NAD - Soldano SLO100

[Kloppsta]

dammit i want one!!! imagine a dual-amp setup.....a cranked VH4 and a cranked SLO working together in harmony! OMG can you imagine!!!

[thehenderson]

Amazing. I can't wait for the full review! Haven't played an SLO but I tried a rev-o-sonic 2x12" combo once which was very cool. Does the snakeskin SLO100 have the warren hayes + depth mods too? if it doesn't could you give us an A/B review?

The Snakeskin SLO just has the DEPTH mod.

It's very easy to post an A/B review as both of these mods are completely out-of-circuit when disengaged.

DEPTH MOD
Appears as an extra knob on the front panel (labelled with a dymo labeller hahahaha)



It is effectively a sub-bass control which adds very low end and gives the sound more.....well....depth. The added depth comes at the expense of just a little bit of attack and bite (I'm talking just a tiny bit)

I can already tell how I will use this mod. I think when gigging this amp, I will have the Depth knob all the way OFF. Whilst the SLO is not what you would call a bass-heavy amp, it certainly has enough bass in stock form to create a killer tone. The Depth knob is absolutely fantastic though for playing at home volumes. The SLO really doesn't start coming alive until she gets wound up a bit (at which point it becomes dazzlingly 3-dimensional). If you are playing it at bedroom volumes, then the DEPTH knob really fills out the sound and makes it sound huge.

I also think the Depth knob would be very useful for playing drop-tuned metal with the SLO. It really extends the operating range of the amp.

WARREN HAYNES MOD
Appears on the amp as a small dipswitch immediately next to the BRIGHT switch.



The mod is essentially a "HI CUT" switch that clips off a bit of high-end fizz. It only works on the OVERDRIVE channel, and is only audible at gain levels of 4 or below.

In actual fact, all the switch is doing is disengaging the bright cap from the gain control on the OD channel. Clearly it is for players who are looking for mid-gain tones (with the gain at 4, it is still pretty driven) and want a smooth, more vintage response.

It is a good mod and just makes the amp that little bit more versatile. With the OD channel gain down below 4 and the HAYNES switch ON - the SLO does a pretty good impression of a vintage Marshall running hard - but at any volume.

Guys I gotta tell you this amp is absolutely incredible. Years ago I used to own a Soldano Hot Rod 100+. That thing was a really cool amp. I had always wanted a SLO, but could never afford one back then - so after reading that the HR100 has the same OD channel as the SLO, I figured it could get me most of the way there. Well here's the real story. The HR100 and SLO are clearly very closely related, but they just aren't the same. In terms of voicing - they sound very similar indeed - treble, mids and bass are all in the same place. However there is a quite audible difference between the two. The SLO is somehow more "detailed" and has this hi-fi quality to it - very precise yet without being fatiguing on your ears. It's a very unique quality indeed. The other thing about the SLO is that it is absolutely the most 3-dimensional amp I have ever heard. It seems to deliver all the harmonics of a distorted tone on different soundstage levels. Very difficult to describe, but it is truly awe-inspiring.

The other amazing thing about the SLO that the HR100 couldn't replicate is just how the amp FEELS to play. It is incredible indeed. It just feels very "open" and somehow makes your guitar feel easier to play. It is an experience indeed, and one that (to me) is worth every penny of the huge entry price....

Yes sir - this is a bitchin' amp.

So the depth knob isn't a mid scoop switch, or one that increases the lows and highs? That's been my experience of those things! Or is it just a knob specificly designed to piss your bass player off?

[blackstratblues]

It basically does for lows/low mids what a Presence control does for highs/high mids.

[handsoffmatt]

It basically does for lows/low mids what a Presence control does for highs/high mids.

That's reasonably accurate, except that it doesn;t really affect the low-mids. It really does just work on the BASS end of the spectrum.

It's definitely NOT a mid scoop...

[thehenderson]

It basically does for lows/low mids what a Presence control does for highs/high mids.

I've found Presence knobs to also be mid scoop switches too though.. Maybe I'm not afraid of losing my mids.

