Laney LC15

Single channel, 3 band EQ, LO and HI gain input, Gain and Volume control, Line-out. Simple and straightforward.

It's the model with Sovtek endtubes. The pre-amp 12AX7 tubes don't carry any identification.

I build a STBY switch in it immidiately.

Only a 7, because it's got all you need, except a STBY switch.

Just home practice rock-style. nice sound, suits me well.

It's not very noisy, but could be quiter. New 12AX7 of higher quality will fix that. But that's just to make it really perfect.

Have it for a week now, still going :-). Had a good look at the PCB and componenets. It seems very well build. Build to last so to speak.

Drilling holes in it and resoldering the wires makes warranty no longer an issue for me :-)

Playing for 2 years now, this is an excellent home Amp. I will never use the enormous soundpressure it can produce. Luckily it sounds excellent at low sound levels.

The Amp itself is a very good one, cooling holes at the back should allow the hot air from the tubes to flow outside. Not perfect (the PCB will get hot) but it should do. A STBY switch would be nice but is an easy job to do yourself, just put a proper (250 volt!!) switch in series with the HI Tension fuse).

A big (7mm) slot above the speaker panel makes you loose some soundquality due to "acoustic short". I filled it up with a bit of wood and you can hear the difference. A definetely advisable "upgrade" with more noticable effect than an expensive new speaker (this one is quite good).

The "wallpaper" finish really sucks and is going loose everywhere. Typical English ... build a very good thing and sr*w up the finishing touch.

Having fixed the little flaws this one is "not for sale". Anybody wants a nice Crate homepractise Amp???

I was actually looking for a cheap 15 Watt practise amp when I read an ad in which this baby was being sold (laney amp, new tubes...). I had tried out all amps I could afford and was about to settle for a Vox Pathfinder even though I didn't like the way it sounded. I thought that there just wasn't an amp sounding like I wanted it to for the price I could pay. Oh boy, was I wrong...
I visited the Laney website to check its features which are few. Pots for gain, bass, mids, treble and volume. And a bright switch. No reverb or anything. Still curious I went to this guy and gave it a try. It took me about 20 seconds to decide that this was THE amp.

I rate it a 7 because I kinda miss the reverb and maybe an FX loop.

I play it with an Epi Les Paul and a Squier Bullet (80's and sounding a whole lot better than the crap they make now).The sound of this amp really surprised me. It sounds very sweet clean and with the gain at 3 o'clock it tears off my wallpaper. Most of the time the gain is at 11 o'clock and then it gives me a nice warm blues sound. This was the sound I've been looking for for a long time.
I tried a tubescreamer for more gain at lower volume settings but that sounded really disappointing. It worked perfectly on my old amp but that was no tube amp. The speaker on this Laney sounds good enough.
The amp sounds very big, much bigger than it looks. It is louder than any other 15 Watt amp I tested which all were solid states. Actually it is louder than I wanted it to be, but when an amp sounds as good as this one does, let it be loud...

Don't know yet.

Don't know

I've been playing for about 18 years now. I was never really serious until a few months ago. I'm not a good guitar player, but I know what sounds good and what does not. This amp sounds good. No, this amp sounds great!! Warm tones, perfect for the blues sound that I love. Over the years I gathered quite a collection of pedals which should have given me the tone I was looking for. All those endless hours of tweaking pedals and amp settings were a complete waste of time. I should have bought this amp years ago.
If it were lost I would buy one again in a second. After testing Vox, Marshall, Fender, Peavey, Ibanez and Crate I'm sure that I have the best sound my bucks could buy.

I'LL TRY AND MAKE THIS SHORT AND SWEET, SEEING AS THERE'S ALREADY A LOT OF REVIEWS.

Mine is an LC-15, no reverb. 1x10 combo. 3 12AX-7's, and 2 EL-84's. 15W.

Gain, Bright switch, Bass, Mid, Treble, Volume. High and low gain inputs. I use it as a practice amp, and this is all I need for that. It also has a line out that I use sometimes for bedroom recordings.

