Quick Demo: Laney VH100R - Forgotten 90s Legend?

A couple of months ago, I picked this Laney VH100R up from a music store on Reverb for a suspiciously low price... Much to my surprise the amp worked perfectly and sounded outstanding. I asked myself, why is nobody talking about these? Why aren't these more popular?
I want to shine a little light on this beast of an amp.
Signal chain:
I'm using a Gibson SG Raw Power tuned to drop C# with a Seymour Duncan Black Winter pickup in the bridge and a Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates in the neck (used for cleans and leads here).
The guitar is running into a Deasdweald Duality DX which when on is running in TS style mode with gain at 0 and the EQ and Volume at around 1 o'clock. From there the signal goes into an Egnater SS4 Amp Switcher and into the amps. the active amp is routed back into the SS and from there into a Two Notes Torpedo Live with a GGD Cali IR loaded.
00:00 Into
00:43 Channel A Mode 1 (Clean)
01:03 Channel A Mode 1 (Clean) + Bright
01:23 Channel A Mode 1 (Clean) Toggling Bright Switch On/Off
01:49 Channnel A Mode 1 (Clean) + Bright + Reverb
02:26 Channel A Mode 2 (Crunch)
03:21 Channel A Mode 2 (Crunch) + Reverb
03:59 Channel B Mode 1 (Heavy Crunch)
04:48 Channel B Mode 1 (Heavy Crunch) + Reverb
05:08 Channel B Mode 2 (High Gain)
06:49 Channel B Mode 2 (High Gain) + OD Pedal Boost
08:34 Channel B Mode 2 (High Gain) + OD Pedal Boost + Reverb
09:00 Channel B Mode 2 - Presence Knob and Resonance Switch
09:47 Channel B Mode 2 - Hi and Low Input Jacks
10:17 About the Amps Channels
11:33 FX Routing
11:50 Final Thoughts
12:46 Thank you!

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

So, which amp should I line the VH100R up against first? Laney Ironheart, Peavey 5150, Marshall JCM 2000 DSL or something different entirely?

[@tmarks]

JCM800

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

Damn. I wish I had one

[@eds4754]

DSL would be fun!

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

@@eds4754 I just stacked it on top of the Laney 10 minutes ago 😂

[@dominik4614]

Diezel

[@craigravenhill1529]

There's a great hack with this amp to play at bedroom levels. On the rear panel there's a switch on the "insert" section. Make sure the switch is also on the "insert" setting. The return level knob now becomes a master volume. I've been doing this for a year and it's not caused any issues

[@cinorikese5890]

I own this amp and I will never sell it. It's good for every genre of music.

[@alexandervehrenkamp5093]

This Amp is an absolutely underrated piece of gear. Thick and crystal cleans, excellent crunch sounds, Heavy hi gains with extra smoky something on top. Built like a tank. The only weak points are relatively high level of noise at high gain settings.

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

I agree with everything you wrote. The noisyness is my only issue with the amp too but I guess a good gate could fix that. It's likely the AC heaters. I might put a hum balance pot in there to get on top of the noise a bit

[@youngmike8645]

Gate and experiment with different preamp tubes. If the gain isn’t maxed mine isn’t that noisy compared to other high gain amps I own. My outlets vary wildly with noise because I live in a poorly wired old apartment. I as of last night just dusted off my Laney and I’m surprised I haven’t played it in so long. It’s brutal articulate and the cleans are insane.

[@ljuky]

I got this amp recently, and so far I am really enjoying it. It covers a lot of ground, and soundwise to me sounds like a nice mix of Marshall and Boogie.

[@ruhrpottflo2249]

Nice Demo. Love Laney amps a lot 🤙

[@josephforrest3713]

That sounds great. Bristling with nice harmonic stuff!!

[@BradRocker]

Thanks for this great demo.

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

Thank you!

[@chrisharris4975]

This series of Laney amplifiers go under the radar. Ampeg made of series around the same time that needed a key. Great amp as well. Good stuff!

