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A plain-English guide to the whole Laney range: which amp suits your room, your band and your style, with real prices, real features, and the trade-offs nobody puts on the box.
The short answer
- First amp, practicing at home: the Laney LX20R ($269.99). It has clean and drive sounds, reverb, a headphone jack and an input for backing tracks. Tight budget? The LX15 ($189.99).
- Real tube tone that you can still play at night: the Cub-Super12 ($784.99). It's a 15-watt all-tube combo with a second input that drops it under 1 watt.
- Rehearsing and gigging with a drummer, on a budget: the Lionheart Foundry LF60-112 ($499.99), a 60-watt combo with a 12-inch speaker that also turns down to under 1 watt at home, or the Ironheart Foundry LeadRig 112 ($629.99).
- Heavy music and high gain: anything named Ironheart. Start with the IRF-Leadtop head ($319.99). For the hand-built UK tube version, the IRT30-112 ($1,349).
- Pedalboard players who fly to gigs: the IRF-Loudpedal ($286.99). It's a 60-watt amp the size of a large pedal, weighing 1.1 kg (about 2.4 lb).
- Recording at home: the Lionheart L5-Studio ($1,059). It's a small tube head with a USB connection straight into your computer.
- Couch, campfire, or a kid's first amp: the battery-powered Mini-Lion ($99.95).
Laney has built amplifiers in England's Black Country since 1967. It's the brand behind Tony Iommi's early Black Sabbath sound, and today the range runs from a $99.95 battery amp to hand-built tube heads that cost well over a thousand. That breadth is the problem. Laney makes more than a dozen amp families, and the names (Lionheart, Ironheart, Foundry, Cub, Loudpedal) don't tell you much on their own. This guide sorts it out.
Three questions that pick your amp
1. Where will you play it?
This matters more than anything else. Most people buy too much amp for a bedroom or too little for a band.
- Bedroom or apartment: any watts will do, because you'll never turn it up. What matters is sounding good at low volume. Look for a headphone jack, or a real low-power mode that lets the amp sound "pushed" quietly.
- Rehearsal with a real drummer: a rough rule of thumb is 30 watts or more for a tube amp, or 50 watts or more for a solid-state amp, through a 12-inch speaker. Small speakers (5- to 8-inch) simply can't move enough air to cut through cymbals.
- Gigs: most venues put your amp through the PA system. A 15- to 30-watt tube amp, or a 60-watt solid-state amp, is plenty. A direct output (a jack that sends your sound straight to the mixing desk) saves you from needing a microphone on your speaker.
2. Tube or solid-state?
Tube amps use glass valves to boost your signal. When you push them, they compress and break up in a smooth, touch-sensitive way that many players love. The downsides: they're heavier, the tubes wear out and need replacing every few years, and they sound their best only when turned up. Solid-state amps use transistors. They're lighter, cheaper, and sound the same at any volume, and they need almost no maintenance.
Laney blurs this line on purpose. Its Foundry amps are solid-state, but Laney traced the circuit of its own tube amps to design them. Reviewers have been impressed: MusicRadar called the Lionheart Foundry Super 60 "affordable, user-friendly, and with all the tube-like saturation you could ever need."
3. What music do you play?
- Classic rock, blues, indie, country, worship: Lionheart and Cub, Laney's British tube sound. Reviewers compare the Cub-Super to early Marshall amps.
- Metal, hard rock, modern high gain: Ironheart, Laney's high-gain family. It has tight low end and plenty of distortion.
- A bit of everything while you learn: LX. It has clean and drive sounds and a simple layout.
Price range of the guitar amps we carry in each family, on a scale where each step up is roughly double the price. Heads need a speaker cabinet on top of this.
Laney amps compared
Every guitar amp in the range we'd point most players to, side by side. Prices are our current prices.
