# Laney Ironheart 120 or EVH 5150 III 50 watt. Suggestions required.



## casketshrine (May 24, 2012)

So I've been gassing pretty hard for the EVH 5150 III 50 watt head. I was going to pick one up either from Thailand in September or have my cousin bring it for me from UK. However, there seems to be a real bad shortage in the market on those. Price wise, its £715.

I've also been looking at the new Laney Ironheart 120 head. Having owned a GH50L for about 3 years, I have nothing but great things to say about Laney amps. I heard a bunch of demos of the Ironheart 120 and it sounds very close to the kind of tones you can get from the EVH 5150 III, if not identically the same. 

Also, Ironheart is a 120 watt head with the wattage control through built in attenuation. Also, like many other Laney amps, its got a bias switch to go between 6L6 & EL34s, a feature I found quite handy on my GH50L. Also, its readily available in the UK market for £605. Almost, £100 cheaper than the EVH head that's manufactured in Mexico, while Ironhearts are manufactured in UK (most likely with parts made in China). 

I am a bit torn apart between the two. My plan is to first go to Thailand and see if EVH is available and maybe try them both if possible. 

Purchase of either will be an overkill since I already own a JVM 205H, Engl E530/Mesa 50/50 and an Axe Fx Ultra but I am gassing pretty hard for either one of the above two.

Suggestions?


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## mrmoose (May 24, 2012)

I think Ola is going to post a video with Laney´n soon...check that one first...

but 5150III works


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## Seanthesheep (May 24, 2012)

5153 mini. Really great amp to begin with, and has built in midi so you can easiy configure youre ultra with the 5153


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## casketshrine (May 24, 2012)

I am thinking maybe I should get the Ironheart for now and get the EVH next year when the demand tones down a little. Just found out the 50 watters are made in Vietnam. I hope the QC on these is pretty tight.


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## Alex6534 (May 24, 2012)

I'm interested in the Ironheart as well, should hopefully be trying one out tomorrow so I'll let you know! I have a Peavey 6534+ but want a bit more versatility.


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## casketshrine (May 25, 2012)

Alex6534 said:


> I'm interested in the Ironheart as well, should hopefully be trying one out tomorrow so I'll let you know! I have a Peavey 6534+ but want a bit more versatility.



That is cool. Do let me know what you think and how it compares to the 6534+. I do get a lot of the 5150 style tones from my Engl E530/Mesa set up but I am really digging the punchy crunch channel on the EVH. Ironheart seems to be capable of doing similar tones. Plus the wattage control is a big plus!


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## Wookieslayer (May 25, 2012)

It's kind of a toss up. Now you could argue that they get similar tones, whether they be Peavey / American of the EVH or Engl-german like for the Laney, they both will get you modern metal tones. I would even go as far to say both will sound good at low volumes. The Ironheart has the wattage control and dynamics control, and there is even a video posted on here few months ago with the 5150iii 50w sounding great below 1 on the master volume.

I guess you have to ask yourself, how much headroom do you need? Do you need another amp at 120w? or would you rather have a more manageable sized head that sounds just as good as a fullsized one? also, do you need it to have MIDI? which the 5150iii mini does have one MIDI thru I think... 

But more importantly, do you need the added versatility of the Laney's 3 channels with the boost features? I keep hearing that the biggest downfall of the mini EVH is the volume difference between the 2 channels. the first channel is actually clean and crunch in one channel, and second, being the lead channel. I guess this is a problem for some when someone needs cleans and lead/rhythm tones both at gigging volume. I haven't really done my research or ever tried one in person, but maybe there are ways to get around this issue with different effects or volume boosters in the loop; I'm not sure. 

if I was in your shoes, I might lean towards the Laney, probably will be cheaper and maybe easier to get a hold of in your country... but on the other hand maybe the EVH will be in more demand if you decide to sell it, and easier to ship based on it's size and portability; not to mention easy on the back for gigging and storage 

Sorry if I made your decision more difficult, but it's not really an easy one


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## ChronicConsumer (May 25, 2012)

I have an Ironheart 60, and man, you will not regret it. It is awesome! The cleans are really bright and shimmery, the gain can be anything from a real nasty blues or a classic hard rock sound to a bone crushing death metal sound. Sounds very tight!

