Damn, I am jealous of both of you hahaha... I have to "settle" for a MESA Mark Five: 35 but if I had the chance, I would grab a Soldano in a heartbeat. I hope Boutique Amp Distribution will make them available. I had the chance to play an SLO and a Hot Rod years ago, best amps I ever heard. Love both of your channels, you guys rock!
I'm a Recto guy myself, but that Soldano "thing" is just amazing!! There's something special going on with those amps. My SLO can get me that Recto sound but it does so much more than just that too. It has that warm, creamy lead thing that SO many amps try to emulate! But truly, the only way to get that tone is with a Soldano. Great video Leon!! As always!!
I almost bought one around '94. I liked it for my own needs more than a 100 SLO, but then again, I've always preferred 50 watt and lower. The pure tone really shines through this demo, along with Leon's exceptional guitar work. I also love Friedmans. But for the ultimate modded Marshall tone I'd go for a Soldano. Mike, who was a very in demand mod guy in L.A. where I played in the scene in the 80s took his encyclopedic knowledge of Marshall tone and build the ultimate Marshall, with more control, headroom, dynamics, and they are built like tanks. I remember when I first tried an SLO around Halloween of '86 at a boutique amp shop in Hollywood, I think the Mesa Sunset outlet, and it totally knocked me out. I almost cried at the price. It was like sitting in a Ferrari in a showroom and realizing how out of reach it is. But the tone stuck with me. You can hear it all over Ratt's Dancing Undercover, which has some of their best tones. Soldanos just know what to do with them tubes.
Yep and they even made a special model for him and I would kill to get one. He was the first person I thought of when I seen the title of this video. Have you ever tried a Wampler SloStortion? It's not based on a Hot Rod but it is based on a SLO that was also a popular Soldan amp.
Great review and demo. Thank you. I got mine around the early 90's when my Marshall started on fire... recently picked up Jet City HDM 50/100 completely smoking amp. The efx loop, the quality of sound and build are spec to to SLO 100...
It's not heresy to use an SD-1 or Tube Screamer with a hot amp. It helps focus the EQ in different directions and can really help you get all the way there. I use the Waza Edition SD-1 with my Marshall and have the best tone I've ever had, even including the tone I had with my old JMP and Boogie 50 cal. I like this tone better.
Even through RU-vid this comes across as incredible. I can only imagine what this sounds like in Leon's music room. Of course, Leon sounds great on virtually any piece of gear put in front of him. How's the new Ragdoll coming Leon? A few more months maybe?
I have a 1992 single channel Hot Rod 50. They sound very good at 2.5 to 3 on the master and yes, they sound great up loud... but man will they drive you out of the room by the time they really start to give up the goods. The separate speaker environment is useful but then you introduce a mic and a mixer channel, et cetera. These amps are fully enjoyed in the same room but sheesh they are brutal. Best hard rock amp ever made. More gain than a JCM 800 but smoother.
Gary Moore used one of those in his legendary ''Live Blues'' concert which was recorded as a live album/concert film,back in the early 90's.That's the one where he jams with B.B.King,check it out here on youtube,you can find the whole thing. His tone is insane,specially with his 2 '59 Les Pauls
one thing that a lot of people dont realize about those recordings. Gary used the clean channel of the SLO, cranked it, and used an original Marshall Guv'Nor pedal for the actual overdrive tones
Brilliant tone! The Marshall head in the video frame is in the perfect configuration as well. Unplugged, turned on it's side, and being used as a stand for the Soldano! Great video as always.
Outstanding. That's all you need. Amp, cable or wireless, cab. Rock and roll heaven.. First time I saw a demo of one I couldn't believe how good it sounded. I'm laughing you have it precariously sitting on a Marshall head sideways 😂😂😂😂😂 Great vid sir..
Man great tones... You basically persuaded me to buy one I found for a relatively good price. It's a 100+ with the so-called "depth mod" (variable not the "fixed" one). My main amps are JMPs (2203s/2204s) and I'm very curious how I'll like this one, but judging from these tones you got there, I think it'll be a keeper. Hasn't arrived yet.
The tone of this wonderful amp has somewhat of a mix of the Marshall crunch, and the thick Orange mids. Really hope to own one of these someday. Peace man!
