Ventura
Well-known member
My comments were more of a 
situation... Ahem.
V.
situation... Ahem.V.
Shark Diver
New member
Well I've owned all the amps you listed and kept the Soldano. None of them are bad, and it comes down to splitting hairs at some point.
P
pstar
Active member
ventura, i hear ya ,i have reservations about a company that does not respond to its customers, and given that this niche industry/market, well it is unacceptable. Boutique means to cater.
If any of my employees treated any customer/associate in this fashion they be out of a job. Customer Service and respect is very important. I 've been doin research on these amps, and have seen the guts of a wizard and there's not much out of the ordinary, mine you the trannys are the ticket. theres a post at metro forum where they go into detail., interesting reads. i think tom has 1 kicking around use to tour with it, but i have not talked to him in years, have his number somewhere.
If any of my employees treated any customer/associate in this fashion they be out of a job. Customer Service and respect is very important. I 've been doin research on these amps, and have seen the guts of a wizard and there's not much out of the ordinary, mine you the trannys are the ticket. theres a post at metro forum where they go into detail., interesting reads. i think tom has 1 kicking around use to tour with it, but i have not talked to him in years, have his number somewhere.
P
pstar
Active member
SHARK, why did u sell them all? what was it about the slo ?
Erock
Well-known member
pstar":3strxmvx said:
hehe, he can be like the soup nazi IME, piss him off, and you may not hear from him again. Gotta figure with a company like Wizard, it's very small, and I think Rick is the only one building them. When he's out teching for AC/DC, I'm not sure how much time he has to answer emails. He's been very responsive with me in the past though. He makes an incredible sounding amp, so people will put up with the delays. If that's not something you can live with, I would definitely look elsewhere. I have an MC100, and will probably be buried with it. It's basically my ideal Marshall sound, where it can be dialed for a crushing big tight lowend, a singing non-harsh high, and that super snarly grinding midrange that I love about Marshalls. It may not look out of the ordinary inside, but it's all great parts, and he must do something right with the layout because I haven't heard many amps that can compare if that's the sound you're looking for. It's been bulletproof in my experience with it.
Shark Diver
New member
pstar":1r40gvwg said:
For me the Wizard was an amp that had to be cranked, and was a little less versatile for me. The Diezels all had great things, but I would have taken a channel from the VH4, Herbert, and Einstein in a separate amp. That would have worked. lol
I liked the H&K, and I like different Bogners and Mesas. But ultimately, especially since you weren't looking for Nu-metal, I found the SLO more versatile. And I think if you look at the range of artist that have used it it's hard to argue that.
I have 3 and they all have different tube sets. I can get a fantastic range of tones. It just worked better for me than the others. And even with one tube set it had a wider range of useable tones for me. In a studio I'd simple switch tubes though.
J
Jack Luminous
Well-known member
pstar":1pjelk7h said:
I played all the amps you mentionned apart from the Wizard (no Wizard in my neck-o-the-wood that I'm aware of LOL). I'm playing my SLO in my home-studio every day. It's been 6 or 7 years and no amp could displace it. Volume is not really an issue IMHO. It sounds great, really great at low volume. It sounds glorious at higher volume. It works with attenuators (I use a Palmer "The Sponge" and a Marshall SE-100). It is an awesome amp in every way. SLO can be had for cheap these days (or at least cheaper than they were a few years ago). I'd get one just to see if it's your thing, just to make sure. If not, just sell it and move on. I played with countless amps before settling on this one. I wish I tried one sooner.
Disfigured
Active member
pstar":27kqzsco said:
Why, because it doesn't look like a computer inside?
Did you notice alot of the parts are NOS? Rick chooses specific components for his amps to create a specific sound, even if those parts/brands aren't in production anymore. Not alot of guys do this, and you certainly wouldn't find this in any type of mass produced amp. Not to mention, the amp is completely PTP handwired and overbuilt with MM transformers.
