Laney for Metal> help please guys!

[gorath23]

Hey guys, it seems like theres a lot of love for Laney on this site so hopefully you can help me out! Basically I'm looking for a small valve combo to replace my Marshall AVT100 which is barely loud enough for bedroom use let alone gigging  :roll: . I'm predominantly a metal player but I prefer a more classic lead 80's/ early 90's sound rather than Nu Metal or Modern Death etc. Think Opeth/ Death/ Maiden/ early Metallica. The only thing in my price range that seems vaguely suitable is the Laney LC30-II, I can't seem to find any valve metal amps below the crazy 100 watt Mesa/ Marshall etc. I know that the Laney doesn't have  a huge amount of 'chug' but I use an EHX Metal Muff for my distortion anyway plus I have a new Celestion G12K-100 speaker which would beef up the sound a bit. I particularly liked the idea of the Laney because I need decent clarity for riffing and solos. Any comments on this setup or recommendations for 30/40w valve amps under £350? Thanks! James

[dave_mc]

you might be able to get a gh50L head for around £350, though you'd need to get a cab for that as well...

the lc and vc amps aren't really aimed at metal, to be honest...

[BloodMountain]

OPETH!!! YEEEAAHHH!!! love their sound. the GH50L is your best bet. the ONLY downside is the fact that it is single channel, but i will live with that! loads of reviews say it is great for death metal, so Death and Opeth are covered!
there are loads of Laney users on this forum such as _tom_ and Davey. they will help you for sure. im getting a GH50L to get Opeth's tone myself =)

EDIT: i meant Death metal in a vintage way, both Death and Opeth's tones are considered slightly vintagey, so you should be happy with the results. i will be.

[gorath23]

Really, damn........ I'm a bit of a noob when it comes to valves, presumably even with the pedal and speaker it won't work well with metal levels of gain/ EQ settings? To be honest I was pushing my budget with the LC30 so a Head and cab is really out of the question, plus I only have a small car so I need a portable rig.

[Davey]

a VC30 + marshall guv'nor i played through umm.. last year? or thereabouts, yielded an amazing gain sound, great for old school metal.

i was surprised actualy. it sounded REALY good. so i think it'll do you good.

there is always second hand.. you can get lucky like i did and get an insane deal

[BloodMountain]

look at GH50Ls on eBay... about 200 each second hand. very cheap, all valve (i think). about portability... you could get a head and a 2x12 cabinet, not a big 4x12 one that would never fit in your car.

[Davey]

the GH's are all valve yes.



i say, look for a VC30 on ebay/localy.. or LC50 (preferably 1st version.. better trannies -  though the 2nd isnt shabby at all)
and then get a pedal like the guv'nor (i played with the 2nd issue guv'nor). it will nail maiden, i assure you (donnington era.. for the early albums, you need magic .. and a deep pocket.. and their recording rig.. lol)
the cleans are also good, and those are half of the opeth sound, the gain tones, when pushed with a pedal are immense (just check my clips).

[gorath23]

Yeah I had kinda said that I wouldn't buy secondhand just due to the fact that you have no guarentee over how long the valves etc are going to last and I really can't afford revalving. If I was ok with that I think I'd just buy a JCM900 combo :oops: I really wanted to buy new. If a VC could produce old school metal tones then surely an LC would be even better? I mainly focus on lead playing rather than rhythm anyway so I don't need bucketloads of bottom end. I really want clarity and sustain. Oh and I had a Jackhammer pedal and didn't really like it so I'm not sure about the Guvnor, plus I love my Metal Muff, it has the perfect sound for me.

[headtheball]

I play stoner stuff with a VC-30 and a straight boost pedal. Grab the Metal muff and guitar and give one a rattle in your local shop. You may be pleasantly surprised. The gain will be there, hopefully, although  a cheapo eq pedal in the FX loop might help with chuggification.


For myself, I'm using the 2x12 VC-30, with a 1x15 out-of-a-junk-shop bass cab as an extension cabinet, behringer boost (a whole 15 quid), and it really gets that early-sabbath tone, going right to Kyuss type crunching death with more boost.

[gorath23]

Thanks for the responses guys, Yeah I'm thinking it may be a case of making it work, or find the best if not ideal fit. As regards the EQ pedal, how would this help out, can't I just fiddle about with the amp and distortion pedal knobs to balance it all out? It's a really annoying situation to be in, I'm on the cusp between transistor and valve in terms of gigging/commitment and tone needs but manufacturers seem to think that metal heads only want or need 100w Stacks!! Crazy... I'd never need 85% of that power. Thing is I'm actually pretty happy with my current tone but its just volume wise I need a fair bit more for gigging.

[Davey]

VC30 w/ pedal does metal. don't worry

[38thBeatle]

I got a VC30 for £165.00 off Ebay -t'was a steal. I am thinking of getting a 2 x 10 extension. The 2 x 10 combos are reputedly the best but you have to get them with the Jenson speakers -I played mine alongside someone elses H/H loaded VC30 and mine blew his away.I am not sure about metal but bow to Davey's knowledge as I don't play metal.

[gorath23]

OK thanks man, hmm its a bit of a gamble though as I don't know where I could test one out, certainly not with being able to crank it up and put the pedal in front of it. So just basically would a VC30 be better for metal than a LC30 and as regards speakers would it be advisable to swap for something more metal orientated? Sorry for all the questions but as I said its a weird situation to be in!

[38thBeatle]

Have you checked the Laney site for a list of dealers. You can then have a go and maybe take along a suitable pedal.

[gorath23]

Thanks for the tip, I just looked and it came up with 0 hits in my area, so guess thats a no :lol: