How similar are the 5150/6505 and the Soldano SLO really?

[Maximusgordon 2.0]

Ive been told by the people on this forum before that the Peavey 5150 is a rip off of the Soldano SLO, just with an added "resonance" control. I have played both and yah, they both definently have a similar feel overall, tons of gain, sustain, and a compressed feel, with the Soldano obviously having more clarity and "tone" overall. But is it just me or is the 5150 more, i guess, more of a scooped-mid modern metal sound? Are they really THAT identical. I really can't see Warren Hayes using a 5150! Is it just because the 5150 uses lower quality parts? Or are they actually more different than people say they are?

 

[aleclee]

Re: How similar are the 5150/6505 and the Soldano SLO really?

I'm guessing that the 5150 was tweaked to give more low end. The schems I've seen look pretty similar up to the PI.

For that matter, the Yamaha T100 is very much a SLO clone. At least Mike Soldano designed that amp so it's a more "legitimate" rip off. I owned a T100 and it really lacked the depth of the Soldanos I've owned (HR50 & Decatone). I'd chalk it up to some cut corners in the power supply and much cheaper transformers. It was very good for 80s metal tones, though.

 

[Stringmachine]

Re: How similar are the 5150/6505 and the Soldano SLO really?

I cant really hear the similarities between the two amps.

Sure, they both have tons of gain, but as you state, the SLO is clearer and more transparent, and has a warmer and more pronounced sound to it.

The schemes might look the same, but the overall feel of the amps are different.