SLO-100 Incoming.

[Mr. Willy]

Man, there's a lot of info that's kind of all over the place here. I love my SLO. My 2 cents:

1. She's sounds great at lower volumes. The thing is is that she sounds freakin REDICULOUS when the master gets up around noon and beyond. I'm consistently around 4ish on the MV in band situations.
2. I don't consider the SLO any brighter than a good Plexi or old school Marshall. The difference is that the SLO has a lot bite. It can be eq'd to be fairly darkish, but I don't consider it overly bright.
3. She's picky about speakers, more so than any other amp I've owned. I don't care for V30's with her, and I love V30's. I think the reason for this is that she has so much teeth and bite and the voicing is heavily in the mid range. Using V30's with the SLO seems to overload the upper mid frequencies that are already abundant in the voicing. To be clear, it doesn't sound bad by any stretch of the imagination with V30's. It just sounds better with others, IMHO. I'm using it with Lynchbacks loaded in a 2x12 and also with a Bogner 4x12 with Greenbacks on top and old 90's V30's on bottom.
4. She's not a one trick pony. That's a description that holds no weight with me whatsoever. The same could be said about any one channel Marshall, Fender Twin, etc. I've used in cover bands with the crunch channel to be set up just on edge of breakup for "cleans" with a good OD for more crunchy, in between tones. Just using the crunch channel that way along with the volume knob on the guitar cover a lot of ground, IMHO. Then there's the overdrive channel. How many sounds does somebody need anyway. I've always gotten by with three - cleanish, crunchy, overdrive. I've gotten all of those out of a 2204 with a good OD pedal.
5. You know the loop "issue" I'm sure. It's not an issue for me at all. But I don't use a lot of effects. It's not a problem for me, but if I think anything about the SLO that'll be a deal breaker for you (from what I perceive as your style and the other amps you tend to use), it'd be the loop.
6. She is as reliable as the sun rising in the east. I've never been more confident that my tone will be there every time I plug in than I am with the SLO.

Hope this helps. I could say more, but I'm tired of typing. Congrats on the purchase!

One more thing...don't go crazy with extreme settings right out of the gate. Just set all the knobs to noon (volume to taste) and go from there.

 

[Jayy]

Man, there's a lot of info that's kind of all over the place here. I love my SLO. My 2 cents:

1. She's sounds great at lower volumes. The thing is is that she sounds freakin REDICULOUS when the master gets up around noon and beyond. I'm consistently around 4ish on the MV in band situations.
2. I don't consider the SLO any brighter than a good Plexi or old school Marshall. The difference is that the SLO has a lot bite. It can be eq'd to be fairly darkish, but I don't consider it overly bright.
3. She's picky about speakers, more so than any other amp I've owned. I don't care for V30's with her, and I love V30's. I think the reason for this is that she has so much teeth and bite and the voicing is heavily in the mid range. Using V30's with the SLO seems to overload the upper mid frequencies that are already abundant in the voicing. To be clear, it doesn't sound bad by any stretch of the imagination with V30's. It just sounds better with others, IMHO. I'm using it with Lynchbacks loaded in a 2x12 and also with a Bogner 4x12 with Greenbacks on top and old 90's V30's on bottom.
4. She's not a one trick pony. That's a description that holds no weight with me whatsoever. The same could be said about any one channel Marshall, Fender Twin, etc. I've used in cover bands with the crunch channel to be set up just on edge of breakup for "cleans" with a good OD for more crunchy, in between tones. Just using the crunch channel that way along with the volume knob on the guitar cover a lot of ground, IMHO. Then there's the overdrive channel. How many sounds does somebody need anyway. I've always gotten by with three - cleanish, crunchy, overdrive. I've gotten all of those out of a 2204 with a good OD pedal.
5. You know the loop "issue" I'm sure. It's not an issue for me at all. But I don't use a lot of effects. It's not a problem for me, but if I think anything about the SLO that'll be a deal breaker for you (from what I perceive as your style and the other amps you tend to use), it'd be the loop.
6. She is as reliable as the sun rising in the east. I've never been more confident that my tone will be there every time I plug in than I am with the SLO.

Hope this helps. I could say more, but I'm tired of typing. Congrats on the purchase!

