Laney Ironheart IRT Studio Amplifier with Playing | A Closeup Inside and Out Review | Tony Mckenzie
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 ก.ย. 2024
- This is a short review of the inside and out of the Laney Ironheart IRT Studio amplifier recently released. I show the controls, the inside and outside and after about 13 minutes some playing of those great tones. Its Laney, but made in China.
This amp works at either 15 watts or 1 watt great for in the house playing, but 15 watts is loud enough for most studio work.
There are many more videos coming online presently showing equipment and musicians from the Music Messe 2013 as well as some other great inside and out reviews that show the real deal about guitars and kit.
Check out www.tonymckenzi... and my TH-cam channel / tonymckenziecom for many reviews on here.
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This Video is (c) A B Mckenzie April 2013 & tonymckenzie.com.
All other Rights Reserved. All Trade Marks Acknowledged.
There isnt a better review on this amp I have seen than this one. Just got mine used (mint condition) today. Very helpful video. Fantastic job Sir!
Great to know you liked this video. I bought one too and made the video with the inside and out aspect too so you can see what you're getting so to speak. Thanks for watching.
just bought this used for my home studio ... got to say i love it.. got it hooked up via 4cm with my headrush gigboard and the tones are just fantastic .
Yes it's a great little amp I thought too. Thanks for posting your opinion also.
Best Laney IRT Studio review of the whole internet. Best for you !
Thanks for watching... appreciated.
@@tonymckenzieofficial For how long time were you using this amp, did you got some issue ; part replacement, noise, etc. Thanks !
I used this one for about a year overall. There were no issues at all on this amp other than what I showed in the video - some parts internally were a bit weak - around the preamp tube area if I remember correctly - but they caused no problems. Overall the amp performed well for the whole period and the tones were fine. I did not change any parts at all. The tubes worked fine for the whole time I had it, so this amp did work quite well for me. Because I review gear I sold it so I could use the money to buy another amp :). Thanks and I hope it helps.
I just got one of these used for £200 and I'm very pleased with it. Not as much gain as I like but I use a Maxon OD-808 in front as a clean boost on the lead channel and it's brilliant! :)
Real sleeper amp play this at the Guitar Center right next to a 51503 lunch box and laney kept right up with it saturation tone articulation real nice app
It is a pretty cool amp for sure and I used mine for some while. Never had any faults etc. Thanks for watching.
I wish all gear reviews are like this one. awesome.
Thanks for the comment - appreciated... and that is my sentiments too, often I see just reviews that sell things. Thanks for watching.
Great review. I watched a lot of videos on this amp and you by far get the best tone out of it. Thanks for your time.
Thanks for watching... that's why these vids are here :)
Bought one, very happy with it.
I reviewed this some years back but I still remember it being a great value really and it sounded OK too. Thanks for posting what you thought of yours and for watching.
Tony, I was surprised at this amp. I had gotten immediate interest in it when I heard it was feed by el84s so I found your effort on reviewing it and find that its the perfect amp for kicking the kids out of the room and letting go. Not too powerful as to waste wattage and perfectly set up for the quiet childhood of the grandkids. Thanks for offering a good review. I m going to look them up. I liked the whole amp for exactly what it was designed for. Enjoy your new year and I ll hit you up for a chat now and again, because you pick demonstrations on great gear. Some day I hope you do one on those dumble type amps again. Expensive they are but they have tone for days
+JED TAYLOR Its a great amp for the money there is no doubt... if you get one change out those tubes... they don't do the amp any favours... Thanks for watching Jed.
Sure seems like it, they keep changing the internal components to make them more accessable
My word this amp just seems fantastic all round, didn't sound too bad even on the cam mic either!
Mr. Tony you are excellet reviewer, but I thing you missed spot while explaining 1W and 15W, the switch is for boost, not for wattage. Check manual, 15W and 1W have its own dedicated inputs.
That's OK... I'm not perfect :) I do get things wrong sometimes and I don't have the gear to go back and look at :( But no problem, if I got it wrong think of it as a good thing - it proves the reviews really are real :). Thanks and stay safe.
This amp is actually quite nice. Glass/epoxy. plate thru the holes, circuit board. Thats nearly Mil Spec! This is much higher quality than a Mexico built Fender amp like my Blues Deluxe RI. In a quality comparison, the Fender loses big time to China built Laney. I would love to have one!
The Studio is not a bad amp at all really. I thought some of the internals were a bit flimsy, but I never really had any issues with the amp which worked flawlessly. But I also had recently a 007 bass breaker head and that was pretty cool to. Thanks.
Yeah, its built for a studio rack, not a road rack.
Good Review. I was hoping these amps came with power or voltage scaling, but glad you showed it was just a resistive attenuator.
