A Laney tube amp that's a REAL Plugin! | Is it any good?

This Laney LA-Studio is a fully designed and made tube amp right here in the United Kingdom. Is it rally any use at 3 watts?
0:00 Start
0:22 Intro & preamble
2:34 Inside the amplifier
2:50 Chassis assembly
3:27 Preamp tubes
4:39 Power tube
5:28 Made by Dave
5:57 PCB assembly
8:48 A closer look inside
12:01 History & design
15:43 Two Notes board
16:16 Rear I/O
22:07 Front controls
24:30 Input jumping
25:23 Cabinet quality
26:05 Other general info
26:58 Amp pricing
27:31 Comparing digital gear
28:37 Effects loop
29:33 A REAL plugin
30:35 Two Notes use
31:30 USB for DAW
31:59 Two Notes software
39:38 IR thoughts in use
40:19 Vintage power tube
44:30 Important note
46:07 Incredible MIDI features
48:16 Mains Voltage Mods?
49:34 Weight!
50:09 Warranty
53:33 Summing up & likes
58:40 Dislikes
1:00:53 Review Score
1:02:31 Audio with speakers
1:11:06 Audio with IR's
1:21:24 Final thoughts
Links:
Laney LA-Studio: www.laney.co.uk/amps/guitar/s...
Laney TI100 Review: • Tony Iommi's Laney Amp...
Looking at this Laney LA-STUDIO tube amp that has only 3 watts output or in it's low output mode just 0.1 watt will lead you to think that maybe this amp is not for you. Should you consider a digital solution instead? To be perfectly honest, that is probably the worst thing you can do, and would certainly be doing yourself a disservice if you did.
But then you might consider this tube amp and the history that comes with it. This amp has the DNA of an early Laney amp that was never released back in the 60's (I think it was) when 'real men' bought real tube amps. And large and heavy they were - expect a typical 100 watts out in to a 4x12 speaker cab and of course that overall weight that many complain about today (are they wimps?). And you know what an 8kg 3 watt tube amp might have a place especially if you play in studios or play at home a lot. But that does not mean that this amp could not gig... watch the video for that.
The truth is, that this tiny amp is bigger than the parts it's created from. And speaking of parts, this amp has an embedded Two Notes system that can emulate or simulate speakers, a room and of course much more... so you really don't even need a speaker cab if you don't want one.
Historically I looked at a Suhr Pete Thorn with similar internal ability (but that had a higher output) that cost about £2400 here in the UK, and also I looked at a Friedman JJ Jnr (20 watts) that to be honest was twice the price+ than this little Laney LA-STUDIO and 1/4 as good - in fact that was returned by me for a full refund. So choices as you see could be very expensive but were they better? I don't think so.
So on to this tiny Laney Studio amp and how its made internally, the features that it offers, including incredible MIDI that can change almost any control in real time, the included Two Notes that makes this amp in to basically a REAL Tube plugin! and of course the fantastic warranty that this amp comes with - currently FIVE YEARS.
I really liked the Laney LA-Studio and gave it an excellent score for this review. It deserves it!
I have reviewed very many amps and simulators over the years and I go back to as far as 2011 - but this amp, as Laney attest themselves is a really well made and capable tube amp that includes that often digital missing feature of tube amp 'feel'. Its all here...
Visit my website: tonymckenzie.com for some great reviews not on KZbin.
Lastly, I example and play through the Studio amp both with real speakers and with the Two Notes equivalent directly to the desk. See which tones you like best and post that in the text!
If you're in the market for a tube amp and you're not sure which one to buy, then be sure to check out this Laney La-Studio 3W Valve Amp Head! In this review, we'll take a look at all of the features of this amp and see if it's worth the investment. After watching this video, you'll have a better understanding of what to look for when buying a tube amp and whether the Laney La-Studio 3W Valve Amp Head is the right choice for you!
This video is entirely financed and sponsored by me with my own money so it's important for you to subscribe and thumbs up, ring the bell and click ALL to see more of my videos. Please do SUBSCRIBE to give my channel a boost and thank you for watching - I hope the video is enjoyable - its a week of my life!
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Visit www.tonymckenzie.com for more incredible reviews or my KZbin channel
#laney #la-studio #two-notes #twonotes #tonyiommi #guitaramplifier #tonymckenzie #review #mckenzie

[@RByrne]

Ever since covid, any amp I've bought has been 5w or less. That's more than enough to get the police called out for a noise complaint. I do have the Laney L5-S, which uses all Russian tubes, and the build quality, to me anyway, seems quite good. I enjoy these amp deep-dive reviews you do. Very thorough! Thanks

[@tonymckenziecom]

@RByrne thanks for the kind words and of course for watching.

