Soldano/Matchless questions
David Swanger
amp and a Soldano amp. Both were combo amps, 2x12's I think. I believe the
Soldano was a Reverb-o-sonic, I am not sure what the Matchless was.
I have heard other people use these brands of amps, but I have never used
either of them before today. I used a Tom Anderson Strat-type guitar into
each amp (I normally use a Fender 57 reissue strat).
First, the Matchless had a very "clear" clean sound. I liked the clean
sound very much. I couldn't get a very distorted tone at low volumes, but
maybe I didn't know what I was doing. The controls were very simple. The
sales people told me that amp sounds best distortion-wise when you crank
it up loud, that I shouldn't judge the amp by playing it at low volumes.
I'm not sure how powerful the amp was. It seemed pretty loud.
Then I played through the Soldano. Man, I really liked that amp. Good
distortion, good clean sound, good reverb. The controls weren't great
(only one set of tone controls for the two channels), but I *think* I
could live with it. 50 watts.
I realize that it's hard to tell how an amp sounds sometimes without
really jamming with a band, but I had a good feeling about the Soldano
right away. My friend Mike felt just the opposite, he liked the
Matchless. Mike is normally calm and reserved, but he was excited about
the Matchless. I told him he was crazy, the Soldano ruled.
We argued (good naturedly) in front of the sales people for a while, then
we got around to asking price. I was a little surprised when they told us
that the Matchless cost well over $2000 (I think they said $2500). That
stunned me, my immediate reaction was "no way in hell". I mean, it sounds
pretty good, but $2500? Then again, maybe I'm missing something. Let me
ask you Matchless owners, what are your feelings about your amp? Does it
really sound that good ina band situation? I really would like to know
your opinions.
Then I asked about the Soldano. They said $1500 (maybe a few dollars
more). That sounded high to me also, but I guess that's about what a 1x12
Mesa Mark IV costs, I don't know, I *think* I like the Soldano as much or
more than I do the Mark IV (which I also like). Heck, I guess I need to
take one of each to a gig to know for sure. I'll ask you Soldano owners
the same question I asked the Matchless owners, what are your feelings
about your amp? Does it really sound that good? I really would like to
know your opinions.
I have a pretty good sounding rig now, it's a rack thingie that I put
together, I've got more $$$ in it than the Soldano costs (not the
Matchless, though). I sounds good, but it is a pain to carry around
sometimes. I used to use a Fender Twin, but the distortion just wasn't
quite right, that's why I went to the rack. A combo amp is very
appealing, just throw it in the car and go. The sound has got to be there
though, I don't want a combo amp just for convenience.
Oh well, I've rambled enough. I would love to hear your ideas and
opinions on this.
--
David Swanger
Division of University Computing
Auburn University, Alabama
swa...@mail.auburn.edu
gary watts
: First, the Matchless had a very "clear" clean sound. I liked the clean
: sound very much. I couldn't get a very distorted tone at low volumes, but
: maybe I didn't know what I was doing. The controls were very simple. The
: sales people told me that amp sounds best distortion-wise when you crank
: it up loud, that I shouldn't judge the amp by playing it at low volumes.
: I'm not sure how powerful the amp was. It seemed pretty loud.
It's really going to matter as far as musical style (jazz/blues/rock etc)
if you like this amp. Some guys just go nuts over the Matchless. Me
personally, I didn't think much of them. But my general playing style
isn't suited to them either. I think of them as meant for loud jazz
(on the clean channel) or blues. These aren't meant as rock or metal
amps. Tonally for the styles that they cover, I'd rather have a Blackface
Fender or one of the Vibrokings if I could even say that loud.
: Then I played through the Soldano. Man, I really liked that amp. Good
: distortion, good clean sound, good reverb. The controls weren't great
: (only one set of tone controls for the two channels), but I *think* I
: could live with it. 50 watts.
The SLO 100 is definitely a better tone and can be had for around $1800 used.
In either case, you are looking at preamp distortion as opposed to power
tube distortion (in the Matchless). You have more volume control since
the volume of the power section is much less of an issue. My biggest
complaint (and it can be fixed) is the brittle,almost sizzling top end
of the distortion channel. Gain it has but just too bright even with
humbuckers.