I was lucky enough to score a Hot Rod 50+ just a month or so ago. Red snakeskin. Bought a Zilla Fatboy 2x12 with matching red snakeskin tolex. Absolutely love this amp, and I'm still getting familiar with it. This video will definitely help explore it a little further. I've got a couple of Marshall's, an Engl, a 6505+, and a 3 channel dual rec. This amp has that midrange gnarly harmonic girth that none of the others quite capture. Great video man!
It's actually my first foray into 2x12 territory. I've got a Mesa O/S Recto and a Marshall 1960 4x12. I have to say I'm impressed with the Zilla. It took a little getting used to, but I'm really enjoying it now.
@@LeonTodd Don't know if you ever go back to your old videos, but I thought you'd get a kick out of this. I could not get exactly what I wanted out of this amp with the Zilla 2x12, so I kept trying other cabs. Recently I put new WGS Invader 50 speakers in my old Peavey 4x12 cab. They are a higher powered greenback knockoff kinda thing. That is the perfect cab for this amp. So I ended up where you started. A Hot Rod 50+ with a greenback loaded 4x12. Lol. \,,/
I remember when I was first starting out at guitar and learning about gear. The SLO was the be-all end-all amp for me. Then I actually found one (in snakeskin!) out in the wild maybe a year into me playing. Poor me quickly realized a) how well you have to play b) how loud it has to be for that thing to sound good lol. Still going to get one someday. Amazing sound. I've only played the Hot Rod a couple times I'll need to check it out again next time I get a chance.
Great tone and playing.....i had a SLO years ago but had to sell it........missed that tone for a long long time...luckily i was able to pick up another SLO three years ago.....the tone is back for good now......wont be selling this one.
That Soldano be THICC. Memes aside, this thing sounds absolutely killer! I would love to have one of these things, but I really tone feel like dropping a few thousand dollars on an amp right now! Killer tone as usual keep it going \../
Because modern amps have all the gain in the world an overdrive pedal can be used as more of an EQ to contour the tone, even with very hot amps. I always preferred the single channel JCMs to the dual channel because they had better overall tone, and my approach to amps like this, that don't have a whole lot of gain on tap, was to get just enough gain that a pedal has something to boost. I've found this approach works marvels. So many classic tones were created by boosting cranked Marshalls, or even combos like Fenders. All the great lead tones on the first Ratt album were just Warren going through an 18-watt Fender Super Champ into an external cab loaded with an EV. You can take a very simple amp with a limited tone stack and add a world of complexity to it with pedals, anything from EQ to overdrive.
@@LeonTodd Warren has mentioned it, so has their producer Beau Hill. I'm always surprised at the unusual ways players have gotten great tones in the studio. I found out recently that Billy Gibbons' tone on ZZ Top's Eliminator was from a poorly regarded solid state. Apparently, it sounded better in the studio than a lot of tube amps they tried. But you would never imagine it. You'd think it was some sort of magic plexi modded by monks in a monastery on Corfu, or a Dumble, or Boogie, etc. Lynch got his tone for Under Lock and Key by mixing the sound of a Marshall and a Laney and a Rockman for extra compression. Very simple and it worked.
Monty Koch I hope so cause my first hair metal video I watched was on vh1 classic and they played cherry pie by warrant after that I got hooked on hair metal. I love Bon Jovi,warrant,poison,ratt,dokken,Morley Crue,white lion,Cinderella,autograph etc lol
I've got an SLO-100 in the same snake skin... Love the tone of that amp, but mine seems a bit noisy at higher gain levels and wish it had capability to switch the effects loop in/out. The Hot Rod 50+ sounds nice, for sure!
My bucket list amp is sitting in a shop in Scottsdale on consignment. It's an early 6G12 Concert with the "center volume" control layout (jacks, then B/T/V). If it's still there next week I might make an offer....
The only difference ive seen between these is a depth knob. Mine has one and Leon's doesn't. Mine looks to be either very very recent, or extremely well taken care of. I'm guessing it's a newer one.
