Laney VC30

Laney vc30 is a class A 30-watt tube combination amplifier that comes in different versions, i.e., 2×10, 1×12, and 2×12. It comes with a variety of speaker options that give a classic British tone to your audio.

It has a footswitchable gain, its own level control, a bright switch, and a three-band EQ that offers an elusive living tune.

People who are looking for an expressive, pure, and classic tone can benefit greatly from the Laney vc30 because it packs your audio with warmth and tone and helps you cover a wide range of vintage guitar tones with ease.

It comes with a black basket weave vinyl covering, white piping, a black and grey speaker grille, finished chromed corners, and rugged leather handles, giving it the most ‘British’ and ‘Laney’ appearance there is.

The control panel is placed on the top and has vintage-style pointer knobs. The speakers are placed in the open back cabinet fitted with a protective metal grille.

Tips on Better Using Laney vc30

Laney vc30 212 is the most commonly used version of the Laney vc30 amplifier models. It is known to have the best performance among the three.

Laney vc30 212 has the same build and design with black leather, a control panel on top, and speakers fitted in the open back cabinet. 

The control panel knobs on the top have separate Hi and Lo jacks for different instruments.

Other controls include Bright Switch, Clean Volume, Drive Switch, Drive Volume, and Drive. The drive is typically used to control and set the amount of overdrive.

Drive Volume is used to set the volume of the drive channel, and Drive Switch is used in drive channel engagement.

External effects plugged into the loop are regulated by the Bass, Treble, Middle, Reverb, and Effects level. At the far right of the panel are the power and standby switches.

A unique feature of these amplifiers is that the controls face the player from the front instead of upside down, like most amplifiers.

The fuse, jacks, and power cable connector for internal extension speakers are all located at the back panel.

Other connecting points in the back panel include a footswitch jack for an optional drive/reverb footswitch, send and return jacks for effect loops, and an extension speaker switch impedance switch.

 The reverb tank and effects loop are driven by solid-state, but otherwise, it is a valve amp.

Sounds

Laney vc30 can be used for many guitars to produce different tunes and vintage/classical sounds.

According to the manual, if you bring all the tone controls to 7 with the drive-off and bring the volume to an appropriate level, you can achieve your desired vintage-sounding result.

Using these settings on a Gibson ’59 reissue Les Paul, a ’56 LP Junior, and a ’70 Fender Tele, you will observe that the sound and tones are vibrant, sweet, and warm towards the low end.

The amplifier easily picks up the dynamics and adds a little sparkle on top of the low end.

In contrast, if you experiment with the settings and volume control, you can see that the amplifier can also be suitable for classic rock and blues. It can produce a fair share of dirty tunes as well.

However, for a heavy crunch, a stompbox is recommended to add the extra snarl and grease. You can also get the guitar to retain its basic tonal characteristics with higher-gain settings.

This particular feature gives Laney vc30 212 an edge over other amplifiers that make every instrument sound the same.

Volume and Power

Despite being a 30-watt amplifier, Laney vc30 212 can act as a powerhouse providing enough volume to equal a 100-watt amplifier. This quality gives it a tremendous advantage over other amplifiers.

Laney vc30 112

Laney vc30 112 is another version of the Laney vc30 series. It is a 30-watt vintage amplifier with almost the same feature as the other amplifiers in this series. 

It provides tube amplification, and it’s quite basic, with only two channels. It has a common EQ, three knobs, an outline, and a digital reverb. It also comes with a loop where you can add an additional speaker to enhance its sound.

It runs in pure class A mode and produces a little distortion. It builds a connection between the amplifier and the tone due to its valves which are always ready to roll. It gives the audio a distinct class-A feel and sound.

Although the sound is pretty good without the speaker, the possibility of adding another one increases its versatility.

It has one drawback it does not come with a pedal switch. But the pedal switch is pretty affordable and can be bought separately.

Laney vc30 112 does not require a lot of adjustment. It can easily be set up after a few settings by following the manual.

Sound

It has a very clean sound as compared to other amplifiers. The compression snaps when you mount the volume and gives a very clear result.

You can hear the bass being present in the sound at a low volume, but it tends to disappear when you begin to push the beast.

The distortion can be an issue, but the overall sound is warm and nice.

The amplifier comes with an ideal weight and size and can produce a really good sound at a low cost. However, it may need a few repairs from time to time.

Pros	Cons
Laney vc30 is affordable.	It can get damaged from time to time.
The manual is in English and is very easy to understand.	It can be hard to achieve the desired sound for Jazz and blues.
You plug it in, and it’s good to go. No long settings are required.	Compromise in quality due to low cost.
Ideal weight and size.	It can have distortion issues.
The possibility of adding an extra speaker gives it flexibility.	Some versions of Laney vc30 do not come with a pedal.
Despite the amp being only 30-watt, it can generate enough volume almost equal to a 100-watt amplifier.

Battery and Valve Replacement in Laney vc30

Many valves and chords are available for your Laney vc30, so you can replace them in case of any damage. If done correctly, your Laney vc30 will run smoothly for years. Replacement of valves gives the tone a rich texture.

However, valve replacement can free up the speakers a bit and make them a bit heavier.

The battery replacement and burnouts in the amplifier can overall decrease its life, but repair and maintenance on the tubes and valves can keep them going for a long period of time.