The wattage control is really convenient too, I have it at like, 5 watts at home so I can crank the volume and get a real good sound at pretty low volume, but I've gigged with it and it does that no problem.

I really like it, it works for me. Check it out if you can, I would upload videos but I can't for now - exams end in a week and then I can record some


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## casketshrine (May 25, 2012)

Thanks for the input guys. I am really leaning towards the Ironheart 120 as of now. Neither are available in Pakistan. As I mentioned I will either buy from Thailand or have my cousin bring it for me from UK. Right now EVH isn't available neither in the UK market or Thai. I will try them both out if available in September. Right now, after hearing several clips of the Ironheart, I am quite sure it's going to sound just as awesome as the EVH. 

120 watts is a lot for my usage at this point since Im not gigging live but it does have the option to drop to lower wattage so I can crank it up at home like ChronicConsumer mentioned. Maybe I'll buy both, Ironheart now and sell my Mesa 50/50 poweramp and buy the EVH later and run the E530 through either of their power sections, if the need be.


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## SevenSkull (May 25, 2012)

I think it depends on the music style you want to play.
I had an Ironheart60 for testing. It was quite a nice amp with a few downsides.
By the way i don't think the watts control is a classic power attenuator, but it works for bedroom practise.

What I didn't like about the amp was the maximum gain level. For me it wasn't enough for extrem metal tones and I was urged to use an external boost before the amp.
The internal boost increases the volume for all frequencies before the gain stages but becomes muddy quite early. IMO a tube screamer which boosts the midrange around 700 Hz works better for tight rhythm work.


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## TheShreddinHand (May 25, 2012)

ChronicConsumer said:


> I have an Ironheart 60, and man, you will not regret it. It is awesome! The cleans are really bright and shimmery, the gain can be anything from a real nasty blues or a classic hard rock sound to a bone crushing death metal sound. Sounds very tight!
> 
> The wattage control is really convenient too, I have it at like, 5 watts at home so I can crank the volume and get a real good sound at pretty low volume, but I've gigged with it and it does that no problem.
> 
> I really like it, it works for me. Check it out if you can, I would upload videos but I can't for now - exams end in a week and then I can record some



What cab are you using with it?

Eric


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## casketshrine (May 25, 2012)

SevenSkull said:


> What I didn't like about the amp was the maximum gain level. For me it wasn't enough for extrem metal tones and I was urged to use an external boost before the amp.
> The internal boost increases the volume for all frequencies before the gain stages but becomes muddy quite early. IMO a tube screamer which boosts the midrange around 700 Hz works better for tight rhythm work.



I always use a boost no matter what amp I play through. For example on both my JVM & E530, I turn the gain down on the amp itself and clean boost it with either a TS9, SD1 or ZW44. Sounds great that way. Tight, clean and aggressive.


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## ChronicConsumer (May 25, 2012)

TheShreddinHand said:


> What cab are you using with it?
> 
> Eric



A Harley Benton G vintage 2x12 with Celestion V30s. 

As for it not having enough gain, kinda depends what you mean. Sure, maybe not a full on 90s death metal stomp, but it's way more distortion than you need for a good metal tone. I play a lot of melodic and technical death metal (and classical music) and I've never considered it to lack gain. Pretty good dynamic response, too.


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## SevenSkull (May 26, 2012)

casketshrine said:


> I always use a boost no matter what amp I play through. For example on both my JVM & E530, I turn the gain down on the amp itself and clean boost it with either a TS9, SD1 or ZW44. Sounds great that way. Tight, clean and aggressive.



