Lab Series amp opinions?

[trag-o-caster]

I'd be very interested in hearing any opinions, comments, etc. about these amps. I just picked up an L-11 head for $100. Haven't messed with it much, but I think I may like it.

[jumpnblues]

...one of the best as far as S.S. goes, but IMO that's as far as it goes. I really wish B.B. was playing through something else, preferably with tubes. Again, JMHO, YMMV. 8)

[stantheman]

Use the POWER lose the bass,mid,treble and stick a Tech 21 GT-2 on top of that bad boy then tie a rope on the handle let 'im out the pen and hang on!!!!

[trag-o-caster]

... I've owned a SansAmp GT2 for a few years and absolutely HATE that thing. I understand that they can vary wildly from unit to unit, so maybe I got a bad one.

I do have two Morley JD10's that I love, and thought about running it into the Lab, but I'm also very impressed with the Labs distortion sound. It's not very gainy, like a heavy metal distortion - it's kinda mild and doesn't cloud your notes up. And with the built in compressor, and decent reverb, this may make a nice "plug in and go" kinda amp.

It supposed to be 200 watts @ 8 ohms, but I'm running it into a 16 ohm cab, so I'm losing some power as a result. It's still PLENTY loud though.

I'll have to gig with it and report back.

My buddy that just bought a 62 blonde Tremolux head and cab says he likes the tone of the Lab better than his Tremolux. I told that he's NUTZ!

[Bill Beck]

I had one for a few years...it was a cool amp, but I really used it as the other half of my stereo rig which was powered by a Mesa Mark III. On it's own with a Tele through it, it did the Jim Messina compressed tone quite well.

Kind of a pain to lug around though, it weighed as much as a tube amp...although I use a SF Pro Reverb now though, so throw the weight issue out of the window. (-;

[Wally]

I had an L-5, 2X12, and still think it is the best SS amp that I have played through. The OD is good, the compressor is very versatile, and the Multifilter section adds what most SS amps are missing....some harmonic structure that is almost tubelike. It was designed by the Moog folks who were also a part of the Norlin organization at the time. The schematic is one complex, huge thing....about 3' by 2'. I bought mine new in '75-'76 and they were not cheap then. It goes to prove that a SS amp that sounds good is not going to be inexpensive.

[trag-o-caster]

What's that multifilter control supposed to do anyway?!? I moved it all around and didn't really hear much of a difference - only slightly. Maybe something wrong with it?

[buglecorps]

from the 70's and 80's..They are well made with hi quality parts, have lot's o fun features, and sound NOTHING like tubes. Most of these monsters have a unique voice and can be a blast to play through, after you climb down from the tube wagon. Not better not worse, just different.

The GT-2 is marginal IMHO running thru a amp..if you do use it this way besure the amp has it's EQ set dead flat or switched out if possible(in some amps it's a center position, in others at one and I've seen a few where is flat at full crank, experiment a bit) but it still is best into a board.

[trag-o-caster]

My GT2 sounds bad either into an amp OR straight into the PA OR for recording. As I said above, I think that I just got ahold of a bad one.

Now, about that Lab...

I ran it through my 4x10 cab (the head is actually wider than the cab is, so it looked kinda strange). The whole rig was up off of the floor, so the speakers were at chest level. I plugged my brand new 52RI straight in, set the volume just about full with the master about 3/4 to full. I would then use the compressor as a volume control (as you dial the control back, the volume drops). Oh, the reverb was up over half way too (the reverb is kinda subtle, but nice sounding). The distorted sound was VERY usable. Not muddy, or farty on the low end. Maybe had just the slightest hint of solid state fizz, but but not annoying. Very good note definition, and cleaned up nicely when you rolled the guitars volume back. I ended up dialing the distortion back a bit, and using just a hint of it (although it doesn't get very distorted anyway). I've play LOTS of tube amps that sounded WAY worse than this. I can see why some country pickers like this amp.

