Any Soldano users?

  • Thread starter Thread starter WhiteStrat
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WhiteStrat

WhiteStrat

Don't stare at the eye.
I'm real happy with my cadre of tube amps, but I also still like my modelers. Last night I was tracking late so I was using my PODxt. Over the years, I have owned 4 different modelers--2 PODs, 2 something elses, and whenever I get a modeler I sit down for like a couple days building my own models and presets. Then when playing or tracking, I'm free to dial through them and pick what sounds right.

Now I don't name them based on amps. I have my own shorthand, if you will. So I'm just picking by sound. Last night, something occurred to me: with every modeler I own, I have always had a favorite patch--one that "felt like me." And in every case, it turns out that patch has been based on a Soldano Solo 100. Now I know we're only talking modelers here, but if they even come close enough, maybe I should be paying attention.

If my favorite modeled sound is consistently built around a Soldano (esp. for leads) I'm thinking, "hmm...maybe I should have a Soldano." But aren't they as expensive as hell? Anybody here have one or have any experience with one they'd care to share?
 
The Soldano SLO is a great sounding amp but like you said they are mucho deniro. You should be able to get close to that tone with a TS808 in front of your Carvin Legacy.
 
ocnor said:
The Soldano SLO is a great sounding amp but like you said they are mucho deniro. You should be able to get close to that tone with a TS808 in front of your Carvin Legacy.
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Good to know. I"ll play around and try pushing my Legacy with a pedal.
 
WhiteStrat said:
If my favorite modeled sound is consistently built around a Soldano (esp. for leads) I'm thinking, "hmm...maybe I should have a Soldano." But aren't they as expensive as hell? Anybody here have one or have any experience with one they'd care to share?
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That they are. If that's the sound you're into, though, they're supposed to be more than worth it. I'm not really an expert but I hear it has a lot to do with the output transformer they use... Aside from that, there are somewhat cheaper options - the Avenger series might be worth a look, it's basically a 1-channel drive-only version of the SLO.

It's funny you've had this experience - I went through the same thing when I played a modeler for the first time, a Johnson Millennium. I flipped through a couple patches on the thing, but kept coming back to this one that sounded absolutely spectacular. I finally got curious enough to see what it was modeled on, and it turned out to be a Mesa Rectifier. I'd heard of Mesa, but had never gotten the chance to play one, so I made it a top priority to find one and get some play time on the thing. That started a long, expensive love affair with Mesa Engineering. :lol:

(also worth a look - evidently a Mesa Rectifier can be converted into a SLO preamp circuit with only a couple pot and resistor changes, though I've never heard the results)

EDIT - meant to post this:

http://www.soldano.com/Soldano_Guit...inets/Hot Rod 50 Avenger Guitar Amplifier.htm

Still not cheap, but the $2500 ballpark is much better than nearly double that. :D
 
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ocnor said:
... You should be able to get close to that tone with a TS808 in front of your Carvin Legacy.
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Hum, IDK about that.

The Legacy is awfully dark and thick and nothing like a SLO. Maybe I'll give it a try sometime soon.
 
Sonixx said:
Hum, IDK about that.

The Legacy is awfully dark and thick and nothing like a SLO. Maybe I'll give it a try sometime soon.
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I was actually just messing with it, and was pleasantly surprised. Yeah, the Legacy is dark and thick, but that means that "scooped" on a Legacy isn't the same as scooped on a brighter amp.

I had the mids scooped just about all the way out, with the bass & treble about all the way up, the presence up about halfway, and the gain on almost 10. (I'm gonna try again later with an OD pedal in front). Anyway, the Legacy became a whole different beast with these rather extreme settings. I keep finding reasons to love this amp. :)

For the record: I've never played through a "real" Soldano, so I have no idea it's close or not; it's just a very hot lead sounds, smooth and searing at the same time.
 
Funny,when I used to record on a VS880 the Soldano sim was my favorite too.:rolleyes::eek:
 
Sonixx said:
Hum, IDK about that.

The Legacy is awfully dark and thick and nothing like a SLO. Maybe I'll give it a try sometime soon.
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My Legacy is not what I'd consider dark and the general consensus on the Carvin forums seems to back up my opinion. I think the whole "dark" rumor was started over at HC by a bunch of noobs that never even saw a Carvin amp let alone owned one.
 
ocnor said:
My Legacy is not what I'd consider dark and the general consensus on the Carvin forums seems to back up my opinion. I think the whole "dark" rumor was started over at HC by a bunch of noobs that never even saw a Carvin amp let alone owned one.
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Yeah, I think maybe thin, or fizzy became the de facto standard for amps for a while, so warm, beefy sounding, amps like the Legacy are immediately called dark. I'd call it thick (and that's a good thing!), but it's not dark (unless I want it to be).