One more thing...don't go crazy with extreme settings right out of the gate. Just set all the knobs to noon (volume to taste) and go from there.

Great post! This sums up a lot of my thoughts on the SLO.

 

[Jayy]

^^^thank you!
This one has a John Suhr modded loop so it can run pedals in it without the usual SLO- pitfalls.

Awesome! When do you get this thing? What cabs and speakers are you gonna try it through?

 

[Jayy]

^^^thank you!
This one has a John Suhr modded loop so it can run pedals in it without the usual SLO- pitfalls.

Awesome! When do you get this thing? What cabs and speakers are you gonna try it through?

sometime later this week/weekend.
I have lots of cabs. Will try them all.
Sounds like Uberkab gets high marks, and I have a Diezel 2x12 loaded with Creamback 65's I will give it a whirl thru.

Awesome. Yeah try it through all of them. I've liked mine best through all of the greenback types I've tried (creamback 65's, celestion greenbacks, scumback BM75, and m75-PVCs). The Eminence V12 Legends aren't bad with the SLO at all, I'm just stuck on the greenback sounds I guess. Report back with your thoughts! I'm curious about the loop as well!

 

[SQUAREHEAD]

^^^thank you!
This one has a John Suhr modded loop so it can run pedals in it without the usual SLO- pitfalls.

Gooood, Rez! This is my only hatred for the SLO, and the reason I only owned one for a few weeks.
A good loop will be wonderful!

 

[godgrinder]

This one has a John Suhr modded loop so it can run pedals in it without the usual SLO- pitfalls.

So you got steve_k's one with the loop return level control on the back?

With the mod, now the loop should be after all the gain stages and front panel volume controls. If you run the front panel volume higher (4 or above) then bring the volume down with the loop return level, that should sound a bit better than a stock one at quieter volumes.

Generally I found that amps with a global master volume (ie the ones that controls the overall volume of all channels after the gain and channel volume controls) are easier to sound right under quieter volumes than the ones without. With the mod now the loop return level control basically works as a global master.

 

[CaseyCor]

This one has a John Suhr modded loop so it can run pedals in it without the usual SLO- pitfalls.

So you got steve_k's one with the loop return level control on the back?

With the mod, now the loop should be after all the gain stages and front panel volume controls. If you run the front panel volume higher (4 or above) then bring the volume down with the loop return level, that should sound a bit better than a stock one at quieter volumes.

Generally I found that amps with a global master volume (ie the ones that controls the overall volume of all channels after the gain and channel volume controls) are easier to sound right under quieter volumes than the ones without. With the mod now the loop return level control basically works as a global master.

Now that is some good info to have right there. Logging this in my brain for the next time I futz about with an SLO, assuming it's had a loop mod.

I never understand why a newly released amp wouldn't have a "global master volume" (barring re-issues and such). A master volume should be a MASTER VOLUME. A volume control at the end of the chain, after everything else in line, which controls the volume of all channels.

Congrats on the new amp. It'll pair great with the Creambacks, methinks. Have fun.

 

[godgrinder]

I never understand why a newly released amp wouldn't have a "global master volume" (barring re-issues and such). A master volume should be a MASTER VOLUME. A volume control at the end of the chain, after everything else in line, which controls the volume of all channels.

The Soldano way of doing things seems to be that everytime he changes something in the circuit, he would release it as a different model. So you get a whole line of Soldano models with the same base design.

The Decatone has a global master control (and assumably a moved loop). But there are other changes too so it doesn't sound exactly like an SLO.

Also when you move the loop position on the SLO it's gonna sound slightly different too.

 

[CaseyCor]

I never understand why a newly released amp wouldn't have a "global master volume" (barring re-issues and such). A master volume should be a MASTER VOLUME. A volume control at the end of the chain, after everything else in line, which controls the volume of all channels.

The Soldano way of doing things seems to be that everytime he changes something in the circuit, he would release it as a different model. So you get a whole line of Soldano models with the same base design.

The Decatone has a global master control (and assumably a moved loop). But there are other changes too so it doesn't sound exactly like an SLO.

Also when you move the loop position on the SLO it's gonna sound slightly different too.

