Soldano SLO 100

[mentoneman]

i’m not sure but i just remember seeing the soldano and thinking his tone was pretty cool on that video in a fiery blues way. and that it was also an unusual choice for that style of music because at that time soldano was associated with the heaviest of high gain tone machines.

 

[napalmdeath]

Tubby low end.

Yep. They really should integrate a tight switch on the newer ones like they've done on the SLO II Synergy module. I absolutely loved the tone of the SLO 30, but its not a tight amp for heavier stuff. It's a really round bottom end. Even several boosts couldn't get it where I wanted it. It's an inherent roundness to the low mids that has that flub that's part of the amp's character. You like it, or you don't.

 

[DanTravis62]

Yep. They really should integrate a tight switch on the newer ones like they've done on the SLO II Synergy module. I absolutely loved the tone of the SLO 30, but its not a tight amp for heavier stuff. It's a really round bottom end. Even several boosts couldn't get it where I wanted it. It's an inherent roundness to the low mids that has that flub that's part of the amp's character. You like it, or you don't.

It's a great sounding amp but that low end character is baked in 100%

And either you like it or you don't

 

[Elric]

Interesting take, re the low end. I guess I am okay with/ it. Although I do use a boost to pre-EQ and it cuts lows. I have the Syn SLOII as well as the SLO 30W amp and prefer the amp. I’ve compared running the SLOII preamp into the 30’s power amp too.

 

[SBK]

I have the orginal SLO synergy module and absolutely love it.I guess the updated is more versatile,but I love the simplicity of this one. It’s a great amp if this module is any indication of the orginal.

 

[glpg80]

It's a great sounding amp but that low end character is baked in 100%

And either you like it or you don't

I can’t stand it myself. So much in fact that I developed the mid contour feature to scoop mids a different way than was done with the SLO/5150 to not bake the same thing into my own amps. Literally innovated around it. I prefer the stock Marshall low end that’s more chest-hitting and extended.

 

[tjnx]

idk I like it but I can see why others may not. are you guys more chuggers or solo guys? love the solo tone

this I believe is a custom built clone in a jca 100 hdm chassis

 

[Mike Oxhuge]

I can’t stand it myself. So much in fact that I developed the mid contour feature to scoop mids a different way than was done with the SLO/5150 to not bake the same thing into my own amps. Literally innovated around it. I prefer the stock Marshall low end that’s more chest-hitting and extended.

I've always said my ideal tube amp is probably a tube version of the 8100/8200 valvestate Marshall with its contour knob. So versatile. Every amp should have one. Just more balls and everything else tubes bring.

 

[DanTravis62]

idk I like it but I can see why others may not. are you guys more chuggers or solo guys? love the solo tone

this I believe is a custom built clone in a jca 100 hdm chassis

I do both, so I understand the love for it

It works amazing for leads, probably the best sounding distorted lead guitar amp ever, but it equally is a PITA for low end palm muting

 

[endofall]

Cannot comment of a true SLO but I have one of the ceriatone FAS clones. Love it. Low end is massive and it's loose. Run it with a tube screamer and it's tight and percussive just like a recto. The crunch channel on this is very plexi like and does a great marshall tone. The clean solid but there's better. All in all, it is a fantastic amp that does actually cover a lot of ground. If they had independent volume and gain controls for the clean and crunch the amp would be hard to beat with a few pedals. I've wondered how hard it would be to modify it with concentric pots to do that.

 

[napalmdeath]

idk I like it but I can see why others may not. are you guys more chuggers or solo guys? love the solo tone

this I believe is a custom built clone in a jca 100 hdm chassis

I'm both a solo guy, and a chugger to an extent that I like a tight, percussive low end. More into thrash. It's a great amp for soloing all day long, but its not a tight percussive amp for pummeling, tight rhythm. I tried every boost in my possession, EQ's, etc. Like above poster, its baked into its DNA. The only way I see getting rid of it is modifications.

Now, I did have great results double boosting the crunch channel with an SD-1 and EQ up front. That was more classic boosted 800 territory, but I could get that from amps half the price and have an unused overdrive channel, which is what the SLO is all about. So I found it a pricey waste.