It is possible to change the caps in the preamp to revoice the amp. Joe
Bac had Soldano do this to his and is very happy. Again, everyone likes
different things depending on what you like.
: We argued (good naturedly) in front of the sales people for a while, then
: we got around to asking price. I was a little surprised when they told us
: that the Matchless cost well over $2000 (I think they said $2500). That
: stunned me, my immediate reaction was "no way in hell". I mean, it sounds
: pretty good, but $2500? Then again, maybe I'm missing something. Let me
: ask you Matchless owners, what are your feelings about your amp? Does it
: really sound that good in a band situation? I really would like to know
: your opinions.
The live situation is the real proving ground as an amp can sound good with
just the guitar going but as soon as you add other instrument and different
sound characteristics of the room, it changes drastically. The main reason
is frequency masking of the other instrument that cross over into the
same frequencies of the guitar.
Some other amps you should check out if you liked the Soldano are the
Rivera Knucklehead ($1295 list)(50 and 100 watt models) and the Mesa
Tremoverb which, along with the Solo head, was designed in direct response
to the Soldano tone. Both are much less in price and still great on tone.
Gary Watts
Joe Bac
: It is possible to change the caps in the preamp to revoice the amp. Joe
: Bac had Soldano do this to his and is very happy. Again, everyone likes
: different things depending on what you like.
Thanks Gary for remembering. Everyone has to keep in mind that tone is
all subjective to what each person likes. What I like, might suck to
others. I do gig a lot and I have played lots of top end gear over the
years. I have to admit that I'm quite pleased with the SLO-100. You can't
beat Mike's overdrive imho period. I had the "Warran Haynes" mod done to
the overdrive. All it is, is a bypass switch put in to bypass the built
in "bright" that is in the overdrive pre-amp pot. At low settings, the
bright becomes more noticable. The mod cuts out the bright altoghter. The
result is a bit thicker tone. Works well with both a strat and a paul.
Then, I had some caps added to the clean channel for the tone I wanted.
FWIW - I had my SLO in my booth at the guitar show this past weekend. I got
lots of compliments on the clean tone. Even from the Groove Tube guys who
had their booth right across from mine. btw - our show SUCKED!
Now for the Matchless - I played one for some time one day. I thought the
clean sound was great. The overdrive wasn't enough for me. And, for
practical purposes, I didn't like that I would have to use an a/b box to
channel switch. I know their design is more pure, but I gig. I'm not
a studio buff. I have to be practical for what I do.
Just my 2 cents.
L8'r.
Joe
--
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
> Joseph G. Bac Phone: 408 447-7190 <
> Hewlett-Packard Co. Fax: 408 447-4668 <
> 19091 Pruneridge Ave. MS 46LA Email: joe...@cup.hp.com <
> Cupertino, CA 95014 HPDESK: Joe_Bac@HP4700 <
> Words expressed are my opinion, not HP's <
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Michael Boldin
impressed (at the store), but when I took it home to try for a night, I
was thoroughly convinced.
What I wanted was a good clean sound *and* a good crunch sound. I
usually play an Music Man EVH (which wasn't exactly designed for clean),
but I also occasionally play an Ibanez Roadstar II Strat-copy. The
amp produces a good clean sound for both, although I have keep the
gain lower (<4) for the EVH.
The amp doesn't lose low end in crunch mode and it's *loud* (I mean, it
goes to eleven :-) It doesn't have the Satriani-esque shredder gain,
but I can get that type of sound with an overdrive stomp box.
My friend Dave (who's plays a Heritage Les Paul), liked the amp too. He
commented that even noises that he made on the guitar (I think the tab
would be lots of X's :-) sounded good, and he could hear every note
clearly during fast runs.
I can't say I've ever heard a Matchless, but, IMHO, the Soldano is the
best combo I've ever heard. It's pricey (I paid $2500 Cdn for mine),
but, for me anyway, it was worth it.