I did feel that this amp was built 'down' to a price really and not up to a standard. Check the tin plating those preamp tubes are on and they can basically bend. I guess the resistors were also cost related. Anyway thanks for watching.
It looks to be power scaled, just fixed power scaled probably to save costs on the expensive pot you need. You can see the two heat sinks on the power mosfets when Tony scrolls to the right front inside the amp, similar to my IRT120. I betcha it could be set up with variable power scaling as I would guess that all the Ironheart amps share the same boards and most components. Cutting costs and the intention is to go out to usb for anticipated studio use I would imagine.
That power resistor is just providing a real load to the output tubes. Power Scaling is still working there. If not, that resistor would have to be at least 15-20 watt resistor and would cost more than the entire Power Scale components on the board. Wise move. Betch that's why they PS down to 1W when you are not running in to a cab and to lengthen the life on the output valves. I would assume that Laney have some tone shaping around that resistor to give it a speaker-like response when no cab is hooked up. Torpedo for studio? Or just run a speaker in a closet to get that nice Power Tube - Speaker interplay.
If you want variable power scale or what they call "watts" (it seems all amp builders calls it "watts" or "power soak" instead of Power Scale a la Mr. Kevin O'Connor) then try the other Ironheart heads and combo. The IRT60 and IRT120 even have toroidal OT's. They have direct out's but no USB out.
Looks like Dynamics is "Sag". Works well to loosen or tighten the PS.
I have the IRT120 and is good value.
Jeff Wagner Thanks Jeff... that's great info for sure... I was having a bit of a guess on that but you have probably hit the nail on the head so to speak. In any case, it does work quite well I thought especially for the low cost that this head is.
it actually is possible, but as far as I know laney says that you need 1 RU above and under it so it won't heat up
i'm sorry for my english, hopefully it was helpfull :)
That's exactly what i meant. This unit needs airflow. If it gets just that it will have long tube life!
Another great video Tony - are you still rocking this? Has it lasted well?
Thanks for your kind words!. I did eventually sell it (but no reflection on the unit). In all the time I had it, it never let me down once. The singular criticism really was it was a bit flimsy inside... apart from that it was a good deal. Stay safe.
13:10
your welcome.
Nice demo!!!!I am storming for this amp now! I had always wanted this amp but I am 15 cannot afford it XD I spent too much money on guitars....
gotta save up for it
Ha... we all have to save to buy things... including me! But its a pretty good amp and worth saving for. Thanks for watching.
thanks! I just wanna let you know that I am going for the SLS version now, because that one is smaller than this one and 300 watts, it also have the internal load so that I can take the amp straight into PA. @@tonymckenzieofficial
OK... but please understand that the SLS is NOT an all tube amp and will sound different! The IRT has preamp AND power tubes, whereas the SLS has only preamp tubes and the power amp is solid state. In my experience of all of those types of devices you will find that the solid state power amp is 1. not a 300 watts as you understand that, and 2. costs 33% more than the IRT... Have a think about that! Hope it helps... thanks.
Tony, thank you so much for the great reviews. Especially the "Un Biased " Part of the review.. I can't tell you how moral that is compared to what is out there as I'm sure you know..The others so called reviews should be called "Marketing"..hehe
That sums up many that I watch too... one reason I started to make videos (good or bad LOL) but at least I won't lie about the gear. Thanks for that input as it goes some way towards why I make the vids in the first place. Glad you liked them.
Great honest review/demo. Thanks.
Thanks.
Next time can we get a tour of your liquor shelf in your dining room? Haha! Nice video. Thanks for posting.
Certainly, but by then its all gone :) Actually it takes me about two years to drink half a bottle with cola :). Thanks for watching and glad you liked it.
I have Laney IRT15H, but I really like this review!
Glad you liked it :)
Very interesting and kinda cheap for the options it offers. How does it hold up? Still alive and good sounding? Was thinking of buying another MT15 for stereo sound, but this looks like a good option with all the features, any advice?
The IRT I felt was made 'lower cost' throughout. The MT15 had a very strong chassis etc. In fact I sold both of those amps after a while. They were sold really because I have too many amps to start off with. The MT15 I think would stand up to more rough handling overall and for that money at the time I reviewed it (my review is here: th-cam.com/video/xJ_5obZJFbA/w-d-xo.html ) so might be best to watch both and see which you think came out on top overall. Thanks for watching and always bear in mind the style of material you play when considering any of the amps I review.
@@tonymckenzieofficial thanks for the info, I already watched the MT15 review a few years ago and it was one of the factors that made me decide to buy it. I had to do some mods, like replacing the FX loop jacks as the originals made noise, now it is an excellent amp and I'm now just playing with tubes/valves to dial in the tone I like.
You see, some people knock the MT15, but mine was fine and with brilliant value for money there has always been no doubt in my mind that it was a very cool and great sounding amp... and the drive is incredible. Thanks for the update...
