Soldano SLO Owners Chime In

fusedbrain":23x48y86 said:
jasonP":23x48y86 said:
Depth mod and get rid of those shit box 5881’s for a nice 6L6 tube and you will be set.
I've tried quads of =C=6L6, TAD6L6GC, Shuguang 6L6 and those crazy wafer-bottom Sovtek 5881's in my SLO, and the 5881's sounded the best to me by far. :dunno:
I thought the depth mod that was in my amp when I got it sounded like ass too, so what do I know.... :LOL: :LOL:
I do think a depth mod will work for the OP though...

For me, stock SLO with 5881's = :rock:
:rock:

The best 6L6 tube out there, for most are the vintage Sylvanias. I have 18 at this point, and they sound killer in my C++ and any other 6L6 amp I've had, with one exception.
SLO. Wafer 5881s for the win, by far.
 
Metlupass2":12ngwntl said:
SpiderWars":12ngwntl said:
Have you tried cranking the Presence (or close to it) and dialing back the Treble? That seems to give the mids/high mids a different character that might allow the low end to sound more full. I have Depth on my clone but I usually run Presence really high and Treble pretty low.


Yeah. To me the presence on any amp doesn't make a difference until it's almost all the way. I just got it Saturday so I'm still figuring things out. Mine has the WH mod too. I'm not sure if it was factory or not.
When I got my first one, I visited the Soldano forum and tried some settings that were posted. My favorite ended up being Presence 8-10, Treb 0-3, Mids 3-5. Bass 7-8. Seemed to have good low end to me. Matched the low end in the Cam Aldrich JMP I had at the same time. That SLO was stock too.
 
mhenson42":1enfw3dp said:
You should skip the depth mod and get the Wizard mod instead. That’s where you sell the SLO and buy a Wizard Modern Classic II!
Agreed. Except I have a MTL, but used to own a 96 MC. A good Cameron modded Marshall or even a Gower mod would also do the trick
 
Metlupass2":2mnqjkcv said:
I'm not after a big huge bottom end just something.

I have a general setup question for you. Are you trying to get that low end on the OD channel for riffing? A lot of people do that. IMO you're chasing your tail there.

The SLO was designed to use the rhythm/crunch channel for rhythm work. It has more low end than the OD channel to it naturally and it's pretty focused. My suggestion is to treat that channel like an old Marshall 2203 and set it up as your core rhythm sound. Don't be afraid to boost and EQ the input for it for heavier sounds. Dial that channel in for what you want rhythm-wise.

Now, go back to the OD channel and set gain and master only for leads. It does have an attenuated bass which is a benefit for leads.

The depth mod adds low mids. It might do what you want. It's a simple mod. However, the SLO already runs on low mids so the chances you'll just get mud is pretty high. Depth/resonance circuits don't add bass. Of course, part of this is playing the amp at home. It was designed for the stage with a bass player. They mask all that bass people chase after in other high gain amps when you're playing in a full band.
 
Also what Preamp tubes are you running? I have landed on regular ole Sovtek WB's and either a JJ803 or Sovtek LPS in V1. Plenty of lowend that way, had all new Chinese and it was VERY thin and brite. Seems reading thru the slo clone forums NOS JAN's are a favorite too..
 
I've used SLOs, Hot Rods and JCAs quite a bit over the years. I've never felt they lack low end when played loud enough and in a band mix.

They are not practice amps. They sound amazing when used as intended.

Consider the new 25w head for lower volume home playing.
 
Metlupass2":1xybfug8 said:
I'm not after a big huge bottom end just something.
This statement has me concerned that there may be something going on with the amp itself. I've been running mine while playing low volume at home with an EVH 2x12 and it seems to have plenty of low end (no mods). I do boost it with either a modded SD-1 or Maxon OD9 on occasion.
 
Yeah first thing is speaker swap. Pull the 75’s out of Uberkab and put g12-65 or wgs et65 or creamback 75h. Keep 2 vintage 30’s in there. V30’s alone is too much spike. Depth mod helps too. What guitar are you using. It really puts the guitar under a microscope and will sound like itself x10. So if a thin guitar that’s what it will emphasize. Once you figure out how to use it you will see it’s one of the best amps ever. Keep the gain at 5 and use a klon to get you the rest of the way. I much prefer the SLO to the Wizard I had. Also the standard Soldano 2x12 has tons of low end. I have 2 Uberkabs as well with the above speaker mix. Perhaps the Diezel cab with a speaker mix will have more low end than the Uberkabs
 
nevusofota":26u0f0qq said:
Metlupass2":26u0f0qq said:
I'm not after a big huge bottom end just something.
This statement has me concerned that there may be something going on with the amp itself. I've been running mine while playing low volume at home with an EVH 2x12 and it seems to have plenty of low end (no mods). I do boost it with either a modded SD-1 or Maxon OD9 on occasion.
Yeah, I was wondering about the health of the OP's amp too...
Just checked my SLO, and the OD gain is on 4, Bass is on 6, and the master is at 3, and the last time I plugged in, it sounded massive as usual, with plenty of bottom end.
I know Mike Soldano has said that he likes to set the presence around 6 or 7, and then use the treble control to dial in the high end. Mids to taste. I run my presence on 7 and treble @ 4-5.
 
halebox":j5xeqnt2 said:
Yeah first thing is speaker swap. Pull the 75’s out of Uberkab and put g12-65 or wgs et65 or creamback 75h. Keep 2 vintage 30’s in there. V30’s alone is too much spike. Depth mod helps too. What guitar are you using. It really puts the guitar under a microscope and will sound like itself x10. So if a thin guitar that’s what it will emphasize. Once you figure out how to use it you will see it’s one of the best amps ever. Keep the gain at 5 and use a klon to get you the rest of the way. I much prefer the SLO to the Wizard I had. Also the standard Soldano 2x12 has tons of low end. I have 2 Uberkabs as well with the above speaker mix. Perhaps the Diezel cab with a speaker mix will have more low end than the Uberkabs

I dunno... I dunno... Your clips were a big part of me picking the MC2 over the SLO. The one you did with the MC Solution bridge pup. The MC2 sounds fuller, bigger more together, more massive, more up front. No right or wrong... really just preferences at this level.
 
