I think many folks have heard, over the years, that the Soldano SLO-100 has been "copied" or "ripped off" by any number of amp builders. Personally, I've read folks claiming that EVH instructed Peavey to clone his SLO for the 5150 amp. I've similarly heard that Mr. Soldano felt Mesa had ripped off his design in building the Dual Rectifier. I guess I can hear the family resemblance in the 5150 (it has tons of pre-amp gain and can sound fizzy unless you get the poweramp really cranking); but I always associate Rectos with a woolier, looser sound than the SLO.
And since they are all available in the Axe III, I'm wondering, in the opinion of those who really know amps (I'm hoping Cliff can chime in here if he likes), how close are these amps? If they are, indeed, heavily based on the SLO, to what can we attribute the differences in their tones?
Finally, how different is the SLO from my personal favorite, the Bogner XTC?
And since they are all available in the Axe III, I'm wondering, in the opinion of those who really know amps (I'm hoping Cliff can chime in here if he likes), how close are these amps? If they are, indeed, heavily based on the SLO, to what can we attribute the differences in their tones?
Finally, how different is the SLO from my personal favorite, the Bogner XTC?