@@LeonTodd I've been following this channel since before it had a solid 1000 subscribers, it'd be a shame if I didn't get to know your tastes at this point X)
So... Noticed all of these HR50+ vids have a varied output amplitude in terms of number of overall views depending on the year when it was shot. It’s a wave 🌊 from one year to another. Last year was rather humble, while pretty explosive in 2018, and again, moderate at 2017... ... Looks like another (this current one) Soldano year is waiting for some new LT content lol 😂 ;)
@@LeonTodd Gary used his SLO 100 for clean tones while goosing it with a dirt pedal for crunch time and unbeknownst to many, preferred the Hot Rod 50 for his lead tones. He did indeed use the Hot Rod on that VHS live tape. This was his main live set up from the late 80's to 93. In addition, during this era, Gary preferred EV 12″ speakers in his Marshall 1960B cabs. Around '93 if memory serves me, Moore switched from his Soldanos to the Marshall JCM2000; an amp he toured with for nearly a decade. Another bit of trivia. Most of the tones on the SGTB album came from his JTM45 reissue punched with a Guv'nor pedal. Many assume it was the Soldanos because that's what they saw him touring with to promote the album.
@@Maxx61 far out that busts a few myths i've heard about that time! I just assumed he used an SLO on After Hours so that's super cool to know about the HR. Gaz ruled.
@@LeonTodd As I know, Gary actually used the Soldano SL 60 head on the club concert. The SL 60 was used by Nuno on the 3 Sides... album with a Boss Turbo Overdrive (Turbo off mode). ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-8ZiQ3Q749cc.html
I would love to hear what you do with that head, the Waza Tube Expander, and my Soldano Ir files. PM me, let's make this happen. I should add the cab I captured is snakeskin.
Great review as always. Is that SC PRS your fav guitar in your collection? Also is it stock? Any chance you can get hold of Trace Elliot speed twin 50 head. Interested to hear your opinion and how it compares against Marshall and Mesa amps
Ah okay so am not being disrespectful by comparing the Soldano to a Recto.... I mean admittedly your Soldano is WAAAAY more amp than any of my Rectifier heads ... But I thought I could hear some Mesa vibe... But if they copied the circuit, then yeah... Lol Love this video and the AMP!!
Nah man the Recto, while the preamp is a clone, is definitely a classic all it's own. I recorded all of my band's last album with a Recto and it's just savage. If the Soldano is a prized huntingg dog then the Recto is it's brutal junkyard cousin.
Leon I like that analogy, lol I have not found any Soldano's to try in person but am a devout Mesa user with Rectifier Single, Dual, Triple heads... Single Rect-O-verb combo, Dual Trem-O-verb, F100 combo, MKV 90 head... Then the Marshall's and EVH, Carvin... Such a "sickness" .... Always great content , good job
I played this amp in the 90's, a purple one. The low gain was awesome. About the lead, my Dual Recto Rev D pre500 sounds almost like that with more low end. My Soldano SLO sounds... better xD But nothing is better than the Dual Recto Rev F when serial loop is needed, or the Dual Recto Rev G for parallel. So, how is the loop here? Test it with the Boss Dm-2 please !
@@LeonTodd could you elaborate? I'm going to be running a Decimator ii G String through it, playing an Ibanez AZ2204. Just a boost on the front and delay/flanger/reverb/chorus through the fx loop. Can I run all of these through the front and get away with it? Or is the Decimator even necessary for this particular little badass piece of electronics?
Ahhhh.....after researching, this is definitely weird. May have to run it all through the front. Still worth it, though! Such a sexy amp. Looking at one in purple, currently. The other guitar player in my band has a Silver Jubilee and I'm pretty psyched about hearing the mix!!
Leon i have a friend who sells this for 650 dollars. should i jump on it? i recently bought a mesa boogie lonestar and i am kinda scared to invest more on amps... but on the other hand i ithink is a good price... what do you think about the price???
I have one for sale on Reverb, combo version...then I see this video and thinking maybe I should just keep it lol. The cleans on channel 1 are not pristine Fender style, but glassy "edge of breakup" style and with the gain knob up will go into 70s rock crunch. Channel 1 is almost never talked about but it is fantastic and takes pedals really well.
I find all the fractal Soldano models to have a lot of weird bass stuff going on. I’m able to fix it with some tweaking in the virtual world, but many of those options don’t exist irl. Do you have similar issues with the real thing?