[Hot_Grits]

Amazing. I can't wait for the full review! Haven't played an SLO but I tried a rev-o-sonic 2x12" combo once which was very cool. Does the snakeskin SLO100 have the warren hayes + depth mods too? if it doesn't could you give us an A/B review?

The Snakeskin SLO just has the DEPTH mod.

It's very easy to post an A/B review as both of these mods are completely out-of-circuit when disengaged.

DEPTH MOD
Appears as an extra knob on the front panel (labelled with a dymo labeller hahahaha)



It is effectively a sub-bass control which adds very low end and gives the sound more.....well....depth. The added depth comes at the expense of just a little bit of attack and bite (I'm talking just a tiny bit)

I can already tell how I will use this mod. I think when gigging this amp, I will have the Depth knob all the way OFF. Whilst the SLO is not what you would call a bass-heavy amp, it certainly has enough bass in stock form to create a killer tone. The Depth knob is absolutely fantastic though for playing at home volumes. The SLO really doesn't start coming alive until she gets wound up a bit (at which point it becomes dazzlingly 3-dimensional). If you are playing it at bedroom volumes, then the DEPTH knob really fills out the sound and makes it sound huge.

I also think the Depth knob would be very useful for playing drop-tuned metal with the SLO. It really extends the operating range of the amp.

WARREN HAYNES MOD
Appears on the amp as a small dipswitch immediately next to the BRIGHT switch.



The mod is essentially a "HI CUT" switch that clips off a bit of high-end fizz. It only works on the OVERDRIVE channel, and is only audible at gain levels of 4 or below.

In actual fact, all the switch is doing is disengaging the bright cap from the gain control on the OD channel. Clearly it is for players who are looking for mid-gain tones (with the gain at 4, it is still pretty driven) and want a smooth, more vintage response.

It is a good mod and just makes the amp that little bit more versatile. With the OD channel gain down below 4 and the HAYNES switch ON - the SLO does a pretty good impression of a vintage Marshall running hard - but at any volume.

Guys I gotta tell you this amp is absolutely incredible. Years ago I used to own a Soldano Hot Rod 100+. That thing was a really cool amp. I had always wanted a SLO, but could never afford one back then - so after reading that the HR100 has the same OD channel as the SLO, I figured it could get me most of the way there. Well here's the real story. The HR100 and SLO are clearly very closely related, but they just aren't the same. In terms of voicing - they sound very similar indeed - treble, mids and bass are all in the same place. However there is a quite audible difference between the two. The SLO is somehow more "detailed" and has this hi-fi quality to it - very precise yet without being fatiguing on your ears. It's a very unique quality indeed. The other thing about the SLO is that it is absolutely the most 3-dimensional amp I have ever heard. It seems to deliver all the harmonics of a distorted tone on different soundstage levels. Very difficult to describe, but it is truly awe-inspiring.

The other amazing thing about the SLO that the HR100 couldn't replicate is just how the amp FEELS to play. It is incredible indeed. It just feels very "open" and somehow makes your guitar feel easier to play. It is an experience indeed, and one that (to me) is worth every penny of the huge entry price....

Yes sir - this is a bitchin' amp.

As a former Hot Rod owner myself, I know that Mike S (or whoever writes his copy) has stressed over the years that the Hot Rods (and many other models) are the same overdrive circuit as the SLO. I've heard talk that the only difference is the custom DeWalt transformer. Having seen what a high quality OT upgrade can do for an amp, I reckon it's possible to take a Hot Rod and get it 'up a level', if you will. What's your take on this? Do you reckon it's the OT or is there more to it?

[handsoffmatt]

As a former Hot Rod owner myself, I know that Mike S (or whoever writes his copy) has stressed over the years that the Hot Rods (and many other models) are the same overdrive circuit as the SLO. I've heard talk that the only difference is the custom DeWalt transformer. Having seen what a high quality OT upgrade can do for an amp, I reckon it's possible to take a Hot Rod and get it 'up a level', if you will. What's your take on this? Do you reckon it's the OT or is there more to it?

Yeah, I have read the same thing over the years of course - though I have also read some internet babble that they are not quite the same.

