as a Marshall jcm 800 2203 MK2.
The Klipp is just so bottom-heavy, it's unbelievable.So much rumble & bass.The volume of this amp is also simply incredible (my 1970 model is the loudest/angriest though).The treble switches are great, just enough Hi-end,but retains the massive subsonic bass presence.Simply astounding.Massive Partridge transformers,Mullard valves..a total Behemoth.

I mainly play slow pounding metal (Sleep,Melvins,YOB etc) & tune very low.These amps are just perfect for that style,what with the eternally low feedback/sustain they create.I use a LP standard (1996), an LP Lite Custom (1987) & an SG standard from 1977, with various marshall cabs (3 usually,all with Celestion 75's) & the sound is simply "timeshifting", it actually moves air with the volume just on 3!!The Klipp Channel isn't that good on it's own for the style i play, but turned half-way up & bridge it with the clean channel + an old RAT pedal & it recreates Dante's inferno.

My 1972 model is the fragile one.Doesn't liked to be moved around or taken on tour at all.Takes a very long time to cool down after a show & have had it serviced 3 times in 18 months.The other 2 are just total tanks & 100% dependable.I use more than one amp for a live situation, so playing without a back-up isn't an option here.

Never dealt with them.Just with other people who adore old British valve amps, sharing tips etc.

Been playing for 17 years, i've had Marshalls before (crappy jcm 900) & have played on Sunn Model-T's before too,but the Klipp is up there (& beyond) in terms of bass/bottom end.I have 3 just incase one gets stolen :-).Using a Klipp & jcm 800 2203 with an A/B switch & 3 marshall cabs simply blows EVERYTHING away in terms of heaviness & surpasses MATAMP,ORANGE,SUNN amps in pure adultered ugly DevilTone!!!

This is an early 1970s amp
the features are great .....you want a Rangemaster treble booster??
not if you have a KLIPP !!!!there is a treble boost on the that will make you ears beg for a boom box and it stays warm ...
the Klipp section is like a master volume the tone section is astounding treble is treble bass is bass WOW !!!
Maybe some people would wish it had reverb but I dont use it and most early amps never had it anyway ................

I was going to sell it for the cash until I turned it up full !!
WOW WOW
this is a PLEXI !!!! this is BETTER than a Plexi
this is THE best amp in the world when you give it 10 or 11
talk about cooking this amp eats the breakfast , dinner and Supper
I have owned all the amps I have kept a few
still got a Silver Jubilee 2x12 combo Awesome ! a JCM 800 Awesome too , a rare Orange AD 5 class A , all valve hand wired beauty , So Sweet , sold the Boogie MK4 and Soldano combo though they were good the Klipp is Is Is Is very special look at the amps I have thrown out!! I will never sell this If Laney reissue it BEG FOR IT
HAND WIRED THE REAL BUSINESS The guys Who paid under $1000 for this it is your Birthday and Christmas all in one ,,I would pay $3000 for this and go home with a big smile on my face a very rare English MONSTER I hope you guys get to hear one sometime ....you think you got Hendrix sound Rory Gallagher sound ?? you have if you got a Klipp!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! or a Marshall Plexi but the plexi dont do the treble boost for the Rory sound ;) .....

Never a problem , though it grumbles occasionally at 30 years + old maybe needs a service so considering the old girls age still gets a 10 from me ..

I have never had to contact them

WOW .....Hey Dudes I am serious about this amp it blows EVERYTHING AWAY ,, they are so rare I hope you get the chance to hear the Power and the Glory for yourselves ............

Fairly basic, clean channel and distortionchannel, two inputs on each. Two speaker outputs, slave output. These amps were made in the seventies, and were one of the first to feature a separate distortion channel. Was used by Black Sabbath axeman Toni Iommi.

I play mainly blues-based rock, ie. AC/DC, Zepellin etc. and traditional blues. I use a strat loaded with a SD TB-11 humbucker at the bridge and two single coils. I simply use a Marshall Jackhammer distortion pedal, as the channel on the amp is a little fuzzy. However this setup serves me perfectly. The clean sounds are crisp and and clear on the bridge pickup, and rich and creamy at the neck. I even put my acoustics through the clean channel and they sound beautiful. As I've said, the dist. channel is a little fuzzy, but great for the Neil Young fans out there!!

