Lab Series amps

jim milewski · Post by **jim milewski** » 4 Mar 2004 1:21 pm

anyone ever play through one, any good?

Mike Sweeney · Post by **Mike Sweeney** » 4 Mar 2004 1:51 pm

Yeah, I had one I bought new in July,'79 at The Music Shop in Blacksburg, Va. It was a great amp with sweepable mids, and built in compression although I didn't use the compressor. The one I had had a 15 inch EV speaker.

Stephen Gambrell · Post by **Stephen Gambrell** » 4 Mar 2004 4:46 pm

Hey, Jim!
I just bought one, from Forumite David Spangler. It's an L-9, 100 watts, with our favorite E-V 15" speaker, and man, does it sound good! The amp reverb needs to be replaced, but it has a built-in compressor, that's one-knob easy to use, and it REALLY makes my Telecaster pop. But without the compressor, it sounds HUGE with my steel. These are fine amps, IMO.

r johnson · Post by **r johnson** » 4 Mar 2004 7:09 pm

I have a Lab Series L5. Bought it new many years ago. It has been the most santisfying
six string guitar amp I have ever owned and I have owned a lot of amps. The L5 is a 2-12" speaker amp, 100 watts I believe. Used it for steel a few times but prefer the Peaveys with a 15". currently using a Vegas 400.

jim milewski · Post by **jim milewski** » 4 Mar 2004 7:19 pm

I want to thank you fellows for the info, steel players are a great bunch, I'm going to buy the L11 head for $150

Buck Dilly · Post by **Buck Dilly** » 5 Mar 2004 4:28 pm

I have had an L-5 I bought new in 197?. It has no speakers anymore, but I keep it around. It will work for any instrument at all, depending on the speakers I use it with. Keys, steel, guitars, and acoustic instruments. I still prefer tubes for steel but If I have to lug around a backup amp it would be the Lab. Notable users are BB King and Ty Tabor, who both have great tone.

jim milewski · Post by **jim milewski** » 8 Mar 2004 7:04 pm

I bought the Lab L 11 Saturday, good steel amp for $145 (head only), very similar to a Peavey in that it uses 4558 op amps, which most guys replace with other op amps doing the mod, anyay the speaker jack says 8 ohms, I don't own an 8 ohm speaker and 4 gives more power, do you think it is low enough to hurt the amp, it has a cooling fan, Ken or Brad...your thoughts???...if any of you run across one of these amps, do yourself a favor and at least try it out, Another thing, the middle and frequency is very similar to the Peaveys paramid setup

Buck Dilly · Post by **Buck Dilly** » 9 Mar 2004 1:33 pm

One major diff. between this 100 watt and others is that when overdriven it can sound positively killer. (ac-30, fender marshall).

Lefty · Post by **Lefty** » 10 Mar 2004 4:48 pm

Jim,
That was a good deal. These amps are really good. The best sounding solid state amps I have ever played through. BB was right. I bought a 4-10 100 watt for 175.00, and it has a sound all its own. Your head will be real good for PSG.
Good luck,
Lefty
Dekley D10
Sho-Bud LDG
Lab L7

jim milewski · Post by **jim milewski** » 10 Mar 2004 7:20 pm

Lefty, you are so right, I'm running it through a BW 1502, very very rich sounding, the amp is awesome, the contour of the tone controls are very wide and effective, the amp uses 4558 op amps like the Peaveys before the mod, it has eight output power transistors and a cooling fan. Just after buying it a guy emailed with a L5 for sale for $200, I'm almost tempted!

David L. Donald · Post by **David L. Donald** » 11 Mar 2004 3:25 am

I still have my old L5 in storage in the USA. I wish it was here.

It was my main studio "house amp" for 10 years, because it was quite flexable.

Oddly enough every once in a while I hear something recorded with it in a video as incedental music that was intended for another film that never flew, but was later sold to a background tracks supplier.

I never played PSG through it, but electric dobro many times.