Loud prices

A quick price updates on these pedals as they are now available at Davis GMC: $550 ea. Yes, at this price you can easily get an amp. Then again, these are indeed amplifiers (without the cabs).

 

Pic: GPX

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

Lead & dual

Latest goodies from Laney - The IRF Leadtop. This is a non-tube affair & an affordable one as well ($280). Single channel, two modes.

Its bigger sibling, the Dualtop ($390) offers 2 channels & both are available at Davis GMC now. Word is, the clean tones from these two are some of the best a non-tube unit could offer. That, plus some furious driven tones should get your attention. Watch this first: CLICK

Pics: Laney

Lari Basilio @ SG

Took some time away from the usual evening routine to attend this clinic. Post-chemo, I'm not used to bright lights & strobe effects, most of the time, I'm trying not to look at the performance spot but being there in person to watch Lari play was time well spent.

Besides the usual gear talk, Lari highlighted the fact that she was in the legal sector prior to the 100% music immersion. One of the attendees asked for advice pertaining to embracing music as a career & the reply was kinda expected - go with your dreams, everything else will fall in place. However, doing so in this country requires tremendous re-thinking. There is no real dedication for sports & the Arts here. Everything you see thrust upon you is a clever facade of hope & liveliness, making ends meet & keeping up with costs are the essence of life in this country. Ironically, sports & the Arts were made to serve the escapist avenue from the rat race as full time athletes & artists continue to struggle. The ones who made it big are perhaps 5% of those who tread this path. 

A big thanks to Davis GMC for making this event happen. I enjoy clinics as opposed to concerts or live performances as I value artist - fans interaction; there's always good take aways & knowledge exchanges. 

Foundry

Laney had been teasing this for the last week or so. It's called the Ironheart Foundry Loudpedal, a 3-in-1 unit which allows you to: 1) Use it as an amp. That's right, 60W of force right there at your feet 2) Plug it in as a DI unit so it goes straight to the mixing desk 3) A regular effects unit. Well heck, it allows you to plug in your headphones for silent practice when the need arises. When you're done reading this, please know that it's already available at Davis GMC (List: $250).

Pic: Laney

LX!

This thing is a beast. It's the Laney LX10,  the most diminutive combo in the Laney catalog that requires a plug in. 10W of power & a mere 5" driver. Controls are minimal; Volume, bass & treble. No distortion control despite having a dirty channel. The limitations are obvious but if you wish for good projection, clarity but nothing excessively bright & hopeless, this should be a good consideration. Available at Davis GMC (List: $65)

Selling: Amps

Since I have no plug-able acoustics any more, it's time to move on so the Fender Acoustasonic (severely under-played) will be let off for a good price. That Laney LX-35 there belongs to Beez, who is letting it go as well due to unforeseen circumstances. Putting up a good word for him since I've tried the amp & it's definitely worth the asking price.

Fender Acoustasonic 15 (15W practice amp)

• 15W practice unit in 8.5/10 condition
• Self-collect @ CCK mrt stn
• No reservations/ trades
• Queries/ confirmation: subversion.sg@gmail.com
• Price: $100 (final, non-nego)

Item SOLD 😁 7/12/2019

Laney LX-35 (35W combo)

• 35W practice combo in camo finish
• 8/10 condition
• Self-collect @ Beez's workshop (Excelsior Shopping Center)
• Contact: 9-77-326-33
• Price: $100

Selling: Laney IRT Studio (15W) (SOLD)

Also on the to-go list, my Laney IRT Studio. 15W of power but actually sounds louder. One of the best cleans coming from a high gain amp type.

• Laney IRT Studio (15W)
• Included: Bag, power plug, footswitch
• Condition: 8.5/10
• Self-collect: CCK mrt stn
• Queries/ reservations: subversion.sg@gmail.com
• No reservations/ trades
• Price: $380 (FINAL, non-nego)

Item SOLD: 21/9/19 😎

BC trio

A very functional trio by Laney's Black Country label. From L-R, we have a boost, OD & a reverb unit. From the initial demo clips, they sound good & I'm rather attracted to the reverb. I've not heard something as appealing as Strymon's BlueSky unit but that one's too much money for something that I would use on occasion. The Second Path might be a good alternative. A little concerned with those control knobs as they block the pedals' labels. 

Mini roaring

Just have to get this 😄

Laney minis

These debuted at the recently concluded Winter NAMM 2018- the Laney minis. Comes in two versions; the Mini & Mini-ST. Since the success of Blackstar's FLY3 desktop unit, I've been anticipating a rival offering. BOSS' Katana Mini offers a serious challenge & perhaps these Laney offerings might be another. Good to know they will be available at Davis GMC. 

Tom Quayle @ SG

I was at the Tom Quayle guitar clinic last night, a very cosy venue & great acoustics to boot 👍

This was Mr. Quayle's set up, the fact that we could hear him through both his amp & the monitors meant it was a great surround sound experience. 

The t-shirt inclusion was unexpected.

Tom Quayle is a very technical guitar proponent. There is no letting down when it comes to theory so things could get very technical, very quickly but it didn't. This is where the skilful teacher weaves his magic. Tom Quayle put forth his theoretical grasps conceptually; spatial relationship, visual relationship & repetitions were among some interesting approaches served. The good teacher made sure information overload was dealt with via bite size servings. Complexity made simple. Done. This was my main take away from this session, coming from a non-musical background, there is much respite dealing with music this way. How would you approach the guitar your way because your way would be the best way for you.

