Great thread about the SLO on the gear page

[Rogue]

Watch it Jim. You have entirely too much stuff and it is all Soldano. That can lead to much butt-hurt here on RT.....

You no watch classic movies?

A few weeks ago all you needed was your SLO...and now?

 

[thegame]

Steve, Gary Moore got incredible tone with a Soldano SLO + EVM12L. You probably have some EVs lying around, I'm curious if you've tried that yet.

 

[rupe]

I haven't played an SLO since the early 90's but I loved it back then. I used it with a goldtop/P90 Les Paul...that pair just killed.

 

[steve_k]

SLO #2.....get into my rack.

As I hemmed and hawed, you beat me to it. Congrats!

Right place at the right time I guess! SLO's don't come up to often, especially ones at that price and shape.

Steve

 

[tweed]

CCCCCCCCCCCCCLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!



or its a purple gorilla

 

[fuzzyguitars]

i will will second that the slo with ev12l is surprisingly good and that i use one in one of my cabs

 

[david simpson]

My Avenger with SLO trannies sounded HUGE...even at super low volumes. That was a killer amp

is that my amp now

hmm...it must be because I think there was only Avenger made with Deyoung transformers


Let me know if you ever want to sell it

I believe I had Mike build that for me originally...

 

[Bronco]

i will will second that the slo with ev12l is surprisingly good and that i use one in one of my cabs

Yeah...noted SLO-aficionado SharkDiver swears by these as well.

 

[fuzzyguitars]

i will will second that the slo with ev12l is surprisingly good and that i use one in one of my cabs

Yeah...noted SLO-aficionado SharkDiver swears by these as well.

you would think that it would be super bright with the extended highs of the ev but the high mids are smoothed out and it works out pretty good.

another great SLO flavor if you will.

lately i have been good luck with v30s.

 

[eddyrox]

i will will second that the slo with ev12l is surprisingly good and that i use one in one of my cabs

Yeah...noted SLO-aficionado SharkDiver swears by these as well.

lately i have been good luck with v30s.

+1. The V30's in my 212 Recto cab mate well with the SLO, 5150's and I am sure the 6534+ (on its way).

 

[Carol-AnnAmps]

Hi guys,

I'm everywhere....lol.....I love this shit as much as any of you and I'm blessed people allow me to make my living doing it.
I also found it cool to be able to have that discussion on TGP and it remain productive.

The SLO is a very interesting amp and I personally love it. It's a product of passion, not a.n.other modded Marshall, in fact it has more in common with a Fender Twin than it does a Marshall....lol....I believe Mike intoduced people to the true hard rock abilities of the 6L6 tube.

The thing you have to bear in mind is this amp is designed to be run bloody hard, unless you are playing to at least 1500 people and on a big stage, you will very unlikely ever get the best out of it. It's a stadium amp basically. Even though it has a reasonable high amount of preamp gain, the biggest tones always come from balancing an amps preamp and power amp at the right level for the design. This is especially true for the SLO. Most guys use way to much preamp gain and the amp sounds bright and thin. Sure it's easier to play, but who wants that...lol....we like to feel like we're working right ? !! That master has to be cranked on these amps and the preamp backed off. Only then will you truly hear an SLO at it's best.
Trouble is despite nearly every guitarists love of loud 100W amps (myself included), those that gig know the reality of their situations rarely allow the use of this level of volume. Those that do insist on cranking a 100W amp in a 250 person room may think it's cool, but everyone else will just think you're a pretentious dickhead stuck in the 80's....lol....I've seen it too many times. The simple mod I mentioned over on TGP definately does help get a fuller tone at lower volumes and makes the amp respond much better at realistic gig levels.

As for the scoop and deep mods. I don't personally like them. Guitar lives in the mid range frequency arena, it always has and always will. Sure in the bedroom jamming for YouTube shred vids the amp may sound massive. When playing a single instrument on it's own, absolutely, the wider your frequency range, the bigger it will sound. Put it on stage with other musicians and you not only loose your critical frequency band with scooping but you tread all over the bass player with the Deep mod. The Deep mod also affects the critical interaction between the power amp and the speakers. Mush, mud and a loss of clarity are the result as well as that feeling you can never get loud enough to push a solo depite thae fact your are diming the amp.

I also feel the 12L is the best speaker for the SLO. THe SLO has ultra fast transients. It will find cone cry in a lesser speaker. To check for cone cry, play at a high volume with a slightly dirty tone and try some bends on the B string around the 13th to 17th fret. If certain notes sound like they are splitting in half....you have found cone cry. It's nasty as all hell unless you are someone like David Torn who could find an artistic way to make it musical.

 

[Rogue]

The thing you have to bear in mind is this amp is designed to be run bloody hard, unless you are playing to at least 1500 people and on a big stage, you will very unlikely ever get the best out of it. It's a stadium amp basically. Even though it has a reasonable high amount of preamp gain, the biggest tones always come from balancing an amps preamp and power amp at the right level for the design. This is especially true for the SLO. Most guys use way to much preamp gain and the amp sounds bright and thin.

