Laney Amplification facts for kids
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| Private | |
| Industry | Amplification |
| Founded | Birmingham, England (1967) |
| Founder | Lyndon Laney (CEO) |
| Headquarters |
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England
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Area served
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Europe, Africa, Asia, North America, South America, Australia |
| Products | Amplifiers |
| Owner | Headstock Group (Headstock Distribution) |
Laney Amplification is a British company that designs and makes special sound equipment. They create amplifiers for guitars and bass guitars, along with speaker cabinets and sound systems for public speaking. You can find their products in music stores and through various distributors around the world.
Contents
History
How Laney Amplification Started
Laney Amplification was started in 1967 by a musician named Lyndon Laney. He played bass guitar in a band called Band of Joy. Lyndon loved electronics and wanted an amplifier, but he didn't have enough money to buy one. So, he decided to build his own! He made the very first Laney amp in his father's garage.
Soon, other musicians heard how great Lyndon's amplifiers sounded. They wanted one too! Lyndon started selling his amps to local musicians to earn extra money. One of his first customers was Tony Iommi from the famous band Black Sabbath.
Growing Bigger
In 1970, Black Sabbath released their first album, which featured the unique sound of Laney amps. This made Laney amplifiers very popular! The company couldn't make enough amps in Lyndon's garage anymore.
Laney started making amps in a new place in Birmingham, England, for a short time. Later, they moved to Cradley Heath, where they stayed for many years. In 2004, they moved again to an even bigger building in Halesowen to keep up with demand.
Amps of the 1970s
From the late 1960s through most of the 1970s, Laney focused on a few main amplifier models. Their most famous was the LA100BL. They also made the KLIPP series. These KLIPP amps had a special feature called a "treble booster." This made the guitar sound brighter and was very popular with rock and blues guitarists back then.
New Sounds in the 1980s
When the 1980s began, musicians wanted their amplifiers to create more "overdrive" or "gain." This sound is often used in rock music to make guitars sound powerful and distorted. Laney created their AOR (Advanced Overdrive Response) series to meet this need. These amps had an extra gain stage built right in.
This was a very clever idea! Other companies, like Marshall, often needed special changes to their amps to get this sound. Laney's AOR amps were popular with guitarists like Randy Rhoads, Vinnie Moore, George Lynch, and Ace Frehley. Even today, these AOR amps are a favorite for musicians who play stoner rock and doom metal.
Innovation in the 1990s
In the 1990s, Laney continued to be known for new ideas. They introduced the VC line of amps, which were all-in-one units. These amps were similar to the Vox AC series but included built-in effects and more advanced features.
During this time, Laney also released their classic VH100R, as well as the GH50L and GH100L amplifier heads. These became very popular with famous guitarists like Paul Gilbert, Andy Timmons, John 5, and Joe Satriani. In 1995, Laney also created the GH100TI, which was the first signature amplifier for Tony Iommi.
The Modern Era
Since the year 2000, Laney has introduced many new products. They launched the TT series, which combined the sounds of their classic rock amps with modern MIDI technology. MIDI helps connect musical instruments and computers.
Laney also brought out the NEXUS series for bass guitarists. The Lionheart range had a cool, old-fashioned look. And the CUB series offered smaller, more affordable amplifiers.
In 2012, Laney released a new series of signature amplifiers for Tony Iommi. This included a powerful 100-watt amplifier head, a large speaker cabinet, and a smaller 15-watt combo amp. They also showed off their Ironheart series, which is designed especially for metal guitarists.
In early 2016, Laney Amplification made special copies of their LA100BL amplifier. Tony Iommi and his guitar technician, Mike Clement, asked for these. They made 13 of these special amps to celebrate Black Sabbath's "13" album. These reproduction amplifiers were used on Black Sabbath's "The End" Tour in 2016. They were used for the older songs that were originally recorded using the very first Laney LA100BL amplifiers.
See also
In Spanish: Laney Amplification para niños
