NEWS: Unfortunately, Todd Langner passed away on June 2, 2016. He wasn't making amps for years, for public sale at least, but the hope he'd one day resume builds is no more. So, enjoy the information and images. I'll update this page/fix it up with a better layout and information some day.
These are old images, I don't own most of the Langner gear anymore.
NOTE: some of the descriptions are from the Langner brochure, which are obvious, where applicable. I'll put up a page for equipment later (for the rest of my stuff not listed or shown here in the images below), if anyone wants to see those (who cares though, right? This is for the Langner stuff).
In a lot of these images, I had just added the other Langner stuff to my rack, which wasn't large enough, so I had to get a 24 space rack, and it was completely overflowing by about 10 spaces.
You might notice an EVH-1 rack unit; This is a unit that was made by a company TLM Electronics, before powersoaks
were made. This unit has more options than a powersoak though. It allows one to run their amp head and/or poweramp
into this unit and set the load and set the ohms (4, 8 or 16), to play the amp with the power tubes fully driven, and then
into a PA, another poweramp to control the overall volume, or even head phones (which it has a specific option for that
(headphones) or even a line out), or just right into the cab (like a powersoak). This is effectively what EVH did live
back then (and still does, I think?). A very cool, rare unit and I'm glad to have it in my gear collection.
Descriptions for the images shown below include/are the following:
* 1977 Marshall JMP MK II Lead head, 50 watts, modified by Todd Langner for me. Two additional preamps tubes were added and an (tube buffered) effects loop, as well as two master volumes with another footswitch jack to switch between them for that extra boost for live leads (I wanted the extra push from the preamp/poweramp of the head, and not use a volume pedal from my guitar signal). I had this modified in maybe 93 or 95 (I don't recall)? It gets everything from AC/DC, to Zep, to Lynch, to EVH, to Rhoads, to Pantera. I basically wrote a 6 page essay on exactly how I wanted the dynamics to sound, the attack, drive, crunch, punch, sustain, full bodied, all notes ringing out, and good break up. I can't really put this into words, it's probably the best amp I've ever heard. I sold this back in 96 or 97 and ended up regretting it, and realized I'd never likely have an amp that good sounding again, so I kept bugging a friend I sold it to for years and ended up trading a VHT Pitbull 50/CL I had at the time, a few hundred dollars and a new set of tubes I got for the VHT to get it back. That was two or three years ago now. I still need to put in better tubes and bias this thing (I'm lazy). I got this amp in Sacramento about a month before I had it modified. It looks like crap/totally thrashed, but who cares what it looks like. Even clean, before the mod, it was the best sounding clean amp I've ever heard. Just to note, I have a 1977 Marshall 50 watt MK II 2x12 combo, exactly like my pre-modified amp head--literally everything is exactly the same (only a few hundred off the serial of the one I had modified), so I do have that great clean sound, though it isn't as good as the clean I got from this head before I had it modified. I regret not asking if I could have it be a two channel head with the mod, but I can work on that later myself. This modded head is actually a '77 combo MK II put into a smaller box head. So, the combo really is the same amp, and the head and combo were the same thing anyway. I might mod this, might sell it, or who knows, but it will have clean, and so will the head.
* 1979 Marshall JMP MKII 100 watt lead series head, modified by Todd Langner. The amp was used by guitar player for Greg Allman and Friends. Mods include the extra gain to original channel, addition of second channel with extraordinary amounts of gain, slave in/out, effects loop in/out w/level control -- too much to list. The channels can be blended or they can be switched for independent use.