What sets Wizard apart from other companies is the listening test is done on the road and in the studio by bands like AC/DC, etc. Rick made improvements to his amp based on their suggestions. Rick worked very closely with top professional musicians to develop the Wizard sound.
Based on your initial post, since you're going for a hard rock sound and not a nu metal sound, I think you'd be making a mistake to choose Diezel over Wizard. You'll never get the rawness required for hard rock out of a Diezel, and the Wizard is much more open sounding and punchy.
A couple of us Wizard owners are in Southern Ontario, so you would have the opportunity to try before you buy, and if you buy used you wouldn't have to deal with Rick.
P
pstar
Active member
from what i have researched, volume will be a issue to get the amp in its sweet spot than into saturation(7-8 on volume), and if i can not enjoy it without losing more of my hearing, this becomes a major issue for me. i've heard alot of good clips of the diezel, alot of previous wizard players have moved on. i think they are probably good amps in big open large stages. have a read over at metro forum about the parts. Wound be nice to hear the current line-up, but difficult to do because built 1 at a time and than shipped to the customer.
'63-Strat
Well-known member
Odd thread.
craftm1
New member
Baron K88 or K2
http://www.baroncustomamps.com/
Dave can work with you to what your needs are and the build quality is the best.
http://www.baroncustomamps.com/
Dave can work with you to what your needs are and the build quality is the best.
P
pstar
Active member
who has the any of the new models in southern ont. to try
SuperFlyinMonke
New member
Why no mention of Peters? I think a Peters Gryphon would do you well. James makes excellent amps and he's also Canadian.
H
Heritage Softail
New member
Shark Diver":y1t3dbc9 said:
I have had a few amps roll thru the man cave but the SLO has stayed. What tube sets are you using for what tones?
For the versatility mentioned in the OP, the SLO covers all that clean/blues/classic rock/hair band metal, and the clean side does take an OCD well and gets a different flavor of edge.
I have noticed the same thing with a huge variety of people using an SLO. The Clapton Knopfler live gig with SLO's sounded great. SRV was making the transition to an SLO. The whole 'one trick amp' comment is usually made by one trick guitar players. An LP and SLO is classic tone.
johnnyjellybean
Well-known member
pstar":2lo3dbuc said:
Wizards sound great at lower volumes but if you are looking for a bedroom amp then buy a 18 watter with a master.
P
pstar
Active member
peters amp, a bit off the radar. don't hear much about them, how do they compare the the amps mention ? how many a year do they build ? any where in southern on. to check them out ?
Shark Diver
New member
Heritage Softail":2f3nh058 said:
Many different preamp tubes, not all NOS, but mostly.
KT66s for more of Fendery clean and blues vibe. Bigger on the bottom end, looser. Highs chime more. Great for lighter classic rock as well. Great lead tone on channel 2.
SED =C= for most of my tones. Just a great, great tube for what I like. Tight and full low end, best mids ever, and creamy highs. I get lost for hours playing this amp.
5881 for the more cutting original SLO tone. I use an EI pre in this one and it gets very raw and aggressive. Very mean, brutal vibe with it. In a lot of ways, depending on my mood, this is my favorite.
If volume is a concern just slave the amp.
There are a lot of great amps out there. Without trying them yourself it's hard to say what will be the best. Even then you could try one with a bad bias or tube and not dig it.
PS At the Amp Show a year and a half ago I walked into the Wizard room and Steve (Mr. Jelly Bean) was playing through a cranked Wizard and it sounded like God.
Pete Thorn through his PT 100 or a Marsha, same thing.
Steve Stevens through his rig, yet again.
Lynch through his SLO. Eddie through his Fender. etc...
Many guys come through the shop and sound amazing through their rigs, all very different. You just have to find what works best for you and your style and gear.
P
pstar
Active member
No PWE owners ? has anyone played them ? and what were your thoughts ?
tnourse
New member
Engl..
