Guitar Gear Forum

I've played the guitar since childhood, and also play a bunch of other instruments. Recently, I've become interested in the inner workings of amplifiers, but my knowledge of electronics is limited. Hoping to learn stuff and get advice from this great forum.

My main guitars are Fender Telecasters, and the amplifiers I use most are a Laney LC30-II (first version, with a Celestion G12-80) and a 70s Roland JC-120. I also have a Mesa/Boogie Subway Blues, a Fender Princeton Chorus and an old Roland Chorus Cube 40.

Welcome Sindre!

Welcome!

Norway is one of the places on top of my list of places i need to visit.

Ruiner wrote:Welcome!

Norway is one of the places on top of my list of places i need to visit.

Cool! You can stay at out now hommie Sindre's house!

Thank you, everyone! Yes, I am lucky to come from and live in this beautiful country. But the temperatures may take some getting used to. Yesterday, it was 8 degrees Celsius (46 F) here in Oslo, and it snowed a lot in the mountains.

Welcome to one of the least douchey guitar forums I've ever been a part of.

That is definitely my impression too. Looking forward to hanging out here.

one of those Subway Blues. It was a sweet little amp.

It is very well built and breaks up nicely, but I find it too dominated by mids and lacking in high end for my taste. I tried changing the speaker to a Jensen Mod 10-35, which has sparkling highs and relaxed mids, but it helped only so much. But I guess it is very suitable for blues and classic rock.

Sindre wrote:Thank you, everyone! Yes, I am lucky to come from and live in this beautiful country. But the temperatures may take some getting used to. Yesterday, it was 8 degrees Celsius (46 F) here in Oslo, and it snowed a lot in the mountains.

Welcome to one of the least douchey guitar forums I've ever been a part of.

That is definitely my impression too. Looking forward to hanging out here.

one of those Subway Blues. It was a sweet little amp.

It is very well built and breaks up nicely, but I find it too dominated by mids and lacking in high end for my taste. I tried changing the speaker to a Jensen Mod 10-35, which has sparkling highs and relaxed mids, but it helped only so much. But I guess it is very suitable for blues and classic rock.

I love cold weather... i'm sure i'd feel differently living in it every day but i hate the 1/2 the year in Texas... despise it.

I don't mind the cold winters and chilly springs and autumns, but it's supposed to be summer now, and it isn't.

i hate the 1/2 the year in Texas... despise it.

I can only imagine how that is ... last summer we had a month of more than 30 C (86 F) here, and that was rather awful. But I guess that's chilly compared to the summers you're used to.

Sindre wrote:I don't mind the cold winters and chilly springs and autumns, but it's supposed to be summer now, and it isn't.

i hate the 1/2 the year in Texas... despise it.

I can only imagine how that is ... last summer we had a month of more than 30 C (86 F) here, and that was rather awful. But I guess that's chilly compared to the summers you're used to.

It's gotta be in the 70's at the most for me to enjoy weather. 80's is bearable. 90's suck. 100's is shoot yourself in the head unless you're in a body of water somewhere. We get into the 100's a lot.

It's gotta be in the 70's at the most for me to enjoy weather. 80's is bearable. 90's suck. 100's is shoot yourself in the head unless you're in a body of water somewhere. We get into the 100's a lot.

Sounds like Norway would be a better place for you. The warmest ever measured is 96 F, but that is not at all usual. A typical, good summer's day would be 75 F. But don't go to Finnmark (northernmost county), the lowest winter temperature ever measured there is minus 60 F (!)

Ruiner wrote:

Sindre wrote:I don't mind the cold winters and chilly springs and autumns, but it's supposed to be summer now, and it isn't.

i hate the 1/2 the year in Texas... despise it.

I can only imagine how that is ... last summer we had a month of more than 30 C (86 F) here, and that was rather awful. But I guess that's chilly compared to the summers you're used to.

It's gotta be in the 70's at the most for me to enjoy weather. 80's is bearable. 90's suck. 100's is shoot yourself in the head unless you're in a body of water somewhere. We get into the 100's a lot.

You're in the wrong state.

Hey Sindre, you know any of the guys in The Dirty Callahans?

Telephant wrote:

Ruiner wrote:

Sindre wrote:I don't mind the cold winters and chilly springs and autumns, but it's supposed to be summer now, and it isn't.

i hate the 1/2 the year in Texas... despise it.

