Soldano SLO30 vid here.

[ErikT]

This demo made me sit up and say hello there.

 

[Norton666]

I’ve played many SLO’s over the years. For me , they fall into the same category as Rectos. They are 100% unusable FOR ME , without a boost to tighten them up. I would take an EVH 50 water over one of these any day of the week. Again , just my opinion

 

[motorboy1]

Everything Ola demos pretty much sounds the same anyway.

 

[motorboy1]

I've always read that Mike Soldano designed it to be as close to a cranked Plexi Superlead that he could get with a Master volume. I always thought Ed's tone with the SLO was great. Here's Ed with a SLO halfstackand sound pretty dry effects,maybe some delay at Cabo in 1990, the tone is aggressive and cuts much like a great Marshall. But....I'm sure he is cranking it. I'm sure at lower volumes it could be buzzy, I remember playing a VHT in 1992 and I cranked the preamp to 8 like I set my Marshall 2203 and it was very buzzy at low volumes and I was like, "it's buzzy" but I was so used to my Marshall I didn't realize it had twice the gain on tap.

You can hear the subdued compression in the brand new 5150(1991) tone compared to the raw aggression of the SLO.

Man were they great here..........

 

[peckhart]

Warren Haynes played one for a long time. I think in recent years he moved to some Marshalls, but I did see Gov't Mule a bunch with his SLO cooking out some killer tones.
Also saw Motley Crue with Mick running cranked SLOs. Very different thing with the amps really cranked...lots of gain, guitars down tuned to D.

Just 2 more examples of pros using them that I have witnessed first hand. I know Clapton had a noteable run of years he toured with one too, but I never heard it first hand.

 

[311boogieman]

Yeah - I'd take a used HR50 if I were to buy a Soldano.

 

[155]

For some reason I’ve always hated the fact than an amp needed a boost to sound good

could not agree more!

 

[RaceU4her]

Warren Haynes played one for a long time. I think in recent years he moved to some Marshalls, but I did see Gov't Mule a bunch with his SLO cooking out some killer tones.
Also saw Motley Crue with Mick running cranked SLOs. Very different thing with the amps really cranked...lots of gain, guitars down tuned to D.

Just 2 more examples of pros using them that I have witnessed first hand. I know Clapton had a noteable run of years he toured with one too, but I never heard it first hand.

so is that really enough to send an amp into "king of amps" best ever type descriptions like im seeing in all these youtube reviews? i would think being a king of amps we could at least name some albums and not have to go digging for rehearsal videos to hear what the thing sounds like. i predict many classic "such an amazing amp and i WILL own another but..." threads in the classifieds coming soon after these come out

 

[Snave]

Warren Haynes played one for a long time. I think in recent years he moved to some Marshalls, but I did see Gov't Mule a bunch with his SLO cooking out some killer tones.
Also saw Motley Crue with Mick running cranked SLOs. Very different thing with the amps really cranked...lots of gain, guitars down tuned to D.

Just 2 more examples of pros using them that I have witnessed first hand. I know Clapton had a noteable run of years he toured with one too, but I never heard it first hand.

so is that really enough to send an amp into "king of amps" best ever type descriptions like im seeing in all these youtube reviews? i would think being a king of amps we could at least name some albums and not have to go digging for rehearsal videos to hear what the thing sounds like. i predict many classic "such an amazing amp and i WILL own another but..." threads in the classifieds coming soon after these come out

You're not wrong. There was nothing like the SLO in 1987, but Mesa Boogie (and, to a lesser extent, Peavey) stole its thunder in '91/'92. There are albums that feature it (EVH, Ratt, Silverchair, Killswitch Engage, High on Fire, etc.), but it's no Plexi or Recto in terms of ubiquity.

The SLO was a tough pill to swallow at $2,500 used—at $4,000, it's madness. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: most people who could afford Soldanos didn't own them for a reason. As the novelty of new models wears off, we'll see a lot more in the classifieds.

All that being said, it's one of my favorite amps. It's just not very practical.

 

[splatter]

I have the new 100w SLO and its a beast. It was flubby till I put 5881s in it and now there is nothing flubby about it .
Personally I don't see how anyone can really tell anything about an amp when all the demo does is hit tuned down chords. That is unless thats all you want it for

 

[John 14:6]

I like this SL30 video WAY more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zbzpZ0qMac

 

[Mailman1971]

Everything Ola demos pretty much sounds the same anyway.

Yes. Not that it’s bad???
But they all sound killer metal. From the DOD grunge pedal. To the ENGL power ball. All sound the same to me. Love his clips.

 

[suhrimmetal]

I like this SL30 video WAY more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zbzpZ0qMac

Thanks... definitely a better and more balanced demo. With no disrespect to anyone.. I just like seeing amps played through different guitars, genres, settings when I watch live demos.