 

[mentoneman]

it’d be stoked if Joe got the SRV soldano

in the end Mike Soldano has made quite a few people happy creating a legend and that is a wonderful legacy.

 

[cardinal]

I had one from 88 or 89, and owned I think two SL60s at various times.

The Soldano sound is a bit "brown" for lack of a better word. There's a blur or smear to it that is great for lead work and does well for some high gain rhythm work, but it's definitely not the first amp I would choose for rhythm work for thrash metal or low tunings.

 

[CarlF]

The latest Huge Velveta (Count Dracula) video shows an ENGL Steve Morse model A/B’d with an SLO100, and it destroys the SLO.
IMO, the SLO isn’t even relevant anymore.

This is nothing new. Generally, most any good amp blows the SLO out of the water.

 

[S̷͖͑m̵͎͂á̵̺s̸͚̈́h̴̬̑]

The latest Huge Velveta (Count Dracula) video shows an ENGL Steve Morse model A/B’d with an SLO100, and it destroys the SLO.
IMO, the SLO isn’t even relevant anymore.

This is nothing new. Generally, most any good amp blows the SLO out of the water.

Yes. It is definitely not relevant anymore, except to @Lightning
His SLO can play any song from any genre and give you a blowjob at the same time.

 

[FourT6and2]

KSE's "Set this World Ablaze" live show DVD was allegedly recorded with an SLO.

 

[Lightning]

Smash,AND your opinion like I care

 

[LPMojoGL]

I get where people are coming from, when they say the SLO low end doesn't to tight, percussive stuff.
I think it gets plenty tight, if you keep the depth knob to 1 on the dial max, and hit it with a boost. Any higher with the depth knob and it adds a lot of low mids that flub up the feel. Gain knob lower helps keep it tight, too. I think the crunch channel is a bit tighter than the od channel, reacting much like a JCM800.

That said, I'd sooner grab my Ground Zero modded SS100 or Wizard Modern Classic, if I was looking for more modern, tighter, percussive chuggy stuff. Both have a tighter, more percussive attack. Neither have the hifi hugeness or singing solo quality of the SLO, tho the SS can be dialed in pretty close, to either amp. In fact, it's difficult to tell the SS apart from the Wiz when setup that way, listening to clips. You can feel the difference when playing.

Saying the SLO gets blown out of the water by newer amps, or is irrelevant... those are certainly opinions. I would say the former opinion is biased towards a specific preference. And the 2nd, is simply not true. For the "brutz", sure ok. But in general, The Soldano SLO-100 remains highly relevant as a cornerstone of modern high-gain amplification, cherished for its rich, dynamic, and articulate tone. It's highly regarded, often referred to as holy grail or legendary, for it's high-gain tones.


Here's a clip of the SLO I made the other night. 90s PRS CE24, TS 808, od channel, Marshall 4x12 with greenbacks. So, not the tightest setup. It can be more so with a different guitar, boost and speakers.


This one is a bit tighter/percussive:


Part of the same riff as the first clip, with an SD1 and SG:


Euge gets a pretty good sound out of his:

 

[tjnx]

I'm both a solo guy, and a chugger to an extent that I like a tight, percussive low end. More into thrash. It's a great amp for soloing all day long, but its not a tight percussive amp for pummeling, tight rhythm. I tried every boost in my possession, EQ's, etc. Like above poster, its baked into its DNA. The only way I see getting rid of it is modifications.

Now, I did have great results double boosting the crunch channel with an SD-1 and EQ up front. That was more classic boosted 800 territory, but I could get that from amps half the price and have an unused overdrive channel, which is what the SLO is all about. So I found it a pricey waste.

Yep I can see that from the one I played

 

[cardinal]

There's definitely still a place for the SLO. It's a great amp for certain things. 8-string modern metal probably isn't one of them, but there's plenty of high gain stuff that the SLO is just brilliant for.

It's very inspiring to play leads, which is hard to describe but I feel it. Only other amp that's done that for me was a C+.

And it does great with standard or drop D riffing for 80s and 90s type glam/grunge which can get plenty heavy.