* 1983 Marshall JCM 800 Lead, 25th White Anniversary 100 watt head, modified by Todd Langner in '92. NOTE: This is the description of this amp that I saw a while ago on a "Tube amp mod Hall of Fame" page. I tried to track this amp down, but failed and then one day saw it on eBay and grabbed it! Small world! I actually talked to the guy that had it modified--he's the guy that built the Langner cabs (only 8 ever made) and head enclosures (only 4 amp heads made), most of which were sent to Germany. He regretted selling it on eBay many years ago and didn't know what happened to it either (the tube amp hall of fame guy I contacted said he just copied the details from the original ebay auction). Anyway, now I have it. :-) "This amp runs on five (5) 12AX7 and four (4) EL-34 tubes. Effects Loop is completely tube buffered with separate level controls for effects send and effects return. "Straight Beef Mod" delivers Todd's signature crunch and ultra high gain with the perfect match of a classic Marshall EL-34 power section. (classic JCM 800 crunch at preamp levels 1-2; modern JCM 900 gain at preamp levels 3-4; "boutique" high gain by preamp level 5; and over-the-top ultra gain from thereon). "Effects Loop" modification is a fully buffered tube effect loop with separate send and receive levels (when the loop is not used, all loop circuitry is disengaged, retaining amplifier's original design)."
* Two Langner DCP-1 Creator preamps Built by Todd Langner, all tube guitar preamp. Two independent channels with fully adjustable boost function enables four pre-set sounds. The DCP-1 uses five 12ax7a tubes to produce the glassiest cleans to the highest of high gain tones. Pre sets can be front panel selected or footswitched. These two are one of the first one's made (literally, the first and second one's made) and might be considered pre-production. This thing's overdrive and boost channels eat the DCP-1 Elite up! But, the Elite has a better sounding clean channel. That might be the tubes they are running though, I've not yet checked (don't get me wrong, the Elite's overdrive is great).
* Langner DCP-1 Elite preamp. Built by Todd Langner, the Elite has all the same features as the DCP-1 Creator (above), with an added high-gain/low-gain function enabling 8 pre set sounds for increased versatility. I actually just still need to swap out the 220v power transformer taps to 120v and swap out that funky German power cord (I got this from a guy in Germany). This clean channel is far better than the DCP-1 Creator, but the overdrive channel isn't quite as good--still good, but a different sound.
* Two Langner BTP-1 Brutus All Tube Poweramps The BTP-1 is a brutal mono block power amp that delivers 220 Watts RMS into an 8 ohm load. Using four KT88 power tubes and a hand wound output transformer, the BTP-1 reaches a new level of tube performance. One of them is the first of these made (pre-production) and uses different transformers and tubes (6L6's). The other one is production, but is unique, in that it has all of the controls backwards from their labels, which is odd (a little confusing at first) and I assume it was probably the only one in production that had this oversight. These sound so much better than the other poweramps I've used and with the two, I can run in stereo.
* Three Langner TEQ-1 Final Touch Tube Compressor/EQ's One is hand built, PTP (point to point -- not PCB) and is a single rack space unit (I believe this was the first one built). The other two are a newer version that were actual production -- which is a two space rack unit that is PCB and has a few more mature options that don't require adapters (i.e. actual XLR inputs/outputs, foot switch options to enable or disable the compressor or EQ). All tube equalizer/compressor. The TEQ-1 has a 5-way EQ section with selectable mid-bands and a fully adjustable compressor. Balanced and unbalanced inputs and outputs enable the T.E.Q.-1 to be used as a mic pre-amp as well as an outboard instrument equalizer. I believe this is the first one made (of maybe 6 to 10 total?), and was the unit at the NAMM show (or so I'm told by several trusted sources). All I have to say, is that until I used this, I didn't know what I was missing. Really, I thought something sounded great (and it would), but I'd just run this through the effects loop or a preamp into it before the power amp, and it really blows you away with how much better it'll make any other gear sound. I've not yet put it through the effects loop on either of my Langner modified heads, but I'm pretty sure once I do I'll not be able to go back to playing without it--I am not kidding. Very impressive unit here!
