Help me understand Soldano

  • Thread starter Thread starter BigGuitars
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LP Freak said:
Explain to me what exactly is 3-D tone?
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Racerxrated explains it pretty well in post #198: https://www.rig-talk.com/forum/threads/what’s-the-tightest-amp-with-the-biggest-low-end-you’ve-played.216720/page-10#post-2380154

If you wanna hear 5D try a Dumble. The most 3D sounding amp I have is either the Gjika or Jim Kelley probably. Purpleface is probably the most 3D/complex tone I’ve heard in a high gain amp

I think the term comes from the exceptional amps having this complex sound with so much going on that most other amps comparatively seem bland or 2 dimensional or just lacking something

Much of the “overpriced” stuff like a klon, ‘60’s Alnico Blue, Dumble, vintage pickups have that same 3D thing going on that sets it apart from other gear trying to be as good. That 3D thing is kinda like that extra 1% that seems to be the hardest part to get right. That’s what I think sets apart the magical gear from the gear that’s just very nice. I don’t care anymore about very nice personally
 
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BigGuitars said:
Is soldano closer to a modern high gain, modern metal amp, or more voice for classic 80s metal, or somewhere in between? Is it closer to Marshall or mesa? Or is it versatile? I hear they’re potentially the best amps made. I’ve tried a couple, but honestly the store owner wouldn’t let me touch them, insisted on working the dials, so I never got to experiment with them.

Interested in the SLO 30.

Thank you.
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For me, it's the low mids that makes them great. Thickish without being anywhere near boxy or flubby.

Best is to find a store with no jerk fiddling with the knobs, that's for you to do :rock:
 
ZEN Amps said:
For me, it's the low mids that makes them great. Thickish without being anywhere near boxy or flubby.

Best is to find a store with no jerk fiddling with the knobs, that's for you to do :rock:
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I still don’t get what kind of store owner cares about that stuff. I get not wanting them to play too loud, but no knob turning? Seriously?
 
If I order the custom SLO-30 with matching 212, do I want V30s? I’m a E-flat/E-standard 80s player.
 
Someone else noted that the rhythm channel is criminally underrated on the SLO. Really, it's the heart of the amp. It's where you're going to spend 95% of the time, and it's very much in the Marshall camp for sound, feel, and gain. It has plenty of gain on tap for hard rocking rhythm work, and with a boost, it'll go everywhere the classic 2203 will go, and then some. It has a bit more bass than the Marshall and has a lower voiced (darker) midrange and is a bit smoother. You can boost it up to higher gain settings before it falls apart than classic Marshalls, but neither is what I'd got for if I wanted extreme gain for rhythm work. Back off the gain in this channel and get a very nice clean or semiclean, depending on settings. Get the frequency notch option on it, and it almost sounds like a classic Fender clean. Really, this channel itself is a wonder of different sounds and flexibility. I mention this because too many people hop right on the lead channel, misunderstand it, and then come back to forums to rant about what it does and doesn't do. The rhythm channel is the real deal.

OK, the lead channel has tons of gain, probably more than anyone will every need. It does lack some bass and some focus in the bass. That's because it's designed specifically for single-note lead work. Don't hop on this channel and try to play high gain rhythms and expect it to handle chugging power chords. (You can do this, but it's not really it's forte.) It'll handle some more intricate work pretty well, but still keep it for leads. Dial it in for those, and enjoy it.

Set the amp up like you would a classic Marshall on the rhythm channel. Dial it in. It'll give you that extra push in the low mids, and a bit more focus. After that's all done, then hop over and start messing with the lead channel.

Is it the best amp, ever? I don't know about that. I own one, and a half-dozen Mesas, and have owned stacks of Marshalls in the past. I can get my tone out of any of them with some tweaking. I've never contemplated selling the SLO. I like it when I'm in the mood for it, and it's consistently delivered for over two decades.
 
cardinal said:
IMHO the circuits are totally different
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Soldano is one of the few amps in the world which have their own unique design/architecture. Mike Soldano didn't rely on the platforms at that time to build from - he built from the ground up what was to be his tonal wants and wishes. It's this attribute that has Soldano amps in a very small group of truly "innovative and unique" manufacturers.

