Soldano SLO or JCM800???

Re: Soldano SLO or JCM800???

devastone said:
Yeah, Don who:) Saw them in a club in Wilmington, NC, they all sounded great that night. That album still is one of the standards of guitar tone to me, and yep, he did use Aspen Pittman's purple Superlead head on that disc too. I'm pretty sure he used a DS-1 to push it.

Live he used the SLO and I think he started using Engls somewhere around that time too. The "wall" was just for show, he may have used 1 or 2 of the bottom cabinets.
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No kidding. :) He had a great band together. The show I was at was in Pittsburgh, PA. Small place. I got right up to the stage practically. I remember there being 3 stacks of Marshall cabs for the "wall". One of them was mic'd up. The rack was off to the side and his guitars lined up in a row on a front to back stand next to the rack.
 
Re: Soldano SLO or JCM800???

I'm a little worried about the soldno slo being too bright. Is that so? couse i'm more on the other side. I like more fat and dark sounds. Is that gonna be an issue with that amp? (if its true, of course) Or it's just an Eq fixable thing?
 
Re: Soldano SLO or JCM800???

Nikos said:
I'm a little worried about the soldno slo being too bright. Is that so? couse i'm more on the other side. I like more fat and dark sounds. Is that gonna be an issue with that amp? (if its true, of course) Or it's just an Eq fixable thing?
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The JCM 800 is the amp that has the reputation of being fairly bright. Speakers, eq, and guitars will all have a significant effect on the tone that the amp will put out, so you really do have a lot of control over your tone. I don't think that my amp is too bright all, I just think that it cuts through the mix great. Zakk Wylde uses a Marshall JCM 800 and I don't think that anyone would describe his tone as too bright. On the other hand, if you do not like the signiture upper midrange crunch of Marshalls (Soldano amps are hot rodded marshalls so they have the same character) then you might want to look more toward a more modern amp. If you want a massive bottom end response then you might be happier with a Mesa Rectifier or Bogner Ubershall.
 
Re: Soldano SLO or JCM800???

Are you aware that there are different models of JCM800 amps which sound very different from one another? If not then you definately need to research the different types of JCM 800s so that you can make an educated decision. If I remember correctly legendary tones has a good tutorial section on the different types of Marshall amps. All my comments about the JCM800s are talking about the early 1981-1983 single channel 2203 and 2204 amps which are definately considered the better ones to get. I would still take a SLO over the best JCM 800 even though they are awsome amps. If the choice was between a newer model channel switching JCM800 and a SLO then there would be absolutely no contest. The SLO is definately the better amp.
 
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Re: Soldano SLO or JCM800???

Well, if the SLO is anything like my Hot Rod 50+, get the SLO. My HR 50+ can do anything my JCM 800 2204 can do, plus a whole lot more.

The SLO shouldn't be too bright. It can be bright if you want it, but the treble and presence on that amp are so responsive, you can easily dial in darker tones.



A little off topic here, but what is with this constant comparison between the SLO and the 5150? I've owned several 5150's (original, modded, and II) and none of them ever came close to the Soldano sound, IMO. The only simularities I see are the layout of the controls.
 
Re: Soldano SLO or JCM800???

SLO anyday. ive owned a few jcm 800's and they are great amps but the slo is killer
 
Re: Soldano SLO or JCM800???

heavydutysg135 said:
(Soldano amps are hot rodded marshalls so they have the same character)
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Thats really good to hear. actually, it's what i was lookin for. :scratchch
My friends, i'm really grateful for your priceless opinions.

It's seams the sOLDANO sLO it's my ticket to ride. right???


:)
 
Re: Soldano SLO or JCM800???

The SLO is a great amp but just make sure to do your homework on what they are actually worth so that you don't pay more than you need to for the amp. Checking ebay completed listings is a great place to start; however, there might not be many of the SLO amps that sold on ebay because they are fairly rare, and those who have them probably don't want to get rid of them.
 
Re: Soldano SLO or JCM800???

heavydutysg135 said:
Are you aware that there are different models of JCM800 amps which sound very different from one another? ..........
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Yes, a Marshall with JCM800 written on it could be a 2204/2203 master volume single channal, or a 2205/2210 channel switcher, or even a four input Super Lead. JCM800 is a time period for Marshall amps, rather than a particular amp.

Most people associate JCM800 with the fairly low gain but tasty 2203/2204...I think....., but the 2205/2210 actually has a good amount of metal type gain, so maybe they are associating 80's metal with that?

I like Soldano amps a lot, but yes, they can be bright, but so can a modern Marshall.
 
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