Master Of Reality

The latest from Laney’s flagship UK-designed and made Supergroup range offers real vintage valve tone combined with Two Notes cab emulation

- Nick Guppy

History tends to focus on London and Liverpool as the two main epicentres of British popular music in the late 1960s, but there were others, of course, and one of the most notable was the West Midlands. From this area came Black Sabbath, The Move (which evolved into Electric Light Orchestra) and glam-rock legends Slade, among others. Back then, Laney founder Lyndon Laney was playing in a group called Band Of Joy, a collective of Black Country musicians that included Robert Plant and John Bonham. Lyndon's early interest in electronics and amplifiers led to him building his own- at first in his parent's garden shed and then in a unit in Digbeth as the business took off.

Ever since, Laney Amplification has successfully charted its own course through popular music trends and the ups and downs of British manufacturing. Today, its enviable user list includes Tony Iommi, Vernon Reid and Brazilian virtuoso Lari Basilio, with a resurgence of interest in the amp that drove what would become heavy metal- the Mark 1 Supergroup. Alongside the current reissued LA100SM and LA30BL heads, Laney recently introduced this specialised low-output recording version we have on review, the LA-Studio, which features built-in Two Notes Torpedo cabinet emulation technology.

The LA-Studio is a well-presented, good-looking compact head, styled to evoke the look of vintage Laneys from the late 60s. Attention to detail is everywhere, from the neatly applied white stringing around the plywood sleeve and salt-and-pepper grille, to the recessed serial number plate on the rear panel. We especially like the large skirted control knobs, which lend authentic vintage mojo to the LA-Studio and look very cool over the white-acrylic control panel.