A battle of the Larrys

Disfigured said:
I’ve tried a lot of amps, Bogners, Diezels, older Wizards, etc. but not all of the top shelf amps, I haven’t tried a Cameron or Red Seven or Mezzabarbas, or anything Hermannson or any of the newer Wizards.

My answer would be that it’s better than all other amps I’ve tried to date, but saying way better is much more subjective. Boutique amps follow the law of diminishing returns, and just because it’s an expensive amp with NOS parts doesn’t mean it’s going to be the be all end all amp for everyone. I’ve tried amps made with top shelf parts that I thought sounded like shit. Boutique guitar amps are like works of art, you have to find the one that works for you.

There was a time when I and others would have said the Dino was the undisputed king, and word of mouth and gutshot porn, combined with its scarcity created a snowball of hype over the past decade. But since then some promising new competitors have popped up like the Wizard Hell Razor and the Hermannson Marshall rebuilds (I have only heard clips of both) and others (OP’s sound good), which seem to have some overlap with the Dino and may get close enough so that any perceived difference in quality might easily be offset by the cost and ease of getting one of those in your hands rather than trying to get a Larry. Certainly better than dealing with that lunatic directly.

One amp is not going to magically fit everyone’s style. I love the Dino’s clarity and openness, bite, and machine gun percussive lows. I can’t make a Bogner or Wizard sound like a Dino, but I can’t make a Dino sound like a Bogner or Wizard either. The Dino won’t have the compressed chug that some metal players are looking for, maybe a Hermannson or Ultra Uber will. Some players are looking for smoothness or pleasing warm round chewiness, I wouldn’t recommend a Dino for that. There are some players who I’m surprised bought or are waiting for a Dino, because I don’t think it will satisfy them based on their playing style. The Dino does what it does really well, if that’s the sound you’re going for. Maybe you would find that another amp would fit your style better.

So obviously, knowing what I know, and especially with some of the newer stuff coming out that has strong word of mouth and great sounding clips to back them up, I’m going to say not only is it not worth the time and money to get a Larry amp, but don’t even try because I’m not positive that all those who are currently waiting will even get an amp, and for other reasons if you take the time to review these threads.
Click to expand...
Great answer, I remember seeing pictures years ago 10 , 12 years ago that were circulating in the internet from the inside and it was a work of art, also the preamp that he build for the iced earth guy, was impeccable the way it was build, I would like to try one to see if is just hype, or if it worth the wait and money, I tried a ground zero and a Hopkins that after 30 years of playing tube amps and having, a lot of good high end brands, these two were superb amps, and both were easy, quick to dial and get a rock tone, or a thrash tone.
 
MetalJim said:
Great answer, I remember seeing pictures years ago 10 , 12 years ago that were circulating in the internet from the inside and it was a work of art, also the preamp that he build for the iced earth guy, was impeccable the way it was build, I would like to try one to see if is just hype, or if it worth the wait and money, I tried a ground zero and a Hopkins that after 30 years of playing tube amps and having, a lot of good high end brands, these two were superb amps, and both were easy, quick to dial and get a rock tone, or a thrash tone.
Click to expand...
The OP did a really good job capturing the openness and overall character of his Dinos in his original post, it gives me an idea of what it would be like in person. The voicing of the Dino really works for me but it’s not for everyone, some may find that girth is sacrificed for a more focused and cutting tone which isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. When you dial it in to be more aggressive, the feel can also be more unforgiving than other amps, which again isn’t for everyone.

Again, anytime we’re talking about expensive PTP boutique amps, the diminished law of returns is in play, you have to consider how much are you willing to pay for small differences.

But you really need to do a bit of searching on this forum to get an idea of Larry’s business practices and attitude towards customers. I cannot recommend doing business directly with him. His quoted wait times are nowhere near realistic in my experience and that’s just one thing on a laundry list of issues, and I don’t think anyone can give a certain estimate on how much longer he will be making amps. I’m not so sure that if you put a deposit down today that you would ever see an amp, and you’ll have no recourse. Used ones pop up very rarely.