Later in the evening, I had to fill requests for "Voodoo Child", and Santana's "Europa". For that I was forced to plug in the Morley JD10 for extra distortion and sustain purposes (I hate having to do that!). That seemed to work out pretty good as well. I was able to conjure up that infinite sustain on one note like Carlos always does during "Europa" (I feel like a musical prostitute when I do that stuff).

Just to make sure that my ears weren't playing tricks on me, I recorded last nights gig from the board to a CD burner, and was very happy with my sound when I heard it back later. I think it's a keeper, and probably the best $100 that I've ever spent on an amplifier!

[John E]

Originally Posted by Wally

I had an L-5, 2X12, and still think it is the best SS amp that I have played through. The OD is good, the compressor is very versatile, and the Multifilter section adds what most SS amps are missing....some harmonic structure that is almost tubelike. It was designed by the Moog folks who were also a part of the Norlin organization at the time. The schematic is one complex, huge thing....about 3' by 2'. I bought mine new in '75-'76 and they were not cheap then. It goes to prove that a SS amp that sounds good is not going to be inexpensive.

I played thru an L-5 at a pickup gig, and a friend of mine that owns a local shop has one and I love that thing....

[Ben Harmless]

I owned an L5 for about 2 hours before I returned it to the store. It was broken. Something was very wrong. The cleans were great, but plugging a pedal into the front end made it sound like there was a pillow wedged in between the speakers and the grillecloth.

If I could find another that worked, I'd love to have it. In that 2 hours, I could tell that it was more to my tastes than the Roland JC-120 I had owned previously.

BTW, I discovered the Lab amps when I found out that Joan Jett used 'em, so between her and B.B., you're in good company.

[LPBlue]

I was actually working for TMI (Gibson) in Toronto when they were introduced and so far IIRC they were everything you all have said they were both good and bad. My problem with them then was that I was too much of a Marshall-head to appreciate them but they smoked another line of amps we had, solid state Standel with their stupid little plastic box epoxy modules
J.R.

[Bluedawg]

Just because I recently bought an old SS amp that sounds very much like a Tube amp.
In fact its so close that my audience would never know the difference.

I'm looking for a deal on a Lab series amp.

[Bill Beck]

I know what you mean. I just picked up a late 70's Yamaha G50-112 II from Ringo here at the TDPRI. I opened it up tonight and was amazed at the high quality/heavy duty innards it has. Quite different from some of the newer flimsy s.s. build quality. BTW, it sounds very good too...

[trag-o-caster]

Well, well, since I last posted about this topic, I acquired two more Lab amps - an L3 (1-12", 60W combo) for $100, and an L5 combo (2-12", 100W combo) for (dig this folks) $20!!!

The L5 is in HORRIBLE shape. The JBL speakers have no cones left in them. It had been abused horribly. The power switch is gone, so I don't even know if it works. It's sitting in the shop right now getting a going over.

The L3 is in mint condition. It had been sitting in the local pawn shop here for about two years or more. I decided to just go ahead and nab it. It has some weirdo speaker that I'd never heard of before. A "Herald". Anyone heard of this? According to what little info that I can find on the net, this was supposed to have been a 1-10 combo with an effects loop, but mine is a 12 (modified?), and no loop. Who knows?

Sounds OK, but not nowhere as nice as the L11. There's no compressor, multifier, parametric EQ, and only gets very slightly distorted at best. Not particularly tubey sounding either. I figure it'll make a good candidate for my Morley JD10 for local jams and whatnot.