This convection cooling should be in place in a rack too. This will extend tube life.
Wow really nice I like the features! Thanks man !
Great review! I was looking at this, and a used evh 5150iii lunchbox. Can't decide
I have often considered reviewing the EVH 5150 III but have not go to it yet. But that amp is a bit different than this studio - I think both are good, but the EVH might be better suited to heavier rock than the studio. Just my opinion. Thanks for watching.
Great, in-depth video. Thanks!
Made for you! ;-)
Yup, lots of very similar prices, although GAK was cheaper than most on this one at least - and I bartered a small discount further below the £399 too. Which was nice. Oh, and they're also local enough that I could pretty much throw stones at their windows from my office so the localness helps :)
in the states it's $949
So they say, rather over priced IMO... but ou know what distributors can be like.... grabberama maybe. Thanks for watching.
Hi Tony. Good review. How does it sound through headphones? And is it worth to the PA System and without a cab? Thanx
I don't think the phones do it justice really. You could put it through a PA but I would use a speaker and mic it up for that because then you get the benefit of the 'feel' from feedback etc. as you play. Thanks for watching.
nope, you're wrong about switch at the left of pre-boost. it's not for change the wattage but to add pre-boost . anyway great review
is it easy to change the tube?
Hi Danu... oops maybe (it was a while ago I did this review). Thanks for pointing that out for others. Changing the tubes is easy... simply remove the top cover and there they are... simple remove and replace. EL84 BTW don't need biasing. Thank you for watching.
Thank you, for this comment and the whole review, I know this is old but ive loved this amp for this past year but this being my first tube amp that ive had to change tubes on ive been wondering if they needed biasing.
How does it hold up in 2021?
Sorry Simon... I sold it to buy other gear to review. But it should be OK - apart from a bit of flimsy metal and also those resistors I showed that might take some stick it looked good to me. Great question though! Stay safe.
SOOOO hard to judge from cam sound :)
I have money for Ironhead IRT60H but i'm still not sure what to by, because i need this for home/recording use.
But judjing from videos, IRT60HEAD sounds much better even at low volumes than IRT studio.
Sorry for bad english, awesome review :)
Tony, will you be putting up a video of you playing the telecaster you built, been waiting!
So many features... but does it sounds good?
In the US most of the amps and guitars are now stamped "Designed in the USA" with most being made in China or Mexico.
Careful about that... I might not quite say 'most' as there are very many amps designed AND made in the USA... it's easy to say but hard to actually prove :) Thanks for watching. BTW this one WAS made in the Far east - and that was unmistakable once you lifted the lid. Not a problem, but the quality was no mesa boogie either.
Of course, there are still some Made In The USA amps still being made here but most are pretty expensive. Even Peavey has outsourced much of their manufacturing. EVH amps are Made in Mexico. Mesa is still Made in the US but there price definitely reflects that. The quality is admittedly better but some of the imports are made pretty well and can just about rival the quality for a significantly noticeable price difference. Quality wise, how well do you think these Ironhearts stand up? I'm thinking of getting one soon.
Actually I liked the Laney Studio. I thought that it was a little flimsy re its hardware (some of the brackets used for mounting things in particular) and how they 'shut it down' to 1w output - which I showed in the video. If you're not throwing it around all the time it will work perfectly OK I'm sure. Personally I would upgrade the tubes to a decent brand as that also always helps. BTW some gear is made better and some much worse - for example the Orange Jim Root internally was IMO not made as well as this amp... the soldering was of less quality than the Studio - so don't think that I'm particularly knocking the Studio - I'm not. In the UK Marshall still make amps for a reasonable price (but in the USA they are way overpriced) but even there the 'cheap' ones are far east (Vietnam) but inside say a DSL100 made in Vietnam the quality remains. Hope it helps and if you get a Studio do come back and tell me how it is from your experience... Thanks.
Nice job Tony!
Thanks Danny... and don't forget let me know what happens with your amp.
there $950 in the states
Ouch - someone somewhere is making a lot of money... sadly too much from what you say... in any case thanks for watching.
Cheers for the review. Can you tell us where you got it for £365? I'm yearning for one of these, but £399 is the best price I've seen. Still good for what you're getting, but that price difference is worth investigating ;)
I want one of the 60 watt heads. I think it would be / sound cool to jam on in clubs, etc,.. I think those also have a low power setting as well, but I might be wrong.. :-) I love Laney stuff..
I thought they had low power too... maybe, but do check first. Thanks for watching.
Welcome Tony.
