Not diggin' the SLO....

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Bantam Menace

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...and I'm a little bummed. I've wanted one forever but...it just doesn't sound all that great (yes I turned it up!). I play in an 80's cover band and thought this would be the perfect amp. I retubed and biased it...been playing around with preamp tubes, different cabs, guitars....

Anybody here use one and love it? Recommendations?
 
I've been saying they're overrated for a long time. :(


Egnater is where it's at. :thumbsup: :rock:
 
Bantam Menace":3lctg4gr said:
...and I'm a little bummed. I've wanted one forever but...it just doesn't sound all that great (yes I turned it up!). I play in an 80's cover band and thought this would be the perfect amp. I retubed and biased it...been playing around with preamp tubes, different cabs, guitars....

Anybody here use one and love it? Recommendations?
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What dont you like about it? They always sound very cold and stiff to me. Guys do get great tones with them though...I just couldnt make it happen.
 
Cold and stiff sums it up....I like my JVM a lot more right now....

I tried to buy an Egnater...but I hate waiting for gear...
 
Bantam Menace":22u7gsz2 said:
...and I'm a little bummed. I've wanted one forever but...it just doesn't sound all that great (yes I turned it up!). I play in an 80's cover band and thought this would be the perfect amp. I retubed and biased it...been playing around with preamp tubes, different cabs, guitars....

Anybody here use one and love it? Recommendations?
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What exactly don't you like about it?

I recently got a '06 stock SLO and I think its a pretty mean machine. Granted, at anything less than stage volume they can get pretty harsh, but my experience (using it live several times and lots at band rehearsal) is that it is AWESOME when you can get it wound up. That's where all the cut and sustain happen IMO. It reminds me of my Triple Rec, which sucks ass at low volume but whomps ass in a band mix.

The knee-jerk reaction of many is to "crank the mids and turn down the gain" but with the SLO try using the midrange around 3-4 (it goes to 11 remember) gain around 7, and here is the key - conservative use of bass, even without the depth...maybe around 5...treble and presence around 5 or a little more if its not bright enough.

If you still don't like it, then it probably not the amp for you, and you should move on.
 
Bantam Menace":sv7cjz8l said:
...and I'm a little bummed. I've wanted one forever but...it just doesn't sound all that great (yes I turned it up!). I play in an 80's cover band and thought this would be the perfect amp. I retubed and biased it...been playing around with preamp tubes, different cabs, guitars....

Anybody here use one and love it? Recommendations?
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What are uyour settings? Try getting the mids up to 2 oclock or more and the treble down to say 10 pclock with the presence dialled in to taste. Gain at no more than 2 oclock, noon to one should be enough for about any 80's metal tones. What kind of speakers are you using?
 
I got a stock SLO here. It is a great amp, if you don't like it I am guessing you are not used to big boy amps, or are into dark modern voiced amps. It does alot of great sounds.
 
Strat+Marshall":31byb47l said:
I got a stock SLO here. It is a great amp, if you don't like it I am guessing you are not used to big boy amps, or are into dark modern voiced amps. It does alot of great sounds.
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I play some pretty big boy amps, and I thought the SLO was Cold and stiff.

sounded like any other amp i've ever played, except it was just loud.
 
Ragging on the SLO is like being that one guy in the 1400s shouting that the world was round. :gethim:
 
BadHorsie":2nsjc6s7 said:
Ragging on the SLO is like being that one guy in the 1400s shouting that the world was round. :gethim:
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then it gets proven that itss stiff/round/whatever?
 
guitar_god123456":15pbm8qh said:
BadHorsie":15pbm8qh said:
Ragging on the SLO is like being that one guy in the 1400s shouting that the world was round. :gethim:
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then it gets proven that itss stiff/round/whatever?
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Maybe 500 years from now, society will look back on us and have a good chuckle at how much we loved the SLO.
 
I was able to get some great, expressive tones out of the one I tried...some pretty good dynamics. I don't remember anything cold and stiff about it. It's not a super saturated sounding gain though. The JVM is that, and I didn't care much for it. I've heard some really cool clips of the JVM, but not when I played it.

It just different strokes man, sell it off to someone who digs 'em.
 
I never could get a tone I could use out of an SLO either. I got some good lead tones but I felt it was seriously lacking in the rhythm department unless I was playing 80's hair metal covers :D I'm actually surprised you don't like it since I found that's what it excelled at and that's what you're using it for.

I play rhythm at least 95% of the time so I've never considered buying one.

On the other hand I've heard clips of some modded ones that I could dig! Maybe you should get some mods done to it?
 
Big boy amps...I like that....is my '78 MV Marshall a big boy amp? What about the Splawn Quickrod? My '64 Bassman?

I'm going to keep messing around with tubes and bias....I think I don't have the amp set up right. The way other people describe the tone of this amp is not what I'm getting....
 
It might not work out for you. I never fell in love with them when I had them myself. I'd like to try some KT-66's in one though, Then again, maybe I'm not ready for big boy amps either. :confused:
 
Bantam Menace":34ae67ii said:
Big boy amps...I like that....is my '78 MV Marshall a big boy amp? What about the Splawn Quickrod? My '64 Bassman?

I'm going to keep messing around with tubes and bias....I think I don't have the amp set up right. The way other people describe the tone of this amp is not what I'm getting....
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The 78 Marshall is a big boy amp. People always complain about them being too loud and not enough low end etc. Those people just aren't used to big boy amps. :lol: :LOL:

I like mine best through my old Marshall cabs with greenbacks. I couldn't imagine anyone thinking it didn't sound good, maybe just not you're thing. Keep fiddling them knobs and you should be able to find something you like. Maybe you just like your Marshall more, my 2204 is still one of my all time favorite amps.

Mine is not cold or stiff at all either, don't know how someone could here that.
 
Is this a BIG BOY AMP?

Hoffmanamp.jpg
 
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