Depth or not to depth -- SLO!

[journeyman73]

on the SLO i had for a while, i thought i better get with the depth (worst case ill just never use it and so many talked about needing it at lower volumes, otherwise it sounded thin) - used it once to see what it did and never used it again....had plenty of low end for me (granted i was going through a power station at low volume)

 

[daveyisgreatmkii]

I have just the stock setup, no depth. I just dime all the controls (except presence) and go from there and get plenty of low end for my purposes.

 

[mikey]

Depth isn't solely to add more bass, as stated earlier it's effective on low mids. It gives you more options in regard to low end, not unlike how your presence control effects things up top. I'm sure that's not technically what's happening, but that's my perception.

Re: 50 watts, I have the 1/2 power switch. To my ears it softens the attack slightly, maybe a bit spongier. Not a huge difference.

 

[cecilbag]

Crank the mids

 

[Little B]

You can always just add it yourself. When the knob is on zero, it's out of the circuit anyway (for all intents and purposes). The mod is only two caps and a pot. Not exactly hard to do yourself if you know how to solder. And easy enough to undo. I like the Depth mod, not for adding low-end where it's needed, but for adding low mids. And you can balance it with the bass control to get more sounds. Like dial the bass low, then bring the Depth up for a different kind of sound. It's not always just for adding super ultra uber lows.

^^^ THIS ^^^

 

[Mesa\Kramer]

Also, I've heard that removing two of the four power tubes, to scale it down to 50 watts, helps to thicken the tone without the earth shattering volume.

Does this work well, or do you lose some other qualities of the amp?

I ran mine with 2 tubes pulled for 50 watts for the first 3 months i had it

A while After i got my soldano cabs, i added the 2 tubes back in and "wow"
It got a little louder (but not much) but the body and thump of the amp greatly improved

I would'nt ever run it minus 2 tubes ever again

 

[nevusofota]

Also, I've heard that removing two of the four power tubes, to scale it down to 50 watts, helps to thicken the tone without the earth shattering volume.

Does this work well, or do you lose some other qualities of the amp?

I ran mine with 2 tubes pulled for 50 watts for the first 3 months i had it

A while After i got my soldano cabs, i added the 2 tubes back in and "wow"
It got a little louder (but not much) but the body and thump of the amp greatly improved

I would'nt ever run it minus 2 tubes ever again

Thanks!

 

[nevusofota]

I've noticed that most people responding talk about their SLO in past tense. Why do so many of you wind up selling such an iconic amp? Seems like an SLO would/should be a forever amp.

 

[reverymike]

What's up with the croc/alligator tolex? It's not offered as an option on the Soldano page. Does that mean it's aftermarket?

Pretty sure it's one of their regular options. Mine is black alligator, although, I wish I had it in Clapton Grey.

 

[BackCrack]

If you pull a pair of power tubes (inside pair or outside pair, doesn't matter which), drop the impedance switch by one setting. Mike and Bill told me once in the past that with half the power tubes running, there's half the resistance happening in the power section, and dropping the impedance in half compensates for it. Also, the bias may or may not have to be adjusted if you're going to run the amp like this for the long term to help the tubes live longer. So set the amp to 8 ohms if using a 16 ohm cab, or 4 if using an 8, if you're going to run at 50w.

Side note: you can do your own Haynes mod in 3 seconds with a soldering iron. De-solder and lift one leg of the treble bypass cap on the lead channel's gain pot. I run both of my SLOs like this. To my ears, it brings down the "chirp" and allows a little more wiggle room on the treble and presence knobs. I usually run the gain at 4-6.

 

[nevusofota]

If you pull a pair of power tubes (inside pair or outside pair, doesn't matter which), drop the impedance switch by one setting. Mike and Bill told me once in the past that with half the power tubes running, there's half the resistance happening in the power section, and dropping the impedance in half compensates for it. Also, the bias may or may not have to be adjusted if you're going to run the amp like this for the long term to help the tubes live longer. So set the amp to 8 ohms if using a 16 ohm cab, or 4 if using an 8, if you're going to run at 50w.

Side note: you can do your own Haynes mod in 3 seconds with a soldering iron. De-solder and lift one leg of the treble bypass cap on the lead channel's gain pot. I run both of my SLOs like this. To my ears, it brings down the "chirp" and allows a little more wiggle room on the treble and presence knobs. I usually run the gain at 4-6.

All great info, thanks!!

 

[Jack Luminous]

Side note: you can do your own Haynes mod in 3 seconds with a soldering iron. De-solder and lift one leg of the treble bypass cap on the lead channel's gain pot. I run both of my SLOs like this. To my ears, it brings down the "chirp" and allows a little more wiggle room on the treble and presence knobs. I usually run the gain at 4-6.

Everyone's taste is different obviously because when I tried the Haynes mod on mine, I quickly reverted to stock after 10 minutes of playing. I though it made the amp sound congested and dead and that it couldn't be brought back to life, no matter how I would set the treble or presence knobs.

 

[SpiderWars]

How high you set your OD Gain control can have a huge effect on how the WH mod sounds. Like any bright cap, when the gain control is dimed it makes no difference but as you lower the gain control it makes more and more of a difference. Warren runs his gain around 4-ish and with the stock bright cap the SLO will slice your head off at that gain setting. Those that run the gain control high will think the WH mod put a blanket on their tone and they lost all the chirp at the beginning of the note.

I have a 3-way bright switch on my clone; Stock-WH mod-Spiderwars mod. My gain setting dictates which switch position.

EDIT: And for those who don't know, try setting the Presence REALLY high (even dimed) and adjust the top end with the Treble control. That doesn't work on every amp but the SLO seems to like that.

 

[nevusofota]

More great info!

Are there SLO "fakes". Is there a sure way to make sure this thing is even real?
I'll post pics.

 

[nevusofota]

 

[SpiderWars]

My SLO clone and all that I've seen look very similar to a real one except have no Soldano badging/labeling and no S/N. Just a generic, no-name SLO.

 

[jlb32]

I had Mike add the depth mod to my Soldano Hot Rod 25 and it made a huge difference. Not just in the bass frequencies but also in the mids. I love it.

To me it makes the amp more versatile and tweaking your depth along with your bass and mid controls gives you sounds you just can't get without it.

Mike did tell me with the depth control set at zero it is completely out of the circuit so it's there when you want it and doesn't affect the amp at all if you turn it completely off.

 

[nevusofota]

It is here!!!!

First off, holy shit, the thing is LOUD!! It has the SLO growl that I've always heard in clips. I don't know how to describe it but it has the most bite of any amp I've ever played. The thing sustains for days, even at lower gain settings.

 

[jlb32]

Congrats! Looks killer!

If you ever decide you want the depth mod just send it to Mike. I think it was around $300 plus shipping for the depth mod. Worth it IMO and these days I think he does most of the mod work himself. I know he personally did the depth mod on my HR25 and it sounds so killer.

 

[VoodooChild24]

Congrats man and enjoy the amp. I really love mine.