With this comes a tone/amp-description that isn't easy to "compare" the usual industry norms to. It's a Soldano - it's different.
 
braintheory said:
Racerxrated explains it pretty well in post #198: https://www.rig-talk.com/forum/threads/what’s-the-tightest-amp-with-the-biggest-low-end-you’ve-played.216720/page-10#post-2380154

If you wanna hear 5D try a Dumble. The most 3D sounding amp I have is either the Gjika or Jim Kelley probably. Purpleface is probably the most 3D/complex tone I’ve heard in a high gain amp

I think the term comes from the exceptional amps having this complex sound with so much going on that most other amps comparatively seem bland or 2 dimensional or just lacking something

Much of the “overpriced” stuff like a klon, ‘60’s Alnico Blue, Dumble, vintage pickups have that same 3D thing going on that sets it apart from other gear trying to be as good. That 3D thing is kinda like that extra 1% that seems to be the hardest part to get right. That’s what I think sets apart the magical gear from the gear that’s just very nice. I don’t care anymore about very nice personally
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Gjika! Purpleface? Is that a purple 10n??? He built Shawn Lane's amps and loves the same tubes I do. Kind of thinking about selling everything for a 10n and cab.
 
Thing about Soldano that trips me out is owners using modern Sovtek "5881" 6P3S-E knock offs.

The real deal is readily available and so much better than the modern ones.
 
Nigel said:
Gjika! Purpleface? Is that a purple 10n??? He built Shawn Lane's amps and loves the same tubes I do. Kind of thinking about selling everything for a 10n and cab.
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No the Purpleface is a one off Diezel VH4 I have. Completely different amp, but equally great in its own way. I thought you already own a 10n? If not, it is worth getting. Not a metal or hard rock amp at all though. It has sent a decent amount of great amps I had packing though, so selling a bunch of stuff to get it wouldn’t be a bad idea at all, especially if it’s stuff you can easily buy again later and you may not wanna anyway after hearing the Gjika
 
SLO for me (not owned) was a letdown in comparison to the hype when I was 18 and I first played on one for a few days. I have played a lot more amps since then and played a SLO way more times since then, it still honestly does not live up to the hype. Is it a great sounding amp? YES. Definitely. But for the cash, there are other amps that I have bought and many more that I have played that I would use first.

The 3D thing for me is the articulation and the blooming nature that is pretty cool, I am not going to lie, it's cool. But it certainly does not live up to the internet hype at all, which lead to my disappointment when I first played one.

Cool amp, yes. $4k cool? Nope.
 
skullfxr said:
SLO for me (not owned) was a letdown in comparison to the hype when I was 18 and I first played on one for a few days. I have played a lot more amps since then and played a SLO way more times since then, it still honestly does not live up to the hype. Is it a great sounding amp? YES. Definitely. But for the cash, there are other amps that I have bought and many more that I have played that I would use first.

The 3D thing for me is the articulation and the blooming nature that is pretty cool, I am not going to lie, it's cool. But it certainly does not live up to the internet hype at all, which lead to my disappointment when I first played one.

Cool amp, yes. $4k cool? Nope.
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Same experience I had, and my ex's uncle was the biggest Soldano dealer in the US before Mike sold out. He doesn't even know about the real Russian tubes, and I suspect that's why the older ones that made the hit records sound better, like the 5150 block letter having Sylvanias vs Shuguang 6L6's.
 
Damn, lots of conflicting opinions on this thread, lol. I'm as confused as the OP probably is.
 
I think the best way to put it for the OP is that a SLO will do metal. But it isn't a modern metal amp. I think that lower wattage amps are not going to be ideal for metal for sure, because they lack punch and don't move air. If you want an amp that sounds good at low volumes, get a SS. Plenty of SS amps that sound great for metal. If you want to play 80's style rock, the slo is hard to beat.
 
Rex Rocker said:
Damn, lots of conflicting opinions on this thread, lol. I'm as confused as the OP probably is.
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Thing I've found through the years is the gear that most of us will never have the chance to play/properly experience,
is the stuff that becomes most polarizing. I'll bet you $100 that a lot of the people who either rave or dis on the SLO100
haven't spent hours with one while really being able to open it up. That being said there are some absolutes with that amp.

