Laney LC30 Mk1 Upgrades??

[MrPring]

Hey guys ive had the laney for about 18 months now.

Im going to be putting it in for a revalve and service anytime soon and as my ears get a bit better (i think!) im starting to hear a few limitations of the beast.

The speaker doesnt seem to be very dynamic and sounds somewhat muffled so im looking to upgrade to a celestion vintage 30 speaker but because the laney is a bright amp would this combination work? There are people recommending the Jenson 12" ceramic speaker but i havent heard this in action so cant comment.

Also the valves. Im fairly happy with the current valve set up (which is stock) however reading harmony central it seems that alot of people are upgrading the valves to JJ electronics ones. Again not having heard these im looking for help.

Also if you think im a fool to upgrade this great amp, then please speak up. Im a noob and im relatively inexperienced with this valve amp lark

Sorry for the long post but thanks in advance for the help!!

[Twinfan]

My opinion, for what it's worth!

I use Vintage 30s exclusively for gigging in my 'DC band and I love the big sound you get from them.  Very full, bright and '3D'.  A lot of people say they're harsh and shrill but I've never found that.  Just watch your amp settings.  However, you've only got a 30w amp so you could get away with a lower output speaker if you wanted too.  A Celestion G12H might also be a good choice for classic rock?

I've been experimenting with valves in my Epiphone Valve Junior combo recently and to my ears the most musical sounding ECC83 (12AX7) is the JJ.  That would get my vote, and will be my choice of replacement next time I need some in my Laney Klipp heads.  I'm using a Mesa EL84 in my EVJ at the moment which sounds good enough at low volumes but is a bit harsh as you crank the gain.  It's certainly clearer and less harsh than the original Sovtek though.  I'm tempted to try a JJ in my EVJ and if I were you I'd go for those in your Laney too.

Let us know what you go for!

[_tom_]

I'm using a G12H with my Laney GH50L, and it took ages to break in before it started sounding nicer (was harsh to begin with), but now it sounds great. All the Laney clips in the link in my sig were done when mic'ing the G12H..

[HTH AMPS]

definately go with the G12H-30, its a great rock speaker and even sounds good for metal (imo).  break-in time depends on how loud you play - the ones I put in my old Bluesbreaker only took a couple of weeks but I was cranking the shite out of it two or three times a week for three hours at a time.  I never thought they were 'harsh', the mids were certainly a bit forward at first but that soon changed when they settled in.

As for EL84s, you really can't go wrong with the JJs.  I can't think of another current production EL84 to beat it for sound, reliability or construction.

 :twisted:

[MrPring]

Hey guys thanks for the tips.

I've decided on the valves and am now stuck on the speaker choice.

I also emailed a JJ distributer in the US (www.eurotubes.com) and got a reply within 6 hours!

Heres the email in full which hopefully might be some use to others on here:

Hi Rob:

Your Laney uses four 12AX7's and a quad of EL84's so I would go with a matched quad of the JJ EL84's that are a #28 to #32 and four of the JJ ECC83S preamp tubes. These will smooth out and thicken up the drive channel and give a nice warm clean tone with a lot of sparkle. I would also use a graded and balanced ECC83S in the phase splitter hole which is the preamp tube that's closest to the power tubes. This will eliminate any dead spots and really make the amp sing.

So most of the artists you referenced play fairly high gain sounds so you may be interested in using the high gain ECC83S’s unless you use pedals for added drive. The high gain ECC83S's have about 10% more gain than standards which adds a bit of bite and a sharper dynamic but does not hurt the clean tone. The other attribute that these tubes have is a faster filament rise time which is great for an EVH, Petrucci or Satriani type style and is also good for fast palm mute styles. If you decide to use these you can use them in all four positions with one balanced for V4 which would add 13.00 to the cost below.

A full retube with a quad of the JJ EL84’s and four ECC83S’s with one balanced would run 71.00 and we can ship and insure them by Priority mail for 6.50 with a 3 day delivery anywhere in the US.

If you want to take the amp to the next level then a speaker change will do it. I do like Vintage 30’s in closed back cabs but I don’t care for them in open back combo’s, I much prefer the Webers.

For years we have been sending our customers to Weber for speakers because we simply feel that they are the best sounding and best made. Weber custom builds all of their speakers so it takes about two weeks after you order and then a week to ship. A lot of our customers didn’t want to wait that long so we decided to become a Weber dealer and to carry some select models.

Our favorites are the Blue Dog and Silver Bell and these are available without the wait! The Blue Dog is a very full sounding speaker with lots of high end sparkle and detail where the Silver Bell has a bit less high end and the same big full sound with a bit more low end. Both are far superior to the stock PV speaker. The ceramic versions of these are 105.00 or the Alnico versions are 180.00 and will breakup a little sooner than the ceramic. Shipping runs between 10.00 to 20.00 depending on how fast you want one and where you are.

If you decide to place an order you can do so online ( http://www.eurotubes.com/euro-order.htm ). This is a Comodo certified secure system, but please don't feel obligated to order online you are always welcome to just give us a call at 503-659-7401 during business hours which are from 9AM to 6PM west coast time to place an order personally. You can also place an order by FAX at 503-659-7385. All that's necessary is your shipping address and a VISA, MC, Discover or American Express number including the expiration date. If you decide to order by phone during business hours and you get our voice mail, leave a number and we will call you back!

