So you’ve decided travelling with heavy amps is not for you at the moment, and you want to create a portable pedalboard setup, or ampless guitar rig setup and “graduate” or “slim down” your rig with the best pedal amps for your sound. I get it, sometimes carrying a 4×12 up a flight of stairs at Glasgow King Tuts is not always appealing!
Fortunately, we’ve got you covered here at Laney, as we’re proud to say that we produce 4 of the best pedalboard amps on the market today. AND we have 4 very different options depending on your preferred sound in the form of the Laney BCCLOUDPEDAL-IMM Martin Miller signature pedalboard amp, Laney IRF-LOUDPEDAL, Laney BCCLOUDPEDAL-LTQ Tom Quayle signature pedalboard amp and the Laney LANEY DB-PRE bass preamp pedal – bassists, we didn’t forget about you going ampless on bass!
Today, I’ll show you the key features of each of these different pedal amps, as they’re sometimes known and why they should be your first choice when choosing the best pedalboard amp for your setup as they provide superb amp tones and valve amp power akin to their bigger brothers! Plus, I’ve used a couple of these myself, so I know what their best uses are!
I know what you’re thinking… why make pedal amps when we’re an amplifier company famous for big valve and solid-state amps?
Laney, a name synonymous with quality amplification relied upon by some of the greatest guitarists in the world, has been a cornerstone in the music industry for decades – one of the reasons why Laney amplifiers are so popular we’ve been doing it for a long time – even worldwide YouTube stars like Hindley Street Country Club choose Laney!
Guitarists need options!
With the rise of pedal amps and ampless guitar rigs, our small family team at Laney has continued to innovate, providing guitarists with powerful, compact, and versatile solutions for their rigs whether it’s amp emulation driven by real valve amp tone in the Laney LA-Studio, desktop amps and portable amps that’ll give you the classic Laney tones you’ve come to expect, and now pedal board friendly amps.
We know guitarists need options. We know this because guitarists are also choosing smaller rigs, and even researching between desktop guitar amps vs portable guitar amps more and more, too.
I spoke to the tone wizard and brains behind these pedals Simon Fraser-Clark about how and why the Loudpedal series was created for the touring musicians out here trying to get the accurate tone they’ve spent years sculpting regardless of the stage they were playing.
“Going ampless is sometimes out of necessity and sometimes out of choice. When you’re touring America you often have to rely on your pedalboard to get your signature sound, as you can take them on the flight with you but you can’t transport your amplifiers to the gigs or festivals you’re playing.
Musicians were relying on backline at venues to be up to scratch, which wasn’t always the case. You might be accustomed to your high-gain Ironheart sound only to turn up to the venue and find they have a twin amp – which stylistically isn’t a good fit for you.
You can’t rely on the venue backline.”
So today, I’m going to show you the 4 best Laney pedal amps, focusing on their unique features and benefits, and why they are considered among the best pedal amps available today.
Pedal amps are compact amplifiers designed to fit on a pedalboard usually in the shape or size of a dual guitar pedal. They offer the same essential functions as traditional amps but with added portability and connectivity so you can go directly to a cabinet, DAW or PA system.
These amp pedals are ideal for guitarists seeking to minimise their setup without sacrificing tone. Pedal amps provide a practical solution for both live performances and studio sessions, delivering (in Laney’s case) realistic sounds of an amp because they are essentially a guitar amplifier in a box!
Again, Laney amps have ONE key difference: we’ve actually made REAL guitar amps just in pedal format. Complete with phones output so you can practice anywhere, and the same if not more connectivity than “traditional” guitar amps!
When it comes down to buying the best pedal amp for your live, studio or home practice rig, it’s worth considering the following features:
Tonal Preference – what kind of genre are you in?: Choose your pedal amp based on the genre and style of music. Look for the availability of three classic amp models from Laney. Do you prefer the British boutique tones of the Lionheart amps? Or do you like the high gain tones of the Ironheart series? Do you need classic amps like the Laney Lionheart series? Or the more modern Ironheart series of amplifiers. Do you want to emulate your own rig? Or create an entirely new one? Do you want the high headroom of a solid state amp but the drive of a tube amp?
What kind of features/settings do you need?: Look for essential features like channel options, EQ, and effects, speaker cabinet emulation, master volumes, effects loop and solid-state style headroom. Things like a channel switch and speaker emulation are important for toggling between different amp emulations, amp sounds and speaker cabs, providing versatility but also giving you somewhere to go tonally.