Well, she was built in the seventies and she's still going strong. What more can I say. I haven't had to change the valves yet (I've had it about 6months)

Laney have probably forgotten they evr made these!

If she was stolen, I'd be gutted as they are very hard to find, but I'd certainly do my best to find another. If you're looking for a great vintage valve head that is a match for any Marshall out there, then look no further than this little beauty. I can see myself using this amp for the rest of my life, not bad for #200 (approx $350)!!

Maybe this amp was very useful back in its day, having 4 separate inputs and all, but I wish it had a distortion that you could get at non-apocalyptic volume levels that wasn't so damned fuzzy, and more importantly was footswitchable (I didn't but it for that, though, I bought it for the clean sounds - see later) It does have a good selection of EQ options and all your regular ins and outs on the back. It's full tube, and boy does this amp get hot when you run it hard! Plus - it can go fucking LOUD. I only have to turn the dial to about 9'o clock through a JCM900 2x12 cab to get it absolutely raging.

I use a Fender Strat with Seymour Duncan Hotrails at the neck and bridge and the stock singlecoil in the middle, and play a lot of alternative and melodic punk (stuff like Hundred Reasons, ATDI, Smashing Pumpkins, Weezer, through to hardcore like Converge and Sick Of It All). This amp suits my style very well - with the bridge pickup selected and the mid and treb rolled right off, you get the sweetest most gorgeous vintage clean tone you have ever heard. If you have any idea who Biffy Clyro are, then it's like the tone that Simon has - clean and sweet, but still full of aggresive twang and bite. For distortion I use a Line6 POD, and it sounds great driving the tubes at high levels - very punchy. It's not noisy unless you stand right next to it ( I do that deliberately to get a whole bunch of feedback ;-) ) but I really wouldn't recommend cranking it up on the Klipp channel with a noisy singlecoil guitar such as a Jaguar - you'll kill yourself, and it'll never stop feeding back. Buy some humbuckers ;-)

I've no idea how well it's gonna hold up for me being driven all round the country in a van as I've not had it for very long (about 2 months, recently serviced, with brand new JJ valves in it)- it is a very, very old amp (10 years older than I am!) and I assume that if you wanna gig it around a lot, you'd be in good stead getting a flightcase. I'll give it a 7, in recollection of other experiences I've had with cranky old valve amps ;-P I've got a POD though, so if it ever died I could just switch to a DI box and continue the gig :)

haha... you're kidding. a 30 year old amp? you wanna get it fixed, you pay for it yourself ;-) Warranty schwaranty! (although I hear Laney are very helpful when it comes to discontinued products - so I'll give this a 9, just on hearsay mind you)

It doesn't sound like anything else - and even though it's cranky, old, and downright ugly, I love it and I'd go outta my way to find another one :) If you want a lovely old valve head, don't be an elitist Marshall/Mesa/Fender snob and give it a go, you can probably get it pretty damned cheap!

I dont't know what year my friend was made. I found it from a second hand shop. Mr Huttunen said he sold Laney Klipp in the early 70s. It's good for my playing, because I have found my own sound with L. We play rock'n roll with sixties style. I miss reverb sometimes and I don't need klipp cannel. But it looks like a real good old time amp!

My guitars are Japanese squier strat. and Rickenbacker 250 Hamburg. Hovever the Srat sounds better with L. I use Ibanez tube sreamer and Alesis reverb. I try to play Hank Marvin style, but my sound with tube and Laney is not so bright, a little bit moore heavily. Klipp distortion in so...well, I usually don't use it.

One year I have been played all my gigs with L. No problems.

The amp was out of order when in found it. Soitin Huttunen ltd in Helsinki repaired it in 2-3 days 120 ? (incl. tubes).

I have been playing over 20 years ( one with Laney). Nobody will steel My old Laney. (I hope so). Maybe I shall buy Peawey Classic 30. I love (truely) the old Laneys design, and the tube amp sound, but where is the reverb?