Laney vc30 Review

Based on different reviews from people who have personally used Laney v30, especially Laney v30 112, they have different opinions on the amplifier. 

Like many musical instruments, Laney vc30 has equally good and bad reviews about its performance, quality, and working.

For people in favor of the Laney vc30 models, it has mostly worked well over the course of many years without any failures. The amplifier is known to go through output transformers quicker than most amps that go through output tubes. 

Laney vc30 is known to have a unique transformer and requires pedals for gain. It has a weak distortion, but overall performance is good for guitars, strumming, and the finger technique.

It is really affordable and is known to have a great reverb. A major drawback of this amplifier, according to the reviews, is its compromise in quality due to its less price.

Its tubes need repair and changing after some time, and the sound can be very harsh on the high end. 

Some amps can be of such low quality that they break down very often in the form of blow tubes and blown speaker connector cables.

Some reviews suggest that the Laney vc30 amps manufactured in the UK have better quality as compared to those manufactured in China.

The models made in the UK have a longer life. Even the models bought in the early 2000s performed well than the others.

They have a great clean channel, but the dirt channel is very disappointing for some users.

It is known to have a decent overdrive tone without putting too much effort into the controls. It lacks detailed definition in the sound, which gives it a drawback, but it works well for Jazz, blues, and classic rock.

Some reviews claim that the amplifier is not versatile and always gives the same color to every instrument.

Other reviews claim that the Laney vc30 made in the UK has bad quality, and the amplifiers show many issues, and the overdrive sounds muddy with neck pickups. But the amplifiers sound great with bridge HBs, IMO.

It is also stated that the decreased quality and features of some versions of Laney vc30 are due to its low price. There is biasness based on the cost of the amplifier, which gives it a downside.

Some people prefer the Laney vc30 over other amplifiers, especially those who record blues, because the Laney works best even with a 10′ speaker.

Laney vc30 Combo

The Laney vc30 combo range offers a variety of amplifiers with different features according to different instruments. The general weight of these amps is around 22.2 kg, and the dimensions are 559 x 250 x 420mm. 

These combos help you produce a warm, classic, and vintage sound with your guitars and have a vast dynamic range. These amplifiers can easily detect the pressure of your fingers on the guitar strings. Its range helps you get the desired output that you are looking for.

For someone who does not want a lot of wattage, Laney amplification combos are ideal multiple-channel amplifiers. This combo is easily available in the market and perfect for beginners because of its easy set-up manual.

Laney vc30 mods

Mods are mostly done for a better preamp gain in the Laney vc30. One option can be to use upgraded coupling caps. They can be of the same value as the stock or different, but they can enhance the overall ‘feel’ of the sound.

You can also use stock TAD tubes to mod your Laney vc30l. If you want to smooth the harshness in your sound without adding extra tubes, you can use a simple EQ pedal to slam the front end.

Changing R15 to 820 can help you increase the gain, but this method needs adjustment regarding the circuit of your Laney vc30.

You can also swap the pot values to 1M to make the controls more interactive if it is desired. PI change can also warm up the power section of Laney vc30.

Another option can be to put a treble booster between the guitar and amplifier.

Laney vc30 210 mods

In the case of Laney vc30 201, you can exchange the preamp tube with a 12AU7 to stop any hissing sounds coming from your amplifier.

Let only tubes stay in the signal chain and bridge out the solid state fx to make the sound better.

Another option can be to use TADs in your amp and the Celestion 70/80 speaker.

Bring the cathode bypass from 47uf down to 1Uf to dial a little bit of gain in V1a. Next, remove the 100pf cap a from the output of V1b.

Cathode bypass can also be replaced by V2a with a 10uF cap to increase the gain. The signal voltage to V2b should be increased by dropping the 470k resistor to 10k.

To reduce the gain, you can have 1K5 Rk’s in your 18-watt amplifier 

You can also mod your Laney vc30 by adding a slight bit of voltage and add a filter choke to it. This method lowers the DC resistance and gives a more filtered result.

Peavey Classic 30 vs. Laney vc30

Laney vc30 and Peavey classic 30 are two very different amplifiers in terms of tone. Laney has a more warm and vintage touch to it, while the classic drifts towards the modern side.

Lane has clean tones and less distortion, which can be easily handled with pedals, and the classic has much more dirt as compared to the vc30.

The gain channel of the Peavey classic 30 is a bit noisy as compared to the Laney vc30.

If you compare the price, Peavey is more expensive than Laney but with almost the same features. Laney has a better speaker and better valves and is considered to be at the better end of the bargain. Peavey Classic 30 also weighs more than the Laney vc30. Laney has an ideal weight.

Laney does not have as much gain as compared to Peavey Classic 30. But both amps have a great overdrive and have almost the same vibe. 

The speakers of Laney vc30 need replacement from time to time, but overall, it is an underrated amplifier. 

Peavey classic 30’s downside is its weight and bulk as compared to Laney vc30, which roughly weighs around 18 to 21.5 kg. 

Another downside of Peavey Classic 30 is its diode’s clipping distortion which can disturb the audio. Laney vc30, on the other hand, gives a very organic tone due to its quieter toroidal power. Laney vc30 also has a better internal build than Peavey Classic 30.

Laney is much less smooth than the Peavey classic 30 but can be useful for many midranges that could not be dialed out.

Frequently Asked Questions