Hi Gain amps!

[danger5oh]

Just looking at your signature... Where did you get the EMG JH's from?

Sorry... not trying to hijack... TOE-KNEE, I had my JH set special ordered from a local EMG dealer... somehow he was able to pull some strings and I got 'em a couple weeks before they were actually released :)  Nice p'ups.

[PPPMAT]

Well, I've decided to do what my missis does when she is choosing shoes and not sure what to get...............just buy all of them and send the ones back that aren't right.

So I will shortly have a soldano hot rod 50+ and a cornford mk50 II landing at my door for me to test - both with money back guarantees and from reputable dealers.

I don't know why I didn't think of this before! 8)

[hunter]

Hr50+ and Mk50II are both great amps. My vote goes for the MK50 because

-better cleans
-better loop
-better master volume (better at low vol)
-I have one (Mk50H that is)

Clear, ay?

;)

[PPPMAT]

Well the Hot Rod 50 + turned up yesterday and I took it to rehearsal last night. I was pretty dissapointed to be honest.

The crunch is quite good but I just could not get on with the lead channel. It sounded very upper mid focussed - tore through the mix like nothing else but I like my tone warm and rounded and the Soldano is certainly not that. Well you have to try these things and I have waited 15 years to try a Soldano - back it goes  :?


The MK50 II turns up today so lets see if we have better luck.

Cheers

Matt

[Dmoney]

with the soldanos, a lot of people who use them seem to dislike the depth mod for some reason, which I don't think is on the hot rod. It is an optional extra on the SLO.
the SLO with the depth turned right down is meant to be the same as having no depth mod, according to M Soldano. I've tried the depth totally out like that and didn't like it. I like having the almost sub low end in there to warm it up.

[PPPMAT]

The Hot Rod 50+ has a depth mod and I was using it copiously. I am spoilt with my Orion which has so much depth to it when the power amp is flat out (power scaled)

[Dmoney]

ha oh well! hope the cornford works out better for you then.
I'm about to embark on some of this buy/return milarky I reckon. cheers for the idea!

[PPPMAT]

Well the missis does it all the time with shoes, so why not with amps? Might cost a few quid to send the parcel back but better than buying it and then losing  a shedload on ebay when it doesn't suit!

Dangerous though - what if both the Soldano and the Cornford were AMAZING and I wanted to keep them both  8)

[Transcend]

with the soldanos, a lot of people who use them seem to dislike the depth mod for some reason, which I don't think is on the hot rod. It is an optional extra on the SLO.
the SLO with the depth turned right down is meant to be the same as having no depth mod, according to M Soldano. I've tried the depth totally out like that and didn't like it. I like having the almost sub low end in there to warm it up.

I think the depth mod is utter genius.

However you must not abuse it. There's a very fine line between it being tasteful and ridiculous.

And it sucks that the Hot Rod didnt work out for you.

Good luck with the cornford!

[hunter]

I know how this thread ends, once you played that Cornford, the search will be over  8)

[PPPMAT]

Well, I have now spent a few hours with both of them. Interesting this!

The Cornford is really really good. The cleans are too warm and rounded for me and to be honest a bit useless for my applications but its all very nice. The crunch is excellent - great great sound and once you step on the overdrive it all goes mental in a thick creamy marshally kind of way. All amazing and one of the best tones I've ever heard. BUT.............it sounds so close to my Orion (when boosted) that it just wouldn't work for me. It would be like having two of the same amp. Also the orions cleans and edge of breakups are way better.

So I tried the Soldano again and actually used the eq this time. Funnily enough it actually makes a difference to the sound and I was expecting a more marshall like tone stack. On my first trial with it I just could not get anywhere near the typical soldano clips you hear on the timmynet but roll the treble right back and tweak 'very' carefully and there it is - it is very different to the Cornford and is an 80's spandex wearing hell of a sound. Love it. The crunch is also very very good.

So after my initlal dissapointment the Soldano looks like the one - just have to decide whether to send it back and go for the slo. Again there is so much internet rubbbish about these amps - some say the Hot Rod 50+ is virtually identical others contradict this completely. I don't need 100 watts or anywhere near it or want to spend £3k to be honest so we will see