GrumpyRocker

Harry reviews the new high-gain guitar amplifier from Laney. But is the Ironheart a one-trick metal pony, or much more than that?

Find out after the jump.

So then, the City Link has just arrived with my new amp. I've taken a punt on a Laney Ironheart. There was nowhere to try one around here and so I thought I'd take advantage of being able to try one at home for seven days thanks to online sales blah blah.

Harry takes a look at TC Electronic's new Flashback Delay and Hall of Fame Reverb pedals.

Quality construction, great functionality and the new Toneprint function should make these winners.

This brief demo is of some of the dynamic feel with the new POD. Very quick noodle played straight into Cubase over the USB connection, no post processing at all, it's all just one track.

Model is the JCM800 with the gain set under half. I'm not changing anything while I play over the looper (Fender Blackface with some verbs) other than picking soft/hard or moving the guitar volume pot.

Okay, being brave here. Please ignore my hackneyed clichéd boxy playing.

Edit: Eek sorry about the crackling in the loop. I turned it down pretty low and it's in the noise floor of the recording. This being an mp3 doesn't help as it's added some unwanted compression too. But hey ho, you get the idea. The clip ends abruptly as my playing actually got worse - in my defence it's a bit early in the day for me.

After 24 hours I'm very happy with my purchase. It's taken a little time working out how to use it without wishing I was keeping my M13, but I have it all worked out now. I've also tried out the PC editing software which is a great way of creating tones (rather than crouching over the hardware).

The way I'm already preferring to use the PC edit software is to create a patch that's in the ballpark of what I'm after, all the FX in the right places, choice of amp etc. then pass it over to the hardware for actually playing/tweaking.

On the unit itself I've created three separate setlists. The first is a selection of tones that use the preamp versions of the amp models. I'm using the pre-amp versions because for this setlist the idea is to use the HD500 plugged into the FX Return of my Bugera V22 tube amp (EL84).

So as I explained earlier I did send the Spider Valve MKII back to Andertons (thanks for the refund guys).

I spent half the amount on a Line6 Pod X3 instead. So I now have something to practice on without (a) waking the kids with a tube amp, and (b) not having to turn a PC on.

The Pod's tones aren't the best around - certainly Guitar Rig IV is much better - but that's not the point. The Pod is a portable and convenient way of getting your sounds anywhere.

Also the tones aren't as bad as the presets would suggest - which Line6 always seems to overbake. Putting your own sounds together reveals some really nice subtle tones.

One of the tricks Line6 modelling veterans know is that some of the best bluesier light-overdrive tones can be found by turning the really high-gain amps way down. I created a gorgeous sound by taking the Line6 Chunk Chunk way down and combining withe Hiwatt model.

So I think that's things sorted for now. I still don't have an EL34 based amp - so I'm still gassing for a Marshall or Blackstar - but I've just been experiment with the Line6 Drive effect on my M13 and it's gotten me really close through the Bugera V22.

I really like tinkering. I also like computers. I'm no cork-sniffing guitarist that is only happy when playing through 1950s technology full of glorified lightbulbs. Yes I do have an all-tube amp, but I've also owned several modelling amps and I regularly using software such as Guitar Rig and PodFarm.

So when looking for a more heavy-rock orientated amp to complement my Bugera V22 I was happy to look in the direction of the new modelling amps such as the Marshall JMD:1, Peavey Tube Vypyr and Line6 Spider Valve MKII. I dropped the Vypyr from the list due to lack of decent recording outputs and no effects loop - a shame as I loved the digital version I used to have.

In the end reviews won me over - and although I was searching for the Marshall sound - I believed the Spider Valve MKII would give me some better Plexi-like tones than Marshall's own modelling amp. Yesterday I took delivery of a Line6 Spider Valve MKII 112 combo. And what an enormous beast it is. Getting it up the stairs made me realise that the 212 version would have damn near killed me.

Pod Farm is Line 6's guitar and bass amp/fx modelling software supplied with a variety of its devices. The software is also available as a standalone version if you wish to register it with an iLok dongle. My copy of the original Pod Farm came free with the purchase of a UX1 USB recording interface. Since I bought the UX1 I also added several of the expansion packs - but the basic software came with plenty of amps and fx to play around with.

But onto the new version? Does it bring enough to the table to warrant the upgrade? Certainly my $49 upgrade seemed a complete bargain. But after the jump I'll discuss how the software compares to rivals such as Guitar Rig and Amplitube.

My little dirty blues Bugera V22 demo is now available in YouTube video form.

A brief demo of the Bugera V22 guitar amplifier. The mic was a Behringer XM8500 (at the edge of the speaker cone), recorded straight into a Line6 UX1 and onwards to Cubase Essential. Just a quick improvised noodle to demo more rhythmic type work on the dirt channel. Gain is set just under halfway for the two rhythm tracks panned left (bridge pickup) and right (neck pickup). The lead track in the middle has the gain all the way up. No post- recording fiddling was done, the delay on the lead track came via the Line6 M13 which was set up on the amp using the four cable method. So this particular delay ran through the amp's fx loop. Drums by EZDrummer. The guitar a PRS SE Custom Trem. The amp wasn't cranked - this was recorded at neighbour friendly volume.

A few folks have asked for a demo of my amp, so here it is. This was just something I knocked together in ten minutes this morning - first a quick improv over a looped chord progression, then some dirty blues. My apologies in advance for the terrible playing.

I've never actually recorded an amp with a mic before - so it was a learning experience. The mic was a Behringer XM8500 (at the edge of the speaker cone), recorded straight into a Line6 UX1 and onwards to Cubase Essential. The clean demo has no layering, just one track in realtime. The second demo has three unedited tracks played over a drum sequence.

Clean Demo
A short clean demo of the Bugera V22 amp. The guitar is a PRS SE Custom Trem played through a Line6 M13 effects unit. The Line6 unit was only used for the looper facility. The reverb is from the V22 itself.

Dirty Blues
Just a quick improvised noodle to demo more rhythmic type work on the dirt channel. Gain is set just under halfway for the two rhythm tracks panned left (bridge pickup) and right (neck pickup). The lead track in the middle has the gain all the way up. No post- recording fiddling was done, the delay on the lead track came via the Line6 M13 which was set up on the amp using the four cable method. So this particular delay ran through the amp's fx loop. Drums by EZDrummer.

Heavy
Does the Bugera like pedals? Here's a very quick demo of a heavy patch from the Line6 M13. This is the Line6 Distortion model no other effects in use. The amp EQ is pretty flat, just tweaked on the effect itself and the guitar tone rolled off a little. There's a brief widdle with the Throaty Wah patch at the end. The recording came out a little bassier than it was in person. Clearly I'm not quite ready to produce a multi-platinum album.