 

[jemzax]

Warren Haynes played one for a long time. I think in recent years he moved to some Marshalls, but I did see Gov't Mule a bunch with his SLO cooking out some killer tones.
Also saw Motley Crue with Mick running cranked SLOs. Very different thing with the amps really cranked...lots of gain, guitars down tuned to D.

Just 2 more examples of pros using them that I have witnessed first hand. I know Clapton had a noteable run of years he toured with one too, but I never heard it first hand.

so is that really enough to send an amp into "king of amps" best ever type descriptions like im seeing in all these youtube reviews? i would think being a king of amps we could at least name some albums and not have to go digging for rehearsal videos to hear what the thing sounds like. i predict many classic "such an amazing amp and i WILL own another but..." threads in the classifieds coming soon after these come out

Lynch Mob Wicked Sensation's rhythm sections are mostly recorded via SLO100..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saRkAA_j2UM

Also VH's F.U.C.K album, you can diffidently hear the vibe.

 

[MetalHeadMike]

For some reason I’ve always hated the fact than an amp needed a boost to sound good

I get this...to each is own. Doesn't bother me in the slightest. If it gets me the tone/feel I'm after, I'll use a boost in front of any amp regardless of price point.

It's not that it doesn't sound good without one; it's that it sounds GREAT with one. I'm so used to enjoying the tone with a boost, even if it's just a slight one, that I have to use one even in front of a high gain amp. The only amp I own that needs one is my stock 2203. Everything else is just fine stock without a boost. But they get that much better with one. IMO.
The SLO did sound good stock, but it didn't resemble the tone I heard on the RATT record. But as soon as I goosed it just a little, there it was. Like a great modded Marshall with a monster power section.

My C+ Coliseum has so much gain, at 6 it's almost overwhelming. But I even boost that lol. I drop the gain way down though to 2-3 when I do. It adds some upper mid bite that the amp doesn't really have on its own.

Only amp I've ever owned that I enjoyed without a boost was the Savage 120. The FB100 when cranked up was close, but was still better boosted to me. Every other amp I've had be it Mesa, Wizard, Fryette, on and on and on needs a boost for my taste.

 

[Goat]

I don't mind boost pedals, as long as the amp doesn't require one to get the best sound from it. By example, my 2554 SJ sounds best with no boost pedal, reguardless of its design. Same goes with the Bogner 100B, Cornford MK, and Boogie Mark series. A truly great MV amplifier shouldn't require a boost to get the goods. My early SLO 100 (no effects loop) was the same way. With a 5751 @ V2, that amp killed - no pedal required. My later SLO's w/effects loop weren't as dynamic as my first. I also owned a rack version SLO that I purchased for $1,800.00 from BAL in Cali. Nice, but not as nice as my first. Ha! They never are...

 

[Mr. Willy]

To me, boosts are not so much about the sound as they are about the feel. An amp should sound good without having to use pedals. I’m not talking about tone. If an amp doesn’t have a good base tone, no pedal is going to fix it.

That being said, amps that work well with boosts tend to be more dynamic than amps that don’t work well with boosts, imho. You take a great JCM800 and just the guitar’s volume knob, and you’ve got a lot of usable ground there. You add a boost to the mix and you just add another layer to that.

 

[LP Freak]

To me, boosts are not so much about the sound as they are about the feel. An amp should sound good without having to use pedals. I’m not talking about tone. If an amp doesn’t have a good base tone, no pedal is going to fix it.

That being said, amps that work well with boosts tend to be more dynamic than amps that don’t work well with boosts, imho. You take a great JCM800 and just the guitar’s volume knob, and you’ve got a lot of usable ground there. You add a boost to the mix and you just add another layer to that.

Yep

 

[Goat]

You take a great JCM800 and just the guitar’s volume knob, and you’ve got a lot of usable ground there. You add a boost to the mix and you just add another layer to that.

If I disengage the LED diodes on my SJ, boost pedals do help to expand that mode. LED's on, is a proprietary sound that doesn't like condiments.

 

[panhead]

Warren Haynes played one for a long time. I think in recent years he moved to some Marshalls, but I did see Gov't Mule a bunch with his SLO cooking out some killer tones.
Also saw Motley Crue with Mick running cranked SLOs. Very different thing with the amps really cranked...lots of gain, guitars down tuned to D.

Just 2 more examples of pros using them that I have witnessed first hand. I know Clapton had a noteable run of years he toured with one too, but I never heard it first hand.

so is that really enough to send an amp into "king of amps" best ever type descriptions like im seeing in all these youtube reviews? i would think being a king of amps we could at least name some albums and not have to go digging for rehearsal videos to hear what the thing sounds like. i predict many classic "such an amazing amp and i WILL own another but..." threads in the classifieds coming soon after these come out

Lynch Mob Wicked Sensation's rhythm sections are mostly recorded via SLO100..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saRkAA_j2UM

60`s 50 watt marshall and 60 watt laney only slo is overdubs in river of love, listen to it and youll hear the slo

Also VH's F.U.C.K album, you can diffidently hear the vibe.