Laney VC 15-110 Upgrade...

SvR65

Hi Guys,

I need some suggestions/ ideas on how I can improve my Laney VC 15 amp... It's a good litlle amp and has served me well, but I think that I can get more out of it?

Any suggestions welcome!

Cheers.

TomCat

If you are in Cape Town you could have Matta take a look at it and make a few suggestions.

Usual upgrades would be to replace the tubes and maybe the loudspeaker.....those two usually have the largest impact on tone....

SvR65

Thanks!

Unfortunately I'm in Pretoria...

Which tube makes are good and worth looking at/ spending money on?

aja

SvR65 wrote: Thanks!

Unfortunately I'm in Pretoria...

Which tube makes are good and worth looking at/ spending money on?

Get some JJ's from matta. They are great.

Another thing is that the transformers are usually pretty badly made in the Laney VC range and can burn out easily, especially when the tubes are mismatched or damaged. You will get a boost in reliability as well as better tone (smoother overdrive etc) if you upgrade the power transformer IMO

Karel-Mars

I have had a VC30 in the shop. The client was a jazz muso who wanted less gain/hiss and better clean tone. A 12AU7 in the input section improved things noticeably. The output transformer seemed small for the job. Small OPT have a rising impedance on the higher frequencies, making the amp sound sharp edgy. A larger core will give you more bass and cleaner treble. Try upgrading the OPT of the VC15 too. Look at the size of the Hammond 125S universal transformer. That size is a good one for 15watts.

Gearhead

SvR65 wrote: Unfortunately I'm in Pretoria...

Closer by you've got Mr. Valve in Sandton (google mr.valve site:guitarforum.co.za) and +1 on the JJ's. Best new tubes afaik.

Karel Mars wrote: Look at the size of the Hammond 125S universal transformer. That size is a good one for 15watts.

+1 still enjoying mine ?

Antman

Ahhh, I also have the VC15-110, and am in CPT, so should give Matta a buzzz..

My current irritation is hearing a metallic 'pinging' when playing.....possibly a loose valve?

Would also like to warm up the sound a bit and improve the speaker, but a great little amp....

[deleted]

I think a notable difference would be made by changing the transformer and the tubes... Not the speaker... As soon as you upgrade the speaker you WAY over capitilising on that amp... And it's a really decent speaker in there IMO!

+1 on the transformer and tubes tho!

Where is Mr Valve btw?

TomCat

Mr Valve is near Parkmore, Sandton.....Just down the road from where I work.

matta

Just wanted to say while the Hammond's are great, why pay stupid money for a generic transformer when Karel will wind you one just as good, if not better, for the same price or cheaper... I know he can't/won't blow his own horn but I'm very happy with his work and love the one he wound for my Bandmaster.

I think the order of upgrade events should be Valves, OT then Speaker, do it in stages and see where you feel happy, you will reach a point of diminishing returns, so you need to find that 'breaking point'.

Cheers

Matt