[spyder]

Ho...I used to have an L-5 with a single 15 EV in it....tried my best to like that amp.....it just didn't happen...finally gave it the heave-ho.....to me it was extremely stiff sounding....didn't have the tonal body of other SS amps I've used in the past both for steel and guitar....'course there could have been something wrong with it I reckon.... I didn't keep it long enough to find out....later, spyder

[stantheman]

Just to make sure I'm not going deaf I just A/B'd my '64
Pro (EV-15L) with a maple neck RI MIM Strat; against a
1978 Peavey Classic (s/s pre; 6L6 GE's) with the GT-2
on the "Plexi" setting Volume on 5, Master on 10.
And I wouldn't hesitate bringing the "B" combo (as long as it had the GT-2.) Have you ever tried maxing the master volume on your amp? Honestly for the money I think you made out, I've never had a problem with Tech 21 products....I love 'em. ps I never use fx with the '64,
it's my perfect amp.

[rickyralph]

L5 i personally wouldnt give a cheeseburger for it, that said ive got an old peavy musician head and i kind a like it so solid state aint all bad but nothings better than glowing glass.

[11 Gauge]

i've had a GT2 for years now. my conclusion is that i have yet to find an amp for guitar that i like it thru, even the multitude of SS amps i have tried all let me down. i just seems impossible to get the eq flat on a SS guitar amp, even when the tone controls are set at what one would properly conclude as being flat.

but i have run it thru a few power amps, an old Pioneer home stereo amp, and of course direct to recording equipment with pretty good results.

the other thing with the GT2 is the active controls - they are ULTRA sensitive. i've found it somewhat difficult to exactly replicate tones that i previously got with it.

one of these days i'd like to get one of the Tech 21 PSA-1's. they seem ultra tweakable (plus you can save all your patches) and the value of them has to have decreased by now...

[mk]

I've had an L5 for several years. It's a good solid state amp (compares very favorably to a Roland JC120, etc.), but there's no way it sounds like a tube amp. It's much stiffer, colder, and tighter. Still useful on occasion, though.

[tellypicker]

...used a Lab with a 15 in it for years. All that hot stuff with Skaggs in the 80's-Highway 40 Blues etc was done with one.

[tellypicker]

....make that Ray Flacke. Sorry about that.

[trag-o-caster]

Well, well, the L5 that I picked up for $20 should be ready to pick up next week. After that, I've got to find some speakers for it. Any suggestions? I need to keep it cheap, so I was thinking about some of the Eminence models. Someone also mentioned Peavey Sheffields as a Celestion substitute.

The little L3 just doesn't sound anywhere NEAR as good as the L11, no matter what I do to it (such as adding an outboard compressor, plugging in my Morley JD10...). I'll probably keep it around for around the house jamming. I'm really curious about that "Harold" speaker thats in there.

I also noticed last night that plugging in the low jack produces much more gain and volume than the high jack. It's the same on both the L11 and L3. Weird!

I think that I've fallen in love with the L11 head. I can just plug straight in and go! No attachments necessary! I've used it for every gig since I've gotten it. Got a lot of compliments for my tone too! :D

[Wally]

Hey, Trag, I guess you are becoming the Lab man, eh?
Those inputs work backwards from these vintage Fenders. That 'Low' label on the input denotes low impedance input, if I remember correctly. That is the input that worked for my L.P. Recording with the low impedance pickups.
As for speakers... the Emi Legend 12 (C12N type clones) are good and I especially like the GB12's (British cones). Avatar has the cheapest prices for retail that I have seen.

[trag-o-caster]

Well, I just picked up my Lab L5 from one repair shop, and it's sitting in a speaker repair shop right now getting fitted with some Celestion G12-100's that I got for $60 a piece! I'm trying her out on the gig tonight.

The speaker grill fell off on my way out of the repair shop, and I didn't even notice until I got to the speaker shop. So, they're gonna make a new grill for me. So, the amp will probably be unrecognizable when I pick it up. So I don't have to put up with other players pointing and saying "You're using a TRANSISTOR amp?!?"

I recorded with the L11 head for the first time last night, and I must say that it sounds REAL nice on tape. All that's left are vocals, so after that's done, I'll put up a link to an mp3 so y'all can hear it.