* Three Langner 4 x 12 Speaker Cabinets. The Langner 4x12 speaker cabinet is a revolutionary design. Instead of just copying the other standard 4 x 12 designs, the Langner cabinet exceeds standard 4x12 performance. Cabinets come loaded with Celestian 50 watt speakers. I had two of them shipped from Germany, one about a year after the other (from another owner). One of these cabs has 75 watters in it now, which are fine, but I'm going to swap those out with 50 watters, just like it was originally designed to use/have. The other Langner cab has the following speakers: Eminence EM 12-75L (top left), Eminence EM 12-100PL (bottom left), Celestion Vintage 30 (top right), Celestion G12H (Greenback, 70th Anniversary Special Edition) on the bottom right. The third can I got from a guy in San Francisco and as I type this, it is unloaded. I have some custom made Scumback speakers I'll probably put in it.
Here is a description of one of the ads someone posted for the cab when selling it, which better explains the cab and why it's so desirable:
"Custom made using hand selected 3/4" Norwegian Burch, this top (slant) cabinet was designed to provide the optimum advantage for mic placement for live and studio recording. The exaggerated angle of the top mounted speakers was designed to eliminate phase cancellation generally found in most cabinets caused by the dispersing sound waves crossing paths as they project outward from the speaker. This often causes each cabinet to have a "sweet spot" which would be the best place to position a mic to get the clearest sound. It's not always easy to find that spot, especially when you're setting up for a live performance. This cabinet was designed to eliminate the phasing of the sound waves at such a close proximity to each speaker allowing you to place a mic right underneath the recessed baffle and always be in that sweet spot, all the phasing happens a couple feet beyond the mic, not in it's path. Also when used as a bottom cabinet, it directs the sound right up at your ears and not your stomach, allowing you to hear what is actually coming out of the speakers, and gives you a more true stage tone than what you'd hear through the monitors.
Comes with removable casters, heavy weight recessed handles on either side, and covered with a leather like tolex material. Hand made, one of only 10 or so cabinets ever built for Langner Amplifiers, and designed by Todd Langner himself. This cabinet holds 4x12" speakers, and when loaded with 25W greenbacks it sounds so resonant and tight with a deep low end. This cabinet retailed for aprox $900 when new and originally came with 50W Celestions loaded. It is basically still a new cabinet as it's only been used for the duration of one professional recording session before being packed away in storage."
Here is an image of that unloaded cab I bought.
I can attest to this, anywhere under the baffle, you get that "sweet spot" right away, no kidding! I've truly never heard a cab like this and I don't think I'll ever use another cab other than a Langner 4x12 cab after playing mine, even after only a few minutes, let alone the hours I've played it, recorded with it, etc. Very, very cool. I feel bad there's not many of these in existence. The above was a close estimate--there were only 8 made, I think, but by my best verifications, I would agree that there were not anymore than maybe 10 at most. I know of a guy in Germany that has four Langner 4x12 cabs (two blue full stacks) -- and no, he will never, ever sell them -- and I saw a picture of a Langner amp head (yes, the real Langner head) with a black Langner 4x12 under it and what looked like another Langner 4x12 black cab (a partial part of one anyway) in the far right hand side of the image, but I couldn't be sure. So, I believe that totals the Langner cabs to 8 (possibly 9) that are known of and all accounted for. It might possibly have been the Langner cab that the bay area Langner rep drove around in his car for demo's back in the 90's, since the guy I bought the 3rd cab from in the bay area used to be that rep. If you ever hear of one or find one of these, you seriously need to play on it.
* Wanted: I might pick up one or two more Langner modified Marshall heads. A '73 Marshall 100 watter and a '69 Marshall 100 watt Plexi. I'm also interested in other Marshall's modified by Todd Langner. Other than that, I'm looking for a Langner TDP-1 tube Distortion Pedal, and mostly, I'm looking for a Langner ATC-1 Concert Pro tube amp head (though I spoke with the person whom was the old German Langner distributor and he said that they sounded great "when they worked". Apparently he owned 3 Langner ATC-1 heads at one point and said they had problems. I found this guy when I found his band's site (in Germany) and saw two Langner full stack of cabs (4 x Langner 4x12's -- looks like two slant and two straight cabs), and a Langner DCP-1 Elite preamp through some other power amp (don't recall the brand). He said he won't sell any of his Langner stuff). Anyway, those pictures...
Newer images:
Older / Other images:
