Tuesday, June 18, 2024

Lion & Iron


In recognition of Martin Miller's & Tom Quayle's love for their respective Laney amps, the manufacturer has collaborated with these master players to manifest amps in a pedal format.


The Martin Miller version is a repro of the Ironheart amp. Two channels are available for your various overdriven needs plus a boost option if things need to get over the top for some of us gain freaks. 


Over at the Tom Quayle end of things (Lionheart), there's more emphasis on clean tones hence the bright / dark modes on offer unlike the Ironheart's symmetrical / asymetrical clipping modes. Both pedals have onboard reverb to insinuate amp-like voicings as these are indeed amps in a pedal manifestation. 

My most likeable feature for these pedals is definitely the FX loop option. Amp geeks will get to fully enjoy the amp's powerful offerings while those of us who are busy keeping things colourful via pedal manipulations can let the loop section do its thing without interfering with the amp's front end. Be reminded that these pedals have no tubes whatsoever in their respective circuits so if they sound great or as convincing as the real tube amp counterparts, then the circuits were well designed to be mindful of such appreciations. I see this as a bold move by Laney, shoving non-tube amp stuff onto our tone platter because tone aficionados wouldn't settle for anything less than tube technology when it comes to amps. Emulation technology of late has shown how good non-tube tones could be so riding on this successful formula, names like Laney are smart to latch onto the hype while it lasts. 

Pics: Laney

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