Soldano SLO compared to Avenger??

[stratjacket]

I've read a lot, done YouTube and read Soldano's site description.
So my question for those who've owned them, how close is the Avenger to SLO's famous hi-gain?

If I bought the SLO, all I would ever play would be the hi-gain stuff, so it sounds like the Avenger would be perfect for me. I'm sure I will eventually get a full SLO one day, but no time soon. But the Avenger may be within reach sooner.

 

[Racerxrated]

I've played an Avenger, and owned 2 SLOs. Avenger is very cool, more modern but the SLO can be dialed that way. But the clarity and bloom, power and thump of that power section is what makes the SLO so unique. It would be interesting to hear an Avenger preamp into an SLO power section.

 

[godgrinder]

Avenger and Hot Rod are a lot of amp for the money if you buy used, but the extra price tag on the SLO is probably more for the transformers/power section than 1-2 extra channels.

I have an SLO and an HR50+, they sound pretty close in a mix but the SLO sounds a lot better in person.

But if you can only afford an Avenger for now by all means do it.

 

[DET1973]

I have a Hot Rod Avenger (100 watt with the FX loop) I love mine & I have played it side by side with an SLO & They sounded very similar. I'm using mine with a Marshall 1960BHW cab with the Heritage G12H30's.

 

[Aidanspaghetti]

I used to own a 50w Avenger Hot rod and it was a great amp - dont be afraid to use the low input - some great tones in there =)

 

[jlb32]

Maybe check out the Soldano Hot Rod 25 also. I bought it while comparing it side by side with a SLO and Hot Rod 100. It's a killer amp but IMO all Soldanos are. The SLO is great but it's not for everyone, especially since it's sweet spot is glass shattering loud.

 

[Racerxrated]

Maybe check out the Soldano Hot Rod 25 also. I bought it while comparing it side by side with a SLO and Hot Rod 100. It's a killer amp but IMO all Soldanos are. The SLO is great but it's not for everyone, especially since it's sweet spot is glass shattering loud.

I found the sweet spot on 1...and 2...and 3....you get the picture. That amp sound killer at low volumes too..I had a HR100 and while it is a cool amp, the SLO on 1 sounded better than the HR at any volume.

 

[stratjacket]

Thanks for the help and insight. Fucking citywide power outage in San Francisco made a long ass day here. Looks like a snoozed a little too long on the Avenger I was looking at anyway...

 

[jlb32]

Maybe check out the Soldano Hot Rod 25 also. I bought it while comparing it side by side with a SLO and Hot Rod 100. It's a killer amp but IMO all Soldanos are. The SLO is great but it's not for everyone, especially since it's sweet spot is glass shattering loud.

I found the sweet spot on 1...and 2...and 3....you get the picture. That amp sound killer at low volumes too..I had a HR100 and while it is a cool amp, the SLO on 1 sounded better than the HR at any volume.

Cool! I personally didn't feel the same. I really liked the SLO but I liked the HR25 even better.

 

[Racerxrated]

Maybe check out the Soldano Hot Rod 25 also. I bought it while comparing it side by side with a SLO and Hot Rod 100. It's a killer amp but IMO all Soldanos are. The SLO is great but it's not for everyone, especially since it's sweet spot is glass shattering loud.

I found the sweet spot on 1...and 2...and 3....you get the picture. That amp sound killer at low volumes too..I had a HR100 and while it is a cool amp, the SLO on 1 sounded better than the HR at any volume.

Cool! I personally didn't feel the same. I really liked the SLO but I liked the HR25 even better.

I'd like to try a 25, especially if they have mini versions of those DeYoung transformers. That's a big part of the SLO magic.

 

[godgrinder]

especially if they have mini versions of those DeYoung transformers.

They don't.

I found the HR50/100 has a slightly darker preamp voicing compared to the SLO. I'd guess they voiced the HR25 brighter and that's why some people say these sound more similar to the SLO than the HR50/100.

 

[D-Rock]

I owned an Avenger 100 for a few years. Never played an SLO.

The Avenger had a good thick and meaty foundation tone. Good dynamics too.

But it required a boost up front to acheive hot rodded 80s tones, classic metal and modern high gain tones.

So for that reason...I sold it. No regrets.

 

[s_swanson]

I owned an Avenger 100 for a few years. Never played an SLO.

The Avenger had a good thick and meaty foundation tone. Good dynamics too.

But it required a boost up front to acheive hot rodded 80s tones, classic metal and modern high gain tones.

So for that reason...I sold it. No regrets.

Holy crap dude, how much gain do you use?

I've never heard anybody complain about a Soldano not being able to pull off hot rodded 80's tones. Hell, even the Astroverb will do that. Unless the boost is more for tightening things up, that I could see for the more modern stuff anyway.

 

[godgrinder]

My Soldanos have enough gain for the most gained out 90's death metal with the gain knob at 4.