Not a whole lot of features, but plenty for my purposes.

I use a Gibson SG '61 Re-issue straight into this amp, and I only use it as a practice amp at home (low volumes). So you know what this amp is up against, my gigging amps are a 64' Vox AC-50 head (tube rectified) and an Orange OR-80 head (early 90's RI). I use them with matching Hiwatt 4x12's loaded with Fanes.

First off, this amp is pretty damn loud for 15W. Way louder than I expected it to be. The distortion is where this amp really shines. Sounds a lot like my JCM800, but a tad smoother when the Marshall can be raspy at times. I wish it had a little more midrange on tap. But then again, i'm sure part of that is due to the fact that I play it so damn quiet. A TAD more treble wouldn't hurt either, but again...with the volume on 1...

The clean is a little bit disappointing...not so much the clean tone that it's capable of. But i'm used to rolling back on a volume pedal for clean, or even my guitar's volume. The Laney won't clean up. To get a decent clean I have to use the low gain input with the gain almost all the way down. And even then, it breaks up early. I like the high gain for distortion, so i'm kinda stuck compromising. The clean is nice, not my Vox, but nice...

At any rate...i'm kinda being picky. For $185, this is a damn sweet sounding amp. I'm considering using it the next time I go into the studio. Considering the other amps I have to use (Vox, Orange, JCM800, Sovtek MIG100), I think that tells you where this amp stands. The speaker is a piece of junk. Plug it into a decent speaker and it turns into a new amp. I ordered a Weber Ceramic 10" for it that should be here soon.

Bottom line...great sounding amp for the money. Destroys the Peavey Classic 30 (which I also own), Fender Blues Jr, and any other small tube amp in it's price range. And heck, my Laney was half the price of those other ones.

Hasn't let me down yet...although it does get pretty hot. I found some glue on one of the pre-tubes that dripped down off the circuit board or something...so I guess it gets pretty hot after it's been on for a while. Points off because this makes me think twice about trusting it as a gigging amp ever.

never dealt with them.

Great tone for a great value. Sure, it's got some flaws. Tube sockets on the board, heat issues, crappy speaker. But, the components are good quality, the tone is great, and the price is amazing. I would definitely recommend one to a friend.

Looking for Marshall-like overdrive in a small package? Looking for a nice buttery EL-84 clean tone? This is probably your amp. For some reason, noone has really caught on to how good these amps are. I have a friend with an AOR50, and that amp sounds great too. Sooner or later people will catch on, and the prices will go through the roof...like what happened with Sovteks. But until then, i'm happy to have one of the best kept secrets in the tube amp world.

Buy new, 2002. from left to right on panel:
hi/lo inputs, gain, bright switch, bass, mid, treble, volume, reverb. no standby switch. 15W. 10 in HH Invader spkr. 3 pre amp tubes and 2 EL84s. speaker and line out, effect send/return. single channel. not the most versatile amp out there but good enough for me.

I use std start, stock PUs. play some rock and blues.
this is a sweet little monster. Most of the time I play in my bedroom and it sounds prettydecent. It definitely sounds better as I crank it up (so are most other tube amps) but bedroom level is not bad.
EQ is not as sensitive as I want it to be.
reverb is good, not noisy at all.
The distortion in this little amp is very good, can play any rock lead with no problem.
it is definitely a LOUD 15W amp. shouldn't have any problem if ur drummer is not super loud. again, 15W means u won't be deaf if u want to drive the power tubes hard.
one thing about the speaker. the amp can get a little muddy if bass is dialed up since the speaker can't really handle that much bass. replacing the speaker should fix this problem (I haven't done that yet, so can't comment).
btw, the bright switch is useful, gives u very a different (and good) tone.

only have it for 2 months... so far so good.
there were known problems with transformer in earlier models but are fixed in new ones. so watch out if u are buying it used, make sure the transformer is the good one (I don't know how to tell...). if u buy it new, I won't worry about its reliability.

