Laney cub 10

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wayneiriewayneirie Frets: 419
Anyone owned one, seems to stay pretty clean. Sounds quite fendery in demos. I'm quite tempted. Anyone owned one? Your thoughts would be appreciated.
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  • midlifecrisismidlifecrisis Frets: 2341
    Not owned one but  seen and heard one. Guy played a strat through it sounded lovely, more fendery than the cub 12.
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  • NomadNomad Frets: 549
    edited August 2014

    I got a Cub 10 about 3 months ago, and I'm pleased with it. It's supposed to be 10W, but I found a schematic and looked up the datasheet for the 6V6 output valves, and I reckon it's more like 14W based on the HT voltage. Either way, it's quite loud and can stay clean and undistorted at comfortably loud living room levels. Overdriving the output valves might be a bit loud later in the evening depending on how understanding others are.

    I think the main thing to think about if considering one is the single tone control - no 3-band EQ or anything. It's not a straight treble cut circuit, but something in the feedback circuit. I don't know if it boosts the treble. The amp's voicing seems quite neutral (it has a fixed 3-band tone stack hard-wired inside, which suggests it is voiced in some way). It doesn't go terribly bright or sharp sounding but certainly manages to reproduce the treble sounds from single coil pickups. I generally find that the tone knob between half and full works for me - can get a bit muddy if set to less than half. If pushing the output stage, I tend to have the tone full up. It's often said that it "takes pedals well", which I would agree with, given its generally neutral voicing.

    The preamp gain doesn't give huge crunch. With lowish output PAF style pickups, it gets fairly crunchy for chords, and a bit more with high output humbuckers. Not a shred machine by any stretch, and lead sounds are more at the blues end of things. Different story with a clean boost in front of it, however - that brings in full-on preamp valve overdrive - very shreddy chords for riffing and loads of sustain for lead. Back the gain down to about 2 (or whatever to match your pickups) and master volume up full, and it's very nice for riding between clean leads edging into power amp breakup. For lead, with a distortion pedal to compress the volume level going into a clean preamp setting, and setting the master volume to just start pushing the output valves, the spikiness of the distortion reduces and the sound becomes very smooth and creamy. The 6V6s dsitort in a musical way to my ears. I prefer them to EL84s.

    There are quite a few posts here and there about the speaker, and how people wanted to change it out. This was regarding some Celestion Tube 10, which I take to be a cheapie. I think they changed to an HH somethingorother (presumably also a cheapie), which mine has, and I don't feel the need to upgrade it. I may have cloth ears, it may be the same spweaker with a different label on it, and I dare say there are better speakers out there, but it all sounds okay enough to me to not want to blow 60 quid to find out how much difference can be made. Another thing that is often said is that the fixed mains cable is too short at 5 feet, and I agree - a mains extension is a good idea.

    Overall, I think it's a sweet sounding little amp. Very no-frills - your adjustments are tone and crunchiness. Clean headroom at decent living room levels was important to me, which was why I avoided the 5W Cub 8. The preamp overdrive sound with the clean boost was something of a revelation - plenty of gain to be had.


    Nomad
    Nobody loves me but my mother... and she could be jivin' too...

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  • wayneiriewayneirie Frets: 419
    Thanks for the detailed response. I want a small amp that does clean well. I plan to pick one up. Most small amps I find break up to too early, or do one or two things well.
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  • ChuffolaChuffola Frets: 2014
    Great review @Nomad

    I've owned one and am looking for another. Fantastic home valve amp. 
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  • Interesting (and a shame) that the Cub 12r doesn't use the 6v6 valves, but if you want reverb or a loop that's the only one! If only they did one with 6v6s and reverb, would be on my gas list fo' sho'
    Please note my communication is not very good, so please be patient with me
    soundcloud.com/thecolourbox-1
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  • NomadNomad Frets: 549

    I should mention that I have the amp on the floor, so what I hear is somewhat off-axis. It may well be quite a bit brighter if I raised it or tilted it back.

    Yeah, my limited experience of 5W into a smaller speaker is that they struggle a bit to fill a living room with clean sound. The Cub 10 can do it quite nicely - it can take some heavy whack-and-mute staccato chord playing on single coil without breaking up. (High output humbuckers, coil-tapped, gain 2, master 5, tone7-10 worked for me last night, and that was with a graphic EQ before the amp giving quite a bit of bass boost and a lift at the upper mid/presence.)

    A 6V6 with normal EQ, reverb and loop would be very tempting. I think the Cub 10 is alluding to the days of Fender yore when cheaper/beginner amps were simpler. (The Cub 8 is clearly a ridiculously affordable early Champ equivalent.) Like the early Fenders, it just so happens that, while the tonal palette is limited, what they do offer sounds rather good. Proper practice amps that warm up rather than boot up. :)


    Nomad
    Nobody loves me but my mother... and she could be jivin' too...

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  • The 12R is a very different amp. While the 10 is a Fender circuit, the 12 is a Marshall 2203 like circuit. Add the different power vavles and they are quite different amps.

    I've got a 12R, love it for classic rock sounds and lovely cleans.

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  • VoxmanVoxman Frets: 4718
    edited August 2014
    The 12R is a very different amp. While the 10 is a Fender circuit, the 12 is a Marshall 2203 like circuit. Add the different power vavles and they are quite different amps.

    I've got a 12R, love it for classic rock sounds and lovely cleans.

    ---------------------------------------

    I have the Cub 12R too.  Lovely little amp; I dumped the cheap Celestion Rocket 50 (newer ones have a better HH speaker) for a Celestion Vintage 30 which adds volume and more 'balls'. The features are pretty good too for an amp at this price point: FX loop, 1w/15w input options, 8/16 Ohm extn cab out, tilt stand and decent digital reverb.

    Tip for anyone buying a Laney in the UK - register it online for a free 5yrs extended warranty!  I did a couple of homemade you-tube demos here:

    With Gibson Les Paul

    With USA Fender Stratocaster




    I started out with nothing..... but I've still got most of it left (Seasick Steve)
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