| Amp | Type | Power | Speaker | Quiet playing | Price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mini-Lion | Solid-state, battery | 3 W | 3" | Headphones | $99.95 | Couch, travel, kids |
| LX10 | Solid-state combo | 10 W | 5" | Headphones | $139.95 | First amp, small budget |
| LX15 | Solid-state combo | 15 W | 2 × 5" | Headphones | $189.99 | First amp, a bit fuller |
| LX20R | Solid-state combo | 20 W | 8" | Headphones | $269.99 | Best all-round starter |
| LX35R | Solid-state combo | 35 W | 10" | Headphones | $369.99 | Jamming with friends |
| IRF-Loudpedal | Solid-state amp in a pedal | 60 W | Needs a cabinet | Headphones | $286.99 | Pedalboards, fly-in gigs |
| IRF-Leadtop | Solid-state head | 60 W → under 1 W | Needs a cabinet | Low-power switch, headphones | $319.99 | High gain, small rig |
| IRF-Dualtop | Solid-state head | 60 W → under 1 W | Needs a cabinet | Low-power switch, headphones | $489.99 | Two channels, reverb, direct out |
| LF60-112 | Solid-state combo | 60 W → under 1 W | 12" | Low-power mode, headphones | $499.99 | Tube-style tone, light to carry |
| Cub-Super12 | Tube combo | 15 W / under 1 W | 12" | Low-power input | $784.99 | Home to club, classic tone |
| Cub-Supertop | Tube head | 15 W / under 1 W | Needs a cabinet | Low-power input | $699.99 | Same as above, as a head |
| L5-Studio | Tube head + USB | 5 W / 0.5 W | Needs a cabinet | 0.5 W setting | $1,059 | Home recording |
| IRT30-112 | Tube combo, UK-built | 30 W, adjustable | 12" | Wattage control | $1,349 | Serious high gain |
| L20T-112 | Tube combo, UK-built | 20 W | 12" Celestion | — | $1,499 | Boutique British clean-to-crunch |
The Laney families, one by one
LX series: the sensible first amp
The LX amps are Laney's solid-state practice combos. Every model has a clean sound and a drive sound, a headphone jack for silent practice, and an aux input so you can play along with songs from your phone. They go up in steps of size: the LX10 has a 5-inch speaker, the LX15 has two, the LX20R an 8-inch, and the LX35R a 10-inch. Models ending in R add reverb, which makes a bigger difference to how "finished" your playing sounds than most beginners expect.
Our pick: the LX20R. It's the smallest LX with reverb and a speaker big enough to sound like a real amp rather than a radio. At 6.9 kg (about 15 lb), a teenager can carry it to a friend's house. If you already know you'll join a band, skip ahead to the LX35R: it has an external speaker jack, so it grows with you. For a full band, step up to the LF60-112 below.
Pros
- Cheap, simple, hard to break
- Headphone jack and aux input on every model
- Clear upgrade path in one family
Cons
- LX10 and LX15 have small speakers that sound thin when turned up
- LX10 and LX15 have no reverb
- Not the tube feel you'll want later
There's also the LG20R and LG35R. They're close cousins of the LX20R and LX35R, with clean and crunch sounds, reverb and a headphone jack, in a different cabinet style. Pick whichever you like the look of.
Mini and Ministack: small amps with real Laney looks
These run on batteries and fit on a desk. The Mini-Lion and Mini-SuperG are 3-watt amps with one 3-inch speaker, a clean and a drive sound, and a connection that lets your phone add effects through the free Tonebridge app. The ST versions are stereo with two speakers, and the Ministack-Lion Sold out ($159.99) is a 6-watt stack with four 3-inch speakers, built-in delay and a headphone jack. The "B" Ministacks add Bluetooth so they double as a music speaker.
Pros
- Cheap, fun, go anywhere
- Great gift or second amp
- Looks like a miniature of the real thing
Cons
- Not loud enough to play with a drummer
- Tiny speakers get boxy at high gain
- A practice toy, not a main amp for a serious learner
Cub-Super: the easiest way into real tube tone
The Cub-Super amps are simple all-tube amps: one channel, a three-knob tone control, a boost, and in the Super12 and Supertop, reverb. The Cub-Super12 runs two EL84 power tubes (the tube behind the classic British "chime") into a 12-inch speaker for 15 watts. The trick is its second input, which cuts output to under 1 watt. You get the sound of a cranked tube amp at a volume your family can live with.
MusicRadar praised its "superb clean and drive tones" and called it "hard to beat" as an affordable 1x12 tube combo. Guitar World heard early-Marshall character when it's pushed. The reverb is borrowed from Laney's own Secret Path reverb pedal, and reviewers singled it out.
The Cub-Supertop ($699.99) is the same idea as a head, if you already own a speaker cabinet. The Cub-Super10 ($599.99) is smaller and simpler still: one EL84, a 10-inch speaker, a boost and an effects loop, but no reverb.
