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“I've been searching for at least a 100W combo for an...”

written by Treydar on 26/01/2006

Good Points
High durability
A very nice tone
Acceptable price

Bad Points
Just try to take it somewhere - it should have pocket side handles
Needs some warm up

General Comments
I've been searching for at least a 100W combo for an acceptable price, with the largest loud-speaker and with horn. Laney was the first I thought about - I have a HCM15B, and it's a real little monster.



So I first tested the HCM160B, which "just" has a single 15" driver. It was loud and the sound was hard; a bit too hard for me, although it's a great hard rock amp. Then a guy from the shop showed me the R3 - it's natural sound is better than the HCM. After playing for 30 minutes on both of them, it was an easy choice - the R3 made me smile while I played.



If you want a combo which is small enough for pubs, practice with the band, and for studio use, choose the Laney R3. If you connect an external cabinet to it, for example the R115 or R410, you'll get tons of power and a really great sound. And with it's "Kickback" cabinet design, it can be used on major stages well, too.



It really needs some warm up. I brought my never-used R3 to a practice, and first it was soft, quiet, the limiter was always active at just half gain and volume. After a while (about 30 minutes) it became louder and louder, and new sub-harmonics came into the tone, bringing it deeper. At the and of the practice I looked at the amp - all the EQ's were off, and the gain and volume were again at half. So the amp works in a band with 2 guitarists who are using 120W combo's.