I'll soon be 60. I got to see Black Sabbath on the Sabbath Bloody Sabbath tour. I've been a Laney fan since 1970, right after a friends big brother turned me on to "Paranoid." I have seen bad customer service. I have seen great customer service. But I have never seen a company appreciate and take care of their customers like Laney. Laney tops everything I've ever been associated with. I'm not in the "Rock n Roll Hall of Fame." But Laney treated me as if I were. I'm not a touring rockstar. But Laney treated me like I am. You can have your M's and V's and all in between, but as for me, make mine LANEY.
Hey Danny, I contacted Laney UK and they are contacting you to solve this issue... so please give Laney UK an opportunity to help and I'm sure they will. Trust me Danny, I spoke to Laney UK and you really are as important as any rock star. Remember often rock stars don't buy their gear, but guys like me and you do! And that's what keeps companies in business. I'm sure they will help and let me know the outcome. Thanks.
To say that "Laney stepped up" is an extremely gross understatement. To say I'm amazed and astonished, is a gross understatement!!!!
That's great to hear Danny, and I always knew that they would. It's all a question of speaking often to the right guys and they will help. Companies like Laney don't stay around if they are not good and I'm really happy that they solved the issues in the end - that's really good of Laney. Thanks Laney for the help and that's what makes the difference between companies like Laney and some of the others I could mention. Good to hear. Thanks Danny.
Tell me what affordable amp is not build in China nowadays?
Buy a Bogner Brixton for $500. Seems like a plan... but the Laney is good for the money. The metalwork was flimsy internally though. Fair points and thanks for watching Paul.
Surely (depending on the size of the venue) a lot of the tone and sound comes from the amp.
You really need to review the Laney IRT Pulse!
Maybe I'll get around to one of those... that's that small amp almost like a pedal (which I guess we could call it that :)
When I discovered Laney managed to 300volts on the tubes, and after watching the Paul Glover videos of it, I had to have one! And like any amp, you can change the basic tone by changing tubes. It comes with Ruby tested JJ tubes. Perfect for metal. A new Mullard in V1 and a Penta in V2 usually gives me the classic, bluesy tone I like. An EHX in V1 works well, too!
You can use it like a pedal if you want, but that not the intent. Its a table top amp in a box, with a very small footprint, that connects to DAW for killer tube amp sounds straight to your DAW. No cabs to mic or spouse to wake up when you're recording late at night. To do all it does, in that small box, with 300 volts on the tubes, is pretty phenomenal .
Well I have not actually had one of those (yet) as I said, but they do look interesting little devices for sure. Thanks for the info Danny.
Definitely eyeing up one of these. Hopefully a 15w valve head will be enough for gigs too - I currently get by fine with an 80W marshall 8008 power amp so I would guess a 15W all-valve can get just as loud. I've tried finding out but of course, people's definition of "loud enough" is rather subjective..
sonicwingnut I know what you mean on volume... my advice is simple really... if you hang the right cab (hopefully a 4x12) on this amp it will probably do the trick... if you hang a 16 ohm 1x12 it won't do it for sure.... make the 4x12 as low ohms as you can (say 4 if you can) and use efficient speakers and you will have what you need. Hope it helps and thanks for watching.
***** I wouldn't put a 4 ohm cab out the back of this! It only does 8 ohms, that would probably damage the amp! With amps you're really best off matching the cab to the amp correctly, currently I'll be hoying an 8 ohm 2x12" loaded with vintage 1960s celestion Greenbacks. I'll have to wait till sunday band practice to see how loud I can get that mind..
sonicwingnut My apologies... then use 2 x16 ohms wired in the right way will give you 8 :) think that the more speakers to move air the better... and matching the ohms can actually increase the speaker count if done in the right way... just back from Music Messe :) loads of stuff for my channel coming over the next few days/week :)
What if you need both? The studio can do gigs can't it?
Other than the way the amps are configured and the fact that the studio has a DI, is there a difference between the IRT15H and the IRT Studio?
The regular 15-watteris similar. The clean channel and extra recording options on the Studio do add up though and if you do lots of recording the Studio IMO might be a better choice. Thanks for watching.
Hi Tony I just bought my jet studio few days ago but I think I don't like the coming out from my blackstar cab 1x12 16 omhs,im playing in the church mostly hillsong and old school rock style,I'm planning to change the tubes either the preamp or the power tubes,can you recommend something?your much needed and highly appreciated..
+remedios franza I usually buy TAD tubes (tubeampdoctor.com ) but you can get them from many places... very reliable. Hope it helps and thanks for watching.
tony please demo the IRT-X using wet/dry/wet using the helix. sounds like what a lot of folks would love to play thru.
+rick jones Sorry Rick I sold the IRT (no studio space left!). Thanks for watching.
OK what do you think of those? seems really nice for w/d/w rig for the price, weight, and all. loud enough?