Pros
- Genuine tube feel for the price of many solid-state amps
- Under-1-watt input makes it usable at home
- Loud enough at 15 W for a small gig
Cons
- No headphone jack and no aux input
- Super12 weighs 12 kg (about 26 lb)
- Footswitch sold separately; tube changes mean taking the chassis out
Ironheart Foundry: big power in a lunchbox
Ironheart is Laney's high-gain voice, and the Foundry versions put it in small, affordable solid-state packages. The IRF-Leadtop and IRF-Dualtop are small 60-watt heads. Each has a switch on the back that drops the output from 60 watts to under 1 watt, a speaker-simulated headphone jack, an effects loop and an aux input.
Leadtop or Dualtop? The Leadtop is one channel with a clean/lead switch and a Bright/Natural/Dark voice switch. The Dualtop adds a second, separate channel, a spring-style reverb, and an XLR output with a built-in cabinet simulation, so you can plug straight into a PA or recording interface. If you want one great distorted sound and use pedals for the rest, the Leadtop saves you $170. If you want clean and dirty on a footswitch plus a direct feed to the sound desk, get the Dualtop. Guitar World said of the range that the sounds "are far better than they should be" for an affordable solid-state head.
Both heads need a speaker cabinet. The LeadRig 112 ($629.99) bundles the Leadtop with a 1x12 cabinet.
The IRF-Loudpedal goes further: a full two-channel, 60-watt amp that sits on your pedalboard. It measures 151 × 124 mm, about the footprint of two standard pedals side by side. Check the exact speaker cabinet against the Loudpedal manual before connecting it. The Loudpedal has a headphone jack, an effects loop, and an XLR direct output with switchable speaker simulation. For a fly-in gig, you pack the pedalboard and borrow the venue's cabinet.
Pros
- 60 watts from a box you can carry in one hand
- Turns down to under 1 watt (Leadtop and Dualtop)
- Headphones and a direct output make it a practice, gig and recording rig in one
Cons
- You still need a speaker cabinet
- Voiced for rock and high gain; jazz and country players may prefer Lionheart
- Solid-state, which some purists won't accept however good it sounds
Artist versions of the Loudpedal cover other tones: the Tom Quayle Lionheart Loudpedal ($499.99) is the cleaner British voice, and the Billy Corgan SuperGrace Sold out ($629.99) is voiced for his Smashing Pumpkins wall of fuzz.
Lionheart Foundry: the gigging amp you can actually carry
These take the sound of Laney's tube Lionheart amps and rebuild it with transistors. The LF60-112 ($499.99) is a 60-watt, two-channel combo with a 12-inch HH speaker designed in the UK for it. It's loud enough for band practice and light enough to carry in one trip, and a low-power mode takes it under 1 watt for home, with a headphone jack for silent practice. The LFSuper Top ($639) is the fully loaded head. It gives you 120 watts or a sub-1-watt bedroom mode, plus tremolo, chorus, reverb, boost, an effects loop, and a direct output with cabinet simulation.
Pros
- Warm, British, tube-like tone without tube upkeep
- Far lighter than a tube combo of the same volume
- Plenty loud for rehearsals and small gigs
Cons
- One tone control shared by both channels (per MusicRadar's review of the Super 60)
- Footswitch sold separately
- Not quite the real thing if you crave tube compression
Lionheart tube amps: the "forever amp"
The Lionheart L20T-112 ($1,499) and L20H head ($1,299) are built in Britain around four EL84 tubes in a "Class A" design. That design keeps the tubes working hard all the time, which gives a naturally smooth compression. The combo uses a Celestion G12H speaker and comes with a footswitch and cover. Reviewers heard chime on the clean channel and a thick, Marshall-like crunch on the drive channel. They also found it convincing from country and jazz all the way to hard rock.
The L5-Studio is the home-recording version. It's a 5-watt tube head with a 0.5-watt setting and a USB connection that records straight into your computer. It sends both the amp sound and a dry, unprocessed guitar signal, so you can re-record the dry track through the amp later with different settings.
Pros
- Top-tier tone and touch response
- Built in the UK with hand-selected tubes
- Works across almost every style
Cons
- Expensive
- The L20T-112 weighs 24.5 kg (about 54 lb)
- No low-power mode on the L20 models
Black Country Customs Ironheart: for metal players who want tubes
The IRT30-112 is hand-built in Laney's UK workshop. It's a 30-watt all-tube combo with 6L6 power tubes, three channels (clean, rhythm, lead), a pre-boost, and a wattage control so you can turn the power down at home. There's an XLR direct output with cabinet simulation, and a four-button footswitch comes in the box. It weighs 20.5 kg (about 45 lb). For more headroom there are the IRT60H and IRT120H heads.
