Lab Series L7, Amp Blown, or Just The Speakers? (The big Rub)

Top of the mornin’ to ya!  It’s a fair sunny day in the south of the USA as I pen this blog.  If the sun’s not shinning where you are, I pray you have some light that shines from the inside out!

I’m considering this blog to be the first in a two-part blog on my newly acquired Lab Series L7, a fine vintage solid-state 4x10 amp from the late 1970’s.  I was a kid just learning to play when the Lab Series amps were the "big thing".  They were used by a lot of big names back then, and they cost a heckuva lot more than the average guitar player could afford.  Fast forward to today; keep your eyes open and you can often find a non-loved Lab Series on Craig’s List or eBay, and cheap, too!  The L7 in question was listed on Craigslist as being blown; and at a very inexpensive price indeed.  No haggling was necessary.  It took me about 1 minute to figure out what was wrong with the amp: all four speakers were blown! Wanta know what severe voice-coil rub sounds like?  Check this:

Man, if these old amps could talk, the stories they would tell.  This poor old gal only had one original speaker, two that were probably rated at about 7.5 watts, and one that well... here, take a look for yourself:

There ought to be a law against that kind of cruelty to a perfectly nice amp!  But, rest assured, the old gal is now singing sweetly again, sporting a quad of light-weight WGS Veteran 10’s. 

Don’t cha just love happy endings?  Next week, I’ll dig deeper into the wonderful Lab Series amps.  After spending some time with them, I am of the opinion that they may be the greatest of all "sleeper amps".

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