Connectivity: Are you plugging directly into a cabinet or PA? Do you need to connect to your DAW and audio interface? It’s worth checking the connection panel on the back to make sure your pedal amp has all the necessary outputs and inputs for your setup like DI out, audio interface connectivity, so it’s a complete compact unit and amp in pedalboard format. Fortinately we’ve thought about all of this with the Laney LOUDPEDAL series.
Anyone who has a tube amp in their own rig, knows two things:
The Laney LIONHEART BCCLOUDPEDAL-LTQ Tom Quayle signature Loudpedal is a 60-watt twin-channel amp with foot switchable Boost and LA·IR – Laney Advance Impulse Response technology. It’s hand-built in our UK Black Country Customs workshop and it’s small enough to fit on your pedalboard.
The Laney LIONHEART BCCLOUDPEDAL-LTQ offers 60W RMS power with rich, boutique tones all in a compact pedalboard-friendly design that can essentially replace your existing rig if you’re using tube amps. Designed with Tom Quayle, it replicates the acclaimed Lionheart all-tube tonal range with a built-in pre-boost inspired by the Black Country Customs Steel Park circuit. It includes two independent channels, digital reverb, and USB-C connectivity for latency-free audio and the small, compact size allows you to add it to your signal chain as a pedal on its own or as a complete replacement for your amplifier. The LA-IR app allows custom IR loading and EQ adjustments and you have two cabinet IRs created by Tom, especially for the LIONHEART-LOUDPEDAL. If you love the sound of classic amps like the Laney Lionheart or Supergroup series, but need a smaller footprint for your portable guitar rig, and a boost function this is great value.
Here’s what Tom Quayle had to say about his signature Laney Loudpedal pedal amp:
“If you’d blind A/B’d me between the original amp and this, there’s literally no way I could have told the difference… it’s almost impossible to tell the difference.” – Tom Quayle
Read more about the Tom Quayle and Martin Miller Loudpdeal Laney Pedalboard amps here.
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The Laney IRONHEART BCCLOUDPEDAL-IMM is a signature Loudpedal from Martin Miller, and is 60-watt twin channel amp with foot switchable Boost and LA·IR – Laney Advance Impulse Response technology
The difference between Martin’s and Tom’s Loudpedals is that Laney Ironheart BCCLOUDPEDAL-IMM caters more to metal and hard rock guitarists, delivering high-gain tones with the precise tone sculpting they need and clarity at high gains.
Again The Laney Ironheart BCC-IMM is a 60W pedal amp features two independent channels, footswitchable boost function, comprehensive EQ with Bright, Flat, and Dark modes, built-in digital reverb, and an IR loader for cabinet simulation. Connectivity options include USB-C for direct DAW integration, XLR, and headphone outputs, as well as MIDI control.
Here’s how Martin Miller uses his signature Laney Loudpedal:
“The channel I use by far the most, which is possibly 95% of the time if not more, is channel two, because channel two in itself is extremely versatile. So, for example, I would run a volume pedal in front of the input, or I use the volume control of my guitar to dial that way down, turn off the boost, and have a really spanky, clean, yet still compressed tone. I crank up the volume on the guitar or on the foot pedal – I have a mid-gain sound, and then I hit the boost, and its all-out shred goodness. So that’s all within channel two. I go to channel one if I want something that is super pristine and uncompressed, clean, almost like a warmed-up DI signal.”
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Here’s what martin Miller had to say about his signature Loudpedal pedalboard amp:
“… I’ve been using Laney amplifiers for most of my life now, for more than half of my life. I bought my first Laney amplifier when I was 18… It’s just, to me, it’s among the best gain structures that exist in the world when it comes to high-gain metal styles.” – Martin Miller
The Laney Ironheart IRF-Loudpedal is our first 60W high-gain pedal amp designed for powerful and versatile performance. It includes two channels, a footswitchable boost, detailed EQ settings and comprehensive connectivity options like XLR, and headphone outputs. However, this does not have the Tone, Reverb or USB connectivity as the two previous signature models. This is totally ok though if you already have your own preferred reverb pedals and just want to connect your Loudpedal to your DAW via DI or go direct via guitar cable!
It allows you the same functionality and sound quality as an Ironheart amp, in pedalboard format!
You have 2 independent channels and can create a wide range of tones, from clean and crisp to heavy and distorted.
The main killer feature is the foot-switchable Boost! The LOUDPEDAL’s foot-switchable boost, allows you to instantly go from rhythm to lead without having to adjust your settings on teh pedal so you can go from heavy to bone-shattering distortion at the press of a switch.
