A José and a SLO Walk Into a Bar

[Harry Dunne]

I GASed for a SLO for years because my favorite players sounded amazing with them. But when I finally got one I found the tone kind of sterile and lacking character and also didn’t care for the stiff feel. I much prefer the aggressive upper mids of modded Marshalls and the touch sensitivity. They do sound great for smoother liquid leads, but I don’t care for the rhythm tones at all.

 

[Rick Lee]

^^^ Said it better than I could.

 

[Harry Dunne]

Owned 2 slo 30's and 3 100's. The Friedman Jose slays it.
Literally shipped sold and shipped off my last slo 30. Too much low mids and sizzle that cannot be dialed out.

Yeah, I noticed that too. The SLO had a way of sounding harsh and muddy at the same time - like those upper frequencies were always present no matter how you dialed the amp in.

Edit: I feel the same way about it’s derivative amps like the 5150, 5150 III, and dual rectifier. I guess I just don’t care for high gain/preamp based 6L6 circuits.