Laneycub-super12
A wolf in cub’s clothing
In this strange kind of lockdown normality it’s easy to forget what a valve amp sounds like; no practice rooms or stages but families hunkered down at home often means headphones, software and digital modelling for us guitarists. Boy, does the arrival of this Cub feel welcome right now.
But first, a quick recap. Laney are a British amp institution – the Black Country brand that won a young Birmingham lad called Anthony Iommi over from his 50-watt Marshall half a century ago. Much has changed since then, but Iommi still writes righteous riffs and Laney still builds superb amplifiers. The Cubs are its mini valve combos and head line and this single-channel 1x12 model is the largest combo of two.
The Lionhearts may be Laney’s boutique line but this looks the part. Black and dark grey livery with a diamond pattern grill confidently striding the minimalist and classic spheres. Closer inspection reveals that the whole chassis would need to be removed for any valve replacement, which isn’t ideal, but on that subject – three 12AX7S for the preamp and pair of EL84 power tubes offer a tried and true formula in a portable, medium-weight package.
The control panel is refreshingly simple for a plug-in and play aesthetic; white chicken knobs with a red one for the onboard boost, 1-watt and full 15-watt Class AB outputs make this a potential home and away combo. The 1-watt setting shines in
PRACTICE FRIENDLY AND MORE THAN CAPABLE FOR GIGS
delivering this Cub’s palette of tones at manageable volumes with an impressive low end response too. And that palette is a rich one.
We test with a Texas Specialloaded Tele, Gibson SG Special and an LP Junior-style single cut with Monty’s superb vintage recreation 54 P-90 to experience the wide gamut of what the Cub-super12 can offer.
Rather than glassy, the cleans here move from slightly hot and compressed to crunchy when gain is dialled in. It’s wonderful blues territory and the P-90 absolutely basks in it. Crank the gain and add in the boost for articulate alt and heavy rock with harmonic detail and girth that belies this ‘small’ amp. Leads ascend with the boost, but when we rolled back on the guitars’ volumes, there’s real sensitivity in the responses. Yes, this feels like a boutique rock amp and there’s much to enjoy without a pedal in sight.
Having said that, the boost, that is thankfully more hot-rodded Tube Screamer than metal mode, isn’t much use on-the-fly without a footswitch that we feel should have been included here, but is available for around
£20 separately.
Nevertheless this is a versatile Uk-built amp that is homefriendly for practice and recording while also being more than capable for the kind of gigs (remember those?) most of us will ever play. A timely reminder of the addictive power of a valve amp and under £400? It’s super alright!
Rob Laing