A Laney Klipp, 100 w head, made between 1970-75 theres no reverb wich I can miss sometimes, otherwise its good enough for any kind of music (especially rock music) but its louder than any amp Ive ever heard. I play in a band with a classic rock line up, and we play rock inspired mostly rock ala' 75-82 style, and all I use is a VOX Valve boost, and occationaly a Fuzz, mostly because its not handy switching channels to the klipp during a song (theres no foot switch). But its lovely too look at, at least I think so, but its heavy as it was made out of solid heavy metal.

I use a Gibson SG with Gibson pickups and/or a Vantage with one Gibson P-59 custom+ and a unclassified humbucker.
The Klipp has got a beautifull ringing clear tone, but shouldnt be turned up over 3 on the master volume due to the risk of damageing anything that cant take the noise of a jet-plane lifting. If you do turn it up louder youll find a nice round tube overdrive. The klipp channel is a bit coarser, more like a fuzz too my ears anyway, but I highly suspect that every amp has its own unique Klipp sound.

I feel I can depend on it, if given time too warm up properly otherwise it has got this ability to blow fuses. I always have a pack handy but never had a problem when playing live.
But having said that I do think it can be a little delicate at times, you need to have a certain touch to avoid problems. I had used my amp without changing tubes or anything for about two years when I decided to give it a servicing and a tube change, two weeks later the resistors (Im from sweden soo I dont know the correct english word) burnt, every single one in the pre amp, now its been in to be repaired for Quite some time and they say they cant find the shemas for the right settings of the resistors (resistance) so Im not sure when Ill get it back.

Ive been playing now for about 14 years and have owned a few amps and played a lot of different amps and I must say that when I bought this one and tried it for the first rehearsal I knew this was it, the amp I always wanted. Its got a charm, sound and looks and its LOUD! If you want to contest with any other amp Ill promise that Laney Klipp will win, not only loudness but by clarity in sound at those volumes!

This all-valve hand-wired 100w amp was only made between 1970 and 1975. It appears to be an early attempt at a master volume type twin channel amp (though not footswitchable without modification). See the last review for technical and internal electrical detail. I didn't understand a lot of it, but it sure sounded impressive!
With regard to versatility, I have to say that I don't much like the sound of its distortion channel -- it's harsh and fuzzy, not smooth and creamy. I haven't been able to get that infinite sustain that the other reviewers mentioned. I use a series of pedals and a multi-effect unit to get my sound. Mind you, the previous owner blew transformers regularly, so that might have something to do with it. I got the amp checked out and returned to its original specs (schematic courtesy of Laney via the last reviewer) but the Klipp channel still doesn't do it for me. Very early 70s though. An amp with a nicer -- to my ears -- distortion would be preferable, but with the effects, it does the job. I go into the high volume input on the Klipp channel, but with the Klipp circuit off. I don't use the bright switch -- it's a bit too much, and hisses considerably.

I use a Gibson Les Paul Standard and/or a Pearl Les Paul copy (great guitar!). Stock pickups in the Gibson, God knows in the Pearl. My style is bluesy heavy rock, like Free, Skynyrd, mixed with heavier moments along early Sabbath and AC/DC style riffage. My band has been compared to Rainbow -- in style, not in sound. Personally, I don't know if that's a compliment or not...
In my opinion, the clean channel is the amps best feature: it rings and chimes with the best of them. Unfortunately, this only comes across when I plug in directly -- my effects chain, as they say, "sucks tone". Still, with some EQ adjustments I can nearly get there. Nonetheless, with the effects, the amp produces a great sound -- I am regularly complimented on my tone (but I think that's more because nobody's playing my sort of stuff in Ireland anymore. "Guitar solo? What's that..."). I'm happy with my sound, but I'd only give it a B+, with a "could do better" rider.
The clean channel will give natural valve distortion when cranked -- very AC/DC -- but nobody could seriously play that loud. It's ridiculously loud. In rehearsals, with 300w bass amp, full kit, 600w PA on verge of feedback, I only need to set the volume at about 2. It's a real pre-sound-reinforcement outdoor festival loud.
I've mentioned the distortion above: It is brutal but harsh, and not to my taste, though the other reviewers seemed to love it. But remembering the previous owner's penchant for replacing transformers, I'm prepared to believe that I've just got a duff one.
Controls and switches: Standby, run, presence, bass, mid, treble, bright switch (clean channel), volume (clean), inputs 1 & 2 (clean channel), Klipp switch, Klipp level, Klipp channel volume, Bright switch (Klipp channel), two more inputs. Around the back, speaker outs (2), speaker resistance selector (4, 8, or 16 ohms), slave output. No reverb.