[@zanthraxus]

Those are some fine tones! My personal favorites were the cleans and the heavy crunch + first high gain tones! Btw I like your understatement - calling a quite extensive walkthrough of the amp that very efficiently shows its character and provides tons of info a "quick demo" :) (also it's quite easy to get lost in all the tones!) Thanks for another great amp showcase video - really looking forward to this series! Cheers!

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

Thanks buddy! Happy as always to read your comments. Yeah, keeping things short is a challenge for me it turns out. Lol. When that Synergy Herbert video clocked in at almost 30 minutes, I was shocked. I could very easily make these longer by turning some knobs but 10 to 15 minutes feels like a good length for a video to me. I think I'll mix in these quick demo type vidoes here and there in future

[@motomante8557]

It was my first quality amp and i still own one. Your videos are top notch! Greetings from a fellow berliner.

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

Thank you so much! I really appreciate the feedback

[@Greg-rd8qr]

I have 1, and it's great, I have a MkV, JP2c+, and I use the Laney most of the time, great amp man!

[@JinxRemoving]

Absolutely great demo! Huge fan of the Laneys from this period, I've got a GH100L and GH50L which are like these but just stripped to the essentials. Your demo is making me covet a VH100R though...

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

Haha! Sorry, I guess? That's a great compliment to me! Thanks for dropping a comment

[@TheKopfbandage]

Just bought this one with a JCM800 cabinet for 580€ - and it was worth it. My old JCM800 amp is not working properly anymore and I was surprised to replace it at such low cost. Thanks a lot for this informative video. It will sure help me get a good tone :)

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

My pleasure! That's a great deal you found there. Got mine shipped to me for 350€ and it's one of the best deals I have ever done

[@eyonnealchristmas3974]

I love it.

[@behavioralsink7747]

Sir. The level of detail and organization you have included in this post is exemplary. Your playing style also adds to the demonstration in your choice of chords and is soothing. I could honestly enjoy the instrumental music itself. Thank you for your diligent work, nuanced insights and courage to share.

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

Wow! Thank you so much! This just made my day!

[@FEAROWNAGE]

That is a very unique tone.

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

In a good or bad way?

[@FEAROWNAGE]

@@TheOtherJohnBrowne It has a unique gain structure.

[@stm113]

I had what was essentially the single channel 50 watt version of this amp. I miss it, the amp had a vibe all its own, especially the cleans they were so dimensional. I got this amp in 97 because of Tony Iommi and it delivered in spades. The only reason I let it go was because the way it was designed I couldn't make the best use of the cleans whilst getting the Drive channel I wanted. This was in the early 2000's like '01 and there were no Laney dealers so I didn't even know there was a 2 channel option. I've been begging Fractal to add this to their platform to no avail.

[@PariahVSGear]

My guy OJB lol. Great video man! Subscribed.

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

Dude! I'm thrilled to see your name here! Thank you very much!

[@phillamoore157]

The Laney classic voiced amps are absolutely AWESOME. There's the newer GH lineup (I believe) that are, or were, amazing, as well. Many U.S. stores don't carry them, for whatever reason. But, they were outanding EL34 amps at a killer price.

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

Yeah! Laney tend to fly under the radar a bit in general for some reason. I have yet to play one of the newer GH series amps. I'm sure they deliver the goods though

[@SimmonsCabinets]

Very impressive demonstration.The sensitivity of the amp shines through in every configuration and eq setting.Mine takes pedals very well with very low noise.The ab return on the fx loop is for both channels and you can send from either a or b.I use jj6l6 and ecc83 and the amp just roars.Many ppl over the years have referred to the vh as the jcm 800 killer.5150 comparison or dsl would be good to see next.Cheers

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

Ah! Thanks for educating me on the loop! That's pretty cool! Sensitivity is a good term for it. I love how the amp feels when playing. It has a really organic response which makes it fun to play for me. I am thinking DSL next because its features and channel layout lend itself to a straight forward comparison

[@SimmonsCabinets]

@@TheOtherJohnBrowne No problem on the fx loop info.Glad to help.I'll definetly watch the comparison videos you post.Some of the vids on my channel of my cabs were with a vh100r and also a pv xxx.