Then the amp is recommendation. I used a T808 clone and was happy with the gain. Personally I try to not use a boost for flexibility reasons.
The tone shift options on the IRT is a cool idea, but I only pulled the mid shift from time to time.

BTW I own a Engl E530, too, which benefits from the Watts control because this feature is placed after the effects loop. So playing at bedroom volume or adding some coloration is easy.


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## capoeiraesp (May 26, 2012)

I think you'll be ok getting a 5150iii 50 watt in September. Stock levels seem to be improving around my end of the world. 

I strongly recommend the 5150 mate. It's a phenomenal amp and I've come to realize that e even more today since upgrading to an Orange 4x12. 
Excuse the shitty pic






In all seriousness you've got pretty much everything you need in the 5150iii. It sounds great at low bedroom volumes (YouTube my video on it), has an excellent clean channel which is just awesome with the orange, and its mid to high gain tones are godly. 
Channel 3 is perfect for my tastes.


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## casketshrine (May 26, 2012)

I recently got an increase in salary and also found out from some reliable sources that I might be getting a good bonus as well. The gas is hard for both the Laney and EVH now. I am also getting a Marshall Vintage 1960 cab. Lets see, I might end up buying both amps. Wife is a good sport about my gear dementia but this might tick her off haha!


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## casketshrine (May 26, 2012)

capoeiraesp said:


>



That picture is not shitty, in fact it is quite nice and might I add, it does NOT help with my gas haha! Great rig man! Awesome axe!


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## Toshiro (May 26, 2012)

I have yet to try a 5150III, but the cleans on the Ironheart are about a million times better than a 5150II or a 3120/XXX. Best cleans on a high gain amp I've ever owned.

The rhythm and lead channels sound very very similar to me, which is great for getting both a high gain metal rhythm tone, and a differently EQ'd solo tone.

The deep boost on the low knob is awesome, I don't really like the mid shift much, and don't have a use for the high shift yet. 

The on-board boost is garbage, IMO. There's no buffer between it and the first gain stage, so if you push it too hard the amp clips out and sounds horrible. Just use a TS9 and everything's great.

The "Dynamics" knob works more like a resonance, turn it up and the lows get huge and thick. The "tone" knob is a presence, run it how you want, though with the amp up loud turning this down is better, IMO. "Watts" appears to be a post phase inverter master volume(PPIMV), it's not really an attenuation.

This is a great amp, much more tonally versatile than the advertising plays it off as. It's more of a modern tone than the GH, less boosted Marshall.

Side note: The LEDs are on a strip attached to the face panel, with a little connector you can disconnect. The strip could be turned off, or possibly swapped for a different color, or maybe even change the LEDs on it.  I'd love to change mine to blue.


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## casketshrine (May 28, 2012)

Thanks for the awesome mini review man. I am leaning towards the Ironheart now. I most likely will end up getting both.


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## MF_Kitten (May 28, 2012)

I want both of those, except the 60 watts version of the Ironheart. MMMMM!


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## Erazoender (May 28, 2012)

Well I was going to suggest waiting for an Ola vid to review it, but I guess he beat me to it.



And holy fuck it sounds immense. I've heard many good clips of the EVH but all of the Laney love lately has me really gassing for one.






















Oh, and the Laney has backlit tubes so that wins it for me


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## MF_Kitten (May 28, 2012)

the price of the Laney makes it a sexy choice for me.


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## Alex6534 (May 29, 2012)

Wow, imagine it through a mesa 4x12


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## loktide (May 29, 2012)

not digging the ironheart by the sound of that clip. the distortion seems to have a thin and scratchy overall characteristic. it sounds like everything i dislike about most marshalls (except the 800), but on steroids.


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## Toshiro (May 29, 2012)

I hope he wasn't using those EQ settings to record, because it's scooped to hell in the beginning images. 

A bit less metal demo:


I need to get a Zoom Q3 or something.


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## casketshrine (May 29, 2012)

Ola can take a tv remote, mic it and make it sound brutal!