[@tonymckenziecom]

@DanielRMusic92 - I have NEVER mentioned this ever online... but once I was loud enough (I was about 18) to get the next door neighbors throw a bottle through our window :) Absolutely true :) At the time I did have a Selmer Zodiac amp (long gone of course) and man those were loud. It was full tilt :). Thanks for watching.

[@ACE-hv5sw]

I’m late to the party but just got a LA Studio used and I love it. This is my first time using a product like this and it’s pretty cool to have both worlds. It only took me a day to learn the two notes side of it but I still like my LA212 cab with it. Very in depth, detailed video!

[@tonymckenziecom]

I agree its a great amp you don't see much but worth the money for sure. Thanks for the post and for watching.

[@digital-guitars-uk]

Brilliant video Tony. This was great insight but nobody really talks about UK made Amps, Guitars and pedals made in the UK. Also our music shops are also suffering due to bigger chains and we all should support our local music shop all around the world as once they close they won't open back up again. Thanks for another great video. Looking forward to the next one. Rock on Sir 🎶🎶🎶🎶😊😊👍👍👍👍

[@tonymckenziecom]

Well I'm not entirely sure about that. The Marshall gear is everywhere in the USA (at least where I go). Sadly it costs the earth there. I agree that the independents should see a look in especially home grown. Not sure how many of these little amps are being made, but I would not like to make one and have profit in there for £640 retail inc. VAT! Thanks for the info and for watching.

[@1961jscofield]

HE'S BACK!! Thanks for another excellent video Tony. This seems an awesome solution at a really fair price. I hope this provokes other amp makers to step up and compete in this market.

[@tonymckenziecom]

Yes me too - great price and to be honest that 3w was loud! :) Thanks for watching.

[@leoolivero963]

Awesome video of the guts of my favourite amp! Thankyou. I also have the LA30BL (30W head), which is way too loud for home use; but the LA-Studio is extremely versatile, I even use it for practice jams, plus, the virtual cabs & two notes stuff makes it sounds ultra-cool. Thanks again, from Down Under.

[@tonymckenziecom]

Great to hear you... and I am always surprised that an amp like this gets far less traction than many others... you're right it IS a great amp and so easily overlooked. 30w guys often think 'won't be loud' but as you say, (I remember the older Laney combo!) it can be way too loud for turned up use. Not so with this little amp... and hey thanks for the post and for watching.

[@aipsong]

Another great in depth review! I bought a second hand Blackstar HT Studio 20, which I send through my UA OxBox to my computer. Lots of great sounds and the neighbors hear nothing. Long live the combination of analog and digital!!!

[@tonymckenziecom]

Exactly... its a good mix and you can do either/or. Actually I have NOT tried the speakers AND the Two Notes to a mixer at the same time? it might work and I see no reason why not... Thanks for watching.

[@rickycompton2610]

Great video Tony, I’ve always loved the UK built amp and there build Quality I currently own 2 Laney heads a Gh100l and a Gh50l and 4 Marshall heads, there’s just something about the EL34 British tube tone to me And Laney has always been an underrated head. Thank you for the In-depth review I’ve been looking at the LA 100 black country custom handwired version.

[@tonymckenziecom]

Thanks for watching. The weird tube in this one is actually OK though and can sound really good.

[@portland573]

Laney are sometimes overlooked, but make really good kit. My missus' plays a reasonable Roland kit and uses a Laney DH80 monitor. Great sound for a small cab, good tone selection, 2 channels (if you're mixing kits) got an aux and Bluetooth in for playing backing tracks at home and has a good XLR balanced out to plug into front of house. Amazing bit of kit for under two hundred quid and is sturdy to boot.

[@tonymckenziecom]

Thanks for the info. It is a pretty cool bit of gear especially for that money. Analogue or Digital? can't be bad for £640.00! Thanks for watching too.

[@mananakoa2412]

The Peavey Invective and REVV G20 are also two notes built in. I have a captor x but I’m interested in checking one of these types of amps out. Thanks Tony!

[@tonymckenziecom]

Not sure of the prices of those two? Post it here... but the Laney looks cool. Thanks for watching.