But when I ordered my Dino there weren’t really many or any alternatives, ie. high quality builds that were great sounding and did metal really well too, but today you have that advantage. Check out youtube clips of the Wizard Hell Razor, especially the mic’d up ones, and the Hermansson 5 gain stage Marshall rebuilds, those are a couple of the more impressive sounding newer high quality builds that do metal really well. They are going to do their own thing, but both sound like they would excel at metal, you won’t pay as much as you would for a Larry amp, you’re almost certain to get it and within a reasonable time, and won’t deal with as much of a headache (or heartache).
 
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MetalJim said:
Great answer, I remember seeing pictures years ago 10 , 12 years ago that were circulating in the internet from the inside and it was a work of art, also the preamp that he build for the iced earth guy, was impeccable the way it was build, I would like to try one to see if is just hype, or if it worth the wait and money, I tried a ground zero and a Hopkins that after 30 years of playing tube amps and having, a lot of good high end brands, these two were superb amps, and both were easy, quick to dial and get a rock tone, or a thrash tone.
Click to expand...
I saw them too and was amazed. Problem is Larry seems to have only made 3 amps since those posts 10 years ago.
 
Disfigured said:
The OP did a really good job capturing the openness and overall character of his Dinos in his original post, it gives me an idea of what it would be like in person. The voicing of the Dino really works for me but it’s not for everyone, some may find that girth is sacrificed for a more focused and cutting tone which isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. When you dial it in to be more aggressive, the feel can also be more unforgiving than other amps, which again isn’t for everyone.

Again, anytime we’re talking about expensive PTP boutique amps, the diminished law of returns is in play, you have to consider how much are you willing to pay for small differences.

But you really need to do a bit of searching on this forum to get an idea of Larry’s business practices and attitude towards customers. I cannot recommend doing business directly with him. His quoted wait times are nowhere near realistic in my experience and that’s just one thing on a laundry list of issues, and I don’t think anyone can give a certain estimate on how much longer he will be making amps. I’m not so sure that if you put a deposit down today that you would ever see an amp, and you’ll have no recourse. Used ones pop up very rarely.

But when I ordered my Dino there weren’t really many or any alternatives, ie. high quality builds that were great sounding and did metal really well too, but today you have that advantage. Check out youtube clips of the Wizard Hell Razor, especially the mic’d up ones, and the Hermansson 5 gain stage Marshall rebuilds, those are a couple of the more impressive sounding newer high quality builds that do metal really well. They are going to do their own thing, but both sound like they would excel at metal, you won’t pay as much as you would for a Larry amp, you’re almost certain to get it and within a reasonable time, and won’t deal with as much of a headache (or heartache).
Click to expand...
So the guys builds his own transformers? I like that type of tone more focused and cutting to be aggressive just like you mention, and unforgiven amps because they make you play better, and everything high end hand made, well thought has the diminished law of returns in place, but we are willing to pay for those small differences because it make us feel special.
 
Disfigured said:
(...)
... I’m going to say not only is it not worth the time and money to get a Larry amp, but don’t even try because I’m not positive that all those who are currently waiting will even get an amp, and for other reasons if you take the time to review these threads.
Click to expand...
Disfigured said:
... and I don’t think anyone can give a certain estimate on how much longer he will be making amps. I’m not so sure that if you put a deposit down today that you would ever see an amp, and you’ll have no recourse.
Click to expand...

How do you come to these beliefs?
- didn't you get your Jon Schaffer Signature preamp in 2011?
- did you not get your Dino 939 in 2016 either?

(By the way, the best sounding Dino's ever (rev 2.8) and actually sound even better than the best sounding Dino of Jon Schaffer's 5 Dino's)

- or did your crystal ball tell you that? Then you'd better take it to customer service!

Let me remind you: My name is not Mark, my name is Larry 😉

So far, EVERYONE has gotten their amp from me - and that won't change in the future.

There is also a reason why I now stated my previously (admittedly) overly optimistic delivery time of 18 months or 2 years as 4 years, not only because of the additional flood of new orders - and now specify 4 years & 6 months.