Cool features: all knobs go to eleven, blue pilot light, purple tolex.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Michael Boldin mi...@tsb-intl.ca
bol...@freenet.hamilton.on.ca
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
wwit...@westnet.com
>>Ok, I went to the Birmingham guitar show today. One booth had a Matchless
>>amp and a Soldano amp. Both were combo amps, 2x12's I think. I believe the
>>Soldano was a Reverb-o-sonic, I am not sure what the Matchless was.
>>
(etc.)
in my experience...
the Soldano's do that heavy- metal, total-overdrive type of distortion
better than just about anything
they sound like the hot-rodded Marshalls that were their ancestry
on the other hand a Matchless is based on a Vox...it has a great clean
sound (i find the Soldano clean sounds to be lackluster and "small") and
gets some nice crunch at the other end..but NOT the type of over-the-top
grunge that the Soldano will
so it becomes a question of what you want it for
to me, the Matchless is a FAR more versatile amp...Guitar World magazine
did a combo "shoot out" a few years ago and the Matchless DC30 was the
only amp that received perfect 5's in all categories...terrific clean,
dirty, loud , soft
on the other hand, if you're a total metal playing, balls to the wall type
of guy then the Soldano will probably make you happier
if *I* had to be washed up on a desert island with only one amp it would
be an AC30...so if i had to choose only one of the the two between a
Soldano and a Matchless it would be the Matchless
but that's ME
you have to pick for YOU
--
w2
Jack A. Zucker
--
| Jack A Zucker Jack....@software.rockwell.com |
| Rockwell Software Inc. |
| 747 Alpha Drive Voice: 216-646-4668 |
| Highland Hts., OH 44143 Fax: 216-646-4484 |
Gauri Therganonkar
> Clapton no more....
What the &*^^(%@$!! is that supposed to mean?
No flame, Mr. Suhr, just *what* does that mean?
Please clarify.
..Giri (my heart is beating a little too fast, please hurry)
Nathan Phillip Stewart
: In article <3vpnba$s...@newsbf02.news.aol.com>, js...@aol.com (JSuhr) writes:
: > Clapton no more....
: What the &*^^(%@$!! is that supposed to mean?
: No flame, Mr. Suhr, just *what* does that mean?
: Please clarify.
Calm down - I did a double take too, but it didn't take but a second to
think it through in context. It would appear that Eric Clapton doesn't use
Soldano's any more, that's all. (The alternate explanation is that E.C. was
an RAF fighter pilot during WW II. ;-)
_______________________________________
| | Nathan Stewart
| Marshall | npst...@eos.ncsu.edu
| ________________________ | Play skillfully to the
| |!!o Q Q Q Q Q Q :: | | Lord with a
|=======================================| *LOUD* noise. Psalm 33:3
gary watts
: In article <3vpnba$s...@newsbf02.news.aol.com>, js...@aol.com (JSuhr) writes:
: > Clapton no more....
: What the &*^^(%@$!! is that supposed to mean?
: No flame, Mr. Suhr, just *what* does that mean?
: Please clarify.
There is a new amp coming out that John Suhr helped to design. I assume
he means that Clapton may be using one.
Gary Watts
James Christensen
Washington. I end up playing his amps a lot. I personally think there
aren't any better out there. Certainly if you are going for a certain
sound it might not be for you. But his list of endorsers is huge most
notably Clapton and Knopfler...
JSuhr
JSuhr
OmarNepo
writes:
: > Clapton no more....
: What the &*^^(%@$!! is that supposed to mean?
: No flame, Mr. Suhr, just *what* does that mean?
: Please clarify.
>There is a new amp coming out that John Suhr helped to design. I assume
>he means that Clapton may be using one.
I heard from a pretty reliable source that John Suhr got a lot of help
designing his amps from calling Soldano and asking questions. Makes you
wonder ...
Later,
Omar
JSuhr
>he means that Clapton may be using one.
>I heard from a pretty reliable source that John Suhr got a lot of help
>designing his amps from calling Soldano and asking questions. Makes you
>wonder ...
>Later,
>Omar
I wont dispute that Mike and I talked alot, That doesnt mean I didnt do my
homework. I think he liked me until I sold the CAA 3+ to some of his best
customers. Leo Fender built his circuits based on GE tube manual
suggestions. Marshall based their early amps off the Fender 4-10 bassman.