+rick jones Actually I liked that amp and it was loud. I always think re 'loud' like this... if I use a 2x12 its loud, if I used a 4x12 it will blow your head off :)
Only real comment is that the tubes were not at all quality (I changed mine) and the top can get a bit hot so don't put anything down on there especially anything that could melt. Other than that a pretty nice amp especially for the money. Hope it helps.
Ok how bout the IRT-X that's what I wanted to know about..lol
+rick jones Sorry Rick my mistake. I have not personally used the IRT-x cabs.
Hi Tony,
I´ve some doubts and I would like to have your advise.
I´ve a Laney IRT studio 15w, and when I recording via USB is making noise.
For you in this amp, what is the best way for Silence recording at night ?
USB or DI box ?
I don´t know what kind of cheap product I can buy to recording with DI box as well.
Can you please advise me ? pleaseee ?
Many thanks in advance.
Cheers
Nuno Tomé from Portugal
Hi Nuno, not too sure about the noise? mine was not that bad actually when I tried it. You could try almost any DI box, like even a Behringer if money is tight, but just watch the gain settings when you're recording as there's no noise gate in that amp and maybe you're over doing it on the drive... it does not need to have as much drive for recording and will still sound great.
Enjoy your sharing, I have one of these myself too, just that it stop working oneday and I dont have time to fix it, it simply no sound, I was worrying if it has something to do with a bad speaker cable that caused the output transformer burnt. By the way, did I hear u keep saying it has JJ tubes while in fact they used Ruby tubes instead?
Hi Alex, these are nice little amplifiers really. Maybe they changed tube brands? I don't usually get it wrong and I did show inside the amp on the video - I could have got it wrong but it was a while ago... the answer is on the video in any case :) Hey don't forget to come back and post what was wrong! Thanks for watching.
Thank you, sir!
You're best :)
Hey Tony. I love your reviews. I'm mostly going to be recording, but I need something to gig with from time to time and I don't want to lug around a combo even. Getting old buddy. hehe. Anyway, will that go straight into a 1 x 12 or 2 x 12 or 4 x 12 cab and work for on stage? Does it come with a foot switch or can you buy one? Does it have to be a laney foot switch if you do have to buy one? Thanks so much. I am sorry for all the questions, but this looks like the perfect setup, except for maybe an Eleven rack would also be cool if you can use it direct to a cab? I know the Ironheart has effects loop right? I could then use my delay and such for leads or wah, etc,.
Thanks
Tim
You can use any of those cabs... more speakers usually equals louder perceived volume :-) It comes with a footswitch... you can buy one but then you would have two :-) sort of stereo foot switches LOL (I'm only joking). Eleven rack in my opinion sounds inferior to this amp. But it IS subjective. Thanks for watching and I hope it helps.
Hey Tony. Thanks so much. I was looking at the Eleven Rack, until I found out about this Laney! I had tried an amp they had way back and loved it. It was called an AOR I think it was. Anyway, I have to get one! Thanks so much. Tim
good video,
hello, good morning, I have an irt studio but I don't know why the clean channel and rithm have little volume in mine compared to the lead, is this normal?
? They are adjustable on the front?
Hi Tony, Hows the clean headroom on this for playing live in a band? does it break up early or stay clean? Cheers!
Heh, no worries. I was hoping that you had a friendly local shop pushing it at that bargain price who you'd be happy to promote. Its obviously a bit different with getting special deals at shows. Just ordered myself one from GAK.co.uk for a pretty reasonable price though. Can't wait for it to arrive :)
Hi Tony, I'm looking for a lightweight amp head (or combo) that I could use for both studio and live gigs. Would this IRT Studio fit the bill or would you recommend something else? Basically, 3 channels are perfect (but I could live with 2 channels). Clean sound capability is mandatory (hence I think the Orange dual dark might not be an option). I sold my Mesa Lonestar Special (too heavy to carry...) so budget for head + cabinet (or combo) would be in the $2000 max. Thanks!
The IRT was OK (as you see in the demo) but I would not guarantee 'clean' too much. Clean to one guy is not clean to another so its a bit subjective... but it is a light amp. There are so many amps for less than $2k (then you might even consider second user as well and that way get a better amp) that it's not really a simple choice. There in the US you have so many great amps too to choose from... Consider some of the other Mesa stuff... or maybe some Marshall but I know they cost more over there for Marshall. Check my other reviews too as I have checked out a number of amps. Lastly check the H&K Grandmeister which I thought was really impressive for the money.
***** In fact, I'm currently located in Europe (France). $2k is the maximum I would spend but seeing what you get today in packages like that IRT, I have good hope I won't have to spend more than $1000. I get your point on clean sounds. On stage, I'm ready to compromize as clean is 30% of what I play. The other guitarist is using a Grandmeister 36 (great amp but too much bells n whistles for me) so anything that would compete with it would be fine.
In the beginning you said all JJ's. Is it really Ruby's?
