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What's so great about Soldano amps?

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  • #16
    Re: What's so great about Soldano amps?

    Hotrods and SLO (Super Lead Overdrive) are basically a souped up highgain amp with 6L6's, rather than EL-34's, so it doesn't exactly have the woody Marshall tone. It's closer to a 5150, and actually the 5150 was sorta modeled after Soldanos.

    I think Soldanos are very well made amps that sound great, but I haven't found them to be my sound. I still like British gain, rather than 6L6 gain like Mesa, Rivera, and Soldano. Even still, I wouldn't hesitate to own another one, just to have it. I had a Hot Rod 50, which I sold fairly quickly. One Soldano I really like is the Avenger, since it's basically the SLO lead channel only, but sounds a little thicker. I liked the Lucky 13 and Decatone I heard too. Never heard an Astroverb.
    Originally posted by Boogie Bill
    I've got 60 guitars...but 49 trumpets is just...INSANITY! WTF!

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    • #17
      Re: What's so great about Soldano amps?

      I have a Hot Rod 50 plus. As GJ says, they aren't really a marshall tone, though the hot rods sound a bit more marshally than the SLOs.

      My hot rod is a very articulate amp, and needs to be cranked to sound it's best. I run mine with the master dimed and the preamp on about three, which gives a nice, chiming medium drive tone. Speakers play a major part in making a hot rod sound great. I find v30s to be a very good match.

      Personally I find soldanos to be very easy amps to play. I'm currently tossing up whether to hold onto mine or move towards a more JTM45-style amp for a darker, more 70s kind of sound. I'm also thinking of fitting el34s to mine as an experiment.

      The astroverb does a very good job of getting the soldano thing happening at lower volumes. Probably the ultimate bedroom shredder amp.
      Last edited by Hot _Grits; 11-14-2006, 04:45 PM.
      Originally posted by Jolly
      ...but then again, I'm so deaf I can't even hear myself fart.

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      • #18
        Re: What's so great about Soldano amps?

        Originally posted by devastone View Post
        The guy who's Soldano I first played through came to try out for a band we were trying to put together. Anyway, he shows up with a Marshall 4-12, a Soldano HR50, a Strat, and proceeds to pull out a POD. I stared in disbelief! He plugs into the POD, then runs it straight into the front end of the Soldano. We played through a few songs, well sorta, and yep, his sound was terrible. So, at the end, I asked if I could plug straight into his amp, wow, it killed! He looked at it and said he didn't know it could sound like that. After that I sold my Rivera and looked for a HR50, I couldn't afford a real SLO.
        HAHAHAHHAA HOLY POTATOES BATMAN! He actually put a POD through it, god that would have been hilarious
        My Soundclick page.

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        • #19
          Re: What's so great about Soldano amps?

          SLO-100 is the best amp I ever played.

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          • #20
            Re: What's so great about Soldano amps?

            SOLDANO AMPS GO TO ELEVEN!!

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            • #21
              Re: What's so great about Soldano amps?

              I remember playing a couple back in the '90s, when Mike had his shop in Seattle. To my ear, more Fender than Marshall. Tight response, very punchy. Too loud for what I was doing at the time, and not quite versatile enough. Then I found my Mesa Mark III, and that amp hit the right balance perfectly.

              But the Soldano was a great amp.

              Bill
              When you've had budget guitars for a number of years, you may find that your old instrument is holding you back. A quality guitar can inspire you to write great songs, improve your understanding of the Gdim chord while in the Lydian Mode, cure the heartbreak of cystic acne--and help you find true love in the process.

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              • #22
                Re: What's so great about Soldano amps?

                Originally posted by Diamond Dave View Post
                SOLDANO AMPS GO TO ELEVEN!!
                Thirteen year hiatus ended for that. I'll be off searching for the most epic of facepalm GIFs.

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                • #23
                  Re: What's so great about Soldano amps?

                  Soldanos are based off Boogies not Marshalls. Whole different animal have played a number of them.
                  Michael Soldano originally worked with his head technician Bill Sundt at Stars Guitars (San Francisco, CA), modifying amps brought to him. He had built his first amp, a Fender Bassman clone, with the aid of books being discarded by a library. Michael worked on modifying his version of the Bassman for years, until he bought a Mesa/Boogie Mark II and began modifying this amp. The first three SLO amps were based upon this amp and the first one was sold to a female friend. The second one was sold to Howard Leese from the band Heart. Within six months, he had sold amps to Steve Lukather, Michael Landau, Vivian Campbell, Aldo Nova, John Fogerty and Lou Reed
                  Guitars
                  Kiesel DC 135, Carvin AE 185, DC 400, DC 127 KOA, DC 127 Quilt Purple, X220C, PRS Custom 24, Washburn USA MG 122 proto , MG 102, MG 120.
                  Amps PRS Archon 50 head, MT 15, Mesa Subway Rocket, DC-5, Carvin X50B Hot Rod Mod head, Zinky 25watt Blue Velvet combo.

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                  • #24
                    Re: What's so great about Soldano amps?