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

I'll have to check your videos out! I recently bought a friends Peavey 3120 which is supposedly a Triple XXX in a new dress

[@SimmonsCabinets]

@@TheOtherJohnBrowne I have heard good things about the 3120.Would definetly like to hear one of your comparison vids with that amp.

[@timryan193]

My amp gets some love ❤

[@ehiracheta]

Yea dude...I had one of these...Loved it to death. I'm playing on a D-moll today. I just found your channel. Immediate sub. Im struggling to choose between a Herbert MK3 and a VH4. I love the D-moll...but would like something a bit brighter. The VH2 I had to have an eq in the loop to get what I wanted out of it.

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

Awesome, man! Thank you! Yeah, Diezels are a bit on the darker side unless you dial up the highs and presence. If the VH2 didn't do it for you then the VH4 most likely won't either. Personally I prefer the Herberts over the D-Moll. While they sound very close, the Herbert feels a bit tighter and more immediate. However I don't feel that it is brighter. The mk3 might be a bit as it uses a slightly different circuit than the two other generations but I also don't have any first hand experience with the mk3. Tough choice

[@EugeValovirta230V]

I used to own one in the 90s and did one album with it. I think it's a pretty cool amp!

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

It was a bit of a surprise hit for me. I had been wondering about the amp for a few years and then a store in Italy offered this one up for next to nothing. I have no regrets

[@EugeValovirta230V]

Cool! @@TheOtherJohnBrowne

[@jcwear89]

The clean riff at the start was really cool by the way! I own the GH50L which is a stripped down one of these and love it. Things to try: -Try to use the low gain input as the go-to -Don't be scared to put treble control really low, like less than 9 o clock, sometimes at 0. Depending on the speakers will help with the ice-pick highs. I have to agree that the chrome faceplate is annoying in stage lighting!

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

Thanks, buddy! I'll try your tips out later. What's up with the lo input though? I don't feel like there are any headroom issues with the hi input. The cleans ars great to me. Is there a secret I am missing?

[@jcwear89]

@@TheOtherJohnBrowne lo gain input is attenuated input, so I get a cleaner punchier sound which works really well with the band, I find it easier to dial in the right amount of gain that way, because there's a lot of gain on tap. But technically speaking it doesn't matter(!) Just my preference! I run the bass at like 10 or 11 o clock too and along with the lo input helps with the tightness if using a booster in the front end :)

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

Good shout! I'll give that a try!

[@DropB]

In Finland these were even cheaper than the 5150. So people had them. This is a great amp.

[@DropB]

The high gain channel was almost exclusively used. It performs very well and as intended with this amp. And like I said these were really affordable options for the Marshall / Peavey stuff.

[@TheEnderBand]

I used to have one, I miss that thing- I never even used an OD in front, it was a monster on its own. I will buy another one day, it was super mean. Like an extra pissed Marshall

[@Schlumpf.Meister]

We have one in our rehearsal room and I had another one at home. There are 2 generations - the early ones with one sided PCB are much better than the later more complex versions with a PCB that has routes on either side. Technically, one of the channels is almost 100% 2204. There is an option on the PCB for DC filament power for the pre amp tubes that was never employed, so this might be an option if noise is an issue. We stopped using them as I had switched to blackface type Amps. But I do miss it. I would pair it with a cab that has real Celestions in it, the original Laney cabs employ HH speakers that sounded harsh to me. Compared to other amps the VH1000R is a real steal price wise.

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

Thank you for the great info, Andreas. That would also explain why a lot of guys in the Laney facebook group had issues with the VH100R. Maybe they had the later revision. I read that you could DC heater mod these but the noise doesn't bother me enough to go that route yet. I think I paid for 350€ shipped from Italy for mine with a brand new footswitch. Best bang for buck amp purchase I made.

