subversion
Moderator
LANEY LC 15R
List: $TBA
Are you still looking for that elusive, all valve practice amp & simply wish that your Fender Blues/ Pro Jr came with a drive option? Quit whining because the LC series by Laney are here. I’m not an eager fan of any EL84 equipped amp, more so if it’s a puny single-channeled offering in the guise of this LC15R- humbug!! However, I have repented…
Intro
The LC series by Laney are actually descendents to the VC offerings which look too vintage to some of us. In the LC, the player can look forward to a value-for-money all valve tone as all the models on offer are kept affordable, if you are looking for a boutique offering, you have to cross over to the VH/ TT series.
The recent revision in this series, which absolutely gets my thumbs up, are the Celestion speakers as default drivers which superseded Laney’s own Invader/ Premier models.
Features/ built
The LC15R is actually a reverb equipped sibling of the LC15. The latter is a reverbless unit & has no FX loop facility which I think is a waste- think of the tonal variation you can acquire if you hook up your FXs in parallel to your amp. The latter also has no footswitching option & that’s all the differences between them.
The LC15R is a single channeled amp, no manual references necessary to get it going. There is a bright switch to enhance your clean tones, the only switch on board to keep things really simple. The control knobs are the ‘chicken head’ version so grip-wise, it’s well facilitated. The amp is built like a tank with metal corner protectors because Laney knows that you are going to lug this amp around frequently, especially after trying it out & falling in love with it. On to tone then…
Tone
Clean, the LC15R is NOT a Fender Blues/ Pro Jr by any means, I don’t hear any chimey tones from this one- zilch. What Laney offers here is an above-average clean tone that would make you glad it doesn’t sound like a cheap starter unit, a clear & present standard indeed.
To activate the drive, you have to turn the gain up as no channel switching option is offered; I maxed it out for this audition & was taken aback by the clarity of it- superb!! You’d expect a very fuzzy response from the EL84 valves with the volume tuned up but it’s all too clear that amp engineering played a big part here.
Metal maniacs would doubt the LC15R’s drive in the first instance as the maximum gain on offer sounded a little lacking. Of course, with all tube amps, drive enhancement is via increased volume; true enough the LC15R turned into a menace instantly, no booster pedals required. All the intense distortion with clarity in tact, this little amp won my endless praise, drive-wise.
Last say
With the LC15R in the market, your hunt for an impressive, all valve practice amp is effectively over. Of course, the Fender Blues/ Pro Jr would easily beat the LC15R in terms of clean tone but the Laney has on-board drive on offer, which makes it a winner in my books. Personally, it’s a lesson learnt- never dismiss an amp by virtue of its default valves when engineering capacity is the overriding factor which delivers tone. The LC15R would have done better with channel switching so that we would not fumble when toggling between clean & driven tones but that’s where the LC30 comes in. Nevertheless, the LC15R is a British amp I’d welcome into my tone arsenal.
