LAB L4 amp head - opinions

mouthmw · #1 02-21-2011, 01:06 PM

I found an interesting deal on this old amp head.

I haven't found a lot on the internet, but everyone's opinion I've read about (including the seller's) is that it's loud and quite tube-like.
I've also read another thing that really makes me GAS for it. Someone wrote that it can be used as a poweramp.
Now I have a Tone Hammer pre amp and that would be perfect if I could use it as my EQ and use the amp as a poweramp!
I use a 810 Ampeg cab. Currently I have an old Kustom Bass III amp, 1978 or 79.

Can anyone shed some light on this big bad boy?
I read the company started by merging Gibson and Moog.

mouthmw · #2 02-21-2011, 02:39 PM

Would there be any problem running this amp through Ampeg SVT 810E, since it says its 8 ohm and Ampeg is 4 ?

Calaverasgrande · #3 02-21-2011, 03:23 PM

I certainly wouldnt push my luck by running an old amp specced for 8 ohms into a 4 ohm load.
From what I remember, the moog part of those amps was the EQ and compressor circuits. The rest was Norlin. I was in a band with a guy that used a lab series. It sounded good but would sometimes just fritz out on us. as the sometimes became more often he got rid of it because all the quotes for fixing it equalled the price of another amp.

Mousekillaz · #4 05-26-2011, 03:23 PM

I bought an L4 in 1980. toured with it for years. I ran it 4ohms from day one into 2 JBL E-140's in the matching Lab Series 215 cab(no drummer stood a chance) Later into a 4x10 - 1x15 setup. Never so much as a noisy pot for performance/reliability issues. I used a Furman PQ3 with it also. Very warm tone almost tube like, the compressor was ok but not great. I played Ric basses and a RD Artist then later on a Fender Precision Elite II. Never a need to mic it even in some good sized auditoriums.
Sold it all when I got outta the loop (STUPID). Any one know where I can find another?

spufman · #5 05-27-2011, 08:20 AM

Back in high school, my guitarist friend sold his Quad Reverb and bought a (then) new L5. That amp sounded great, he was always 100% pleased with the change. Last I saw it about 10 years later, it still sounded great and had never had a problem. It was so nice I wanted to get the L4 at the time, but never came up with the $$.

KratosNL · #6 05-27-2011, 08:33 AM

A friend of mine has got a old one, that his dad stole out of some rehearsal space a long time ago. If you like an old school tone, that is quite tuby it's a pretty good amp, but not that great. If you're looking for a different tone it just sucks imho.