Btw: Thank you very much, my dear Disfigured, for spreading new rumors!
I always knew it: You and your beliefs are irreplaceable :cheers:
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Then I would like to take this opportunity to say a few words about the fears and rumors of the raunchers and grumblers who fear that I might no longer be able to deliver my last orders due to my premature death due to my age and the long delivery times:

I just have to laugh about something like that and I'll tell you why, because I'll definitely be building amps for another 12 to 15 years and, despite my slightly advanced age, I won't die until 25 years at the earliest - unless accidentally a F35 drops on my head, or I'll sign up as a mercenary on the Russian-Ukrainian war front:

I live and eat absolutely healthily, eat exclusively organic or Demeter products and hardly eat any meat. I also completely avoid sugar and white flour in my diet and do about 2 hours of exercise 2 to 3 times a week. In addition, there are frequent brisk walks lasting up to 3 hours.
Moreover - I don't drink any alcohol and don't consume any drugs with the exception of 10 to 12 cigarettes a day.

I'm not overweight (BMI = 24.4), have a blood pressure like a teenager (average 130/85), no heart problems, no diabetes - and I'm not impotent (I'm not allowed to become either, otherwise my teenage girlfriend will run away from me :D)

In addition, I constantly supply myself with plenty of high-quality nutritional supplements. To name just a few examples:
Vitamin D3/K2MK7
Vitamin C from acerola cherry & magnesium citrate
Vitamin B complex & extra vitamin B12
Omega 3 fatty acids (from algae, not fish)
Zeolite, taurine, MSM (organic sulfur)
Selenium, boron, glutathione, R-alpha lipoic acid
Nattokinase, Astaxanthin, Coenzyme Q10
and some more...
And of course I have my blood values checked every 3 months to avoid overdosing on one of these substances.

Some more facts*:

Last summer I went to a pulmonologist to have my lungs checked because of my cigarette use. The results:
- My lung volume is 94% of an average non-smoker's of my body weight
- My lung capacity is 91% of an average non-smoker of my body weight and age
- There are no signs of possible onset of lung cancer
And all this despite the fact that I have been a smoker for almost 50 years.
Apparently God blessed me with good genes?

Three months ago I went to an orthopedist to have my bone density measured. The results:
- My spine has a bone density of that of an average 35 year old
- My thigh bones and pelvis have the bone density of an average 28 year old
The orthopedist finally said that I would never have to repeat this examination again for the rest of my life, as good as my bone density is - and I wouldn't have to worry about breaking my femur neck or anything like that if I fell down the stairs.

Otherwise, I'm in perfect health and don't need any medication for or against anything.

(*) Since everyone can say a lot about himself, but others who are far away cannot verify this, I tell you that I can prove all of this through research reports.
But not in the way that I post these documents publicly here in the forum...
... but by sending these for example to alund (he is a doctor/surgeon) - and he could then confirm what I had said here :giggle:

So tell me again that someone has to worry about not getting his amp anymore because I might die prematurely 😄
In fact, I would be very surprised if I didn't live to see the year 2050 or even 2055 :cool:
 
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Disfigured said:
Used ones pop up very rarely.
Click to expand...

Yes in fact - and if they pop up, then you'd have to pay an arm & a leg for it, about the double price of that year the amp has been sold:

https://reverb.com/item/16402047-la...are&utm_campaign=listing&utm_content=16402047

Dino 939 on Reverb.jpg
 

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novosibir said:
There is also a reason why I now stated my previously (admittedly) overly optimistic delivery time of 18 months or 2 years as 4 years, not only because of the additional flood of new orders - and now specify 4 years & 6 months.
Click to expand...
Unless a customer offers up a NATAS for a PMM rebuild, then you get to jump to the front of the line, right? How long does it take to disassemble and document the amp, in addition to the rebuild your circuit into a chassis you’re not familiar with, I would assume it might require a new layout? What does that do to the 4 year 6 month wait time for your other customers then?
 
novosibir said:
Yes in fact - and if they pop up, then you'd have to pay an arm & a leg for it, about the double price of that year the amp has been sold:

https://reverb.com/item/16402047-la...are&utm_campaign=listing&utm_content=16402047

View attachment 296828
Click to expand...
I know who sold that and who bought it. The seller pretty much broke even on the sale and the actual selling price was nowhere near that. Apparantely you don’t understand Reveb asking vs. actual selling prices.

