I just played an 90s Hot Rod 50 and let me tell you, I understand now why Soldanos are so revered. AWESOME harmonic content and felt both great under the fingers and responsive/dynamic.
This is simply the best Hard Rock tone on the planet, IMHO. And, it does an incredible job of really making each guitar shine, and distinguish itself, at what it does best. I'd recommend even pulling that gain back just a hair. This amp has so munch gain that it's crunch channel, when pushed, is spectacular with a lot of bite, and articulation....especially, for that killer 80's classic hard-rock stuff. If this was Leon's Mk1, built at Mike's shop, when it he was still making them, then If he's wise, he'd be buried with that amp. 👍 One of the few amps that's worth ever dime.... Btw....would be fun to hear a demo like this with the SLO 30. Just to see just how close to the 100 you can get it.
I have one of these in my shop/studio that has been sitting in an enclosed trailer for years. I’m working to remove the dirt and mold from it now. Soon enough I will open it up to look at the chassis and probably replace the electrolytic caps and give it a thorough cleaning. It hasn’t been powered up in a long time so I’m gonna give it plenty of love before powering it up on a variac and current limiter. Looking forward to the day when it comes to life!
@@zenamplification Yep, this is all about the midrange management. I especially love the upper midrange gnarl of the Hotrod and SP77 that makes the sound agressive but still open. And the SLO is thicker and gainier but keeps it despite the gobs of gain which is awesome! And that's why the X88 is my less prefered soldano item, lead tones are more in the low midrange and the lows are a bit muddy to me (compared to the other Soldanos).
Well I had to subscribe because my online buddy there Leon made the other video and recommended you folks and this channel. What a glorious wall of sound and metal destruction with that wall of amps. Too cool. ♥️🤘 Leon can play so we'll and is so good at explaining tone and guitar subjects. Thanks for having him very much. You guys rock.. 🤘♥️
You guys do an AMAZING job of showing how much the PLAYER and CABINETS/ SPEAKERS do to influence the sound of the amp. The cabs and speakers are upwards of 60/ 70% of how an amp really sounds. A great performance is right next to it...
Hey Leon, How much difference does the added Depth knob make? I noticed you have another older Soldano Hot Rod 50+ plus without it. Is it a huge difference or barely noticeable? Any Pros/Cons? BTW: Ryan’s tone on the Gazza sample sounds amazing!! 👏🔥
Yep Ryan is amazing, a very soulful player. There's no cons to the depth knob, on zero it's out of circuit. A pro, aside from the obvious (more available low end), is it can be helpful in getting a tighter sound. You can set the bass control lower, then make up the beef in the power amp. Handy but certainly not essential, and once the bass player comes in it all stops mattering really!
Amazing video guys, very professional and thorough, no bs, no talking for 25 minutes... Btw that JCM800 box sounds glorious, as well as almighty Mesa OS. Keep up with great work.
Man, that is a glorious amp. Just killer. Very cool and Leon is such a great guy and killer player. You couldn't have picked a better guy to show off such a glorious amp. Thanks Zen. ♥️🤘♥️
I just played an 90s Hot Rod 50 and let me tell you, I understand now why Soldanos are so revered. AWESOME harmonic content and felt both great under the fingers and responsive/dynamic.
This is simply the best Hard Rock tone on the planet, IMHO. And, it does an incredible job of really making each guitar shine, and distinguish itself, at what it does best. I'd recommend even pulling that gain back just a hair. This amp has so munch gain that it's crunch channel, when pushed, is spectacular with a lot of bite, and articulation....especially, for that killer 80's classic hard-rock stuff. If this was Leon's Mk1, built at Mike's shop, when it he was still making them, then If he's wise, he'd be buried with that amp. 👍 One of the few amps that's worth ever dime.... Btw....would be fun to hear a demo like this with the SLO 30. Just to see just how close to the 100 you can get it.