Oh, my complaint isn't centered on Soldano by any means.I didn't mean it that way. I'm talking about new products being released today. The trend is low wattage, low volume playing, so why wouldn't a new amp have a real master volume control? I've seen some stuff coming from NAMM last weekend that just confuses me.

 

[godgrinder]

Oh, my complaint isn't centered on Soldano by any means.I didn't mean it that way. I'm talking about new products being released today. The trend is low wattage, low volume playing, so why wouldn't a new amp have a real master volume control? I've seen some stuff coming from NAMM last weekend that just confuses me.

Ah I see.

Yeah I found that many 15-25W amps that don't have global master control still don't sound too great at quieter volumes. I think the earlier lunchbox amps like the Tiny Terror were more for providing portable solutions to people who use power tube overdrive at rehearsals and gigs, instead of bedroom users. But as more and more people starting to use small tube amps at home, many manufacturers still haven't quite got their designs optimized for that...

 

[gbsmusic]

Man, there's a lot of info that's kind of all over the place here. I love my SLO. My 2 cents:

1. She's sounds great at lower volumes. The thing is is that she sounds freakin REDICULOUS when the master gets up around noon and beyond. I'm consistently around 4ish on the MV in band situations.
2. I don't consider the SLO any brighter than a good Plexi or old school Marshall. The difference is that the SLO has a lot bite. It can be eq'd to be fairly darkish, but I don't consider it overly bright.
3. She's picky about speakers, more so than any other amp I've owned. I don't care for V30's with her, and I love V30's. I think the reason for this is that she has so much teeth and bite and the voicing is heavily in the mid range. Using V30's with the SLO seems to overload the upper mid frequencies that are already abundant in the voicing. To be clear, it doesn't sound bad by any stretch of the imagination with V30's. It just sounds better with others, IMHO. I'm using it with Lynchbacks loaded in a 2x12 and also with a Bogner 4x12 with Greenbacks on top and old 90's V30's on bottom.
4. She's not a one trick pony. That's a description that holds no weight with me whatsoever. The same could be said about any one channel Marshall, Fender Twin, etc. I've used in cover bands with the crunch channel to be set up just on edge of breakup for "cleans" with a good OD for more crunchy, in between tones. Just using the crunch channel that way along with the volume knob on the guitar cover a lot of ground, IMHO. Then there's the overdrive channel. How many sounds does somebody need anyway. I've always gotten by with three - cleanish, crunchy, overdrive. I've gotten all of those out of a 2204 with a good OD pedal.
5. You know the loop "issue" I'm sure. It's not an issue for me at all. But I don't use a lot of effects. It's not a problem for me, but if I think anything about the SLO that'll be a deal breaker for you (from what I perceive as your style and the other amps you tend to use), it'd be the loop.
6. She is as reliable as the sun rising in the east. I've never been more confident that my tone will be there every time I plug in than I am with the SLO.

Hope this helps. I could say more, but I'm tired of typing. Congrats on the purchase!

One more thing...don't go crazy with extreme settings right out of the gate. Just set all the knobs to noon (volume to taste) and go from there.

This right on, the SLO is THE best amp I've ever owned!!!! It does sound better at higher volumes but it does sound great at lower volume's. Play with the settings and check out EVH settings on the Soldono forum, they were what I used and loved them. BTW I liked it better with GB's

 

[glassjaw7]

Awesome and congrats! I didn't like the first SLO I heard (used at a GC) but then I played one at a different shop and it was pretty much one of those "I get it now" moments. Looking forward to your garage band hack video!

 

[Bronco]

Man, there's a lot of info that's kind of all over the place here. I love my SLO. My 2 cents:

1. She's sounds great at lower volumes. The thing is is that she sounds freakin REDICULOUS when the master gets up around noon and beyond. I'm consistently around 4ish on the MV in band situations.
2. I don't consider the SLO any brighter than a good Plexi or old school Marshall. The difference is that the SLO has a lot bite. It can be eq'd to be fairly darkish, but I don't consider it overly bright.
3. She's picky about speakers, more so than any other amp I've owned. I don't care for V30's with her, and I love V30's. I think the reason for this is that she has so much teeth and bite and the voicing is heavily in the mid range. Using V30's with the SLO seems to overload the upper mid frequencies that are already abundant in the voicing. To be clear, it doesn't sound bad by any stretch of the imagination with V30's. It just sounds better with others, IMHO. I'm using it with Lynchbacks loaded in a 2x12 and also with a Bogner 4x12 with Greenbacks on top and old 90's V30's on bottom.
4. She's not a one trick pony. That's a description that holds no weight with me whatsoever. The same could be said about any one channel Marshall, Fender Twin, etc. I've used in cover bands with the crunch channel to be set up just on edge of breakup for "cleans" with a good OD for more crunchy, in between tones. Just using the crunch channel that way along with the volume knob on the guitar cover a lot of ground, IMHO. Then there's the overdrive channel. How many sounds does somebody need anyway. I've always gotten by with three - cleanish, crunchy, overdrive. I've gotten all of those out of a 2204 with a good OD pedal.
5. You know the loop "issue" I'm sure. It's not an issue for me at all. But I don't use a lot of effects. It's not a problem for me, but if I think anything about the SLO that'll be a deal breaker for you (from what I perceive as your style and the other amps you tend to use), it'd be the loop.
6. She is as reliable as the sun rising in the east. I've never been more confident that my tone will be there every time I plug in than I am with the SLO.

Hope this helps. I could say more, but I'm tired of typing. Congrats on the purchase!

One more thing...don't go crazy with extreme settings right out of the gate. Just set all the knobs to noon (volume to taste) and go from there.

Great post! This sums up a lot of my thoughts on the SLO.

I was just going to say the same thing...

 

[Stratpuppy]

Hey guys (&gals) - I just got one of these and I've been using it with a Suhr reactive load for recording purposes. What I noticed when I turned down my monitor speakers was that I could hear the notes / chords I was playing coming out of the output transformer - almost as though there was a small headphone speaker in there - is it normal? The noise gets louder as I turn the volume up on the amp

 

[Mesa\Kramer]

Owned mine for close to 3 years now.

These amps have a magical singing lead sound.

For anyone who says that these amps are bright or harsh, just mess with different preamp tubes.
I bought mine used and the guy found a tube combo that actually makes this amp borderline lacking in bite.

I run mine using the Normal channel (Boosted w/ plexitone) and use the Overdrive channel for leads while being able to also achieve a true volume boost this way.

The big negative on these amps are the effects loops.
Due to where the loop is located is makes delays/Verbs etc. buried while playing using gain.
(For anyone saying the loop is fine, has never used a loop or ever used a proper loop)
It's bad enough that I have had to forgo effects.
(I want to be able to hear the delay slapbacks etc. "while playing" not just when making a quick stop)

The good side is that in a good live room with the master up a bit (4 or above) , there is no need for delay/verb with the amazing singing 3D lead character of the SLO.

I'm using mine with (2) Soldano Eminence legend loaded cabs

 

[Rick Lee]

The big negative on these amps are the effects loops.
Due to where the loop is located is makes delays/Verbs etc. buried while playing using gain.
(For anyone saying the loop is fine, has never used a loop or ever used a proper loop)
It's bad enough that I have had to forgo effects.
(I want to be able to hear the delay slapbacks etc. "while playing" not just when making a quick stop)

The good side is that in a good live room with the master up a bit (4 or above) , there is no need for delay/verb with the amazing singing 3D lead character of the SLO.

I'm using mine with (2) Soldano Eminence legend loaded cabs

I run my HOF Mini in the loop, but the rest of my pedals, including a Boss DD-3, outfront, and they all sound great. These amps sound great at low volume, but they take on a whole new personal when cranked above 6. Other worldly. I think I'd had mine two years before I realized that at an outdoor gig where we got to really crank it up.

 

[flash6969]

Hey guys (&gals) - I just got one of these and I've been using it with a Suhr reactive load for recording purposes. What I noticed when I turned down my monitor speakers was that I could hear the notes / chords I was playing coming out of the output transformer - almost as though there was a small headphone speaker in there - is it normal? The noise gets louder as I turn the volume up on the amp

All my amps do this but the SLO is easily the loudest. Perfectly normal

 

[IntenseJim]

Speakers I've settled on are Scumbacks:

H55 with H75LDC FTW!

M75 for a less aggressive tone but still wonderful.

From the days of gigging ...