Laney Ironheart Studio

[Stevepage]

Hey guys I've moved into my apartment recently and unfortunately my rig is too big to put anywhere without it getting in the way so I've got it up for sale at the moment.

Now I've been looking around at other amps and whats caught my eye is the Ironheart studio. Now one thing that's concerning me is, would it be loud enough for your typical pub sized gig? or playing with a loud drummer during rehearsals?

I've never gigged with anything less than 50 watts though I managed to get the 20watt Jet City amp I owned to be able to be heard over a loud drummer but would 15 watts be alright?

[Toe-Knee]

I have one of these in my sights also.

I have played one and it sounds great.

I only got it up halfway and it was loud enough to manage small gigs id say.

However once you get to about 2/3 of the way up it really starts to compress and mush up. What i would do in a live situation if i had to use one would be to use the emulated out into a PA to bring the volume up without it getting mushy.

This may not be an issue unless you are doing tight metal stuff though.

[Telerocker]

Didn't Lew had one that he returned?

[Dave Sloven]

Didn't Lew had one that he returned?

I'm pretty sure someone did.

Might be better off with something like a second-hand Peavey Classic and then put a distortion pedal in front of it.  Those things are pretty loud, so you'd have a lot more headroom.  Also the tweed is very br00tal

[Alex]

I had one for a short while, but didn't like it that much. I'd give it 7/10 as a rating - 8/10 if you're not bothered by the excessive amount of knobs and tonal options, which IMO did NOT make it easier to find the sounds you're looking for.

A lot of it though was down to the voicing and the playing feel, so highly subjective. I didn't like that it often felt quite dark and mellow and that I always felt a bit like I was trying to get a bit more edge and definition on rhythm playing. The clips from the bigger heads make it sound brighter and tighter, so that was a surprise. In the rather extreme EQ settings it also had quite a bit of hiss.
Overall though, most people would call it a good sounding amp, especially cleans and soloing. I don't know how it fares in a very loud setting though - since I only had 7 days to return it, I had to make my decision fairly quickly. One thing I also didn't like is that you had to leave that built-in boost "on" most of the time to make it sound proper on high gain, but if you switched to the clean channel it could be too loud/gainy.

The ENGL Ironball I have now is definitely a better-sounding amp - better cleans (and the Ironheart already had very good ones), better metal sounds, less noise. It's more towards the Mesa Rectifier sound though, and of course more expensive. My favs from the small package amps are:

ENGL Ironball
Mesa Rectifier Mini (I would have gotten this one if the ENGL hadn't delivered)
H&K Tubemeister series (this might be the best alternative to the Laney)
Orange Dark Terror (single channel only, but I think a extra EQ pedal in the loop or in front will unleash great sounds)
 

[Dave Sloven]

What about the recent Iommi signature 15W practice amp?  Is that a good alternative, given that it has the same power rating?

[Slartibartfarst42]

I honestly think you can't go wrong with a Peavey Classic 30. The basic tone is fantastic, it has excellent cleans, it's easily loud enough for gigs in pubs and it takes pedals well for all of your distortion needs. I'm happy with my Blackstar but if I was starting from scratch again, I'd be giving the Peavey some very serious consideration.

[Telerocker]

Didn't Lew had one that he returned?

Oops, it was Alex... :oops:

[Dave Sloven]

I honestly think you can't go wrong with a Peavey Classic 30. The basic tone is fantastic, it has excellent cleans, it's easily loud enough for gigs in pubs and it takes pedals well for all of your distortion needs. I'm happy with my Blackstar but if I was starting from scratch again, I'd be giving the Peavey some very serious consideration.

I've often wondered about a Peavey Classic 30.  The thing was very loud in the shop but obviously everything seems loud in the shop because it's a quiet environment.  Would it be louder than, say, a Laney Lionheart 20W head through a 212 cab?  Because mates of mine play with those in pubs and they get pretty loud.  It allows them to use power amp distortion too.  I had a chance to buy a brand new one for $700 and probably should have grabbed it ...