Tis true. The amp really came alive with the master up around 4 or higher. Typically I'd run the gain at 6 on lower volumes, but when cranking the master it was too hot, so I'd bring it down. It did sound really good though. Ultimately, I prefer a plexi kind of tone, but man do I wished there was a pedal that would make it an SLO. That'd the the setup.

Sure it's easier to play, but who wants that...lol....we like to feel like we're working right ? !!

Wong forum.

 

[Bronco]

Hi guys,

I'm everywhere....lol.....I love this shit as much as any of you and I'm blessed people allow me to make my living doing it.
I also found it cool to be able to have that discussion on TGP and it remain productive.

The SLO is a very interesting amp and I personally love it. It's a product of passion, not a.n.other modded Marshall, in fact it has more in common with a Fender Twin than it does a Marshall....lol....I believe Mike intoduced people to the true hard rock abilities of the 6L6 tube.

The thing you have to bear in mind is this amp is designed to be run bloody hard, unless you are playing to at least 1500 people and on a big stage, you will very unlikely ever get the best out of it. It's a stadium amp basically. Even though it has a reasonable high amount of preamp gain, the biggest tones always come from balancing an amps preamp and power amp at the right level for the design. This is especially true for the SLO. Most guys use way to much preamp gain and the amp sounds bright and thin. Sure it's easier to play, but who wants that...lol....we like to feel like we're working right ? !! That master has to be cranked on these amps and the preamp backed off. Only then will you truly hear an SLO at it's best.
Trouble is despite nearly every guitarists love of loud 100W amps (myself included), those that gig know the reality of their situations rarely allow the use of this level of volume. Those that do insist on cranking a 100W amp in a 250 person room may think it's cool, but everyone else will just think you're a pretentious dickhead stuck in the 80's....lol....I've seen it too many times. The simple mod I mentioned over on TGP definately does help get a fuller tone at lower volumes and makes the amp respond much better at realistic gig levels.

As for the scoop and deep mods. I don't personally like them. Guitar lives in the mid range frequency arena, it always has and always will. Sure in the bedroom jamming for YouTube shred vids the amp may sound massive. When playing a single instrument on it's own, absolutely, the wider your frequency range, the bigger it will sound. Put it on stage with other musicians and you not only loose your critical frequency band with scooping but you tread all over the bass player with the Deep mod. The Deep mod also affects the critical interaction between the power amp and the speakers. Mush, mud and a loss of clarity are the result as well as that feeling you can never get loud enough to push a solo depite thae fact your are diming the amp.

I also feel the 12L is the best speaker for the SLO. THe SLO has ultra fast transients. It will find cone cry in a lesser speaker. To check for cone cry, play at a high volume with a slightly dirty tone and try some bends on the B string around the 13th to 17th fret. If certain notes sound like they are splitting in half....you have found cone cry. It's nasty as all hell unless you are someone like David Torn who could find an artistic way to make it musical.

AWESOME AWESOME post...thanks for stopping in man! As a guy who just got his first SLO, this is great insight.

 

[Carol-AnnAmps]

Sure it's easier to play, but who wants that...lol....we like to feel like we're working right ? !!

Wong forum.

nah......I think that the skill level on this forum in general has a much better chance of making use of that advice. Every player deep down wants to improve their skills. Pulling the gain back just lets you hear what you are really playing.

I think of preamp gain like traction control on a car. It stops the player from crashing. But the best drivers turn off the traction control to get the best out of their driving and the car. The best players usually turn down the gain on their amps, it may not always be obvious, buit I've played some pro shredders rigs and there is often much less gain than people think.A real shredder can shred with just an acoustic and no gain:

Listen from 8:30 to end. Bach meets Yngwie meets the blues on acoustic.

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[SLOgriff]

The Depth option is a must for me!! Even at high volumes it adds "thump" that cuts thru when I play. I just don't care for an SLO without it. I prefer modern tones and the Depth option delivers!! Bill Sundt will always tell you that you can't tell the difference with/without the Depth at high volumes and that's just not true! I also love the "Loop Bypass" option....it adds punch and clarity. I can also say the "TUBES" also make a huge difference in the tones and feel. I've spent many hours with the amp on swapping preamp tubes in and out....can drive ya crazy!

From Blues to Hard Rock the SLO just delivers...no matter your musical tastes. Mark Knopfler to George Lynch....wow!! How great it is that there are options/mods available to tailor the amp for most guitar players tone and feel needs!

The SLO reminds me of a classic muscle car....! I'm proud to own and play mine and I have great respect and love or the Soldano brand and company!

 

[steve_k]

The Depth option is a must for me!! Even at high volumes it adds "thump" that cuts thru when I play. I just don't care for an SLO without it. I prefer modern tones and the Depth option delivers!! Bill Sundt will always tell you that you can't tell the difference with/without the Depth at high volumes and that's just not true! I also love the "Loop Bypass" option....it adds punch and clarity. I can also say the "TUBES" also make a huge difference in the tones and feel. I've spent many hours with the amp on swapping preamp tubes in and out....can drive ya crazy!

