Soldano Amps

Machinated

Machinated

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May 17, 2005
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So....

Not seen many threads about these bad boys here. Wouldn't mind uncovering a bit about these - I'd love to try and pick up an SLO one day. What are the other amps like?

I heard there is one that is just the overdrive channel of the SLO and is a bit cheaper. How similar is that amp? Also their cabs, saw one on gumtree for £350. What speakers do they come with?

ALSO, the preamps (Lasse, you know about these) - what are the differences between them, soundwise? some of them look like they can be picked up fairly cheap.

Lets go!
 
I remember someone here posting a clip of a Soldano preamp a while ago and i thought it was great i cant find the thread though. I rember looking for that preamp at the time it was an older model i think anyways it was pretty rare and very expensive but it did sound great.
 
You can get an SP77 preamp really cheap (around 300€ here), and just change a few components (change a resistor or two and add a cap iirc) and get a SLO100 lead preamp...
The X88R preamp, on the lead channel, is even more similar to the SLO100 lead channel (differs from a plate resistor), and it is supposed to sound great (was posted a clip here some time ago, it was really cool), but is more expensive.
The X99 is the latest version, basically an X88R with midi control and motorized pots, I think...

Anyway, the mesa rectifier/framus cobra preamp (on the distorted channel), is basically a SLO100 with a few mods, so the voicing/growl is pretty similar... bigger differences are on the power-amp voicing and tonestack controls...
 
get the SP-77 (around 350€) it's easily moddable and sounds great (pretty much the Overdrive channel of the SLO)
you still need the same Poweramp to get the same sound though, but at least it gets you in the ballpark.
the x88r is really cool, too. a bit more versatile than the sp-77 but very similar voiced.


the avenger is pretty much just the overdrive channel of the SLO, it still sounds a bit different (just a SLO sounds exactly like a SLO), but really great and I'd like to get an Avenger myself.

the HodRod 50+ etc are a bit different, tonewise they are really in hotrooded Marshall Land (although that's where the SLO came from as well;) ), but the hitrod have this heritage a bit more apparent in their voicing, it's a bit more raw and edgy than the SLO.

for Modern Metal Rhythms I'd prefer a 5150 or Recto (although the SLO kicks ass for that as well...just not as much to my taste) , but the Leadtone on the Soldanos is devine.


I'd really advice you to get an sp-77 as a start into Soldano-Land, run that through the Poweramp of one of your heads and see how you like it.


Will Hades Beat me ;)
 
So if I was to get one of those Soldano pre's and mod it up to something like an SLO, what kind of power amp would be best to run it with? Or is it important to have a Soldano style power amp too?

Also, are these the kind of amps you want to run tubescreamers in front of?
 
Haha, Lasse, your post just pipped mine.

I think the SP77 seems like the best bet, and I have the 6505, Triple Rec, Krank, and Marshall EL34 100/100 poweramps to run it through. And tone wise, what kind of amps would you compare the SLO to? I'm imagining it to be in the land between hotrodded Marshall and a 5150 - am I right thinking this?

Cheers btw guys! and does anyone know anything about the cabs?
 
I've used an X99, SLO100 and the matching Soldano Snakesin cab (V30s) extensively.

The SLO has a very sharp, nasal voicing that is very distinctive and cool, but can be a bit of a hassle to mix. The cab also is front-loaded and gives a very forward, cutting sound.

For an example of SLO100 and Soldano cab, check the rhythm guitars on the 'my machine' clip on my myspace page. They were done solely with that set-up.

Thanks Will for running us through how all those models differ from each other. I may have to look into some of those preamps. A few people I know own the X99 and it is quite similar to the SLO100, but a little bit more sterile/less organic sounding.
 
A modded SP77 paired with the recto power-amp on vintage mode, should take you to the ballpark of a SLO...

Don't know shit about cabs tho ahah, never heard one...
 
rediculous, I wouldn't mind having one of those preamps, but the only ones i see are like 6-700$+...
 
The reasons the SLO sounds so much different from the other Soldano products is because of the effects loop. It really does make the difference in why an SLO sounds like it does. The guys that remove the loops from their clones always end up saying they sound like the Soldano preamps after that. That tube FX loop that is always on just does something to the tone...
 
Been looking for a SLO100 for a while but they are not cheap...
Its kinda weird amp!Most high gain amps have FX-loop after tone stack,but SLO's loop is before tone stack and also loop is buffered with 2 12ax7(thats 4 triode stages!)instead of 1.
Looking at preamp schematics one will notice that Dual rectifyer is a SLO clone!
 
The latest Killswitch Engage album "As Daylight Dies" used a Soldano SLO for some of the tone AFAIK. Apparently it was a head previously owned by George Lynch.

I've never had a chance to try out a Soldano myself. Maybe someday...
 
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