Curious why we never talk about these amps

At least here, I think some of these brands don't get talked about more because they don't fit the style of the majority. The other big part I think is just as much of a contributing factor is they get overshadowed by the amp of the week. The being overshadowed goes for both current and old production. Let's face it, who was talking about the Laney GH100 when all the rage was Rectifiers back then? Does a H&K Black Spirit seem all that interesting when we just got the IIC+ reissue? Not that all the other brands aren't good in their own right, there's just more interesting things that push them aside.

Talking on the specific brands that were mentioned in the OP...

If I cared more about cleans or edge of breakup tones it would be vintage Fender or Vox. Could probably put some Hiwatt in that category too just because of their massive headroom.

Orange to me is in that same vein. They sound great for that doom/stoner fuzz metal sound, but that's just not my style for guitar. On the other hand, I love some of them for bass. The OR120 & AD200B are two of my favorites.

I've always liked Bruce's designs. His amps have had really cool features. He was also the main brain that started the whole MTS/Synergy module thing which I love. For whatever reason his line of amps just never seemed to gain enough traction to get the following they deserved.

Hughes & Kettner is one of those brands that fall in a weird place. Generally speaking they have a HiFi character to them which is unique, but definitely not everyone's cup 'o tea. The ones I've played sounded good but never felt good. To me it felt like someone put tubes in a SS amp. Too stiff for a tube amp but not right for a SS either. I'd still give a few of their older models a try, but their current line is completely uninteresting to me.

Some other to add to the list that don't get talked about much that probably deserve a little more chatter:
Laney
Hiwatt
Traynor
Sovtek/Electro Harmonix
Lee Jackson/Metaltronix
 
braintheory said:
Many Laney's are also great amps for the price, especially the L50H being to me having the best quality tone of their line up IME. Some like the Iron Heart and a few older models I didn't think were that good
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I'm really liking the tone and response of my Lionheart L50H. 50 watt true class A definitely has a good and unique feel to it. It has me interested in trying out a GH100L/Ti. I'm curious how the new Supergroup line sounds, but I don't think I'd get one because I'd rather have vintage given the choice; or just build the Ceriatone Supersound at some point.
 
RaceU4her said:
I’ve done a bunch of clips of my gh100s/ti, think I’m the only around that has a Laney though
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Nope!

IRT120 here!

Also owned a GH100L

Want many more!

Pretty sure I know @MadAsAHatter from another forum, where we talked about his l50h, before he purchased it!

Over in mesa boogie cult land. Hahaha. I was bant!
 
MadAsAHatter said:
Hughes & Kettner is one of those brands that fall in a weird place. Generally speaking they have a HiFi character to them which is unique, but definitely not everyone's cup 'o tea. The ones I've played sounded good but never felt good. To me it felt like someone put tubes in a SS amp. Too stiff for a tube amp but not right for a SS either. I'd still give a few of their older models a try, but their current line is completely uninteresting to me.
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Yeah. This pretty much. I have a GM40 that is really cool if you didn’t own Marshall’s and Soldanos. The H&K is different. I would sell it BUT I’ll get nothing for it and it’s actually really good for softer styles of music. I use it when I help out another band in the area ( just create a few tones and play).
My Rivera’s are beasts. They can do anything. Maybe too versatile but with tweaking. Only 2 channels and the clean is exactly that. In fact; might be the most versatile amps I own; the TBR’s could be the heaviest (literally).
 
simonfrewler said:
Pretty sure I know @MadAsAHatter from another forum, where we talked about his l50h, before he purchased it!
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If you're talking about TGF then yeah that was me. I have the same username everywhere. You started the Laney appreciation thread over there, right?
 
SoooRad said:
I've been running a GH50L hard the last two years as my main amp. Its been great
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I adore the GH series, I think it's really underrated.

The TI version is the best sounding IMO but they're all really good.
alund said:
Yeah. This pretty much. I have a GM40 that is really cool if you didn’t own Marshall’s and Soldanos. The H&K is different. I would sell it BUT I’ll get nothing for it and it’s actually really good for softer styles of music. I use it when I help out another band in the area ( just create a few tones and play).
My Rivera’s are beasts. They can do anything. Maybe too versatile but with tweaking. Only 2 channels and the clean is exactly that. In fact; might be the most versatile amps I own; the TBR’s could be the heaviest (literally).
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I never enjoyed the H&K GM40 gain sounds - the triamp, duotone, and warp all had excellent gain sounds IMO though

The GM shined with all the effects and versatility, I can see how that would be an awesome gigging amp
 
I had several years where I was all about Vox amps, and owned a few; they're all gone. I considered a H&K amp for awhile, the Triamp MK3, most of these other amp brands never interested me to where I wanted one.

Got my high gain from an Engl rack rig I purchased new, and had for well over 10 years, recently sold the preamp still have the rest...

I've gone full circle, but it took me awhile to figure out I like Marshalls, plain, stock, even reissue, Marshalls...now I have several, mostly 100W, two 50w, and one 40w...and a Bogner and an Engl take on Marshalls. For something different, I have a Mesa JP-2C and a DIezel VHX, and my Fender Super Twins.

At this point in time, I don't feel like I'm missing any tube amp tones I want; I have modelers and plugins too.

Thankfully, Marshall didn't introduce anything at NAMM 2025 that I have to have either....

....now that Roland V-Stage 88 is another story.
 
I am not going lie,

Laney is by far the coolest ever. Hahaha.
Still owned by the family, from the beginning.
Actually creating amps people want.
Made in the UK.
Not owned by a merch shilling equity firm.
Pedigree out the wahzoo.

Biggest problem they had in the US was distribution, which they fixed over 10 years ago.

Now they are killing it. I just love the family owned continuity. That actually matters to me.

Plus, how many endorsement deals last as long as Toni Iommi and Laney?
 
I had the Asian version of the Vox AC15.
Thought it sounded great.

A couple days later outside Syracuse a used AC15HW came up for sale.
In my mind it had to be better.

Returned the Asian Vox and picked up the AC15HW.

Found I liked the Asian version better.

Had a '76 Pro Reverb but no room to open it up.
Low volume apt playing though had one of the best clean tones ever.
Sold just before my incarceration.

Bought a Hot Rod Deluxe, ugh...

Still looking for a chorus pedal that sounds like the built in chorus in those shitty 90's SS Princeton Reverbs though...
 
Here is some other amp talk: The newer H&K models that are made in China sound like crap and have terrible QC. They die all of the time, especially the Grandmeister 40.


I would say Rivera doesn't get spoken about enough, but really, I only have experience with the model I have - which I would put against ANY amp tonally.

I can use that amp to make any sound I want.

When the head was around $1300, I couldn't understand why everyone did not hear about them or have one. Now that the same head is around 2k, it is like 'boutique' territory to me.

Still very much worth it tho!


I find that Orange amps have that one sound for the most part. It is a cool sound.


I would expect Vox to get a bit more love but yeah, this forum is about rock it seems, which I am into!

Vox can rock but Def does not come to the forefront when I think of epic metal tones.
 
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