Kudos to Davis GMC for  not pulling off (no pun intended) a hard selling stance to push the Laney products through. In fact, there was scant commercial dealings to begin with but we know that, through last night's experience, Laney's Lionheart amp is one of the best value-for-money unit out there in terms of pristine clean tones, the other side of Fender. Awesome! 

Quayle in the city: Confirmed

Alright, it's been confirmed 👍 Please proceed to Davis GMC's homepage & click the banner for ticketing details: CLICK

Headache

It had not been a good weekend but the bitter episodes are over. I'm not complaining too much because unforeseen circumstances were beyond my control. I just see it through. It's a matter of riding the hard times; it won't last forever.

These are 2 of my amps with crushing distortion on board, both deal with ferocity but they are worlds apart. The EVH is a beast. The industry knows its reputation in appeasing the heavy metal masses & has no plans to tame it despite the current manifestation of a clean channel (LBX II). The Ironheart has a distinctive bark that separates it from being recognized as a State-side tone. Strangely, its clean voicing hold its own. 

My point of bringing up an amp discussion in this entry- we sometimes look too much to our guitars for tonal preferences. In my books, amps play a more significant role in shaping tone than guitars. Consider the fact that a not-so-fantastic guitar would sound amazing through a good amp than a costly-highly-customized guitar through a sub-standard amp. However, we often keep buying guitars as opposed to spending good money on amps. Psychologically, the guitar is more attached to us physically & give an immediate reward in terms of affiliation & recognition. We need not play well but being seen with a badass guitar somewhat alleviates us in terms if being up there on guitar mountain & looking down at the rest of the world. But being up there without being heard is a fatal embrace. That's where a good amp comes into the picture. 

So friends, if you think you are sick & tired of guitar assortments, channel your funds to amps instead. These days, good amps won't cost you a kidney, they are out there waiting to be discovered. The issue with many of us is, we restrict ourselves in terms brand names & do not take time to hear them in action. 

Wishing you a good week ahead. 🎸

Laney: IRT Pulse

This is the talk of the moment; Laney had shrunk their Ironheart technology to pedal size so you can incorporate it into your line up. Adding to that, its ability to be connected to your music software so the tone lives in your virtual world as well. If you are interested in one, do head down to Davis GMC & they are selling fast.

Laney: Ironheart Pulse

Availability: Davis GMC

Price: $245

Laney: Desktop ironing

This is the talk of town now- Laney's Ironheart Pulse. It's a desktop interface (nothing new) but it features Laney's acclaimed Ironheart drive & those are indeed caged-up pre-amp tubes; the ECC83. In addition to the digital applications, this pedal will double up as your proverbial booster but keep in mind that it needs its isolated power supply. 

Digital interfaces, tube-laden pre-amp boosters- these ideas aren't new but we acknowledge the fact that Laney has added its own signature to the fold. It's a matter of convincing us, players, it'll do good to our tone rather than clutter our boards.

Laney: IRT30

In another goodness-in-smaller-serving news, Laney now offers its flagship Ironheart amp in a 30W combo. It's a 1x12 take so you get a full-sounding amp with no compromise in tone. It's also one of those mean-sounding amps with lush cleans so you get the best of both worlds & that's your money's worth, right there. More importantly, the attenuator effect's kept in tact so you can unleash your distortion fury at lower settings. Another bedroom winner here :-)

Laney: Budget Iommi

If you've been reading around, chances are, you'd know Laney had this one featured in this year's NAMM show- the TI15-112 combo seen above. It's a 15W version of the gain hungry Tony Iommi Laney amp head. With a reputation like this, you'd want it to deliver good distortion despite its size & you need only watch this:

However, do keep in mind that it's a single channel unit, if you are GASsing for one, understand & embrace its nature, do not penalize it for its short-comings; it's not conceived to be otherwise.

Great clearance at upcoming Swee Lee (BB) sale

The reason why there is no discount amount disclosed in the upcoming Swee Lee Sale poster (BB showroom) is because selected items are going for 70% off list prices. For instance, all Laney are clearing at the aforementioned discount rate (Ditto Epiphone & Washburn amps). If you are looking for a worthy purchase, the LC15 combo you see above is a good consideration, after the discount goodness, it's not even $400... I'd document some recommendations tomorrow after further scouting (most probably a post-8.00PM update), I had a hard time looking round today due to my stiff neck.

Yes, the store will be under renovation thereafter but it won't be an entire closure, work would be done in phases at selected areas of the store. Look forward to a revamped & more inviting store arrangement in time to come.

Good night.

Laney Iommi

This is a Musikmesse 2012 debut, it's Tony Iommi's signature Laney amp, the TI100. We'd expect a line of EL power tubes in there due to its British pedigree but the T100 is armed with a quartet of 6L6s instead, so it's a clear statement of intent in terms of voicings.

I feel that the world's most desirable signature amp had been (& will still be) Van Halen's Peavey 5150 which went beyond the exclusive service of the endorsee himself; the current EVH brand of amps is not living its life as a desirable implement unlike its predecessor- maybe it needs a little bit more time & presence (no pun intended). If Laney wish to speak to the distortion fiends in amplifier tongues (we do associate Black Sabbath/ Heaven & Hell with gobs of distortion, don't we?), they should be making a statement with the T100.

Hopefully, this amp would be made available here for us to have a go at all things sludgy & doom-laden, just like how the Iron Man Iommi likes it.