Played a SLO30 at GC today.
Posted: Thu Sep 12, 2024 9:28 pm
There’s a guitar center not too far from my work and they had a SLO 30 recently traded in. I wanted to try it before someone who isn’t me inevitably grabs it. I spent a little time with it. Couldn’t really crank it but here’s what I thought.
The clean channel is actually really good. It’s a solid clean and I could use that for anything. No complaints there. Crunch channel was like a beefier 800. Bigger lows a bit more sustain. It felt like a good extension of the clean and even after optimizing the EQ more for that channel, the clean didn’t suffer much at all. I know shared EQ can be a pain in the ass on some amps. Doesn’t seem that way here. The gain channel of course is the star of the show. It definitely had the singing lead thing going on and I can hear how the 5150s, Rectos and the like all owe parts of their sound to this amp. The lows were a little too big for my liking but I’m sure if I actually dialed them in more or hit the amp with a boost I’d be fine. Boosting isn’t a negative for me. I boost everything. I definitely enjoyed it. I wasn’t super blown away by it but I think part of that was the cab. It came in with a matching Soldano 112 with a V30 in it and maybe it’s the 112 cab but I just didn’t think that was the best setup for this amp. I’m also not a big Vintage 30 fan these days. I’d rather have a Greenback or Creamback. That being said, I would probably have enjoyed the amp more with a different cab.
Volume wise, it’s like Bill said. It’s closer to a 50 watt amp than a 30 watt. It’s got proper 5881s in it and this thing starts to pick up at 1 on the volume knob. I think on newer models they modified the taper a bit. I’d have zero issue with this one as is though. I don’t play quiet unless I’m going direct in. I did try a couple guitars with HBs and singles. The Strat through it got me in that 80s Clapton ballpark. I still see this amp as a bucket list amp but having actually played one, it’s not as pressing that I get it. To be 100% honest, while I know they’re not the same, I can get a similar vibe out of my 5150. Granted it’s a bit grittier but its in the ballpark. Does it clean up as nice as the SLO? Fuck no. Even the OD channel on the SLO cleans up nice with volume rollback. The Peavey doesn’t have that as much. Also there’s a bit more clarity to the SLO30. And I ain’t trying to slag on or write the amp off either. Last amp I played in store I really liked was the 5513 50 watt and once I got it home I wasn’t a fan. So I take any in store experiences with a grain of salt anymore.
Anyway, cool amp. May buy one still but not in as much of a hurry. At this juncture I might be more likely to get a Deliverance 60 again. Different gain structure and vibe, but I loved that amp.
The clean channel is actually really good. It’s a solid clean and I could use that for anything. No complaints there. Crunch channel was like a beefier 800. Bigger lows a bit more sustain. It felt like a good extension of the clean and even after optimizing the EQ more for that channel, the clean didn’t suffer much at all. I know shared EQ can be a pain in the ass on some amps. Doesn’t seem that way here. The gain channel of course is the star of the show. It definitely had the singing lead thing going on and I can hear how the 5150s, Rectos and the like all owe parts of their sound to this amp. The lows were a little too big for my liking but I’m sure if I actually dialed them in more or hit the amp with a boost I’d be fine. Boosting isn’t a negative for me. I boost everything. I definitely enjoyed it. I wasn’t super blown away by it but I think part of that was the cab. It came in with a matching Soldano 112 with a V30 in it and maybe it’s the 112 cab but I just didn’t think that was the best setup for this amp. I’m also not a big Vintage 30 fan these days. I’d rather have a Greenback or Creamback. That being said, I would probably have enjoyed the amp more with a different cab.
Volume wise, it’s like Bill said. It’s closer to a 50 watt amp than a 30 watt. It’s got proper 5881s in it and this thing starts to pick up at 1 on the volume knob. I think on newer models they modified the taper a bit. I’d have zero issue with this one as is though. I don’t play quiet unless I’m going direct in. I did try a couple guitars with HBs and singles. The Strat through it got me in that 80s Clapton ballpark. I still see this amp as a bucket list amp but having actually played one, it’s not as pressing that I get it. To be 100% honest, while I know they’re not the same, I can get a similar vibe out of my 5150. Granted it’s a bit grittier but its in the ballpark. Does it clean up as nice as the SLO? Fuck no. Even the OD channel on the SLO cleans up nice with volume rollback. The Peavey doesn’t have that as much. Also there’s a bit more clarity to the SLO30. And I ain’t trying to slag on or write the amp off either. Last amp I played in store I really liked was the 5513 50 watt and once I got it home I wasn’t a fan. So I take any in store experiences with a grain of salt anymore.
Anyway, cool amp. May buy one still but not in as much of a hurry. At this juncture I might be more likely to get a Deliverance 60 again. Different gain structure and vibe, but I loved that amp.