have only deal with my local dealer (when ordering the amp). 3 yrs warranty.

before I bought my LC15R, my checklist is:
- tube amp! (C'mon, it is not a hype, tube amps really sound better)
- low watt (man, u know tube amps, most of them, sounds better when cranked)
- good tone (try before u buy!)
- effect loop and reverb
- size (this amp is small. ok, u only get a 10in speaker)
- $ (to me, this amp is very affordable)

channel switching 'was' one of the items on my list, but after I tried the amp in store, I just can't resist to buy it coz of the sweet tone.
in this price range/configurations, I think Blues Jr is another candidate. However, I am not impressed with its distorted tone at all and LC15R is a little bit more versitile.
spend some time on the knobs and you should get a lot of different good tones from this amp.

Pretty basic. Just 2 inputs, gain, 3 band eq, master volume and a line out which I had rewired as an external speaker socket coz
'line-out' sux. This one's got no reverb which is great coz that
means it doesn't have the solid state spring circuit in the signal
path, it's 100% tube!!

It only makes one sound and that sounds is oh so sweet! Man, this
little baby rocks and is loud enough to break your windows. It's
loud enough to keep up with a drum kit at rehersals or in a small
gig. It's great in the studio. But then I tried it it with a 4x12
at a gig plugged into the converted line out socket. HOLY SMOKE!!!
This little amp is awsome through a 4x12. People, if you have one
of these amps, get the line out changed to external speaker. You
won't be sorry! Some folks on the guitar forum suggested changing
the speaker to a Fane Hiwatt which has a big cast frame but I don't know where to get one of these. Maybe I'll put in jensen or a
celestion in instead. The HH speaker is a bit harsh just as well I
got my 4x12 or it would be a 9!!!!

Heard some horror stories about early versions and I've been told
to get the power tube bases changed to ceramic coz they can get
hot and melt the plastic ones fitted if cranked to the max, but
mines has been great. Maybe I'll get it done l8r.

Never used them. I hear its pretty bad in the US

This is a great little amp. If it was stolen, I'd definitely get another. It's portable and it rocks. Maybe it should come with a
better speaker the HH one sucks a bit. One great little amp.

15watt class A tube combo.
3x 12ax7/ecc83 preamp, 2x el84 poweramp.
lo/hi inputs,gain, bright switch,lo mid hi,master. that's it, who needs more?!

This amp is really capable of making some nice sounds.
Gain at 6/7, lo and hi at 5 mid at 7 and bright on, combined with mij ariaproII hollowbody 2hb give s a very good blues tone.
more gain and you get a fat distorted tone, and with gain at max you've got fuzz.

Heard some horror-stories.
planning on putting the chassis upside down in a home made top-enclosure so the tubes can get rid of their heat, Think it should be reliable then.

beem playing for 3 years now. had a fender champ, but switched to the klaney because this amp is far more versatile, and has a whole lot of nice crunch-sounds.
I play mostly blues and rock'n'roll, and some 70ies rock, very suitable for those styles.
a lot of amp for little money.

Just the basics. One channel with master volume,gain, bass,mid,and treble controls and a bright switch. 15 watts. 2 EL84's, 3 12AX7's, 10 in. speaker. It has everything that I need.

Excellent sound! I bought this amp new over 5 years ago and knew I had to have it after playing my first chord through it. This amp breaks up beautifully with that sweet EL84 chime and rich even-harmonic content. It sounds similar to a Vox AC15 only somewhat "ruder". It actually uses a class A/B curcuit as opposed to an AC15's class A curcuit. It has a very pure tone clean or distorted. I prefer the sound of humbuckers through this amp, but single coils also sound very sweet. As a stock unit, this amp is very good. However, I made some modifications to it that made it sound even better. I replaced the stock H&H speaker with an early 80's 25 watt Celestion. The H&H, in my opinion, is not a bad speaker, but the Celestion is a definate improvement. The H&H sounds dull in comparason and does not break up nearly as musically as the Celestion. Also, I replaced the 2 stock preamp driver tubes with Tesla 12AX7's and the stock 12AX7 used as the phase splitter with a NOS RCA 5751. The 5751 lowered the amp's gain slightly but gave it a sweeter overall sound to my ears. Both of these mods were well worth the time and money invested, although the speaker was a bitch to replace thanks to the bone-headed way Laney installed the speaker frame mounting screws. This amp is loud for its size!

