Thanks. Yes, it's a blonde. (Always my favourite
!) The photo's got a sepia tint to it. The guitar's got very subtle figuring in the wood. Strung with D'addario EXL 115s (11-49). And I'd certainly recommend the Black Finger - not the most in yer face compression effect (I don't like that nasal sound) but you certainly notice the drop in tone when you switch it off. It's like adding salt to a meal - it just brings something out.
Nigel was very complimentary about the guitar. Commented on its weight for a 335.
Just wrote review of the amp for Harmony Central (edited slightly here). I particularly like the bit about angels...
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I bought this amp new about 10 months ago. I've waited this long before reviewing to make sure I gave a full and worthwhile account. I use it with the matching 2x12 closed-back cab.
It's my first valve amp - previously I had a Roland JC120, but was continually being told off by sound engineers in small venues because of the Roland's volume. I could never have it above 1! Plus, I'd always wanted something with valves.
I bought this Laney on the recommendation of a friend with 40 years' experience in the music industry, both as a musician and the proprietor of a recording studio/rehearsal complex. He has all kinds of amps by Marshall, Laney, Orange and others, so his opinion counts for a lot.
I'm giving it 7 for features because it's a two channel amp with single EQ, shared by both the clean and drive channels. While this keeps it simple the drive channel can get bright if the drive volume's high, so it would be nice to be able to tone that down while having a brighter clean channel at a lower volume. But it's not a major issue.
It has reverb, but it's not exactly cavernous - if you want a lot of reveb you'll need a pedal.
I play small gigs with this amp unmiced and cart it to band practises once a week because it's well worth it for the sound. The separate head and cab setup also makes it quite portable without breaking your back. (I'm 41!) At larger venues you might want to mic it, but it is really loud. 20 watts of pure Class A quality.
Sound Quality: 10. I run a Gibson 335 into this amp. It's a 79, fitted with a set of Bareknuckle Mule humbuckers. It's a very quiet amp when you're not playing.
I play in an indie/pop band and like a vintage vibe -- this amp and guitar setup fits the bill perfectly.
I initially used it on the clean channel, with a pedal (Tone Factor Mule) for distortion. Cleans are warm and sparkling. Crank the volume and it gets brighter, but that can be compensated for using the tone control. This is active in the 9-10 zone, so can give you a really bright sound if that's what you want. Sometimes I just stroke barre chords and listen to the notes ring. It's like a hundred angels with harps floating in a cloud of purple and blue bubbles. Really quite a beautiful sound.
However, I now mainly have it on the drive channel, with the drive on 4 and the drive volume on 5-6 - this gives me a very responsive sound: it's "clean" if I play lightly, but extremely rich with harmonics, then it's really crunchy when I dig in. If you crank the drive you'll get a nice tight, hot rock tone that's full of character, if that's what you're into, no fizz or fuzz.
The distortion through the valves is wonderful. Glistening, sparkling, or like the crackling flames of a wood fire. When I want a bit more attitude I use the Mule pedal as well. But for me this amp is all about it responding to my playing dynamics and it does that perfectly.
A tip if you have humbuckers - use the lo input jack - I find it gives much more character.
This is my first valve amp, but I'm still giving this an overall 10 because the sound is undeniably beautiful. The only amp I've ever seen that I'd want other than one of these is a Rivera Venus 6 - and they're more than twice the price.
I love the vintage looks and sound. It draws comments at most gigs. The L20H sounds great at all settings, but it's worth spending some time with it to find the sound in your head. It'll be well worth it.
