M@tt C
Well-known member
So, I received the SLO-30 on Thursday, spent some time getting it dialed on Friday, gigged it on Saturday. My normal amp is a 100 watt PWE Event Horizon with a Fender clean/ Marshall OD flavor.
The context
My band covers pretty much everything- classic rock, modern rock, alternative rock, dance, modern country, to 80's. Anything from Neil Diamond to Duran Duran to Black Sabbath is fair game!
With that in mind a versatile, responsive amp is what I like with a good clean, crunch, and lead channel with a volume boost. Good FX loop is a must as well. Yes, I had a Kemper for a few years but I grew tired of trying to find the right profile, the right level, etc. For reference I have also owned and used a Friedman Runt 50, a 50 PWE Event Horizon, a Suhr Badger 30, a Budda SD 30, and a Marshall 2203 reissue.
My rig
I'm a superstrat guy- I used my H/S/H Anderson drop top last night. FX are minimal. Digitech Drop for the Eb stuff, Exotic SP compressor, MXR Phase 95, and Xotic EP boost in front of the amp, Lexicon MPX-1 with a Rane mixer in the FX loop to create a parallel FX loop. I use the Lexicon for delays and some detunes for the 80's stuff. I did grab a good old box stock Boss SD-1 to try as a boost in front of the amp for the 80's rock thang.
This is all going into an EVH 2x12 with a Scumback M75/ BM75 mix, with the BM75 mic'd with a Shure SM57. I use IEM's and split the signal to grab the 57 right to my in ear setup and the also to the board.
I set the amp up on crunch with the gained maxed for my clean-to-mean (bright switch on), and the OD channel set with the volume up a bit more for leads.
And???
Holy sh#t- this amp is amazing!!
The crunch channel was worth it alone. Cleans up wonderfully, especially if I went to single coil mode- just a little bit of grit but it sounded SO cool. Didn't even need to turn on the compressor. SUPER responsive and dynamic. Went all the way up to a great rock crunch with the guitar volume maxed, and with the SD-1 as a dirty boost it went to hard rock awesomeness. I even used the SD-1 for some leads and it sounded killer. I could have used this channel all night!
The OD channel was stellar. More mids, fatter, more compressed compared to the normal channel but perfect for singing leads. Feels great under the fingers. I accidentally stayed on the channel for a few rock tunes and unbelievably it cleans up well too!
The overall voicing sits perfectly in a busy mix- there's a really nice high mid push cut that cuts right through but it's not harsh at all.
And this amp can get LOUD. I would swear this is a 50 watt amp AT LEAST. Tons of punch and bottom end.
Put all this in a 30lb compact format? Winner winner chicken dinner!
My $.02
I've never played an SLO-100. I'm not chasing a particular artist's tone. I don't care if BAD is making these and Mike's not, or if it's PCB based. I know it's not cheap.
It's an incredible amp, and it inspired me. THAT'S what I care about.
The context
My band covers pretty much everything- classic rock, modern rock, alternative rock, dance, modern country, to 80's. Anything from Neil Diamond to Duran Duran to Black Sabbath is fair game!
With that in mind a versatile, responsive amp is what I like with a good clean, crunch, and lead channel with a volume boost. Good FX loop is a must as well. Yes, I had a Kemper for a few years but I grew tired of trying to find the right profile, the right level, etc. For reference I have also owned and used a Friedman Runt 50, a 50 PWE Event Horizon, a Suhr Badger 30, a Budda SD 30, and a Marshall 2203 reissue.
My rig
I'm a superstrat guy- I used my H/S/H Anderson drop top last night. FX are minimal. Digitech Drop for the Eb stuff, Exotic SP compressor, MXR Phase 95, and Xotic EP boost in front of the amp, Lexicon MPX-1 with a Rane mixer in the FX loop to create a parallel FX loop. I use the Lexicon for delays and some detunes for the 80's stuff. I did grab a good old box stock Boss SD-1 to try as a boost in front of the amp for the 80's rock thang.
This is all going into an EVH 2x12 with a Scumback M75/ BM75 mix, with the BM75 mic'd with a Shure SM57. I use IEM's and split the signal to grab the 57 right to my in ear setup and the also to the board.
I set the amp up on crunch with the gained maxed for my clean-to-mean (bright switch on), and the OD channel set with the volume up a bit more for leads.
And???
Holy sh#t- this amp is amazing!!
The crunch channel was worth it alone. Cleans up wonderfully, especially if I went to single coil mode- just a little bit of grit but it sounded SO cool. Didn't even need to turn on the compressor. SUPER responsive and dynamic. Went all the way up to a great rock crunch with the guitar volume maxed, and with the SD-1 as a dirty boost it went to hard rock awesomeness. I even used the SD-1 for some leads and it sounded killer. I could have used this channel all night!
The OD channel was stellar. More mids, fatter, more compressed compared to the normal channel but perfect for singing leads. Feels great under the fingers. I accidentally stayed on the channel for a few rock tunes and unbelievably it cleans up well too!
The overall voicing sits perfectly in a busy mix- there's a really nice high mid push cut that cuts right through but it's not harsh at all.
And this amp can get LOUD. I would swear this is a 50 watt amp AT LEAST. Tons of punch and bottom end.
Put all this in a 30lb compact format? Winner winner chicken dinner!
My $.02
I've never played an SLO-100. I'm not chasing a particular artist's tone. I don't care if BAD is making these and Mike's not, or if it's PCB based. I know it's not cheap.
It's an incredible amp, and it inspired me. THAT'S what I care about.
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