Xploration • Curation • Recommendation
The Lava Studio Amp is the world's best Practice Amp - stuffed with smart features and killer playability
So this is essentially a late birthday present - which arrived in the 3rd week of November - so I’ve had it for a few weeks already.
There is still no sign of the Stand!? - which I also ordered in on the Kickstarter Campaign - nor any advice as to when that might land!
For the amp itself I’m hugely impressed with its build and feature set - high quality materials throughout and an incredible amount of features onboard - every other amp manufacturer should sit up and take notice! I was for a period thinking about one of the Positive Grid devices as a practice amp - while this Lava Studio feels like a further generation ahead of the Spark Amps.
The accessibility, function and playability of the Lava Studio Amp is second to none - with the control interface being a 13" Multi-Touch Screen which can be rotated up by 80 degrees from flat. It also has a 2.1 Sound System - which denotes a stereo pair of full-range tweeters, combined with a bass sub-woofer - with a Reflex Port on the rear of the device .
The sound of the actual device - Spotify etc. is actually superb - while fortunately my very expensive full pedal rig still sounds a little more texturally complex and nuanced - and indeed superior - but not by too much. The Lava Studio sounds pretty decent itself - and is very shapeable - so you can almost always dial in a tone you love - but it’s not quite as rich and complex as my main rig!
There are still some gremlins and glitches that need to be ironed out - like the copy function in the miniDAW - and some control inconsistencies. We also need a little bit more smart in places so you can click on the Effect Pedal / Amp to swap it - as well as sing the bottom right ’Swap’ button.
The Amp’s look and function feels as if Apple had a hand in its design - there are so many deft touches - that make the Amp kind of seem like a high quality Apple Product - which is no bad thing in my book. We just need to refine some of those final inconsistencies - and this will be exactly what this format promised!
We have 29 Lava AI Modelled Amps onboard (not 30 as stated!) :
Not all of these are particularly easy to guess the main reference but a lot of them are. Indeed go ’Victory’ Amps - which has the most Amp Models here @ 7, compared with 5 each for Fender and Marshall!
- 5000 [Peavey 5150]
- EN Rage 120 [Engl Savage]
- FD Concert [Fender Concert?]
- FN 65 Twin [Fender Twin Reverb]
- FN BM 100 [Fender Bassman]
- FN Duval [Hot Rod Deville?]
- FN SM 100 [Fender Frontman?]
- MA 2555 [Marshall Silver Jubilee]
- MA 410H [Marshall JVM410H]
- MA 800 [Marshall JCM800]
- MA 900 [Marshall JCM900]
- MA JMP 50 [Marshall JMP50]
- ME DR-RS [MESA/Boogie Dual Rec]
- ME Mark [MESA/Boogie Mark IV/V?]
- ME TR-SH [MESA/Boogie Triple Rec]
- OR R100 [Orange RockerVerb 100]
- P Arc [PRS Archon]
- RJC [Roland Jazz Chorus]
- TK Rhythm [Tone King Imperial MKII?]
- V DEP [Victory The Deputy]
- V RK 50 [Victory Signature Richie Kotzen]
- V V130 [Vitory The Super Jack]
- V V40 [Victory The Duchess]
- V VC35 [Victory The Copper Deluxe]
- V VS100 [Victory The Super Sheriff]
- V VX100 [Victory The Super Kraken]
- VT Ultra [VHT Special 6 Ultra]
- VX 30 Boost [Vox Top Boost AC30
- VX 30 Normal Hi [Vox AC30]
We have 42 Effects Pedals in 8 Categories :
- GATE x 3 : Noise Gate | NoiseGate Invader | Smart Gate [MXR]
- WAH x 2 : C McCoy [Vox] | D95 [Jen CryBaby?]
- COMP x 4 : LA Studio 2A | LA Studio 3A | LA Studio 76 | Red Comp [MXR DynaComp]
- DRIVE x 6 : Cat Drive [ProCo Rat] | Distortion 1 [Boss DS-1] | Horsie [Klon Centaur] | Muff Distortion [EHX Big Muff] | Muff Fuzz [EHX Muff Fuzz] | Tube 808 [Ibanez TS808]
- EQ x 2 : Graphic EQ [Boss GE-7] | Parametric EQ [3-Band]
- MOD x 11 : Chorus [Boss CE-2] | Envelope Filter [EHX Q-Tron] | Flanger [Boss BF-2] | NEO Flanger [EHX Neo Mistress] | Phase 10 [Boss PH-1] | Phase 90 [MXR Phase 90] Pitch Shift [EHX PitchFork] | Retro Chorus | Tremolo | Uni-Vibe | Vibrato [Boss VB-2]
- DELAY x 7 : Analog Delay [Boss DM-2] | Digital Delay [TC 2290] | LoFi Delay | Ping Pong Delay | Reverse Delay | Slap Back Delay [EHX Memory Man] | Tape Delay [Strymon El Capistan]
- REVERB x 7 : Bright Reverb | Chamber Reverb | Hall Reverb [AMS RMX-16?] | Mod Reverb | Room Reverb | Shimmer Reverb | Spring Reverb
Lava Studio in Numbers [at launch] :
- 300+ Backing Tracks
- 89 Video Tutorials
- Interactive Tabs
- 67 Library Tone Profiles
- 42 Effects
- 29 Lava AI Amps
- 13" Multi-Touch Control Screen
- 8-Track Looper
- 7 Main Screens : Stream Music | Sounds | Lava+ | miniDAW | More/Apps | Account/Stats | Settings
- 5 x System Connectivity : Bluetooth 5.0 | USB-C | Built-in Apps | Web Streaming | LavaCloud Sync
- 2.1 Stereo Audio System [Stereo pair of full-range Tweeters + Sub-Woofer]
> Sub-Screens
- Sounds > Tuner | Metronome
- Lava+ > Backing Tracks | Lessons | Feeds | My Posts
- miniDAW > New Project | My Project | Stem Isolation Credits
DAW Actions : [+Blank Project][Import Drum Section][Import Groove][Import Backing Track][Import from Lava Cloud][AI Stem Isolation] - More > Lava Cloud | Updates | Apps
- Account > Stats [30 Day Activity] | Account
APPS - include - proprietary Browser, Apple Music, Spotify, and YouTube
Physical Controls and Ports [L>R]
- FRONT : 1/4" Input, 1/8" Headphones, On Switch, Master Volume
- REAR : L+R 1/4" Stereo Out, USB-C, Power : 19V DC power input at 3.42A [power supply included]
First Impressions
Plenty to get your teeth into already, and no doubt more on the way. Includes 'Credits' system for Tutorials and Stem Isolation - I would imagine serious roll-out of micro-transactions to other areas in the future.
Like I said - it's an amazing piece of kit - with robust and super high quality manufacture. And like Dagan (Wilkin) - I don't like using an instrument cable - so I popped along to the Boss Shop on Denmark Street (Served by MVP Matt B!) to get myself a Boss WL-20 Wireless system (Transmitter and Receiver) - which works brilliantly with the Lava Studio.
Final Thoughts
I've already contacted Decksaver to get them to make a dust cover for the Lava Studio - alas I'm the first to put in the request so it will take a while to get the adequate support needed to get it into production - the Lava Studio Amp definitelty needs a dust cover to protect the Touch Screen when not in use. For that purpose - you get this superb double-sided cardboard Lid - inner packaging for your Studio Amp - which fits really snuggly onto the top - and serves as a brilliant temporary dust cover. Lava Music should put those lids up for further sale - as they really do make perfect dust covers!
I'm contemplating what other accessories I could add to make the experience even better - I believe there are some foot-controllers due at some stage. I also saw a really cool demo of someone using a Wah Pedal with their Lava Studio - which sounded fantastic. Hopefully there will be a wireless way to do that soon!
