If you’re new to the world of digital modeling or putting together your first digital guitar rig you need an FRFR guitar cabinet if you want the BEST possible tone – ideally the Laney LFR series. We as guitarists will tend to overlook our guitar cabinets and fail to understand why our guitar cabinets are so important, but in the world of digital guitar modeling, there are COUNTLESS benefits to an FRFR cabinet, the most important of which, i’ll delve into today.
If you’ve only just heard about FRFR cabinets, or never even heard the term “FRFR guitar cabinet” and wondered what it means, this innovative technology called FRFR (Full Range Flat Response) is making waves in the music scene, and for good reason – when it comes to digital modeling rigs, there’s simply no better choice in guitar cabinet. Let’s delve into the world of FRFR cabinets and see how Laney’s LFR series are some of the best FRFR cabinets on the market today.
First of all…
FRFR stands for Full Range Flat Response. An FRFR guitar cabinet is designed to preserve the output of a digital rig, including the cabinet emulations, without adding any additional tonal characteristics or colouration. Unlike traditional guitar cabinets that colour the sound with their unique character, FRFR cabinets like Laney’s LFR series act as a blank canvas, faithfully delivering the nuances of your guitar tone and the intricate details crafted by your modeling amp or effects pedals.
In the context of digital modeling rigs, a FRFR guitar cabinet, like the Laney LFR series add absolutely zero colouration to your sound. Where most guitar cabinets have a “character” or signature sound – which is what we buy them for, an FRFR such as the Laney LFR adds nothing TO your sound, accurately representing the amp modelers and effects you’ve sculpted within your amp modeler like your kemper, helix etc. So when thinking about the question:” Do modelers really need frfr speakers” the answer is “yes” if you want the best unaltered sound.
Yes an FRFR guitar cabinet makes a difference for guitarists as it adds NO colouration to your sound, and as our Laney LFR cabinets are actually designed for guitarists, they’re not just revoiced PA speakers, but actual guitar cabinets designed to give you accurate representation of the tones you’ve sculpted within your modeler. If you use a “regular” guitar cabinet, you’re going to get the “signature” sound of the guitar cabinet creeping through affecting your quality and the sound of the amps you’re using in your modeler. For example, if you have your amp modeler set up to sound like a vintage voiced British amp, then you play it through a modern cabinet, you’re going to muddy your sound.
However, if you use the Laney LFR FRFR guitar cabinet, you’ll retain your vintage-voiced British cabinet sound. It’s essentially the chameleon of the FRFR cabinet world!
Fun fact: if you want to save CPU on your modeler, you can actually select cabinet voicings on the Laney LFR FRFR guitar cabinet so it doesn’t sound flat and get either a 1×12 or 4×12 sound!
Modelers need FRFR speakers or FRFR guitar cabs to get the most accurate sound. If you want an accurate representation of your modeling effects and cabinets, then yes, you should try and use an FRFR cabinet. FRFR cabinets are best for digital modeling amps and effects, as they provide the true synergy between FRFR cabinets and modeling technology for 2 main reasons:
If you want to know whether to use an analog guitar cabinet or an FRFR cabinet, or want to know the benefits of an FRFR vs traditional guitar cabinet read this!
Both Guthrie Govan and Devin Townsend are Laney LFR users.
So what are the benefits of an FRFR cabinet like the Laney LFR series of FRFR guitar cabinets and how can it improve your sound and playing experience? Here’s a bunch of reasons!
Laney’s LFR cabinets are packed with our custom-designed, high-quality drivers/speakers designed for guitarists using modeling / digital guitar rigs and our signature precision engineering to ensure transparent and accurate sound reproduction – it’s absolutely flat and adds nothing – BUT it still lets you push air around thanks to the 12” speakers that respond beautifully to your playing. This allows you to hear the true character of your instrument as well as the unique sounds you’ve sculpted within your modeler. Every detail you meticulously crafted in your pedalboard, every amp or cabinet voicing you’ve selected – it all shines through, ensuring your sound is heard exactly as you intended.
Pictured: Laney LFR-112 Active Guitar Cabinet – 400w – 12 Inch Woofer Plus Horn
The Laney LFR series boasts a wide and flat frequency response, making them ideal not just for guitars but also for keyboards, synths and bass guitars too – we know the synth players out there love to hear themselves onstage! Whether you’re a multi-instrumentalist or playing in a band that utilises electronic elements, Laney’s FRFR cabinets can handle them all with exceptional clarity and accuracy.
A good FRFR guitar cabinet is designed for stage performance! Not all FRFR guitar cabinets are created equal, and we’ve made sure ours are stage-ready – able to push air around and let you hear and ‘feel them” on stage, with real feedback when you get close to them!
The Laney LFR range offers a range of LFR cabinets with different power outputs to cater to various venue sizes. The compact and portable LFR-112 is perfect for smaller stages or intimate gigs, while the LFR-212 and LFR-412 pack enough power to fill larger venues with your sonic signature. Additionally, the LFR series features a switchable front LED light, allowing you to add a touch of personality to your stage presence.