In any case, I am certain that the DeYoung trannys (yes trannyS - it has a DeYoung PT as well, which I found interesting) are an important part of the magical recipe. Whether they are ENTIRELY responsible - I don't know. They MUST be important. Mike Soldano told me that the DeYoung's cost HIM nearly US$300 each..
..It's also worth noting that the stock tranny's in the "cheaper" Soldano amps (Hot Rod, Avenger, Decatone etc) are Mercury Magnetics - which is of course a very high quality transformer. That the DeYoungs are considered as an upgrade over the Mercury's - says a lot about the DeYoungs...

[NZRS-Dave]

NZRS_Matt <--- has no children
NZRS_Matt <--- has too much money
NZRS_Matt <--- is still loved by NZRS-Dave (not in a gay way Rocky)

*** edit - I thought that sh!t was samick, not the ghey word..

[Clarky]

NZRS_Matt <--- has no children
NZRS_Matt <--- has too much money
NZRS_Matt <--- is still loved by NZRS-Dave (not in a samick way Rocky)

*** edit - I thought that sh!t was samick, not the ghey word..

NZRS_Matt <--- has so much skill in his fingers he deserves a mighty amp to get 'that' tone to go with it.

[Green Bastard]

I have seen more than one soldano amp come up on trademe for cheap and take a while to sell. Why's this?

I guess it depends on ones definition of "cheap"

Plus I'd factor in the last couple of recession years, along with people having to tighten their belts & concentrate more on the needs than the wants.

there was a hr50+ on there for ages for just over 2k, i started thinking about goin to have a hoon on it and it disappeared


yeah all advertising is always same circuit as the SLO for basically every model, but i think all components in the SLO are super awesome military grade bullshit, where the others are just generally good

[hamo]

NZRS_Matt <--- has no children
NZRS_Matt <--- has too much money
NZRS_Matt <--- is still loved by NZRS-Dave (not in a samick way Rocky)

*** edit - I thought that sh!t was samick, not the ghey word..

NZRS_Matt <--- has so much skill in his fingers he deserves a mighty amp to get 'that' tone to go with it.

NZRS_Matt <--- isn't going to give you his staff discount, no matter how much you grease him up...

[handsoffmatt]

LOL - I'm one step ahead of you. Already spent the morning slamming the front end of the CRUNCH setting with an EP Booster, a Boss OD3, a BB Preamp and a TS-9. All different flavours of awesome!!!!

Awesome indeed : )

Try a Maxon SD9 if you can....those seem to be my fave for hitting higher wattage amps.

Yeah the SD9 is a cool pedal for sure - though I still prefer the Boss OD3 for that kinda vibe.

The EP Booster is winning the race right now for boosting the Normal/crunch channel...

[Hot_Grits]

As a former Hot Rod owner myself, I know that Mike S (or whoever writes his copy) has stressed over the years that the Hot Rods (and many other models) are the same overdrive circuit as the SLO. I've heard talk that the only difference is the custom DeWalt transformer. Having seen what a high quality OT upgrade can do for an amp, I reckon it's possible to take a Hot Rod and get it 'up a level', if you will. What's your take on this? Do you reckon it's the OT or is there more to it?

Yeah, I have read the same thing over the years of course - though I have also read some internet babble that they are not quite the same.

In any case, I am certain that the DeYoung trannys (yes trannyS - it has a DeYoung PT as well, which I found interesting) are an important part of the magical recipe. Whether they are ENTIRELY responsible - I don't know. They MUST be important. Mike Soldano told me that the DeYoung's cost HIM nearly US$300 each..
..It's also worth noting that the stock tranny's in the "cheaper" Soldano amps (Hot Rod, Avenger, Decatone etc) are Mercury Magnetics - which is of course a very high quality transformer. That the DeYoungs are considered as an upgrade over the Mercury's - says a lot about the DeYoungs...

Interesting stuff. I wonder where I got 'DeWalt' from? -reminds me of the time I arbitrarily renamed my trumpeter's surname from Hedley to Heywood for the better part of a year...

[hamo]

I wonder where I got 'DeWalt' from?

Don't they make power tools?

[badmotor]

Hey Matt - I saw you had a CV Tele in your sig... how do you rate it?