NGD: Laney LFR212 - sounds great, I really like it! (2x12 vertical FRFR)

Promit

Inspired
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I've been missing both the look and feel of a real cab, and I was entertaining the idea of getting a conventional 2x12 with a power amp. While looking around I rediscovered this Laney FRFR everyone's been sleeping on and to be honest I'm not sure why. It sounds fan-friggin-fastic! You don't get a lot of tone shaping options, but there is a -6 to +6 HF control which is very nice to have for fine tuning. The cab is not very heavy, Laney lists it at 28.8 kg (63.5 lbs) and I can lift it one handed if I need to. It has pretty much identical dimensions to any traditionally sized vertical 2x12, with a pair of 12" LF drivers and an HF compression driver into a conical horn next to the lower 12" driver. Basically they took an LFR112 and extended it upwards with a second 12" on a slant. It worked.

Full disclosure, I've made no attempt to push this thing towards its power limits. I am digital to avoid going deaf. It's rated at 200W RMS/800W peak but we all know solid state power ratings are dodgy, and I don't have any information on dB per watt (efficiency).

Compared to my XiTone Active Wedge
The Laney is better. Is it unfair to compare the 1x12 XiTone wedge format to a properly sized 2x12? Maybe, but these are close to the same retail price and in my view that makes them competition. Don't get me wrong, I like the XiTone a lot, I've gigged with it, and it previously won my shootout with a Powercab 112. But next to the Laney it just sounds small and boxy. It's still a great stage monitor, especially if you want something in that wedge format pointed at you from the ground. But the Laney feels like playing through a cab, with the air moving in much the same way and the dispersion feeling more like what you expect. It is still an FRFR of course, don't expect any "amp in the room" type trickery here. But as someone who plays through studio monitors 90% of the time, I'm very well accustomed to that sound and the Laney brings the feel of the conventional cab when you're playing.

Downsides
Gonna call out two things here. One is that this is a rear ported cab, which makes it punchy. A little too punchy. I might experiment with closing some or all of the ports, or I might just throw a bit of low cut in the output EQ. It kinda gives the same vibe as playing through a Mesa Recto 2x12, which is great for heavy music but can get really overwhelming for more restrained things. An LF adjust to go with the HF adjust would have been very nice. The other thing is that the XLR is retained by tension instead of a push clip. I don't like it. Doesn't affect TRS though.

Conclusions
Keeper. When I play through this rig, it just sounds and feels like I always wanted and expected my guitar to sound and at very reasonable volumes too. Is it super flat or a perfect translation from my monitors (Adam T5V)? Not quite. I could fine tune further. But I don't feel any real need to rework the patches I have been using, they sound great as-is. This cab has gotten very little love in the forums and social channels, but you really should give it a try.
 
I was actually looking at this last week. I wanted the same as you, to play through a cabinet. Playing through mine, I just feel like I am missing so so so much of what is great about the Axe 3, not using the IRs. Everything, every IR, was boomy and muffled through my cab. I tried my best to EQ it out with the output EQ. I thought once I had dialed it out, it would be good to go across the board, but I was redoing the EQ for almost every preset.

Two things kept me from buying this. The price was a little steep, well right now, as I have spent a little too much the last year on gear. The second, and really more important than price, I didn't want an active cabinet. I run through a Matrix GT1000FX. I like it and didn't want to change.

I ordered two of the Celestion F12-X200 speakers. I heard pretty much all positive things from several different sources, plus, I found 2 brand new for $150 each. They are going for a solid $185 everywhere else.

They will be here Monday. I'm hoping with everything that they are the speakers I'm looking for to get the sound and all the features I want from the Axe 3.
 
"cab"? What speakers are you using?
I tried through my Marshall 1960, My Egnater Tourmaster with Vintage 30s as well as My Blackstar 2x12 that I guess would be considered a 2/3 closed back?

I knew they would color it, I just hoped I could EQ it out, so I could use the IRs. That is such a great part of the AFX.