We’ve actually covered what the best size LFR cabinet is for you here in our Laney LFR Cabinet comparison.
In terms of studio recording, you want absolute clarity – this is one of the benefits of an FRFR guitar cabinet. When capturing your guitar tone in the studio, the Laney LFR series ensures a pristine and uncolored foundation for you to work on – you may want to mic up your guitar cabinet and get that “room” feel, and with the Laney LFR cabinets you can! However, they can still be used to reproduce the sound syou’ve built in your DAWor digital modeler in the studio. This allows you to focus on crafting your sound through studio effects and processing without the influence of the cabinet’s inherent character. This flexibility gives you more control over the final recorded sound and opens up a wider range of sonic possibilities as you’re not just chained to ONE amp sound!
Pictured: Laney LFR-212 Active Guitar Cabinet – 800w – 2×12 Inch Woofers Plus Horn
If you’re a touring musician, this will resonate with you – not all rooms sound the same and they can affect your tone negatively and positively – something it’s just the luck of the draw when you arrive at a venue as to whether the room sounds good and the in-house amp(if you’re using one) is up to scratch.
With an FRFR cabinet, specifically the Laney LFR guitar cabinet, you can say goodbye to the room’s acoustics affecting your tone. Laney’s LFR cabinets offer a consistent listening experience wherever you play, ensuring your meticulously crafted sound is delivered faithfully to the audience, regardless of the venue’s characteristics. The onboard DI out allows you to go straight to the PA system and bypass the mic-up process, so you can actually make your amp sound like you’re playing Wembley, even when you’re playing a venue with 50 people capacity.
Laney’s LFR cabinets are known for their compact and lightweight design, making them ideal for gigging musicians who value portability and convenience. The LFR-112, for example, is a highly portable option perfect for smaller stages or rehearsals weighing in at just 18.9kg, while the LFR-212 and LFR-412 offer more power for larger venues without being cumbersome to transport.
One of the benefits of an FRFR guitar cabinet, specifically the Laney LFR cabinets is the onboard cabinet emulation. Let’s say for example you have TONNES of effects set up on your modeler, as well as specific setlists and you’re running low on CPU. You might not have space or memory for cabinet emulations. Fortunately, the Laney LFR guitar cabinet series has onboard cabinet emulations that allow you to select either the FRFR flat responsone, the 1×12 cabinet sound or the 4×2 cabinet sound. The two emulations provide the feel of a real cabinet – the 1×12 the tighter, more mid-range response and the 4×12 the bassier, heavier more open response – this makes it ideal for guitarists who want different sounds from their guitar cabinet!
One of the major benefits of an FRFR guitar cabinet, specifically the Laney LFR cabinet is that they provide the authentic response of a REAL guitar cabinet because it is one! The Laney LFR-412, which is the world’s first 4×12 FRFR guitar cabinet designed in collaboration with Devin Townsend, has a far more authentic response and feel very familiar to a guitar player when compared with the other lesser FRFR style cabs in the market – they respond to your playing and they make the air move around you! The high-frequency trim is also extremely useful if you’re finding that the room is too high-pitched, just dial it back and restore that touch of bass for a more weighty sound!
Pictured: Laney LFR-412 Active Guitar Cabinet – 2600w – 4×12 Inch Woofers Plus Horn
There are many benefits to FRFR guitar cabinets, but we’re confident that Laney’s LFR FRFR guitar cabinets offer the best FRFr cabinet solution for guitarists who embrace the power and versatility of digital modeling amps and effects. They provide exceptional clarity, versatility, and flexibility, allowing you to experience your crafted tones exactly as you intended, regardless of the playing situation.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a beginner guitarist or a pro – we’re all chasing that perfect tone – so don’t let your cabinet get in the way. Choose the LFR cabinets and make sure your rig sounds as good as it should!
Shop the complete range of Laney LFR Cabinets HERE and buy direct when shopping from the USA.
Not sure whether you need a 1×12, 2×12 or 4×12 LFR? Read our comparison guide here.
Watch the Laney LFR 412 Announcement video!
We asked the resident tone wizard at Laney Simon Fraser-Clark some common questions around FRFR cabinets and ‘traditional’ amps.
Yes you can use an LFR with a traditional tube amp as long as it has an Fx loop. Seeing as the Laney LFR has a power amp in it you can use it to amplify a tube amps pre amp section. Whilst you can do this it is not something that is common. A tube amp’s power amp section imparts a tonality to the signal which is pleasing and contributes to the overall tonal character of an amplifier. Using an LFR cabinet connected to an FX send, and bypassing the amps power amp section removes the tube power amp section from the signal path thus depriving the signal of the power amps tonal qualities.
Yes you can indeed use a traditional cab with a modeller – as long as the modeller has a built-in power amp section. I do recommend turning off the cab simulation in the modeller if you are using a traditional guitar cabinet so you don’t get the signature sound of the physical cab.