He is going to slay with Six Feet Under and he deserves it! Imagine SFU classics done Ola style! One word: BR00TULZ!1111!!oneone

I know for sure now I'm getting both the Ironheart and the EVH!


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## MF_Kitten (May 29, 2012)

Toshiro said:


> I hope he wasn't using those EQ settings to record, because it's scooped to hell in the beginning images.
> 
> A bit less metal demo:
> 
> ...




the thing about Ola's EQing, is that he tweaks the amp's EQ until it sounds as "finished" as possible. Notice how he gets pretty much the whole tone from the amp's settings and the mic position, and only does a tiiiiiiny little EQ work after recording to even it out.


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## Toshiro (May 30, 2012)

I like this Ola video better:


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## casketshrine (May 30, 2012)

Makes me wish I wasn't at work or had headphones here. Gonna check it out at home. 

Toshiro, you had a 6505 for a while I remember. How would you compare this to the 6505?


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## Toshiro (May 30, 2012)

casketshrine said:


> Makes me wish I wasn't at work or had headphones here. Gonna check it out at home.
> 
> Toshiro, you had a 6505 for a while I remember. How would you compare this to the 6505?



I had a 6505+ at one time, yes. The Peavey is more saturated, and has slightly more gain on tap; the Laney is drier, but you can actually use the gain past 6..  The Laney is tighter, but has as much low end. 

Clean channel it's no contest, the 6505+ sounds like an AM radio compared to the Laney. The cleans on the Ironheart still sound great even if you dial that channel for a metal rhythm tone. 

In that vid @ around 1:20, you can hear why I don't use the onboard boost anymore when he turns it up past 5. Once I started hearing that clipping, I couldn't get it out of my mind any time the boost was on.  Tubescreamer all the way. 

Also, I run the mids at 4 on my rhythm channel, and 6 on the lead channel, which is very full sounding.


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## casketshrine (May 30, 2012)

Toshiro said:


> I had a 6505+ at one time, yes. The Peavey is more saturated, and has slightly more gain on tap; the Laney is drier, but you can actually use the gain past 6..  The Laney is tighter, but has as much low end.
> 
> Clean channel it's no contest, the 6505+ sounds like an AM radio compared to the Laney. The cleans on the Ironheart still sound great even if you dial that channel for a metal rhythm tone.
> 
> ...




That sounds pretty hellish! Definitely getting it. I think it should fit in the VH100R flight case!


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## atticmike (May 30, 2012)

Listen to this Laney:



Sadly, I only had the chance to play the VH 100 R for a long time and had to replace it eventually since it didn't deliver as much gain as needed by most of nowadays's genre stsandards. 

But just listen to the L50H, i think you can definitely hear the difference between the amp and their low priced Ironhearts.

Kind of opened my eyes from being completely obliterated by the first impression along with the price.


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## Toshiro (May 30, 2012)

Pretty sure the Lionheart is not aimed at metal tones at all. 

The VH100R and GH100/50L came out in 1994, so they aren't going to sound very modern by today's standards.


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## Greatoliver (May 30, 2012)

Toshiro said:


> Also, I run the mids at 4 on my rhythm channel, and 6 on the lead channel, which is very full sounding.



How do you do that when the range is ±5?


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## Toshiro (May 30, 2012)

Greatoliver said:


> How do you do that when the range is ±5?



Okay, so it's actually -1/+1, but looks like 4/6 to me.


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## atticmike (May 30, 2012)

Toshiro said:


> Pretty sure the Lionheart is not aimed at metal tones at all.



Yeah, thought it'd fit the black sabbath era rather as well 

If not Hendrix ^^



Toshiro said:


> The VH100R and GH100/50L came out in 1994, so they aren't going to sound very modern by today's standards.