This little amp appears to have a reputation for great sound but poor reliability. In my experience, it has been perfectly reliable. As I said earlier, I've owned my LC15 for over 5 years now and have not had one problem. I've gigged fairly regularly with it in the past. It really is loud enough for club gigs, especially if its miked. I had it running with the volume at about 5-6 and the gain about half way when playing live or practicing with my band and it never gave me any problems. I once opened it up for a look inside and noticed that the wiring was neat, and that the components were of high quality. All tubes are mounted to the PC board. Not a problem with the 12AX7's but the EL84's, despite being smaller tubes, should really be chasis mounted. It sounds like the heat from these tubes when the volume is cranked is what is causing this amp to fail. This could also be related to poor quality control on Laney's part. For the record, I also own a Laney GC50A 50 watt combo and have never had a problem with it either. For this price, don't expect point to point wiring, a solid wood cabinet, or tank-like construction. However, I would hardly consider the LC15 to be a cheap amp either.

I've never dealt with the company.

I love this amp. Its light, compact, loud and it sounds fantastic. It is an awesome amp for recording and also for gigs that don't require huge amounts of volume. I really hope it never breaks down because I am not sure if they still make these little guys.

Hi & low inputs, 3-way EQ and a bright switch, gain and (master) volume. Line out (or is a preamp out, I've never used it..) at the back of the cabinet. As you know by now, 15W all tube, 10" HH invader speaker. I guess it's class A/B.

It has all the basic stuff, I wouldn't mind it having effects loop and a reverb, but I really don't need either, so I'm all satisfied.

Well, it sounds great ;-) Nice somewhat brittish sounds, sounds good both clean and overdriven/distorted. With my MIJ Fender Strat is starts to distort slightly (depending on pick/finger attack) when
gain knob gets over 10 o'clock and at 2 o'clock it has a nice 'clear' distorted sound. Gain at max it gets pretty fuzzy, but for
that kind of sounds I prefer combining amp and pedal distortion. I've got Boss SD-1 and Danelectro French Toast Fuzz for that, and they both do well with this amp.

When the master volume hits something like 3 o'clock, powertubes start to distort, and yes, it sounds great. At that point it's way too loud for use in a normal sized room, but if you have free minded neighbours and a set of earplugs, go for it :-)

Well, I bought it second hand summer/2001 and it's been built at
1996. As far as I know, no repairs have been made. So far it has worked great, and I've played it pretty damn loud from time to time, though not over couple hours at once. No problems so far.

Nothing to complain about and sounds great. Maybe I've heard better sounding amps, but they were 10 times the price of this Laney. Awesome value for the money.

Carries the basic stuff so you can have that tube tone you was looking for in a small package.

I think it suits the blues, rock and roll players. Not the thash metal ones.