                    Years and years ago I was on the prowl for my first tube amp. Borrowed my parents car and brought a guitarist friend and we drove out to the countryside where this guy had a Mesa Stiletto for sale. We rock up and he shows us the amp and right next to it is an SLO. So I try out the Mesa and it's alright I guess but since we're there anyway, and I know how rare that amp is, I ask if I could plug in and the guy is super friendly and says no problem, so I hook up and chug away and mother of God it was beautiful. We finish up and I tell him thanks for the hospitality, but now that I've played the SLO, no way am I gonna be happy with that Mesa and he says yeah, that's what everybody who came here for the Mesa ended up saying [emoji1]
                    --------------------------------------------------------
                    1973 Aria 551
                    1984 Larrivee RS-4 w/ EMG SA/SA/89
                    1989 Charvel 750 XL w/ DMZ Tone Zone & Air Norton
                    1990's noname crap-o-caster plywood P/J Bass
                    1991 Heartfield Elan III w/ DMZ mystery pups
                    1995 Aria Pro II TA-65
                    2001 Gibson Les Paul Gothic w/ PG-1 & SH-8

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                    • #25
                      Re: What's so great about Soldano amps?

                      I have a SLO 100 schematic. It is essentially a Marshall 2203 with an extra preamp tube. I can see alluding the SLO to the TWEED bassman, though, since most Marshalls are a variation on that theme, and the 5F6A DNA is plain to see in the schematic. It has little in common with the black face topology that the MK series is based on, however.

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                      • #26
                        Re: What's so great about Soldano amps?

                        George, Warren, Gary*; some real tone monsters got their best tones from the SLO. They are extremely rare on this side of the pond, but I tried an HR+ 10+ years ago, and it is to this day the best-sounding amp I have ever tried, no question about it. If the SLO 30s ever become available to us old-worlders, I am going to have a really hard time not getting one/getting the money for one.

                        *: If you can't tell whom I'm talking of from their first names, you should hang your head in shame.
                        Last edited by Sirion; 02-22-2020, 02:18 AM.

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                        • #27
                          Re: What's so great about Soldano amps?

                          Originally posted by Sirion View Post
                          George, Warren, Gary*; some real tone monsters got their best tones from the SLO.
                          *: If you can't tell whom I'm talking off from their first names, you should hang your head in shame.
                          Not only do I know I have stood in front of them playing a SLO!!
                          I agree 100% on all 3 like HERE!!
                          Guitars
                          Kiesel DC 135, Carvin AE 185, DC 400, DC 127 KOA, DC 127 Quilt Purple, X220C, PRS Custom 24, Washburn USA MG 122 proto , MG 102, MG 120.
                          Amps PRS Archon 50 head, MT 15, Mesa Subway Rocket, DC-5, Carvin X50B Hot Rod Mod head, Zinky 25watt Blue Velvet combo.

                          Comment


                          • #28
                            Re: What's so great about Soldano amps?

                            I love my 98 HR100+ , it's been my main amp since 2010 and nothing yet has knocked it off the throne .
                            I've tried going back to Marshall's , Mesa's and Carvin X100B amps but I prefer the Soldano tone and smooth tube overdrive gain .
                            The SLO is the flagship amp but if you have one you quickly learn the magic lives in that amp being cranked up really loud to get the goods , it's also more hifi sounding than the HR amps . The SLO may not be the only amp for you depending on what your trying to get out of the Soldano tone .
                            I have also owned the SLO , HR50 , Avenger 100w with Deyoung iron and there is still something magical about my old 98 HR100+ with stock MM iron that just smashes it for me .
                            Only mods I have done to it was drop the 5881 tubes and run real 6L6GC tubes and install SLO knobs , hated the chicken head knobs .
                            I use the slave out on the back to my effects and bring them back through a Carvin 100w tube power amp pumping it through EVM12L loaded cabinets , sounds much better than effects through the loop imo .
                            After 10 years straight of playing Soldano amps my gear search is over , other than buying more Soldano amps when a good deal pops up , lol .
                            Last edited by JB6464; 02-23-2020, 04:52 PM.

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                            • #29
                              Re: What's so great about Soldano amps?

                              In an overly generalized sense, and in case there is confusion, Soldanos are generally considered feature added and gain stage changed Marshalls JCMS which themselves are feature added and gain stage changes to the original Marshall JTM which is also a gain stage change to the Fender Bassmans -which is ALSO where the Mesa Boogie line comes from with feature adds and gain stage changes. -of course all versions of every brand had minor power stage, tube and transformer tweeks as well -especially because of what they could source.

                              But the Soldano, Mesa Boogie and Marshall lines all trace their DNA from the Fender Bassman.

                              So they are all related -nobody's wrong referencing a Soldano as Marshally or Mesa Boogyie -maybe its just more correct to say they are Bassmany.
                              Last edited by NegativeEase; 02-24-2020, 10:48 AM.
                              “For me, when everything goes wrong – that’s when adventure starts.” Yvonne Chouinard

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                              • #30
                                Re: What's so great about Soldano amps?

                                i thought the boogies were more bf fender based than tweed? growing up a local guy had a slo100 and it was awesome but the volume needed to be at like 5 or 6 to sound its best. he also had some mod done so there was a little more low mid at lower gain settings or something. its the only slo ive spent much time with and if i was playing places where i could have a 100w at 6 id be very happy to have one.

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