Mike learned alot by taking apart Fenders and Marshalls, I learned alot by
taking apart Fenders, Marshalls and Soldanos as well as any amp I could
possibly get my hands on as well as countless years of study and research.
The 3 Channel Soldano XR88 preamp was Robert Bradshaws concept and
layout. Mike made the prototype for Bradshaw which was being used by Steve
Lukather ( he now uses the CAA 3+). Mike Soldano makes a fine quality
product and I respect his craftmanship. I also have pride in my own
craftmanship and design which resemble Soldanos not in the slightest. The
CAA 3+ SE preamp is still going strong with a 6 month back order, the
Soldano XR88 is out of production as I hear. The CAA 100W Amp will be
availible in Jan. It is a giant killer at a very resonable price compared
to other designer amps. Dont spew bullshit unless you know all the facts.
Gauri Therganonkar
..Giri
*** If mailing, please don't mail to this address. ***
*** Please send mail to usfm...@ibmmail.com ***
gary watts
: Can we find out some more about the CAA 3+ preamp?
By calling Custom Audio Amplifiers at (818)763-8898. They do have brochures
although for the 3+ you hardly need one. It's a three channel unit that
has completely separate control for each channel (gain, bass,mid,treble,
volume). Essentially its clean, crunch and high gain. Additionally,
there's separate master section with bass treble and master volume that
affect all three channels. 2 rack spaces, anodized front panel that is
a kindof transparent lavender with white slikscreening for the control
labels. Price is $1495.00.
I'm certain John Suhr will have some additional comments. A friend of
mine here in town has one. It sounds very good.
There are some dealers for this stuff but generally it's best to just
order it directly. Some of the other Bradshaw stuff (switchers etc) are
available at 20% off when you order them directly. I got a 4x4 with
this deal last year.
Gary Watts
SEFSTRAT
ask you Matchless owners, what are your feelings about your amp? Does it
your opinions. >>
The Matchless is a one-sound amp, really. Great for Jackson-Browne type
leads....David Grissom sounds...country stuff. I use an ART ECC, and it
sounds great throught the Matchless...but the Matchless distortion, on its
own is nowhere in the ballpark of my Marshall.
SEFS...@AOL.com
P. Psutka
>The Matchless is a one-sound amp, really. Great for Jackson-Browne type
>leads....David Grissom sounds...country stuff. I use an ART ECC, and it
>sounds great throught the Matchless...but the Matchless distortion, on its
>own is nowhere in the ballpark of my Marshall.
>
>SEFS...@AOL.com
>
You mean that the Marshall distortion sounds like fuzz and is very
squashed sounding dynamically, whereas the Matchless has more definition
and has clear beautiful sustain that retains more of the sound of your
guitar itself???
Paul Psutka
JSuhr
panel with black lettering and the improved version was called the SE. If
your friend has never had the update, it is well worth the service charge.
Depending on how old his is , he may already have an SE, CAA did some SE's
in the older chassis also. Your freind could talk to Martin at Custom
Audio (also at Marti...@AOL.COM) to find out which one he has. The SE's
Crunch, Overdrive and switchable EQ are much improved.
See yA
Suhr
_______________
William G. Sacks
: You mean that the Marshall distortion sounds like fuzz and is very
: squashed sounding dynamically, whereas the Matchless has more definition
: and has clear beautiful sustain that retains more of the sound of your
: guitar itself???
Why, it's ad copy in the making, I tell you! Seriously, I tend to
agree with that opinion (at least as far as JCMs are concerned), but it's
also important to note that the Matchless designs have significantly less
gain than most production Marshalls (the JTM 45 reissue not
withstanding). Some players, especially those looking for a consistently
"hot" El-84 sound, will find them ideal; metal/grunge/etc. players will
probably _not_ find enough overdrive, and will therefore question the
pricetag (call it the "clip value," if you will).
Robert J. Cardinali
Ballard Bitters! Yea! (I liked Red Hook the best, but I guess it
embarrassed them - too bad)
Who, pray tell, is Mike?
Thanks
Bob