Edit, on second thought, of course you know how historical listings on Reverb are presented. You’re just misleading the public by posting that, knowingly giving a false indication.
 
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Disfigured said:
Unless a customer offers up a NATAS for a PMM rebuild, then you get to jump to the front of the line, right? How long does it take to disassemble and document the amp, in addition to the rebuild your circuit into a chassis you’re not familiar with, I would assume it might require a new layout? What does that do to the 4 year 6 month wait time for your other customers then?
Click to expand...

Use your brain, then you'll know 😉
 
thegame said:
I know who sold that and who bought it. The seller pretty much broke even on the sale and the actual selling price was nowhere near that. Apparantely you don’t understand Reveb asking vs. actual selling prices.
Click to expand...

You don't tell me something new.

The amp went from JK through a shop to KB and was sold at 9.7kUS$

But compare 5,500 for a new Dino in 2015 to a used Dino in 2019 for 9,700 :cool:

Btw. interesting to hear that you knew that too 😮
Tell me, do you really have so much boredom and hence time to write to all sorts of people and accumulate information?

In doing so, you are living up to your title as our board CIA agent :poop:
 
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novosibir said:
Then I would like to take this opportunity to say a few words about the fears and rumors of the raunchers and grumblers who fear that I might no longer be able to deliver my last orders due to my premature death due to my age and the long delivery times:

I just have to laugh about something like that and I'll tell you why, because I'll definitely be building amps for another 12 to 15 years and, despite my slightly advanced age, I won't die until 25 years at the earliest - unless accidentally a F35 drops on my head, or I'll sign up as a mercenary on the Russian-Ukrainian war front:

I live and eat absolutely healthily, eat exclusively organic or Demeter products and hardly eat any meat. I also completely avoid sugar and white flour in my diet and do about 2 hours of exercise 2 to 3 times a week. In addition, there are frequent brisk walks lasting up to 3 hours.
Moreover - I don't drink any alcohol and don't consume any drugs with the exception of 10 to 12 cigarettes a day.

I'm not overweight (BMI = 24.4), have a blood pressure like a teenager (average 130/85), no heart problems, no diabetes - and I'm not impotent (I'm not allowed to become either, otherwise my teenage girlfriend will run away from me :D)

In addition, I constantly supply myself with plenty of high-quality nutritional supplements. To name just a few examples:
Vitamin D3/K2MK7
Vitamin C from acerola cherry & magnesium citrate
Vitamin B complex & extra vitamin B12
Omega 3 fatty acids (from algae, not fish)
Zeolite, taurine, MSM (organic sulfur)
Selenium, boron, glutathione, R-alpha lipoic acid
Nattokinase, Astaxanthin, Coenzyme Q10
and some more...
And of course I have my blood values checked every 3 months to avoid overdosing on one of these substances.

Some more facts*:

Last summer I went to a pulmonologist to have my lungs checked because of my cigarette use. The results:
- My lung volume is 94% of an average non-smoker's of my body weight
- My lung capacity is 91% of an average non-smoker of my body weight and age
- There are no signs of possible onset of lung cancer
And all this despite the fact that I have been a smoker for almost 50 years.
Apparently God blessed me with good genes?

Three months ago I went to an orthopedist to have my bone density measured. The results:
- My spine has a bone density of that of an average 35 year old
- My thigh bones and pelvis have the bone density of an average 28 year old
The orthopedist finally said that I would never have to repeat this examination again for the rest of my life, as good as my bone density is - and I wouldn't have to worry about breaking my femur neck or anything like that if I fell down the stairs.

Otherwise, I'm in perfect health and don't need any medication for or against anything.

(*) Since everyone can say a lot about himself, but others who are far away cannot verify this, I tell you that I can prove all of this through research reports.
But not in the way that I post these documents publicly here in the forum...
... but by sending these for example to alund (he is a doctor/surgeon) - and he could then confirm what I had said here :giggle:

So tell me again that someone has to worry about not getting his amp anymore because I might die prematurely 😄
In fact, I would be very surprised if I didn't live to see the year 2050 or even 2055 :cool:
Click to expand...