May I construe this as another act of utter irony or do does this really represent your own sentiment?  I do understand that sometimes, I tend to exaggerate whenever it comes to criticism, though
the VH 100 R for example just didn't have enough tightness along with its gain. Great for rock chords because the way the amp sounds is really soothing and positively gritty. But, if you look 
to play any heavy / defined riffing, it wouldn't deliver, rarely scratching the surface even with an OD.

Now, the Ironheart blew my head of by an instant, but just for the very first moment because after having listened to lotsa samples now, it lacks a chunk of saturation, which would testify for the price.#

*Edit* 444 posts, yay. Is that some other devilish array of numbers such as 666 ?


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## Toshiro (May 30, 2012)

atticmike said:


> May I construe this as another act of utter irony or do does this really represent your own sentiment?  I do understand that sometimes, I tend to exaggerate whenever it comes to criticism, though
> the VH 100 R for example just didn't have enough tightness along with its gain. Great for rock chords because the way the amp sounds is really soothing and positively gritty. But, if you look
> to play any heavy / defined riffing, it wouldn't deliver, rarely scratching the surface even with an OD.



I owned a GH50L for a number of years, and had no problems getting a tight metal tone with a boost in front.

If you want saturated tones, you're looking at the wrong amps. Laney's are dry, even the Ironheart.


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## atticmike (May 30, 2012)

Toshiro said:


> I owned a GH50L for a number of years, and had no problems getting a tight metal tone with a boost in front.
> 
> If you want saturated tones, you're looking at the wrong amps. Laney's are dry, even the Ironheart.



I purely referred to the VH 100 R which lacks that particular amount of gain and no, the VH 100 R was far from dry. Liked a lot better than my Diezel Marshall, in terms of saturation. That thing was lush like a ripe exotic fruit


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## Toshiro (May 30, 2012)

We have different definitions of saturated then, because I think 5150/XXX when I think saturated gain. The VH/GH don't have that.

The GH gets compared to VHT/Fryette amps as far as dry-ness on a regular basis, so I know it's not just me. 

If the VH didn't have enough gain for you, I don't think you're going to like the Ironheart, because it has no more gain than a GH amp with the drive turned on, until you use the boost, and even then the boost is limited before it turns to horrible clipping mud.. It's tighter, and the voicing more modern, but it's not a 5150.


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## Greatoliver (May 30, 2012)

I'd have to agree there. It doesn't have the really saturated sound of the 6505. I'm not where it stands versus something like a VHT, but it is definitely drier. Maybe more like Engl amps than Peavey amps?


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## Toshiro (May 30, 2012)

My old Fireball was as compressed and saturated at a 5150, but then it's the "looked down on" Engl.


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## Alex6534 (May 31, 2012)

Hoping to try this today, as long as the local guitar store doesn't plug me into an egnater 1x12 cab again . Would you's say it can get modern metal tones well enough? I'm on the verge of selling my 6534 for this


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## casketshrine (May 31, 2012)

Toshiro said:


> I owned a GH50L for a number of years, and had no problems getting a tight metal tone with a boost in front.:



I too had a GH50L which I boosted the fuck out of and it sounded BRUTAL! I loved it! Just that my JVM 205H delivers the high gain tones that are more to my liking so GH50L was replaced. GH/VH series are great amps that can handle anything. Of course, its no Powerball or Savage but then again, its not aimed to be! Great amps for the money.


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## Toshiro (May 31, 2012)

Alex6534 said:


> Hoping to try this today, as long as the local guitar store doesn't plug me into an egnater 1x12 cab again . Would you's say it can get modern metal tones well enough? I'm on the verge of selling my 6534 for this



It's definitely voiced for modern metal. Keep the Watts knob over halfway, and don't put the boost over 3 or 4, when you're demoing it. Personally, I would test it with a TS9 in front, and leave the onboard boost turned off.


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## DMONSTER (Jun 6, 2012)

Bump because im in the exact same dillemma


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## Jayd41 (Jun 11, 2012)

DMONSTER said:


> Bump because im in the exact same dillemma


I was just debating the same question this week...
I now have an Ironheart on its way to me


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