From Blues to Hard Rock the SLO just delivers...no matter your musical tastes. Mark Knopfler to George Lynch....wow!! How great it is that there are options/mods available to tailor the amp for most guitar players tone and feel needs!

The SLO reminds me of a classic muscle car....! I'm proud to own and play mine and I have great respect and love or the Soldano brand and company!

Used mine at practice today and loved it....Both channels are awesome. I wouldn't want one without a depth mod either, and the scoop mod. Enables me to balance the EQ like I want it between both channels. Soldano SLO-100 is definitely an industry standard....(along with a couple Marshall's). I did have a little time yesterday to pull the chassis and while I had it out, I went through some power and preamp tubes just for shits and giggles. Tried some SED's and some JJKT66's that I had. Ended up going right back with the stock Sovtek 5881's, but biased them up a little hotter. Went straight across the preamps with new Penta C9's. It's a beast.

Steve

 

[SLOgriff]

Yeah I prefer the "wafer bottom" Sovtek 5881's. I bias mine around 28ma and that gives a little grit to the tone. Any higher for me starts to smooth it out.

I'm using a JJ in V1, GT- branded Shuguang 8th gen(I think) in V2...Sovtek LP's in the rest.

By the way, does the Shuguang 8th have a metal "diamond/square" in the top of the tube with 2 holder wires?!?

Thanks,
Bryan

 

[steve_k]

Yeah I prefer the "wafer bottom" Sovtek 5881's. I bias mine around 28ma and that gives a little grit to the tone. Any higher for me starts to smooth it out.

I'm using a JJ in V1, GT- branded Shuguang 8th gen(I think) in V2...Sovtek LP's in the rest.

By the way, does the Shuguang 8th have a metal "diamond/square" in the top of the tube with 2 holder wires?!?

Thanks,
Bryan

Sounds like you are trying to describe an G8.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi guys,

I'm everywhere....lol.....I love this shit as much as any of you and I'm blessed people allow me to make my living doing it.
I also found it cool to be able to have that discussion on TGP and it remain productive.

The SLO is a very interesting amp and I personally love it. It's a product of passion, not a.n.other modded Marshall, in fact it has more in common with a Fender Twin than it does a Marshall....lol....I believe Mike intoduced people to the true hard rock abilities of the 6L6 tube.

The thing you have to bear in mind is this amp is designed to be run bloody hard, unless you are playing to at least 1500 people and on a big stage, you will very unlikely ever get the best out of it. It's a stadium amp basically. Even though it has a reasonable high amount of preamp gain, the biggest tones always come from balancing an amps preamp and power amp at the right level for the design. This is especially true for the SLO. Most guys use way to much preamp gain and the amp sounds bright and thin. Sure it's easier to play, but who wants that...lol....we like to feel like we're working right ? !! That master has to be cranked on these amps and the preamp backed off. Only then will you truly hear an SLO at it's best.
Trouble is despite nearly every guitarists love of loud 100W amps (myself included), those that gig know the reality of their situations rarely allow the use of this level of volume. Those that do insist on cranking a 100W amp in a 250 person room may think it's cool, but everyone else will just think you're a pretentious dickhead stuck in the 80's....lol....I've seen it too many times. The simple mod I mentioned over on TGP definately does help get a fuller tone at lower volumes and makes the amp respond much better at realistic gig levels.

As for the scoop and deep mods. I don't personally like them. Guitar lives in the mid range frequency arena, it always has and always will. Sure in the bedroom jamming for YouTube shred vids the amp may sound massive. When playing a single instrument on it's own, absolutely, the wider your frequency range, the bigger it will sound. Put it on stage with other musicians and you not only loose your critical frequency band with scooping but you tread all over the bass player with the Deep mod. The Deep mod also affects the critical interaction between the power amp and the speakers. Mush, mud and a loss of clarity are the result as well as that feeling you can never get loud enough to push a solo depite thae fact your are diming the amp.

I also feel the 12L is the best speaker for the SLO. THe SLO has ultra fast transients. It will find cone cry in a lesser speaker. To check for cone cry, play at a high volume with a slightly dirty tone and try some bends on the B string around the 13th to 17th fret. If certain notes sound like they are splitting in half....you have found cone cry. It's nasty as all hell unless you are someone like David Torn who could find an artistic way to make it musical.

AWESOME AWESOME post...thanks for stopping in man! As a guy who just got his first SLO, this is great insight.

Hello Bronco,

i don't think you know this, but I serviced your amp before you bought it. Take care of that baby. It is one of the earlier ones and it sounds great. I agree with Alan that the EV12L is the best speaker with that amp. I can imagine how great it would sound with a StoneAge 2x12C loaded with a couple of EV12L Classics! Amazing!

When it comes time for tubes, call Soldano and get what ever he recommends! Trust me, this is the way to go...

 

[steve_k]

Just got lucky on a couple of Soldano 4x12 cabs. Jim is selling me one of his black one's and I found a purple tolex'd one on ebay in the UK. Both are straight fronts, as I preferred with Soldano tweaked Eminence's. The last thing I needed is a couple more cabs, but I generally don't stare long at the gift horse....

Steve