RD/Rich
Well-known member
OK, heads probably won't roll, but this was interesting. First off, the one thing I noticed right away was that side by side the RM50LB is about an inch or so TALLER than it's "not as cool looking" brother. All of the other dimensions were the same and I think this is to allow room for the logo (ahem, ? 13 anyone?). Other differences were obviously the JJE34L's in the LB instead of JJ6L6's, and the Eminence Super V speaker, instead of the stock Celestion GT-75. I am not really a fan of either speaker or power tube in the LB (sorry) HOWEVER, the combination in this amp really does work well together. With a KH1 for clean and Mr. Scary for dirty I was able to get some really great sounds. I didn't notice any of the really anoying (to my ear anyway) upper midrange that EL34's usually have and if anything the tone seemed a bit smoother sounding. I think the RM50B has a little more brighter higher end, but the LB has great upper mid presence that isn't like a buzz saw.
So is the amp worth $169 more....forgetting the aesthetics and the fact that you may or may not be a Lynch fan: Maybe. The Super V is +/- the same price as the stock GT-75 depending on where you look so that can't really be considered in the price, but it shouldn't be discounted because of tone. I know that I have seen quite a few post here about guys wanting a different speaker in the RM50B because they weren't fans of the GT-75, here's your chance to get that different speaker. I really think that the Super V is a great fit for this combo and once it's broken in a bit it's going to sound just a bit sweeter. The Lynch chassis have a boost in the upper mids which make them different from any stock MTS amp which is great if you are more of a vintage amp fan. I also had a chance to play this amp with a cranked up Brahma, and with and overdrive pedal in the front, I could have enough options to play a whole nights set. I'm a bit more of a metal guy, but I could rock this amp in a cover band any day of the week.