The system is not nearly as glitchy as some of the earliest demos - although it still glitches out every now and again - but the good thing is that the screen doesn't freeze and you can typically move out and back in again and it all works fine. While there are some systems architecture issues - in terms of on-the-rail controls - verus a more open-ended system with multiple routes. We could certainly do with some more thoughts in that area. Henning mentions being able to select the appropriate tone from the Tutorial Screen - probably cool to have that kind of automation for the Back Tracks also - where the Lava AI can make a suggestion!
Overall I've been incredibly impressed with the Lava Studio - obviously it's still brand new and needs a few more refinements. But where it's at is already brilliant!
This is absolutely the best practice amp out there in my opinion - nothing else comes close - and the user experience is tops. (bar the occasional glitch).
The Audio System is pretty brilliant - while the various algorithms possibly still need to be tweaked a little more - you can easily fine-tune things to your preferences - even though some of the onscreen touch-motion can be a little jumpy - there is a certain technique you need to adapt when moving those virtual knobs around - and after a while you really get the knack of it. I would imagine everything would be fully ironed out over the next 6 months to a year.
I was not particularly early on Kickstarter - but still early enough to get my Lava Studio around the middle of November. I paid HK$ 5,840.00 (≈£560) for the Lava Studio, and HK$ 616.00 (≈£60) for the Stand - which comes to a total of £620! This compares to the launch price on Andertons for Amp + Stand @ £819 - so a saving of a couple of hundies - which is very decent! Even at £819 I feel this is a fantastic price just for the kit - let alone all the other extras!
You can preorder the Lava Studio direct from Lava Music (various shipping locations including the UK), and from Andertons in the UK - Andertons states that the amps will be in stock on Wednesday 10th of this month - in just a couple of days away. I sincerely wonder if Andertons will land the actual Stand part before me - I will be peeved if that happens! I kind of like it on the side table it currently resides on - you get lots of resonance from the woofer - I might just forego the stand entirely in the end - and stick with my current intentionally temporary setup!
The screen is so bright - that It's nigh impossible to capture it well enough - at least on my phone. I wanted to have more photos here - but Lava Music really doesn't have them, and I found the device very difficult to photograph - what I got mostly did not do the amp justice!
The Backing Tracks are Totally Killer!
These are some of the best backing tracks of all time. You can play a parlour game with your guests - get them to guess that each title might refer to at first - for 3 points, and then play them the track for a 1 point recognition.
Some of these are really obvious - and sound so good - it really inspires you to play!
Here are some from the 'Pop' category that I was able to identify very easily - and yes I mostly had to play those - so single points for me!
- Soul Rock = Knocking on Heaven's Door [Eric Clapton]
- Classic Rock = Hotel California [The Eagles]
- Soft Talk = Careless Whispers [George Michael]
- Violet = Purple Rain [Prince]
- Soulful R&B = Isn't She Lovely [Stevie Wonder]
- Wondering = Don't Know Why [Norah Jones]
- Oz's Lullaby = Somewhere Over The Rainbow [Judy Garland]
- My Heart = Shape of My Heart [Sting]
I'm very glad to be onboard the Lava Studio revolution - other amp manufacturers need to take note and up their game!
Here follow a few introductory demos!
STAND UPDATE!
Stand finally arrived today - December 11th - just in time!
Stand is totally justified - just as brilliantly engineered as the Amp - it's a thing of beauty too - which has an adjustable poll and a smaller section that you can either use on its own or add to the adjustable stem - as illustrated above!
The Amp feet slot straight into the top of the stand - such an ingenious design, and actually well worth it! The base is really solid and weight too - all round a fantastic construction!
The stand is really pricey actually post Kickstarter - I paid around £60 for mine via the Kickstarter Campaign - while Andertons sells it for £99 now - I think It's still mostly worth it!
Demos
