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MGR/Brent « Laney VC30 »
Published on 03/07/04 at 15:00Bought in Sydney for AU$1400. I needed an amp that sounds good and suits my plauing style.
It is very basic and simple amp with an incredible sound. Some say the drive isn't enough, but I find this very strange because I never go ever 2/3 and can do any type of lead in this setting. This amp is not for people who can't play well as the amp will show all bad playing very clearly. However for people who play well (like me), this amp is a "god sent". It lets me do things like subtle expressions etc like no other amp and I've had a lot of them the high end ones and actually have sold my Fender to replace it by V30. The sound is full, thick and bright yet creamy. It's loud enough for any un-miked gig. Like I said it is simple amp and that's what I likwe about it. No nonsense like EQ or multiple tone or drive controls which when it comes to live playing often become more of a pain than a usefull features. I wanted a great sound in a siple package and VC30 is just that.
Nothing I don't like about it when it comes to usability, sound and operation.
Oh yeah there is one thing. The big LANEY plastic logo makes the amp look "cheap" in my opinon and doesn't reflect it's sound quality. I wish they used smaller chrome logo. I took it off and replaced it with nice old tube radio badge. Now it looks as it sounds - personal thing really....
Ok, I hate the handle because it's too soft and bends too much while carying the amp and that hurts my hand. I've fixed that by strapping rod over it so it done't bend and it's great now.
The Tolex covering is not thick enough and can tear easy but it's not a reall problem and if it brings the price of the amp down I'm all for it.
The amp chassis get very hot and being an tube amp builder my self I know that is not that great for component life in the long run. I've installed smal PC fan at the bottom rear of the cabinet and now it's fine and I feel better.
What I don't like the most is that the new model 2003? don't use HH Invader speaker anymore but apparently Celestion. With this new speaker the VC30 seems to lose some of the live sound and I think I'd be forced to buy 2th hand amp if something happend to mine.
Apart from that I've had this amp for nearly two years and so far no problem eccept one tube blown in the first 6 moth of usage. It was a faulty one because the plates got loose and shorted the tube.
If I'll need to buy another amp again it'll be VC30 and nothing else. I play with a lot of people who use Fenders, after one rehearsal with me some of them wen't out and bought VC30. What else is there to say?
Last thing I'd like to add is amnp might not be for everyone. If you want Marshal or Fender sound get those. You won't get VC30 to sound like them, it's an amp in class of it's own and the only thing that comes close to is
AC30.
This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com
It is very basic and simple amp with an incredible sound. Some say the drive isn't enough, but I find this very strange because I never go ever 2/3 and can do any type of lead in this setting. This amp is not for people who can't play well as the amp will show all bad playing very clearly. However for people who play well (like me), this amp is a "god sent". It lets me do things like subtle expressions etc like no other amp and I've had a lot of them the high end ones and actually have sold my Fender to replace it by V30. The sound is full, thick and bright yet creamy. It's loud enough for any un-miked gig. Like I said it is simple amp and that's what I likwe about it. No nonsense like EQ or multiple tone or drive controls which when it comes to live playing often become more of a pain than a usefull features. I wanted a great sound in a siple package and VC30 is just that.
Nothing I don't like about it when it comes to usability, sound and operation.
Oh yeah there is one thing. The big LANEY plastic logo makes the amp look "cheap" in my opinon and doesn't reflect it's sound quality. I wish they used smaller chrome logo. I took it off and replaced it with nice old tube radio badge. Now it looks as it sounds - personal thing really....
Ok, I hate the handle because it's too soft and bends too much while carying the amp and that hurts my hand. I've fixed that by strapping rod over it so it done't bend and it's great now.
The Tolex covering is not thick enough and can tear easy but it's not a reall problem and if it brings the price of the amp down I'm all for it.
The amp chassis get very hot and being an tube amp builder my self I know that is not that great for component life in the long run. I've installed smal PC fan at the bottom rear of the cabinet and now it's fine and I feel better.
What I don't like the most is that the new model 2003? don't use HH Invader speaker anymore but apparently Celestion. With this new speaker the VC30 seems to lose some of the live sound and I think I'd be forced to buy 2th hand amp if something happend to mine.
Apart from that I've had this amp for nearly two years and so far no problem eccept one tube blown in the first 6 moth of usage. It was a faulty one because the plates got loose and shorted the tube.
If I'll need to buy another amp again it'll be VC30 and nothing else. I play with a lot of people who use Fenders, after one rehearsal with me some of them wen't out and bought VC30. What else is there to say?
Last thing I'd like to add is amnp might not be for everyone. If you want Marshal or Fender sound get those. You won't get VC30 to sound like them, it's an amp in class of it's own and the only thing that comes close to is
AC30.
This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com