BAN-ONE
New member
Hey Folks, I don't post much around here but I visit often. I owned a killer SLO100 for 8 years and played probably 600 shows with it, it was a grinding,mean, awesome head that I loved. Ultra reliable, you did need to get the master above 4 to get it in the zone though.. 5 was even better.. but not really feasible. I've owned a few different Soldanos but this was the master. Never had a mix engineer complain about getting the tone to cut through. Totally stoked, never GASed for another amp except one...
A Wizard Modern Classic.
I'm in Australia so the odds of me ever getting one were "slim to f#ck all" as the saying goes down here. Then an MC50 showed up a few years ago on Ebay U.S and with a bit of luck and smooth talking, I managed to score it.. I'd never even heard one in real life up close, but if the dude that made them worked for Malcolm and Angus, it was worth the shot. I borrowed the funds for the purchase and knew that once it arrived, there would be a head cuttin' duel between the SLO and Wizard with only one survivor, such is my constantly precarious financial position.
Amp arrives at work and that night I've got an originals gig to play, I like taking a bit of a risk, so on the way home from work I fired it up quickly at a good mates guitar shop, to make sure it was working o.k and was absolutely blown away by the tone. Even through V30's!!! It was clear, super fat and rang like a bell, with a massive low mid punch, everyone in the shop turned around and were very complimentary. Played the show and all my friends said it was killer and the band sounded better for it.
A week goes by and I book a rehearsal room to do the actual shootout, crank up both amps, try a few different cabs and make the final decision. And in just about every case, (IMO of course) the Wizard took the gold. It is a monstrous, 3D tone the made the SLO seem a bit flat by comparison. The Soldano was really good but I was hearing "The AC/DC tone" right in front of me, not an approximation... the real f&#king deal!! All you had to do was plug in, no mods, no tweaks, no tube swapping.. The other thing that is scary and ace at the same time, is the responsiveness of the Wizard, it's like the note jumps from the cab before you've picked it. When you mess up, (which I still do with unerring frequency) everyone will know.. However, when you nail your parts, you are the king of the castle!!! Or the Wizard on the Mountain, slaying rectifiers and modelling with no mercy!!!
My trusty, faithfull, workhorse SLO was sold a week later and I haven't missed it for a second.
I've owned a few different Soldanos but this was the master. Never had a mix engineer complain about getting the tone to cut through. Totally stoked, never GASed for another amp except one... A Wizard Modern Classic.
I'm in Australia so the odds of me ever getting one were "slim to f#ck all" as the saying goes down here. Then an MC50 showed up a few years ago on Ebay U.S and with a bit of luck and smooth talking, I managed to score it.. I'd never even heard one in real life up close, but if the dude that made them worked for Malcolm and Angus, it was worth the shot. I borrowed the funds for the purchase and knew that once it arrived, there would be a head cuttin' duel between the SLO and Wizard with only one survivor, such is my constantly precarious financial position.
Amp arrives at work and that night I've got an originals gig to play, I like taking a bit of a risk, so on the way home from work I fired it up quickly at a good mates guitar shop, to make sure it was working o.k and was absolutely blown away by the tone. Even through V30's!!! It was clear, super fat and rang like a bell, with a massive low mid punch, everyone in the shop turned around and were very complimentary. Played the show and all my friends said it was killer and the band sounded better for it.
A week goes by and I book a rehearsal room to do the actual shootout, crank up both amps, try a few different cabs and make the final decision. And in just about every case, (IMO of course) the Wizard took the gold. It is a monstrous, 3D tone the made the SLO seem a bit flat by comparison. The Soldano was really good but I was hearing "The AC/DC tone" right in front of me, not an approximation... the real f&#king deal!! All you had to do was plug in, no mods, no tweaks, no tube swapping.. The other thing that is scary and ace at the same time, is the responsiveness of the Wizard, it's like the note jumps from the cab before you've picked it. When you mess up, (which I still do with unerring frequency) everyone will know..
However, when you nail your parts, you are the king of the castle!!! Or the Wizard on the Mountain, slaying rectifiers and modelling with no mercy!!!My trusty, faithfull, workhorse SLO was sold a week later and I haven't missed it for a second.