I can only imagine how that is ... last summer we had a month of more than 30 C (86 F) here, and that was rather awful. But I guess that's chilly compared to the summers you're used to.

It's gotta be in the 70's at the most for me to enjoy weather. 80's is bearable. 90's suck. 100's is shoot yourself in the head unless you're in a body of water somewhere. We get into the 100's a lot.

You're in the wrong state.

Hey Sindre, you know any of the guys in The Dirty Callahans?

Don't i know it.... i would have been gone to the mountains a long time ago if i didn't have such a good job.

Welcome fellow Laney boy!

The LC30 is pretty nice.

Hey Sindre, you know any of the guys in The Dirty Callahans?

Afraid not. I have friends in common with a couple of the guys, but that's it. You know them?

Welcome fellow Laney boy!

Thank you! Not too many of us, at least not where I'm from.

The LC30 is pretty nice.

Indeed! The clean sound is my ideal clean, really. But it comes stock with rather shitty tubes, at least mine did. And the reverb is so-so. It's not great for high-gain, though, but I don't use obscene amounts of amp distortion anymore, so that's no problem. Which Laney(s) do you play?

Sindre wrote:

Welcome fellow Laney boy!

Thank you! Not too many of us, at least not where I'm from.

The LC30 is pretty nice.

Indeed! The clean sound is my ideal clean, really. But it comes stock with rather shitty tubes, at least mine did. And the reverb is so-so. It's not great for high-gain, though, but I don't use obscene amounts of amp distortion anymore, so that's no problem. Which Laney(s) do you play?

I first owned a LC50 head (LH50R) and then bought a GH50L. The GH50L led me to the VH100R because I essentially wanted the best of the LC50 and GH50L worlds, which is exactly what the VH100R delivered only better.

I imagine that the LC30 does a better mid gain than the LC50 ever did from what I read about the 30's design. And yeah, Laney does not put good tubes or pair the right speaker with these particular lines of amps. They might be doing better now with their HH speakers but I've never heard them.

FWIW, I've learned that Laneys do really (like extremely) well with gold pin JJ tubes and WGS British Lead 80 speakers. The greenback/creamback speakers are killer for getting a Laney sounding a lot more like a classic Marshall, and since the LC30 is a modernized AC30 type of amp I can only imagine it would still be true with your amp since the AC30 and greenback pairing is also a classic winner. I would burn that G12-80, personally.

I imagine that the LC30 does a better mid gain than the LC50 ever did

Yes, I think that is one of its strengths. I played on a LC50 in a rehearsal room years ago, and could never get the same kind of crunch that my LC30 could deliver.

Laneys do really (like extremely) with gold pin JJ tubes

That is exactly what I use, I have JJs both in preamp (gold pins) and power amp. The sound immediately changed from decent, but a bit strained, one-dimensional, opaque and never quite crystal clean with the stock Sovteks to shimmering, warm and bright with the JJs. I had no idea tubes could make such a difference when I did that upgrade.

AC30 type of amp I can only imagine it would still be true with your amp since the AC30 and greenback pairing is also a classic winner.

Yes, I've been considering that, being a great fan of 60s British tone and AC30 in particular. But what I play now really needs clean headroom, little coloration and a wide frequency range, and the G12H-80 is about just that. But now you inspired me to try vintagey speakers again, I think I'll get a 2x12 or maybe a 4 x 10 greenback-equipped extension cabinet.

I've never tried the VH100R, but that looks like a serious tone machine. How's the clean tone?

If you want to learn about tube amps I recommend picking up a copy of " THE GUITAR AMP HANDBOOK" by Dave Hunter. You should be able to find it online, just do a Google search. It's excellent and walks you through amp circuits from input to output. It starts with very simple amps like the Fender Princeton and covers slightly more complicated designs as you go. It's 240 pages with lots of pictures and if you read it cover to cover you will have a real good understanding of what makes a tube amp work.

Riffraff wrote::welcome:

If you want to learn about tube amps I recommend picking up a copy of " THE GUITAR AMP HANDBOOK" by Dave Hunter. You should be able to find it online, just do a Google search. It's excellent and walks you through amp circuits from input to output. It starts with very simple amps like the Fender Princeton and covers slightly more complicated designs as you go. It's 240 pages with lots of pictures and if you read it cover to cover you will have a real good understanding of what makes a tube amp work.

Magic. It's fucking magic dude, come on. We all know that by now.