[@techdeathhippie6319]

Cool amp. I’ve recorded bands using these and it was great

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

Yeah, it's a lot of fun to play. I got the Savage in at the same time and the Laney took a bit of a back seat for a while. I regret that a bit now because it's just as much fun, albeit quite different to the Savage

[@lordgraga]

I have a VH100R which I have used extensively for almost 2 years (also got it from Italy!). There's a video about it on my channel. It was my first 100W head, and I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with it. Neither the clean nor the high gain is exactly what I hoped for, yet in the right situations the amp really kicks ass. I find that it responds better to lower tunings, such as drop D and drop C, but I sadly play in E standard so I don't get the benefit of that. It's really hard to find the gain "sweet spot" (it's easy to turn up too high) and there's a coldness to the amp that doesn't work in some situations. Some people call it a poor man's Marshall, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone wanting a Marshall (save up money and buy a Marshall instead, seriously). It really has its own sound. EDIT: BTW, I run 6L6's too, which I prefer over EL34. I found that the sound could be improved 10-15% by switching 12AX7 tubes around with different brand, but it cost me many hours and a bit of my sanity to go down this rabbit hole.

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

I'll check your video out!

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

OH SHIT! I actually watched your video when I was first thinking about buying one of these! If it weren't for you, I might not even have bought it! Thank you!

[@lordgraga]

@@TheOtherJohnBrowne the pleasure is mine!! Happy to see someone finaly do a good “neutral” demo of the amp, I think you capture it better than I did.

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

@@lordgraga thank you for your kind words

[@ThePeavey23]

Opeth used them and honestly the best tones they had

[@RodrigoCFD]

Timo Tolkki used one of these back in his Stratovarius days, in the mid 90s.

[@webbsteroni]

Thanks for sharing this awesome demo! If anyone is interested I might be inclined to sell mine. I haven’t played it much since my hard rock band several years ago but it’s perfect in the right hands. 🤘💀🤘

[@marleysheredder]

I have some boogies and a V2 VH100R which I love, sounds like a glorified modern marshall to my ears.

[@Victinfien]

Add a patch cable on the effects in out on each channel and now you have an extra boost knob

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

Gotta give that a shot

[@Osamainfernal]

God i want one…

[@JONNIE_ROCKER]

👍👍

[@baronvonchickenpants6564]

Its a great sounding amp but a pain to use live, i could never get the sounds right between the "3" channels, got a tsl100 that sorted it

[@artistadistrada5238]

How does it sound with that celestion cab?

[@porkbeast3000]

Does the VH stand for the same thing as the VH4? I'm still curious what they mean

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

That's a good question. I assume VH4 standa for Valve Head 4 Channels or something. No idea what Laney were thinking, seen as how they also had the GH100L and GH50L at the same time

[@MangersAndBash]

Hey John, out of curiosity, how do you like this VH100R compared to the 3120 you briefly featured? I'm thinking of swapping

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

Very different amps and hard to compare. I'd say the Laney is a lot more old school. Needs a boost for modern high gain but delivers the goods then. I prefer its cleans and crunches and the reverb is nice. The 3120 is way more modern with two blisteringly hot and tight high gain channels with active EQs. The clean is nice but unspectacular. I'd be hard pressed to chose between them as they occupy different spaces in my mind

[@petkopeet]

What speakers would you suggest to use with vh100r?

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

I'd go V30, G12H30 or Governor personally

[@Burkhimself]

Love the looks and layout, but the few I’ve played were really noisy….

[@josephforrest3713]

Mmm, has a toroidal PSU. Is that the mains or output?

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

If I recall correctly that is the mains transformer

[@josephforrest3713]

@@TheOtherJohnBrowne Makes sense, nice one.

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

@@josephforrest3713 Thanks, man! I appreciate it!

[@Maicol_1976]

It would be nice to see how a single coil guitar sounds with it

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

Guess I need to buy one

[@Maicol_1976]

@@TheOtherJohnBrowne ahah ok man, thank you for sharing your experiece!

[@brownsparlour9813]

What a great fuckin amp man

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

Agree!