Well spotted... the power tubes were Ruby.. but I forget the preamp brand... maybe it was a slip of the tongue somewhere. They are Ruby power tubes in any case. Personally I like JJ better than Roby tubes... no real definable reason LOL. Thank you for watching.
Hi Tony!
I have a laney irt-studio; Can I connect it at my marshall 8008 power amp? Which sockets should I pair?
thanks,
Best regards
You could use the re-amp out and set the gain to full on that control knob (for example) or even use the DI out and turn off the speaker emulation... or if just the preamp maybe the send in the loop might work. But don't use the speaker outs of course!. Thanks for watching.
Quick Question, This Running through a 2 by 12, Would it be loud enough to gig with ?
+Dan Kerlin With a 2x12 at 8 Ohms probably. A 4x12 would make a much bigger difference :) Thanks for watching.
Hi Tony!
I have this same amp, running it through a Laney GS212PE loaded with V30's, it's a great amp. Only issue I have is a "pop"sound when footswitching from lead to clean channel... it's the same kind of sound that you get when you turn off the amp, I assume that pop when turning it off is because it lacks a stand by switch, but can't understand why is it making it also when changing from Lead to Clean, It seems to be a general problem as I have read a lot of people with the same issue on forums...
I think it isn't as loud as when you turn off the cab, but it is audible if you change to a fast lead riffing to a quiet clean arpeggio for example... it's like a "thum" kind of sound... Haven't checked if it happens withough the footswitch, changing manually with the amp switch...
Do you have any advice about this? do you know if this can be fixed? or if this means there's something wrong with the amp?
Again, this only happens when I footswitch from lead to clean, no problem when changing from clean to lead or from lead to rhythm.
I'd really apreciate if you could answer! Thank you very much!
+Carlos Pereira Cen Hi Carlos.. Interesting about the 'pop' on channel change... dodgy switch? maybe worth a look. I know the sort of thing you mean its like some Mesa stuff.. I would check it manually first. And check the pedal maybe a funny switch. I'm not sure if this amp has 'relays' for the channel change over (like Mesa) that can sometimes go faulty/bad etc. if it does then they change them, but if it does not then its probably that incredible drive of the lead channel somehow getting in the way of things. I did not notice it on the one I had here but sometimes it just goes that way (maybe a fault or not). Wherever you are (I can't tell) you should be able to call Laney (or their distributor) to find out the official answer on that query... and if you do get to the bottom of it - then post the result here so others will also know what's going on with it.
Thanks for the info. And of course for watching.
+tonymckenziecom Thanks for your answer Tony!
I test it again now without the footswith, pop is still there when using the amp switch but this only the the clean switch, I mean, I set it to clean and change to Rhythm, it pops, set it to clean and enable lead channel, the pop sounds, more noticeable on lead than Rythm.
When using footswitch, it only happens when switching from Lead to Clean, I can't really hear it when changing from Rhythm to clean while using footswitch.
I haven't played past 2 on volume knob cause there was people at home but, the "pop" sound is there, sounds almost the same as when you turn off the amp...
I can live with it it there's nothing else to do, (as I have read many people with this same issue with mesas, marshal, orange, etc) but if it can be solved I'd give it a try!
Im from Mexico btw! And I already sent an email to laney, im waiting for their answer and I'll ley you know what happens!
Thanks for taking your time and answering me Tony, really apreciate that!
Cheers!
+Carlos Pereira Cen Anytime Carlos.. I could bet it has relays somewhere... they get dirty.. but its a guess. Yes do let me know what they say... I appreciate it. Thanks. Man Mexico is a long way... but an email can get there in 3 seconds! it is always amazing when you think of it that way.
Hi Tony!
Just as I said... heres the answer I got from Laney:
"There will be a thump when the amp is switched off and you are correct this is because there is no standby switch, you can hear the HT voltage collapsing, this is nothing to worry about.
Also there is a slight switching noise when switching from lead to clean especially if the lead volume is high, this is also quite normal and is due to the fact that all channels use the same tubes, the recovery time in the tube from one channel to the next is what causes it."
So... there it is! Gotta learn to live with it... it's not that bad... I guess I can get used to it!
Still such a sweet little thing this amp... I love how the lead channel distorts... I'm in love with it... the popping is a bit annoying but it hides in the guitar sound...
I guess that's the price of having such a good tone... tube amps do have it's downsides but its not dealbreaker... still if I find a way to fix it, I'll report you back!
Thanks Tony, you are great!
+Carlos Pereira Cen I never really noticed it myself... but then again, I was very taken by that awesome tone :) thanks for posting very useful info.
Great review. may I ask what cab was used?
I forget the exact model but it was a laney 2x12 cab. It's been a while ;-) so forgive me about the model. Thanks for watching.
my ironheart studio is biased at 29.5mv after 4months. pretty high since the recommended bias for my 1st laney TI15-112 is only 25mv.