The attenuator has got to be robbing low end. My settings are bass - 5, mid - 6, treble - 6, presence - 7. At gigs, I’ve only gotten it up to around 4, and that’s plenty loud. Even only running it through one Redback, the low end is there. With a 4x12, I don’t see how anyone would want more low end. Part of the SLO magic is in the mids. It allows the tone to sit perfectly in the mix, imho.
 
Wizard of Ozz":18qysesv said:
halebox":18qysesv said:
Yeah first thing is speaker swap. Pull the 75’s out of Uberkab and put g12-65 or wgs et65 or creamback 75h. Keep 2 vintage 30’s in there. V30’s alone is too much spike. Depth mod helps too. What guitar are you using. It really puts the guitar under a microscope and will sound like itself x10. So if a thin guitar that’s what it will emphasize. Once you figure out how to use it you will see it’s one of the best amps ever. Keep the gain at 5 and use a klon to get you the rest of the way. I much prefer the SLO to the Wizard I had. Also the standard Soldano 2x12 has tons of low end. I have 2 Uberkabs as well with the above speaker mix. Perhaps the Diezel cab with a speaker mix will have more low end than the Uberkabs

I dunno... I dunno... Your clips were a big part of me picking the MC2 over the SLO. The one you did with the MC Solution bridge pup. The MC2 sounds fuller, bigger more together, more massive, more up front. No right or wrong... really just preferences at this level.

Ha it recorded really nicely. I just had problems with it playing live. Perhaps the wiz sounds too huge and it becomes hard to control. I feel I have more control with the slo and it cuts in a way I prefer. Anyways don't want to derail thread.
 
halebox":2oxwhvif said:
Wizard of Ozz":2oxwhvif said:
halebox":2oxwhvif said:
Yeah first thing is speaker swap. Pull the 75’s out of Uberkab and put g12-65 or wgs et65 or creamback 75h. Keep 2 vintage 30’s in there. V30’s alone is too much spike. Depth mod helps too. What guitar are you using. It really puts the guitar under a microscope and will sound like itself x10. So if a thin guitar that’s what it will emphasize. Once you figure out how to use it you will see it’s one of the best amps ever. Keep the gain at 5 and use a klon to get you the rest of the way. I much prefer the SLO to the Wizard I had. Also the standard Soldano 2x12 has tons of low end. I have 2 Uberkabs as well with the above speaker mix. Perhaps the Diezel cab with a speaker mix will have more low end than the Uberkabs

I dunno... I dunno... Your clips were a big part of me picking the MC2 over the SLO. The one you did with the MC Solution bridge pup. The MC2 sounds fuller, bigger more together, more massive, more up front. No right or wrong... really just preferences at this level.

Ha it recorded really nicely. I just had problems with it playing live. Perhaps the wiz sounds too huge and it becomes hard to control. I feel I have more control with the slo and it cuts in a way I prefer. Anyways don't want to derail thread.
When I had an MTL I had the same experience, I gigged once with it and while it sounded huge and awesome, it just didn't cut very well. The mids on that amp are different than a Marshall or SLO. Took a Marshall to the next few gigs until I traded the MTL. Kinda like the 2C+, it's a killer amp but If I had a gig the Marshall would go instead. It's all about the cut playing live. SLO, Marshall cut the best IMO.
SLO, Wizard..at that level you are at the pinnacle of killer rock amps. As previously stated, no right or wrong.
 
As someone mentioned earlier attenuators tend to make amps sound smaller, less lowend etc, when played low, depending on the amp can be a SIGNIFICANT difference over just the sound of the amp run with the attenuator out of circuit. Could be a problem with amp or it's just simply not the amp for you...probably one of these three things imho.
 
When I used a SLO at low volumes, my settings were pretty weird. I think it was bass: 6; mids: 2, treble: 1; and presence around 5. Not where I’d put it at high volumes at all, but it seemed to work around the house.
 
Metlupass2":3l7mx23y said:
So what do I need to do to get a bit more bottom end on the SLO? Does the depth mod increase it noticeably? Would getting an EQ pedal accomplish the same thing? I tried running through my Bogner Uberkab, but it sounded better through my Diezel 4x12 w/ V30s. Its got newer Sovtek 5881's for power section. I understand its not an Ubershall and I'm not looking for that, but it definitely could use some more bottom end that what its totally lacking now.

I play at home with an attenuator so nothing crazy loud. I understand once you get the master up around 6 it gets bigger, but that's not an option.

What are some good speaker cab recommendations? The Diezel has V30's and the Bogner has V30 and G12T75.


Thanks

Depth mod would give you all the low end you could ever use.
If you want to try something less intrusive, a quad of JJ 6l6GC's will give you much more low end over the 5881's
 
It sounds good just could use a little more bottom end for my taste. I gotta bring my Splawn in for repair and I'll ask if they would mod the SLO for me too.
 
Before you mod the amp, check into this. This is the Soundman Eliminator built by Soldano. It goes in the loop. When it’s on, it cuts the volume. When it’s off, it’s the amp at full volume. I use it to duck in and out for solos. I’ve cut it almost all the way down and used it to jam at home when the kids and wife are asleep just down the hall. Maybe another option to consider.
 

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