{"id":1383,"date":"2023-07-27T23:34:09","date_gmt":"2023-07-27T23:34:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.laney.co.uk\/blog\/?p=1383"},"modified":"2026-01-21T09:21:40","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T09:21:40","slug":"why-laney-lfr-cabinets-are-so-good","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.laney.co.uk\/blog\/why-laney-lfr-cabinets-are-so-good\/","title":{"rendered":"What’s an FRFR Cabinet & Why Laney LFR Cabinets Are Best"},"content":{"rendered":"

Let\u2019s discuss the importance of the Laney LFR cabinets, why Laney LFR cabinets are so good, and why we think they\u2019re the best FRFR cabinets if you actually want a decent sound!<\/p>\n

Are you using the right FRFR cabinet for your digital rig?<\/h3>\n

When it comes to digital guitar rigs, i.e. setups that include Fractal, Line 6 Helix\/POD, Kemper and Headrush style pedalboards, for example, and you want to hear them through a guitar cabinet, you\u2019re probably wasting your money unless you get a good quality FRFR cabinet that can effectively convey the sound of the built-in cab sims or IR loaders<\/strong><\/a>. FRFR cabinets or flat response cabinets<\/strong><\/a> give you the cleanest possible sound so you can actually use the cab sims. But what happens if you\u2019re running out of processing power on your rig? Or your digital rig has poor-quality cab sims?<\/p>\n

Enter the Laney LFR FRFR cabinets<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Today, we\u2019re looking at exactly what the benefits of the Laney LFR cabinets<\/strong><\/a> are, explaining some benefits of FRFR cabinets in general and why speaker choice is so important for digital guitar rigs.<\/p>\n

The rise of the digital guitar rig<\/h3>\n

Let\u2019s be honest, analogue or \u201cregular\u201d guitar rigs with a combo amp, or head and cab can be tough to carry around \u2013 especially if you\u2019re gigging a lot. This need for a lighter, streamlined rig is part of the reason why smaller wattage amps are becoming popular<\/strong><\/a> , going ampless on guitar,<\/strong><\/a> creating a flyrig on bass<\/strong><\/a> or going completely digital with a digital guitar rig<\/strong><\/a> with the likes of Kemper, Line 6 Helix, Quad Cortex,\u00a0 and other digital modelling rigs is becoming far more popular. Not only are some musicians choosing smaller wattage amps, but digital guitar rigs have become one of the go-to tools for guitarists who want absolute accuracy of tone at EVERY gig, as well as the ability to travel lighter to gigs.<\/p>\n

Side note: we actually wrote a blog on why the Laney FRFR cabs are the best FRFR cabs for Quad Cortex<\/strong><\/a>!<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t get me wrong \u2013 we love the sound and feel of cranked loud higher-wattage amplifiers here<\/strong><\/a>, which is part of the reason why Laney amps are so popular<\/strong><\/a>, and they will always have a place. But you CAN have both!<\/p>\n

I myself have both an \u201canalogue\u201d rig with tube amps and pedals, as well as a digital rig playing directly through a modeller. But the difference is that digital rigs can emulate a vast array of classic and modern amp tones so I don\u2019t always have to drag my 2×12 combo amp to gigs.<\/p>\n

However, to truly shine, digital guitar rig setups require a specific type of amplification: Full Range Flat Response (FRFR) cabinets to get the best sound, which is why the Laney LFR cabinets are so good. This blog post will delve into the importance of FRFR cabinets, with a special focus on the Laney LFR series, and how they can improve your digital guitar rig by giving you the sound you ACTUALLY want.<\/p>\n

What Are FRFR Cabinets?<\/h3>\n

FRFR stands for Full Range Flat Response. FRFR cabinets are designed to reproduce the output of a digital rig and preserve the cabinet emulations of your modelling effects without adding any additional tonal characteristics. Where traditional guitar cabinets add their own colouration to the sound, FRFR cabs don\u2019t colour your sound whatsoever so you can preserve the cabinet emulations in your digital guitar rig.<\/p>\n

If you care about your tone, this makes FRFR cabinets an essential part of your digital guitar setup, as they allow the cab sim emulations, for example, those through a Two Notes Torpedo or Laney DynIR pack<\/strong><\/a> with emulated sounds to be preserved.<\/p>\n

As Simon Fraser-Clark, tone wizard at Laney puts it an FRFR is like a ” studio monitor that adds nothing frequency-wise – what you put in is what you get out – nothing else \u2013 it\u2019s everything with no colour.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So why is that a good thing?<\/p>\n

Benefits of FRFR Cabinets<\/h3>\n

\"benefits<\/p>\n

The main benefit of FRFR cabinets is that they add nothing to your sound in terms of a \u201csignature tone\u201d. They have a flat response which preserves the tone of your Cab Sim technology and provides much greater clarity than a traditional guitar amp. It\u2019s essentially a blank canvas of a cabinet! Where all cabinets provide a signature tone due to the speakers used, FRFR cabinets provide zero colouration.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re more accurate so your plugins, digital rigs and amp\/cab simulations<\/strong><\/a> sound exactly as they should do. You might want to run a Laney Lionheart DynIR plugin or Laney Supergroup cabinet DynIR plugin<\/strong><\/a>, and if you do so through a regular third-party cabinet that is not an FRFR cabinet, you\u2019re not only getting the Laney sound from the plugin, but the signature sound from that OTHER cabinet \u2013 causing a muddy, inaccurate, mish-mash of sound.<\/p>\n

