Pete, Ross, Chris, et.al...

[Soloist1]

Re: Pete, Ross, Chris, et.al...

Well the problem with the FX loop of the Soldano's is that it is a tone sucking *****. lol I really hate any effects with my CAE/Mesa rig for the same reason. Additional stuff in the loop just kills that great tube sound. I've even thought about try to go with an analog reverb instead of the digital stuff just to steer away from the processed sound. Personally what I would do is see how much Soldano charges to ad the direct out and try that to the effects processor to another solid state power amp. This is the best way to remedy the problems your having and the problems of killing your amps tone. Also ask Soldano if a level boost could be added and made switchable. Luckily the CAE has a boosted section built in. These boutique amps have a great sound but unfortunately they seem limited when it comes to adding anything to their tone. I guess most of the effects are added at the board for a lot of the pros that use these things. Hell a lot of the guy's I like that use amps like this tour with a solid state rigs just because it is more flexible. I've tossed and turned over selling the CAE myself but I just can't bring myself to do it. The thing sounds great with just the 20/20 power amp to the cab and that's it. I think it would be a mistake selling your SLO just for the simple fact that your really going to miss it at home. Maybe you could go with a cheaper versatile rack rig for gigs? I know you hate the rack stuff though. lol I'm sorry I can't really give you more dude. I would say your options would be call Soldano and do a mod of some kind, get a rack rig for gigs or find another way to fund a head besides selling the SLO. One thing is certain though and that is you really have to think about selling the SLO. If you feel you can part with it maybe a more versatile head will be better.

[rstites]

Re: Pete, Ross, Chris, et.al...

Soloist1, the EQ of the SLO feeds the output directly, so what I suggested is effectively the same thing. Either way it's really a cut and not a boost. (The only way to actually boost anything would be to add extra active elements, but that's not really what's needed here. I mention this because your preamp may well have a true boost there, which would be a different thing.)

Chuck, if you make an effort with external devices you'll at least know that you gave that a shot before modding. If you go the mod route I'd contact Soldano and find out how long and how much $ it'd take to have them do it. Pete's right about having the right people do this. Personally, I wouldn't touch it.

Pete, I've never actually messed with the loop on one, so this is hearsay. My understanding is that the major issue is that the loop is very hot and the buffers are a bit more than unity with no controls over them. It was designed with the idea that anyone using it would have a high-end rack piece in the loop that could handle the juice. Apparently, many units get overdriven by the loop, so it's gotten a bad reputation.

The worst problem with the design is the location. Note that it's after the preamp gain stages, before the EQ and master stages. This means that the two channels will frequently feed it with completely different signal levels.

Ross

[Dreamland_Rebel]

Re: Pete, Ross, Chris, et.al...

hey man,
why don't you put a tube screamer on the front end and kick it on for solos and you'll have your boost. that would be the cheapest and probably best tonal solution.

[OklaStrat]

Re: Pete, Ross, Chris, et.al...

The tube screamer idea won't work - chuck wants a clean boost - and tube screamers put a midrange 'hump' in the tone and also cut a lot of bass.

It's actually why they work so well - it makes the solos cut more. In this application, the tone is going to not be correct.

Pete

[Cleveland Metal]

Re: Pete, Ross, Chris, et.al...

Chuck,

Since you don't want anything in the loop. Have you tried running the JFX into the front of the amp? It might be worth a quick check out.

If it sounded ok, I would recommend getting a cheap midi pedal, and setting two patches with higher and lower volumes... It's very simple to do. That's what I do with my Intellifex for my leads, and I'm familiar with the JFX also as Bill has one. Except I use the Intellifex in the loop.

Personally. I do not feel that the JFX is a great unit under certain circumstances. I wonder a bit about it, as Marshall made it for like a year or two and dropped it. If it was really cool, theyd still be making it.

I feel the Intellifex is more transparent. And I hear the TC Gmajor is even better. A better unit with good buffers might be less of a difference being in the loop.

The JFX could actually be some of the trouble. The echoes are nice and warm (so is a lot of crappy analog stuff too), but the buffers are fairly crappy. It's an older piece and a lot of advances have been made since it was produced.

Let me know about that.

[ February 19, 2003, 01:16 PM: Message edited by: Cleveland Metal ]

[Chuckracer]

Re: Pete, Ross, Chris, et.al...

I'm wondering the exact same thing, John. I was going to try running it into the front end as an expirement last night, but after practice I was bushed and didn't feel like messing with it.

I got to tell ya, between all the folks here who are ofering good suggestions and the folks emailing me with things to try, and everybody taking the time to really help, I am floored.

You guys rule! [img]graemlins/headbang.gif[/img]

[Dreamland_Rebel]

Re: Pete, Ross, Chris, et.al...

i would think that you could adjust the knobs on the tube screamer so that it wasn't just a midrange boost. i know plenty of players that use them and don't use distortion at all. but they want the boost for solo's.

i don't know, we never you any effects live. we just get up there, try and get an even volume betweent the 2 guitars and go. and it always seems to work out well. but when we record we slap all the effects on, of course.

[OklaStrat]

Re: Pete, Ross, Chris, et.al...

Tone control on a tube screamer is a high cut - it just takes treble off, like a tone control on a guitar. It's always going to have a midrange hump, and always going to cut lows UNLESS it's modded.

Chuck, if you're going to try pedals, check out a Fulldrive II by fulltone... put that in your loop [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] You could set it up for TWO footswitchable boosts, but it would change your tone a bit, like any pedal is going to. Mine doesn't sound as middy as a TS, in my opinion.

Pete

Originally posted by Dreamland_Rebel:
i would think that you could adjust the knobs on the tube screamer so that it wasn't just a midrange boost. i know plenty of players that use them and don't use distortion at all. but they want the boost for solo's.

i don't know, we never you any effects live. we just get up there, try and get an even volume betweent the 2 guitars and go. and it always seems to work out well. but when we record we slap all the effects on, of course.

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[rstites]

Re: Pete, Ross, Chris, et.al...

Pete,

Fulltone does have an actual clean boost out now, so that'd probably be the way to go. Any pedal in the loop is going to get driven way to hard to be pleasant.

I have a friend that has a SLO with the parallel loop. If I remember right, it was a $480 option from the factory (mods are less when done on a new amp). He has pretty much every option available on his, but I've never had a chance to play his and mess with them.

Ross

[Chuckracer]

Re: Pete, Ross, Chris, et.al...

But I'm gonna try it anyway, just to be sure I've exhausted every possibility. I'm 99% sure it won't do what I want, but i can borrow one and eliminate that last 1%.

Vince forwarded me an email from Mike Soldano suggesting the parallel loop mod changes the inherent tone of the amp too much to do it. He (Mike) suggested an outboard switching system.

So...lets forget the loop for now. Does the parallel varible resistor idea of Ross's have wings?