[@brownsparlour9813]

@@TheOtherJohnBrowne ive been searching for another one in the uk but theyre pretty scarce now one of my biggest regrets selling this

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

@@brownsparlour9813 Fingers crossed for you, mate. Keep an eye out on reverb.com. For some reason I keep seeing them from Italian stores there for little money. That's how I ended up with mine. Might be worth it despite taxes and fees due to Brexit

[@brownsparlour9813]

@@TheOtherJohnBrowne yeh ive seen a few but cos of brexit rubbish it just doesnt work out shipping wise and customs

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

@@brownsparlour9813 Bummer. Well I hope you find an affordable one in good condition

[@dominicgibson9529]

I had one of these bad boys...albeit for a short time.

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

How come? Not the right amp for you or found an amp you wanted instead?

[@dominicgibson9529]

@@TheOtherJohnBrowne I was young and stupid! It's taken me years and years to come close to understanding the intricacies of amps. At this time I was still a Marshall guy, and this amp didn't do that. I bought it on the basis of my Sabbath influence and also Paul Gilbert used one at this time. I'm 57 now and been through more amps than your average non-KZbinr or professional musician...I've had 2 Boogie Road Kings, that I just couldn't get anything decent out of, 2 ENGL Special Editions, which I think are the finest straight out of the box amps. Now I have a Hughes and Kettner Triamop MK3.

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

@@dominicgibson9529 I very much relate. I think I was in my 8th year as a guitar player before I even realized amps matter. Before that I was playing solid state amps and later a Peavey Valveking with a distortion pedal on the clean channel. It took me a few more years to understand cabs and speakers are important. I've been playing for almost 20 years now. I don't think I'm young anymore but I'm certainly still stupid because now I love amps far too much. Haven't had a H&K yet though I still kick myself for not scooping up that mk 1 Triamp for 400€ a few months ago.

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

@@dominicgibson9529 So I guess us gearheads all have our own journeys

[@dominicgibson9529]

@@TheOtherJohnBrowne it's all good fun, though. I've been using an Axe FX3 for the last couple of years and one of the most important things about that has been how it has shown me how things interact with each other.

[@lukzriffs1564]

I dont like the sound of this amp, but i love your vids and editing!! 💪

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

Thank you, my friend

[@josephforrest3713]

Didn't they make a 50w version of this... I think I had one of these?

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

They made a GH100L and GH50L which were slightly stripped down versions of these.

[@josephforrest3713]

@@TheOtherJohnBrowne Yea, that sounds like the guy. Defo had one of these a while back

[@martinskanal]

The VC50 (combo) was according to many sources a 50 watt version... same circuit only with less tube power wattage

[@NRobertAlexander]

A white SG, huh? Let me guess, a fellow HIM fan.

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

First of all, props for spotting it in the reflection! I haven't really looked into their catalogue but have enjoyed some of their hits back in the day. Sick riffs and great tones for sure

[@NRobertAlexander]

@@TheOtherJohnBrowne Hah! I happen to have a VH100R and an SG so not really that hard to spot a man of the same species. Also, I used to so my makeup on stage by reflecting on the amp. It was a fun little stage gag. I guess I've learned to always frantically check the front panel. Haha!

[@81giorikas]

All of these amps have a soft spitty sound with no attack, which begs for a boost. Funny that they are JCM 800 clones in the crunch modes and then add another gain stage and go black sabbath...But marshalls sound...better. Not because marshall but because soft spitty sound.

[@jupitermoongauge4055]

With very minimal modding these amps can go from being good amps to really great amps. I've got 2 of these. One for gigging and one running at 50 watts in my studio/practice room. These amps can cover so much sonic territory as the clean/crunch channel is based on blackface Fender and lead channel is basically a jcm800 with optional boost. The crunch channel isn't a million miles away from being a cleaner Dumble ODS drive channel. I think lots of people think the VH is a metal amp, but it can be so much more. The only drawbacks I've found iare they are not nearly as reliable as say a Marshall from the same era and the cab is MDF and not particularly durable

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

Yeah, some guys in the Laney facebook group have reported reliability problems with this amp. I've been lucky so far. I think it's a great amp. Any info on where I can look up these mods?