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NAD: Laney Nexus Tube


la bam
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Well, I finally lost the plot and did what I knew I'd do the minute I bought the half a kg trace elliot elf amp ..... I bought a 40kg all valve amp to replace it!

I've been after one of these for ages. By nature I never really go for the obvious choices in anything - cars, music, clothes - my main gigging amp is a quilter and my bass a g&l, so in a weird way Laney becomes a much more attractive amp for me than say an Ampeg, Trace, Fender etc.

I got it in pretty much unused condition and I'm chuffed to bits with it. I've never had a full valve amp before. I've had ashdown abms with the one valve preamp, but nothing else. But this, this has 12 valves! Massive ones at that.

The control panel despite looking confusing is very simple. Pretty much all of it is standard, but the panel has extra options in switchable lo mid and hi mid frequencies and boosts and cuts (I love the fact its covered both mids) and a 6 band switchable graphic too.

On top of that it has a presence dial, which helps bring the mids and top end more to the fore. Likewise a deep dial which is used to tighten the bottom end.

Theres also a one knob compressor that seems to work really well and also add a bit of bite.

The tube option has both a tube drive and a tube level, so you can get more out of the tubes at lower volumes.

Now, heres the brilliant bonus....not only does it have an awesome valve section, it also has a fantastic fet section, so you can run it just fet, just valve, or have a combination of both! Love it!

I'd wager this is also a fantastic saver should anything go wrong with either section. Simply switch to just the other.

Sound wise....gees, its unbelievable. Paired with my laney n410 it's really really powerful. Even at its lowest level, with the bass guitar turned right down and the pad button in, I can feel the bass vibrate through my legs! Real real heft if ever I felt it. Gorgeous tone so far, with lots of tone shaping options.

I simply cant wait to get it in a practice room soon!

 

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Edited by la bam
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Congrats! I really enjoyed the brief time I had with this amp. Even now I recall reviewing it and being sorely tempted to double my chiropractic bill. - Actually, yes it is heavy but the handles as I recall did make moving it easier? I liked the well thought out signal path options of which there is more than enough to keep the tweezers happy.

Great! I reckon another 4x10 underneath would be just the right amount of WOHHHH we all know and love :) 

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Cheers Dood!

It was your review (both video and written) that convinced me I wanted one ages ago! 

Great review, and I'm definitely not disappointed!

PS as soon as another n410 cab comes up, I'm after it!

 

Edited by la bam
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54 minutes ago, spyder said:

Fantastic amp and cab. I gigged one for around a year. It is very flexible, can go from modern to vintage with the two preamps available. 

Did you ever have to change any fuses, valves or any maintenance?

Theres x2 red leds showing on the power tubes when in operation. It could be just fuses. Just wondered if it's a user thing to fix or strictly an amp techs job?

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20 hours ago, la bam said:

Cheers Dood!

It was your review (both video and written) that convinced me I wanted one ages ago! 

Great review, and I'm definitely not disappointed!

PS as soon as another n410 cab comes up, I'm after it!

 

OH! Goodness! Thank you :) - That means a huge amount to me, especially when the amp is delivering the goods as hoped! :) 

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I had one of these....tragically sold it to fund something or other that i no longer have. Big mistake.

If the LED's are red, it could mean a biaing issue on those tubes. You could have a go yourself, but its quite a complicated beast once opened up. 

Oh, there are no authorised service centres for these. You send it straight to Laney and they sort it. They arrange postage or you can drop it off all for a VERY reasonable price. And they are sound guys over there to boot, sorted me out with some extra bits etc all for free. 

Like the idea of them "going home" to get sorted!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Well, I finally got chance to take it to a practice room today. That and my n410.

Room also had a decent pa that I played backing tracks to, just to get an idea and an idea of what possible eq I'd need.

Spent 3 hours in there....

Firstly.....why did I not know the entire board lit up blue and red when playing - looks amazing with the valves dancing like that! A thing of beauty (for weirdos like me!).

Any who, i played around to a variety of tracks: rock, indie, pop, ballad, and it took me a while to get the sound mixed perfectly well. Sometimes the notes were very standalone instead of in the mix if that makes sense, particularly the high end notes.

So, I went round and round, hitting the para mid, graphic eq, standard eq, drive, level, volume. Thought I'd got the perfect sound, then it wasnt quite right. Eventually found it. It was (no surprise to you valve experts) completely flat with everything off. I did add a bit of compression to even it up and added a bit of punch.

So then in the mix - it now sounded like a proper sound. Very together, like playing a cd. Yet, the bass sound itself wasnt unbelievable say like what a guitar sound or solo would be, but it had that 'extra' indescribable valve magic that kinda of fills all the gaps and dead air without you doing anything.

Oh, and it was blisteringly loud. The loudest I got it was 2 out of 10! I really wanted to get higher and louder as you could tell the sound was getting richer and sweeter, but the practice room couldn't really handle it.

Just a few questions for you valve experts:

1. I'm using a passive bass and as soon as I start to drive the tube drive and tube level, I peak the red light. I then hit the -25db pad and eventually when i level the volumes back up i hit it again. Probably flashes 1 in 5 notes. Is this ok? Various opinions out there. Some say it's fine on a valve amp, some say keep in the yellow and green. If it isnt ok what options do i have to get the input level down?

 

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I think they're fantastic.

Very well built. I've rammed mine into stone walls by accident and not a mark!

Very loud. 

Switchable horn, on, off, half.

Great sound.

Very lightweight.

In all honesty I've had the 2x10 and the 4x10, and all you need is the 4x10. There isn't really much difference in size and weight, and the 4x10 comes in at about 21kg.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Well I did my first gig with the tube yesterday. Absolutely amazing.

Outdoor event on the back of a trailer. Amp was probably on about 4 out of 10 volume and pa support as well.

Gees, the power was unbelievable, I could actually see the cover of the cab moving in a thumping kind of way, at low levels too!

I ran it completely flat, just on the tube channel, with a tiny bit of compression.

It really adds something to the band mix. Trying to think of an adjective all through the gig, I think the classic 'pillowy' makes sense. Just a lovely warm glow to the sound.

Playing wise, it sort of encourages you to be loud and confident and try more nuances like slides, different attack and techniques.

The sound seemed to be getting better and better as the gig went on - probably the first real run out its had.

Very happy, and now a confirmed ex class d user (apart from upstairs gigs where I'll take my quilter!).

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There's something just a little bit magic in those glowing bottles..

Glad you're happy with the Laney, it looks fantastic and has many features that I like  the idea of too - it walks the walk AND talks the talk seemingly..

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  • 3 months later...

Ive recently bought one of these, and can say without a shadow of a doubt it’s such a high quality amp, the sound is great, it looks amazing and it’s got everything you need. The price tag matches the build quality.

The only downside it does weigh a ton,

but well worth it.

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