I did put 2 F12-x200 Celestion speakers in yesterday. At very first, I was disappointed as it was still boomy, even with the partial open back. HOWEVER, I do believe it is all in my settings for my personal setup, because when I turned cabinet modeling off, those speakers are absolutely unusable. All shrill top end like an ice cream truck. Also, some of the presets we're perfect.

I believe this 2x12 is gonna be perfect once I do some BMT tweaking.

I have high hopes now, anyhow.
BTW, in case it matters, I'm running a Matrix GT1000FX power amp, so I didn't want to go with active speakers/monitors.

Thanks,

Mike
 
I tried through my Marshall 1960, My Egnater Tourmaster with Vintage 30s as well as My Blackstar 2x12 that I guess would be considered a 2/3 closed back?

I knew they would color it, I just hoped I could EQ it out, so I could use the IRs. That is such a great part of the AFX.

I did put 2 F12-x200 Celestion speakers in yesterday. At very first, I was disappointed as it was still boomy, even with the partial open back. HOWEVER, I do believe it is all in my settings for my personal setup, because when I turned cabinet modeling off, those speakers are absolutely unusable. All shrill top end like an ice cream truck. Also, some of the presets we're perfect.

I believe this 2x12 is gonna be perfect once I do some BMT tweaking.

I have high hopes now, anyhow.
BTW, in case it matters, I'm running a Matrix GT1000FX power amp, so I didn't want to go with active speakers/monitors.

Thanks,

Mike
Someone can correct me if I'm wrong but I had assumed that generally it wasn't good practice to keep cabinet modelling/IR's on if you're using a traditional speaker cabinet. Have you tried turning the IR's off?
 
Someone can correct me if I'm wrong but I had assumed that generally it wasn't good practice to keep cabinet modelling/IR's on if you're using a traditional speaker cabinet. Have you tried turning the IR's off?
That is correct and that's how I was playing it. Like I stated above, I felt I was missing out on a good part of what the AFX is great for, I though I could maybe EQ the boominess out of it. EQ the cabinet to "flat" possibly. That didn't work, so I bought the new Celestion F12-x200 speakers to put in my cab. They are 200 watt FR speakers made specifically for modelers.

Mike
 
That is correct and that's how I was playing it. Like I stated above, I felt I was missing out on a good part of what the AFX is great for, I though I could maybe EQ the boominess out of it. EQ the cabinet to "flat" possibly. That didn't work, so I bought the new Celestion F12-x200 speakers to put in my cab. They are 200 watt FR speakers made specifically for modelers.

Mike
The F12s are supposed to be used with cab modeling on. If they are boomy find the low resonant frequency of your cab and set it in the amp block. Your EQ settings may need some attention if you have it set for another setup. Low cuts and high cuts will also help.
 
The F12s are supposed to be used with cab modeling on. If they are boomy find the low resonant frequency of your cab and set it in the amp block. Your EQ settings may need some attention if you have it set for another setup. Low cuts and high cuts will also help.
I'm sorry, things tend to be running together I'm guessing. I WAS running with cabs off because my regular cabs were boomy with them on, but felt like I was missing out on a major part of the Axe by not using IRs. So then, I bought the F12s to put in a cabinet because they are made for modeling.

We are all on the same page, it seems like things got jumbled or something to make it seem otherwise. I've been working with the EQ also, I appreciate the tip very much

Mike
 
Someone can correct me if I'm wrong but I had assumed that generally it wasn't good practice to keep cabinet modelling/IR's on if you're using a traditional speaker cabinet. Have you tried turning the IR's off?

I tried through my Marshall 1960, My Egnater Tourmaster with Vintage 30s as well as My Blackstar 2x12

You are VERY correct.
You should not use Cab sim On while running via a traditional cabinet as it will sound VERY boomy and muffled.
FRFR cab = Cab sin On.
Trad' cab - Cab sim Off.

And yes, you are "missing" what the Axe has to offer for Cab modeling but if you are on a real cab...it is what it is, which is not bad BTW :)
 
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