Interestingly, it still sounds great when it's dark, moreso than other amps I've worked with. It stays articulate, not muddy. While it does lots of tones, maybe since it does dark better than other amps, it got pegged that way?

I dunno...
 
The soldano sim on the v-amp sounds pretty heavy.



But I'm not into super heavy saturated distorted guitar tones like that so theres no way I'd ever spend money on a real amp for that kinda sound.
V-amp makes me happy enough as it is.
 
Kingofpain678 said:
The soldano sim on the v-amp sounds pretty heavy.



But I'm not into super heavy saturated distorted guitar tones like that so theres no way I'd ever spend money on a real amp for that kinda sound.
V-amp makes me happy enough as it is.
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I have a V-amp pro and none of the high gain simulations sound even remotely like the amps they claim to be modeling. The amp sims are still usable just not accurate.
 
ocnor said:
I have a V-amp pro and none of the high gain simulations sound even remotely like the amps they claim to be modeling. The amp sims are still usable just not accurate.
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right, which is why I'm indifferent. They're fun to play around with if I ever wanna screw around with a hi-gain sim. Sounds good enough to me seeing as how I really don't give a f*ck about super hi-gain sounds.

YMMV
 
ocnor said:
My Legacy is not what I'd consider dark and the general consensus on the Carvin forums seems to back up my opinion. I think the whole "dark" rumor was started over at HC by a bunch of noobs that never even saw a Carvin amp let alone owned one.
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I've owned a Legacy for some time and the tone comes across to me as fairly dark and definitely thick. I'm not going on rumor but my experience with the amp. For that reason IMO the Legacy is a better lead amp than rhythm whereas the SLO excels at both. I also own an SLO and IMO these aren't that similar.
 
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I've never heard one but I would like to. Are there any well known songs/players, etc... where I could hear one?
 
ErichS : i think Warren Haynes of Gov't Mule plays a les paul thru one. i dont have the SLO, i have the Decatone (3ch tube head and 4x12) and its killer. i can get that tone dead on plugged straight in with a reverb unit in the tube-driven send/rtn loop (theres no reverb in the head). the only drawback on mine i find is the shared EQ, but the matching snakeskin tolex makes it OK.
if youre recording a track at a time, youll probly leave it on one channel (at a time) anyhoo. the scooped mid sound on the lead channels pretty sick. ...and, ALL the knobs go up to 11, no shit.
 
Brumus said:
ErichS : i think Warren Haynes of Gov't Mule plays a les paul thru one. i dont have the SLO, i have the Decatone (3ch tube head and 4x12) and its killer. i can get that tone dead on plugged straight in with a reverb unit in the tube-driven send/rtn loop (theres no reverb in the head). the only drawback on mine i find is the shared EQ, but the matching snakeskin tolex makes it OK.
if youre recording a track at a time, youll probly leave it on one channel (at a time) anyhoo. the scooped mid sound on the lead channels pretty sick. ...and, ALL the knobs go up to 11, no shit.
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Brumus, thanks for that info. After reading you comment I found a pretty cool interview with Warren Hanes' guitar tech that mentions the Soldano and cover pretty much all of his rig

http://www.premierguitar.com/Video/20101108/1235/Rig_Rundown_Gov_t_Mules_Warren_Haynes.aspx
 
Brumus said:
ErichS : i think Warren Haynes of Gov't Mule plays a les paul thru one. i dont have the SLO, i have the Decatone (3ch tube head and 4x12) and its killer. i can get that tone dead on plugged straight in with a reverb unit in the tube-driven send/rtn loop (theres no reverb in the head). the only drawback on mine i find is the shared EQ, but the matching snakeskin tolex makes it OK.
if youre recording a track at a time, youll probly leave it on one channel (at a time) anyhoo. the scooped mid sound on the lead channels pretty sick. ...and, ALL the knobs go up to 11, no shit.
Click to expand...

The knobs on my Hughes & Kettner Cream and Crunch machines all go to 11 too!

According to Spinal Tap that makes them superior! :drunk:
 
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