Thanks

Bob

-----Original Message-----
From: Rob Whytock [mailto:robwhytock@hotmail.com]
Sent: Thursday, February 15, 2007 7:37 AM
To: eurotubes@cnnw.net
Subject: Laney LC30 Mk1 Upgrades

Hey guys

I've just stumbled onto your site and i must say it has really opened my eyes!

The reason for emailing is that im contemplating upgrading my Laney to
include the JJ tubes.

As it stands at the moment the amp has a set of 4 ECC83's in the pre-amp and

4 EL84's in the power amp.

The stock tubes are good but they are not great and do not have as much

definition in them as i would like. I am contemplating upgrading the stock
speaker (which is garbage) to a Celestion vintage 30. The stock speaker does result in a muffled sound somewhat i believe. I play modern and vintage rock and some metal. Think bands like Biffy Clyro, Maiden, Nirvana, Sabbath and occassionally new Green day.

Im looking for some valves that will be able to handle both modern and
vintage gain but also still enabling me to use the clean channel. I also use
a Monte Allum DS-1 for some songs so i wont be relying solely on the amp for gain.

I would very much appreciate your advice if you have the time.

Thanks

Rob Whytock

[noodleplugerine]

He's really trying his hardest for that sale :P

Good job finding an interested sales man! :D

[apmaman]

Talk about customer support!

Watching this thread closely since im considering getting a new Laney LC-30 or 15.


p.s good to see another Scot on here!! You're just up the road from me

[MrPring]

Haha yeh he does seem keen but the prices are very competitive once ive included shipping and converted to real money.

But he does know his stuff so fair play to the guy. Id rather help out the smaller businesses then spend my money down the local sound control or other horrible chains like that.

There are quite a few Scots on the board so we are quite well represented!

[noodleplugerine]

Haha yeh he does seem keen but the prices are very competitive once ive included shipping and converted to real money.

But he does know his stuff so fair play to the guy. Id rather help out the smaller businesses then spend my money down the local sound control or other horrible chains like that.

There are quite a few Scots on the board so we are quite well represented!

+1

I've decided Sound Control are a bunch of cruel Demons sent from Guitar Hell :<

[apmaman]

Soundcontrol is basicaly PC World with guitars. They try to push the sale far too much plus the one in Dundee is basicaly "You cant play it unless you have the money to buy it right now." Total gay for me since im a poor student! Not everyone can afford a 3/400 quid amp straight off.

[HTH AMPS]

maybe the one in Dundee is different, but the Sound Control shops in Newcastle, Stockton and Glasgow are all well-stocked with a wide range of guitars and amps at competitive prices.  I've always found them to be very helpfull too (no I don't work for SC either).

 :twisted:

[MrPring]

yeh the one in dundee is hellish, they totally look down their nose at you if you ask for their advice and they arnt too keen on letting you try out stuff. Theres a great shop in perth called bandwagon and they are the total opposite although they are a realy small shop so have to order in most stuff. When i lived in leeds there was a massive shop called academy of sound and they were awesome, cheap and great customer service. Ive not been in since sound control bought them out but have heard from friends that its not good now.

just my opinion tho!

[LazyNinja]

yeh the one in dundee is hellish, they totally look down their nose at you if you ask for their advice and they arnt too keen on letting you try out stuff. Theres a great shop in perth called bandwagon and they are the total opposite although they are a realy small shop so have to order in most stuff. When i lived in leeds there was a massive shop called academy of sound and they were awesome, cheap and great customer service. Ive not been in since sound control bought them out but have heard from friends that its not good now.

just my opinion tho!

Academy was ace. I agree its not as good since the buyout and the prices went up massively. They stopped taking part ex's and used gears too :(
There is a really good shop in Huddersfield btw small but cheap and helpful.

[twangmeister]

For my two cents worth I might add that I have dealt with Bob from Eurotubes a couple of times, and his product and service is first class. I have a Laney LC30 that was in serious need of some TLC, previous owner was a Shadows fan and only ever used clean channel! I installed a full set of JJ/Tesla tubes from Bob (Oregon USA to west coast of Australia in 6 days) and the difference was amazing. I also ditched the stock H|H 'Invader' speaker for a Jensen C12R ceramic, not the most expensive speaker around but a very good match for this amp. The effect of these mods has been like giving my amp a dose of Viagra - it just wants to keep on going harder and longer.
Listen to Bob Pletka's advice - he knows his stuff and will give you upfront honest opinions about any tube amp and how you can get the best out of it.  He now has 'tubes for Laney amps' page on his website especially tailored for LC30/LC50 and VC30/VC50 amps.
I did the sums and the cost of ordering these, including the airfreight, was pretty much half the cost of going to my local music shop and buying rubbish brand tubes with no advice or knowledge behind them.
My amp will now eat a stock AC30 or Hotrod Deville 40 for breakfast, in terms of pure tone and punch.