[@rickmckee8270]

Hi Tony thank you for another great review for this Laney amplifer I appreciate you showing the inside of the amplifier and I was plesantly surprised to see that they use a choke on the power supply which is a more expensive way to design a power supply. Keep up the great reviews they are the best and Rock on Tony I like you playing too. Tony many of the younger generation that play though digital do not relize what digital cannot deliver the same dymanices and latency free playing that tube amps have in spades.

[@tonymckenziecom]

Glad you liked this stuff... this is a cool amp and sort of offers the best of both worlds... Ha my playing varies sometimes great and if not inspired well, you just get a few chords :) But that shows the power of a piece of gear I think. Thanks for watching and those kind words.

[@johnnyringo8174]

Looks like a very cool amp! Personally, for that amount of money, I would go with the Synergy line. Its all tube, includes an effects loop, will work with your existing amps and if you get tired of the sound of the preamp you can just buy a different module. Very informative video!

[@tonymckenziecom]

Thanks for watching. The Synergy reminds me of the old Egnater solution from about 15 years ago... interesting (I owned one) but very expensive really. Thanks for watching.

[@davescupper5789]

A bit underrated laney amps, nice to see a review on one, theyre really good amps

[@tonymckenziecom]

I agree - its brilliant for the money (and don't assume that last comment is somehow derogatory to the amp - its not!) Thanks for watching

[@paulbangash4317]

Brimar are selling ( and in some cases making) valves again. They have bought a load of old mullard tooling equipment which they are restoring. I freind and I bought some valves from them (12ax7/ el84 and 34 , made abroad as yet but well graded). They are really good. Best I have tried in many years.

[@tonymckenziecom]

Thanks for this info - it's exactly the sort of thing I hoped someone might post re the valves/tubes. Appreciated and thanks for watching.

[@KaddysJamKave]

Pretty cool idea to combine a valve amp with two notes cab simulators... but eventually the software will be obsolete, although I suppose you can just use it as a normal tube amp still regardless. I wanted to use the software for my old multi effects pedal the other day (Digitech RP360) and surprise surprise... it's no longer available or hosted by digitech. Might be able to find an old version if I spent enough time scourging the internet but cbf. Also, I was going to buy a two notes Captor X the other day but I don't use Windows or Mac so I thought no problem... I'll just use the Android app on my phone or tablet... nope... the app doesn't support loading custom IR's on those apps but it does on the other 2 Operating Systems. So I went with a Suhr Reactive Load IR loader... no annoying software to rely on for it to work well into the future beyond just copying & pasting IR's on it as a storage device. Anyways, great video Tony!

[@tonymckenziecom]

Those are really good points to make. It's so easy for many to (just an opinion) overvalue the software. Thankfully on this one it does operate without the software if for what ever reason the software no longer worked. Thanks for watching...

[@ToneDeth.]

Great video. Surely the head with a 4x12 is plenty to gig with. All these people saying too quiet, do they not understand your cab in most venues would be mic'd. You'd have monitor wedges. Or even better, IEMS. Plus the DI out could run both in the mix. I used to gig with a tiny terror set to 7 watts into a 2x12 and it was fine. Obviously cranked for rock, no cleans. This Laney even though 3 watt sounds like it'd be louder than that!

[@tonymckenziecom]

I have to say that it was OK and you rightly say the speaker cab really is the answer. I was surprised even at the 0.1w setting :). Thanks for watching.

[@texmex697]

Great review again Tony, but this amp is not for me. I don't want any digital shenanigans. I just want a home amp, tube, with clean headroom to plug a couple of pedals in. Low gain. Something thats equal to about 40watts (or less ) digital. Any ideas where to start. Thanks

[@tonymckenziecom]

Ah but that's the point YOU DONT HAVE TO have the digital stuff - it works entirely as 'normal' for a tube amp if you prefer that! :) Thanks for watching.

[@shane011471]

I wish you would have let people hear it at full power output cranked (through the cab). I own a Laney Lionheart L5T-112 combo (5 watts) and my friends dismiss it all the time and laugh at 5 Watts, that is until they play it. The amp will get loud enough to piss off my next door neighbors. A 3 or 5 watt valve amp is more than enough for any home use situation. This little Laney is even more versatile than my combo and less expensive as well. All you need to do is take your XLR cable and run it to the FOH and you are on your way. I agree 100 percent that a digital cab sim does and will NOT sound as good as the real thing.

