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Lyndon Laney was the bass guitarist with
the Birmingham group,'The Capitols' and was pretty good at fixing
amplifiers. Lyndon's first amplifier was said to have been very similar
to a Marshall amplifier (one of the then market leaders).Lyndon started
in business with Bob Thomas, who was The Capitals
manager. Bob's father was the landlord of The Queens Head public house
at Six Ways, Erdington (demolished in 2006).Laney Amplification started
in Lyndon's parents garden shed on September 1st 1967.
The Queens Head was very well known for
staging live bands and every well known Birmingham band had appeared
there. This meant that both Bob and Lyndon were very well connected
within the Birmingham group scene and within a very short time most
Midland bands, including The Move, were using Laney Sound amplifiers. As
Birmingham bands started to do well nationally you could not help
noticing that in the background were their Laney Sound amplifiers and
this was a tremendous advertisement for the company. Within a short time
other very well known bands started using Laney amps and the company
grew rapidly. Laney also made amplifiers & speaker cabinets not just for groups but
for clubs and pubs too.
The 70s BBC series, 'Gangsters' that was
filmed in the Birmingham club, the Rum Runner, shews Laney Sound speaker
cabinets are being used in the club.
As output increased the business moved to
Devonshire House which had been vacated by Birds Custard in 1963. The
company then started making domestic Hi-Fi units for Woolworth.
The company still exists today and Laney
amplifiers are known throughout the world.
I thank John Woodhouse of BRUMBEAT for
filling in the gaps in my memory JP 24-01-07
If you worked for Laney Sound or the
Queens Head we would love to hear from you. Please contact us via the
Email address on the Home Page.
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