Soldano SLO vs Friedman BE100

  • Thread starter Thread starter SLOgriff
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I had the SLO as well as Ecstasy 101b and now have the BE-100, both the SLO and XTC are sold. (also had Fargen 800 MkII, VHT 50CL ... etc)

All those amps are amazing in their own right and it's easy to get a great sound out of them, they are different and by no means "better then" the other ...

SLO: always wanted one so I finally got it a few years back. The first one I bought came straight from the factory (bought it at L&M in Toronto) and then it went straight back because the transformer was making such a loud mechanical buzz that the whole head-shell was vibrating. Bill from Soldano and the guys from the store didn't think it was much of a problem and while it sounded good and I do know that transformer hum (most likely induced due to an issue with laminates) is not a big deal ... still, for an amp that costs that much it was not right (PS ... the transformers were screwed in tight and there didn't seem to be any shipping damage) ... I got a replacement at the store and this one still had buzzing trannies but very slight so I took it anyway.
Sounded great when cranked ... was amazing live and set really well in the mix .. but ultimately I didn't feel I liked it as much as I thought I would, it wasn't as in-your-face as I like my amps to be and didn't have that immediate fast attack I was looking for. The low end was lacking and didn't seem to "move" as much air as I'd liked it to. Also ... I felt like the gain past 5-6 on the dial just compressed more and lost definition. Crunch channel with gain wide open was the best sound I got out of that amp ... for my taste.

XTC: I just recently sold my XTC and as fantastic as that amp is, again ... I just couldn't really get it to where I was 100% happy with it. Always was just a little nasally and "boxy" sounding ... for my taste anyway.

We play REALLY loud in rehearsal and live so not being able to open these amps up is/was not a problem.

BE: I got the BE-100 mid March this year and as soon as I cranked it ... that was it. No fiddling with knobs required ... it was exactly what I was looking for.
BE input, gain around 6-7 on the dial, bass, treble at noon, mids a bit past noon, presence a bit less, master at noon ... Bogner straight with V30's ... and that's it.
Huge crunch with tons of tight bottom even with my Grosh strat with single coils (DiMarzio Areas and Injector). Very fast attack with zero flub no matter how fast I pick or if I'm playing power or full chords. Cuts in loud live mix perfectly. Just huge sounding amp.

PS ... RE: the buzzing SLO transformer, recently I tried a HR50 in the store and as soon as I turned it on it was buzzing and the whole head shell was vibrating ... the SLO they had was totally quiet.
 
I do own a SLO and Marsha #008. They are both great amps.
I've always thought the SLO sounded like a modern/high gain Marshall would like to sound.
Interesting enough, when I have guests and they try some of the amps here for the first time, they always have the same impression about the Marsha, SLO and Dual Recto. Marsha is the old school traditional high gain, DR is the modern, guttural high gain. The SLO sits right in between them... not as growly as the DR, but more than the Marsha.
 
Hmm...I find more growl and swirl in the tone of the BE100 than the SLO...The SLO is smooth and not very gritty like a Marshall. I always thought the Soldano products had more of an American take on things than anything British in the midrange. In fact, I think Mike Soldano said the SLO was based off the Fender Bassman, which was based off a General Electric circuit.
 
mmolteratx":1l4386gt said:
SLOgriff":1l4386gt said:
SLO sucks....get a Bogner! :D
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Or better yet, get both. :rock: Though I keep getting distracted whenever I have the cash for an SLO and buying something else. :lol: :LOL: Currently rocking a 100B with DeYoungs, and I think an SLO would go great with that. I've played the SLO extensively and a couple Friedman mods. The mods were cool, but for me, I like the Bogner voicing better for a thick rhythm tone and the SLO better for a tight, cutting lead.
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You are 100% correct in thinking that a 100b and SLO go well together. Its stupid good... :thumbsup:
 
I really don't understand the notion that the SLO is lacking in the low end. Mines stock and I only run the bass at about 5. It's not a wide low end compared to modern amps but its deep and rich. I kinda understand the Marshall comparisons but to me it sounds more like a Hiwatt screaming its head off near the verge of meltdown. The thing I really love about he SLO is its consistency. It's not an amp that sounds great sometimes and then just ok later. Every time I plug in I know exactly what I'm going to get. I love that piece of mind in a band setting.
 
se7en":6lmkz27c said:
Hmm...I find more growl and swirl in the tone of the BE100 than the SLO...The SLO is smooth and not very gritty like a Marshall. I always thought the Soldano products had more of an American take on things than anything British in the midrange. In fact, I think Mike Soldano said the SLO was based off the Fender Bassman, which was based off a General Electric circuit.
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No worries... se7en, we could change the growl for "modern high gain feel".
 