[Slartibartfarst42]

I find that with gigs it has to be a balance between what you'd like to use and what is practical. I used to use a Marshall 4X12 which sounded great but when you're playing in a 5-piece pub band, space is VERY limited so it just wasn't practical and it was a pain to transport that much. I also found that the bottom 2 speakers just went into everyone's legs and the floor so were no real use. Now I use a 1X12 combo on an angled amp stand and although the sound loses a bit of body, it's perfectly acceptable when playing in pubs and is a hell of a lot easier to transport and fit in the space. As for power, even at half way, my 60w becomes so loud it's painful and to be honest, the main reason I stick with it is that I like the tone and I like the convenience of a very effective boost function built in. The Classic 30 would have to be turned up a bit louder but 30w is still more than enough power for gigs in pubs and even small halls. I used to run a 40w and I could never get that anywhere close to full volume even in a hall for 400-500 people. The Laney would give you a bit more projection with twice the speakers but I doubt many people would notice a huge difference, especially if you're using the PA too. If you use the PA to help project the sound of your amp I can't see any huge advantage of carting around a huge cabinet. I know I'll never go back to a 4X12 and if I were to ever change my rig, it's probably the Classic 30 I'd buy with some good distortion and overdrive pedals.

[Telerocker]

I find that with gigs it has to be a balance between what you'd like to use and what is practical. I used to use a Marshall 4X12 which sounded great but when you're playing in a 5-piece pub band, space is VERY limited so it just wasn't practical and it was a pain to transport that much. I also found that the bottom 2 speakers just went into everyone's legs and the floor so were no real use. Now I use a 1X12 combo on an angled amp stand and although the sound loses a bit of body, it's perfectly acceptable when playing in pubs and is a hell of a lot easier to transport and fit in the space. As for power, even at half way, my 60w becomes so loud it's painful and to be honest, the main reason I stick with it is that I like the tone and I like the convenience of a very effective boost function built in. The Classic 30 would have to be turned up a bit louder but 30w is still more than enough power for gigs in pubs and even small halls. I used to run a 40w and I could never get that anywhere close to full volume even in a hall for 400-500 people. The Laney would give you a bit more projection with twice the speakers but I doubt many people would notice a huge difference, especially if you're using the PA too. If you use the PA to help project the sound of your amp I can't see any huge advantage of carting around a huge cabinet. I know I'll never go back to a 4X12 and if I were to ever change my rig, it's probably the Classic 30 I'd buy with some good distortion and overdrive pedals.

I have an ampstand lying around and two gigs ago I tried it once again during a small gig. Result: no ambiance and loss of bass. I've bought a 1x12 V30-loaded cab and put my amp on it. Sounds so much better, even at low volumes.
Btw, I recognize the problem with closed cabs on small stages. You have to stand at least 6 meters from the cab to hear all frequencies.

[Alex]

What about the recent Iommi signature 15W practice amp?  Is that a good alternative, given that it has the same power rating?

I don't know that one.

[Alex]

I find that with gigs it has to be a balance between what you'd like to use and what is practical. I used to use a Marshall 4X12 which sounded great but when you're playing in a 5-piece pub band, space is VERY limited so it just wasn't practical and it was a pain to transport that much. I also found that the bottom 2 speakers just went into everyone's legs and the floor so were no real use. Now I use a 1X12 combo on an angled amp stand and although the sound loses a bit of body, it's perfectly acceptable when playing in pubs and is a hell of a lot easier to transport and fit in the space. As for power, even at half way, my 60w becomes so loud it's painful and to be honest, the main reason I stick with it is that I like the tone and I like the convenience of a very effective boost function built in. The Classic 30 would have to be turned up a bit louder but 30w is still more than enough power for gigs in pubs and even small halls. I used to run a 40w and I could never get that anywhere close to full volume even in a hall for 400-500 people. The Laney would give you a bit more projection with twice the speakers but I doubt many people would notice a huge difference, especially if you're using the PA too. If you use the PA to help project the sound of your amp I can't see any huge advantage of carting around a huge cabinet. I know I'll never go back to a 4X12 and if I were to ever change my rig, it's probably the Classic 30 I'd buy with some good distortion and overdrive pedals.

4x12" are done IMO. Even for the most brutal death metal you don't need more than a small amp head and a 1x12" cab, which you can mike; many will only use modeller straight into the PA. It's a clear trend and the reason is that it is just a lot more sensible and sounds better onstage.

[Lew]

Nope, I didn't have one but I did play through a 50w Ironheart head awhile back (maybe why your confused) and I thought it was really good. I might be more tempted by the Orange Dark Terror at that price, though or better yet a used MATAMP minimat.

[Dave Sloven]

What about the recent Iommi signature 15W practice amp?  Is that a good alternative, given that it has the same power rating?

I don't know that one.

Here's a video with those annoying Anderton's blokes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlDS1h_IrUg