FRFR cabinets like the Laney LFR speaker cabs also have a consistent frequency across the board so you\u2019re never colouring your sound.<\/p>\n

You may prefer the sound of open back vs closed back cabinets<\/strong><\/a> in simulation too, something which a good FRFR cabinet, like the Laney LFR can handle as it\u2019s a flat response.<\/p>\n

The Importance of Drivers in LFR Cabinets<\/h3>\n

The speaker, or driver, in an FRFR cabinet, plays a crucial role in how it sounds. Changing your speaker can be like “night and day,” transforming even an average-sounding solid-state amp into something much more impressive.<\/p>\n

As Simon puts it, In essence, a speaker is a “glorified EQ curve,” and different brands of speakers can have a significant impact on your tone. For example, a vintage 30-watt amp\u2019s speaker might offer a mid-range scoop with a sizzle at the top end, while an Eminence speaker in a Fender cab might be much more mid-range focused. Again, the sound of the Supergroup cabinet\u2019s vintage-voiced drivers might be something you want to preserve, which is why we\u2019ve put 12″ Custom Drivers and a 1″ La Voce compression driver in both our LFR speakers \u2013 they won\u2019t colour your tone whatsoever, but give you as good a sound of studio quality monitor onstage. We’ve also gone into detail as to why guitar cabinets and different size speakers are important<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Laney<\/a><\/p>\n

Pictured: The Laney LFR-212 FRFR Cabinet<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Why are the Laney LFR Cabinets So Good?<\/h3>\n

The Laney LFR cabinets, such as the LFR-212, are designed specifically for use with digital guitar rigs<\/strong><\/a>. They offer a full-frequency flat response, ensuring that your carefully crafted digital amp, cabinet and pedal tones are reproduced faithfully, without any unwanted tonal colouration. This means that the sound you hear from your LFR cabinet is the sound you created on your digital rig.<\/p>\n

However, there is one key reason why the Laney LFR cabinets are so good\u2026<\/p>\n

One of the best benefits of the Laney LFR cabinets is the switchable cabinet emulation which is ideal for those who want the choice between using Cabsims from their digital rigs, or if you want to save on processing power by NOT using a Cabsim on your digital processor.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re finding you\u2019re running low on CPU and processing power, knock the Cabsim off on your digital modeller and use the cabinet simulations we\u2019ve built in for you. This feature allows you to add the frequency characteristics of a Laney cabinet that keeps your rig sounding as good as it can.<\/p>\n

If you DO want the sound of your digital cab sims from your modeller, set the LFR speaker to FRFR mode, and the custom voiced 12″ drivers and a cutting-edge 1″ LaVoce Compression driver in the LFR cabinet flawlessly reproduces every nuance of your digital guitar setup with unparalleled detail and accuracy.<\/p>\n

As Simon puts it \u2013 \u201cIf you\u2019re not used to the sound of an FRFR cabinet, it may sound too bright. Additionally, digital modellers can run out of CPU pretty fast if you\u2019re running amp, cabinet AND pedal settings. So we\u2019ve added two Laney speaker emulations on the LFR cabs for you, a 1×12 and a 4×12 which allows you to tailor the response. This means you can use the LFR cabinets with regular modeller with cabinet mod OR turn cabinet settings off on your modeller to save processing power.\u201d<\/p>\n

And if you choose the Laney LFR FRFR speakers, you have a lot of connectivity options such as MP3\/Aux in, XLR DI out at your disposal, voltage select for different regions, ground lift AND an LED light!<\/p>\n

\"Laney<\/a><\/p>\n

Pictured: The Laney LFR-112 FRFR Cabinet<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

So why should I use the Laney LFR Cabinets in digital Modelling rigs?<\/h3>\n

\"Why<\/p>\n

When using a digital modelling rig your setup likely already includes a speaker cab model. But running this into a regular cab can result in two sets of EQs, which is not ideal. An LFR cabinet can avoid this issue, as you can set them in FRFR mode.<\/p>\n

However, if you’re not used to the sound of an FRFR, it may sound too bright. The Laney LFR cabinets offer a couple of options that allow you to tailor the response. You can use it with a regular modeller with a cabinet model, or you can turn the cabinet settings off on your modeller. This can remove the need for cabinet emulation from the modeller and reduce your CPU usage, which can be a significant benefit as cabinet emulation can drain maybe 80% of your CPU. We’ve discussed why you need an FRFR cabinet for your digital rig here<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

LFR Cabinets: More Than Just Revoiced PA Cabs<\/h3>\n

Laney LFR cabinets are not simply revoiced PA cabs; they are specifically designed guitar cabinets, whereas some other FRFR cabinets out there are – part of the main reason why Laney LFR cabinets are so good. We have designed the LFR cabinets to look AND sound like guitar cabinets for guitar players, and they even light up. As guitar legend, Guthrie Govan and Laney LFR user highlights \u201cThese cabinets give you real feedback!\u201d and As Simon puts it, “As guitar players, we listen with our eyes.” Products that light up keep people’s interest, and the Laney LFR cabinets are no exception \u2013 they just look so cool.<\/p>\n