You can read more about the benefits and a quick review of the Laney Ironheart IRF Loudpedal and get some secret settings!
This tiny unit, about the size of two regular guitar pedals placed together, is essentially a guitarist’s best friend – specifically the gigging guitarist who is sick of dragging around a big amp with them, wants to tour internationally and use UK pedalboards when touring in the USA or abroad and those who want the same sound at EVERY gig without worrying about backline.
It’s designed to be the tone engine of a flexible pedalboard setup. A true 60 Watt IRONHEART amplifier, flat on the floor.
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It’s a brand new series, aimed at making the touring musicians’ life a LOT easier, without ever compromising on tone.
“ The IRONHEART LOUDPEDAL is the first product release in Laney’s new IRONHEART FOUNDRY series.
Forged deep in the Black Country, IRONHEART was first released in 2011 with the powerful IRT120H & IRT60H heads. These amps made an immediate impact, delivering the aggressive and dynamic tube tone that quickly became the choice for bands like Killswitch Engage, The Prodigy and Good Charlotte. Taking the essence of the now critically acclaimed IRONHEART sound, the IRONHEART FOUNDRY series serves this up in compact, portable solutions suitable for today’s gigging and touring players.” – James Laney – CEO of Laney amplification
The Laney Digbeth DB-PRE is easily one of the best preamp pedals for bass players who need the sound that a high output power amp can provide, but without having to drag a massive bass amp around. If you want to go ampless on bass, or want to slim down your rig you need a bass preamp pedal!
This bass preamp pedal delivers classic and modern bass tones via the FET and Tube with Blend Switch – which is essentially an amp switch as you’ve got the sound of two different bass amps in one! It features a tube-emulated circuit, 3-band EQ with semi-parametric mid control, selectable boost, switchable compressor, and DI outputs for balanced and unbalanced signals. If you’re looking for that additional connectivity for studio use, you’ll be happy to know that includes an FX loop, DI Out with pre/post source select and headphone output. This is essentially the best bass combo amp for gigging, but in a box that you can fit on your pedalboard.
You can read more reasons why you should get the Laney Digbeth DB-Pre bass preamp pedal.
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There’s ALWAYS a time and a place for large tube amps, and we LOVE tube and solid state amps here too, but sometimes you just need a smaller setup or ampless guitar rig! With this in mind, 3 of the Laney guitar pedal amps come equipped with cabinet simulations; both the LANEY BCCLOUDPEDAL-LTQ and the LANEY BCCLOUDPEDAL-IMM feature high-quality cabinet emulations, allowing you to select from 2 onboard IR’s, EQ them to your requirements and plug directly into the PA or IEM rig without losing any of the nuance and character of a great mic’d cabinet. Whilst the LANEY IRF-LOUDPEDAL features a single cabinet emulation.
We’ve also made the Laney Loudpedal pedalboard amps with connectivity in mind, packed with versatile options including MIDI, USB-C, and XLR. You’ve also got headphones connectivity too, so you can add it to your pedal chain, connect your headphones via the phones output and practice just like you would at rehearsal.
Each of the Laney pedalboard amps have been designed to give you the sound of your favourite amp head or combo amp, but to sit comfortably on your pedalboard, perfect for travelling musicians who need a flyrig as they’re the same size as your slightly larger dual guitar or bass pedal.
And finally the tone. We’ve painstakingly designed each of these Loudpedal pedal amps to accurately recreate tube preamp stages. These pedal amps provide realistic, classic British crunch, to the high gain Laney distorted tones and all the beautiful classic Laney clean tones we’re known for. They are your favorite Laney amplifiers in pedal format!
Laney pedal amps offer everything you need as a guitar player who wants to use a pedal amp instead of a traditional combo or amp head. You get the quality of Laney’s decades of amplifier design and sonic prowess as well as additional versatility, and portability, making them an excellent choice for modern guitarists who need to go ampless on guitar, or for those who don’t want to choose between a solid state vs tube amp.
These small, pedalboard-friendly amps are packed with the classic amp tones from Laney, so you get the authentic vintage and modern Laney amplifier sounds in a compact size that can be fine-tuned to suit your genre or style of playing. Whether you’re performing live, recording in the studio, or practising at home, there’s a Laney pedal amp that’s perfect for you!
Shop Laney guitar amps today and find the perfect pedal amp for your rig in a tiny package.
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