Killer🔥🔥🔥
I have one of these in my shop/studio that has been sitting in an enclosed trailer for years. I’m working to remove the dirt and mold from it now. Soon enough I will open it up to look at the chassis and probably replace the electrolytic caps and give it a thorough cleaning. It hasn’t been powered up in a long time so I’m gonna give it plenty of love before powering it up on a variac and current limiter. Looking forward to the day when it comes to life!
Do it!
Damn... Nothing beats a Soldano for 80's tone
You may be right, there’s a certain midrange crunch that just works for sleazy 80’s rock.
@@zenamplification Yep, this is all about the midrange management. I especially love the upper midrange gnarl of the Hotrod and SP77 that makes the sound agressive but still open. And the SLO is thicker and gainier but keeps it despite the gobs of gain which is awesome! And that's why the X88 is my less prefered soldano item, lead tones are more in the low midrange and the lows are a bit muddy to me (compared to the other Soldanos).
Well I had to subscribe because my online buddy there Leon made the other video and recommended you folks and this channel. What a glorious wall of sound and metal destruction with that wall of amps. Too cool. ♥️🤘
Leon can play so we'll and is so good at explaining tone and guitar subjects. Thanks for having him very much. You guys rock.. 🤘♥️
Agreed, he's the man!
Ive never heard a better hard rock tone.
Leon is the best , Thanks.
You guys do an AMAZING job of showing how much the PLAYER and CABINETS/ SPEAKERS do to influence the sound of the amp. The cabs and speakers are upwards of 60/ 70% of how an amp really sounds. A great performance is right next to it...
Cheers Justin! Absolutely, the cab is a huge part of the equation and usually makes a bigger difference than swapping amps.
@@zenamplification I’ve been sharing these- the production and playing is exceptionally good!
Thanks for the support - we're doing our best and having fun!
damn seeing James show up was a pleasant surprise!
You’ll be seeing more of him!
Hey Leon, How much difference does the added Depth knob make? I noticed you have another older Soldano Hot Rod 50+ plus without it. Is it a huge difference or barely noticeable? Any Pros/Cons?
BTW: Ryan’s tone on the Gazza sample sounds amazing!! 👏🔥
Yep Ryan is amazing, a very soulful player. There's no cons to the depth knob, on zero it's out of circuit. A pro, aside from the obvious (more available low end), is it can be helpful in getting a tighter sound. You can set the bass control lower, then make up the beef in the power amp. Handy but certainly not essential, and once the bass player comes in it all stops mattering really!
@@zenamplification excellent points, thank you for your insight!
Amazing video guys, very professional and thorough, no bs, no talking for 25 minutes... Btw that JCM800 box sounds glorious, as well as almighty Mesa OS. Keep up with great work.
Man, that is a glorious amp. Just killer. Very cool and Leon is such a great guy and killer player. You couldn't have picked a better guy to show off such a glorious amp. Thanks Zen. ♥️🤘♥️
Oh wow…the Suhr that Leon played at 7.25min was my guitar!! It’s great to see it’s being used by all the pros!! 👍👌
Oh cool, great axe!
Wow those mids at 5:28! Just a perfect tone.
I just came back to this video to hear some of that T75 love. It really has that 80's tone.
Great speaker! They changed the voicing of it in the early 90's for some reason, and not for the better.
Great sound and production... loved the comments about some of the sound :)
Cheers Tom!
i don't live in Australia but I love these vids. props to the zen team and to Leon!
Its Gotta Shuck or its not worth a f****. 5 on the shuck meter
FWIW- Gary used a Marshall Guv'nor into a barely breaking up SLO for his live rig in that early SGTB period. Pedal was doing most of the work.
UGH! GAS! Infinite Bonus Points for silverburst LP and Exodus riffage \m/
Well spotted! Not much of a song, but what a great riff. Sorry about the gas inducement - go buy something nice for yourself to get over it.
@@zenamplification even "Not as good as Fabulous Disaster Exodus" is still "Good Exodus" \m/
What was the speaker used during Lt noodling
Just a plain old G12M reissue in the Friedman cab.
@@zenamplification I KNEW IT!!!! Best speakers ever