- quality parts and workmanship
- built like a tank to withstand the road
- loud MOFO that kicks like a mule
- packed with AWESOME signature tones

Now whether those tones would scratch your itch enough to keep one around full time? There's the rub.
 
braintheory said:
Racerxrated explains it pretty well in post #198: https://www.rig-talk.com/forum/threads/what’s-the-tightest-amp-with-the-biggest-low-end-you’ve-played.216720/page-10#post-2380154

If you wanna hear 5D try a Dumble. The most 3D sounding amp I have is either the Gjika or Jim Kelley probably. Purpleface is probably the most 3D/complex tone I’ve heard in a high gain amp

I think the term comes from the exceptional amps having this complex sound with so much going on that most other amps comparatively seem bland or 2 dimensional or just lacking something

Much of the “overpriced” stuff like a klon, ‘60’s Alnico Blue, Dumble, vintage pickups have that same 3D thing going on that sets it apart from other gear trying to be as good. That 3D thing is kinda like that extra 1% that seems to be the hardest part to get right. That’s what I think sets apart the magical gear from the gear that’s just very nice. I don’t care anymore about very nice personally
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Lots of conflicting opinions in the thread because in the end, it's only a matter of taste. Some people wouldn't consider anything outside of a Fender Blackface. No wonder others don't find the SLO as "three dimensional" as they wish. My personal opinion, is that the SLO is the best that happened to me amp-wise in my 30 years of guitar playing. And believe me, I tried a fucking aweful lot of amps.
 
Sounds to me like the shop owner doesn’t want to actually sell the amp. I get wanting to hover around in case someone has questions or to make sure they don’t do something dumb, but everyone is going to dial in the amp differently.

I owned an SLO about 10 years ago. I would like to play one again, but I’m not interested in owning one again.
 
IMO, you have to see the SLO for what it is and be honest about it in considering all things. Remember when the amp was invented. Remember the types of effects used back then. That will give you a platform for the sound and the FX loop. The SLO is an iconic amp, no doubt about it. It has been ripped off and and the people doing so probably took their amps further into the future tone wise, but let's not forget who had the original seed. If you are expecting an SLO which is virtually unchanged from day one to come to the forefront of modern metal mayhem sonically then you are delusional in your expectations and being unrealistic. I can say the the JTM is a shit amp because it doesn't do Cannibal Corpse tones. When was the JTM invented?

The SLO can cover a lot of ground. Boost it, Add a distortion pedal to it without diming the distortion pedal out and destroying the amps foundational sound and you have many tonal options. You are foolish to try and make it something it isn't. That mindset will never work on any amp for any reason.

Like I said before. The amp records well, sounds articulate and plays well with other amps in stereo rigs or blended tones and it is made very well. It is unique and at the same time familiar. If you have a lot of amps, you should have one as it could be very useful in many situations. If you are expecting an 80's amp to do modern heavy metal tones with pedals in the loop then you will be let down because the original design was in a different time. Doesn't mean the amps sucks, it just means things are different now.

Are they overpriced? Probably....just like everything else is. Is a Wizard worth the price? Is a Diezel worth the price? Is any other high end amp worth the price? Absolutely not and absolutely yes. Why? Because we want the tone...lol. Case in point, I love Fryette...the new D120 kicks ass. It retails for just under $3K. How many channels and bullshit does that amp have going on? Not much. In comparison to something like that, is the SLO really overpriced? I can argue yes and no and find a way to be right on each argument.

There are so many amps available it is ridiculous. The SLO is a great amp if it is in your wheelhouse. If so, the amp deserves to at least be tried and considered for ownership. If not, no worries. The old Fenders are awesome amps and bring beautiful sounds to the table. They don't suck because they aren't my tone. They just aren't my tone so I have little use for them 98% of the time. :)
 
hammered said:
I had a HR25 a few years back and I didn't care for it at all . Flubby and fizzy was what I got out of it , a TS type boost set as a clean boost didn't help the fubby low end. I couldn't get my Splawn plugged back in fast enough . A shame I really wanted to like that amp as a clip I had heard I think from a member here blew me away
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I didnt like that amp either, my pt-20 blows it away on every level
 
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