Who it's for: players who already know they want modern high gain and are ready to spend on a tube amp. If you're not sure yet, an Ironheart Foundry head gets you most of the character for a quarter of the price.
More Laney models to compare
The Ironheart Foundry range now includes the IRF60-110 and IRF60-112 combos, the IRF120-212 combo and the IRF120H head. A combo includes its speaker; a head needs a separate compatible speaker cabinet. Compare the IRF112 and IRF212 cabinets by their power and impedance requirements before pairing them with a head. The Audiohub AH60, AH100 and AH200 are multi-instrument options; compare their input connections for keyboards and other instruments.
- Laney IRF112 1x12" Guitar Cabinet 60W RMS 8 Ohm All-Wood Open Back
- Laney IRF120-212 120W Ironheart Foundry 2x12 Analog Combo Amplifier
- Laney IRF120H Ironheart Foundry 120W Analog Dual-Channel Guitar Amp Head
- Laney Ironheart IRF212 2x12 120W Open-Back Guitar Cabinet with HH Custom Drivers Sold out
- Laney IRF60-110 Guitar Combo Amplifier 60W 1x10" Analog Ironheart Foundry
- Laney IRF60-112 60W Ironheart Foundry 1x12" Two-Channel Analog Combo Amp
- Laney AH100 Keyboard Multi-Instrument Combo Amp Black 10" 4-Channel Bluetooth
- Laney AH200 Keyboard Multi-Instrument Combo Amp Black 200W 1x12 Bluetooth USB
- Laney AH60 60W Keyboard Multi-Instrument Combo Amp Black 8" Bluetooth 3-Channel
Five mistakes to avoid
- Buying watts for a bedroom. A 60-watt amp played at "1" often sounds worse than a 15-watt amp played at "5". Buy for the room you actually play in, or buy an amp that turns down properly.
- Judging loudness by watts alone. It takes about ten times the power to sound twice as loud. Speaker size matters as much as watts: a 35-watt amp with a 10-inch speaker will fill a room better than a louder amp with a 5-inch speaker.
- Forgetting to check the speaker cabinet. Before buying or connecting a cabinet, check the exact amp manual for the required impedance (the rating in ohms), cabinet power handling and speaker cable. Do not assume that one cabinet suits every Laney head. Compare the Cub-112, GS412IA Sold out and LeadRig 112 specifications for your exact setup.
- Assuming every amp has a headphone jack. Most do. The Cub-Super tube amps don't. If silent practice matters, check the table above.
- Skipping the footswitch. On two-channel amps, switching sounds with your foot is half the point. Check whether one comes in the box: the hand-built Ironheart IRT30-112 and the Lionheart L20T-112 include one, but the Cub-Super and Lionheart Foundry amps sell it separately. Add it to your order at the start instead of discovering the gap at your first rehearsal.
Common questions
- Is Laney a good brand?
- Yes. Laney is a British company that has made amps since 1967, and it builds its top Lionheart and Black Country Customs amps in the UK. Its budget LX and Mini amps are made to a price, like every brand's, but they're well regarded as first amps.
- Which Laney is best for metal?
- Anything named Ironheart. On a budget, get the IRF-Leadtop or the Loudpedal plus a cabinet. With money to spend, the hand-built IRT30-112 or IRT60H.
- Which Laney is best for blues and classic rock?
- The Cub-Super12 for home and small gigs, or the Lionheart L20T-112 if you want a forever amp. The Lionheart Foundry LF60-112 is the lighter, cheaper route to the same flavor.
- Can I play a tube amp quietly?
- Some of them. The Cub-Super amps have an under-1-watt input, the L5-Studio has a 0.5-watt setting, and the IRT30-112 has a wattage control. The Lionheart L20 amps have no low-power mode.
- Do Laney amps work for bass or acoustic guitar?
- Use the right family. Laney's Digbeth range is for bass, and the LA and A-series amps are built for acoustic guitar. An electric guitar amp won't do either job well.
- MusicRadar: Laney Cub-Super12 review
- Guitar World: Laney Cub-Super12 review
- MusicRadar: Lionheart Foundry Super 60 112 review
- Guitar.com: IRF-Dualtop review
- Laney: Benefits of the Foundry Dualtop and Leadtop
- Laney: IRF-Loudpedal specifications
- Laney: Lionheart L20T-112 specifications
- Laney: BCC-IRT30-112 specifications
- Sound On Sound: Laney L5-Studio review