Mr. Willy":31ja54ec said:
I really don't understand the notion that the SLO is lacking in the low end. Mines stock and I only run the bass at about 5. It's not a wide low end compared to modern amps but its deep and rich. I kinda understand the Marshall comparisons but to me it sounds more like a Hiwatt screaming its head off near the verge of meltdown. The thing I really love about he SLO is its consistency. It's not an amp that sounds great sometimes and then just ok later. Every time I plug in I know exactly what I'm going to get. I love that piece of mind in a band setting.
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Count me in... my SLO is bone stock, and I never had the need to use the bass knob past 6. I could imagine that if in very low volume if used with a V30 speaker it might need a bit of extra low... but with the master past two the amp already put out more than enough bass for me.
 
SBlue":2qcb0o7t said:
Mr. Willy":2qcb0o7t said:
I really don't understand the notion that the SLO is lacking in the low end. Mines stock and I only run the bass at about 5. It's not a wide low end compared to modern amps but its deep and rich. I kinda understand the Marshall comparisons but to me it sounds more like a Hiwatt screaming its head off near the verge of meltdown. The thing I really love about he SLO is its consistency. It's not an amp that sounds great sometimes and then just ok later. Every time I plug in I know exactly what I'm going to get. I love that piece of mind in a band setting.
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Count me in... my SLO is bone stock, and I never had the need to use the bass knob past 6. I could imagine that if in very low volume if used with a V30 speaker it might need a bit of extra low... but with the master past two the amp already put out more than enough bass for me.
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I ran the master on mine around half way up ... with a variation of speakers and cabs, Bogner, Soldano, Mesa, Marshall, Orange.

It's not that it lacks in low end frequencies, it just doesn't seem to project them in the same way as the Friedman for example. With the Friedman you get this huge immediate thump, that just hits you right in the chest ... I think the SLO is just too smooth and Hi Fi sounding for that.

Not a bad thing, just something I ended up missing when playing it.
 
IntenseJim":4o3ld162 said:
SLO is based off an RCA circuit, I believe.
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All I know is the circuit was built ground up to be "different" than the current "British" and "Californian" circuits.

There was a great interview floating around the net from years ago with Mike. I loved reading it. He touched on everything.
 
Yeah, I can't find the original interview where he talks about the circuit, but I did find information confirming (what IntenseJim said) that it was based off an RCA design. Mike first got started modding Fender Bassman circuits. Once again, the SLO doesn't sound that much like a Marshall to me, which is a good thing considering there are so many derivatives of them.
 
This is why I'm intrigued to try a SLO, because it's not a Marshall thang, more of it's own.
 
From a technical standpoint the SLO is a pretty bad design. The fx loop is flat out faulty, voltages are way off, phase flips in and out in the circuit in a strange fashion, tone stack is after the fx loop, crosstalk on the channels etc.
Still it is a freakin great amp, Mike tried to fix it, with all the later models, but anything you change, (beside making the loop working properly), kills the sound. Nothing sounds like the SLO and nothing will, because no one will design a more or less faulty amp.
 
aftec":1mno2gdz said:
From a technical standpoint the SLO is a pretty bad design. The fx loop is flat out faulty, voltages are way off, phase flips in and out in the circuit in a strange fashion, tone stack is after the fx loop, crosstalk on the channels etc.
Still it is a freakin great amp, Mike tried to fix it, with all the later models, but anything you change, (beside making the loop working properly), kills the sound. Nothing sounds like the SLO and nothing will, because no one will design a more or less faulty amp.
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Pretty accurate summary. :thumbsup:
 
Let's not forget the SLO's LIFETIME TRANSFERRABLE warranty. Are there any other amps that have this? I can't think of any. That, to me, is the ultimate statement of confidence in a product's construction and reliability.
 
Mr. Willy":2sevp1cz said:
Let's not forget the SLO's LIFETIME TRANSFERRABLE warranty. Are there any other amps that have this? I can't think of any. That, to me, is the ultimate statement of confidence in a product's construction and reliability.
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^^^ he said two things that speak loads about the SLO. 1) lifetime warranty and, 2) consistency.

like the tone or not, it is a touring amp through and through and meant for the stage. there's not a lot of bedroom tone altering options built into it, but it was never meant to be that sort of amp.
 
I've had SLO's for years "They are my favorite rock amp!" but I've also liked my other amps: Bogner XTC 100b, 101b, Classic & Shiva. CAA PT100, VHT Pittbull Classic, Marsha, Modified Marshall's "Arrendondo, Cameron, Jackson, Soldano & Bogner" all awesome in there own right, and I find No fault with any of them :)
 
One important point about the SLO I've forgot to mention is the reliability.
I do own quite a few amps, since I have a studio and record pretty much everything, specialty being electric and acoustic guitars and bass.
I was amazed when I've first got my hands on the SLO. Having amazingly reliable amps, opening the SLO for the first time just amazed me!
Everything, and literally everything, about this amp is flawless. From every impeccable solder joint, to the extra heavy duty chassis, ultra strong transformers, and even the bolts holding the chassis in it's box.
It's one of the easiest amp to trust on a tour.
 
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