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That amp as-is is excellent and practically has all gain that can be pulled from those tubes.
Only "free" gain (and we are talking 5 or 6 dB at most) is bypassing R15 with, say, 1 to 5uF, your choice by ear.
Bypassing R13 is a mistake because it´s not just a gain stage but a very specific preclippling stage which produces gobs of un-symmetrical clipping, very tasty (just scope it).
Bypassing R13 makes it go into muddy squarewave territory.
Personally I would add a lot clean gain in a box before the amp.
"Do not want to use pedals" ???
Diezels et al "do not need them" because they have more gain stages which provide more gain, simple as that.
Gain has to be provided *somewhere*. Inside or out.
If you want Diezel type sustain (fine with me), just clone one. Shortest path to heaven.
Or add that gain outside. Same final result.
Once you add ,say, an extra tube gain stage in that Laney, you'll have to feed it, find space, find a working layout which does not turn it into an interference or hum/hiss/motorboating/oscillation nightmare, etc.
I´d just ditch the Laney PCB and clone something in full, layout and all.
Otherwise it will be neither one nor the other.
*Or* build the preamp you like, in a Rack cabinet, and drive straight the Laney Power amp.
Only "free" gain (and we are talking 5 or 6 dB at most) is bypassing R15 with, say, 1 to 5uF, your choice by ear.
Bypassing R13 is a mistake because it´s not just a gain stage but a very specific preclippling stage which produces gobs of un-symmetrical clipping, very tasty (just scope it).
Bypassing R13 makes it go into muddy squarewave territory.
Personally I would add a lot clean gain in a box before the amp.
"Do not want to use pedals" ???
Diezels et al "do not need them" because they have more gain stages which provide more gain, simple as that.
Gain has to be provided *somewhere*. Inside or out.
If you want Diezel type sustain (fine with me), just clone one. Shortest path to heaven.
Or add that gain outside. Same final result.
Once you add ,say, an extra tube gain stage in that Laney, you'll have to feed it, find space, find a working layout which does not turn it into an interference or hum/hiss/motorboating/oscillation nightmare, etc.
I´d just ditch the Laney PCB and clone something in full, layout and all.
Otherwise it will be neither one nor the other.
*Or* build the preamp you like, in a Rack cabinet, and drive straight the Laney Power amp.
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