It isn't reliable.This was the reason i has motivated to right this review. I built my own amps with my brother.And we service our friend's gear.When a friend came by with this LC-15, we removed the chassis to look the horror! The sockets are very low quality and pcb monted(directly in the printed circuit board).So, 3 big sins were made in the design in this amp:
-Very cheap sockets PCB monted (melted after use...and the close components on the circuit board too!)
-SMD preamp circuit too close to the tubes, so to their heat
-and the worst of all...the power tubes (a pair of EL-84)which is a tube with glass base monted upside down.In this tube the dissipation pole is positioned on the top of the tube (in 6L6GC are at sides),so the heat do not go to the pole because the tube is monted upsidedown, the heat flow thought the glass direct to the base of the tube, making them very very hot, so the socket melts, and the base of the tube cracks (small cracks, but suficient to air enter the tube and the gatter oxides...ruining the tube).
We reseached this topic in the bible of all circuit tubes, in the RCA'S RADIOTRON HANDBOOK (amem) and it's written there that glass base tubes with the metal pins running though the glass SHOULD NEVER BE MONTED UPSIDE DOWN because the heat goes up not down, it will concentrate in the base of the tube, cracking the glass ...so running the tube.
My question is....the guys in Laney don't knew it?With all their experience and so?
My opinion to those with this amp and what to use it?
Use the combo upside down...doing this the tubes will run up (normal position) the heat will flow to the pole, and to the air normally (convection).Like i had seen the ZZTOP guys playing their ORANGE combos upsidedown in the Jools Holland Show on the TV.

Just note....here we are all engineers...(mechanical, eletrician)just crazy about the true tone on our basses,guitars, and what is behind all of that pile of wires, resistors, caps, and so.
You can believe in what we wrote...

Warranty time expired...
Hahahahah....we're in Brazil....warranty doesn't work the same here as in the US or in Europe because this kind of gear is not imported officially by Laney and so.

It doesn't work any more....
We are removing all the junk and putting a new circuit....
Just the cab, speaker and X tranformers will the used...all the rest will go to the junk....

This is my update for my LC15 review below (where I compared it to the DSL50).
The Laney blew up!
I think running it with one powertube pushed it over the edge. I brought it to a electronics wiz who diagnosed that the mains transformer had blown and the EL84 valve sockets were melted to nothing - this damage must have been done by the previous owner by cranking it to 10. I contacted Laney and got a new transformer and two new EL84 valve sockets including delivery for #25. The new transformer is issue no.3 which suggests the older LC15's transformers were not good enough. The new tube sockets were hi quality and durable plastic rather than the resin type originals. I contacted

This is my update for my LC15 review below (where I compared it to the DSL50).

The Laney died!

I brought it to a electronics wiz who diagnosed that the mains transformer had blown and the EL84 valve sockets were melted to nothing - this damage must have been done by the previous owner by cranking it to 10 all the time. I contacted Laney and they were very helpful in getting a new transformer and two new EL84 valve sockets to me for #25 inc delivery. The new transformer is issue no.3 as was much more substantial, which suggests the older LC15's transformers were not up to spec. The new tube sockets were hi-quality and durable plastic rather than the resin type originals. I purchased new EL84 valves (Harma STR) and 12AX7's (Sovtek LPS - higains) and a new Jenson C10Q speaker to finish the upgrade and repair. I purchased my parts from www.watfordvalves.com - they were very knowledgable about my amp and told me they have known of many a early LC15 that have blown. They also told me that due to unusual pin wiring on these amps you have to be careful what poweramp valves you use. Most of the common brands of EL84's emit a loud hum in this particular amplifier (they recommended the Harma STR's).

I finally got my amp repaired and upgraded and it sounds great. You've gotta hear it to believe the vintage tone this produces. The amp excels at low gain, crunchy blues work giving a nicely compressed, easy to play tone. Truly inspiring. The upgrades makes this amp something special.

Total cost=#190:
#25 replacement transformer and tube sockets.
#40 new valves. #35 new speaker. #90 for the amp second hand.
Plus two hours help from my electronics wizard friend.

If I'd known the hassle I'd have with this amp I would not have bothered. I should have held out for an LC30, or even better for my type of playing, got an old Laney AOR combo. But now its all been done I smile every time I play it and I cant see myself letting it go. I dont think the reliability of this amp has any reflection on Laneys other products. The LC15 is a very cheap amp so what can you expect?
I am definately going to get myself one of the new Laney TT50 amps when they are released, I'm sure it will knock the socks off my Marshall DSL50!