Then again, this could be in your immediate future:



R.jpg




(I had to guess your DOB. Please forgive if I was off a couple of years. :LOL: )
 
novosibir said:
How do you come to these beliefs?
- didn't you get your Jon Schaffer Signature preamp in 2011?
- did you not get your Dino 939 in 2016 either?

(By the way, the best sounding Dino's ever (rev 2.8) and actually sound even better than the best sounding Dino of Jon Schaffer's 5 Dino's)

- or did your crystal ball tell you that? Then you'd better take it to customer service!

Let me remind you: My name is not Mark, my name is Larry 😉

So far, EVERYONE has gotten their amp from me - and that won't change in the future.

There is also a reason why I now stated my previously (admittedly) overly optimistic delivery time of 18 months or 2 years as 4 years, not only because of the additional flood of new orders - and now specify 4 years & 6 months.

Btw: Thank you very much, my dear Disfigured, for spreading new rumors!
I always knew it: You and your beliefs are irreplaceable :cheers:
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Then I would like to take this opportunity to say a few words about the fears and rumors of the raunchers and grumblers who fear that I might no longer be able to deliver my last orders due to my premature death due to my age and the long delivery times:

I just have to laugh about something like that and I'll tell you why, because I'll definitely be building amps for another 12 to 15 years and, despite my slightly advanced age, I won't die until 25 years at the earliest - unless accidentally a F35 drops on my head, or I'll sign up as a mercenary on the Russian-Ukrainian war front:

I live and eat absolutely healthily, eat exclusively organic or Demeter products and hardly eat any meat. I also completely avoid sugar and white flour in my diet and do about 2 hours of exercise 2 to 3 times a week. In addition, there are frequent brisk walks lasting up to 3 hours.
Moreover - I don't drink any alcohol and don't consume any drugs with the exception of 10 to 12 cigarettes a day.

I'm not overweight (BMI = 24.4), have a blood pressure like a teenager (average 130/85), no heart problems, no diabetes - and I'm not impotent (I'm not allowed to become either, otherwise my teenage girlfriend will run away from me :D)

In addition, I constantly supply myself with plenty of high-quality nutritional supplements. To name just a few examples:
Vitamin D3/K2MK7
Vitamin C from acerola cherry & magnesium citrate
Vitamin B complex & extra vitamin B12
Omega 3 fatty acids (from algae, not fish)
Zeolite, taurine, MSM (organic sulfur)
Selenium, boron, glutathione, R-alpha lipoic acid
Nattokinase, Astaxanthin, Coenzyme Q10
and some more...
And of course I have my blood values checked every 3 months to avoid overdosing on one of these substances.

Some more facts*:

Last summer I went to a pulmonologist to have my lungs checked because of my cigarette use. The results:
- My lung volume is 94% of an average non-smoker's of my body weight
- My lung capacity is 91% of an average non-smoker of my body weight and age
- There are no signs of possible onset of lung cancer
And all this despite the fact that I have been a smoker for almost 50 years.
Apparently God blessed me with good genes?

Three months ago I went to an orthopedist to have my bone density measured. The results:
- My spine has a bone density of that of an average 35 year old
- My thigh bones and pelvis have the bone density of an average 28 year old
The orthopedist finally said that I would never have to repeat this examination again for the rest of my life, as good as my bone density is - and I wouldn't have to worry about breaking my femur neck or anything like that if I fell down the stairs.

Otherwise, I'm in perfect health and don't need any medication for or against anything.

(*) Since everyone can say a lot about himself, but others who are far away cannot verify this, I tell you that I can prove all of this through research reports.
But not in the way that I post these documents publicly here in the forum...
... but by sending these for example to alund (he is a doctor/surgeon) - and he could then confirm what I had said here :giggle:

So tell me again that someone has to worry about not getting his amp anymore because I might die prematurely 😄
In fact, I would be very surprised if I didn't live to see the year 2050 or even 2055 :cool:
Click to expand...

I hope you are in fact as healthy as you state, and I'm not trying to be a dick here...
But this kind of comes off as someone who has one foot in the grave trying to convince themselves (or others) they're going to live forever.
 
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