I think it's a rather fragile baby. It'll need a service soon. Sounds like one of the power valves is loose. I'm a technical idiot, so I'm not looking in there! Can be a bit temperamental as to whether it wants to work or not. Maybe three times in the last 18 months (being used usually about twice a week in rehearsals) it has refused to work for no apparent reason. But after I turned it off and cursed at it a bit, then tried it again, it would invariably work. I'd use it without a backup if I had to (I sold my other amp, so all I have now is the Laney and a Pignose), but worry a lot. I wouldn't let support bands use it, so there's always a backup anyway. As it happens, I haven't had to gig it since I got it (about 18 months ago) -- mainly due to a combination of our band's laziness (only 8 gigs in that period)and the fact that for most of those gigs the venue supplied backline. I have used it for recording 3 times in the last year, with no problems.

For a company that was dealing with a product that's been out of their product line for about 26 years, they were great, at least in terms of their willingness to help. They couldn't tell me anything about the serial number, but they were able to dig out schematics (for the previous reviewer, who passed them on to me after an unsolicited email!). The customer support guy, James Boyle, was very helpful, given their lack of records. Here's what he told me, before I'd even bought the amp:
"Sorry for my late response, however, here goes...

Klipp amps were made between 1970 and 1975, hence their absence from our website! They were a two channel amp, one clean, the other with more gain, each channel equipped with its own volume control and bright switch for more top end response. There was a master volume and a master 3-band EQ and an overall presence control, which affected the entire output of the amp. You're absolutely right, however; the amp doesn't come fitted with reverb!

The only common faults were poor quality output tube sockets at the
time, so it would be worth changing these for ceramic ones, if that has not already been done. It would be worth checking out the mains and output transformers, however, due to their old age, we don't have any remaining spares for these amps, except for the tubes, of course.
Another point to make is that the HT current runs at about 600V, so I'd be very cautious about working inside the amp!

I hope that this answers some of your questions about the amps, however, if you have any remaining queries, please don't hesitate to get back in touch.

Best Regards,"

Bought it used for #200 Irish (about $215 US), including a crappy H/H cab with various badly wired speakers. Sold the cab for #90, so real cost #110. Not too bad for a vintage (does vintage apply only to age or to legendary status?) 25-30 year-old all-valve hand-wired amp. I use two 2x12" speaker cabs with it, one fitted with Celestion Vintage 30s, the other with Celestion GT-75s. That way I can use each cab seperately with the amp, or mike up each cab in a recording situation.

I play a Gibson LP Std as my main guitar into: pre-Dunlop Crybaby wah; Visual Sound Route 66 OD/compressor, into Marshall Guv'nor, into ancient "Grant" distortion (MXR style), into Korg A5 multi-effect, into Marshall Vibratrem, into Alesis Nanoverb on the top of the amp, just set for reverb. I've been playing for 13 years, "semi-pro" or "ambitious amateur" for the last six.
If this was stolen -- inconceivable, it's too bloody heavy, and quite ugly looking -- or lost, or burst into flames, I'd never be able to find another one. A rare beastie, I think... I'd be tempted by a Marshall JMP45 reissue head, having got used to using the Laney as a non-master-volume. Having said that, I'd not turn down a Boogie if some generous person wanted to buy one for me...
I'm very fond of this amp. It is about as close to unique in terms of looks as you can get these days. Great clean sound (I just need to clean up the mud in my signal chain). Distortion sound not for me, though. Wonder if a good amp tech could do something with it. It'd be nice if it had reverb, so I could get the Nanoverb out of the chain...