+Alex Rysham I don't know the TI15-112 amp so can't really advise about that. Thanks for the info though... and thanks for watching.
I llike the Ironheart studio very much. very easy to bias, open the casing and everything is easy to reach. Just retubed it with Groove tubes no.5 @ 30.5mv. and keep the original ruby tubes as spare. With 30.5mv bias, the amp is more compressed in term of volume dynamics, which is good when I roll off the volume knob, since the volume won't be drastically going down, compared to cold bias.
+Alex Rysham Good idea... I am not convinced about Ruby Tubes... seem inconsistent. Good info. Just don't put anything on the top of the amp ;-) it does get hot.
The Ruby tubes in my Laney TI15-112 before are microphonic. It's still under warranty at that time. I sold that amp and get IRT Studio instead. I suspect the combo design vibrate the living hell of the Ruby tubes. Start to hear the tubes ringging @ vol 6 @1watt mode
+Alex Rysham The TI amps have HUGE gain the TI100 was a complete monster! I can understand how they suffer :)
Thank you.
Anytime and thanks for watching.
hi tony im thinking about getting it do u think it will give a good black sabbath tone ?
Well its no TI100 for sure, but using the right cab and settings can get it some way there :)
hi tony how are you? excuse me, can you tell me if this the laney irt studio fx loop is series or parallel?
thanks!
I believe it's serial loop.... they refer to it as an 'insert' loop.... Thanks.
tonymckenziecom thanks to you :D
Hi Tony, i'm a big fan of yours. I came here to ask your help. I need a information about the mains transformer of this amp, if you read this message and if you can, i need the voltages of the transfomer. Thx a lot. Stay tuned XD
Oh I'm sorry I don't have the amp any more :( or I would have checked for you. :( Do you have problems? Stay safe.
@@tonymckenzieofficial thanks for answering me, yeah i need the voltages to do a new transformer. Stay Tuned
I did look around today but don't have the info :( stay safe though.
Where is the best place online to purchase replacement tubes?
tubeampdoctor.com
You can buy JJ tubes directly on their website, if you live in Europe spend your money here and don't send it to China if you don't have to., bad enough they make the amp there and not here.
www.jjtubes.eu/
Tony! Wat model Ibanez? Thank you!
jim@Omegaamps USA
***** If its the 'black one' its an RG550LTD with an EVO II Pickup in the bridge and a 'Jazz' pickup in the neck. If its the white one its a 7VWH (Japan). Thanks for watching.
Thank you Tony! God bless U man!
have you done a laney lionheart review earlier?
I have not. Sorry about that.
No worries... I like how you break things dow n in theory. Not literally
***** Thanks for watching anyway... and don't forget to check the whole channel.
But does the volume go to 11? ;)
Of course! LOL
Hey Tony, Great review man as always. I bought this amp a few weeks ago. Great amp. I had some questions before trying it out myself and blowing up the amp.
1) Can you use the speaker out (8ohm) to go to a cabinet simulator, which goes to my interface?
2) Also can you use the DI function and plug the amp to a cabinet at the same time?
So basically my question sums up to
Is there anything that you can do in this amp, that will blow it up? Lol. No but am serious. Just wanted to make sure.
I seem to have problems with getting stereo sound from my interface with this amp. The thing is, if I send the D.I. into one of my inputs in my audio interface, the two outputs at the back of the interface go to two different monitors. So I end up getting the amp sound from only one monitor. Is there a solution to this? Thanx
EntertainMeNot Depends on the cab sim... I used a Mesa Cab Clone which as well as accepting high output can sim their cabs... but I would be VERY careful re high output above line level on a pure sim if it does not have a load box in it.
I believe you CAN use the DI and cab out at the same time but I don't have the amp now so cant guarantee that... others might post the answer to that...
Yes you can blow it by NOT having speakers on there and having the output to highest and using it! Don't do that tube amps need a load!
I would NOT use the speaker out for audio interface! Boom... (probably).
DI out or line out would be probably OK.
Sorry for the late reply... and thanks for watching.
***** Thanx man. Appreciate it.
EntertainMeNot Hope it helped... it was hard to answer without knowing the exact gear :)
made it to almost 3 minutes
sirvidia Clearly not for you. But that's OK. Thanks for watching those three minutes. They did contribute to the 17 million others that viewers have watched my videos ;-)
***** it's a strange old world
sirvidia But not always as expected :)
+tonymckenziecom is it really that bad that its made in china,
+alvarg Not really, but the metal (I could say thin tin) is really flimsy inside. The unit is made down to a price and not particularly up to a standard. But it does sound pretty good for the money.
I have it and it sounds like shit.
