Marc from Maryland
Overall:
For the tone/funtion/build quality to the dollar, this amp has no match. Performs at or near the Level of the (no longer available) AC30 for 60% of the cost - AND its a top shelf, made in the UK Laney. Need a 20-30 something WATT, EL84, class A Brittish amp head? what are you waiting for?
Skill Level:
Intermediate
Do you own this product?:
Ive owned this product
Date submitted:
4/25/2010
Senor V from Carrollton, TX
Quality:
The head and all it's parts seem to be made really well. Excellent craftsmanship. It's definitely a keeper!
Sound:
I play mainly blues on my maple neck, brass nut, swamp ash strat which is my main axe. So, the nice warm tube tone out of the 3 - 12ax7's and 4 - EL84's was exaclty what i needed! By the way, the tubes are all high quality TAD tubes (Tube Amp Doctor). Again, this head has alot of low end to it but I really love it for that. The reverb has to be set at about 7 or 8 to really notice it's even there. But I don't really need that much reverb. It does have a long Accutronics Reverb tank. The overdrive channel is really smooth for added sustain when playing classic blues/modern blues rock type of leads. It also comes with a pedal switch to switch the reverb on or off as well as switching between the clean and overdrive channel. Overall, it has a really rich tube sound for simple blues or classic rock players like myself. Great for gigging at coffee shops!
Reliability:
This head is "Handmade in Great Britain." Just like it says on the nice little plaque on the back of the head. The high quality parts that gives me some confidence that this head will last a very, very long time. No cheap lower-end foreign type parts here.
Overall:
Overall, Laney's Lionheart All-tube head is an amazing deal! If you're looking for a Hi-Gain amp, either look elsewhere for that or buy a seperate distortion pedal for it. However, if you're looking for a really true sounding EL84 tube tone with an overdrive channel for blues, blues-rock or classic rock, this is it man! The reliability, craftsmanship and great tube tone are all here. No joke! Just a simple "non-digital" tube amp for playing small venues like the old days but with a few upgrades like a PCB board and awesome high-end transformers as well as high quality electronic parts!
Playability and Feel:
For a 20 watt head, it's a bit on the heavy end to me, weighing at around 36 lbs or so. The control knobs on it were extremely smooth right out of the box. Nice dust cover too!
Tone:
The tone of this head is very warm sounding. Alot of low end. However, with a flip of the 'bright' switch and some tweaking of the EQ, you can get a very usable sound for different types of music styles. I believe that Echo & the Bunnymen use this lionheart series amp too.
Finish:
The blue tolex on it looks really nice and classy. The chrome parts on it and the leather handle also give the head a great look.
Action:
Out of the box, the head sounded absolutley sweet!
Do you own this product?:
Yes
Date submitted:
April 9, 2010