[@tonymckenziecom]

Well I do think the cab has a lot to do with it. You need efficient speakers - and a 4x12 really beefs it up - I doubt a 1x12 would be the same. It was loud, and that's a good thing, because of the digital Two Notes out - I thought it was a good idea and have not seen that much on this amp - and that's a pity. Speakers did sound better, but the digital was 'enhanced - I'll call it that) by the effects applied in Two Notes - reverb for example. Thanks for the post and for watching...

[@Barbarapape]

Clean with a crackle to it, reminds me of a 78 record player with a worn out stylus LOL🤣 This must be a first Tony, an amp that is all you expected it to be and at an affordable price if you avoid Andertons! why do they charge £50 more than the better sellers? At this price i might be tempted, but i have enough clean amps including valve ones that i darn't use until my neighbours go shopping, even 1 watt can get you into trouble these days. Thanks for another in depth review, i wonder what the sponsored reviewers said about it? Hope you are keeping safe and well Tony.🙂👍

[@tonymckenziecom]

This one came from guitarguitar.co.uk just went online and bought it. Ha to call it 'clean' is I think a misnomer - all those old amps distorted when cranked anyway. Well I don't really care much for the 'sponsored' reviewers - they have an opinion, and I have mine, but I showed mine on camera. That's about it for any of that. IMO often I find its not what they say, but rather what they don't say that is important ;-) Thanks for watching...

[@Mega_trav]

Hey Tony, what is your opinion on solid state amps? I realize that is divided into 2 categories: Transistor amps and modeling amps. I know that you like to review real amps. You should see if you can get your hands on an Orange Super Crush or Boss Katana or in the higher end, a Quilter amp. I think you’d be surprised how good they sound. Personally, as a gigging musician, solid state amps are more appealing because of lack of maintenance. I think a hybrid amp (tube preamp, solid state power amp) like the BluGuitar amp would be ideal

[@tonymckenziecom]

The BluGuitar amp/pedal is really exceptional and I did review it many years back here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jmiaq6t7hamWhrMsi=okH9uBkR_ToXxGar an interesting point was at the time I used to talk with 'Awesome John' (RIP Asim) who was an incredible guitarist and another guy that builds amps (very good ones) who shall remain nameless for this. AJ was commenting on some of those 'blues' tones I had from that BluGuitar pedal... and trust me, if he said it was great then it really was. AJ had played with Michaelangelo Batio and guys like that... search for him :). I 'get it' re the weight etc. and the size and maintenance and I certainly am not against them and unlikely I would be surprised about those and other simulators as I have tried most. There are some very passable pieces of gear out there. Sadly they will be the passing of tube amps if not now, eventually. Sadly. Tube amps have a way of inspiring the music when you play through them (at least for me) and weirdly I have written some great music on tube amps because of that but very little on the other stuff. Remember, I can vividly remember having my Rhythm guitarist in the band back in the day with a transistor Marshall amp! It was horrible... so was the amp :) But seriously, I have not seen Pete Kent for many years and if he ever reads this hello Pete... Thanks for the post and for watching.

[@cristianoclsc1617]

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[@STF_YVR]

Thanks for the review. It seems the price of this amp is now much higher at around 850 - 900 GBP. Is it still worth it at that price ?

[@tonymckenziecom]

I think you can find it cheaper :-) check fair deal music tell em Tony sent you

[@franktriggs]

Regarding the feeling of playing. If you're running in only 44.1Khz, you're getting the worst latency when playing. It can take all the feeling away. The higher the sample rate, the less latency, the better it feels to play. You didn't say how high it can go, most audio interfaces these days go to at least 192Khz, with a latency of around 2ms on a good PC.

[@tonymckenziecom]

Thanks for the info. I did not notice any latency when I was checking it all out though and I was pushing the output to studio one 6.1 through the desk as described using AVB but AVB networks are surprisingly good re latency. But great point thanks for the post and for watching.

[@PastelComGini]

A made in Russia tube in an amp made in UK? 🤔

[@tonymckenziecom]

UK does not make tubes thanks (possibly) to the far east or middle east maybe...

[@Nizodizo]

I will pass on all the computer stuff.

[@tonymckenziecom]

Well remember that this amp can do BOTH. and that is credible. To me sounds best with real speakers.

[@jasonoak4564]

No offense but it looks like a hunk of junk to me.

[@tonymckenziecom]

Maybe you should try one...

[@montag4516]

That's what my last girlfriend said the first time she saw me naked 😢