Got this from the Guitarsite discussion board. Ihought it'd be of use.


Posted by Ian Bennett (from: ppp-2-38.cvx3.telinco.net) on September 17, 1999 at 14:05:16:

In Reply to: Laney Klipp posted by Anders on August 16, 1999 at 15:17:09:

I have owned a 100 watt Laney Klipp amplifier for twenty-five years, during which time it has been my main stage, studio, and practice
amp, running into a 4x12 and a Laney 1x18 bass cabinet. I was initially attracted to this outstanding British amplifier by Laney's claim
of endless sustain, then by hearing Russ Ballard (of Argent) using one.
The Laney Klipp amplifier was available as an all-valve (with silicon rectifier) guitar head, in two versions; 60W and 100W. They had
identical pre-amp sections, and their power amps were taken from the Laney PA amplifiers of similar output. The 60W version used two
EL34 pentode valves in the output stage, and the 100W version used four. The preamp was a two-channel design, with two inputs to
each channel, and comprised four ECC83 (equivalent to the 12AX7) dual-triode valves. One valve was the input amp for the two
channels (one section each), one served as a mixer and cathode-follower (one section for each function), one was configured as a
floating paraphase phase splitter (which requires two triode sections), and the remaining valve formed the basis of the "Klipp" circuit.
This was actually a very clever bit of design centred around what was fundamentally a very simple concept. The Klipp channel, after
initial amplification, fed the first half of the Klipp valve. This was arranged as a straightforward voltage amplifier, but its anode load
provided the anode voltage of the second section, and its grid was DC-coupled to the grid of the second section, via a voltage divider
from the commoned cathodes to circuit earth. Careful choice of component values meant that the Klipp control could be adjusted to
provide virtually infinite sustain without the harsh sound normally associated with feedback. Each channel had its own volume control
(with a "bright" switch) feeding a common three-band tone stack of orthodox design, which had an output for a slave amp. The power
amplifier was a standard push-pull design, not ultra-linear, with fixed biasing, and the power supply was simple and robust with the
valve heaters fed straight from a centre-tapped winding on the mains transformer, bias voltage taken (on the 100W version) from a -70V
winding (dropped to -53V through a silicon diode), and HT coming from a bridge of four series pairs of silicon rectifiers (just four on the
60W version), a bank of huge smoothing capacitors, and a 20H choke.
With the bass control set to zero, the middle at half-way, and treble, presence and Klipp on full, the amp delivers a snarl that can
blister paint at forty paces, yet with more sensible adjustments gives a rounded, mellow tone reminiscent of Carlos Santana. I added
foot-switchable channel selection to my amp, along with the ability to select zero, half, or full positions on the Klipp control, and half or
full on the treble and presence. If you want details of this modification, which can be adapted to any other amplifier, e-mail me.

It is all tube 100W head made in 1970, Partridge transformers,
4 channels: clean low + high, klipp channel low + high.Klipp feature is a lamp distortion. No channel switching, no effect loop, no headphone jack, no reverb.It has outpu for slave amp.

I use it with Gibson Les Paul Custom, very good clean and the best tube distortion i ever heard-very good Black Sabbath sound. With less gain on klipp channel you can get Carlos Santana sound. It's no noisy at all. With klipp on full, trebble on full, bass and midds on 0 you can get very huge and brutal distortion (my Marshal jcm600 sounds like a bee in comparison with Laney.I play punk-rock,alternative,rock,some metal-Iron Maiden and it suits all styles very well. Never ending sustain.

30 years old,in mint condition, I only have to change lamps and capacitors - first time in 30 years.I can depend on it.

I have been playing for 15 years. I owned Feneder Vibrolux,Twin,Super Reverb,Hot Rod De Luxe,Kettners,Marshalls...I would certainly try to get another one it it were stolen, but this heads are very rare.I compare it with Fenders,Marshalls jcm600,900.Clean is as good as Fender's, distortion is much better then Marshall's. It's a professional piece of gear.