New Laney Range - Digbeth *Foundry*

[Bankai]

The Digbeth range has been around for a few years now and included a combo and a couple of heads, all hybrid with a tube pre-amp alongside a solidstate one and Class D power section. 

 

However, they announced a couple of days a new subrange called Digbeth ‘Foundry’, kind of based on the mantra from their recent Lionheart Foundry guitar amps.

 

In short, they set out to make inexpensive solid-state amps that do what they say on the tin without any bells and whistles or relying on valves. As such, the ‘tube’ channel of the normal Digbeth models (which will remain in production) is renamed/replaced on foundry models with a footswitchable solidstate ‘drive’ channel instead.

 

The new Foundry products:

-30w 8” Combo: £169

-50w 10” Combo: £249

-100w 12” Combo: £339

-200w 15” Combo: £449

-200w Head: £299

 

 

An intriguing range of additions!

 

https://www.laney.co.uk/amps/bass/digbeth/dbf200h

 

 

 

 

Photo of the new Foundry DBF200H:

 

Photo of the existing DB200H for comparison:

 

 

 

 

I dig the idea, their sound, and the control layout, so have just pulled the trigger on the head after teetering between a few options from other companies. This foundry line seems to hit the spot just right!

Edited 12 hours ago by Bankai

[MichaelDean]

It does fix the only irk I have with my DB-500H, the foundry has a master volume. I don't know why that was omitted from the original. I look forward to your report when you get it!

[BassAdder60]

Hopefully better than the appalling Foundry Series guitar amps 

Very cheaply built which was a shame as they sounded ok but build quality was shocking 

[MichaelDean]

@BassAdder60 - that's a shame. I thought they looked decent - especially the Lionheart head. My Digbeth is a solid thing. Though the external transformer for the Ironheart Foundry doesn't seem like a great idea. Those flimsy cables are always the first to break. I don't remember ever having a broken kettle lead!

[BigRedX]

Why do amp manufacturers still put the controls on the top of combos?

 

It's not the 50 and 60s any more. No-one (not even tribute bands of artists from that era) puts their amps on the floor and then stands behind them. 

 

The position of the controls should reflect how the amps are used in the real world today (on stands and normally angled upwards) and not reflect some bygone era that is now irrelevant.

[neepheid]

My Markbass combo has top mounted controls, but I don't find it bothersome - mostly because it's stacked on top of a New York 121, so the controls are elevated to easily used territory - high enough so I don't have to bend down but not so high that I can't see the controls.

 

But my rig is sitting flat on the deck, so I'm clearly from an irrelevant, bygone era

 

[BassAdder60]

1 hour ago, MichaelDean said:

@BassAdder60 - that's a shame. I thought they looked decent - especially the Lionheart head. My Digbeth is a solid thing. Though the external transformer for the Ironheart Foundry doesn't seem like a great idea. Those flimsy cables are always the first to break. I don't remember ever having a broken kettle lead!

Made to be affordable but I think with the Foundry guitar series they went a little too far. 
Shame as Laney have some great amps 

[Supernaut]

I prefer knobs on top too. Easy to glance down and make adjustments on the fly. 

[MartinB]

10 hours ago, Bankai said:

The Digbeth range has been around for a few years now and included a combo and a couple of heads, all hybrid with a tube pre-amp alongside a solidstate one and Class D power section. 

[...]

the ‘tube’ channel of the normal Digbeth models (which will remain in production) is renamed/replaced on foundry models with a footswitchable solidstate ‘drive’ channel instead.

 

There's no tube in the original Digbeth models - the second channel has tube-style drive but is solid state. This isn't a criticism though - they sound really good!

[Lozz196]

1 hour ago, Supernaut said:

I prefer knobs on top too. Easy to glance down and make adjustments on the fly. 

Same, buttons on front difficult to see, and in my case difficult to bend down to see as well.

[MichaelDean]

That's why you need to stack it on an 810. Makes the front controls much easier to see 😁

[Bankai]

22 minutes ago, MartinB said:

 

There's no tube in the original Digbeth models - the second channel has tube-style drive but is solid state. This isn't a criticism though - they sound really good!

I wonder if the channel is any different on this then, or whether it’s just a name change.

[MichaelDean]

The drive sounds very similar from what I've heard on YouTube...