 

[D-Rock]

I owned an Avenger 100 for a few years. Never played an SLO.

The Avenger had a good thick and meaty foundation tone. Good dynamics too.

But it required a boost up front to acheive hot rodded 80s tones, classic metal and modern high gain tones.

So for that reason...I sold it. No regrets.

Holy crap dude, how much gain do you use?

I've never heard anybody complain about a Soldano not being able to pull off hot rodded 80's tones. Hell, even the Astroverb will do that. Unless the boost is more for tightening things up, that I could see for the more modern stuff anyway.

It wasnt a gain level issue. It was a tubby, congested sounding gain issue.

 

[mightywarlock]

Here is what an Avenger 100 sounds like. Straight into a Marshall cab. No boost.

 

[SavageRiffer]

Maybe my opinion is different, but I think all of the Soldano amps are equally as good. There is something special about the SLO that no other amp has. However, none of the other Soldanos lack anything. The Avenger sounds really great, and it's plenty of amp if you don't have much use for a clean channel. The Hot Rod CAN do some nice cleanish tones, but really excels in the in-between sounds and gain.

The two most underrated and underappreciated amps in the Soldano line are the Decatone and Lucky 13. A lot of people rag on the Decatone, but they almost always judge it on channel 3. To me, channel 1 & 2 are where the Decatone shine the most. I also love channel 3 and have no complaints about the Decatone overall except maybe the same thing everyone complains about Soldanos is the FX loop - but it's not a bad FX loop either.

The Lucky 13 flies under the radar too often, but it has a LOT to offer. It has a unique sound, and the clean channel is heavenly. What a lot of people don't know is that you can call Mike Soldano and order a 25w Lucky 13 if you want, and knowing him, he won't charge you extra either. Mike is a great guy, very reasonable, and willing to go out of his way to satisfy customers. I've spoken to him a few times over the phone and he never sounded rushed. He always takes the time to explain things and answer questions. The dude is a living legend.

Anyway, if you can find a good deal on an Avenger, get one. It's a great amp to have around and you can find lots of great clips on youtube. The 50w or 100w, doesn't matter. Both sound awesome and can do low volume pretty well too.

 

[skoora]

I owned an Avenger 100 for a few years. Never played an SLO.

The Avenger had a good thick and meaty foundation tone. Good dynamics too.

But it required a boost up front to acheive hot rodded 80s tones, classic metal and modern high gain tones.

So for that reason...I sold it. No regrets.

Holy crap dude, how much gain do you use?

I've never heard anybody complain about a Soldano not being able to pull off hot rodded 80's tones. Hell, even the Astroverb will do that. Unless the boost is more for tightening things up, that I could see for the more modern stuff anyway.

It wasnt a gain level issue. It was a tubby, congested sounding gain issue.

I feel the same way about that amp. It just lacks everything that a good 800 has. An 800 or a decent clone with any number of sub $100 dirt pedals would be much better if that tight, kerangalicious, higher gain Marshall thing is what you're going for. There's a softness to the Avenger's gain. An 800 with a Soldano Hot Mod would be better IMO. I ran a Hot Mod in JMP 2203 and it was pretty damn nice but it sounded even better in an early 80's 800.

 

[Racerxrated]

I owned an Avenger 100 for a few years. Never played an SLO.

The Avenger had a good thick and meaty foundation tone. Good dynamics too.

But it required a boost up front to acheive hot rodded 80s tones, classic metal and modern high gain tones.

So for that reason...I sold it. No regrets.

Holy crap dude, how much gain do you use?

I've never heard anybody complain about a Soldano not being able to pull off hot rodded 80's tones. Hell, even the Astroverb will do that. Unless the boost is more for tightening things up, that I could see for the more modern stuff anyway.

It wasnt a gain level issue. It was a tubby, congested sounding gain issue.

I feel the same way about that amp. It just lacks everything that a good 800 has. An 800 or a decent clone with any number of sub $100 dirt pedals would be much better if that tight, kerangalicious, higher gain Marshall thing is what you're going for. There's a softness to the Avenger's gain. An 800 with a Soldano Hot Mod would be better IMO. I ran a Hot Mod in JMP 2203 and it was pretty damn nice but it sounded even better in an early 80's 800.

Marshalls are my thing. After all the amp flipping I've done, my favorite tone is a boosted Jubilee, which isn't that far from a boosted 2203. When I had my first SLO, I thought it was OK but not as great to me as my Marshalls. Until I boosted it with a mid boost pedal. Then it became full of the 'kerrang' that I loved out of my Marshalls, with that awesome clarity and punch that few amps have other than a SLO. You can get the SLO to be very Marshally with the right boost. I did, and compared it directly to the other amps I had at the time..Cameron Aldrich 2203, Jubilee 2550, and a stock JMP 2204.

 

[Rdodson]

Run the gain at 3 on an SLO and it will kerrang with the best. Presence at 5+.