Ouch!... I would not really describe it that way... stay safe.
@@tonymckenzieofficial Thank you. That is my experience with it. I'm going to buy a load box to get a proper power amp distortion. Maybe I just don't know how to use the amp. You stay safe as well.
i will never buy a Chinese amp or guitar simply out of principle.
Hi John. I understand that. When I first left school at 15 and started work, I had a colleague I worked with that had been a prisoner of war in Japanese territory. His opinion of 'Honda' and other similar products was extremely graphic. He had been treated extremely badly through the war and there is no doubt that once something like that has happened then I'm sure that my opinion would have been exactly the same. Of course today, things are generally different and there are many people that have no real knowledge of those times (me included I'm not old enough). But I do have a very strong urge not to buy that stuff either. The problem is, today, I would actually exclude myself from most products. Its a sad fact that things here in the UK are not made here any longer, and I know that in the USA many things are similar.
Of course, here currently, the UK is 'bowing down' to a European Union that is now of completely political cause swallowing up country after country on some surrealistic pretence and scarily the protagonists behind the wheel driving it all lost the war. Such is life. Problem is John, nearly everything out there has Chinese parts these days (or from very similarly placed countries). Thanks for the comment... it really did take me back to being 15.
@@tonymckenzieofficial thanks for your reply Tony. I'm not against any countries that produce quality and represent high levels of integrity and craftsmanship. I love the Japanese
people, their products , guitars, electronics , cars etc. I do not support anything from China as they steal intellectual property and pretty much ripoff any idea and mass produce it in a substandard way. They are communists and will not get my dollars.
You are right. The Japanese Ibanez I rate among the worlds best. I recently bought a Chinese guitar to show... on here in fact, and you will not believe what you see when I make that video. I bought it just as anyone could (the only way fir unbiased review) and it is REALLY bad. It's so bad that I won't even continue to build it! In any case watch for it because it sheds light on the so called great Chinese guitars and how they are generally nothing like what you think - even if some TH-cam boys like to put them on a pedestal. Thanks.
@@tonymckenzieofficial What's going on with Brexit?, people voted for that why isn't it happening?
It is not happening simply because the politicians are (in the main) remainers (or remoaners as some call them), but the vote was to leave the EU. They have frustrated the will of the people in general in the UK. It was the highest poll of peoples will democratically since 1945 they say, but you know what, when the UK does not leave I can see there being a number of things that will probably happen. 1. People will either vote for right wing parties (UKip etc.) or people will stop voting. 2. Politicians will have worsened their standing in the view of the public incredibly so - and they are at an all time low now so lord knows how bad they will be viewed in future. That could lead to civil unrest in the UK. In fact the government have those plans already drawn up to deal with it all for if it happens. 3. If the UK does NOT leave but ends up in an undemocratically chosen state locked in the EU then later down the road, when Europe sets taxes for people in the UK (tax from salaries - that's on the EU's agenda) and all the other very unsavoury things happen (you have to check the EU's document that they published showing the master plan for ALL countries within the EU - it is scary) then I can guess that there will again be civil unrest.
The politicians have a very big lot to answer for their actions. Over the last two years or so but more so over the last 6 months, time and time again the politicians have frustrated the democratically chosen will to leave of the people. They suggest that the 'people' did not know what they were voting for. Hmm.. anyone that understands English will know what the word 'leave' means. Now, the small number of politicians have suggested that if there is no leave then THEY will frustrate EU business well in to the future. It seems that the EU's ears picked up on that and they should. I don't doubt for one second that the politicians for leave would do that and create a massive problem in the EU, effectively using the power invested in each 'member' state against the EU itself. Much of what the EU claims has to be 'a unanimous vote' and I can see exactly what those guys are suggesting and how that really would frustrate the EU.
Lastly, the EU itself it appears, from where I stand here in the UK (with nearly 70% voting to leave where I live), that the EU is in fact very unfriendly towards the UK. In particular Macron seems to be mouthing off in affairs that don't involve him. He seems to think that the English can be belittled and walked all over somehow. I could remind him of history, but unfortunately he probably does not want to remember any of it as his country was often on the receiving end. I doubt that many of the English would ever support him and his like ever again. History has a very long memory. Indeed the 'yellow jackets' (ordinary people) have had enough of him in France. I visited Paris just a few years ago after the terrorist attacks and that was a really scary place to be... seems to me like it still is. Many have had enough of that place - Ha and so have I.... already. Who wants to be part of a bunch of nasty people like that who interfere in the democracy with snide remarks that should be kept to his own country? No doubt the French people will solve him when it's time to vote again.
That's just a view from one person here in the UK. Actually I tend not to actually be political. I have strong views, but other than voting in the referendum I hardly waste my time on them. I guess it might have helped if Guy Fawkes had been successful... oh well. :)