Wampler SLOstortion vs MI Audio Tube Zone

[jamesc]

Has anyone done a side by side comparison between these 2 pedals? I have a Tube Zone but am really intrigued by the SLOstortion.

[chemical69]

I'd like to know too!

It's been many years since I've had a Tube Zone but I think it has more of a Mesa Rectifier sound and is not as forward in the mids. Very smooth sound overall

My SLOstortion is more vintage sounding in comparison IMO. Singing sustain but not so overtly heavy.

Anyone do a direct comparison?

[theGhost]

I have directly compared them, and it is indeed Apples and Oranges.

The SLO is REALLY chunky and thick with SO much midrange. It's attack, while aggressive, is always chunky. I've never played a SLO head before, but I've been told that's what they're like, so apparently Brian did good at replicating that tone.

The Tube Zone is in fact much more like Rectifiier. I have owned a couple of Recto heads, and while I don't think the Tube Zone is necessarily going for a spot-on copy of the Recto sound, the similarities are there. The TZ is much more naturally scooped than the SLO, but they both have VERY tweakable eq's.

For me, personally, I like the Tube Zone much better. I didn't particularly care for the SLO's flavor of chunky attack, especially in the lower-mids. Most of all, though, I didn't like just how pronounced ALL the mids were. In order to get it to sound even similar in EQ to my Tube Zone, I had to drastically scoop the mids (and I run the TZ with the mids above noon on almost all settings).

Like I said, the comparison is really Apples to Oranges. I freaking love the Tube Zone for what it's going for. The SLO does what it's supposed to, but it wasn't my thing. Obviously there will be plenty of people completely opposite saying the SLO is their thing and the TZ isn't. The one thing I can say in general is that I think the Tube Zone is WAY more versatile than the SLO. The TZ can sound great as a low-medium gainer, a mid-high gain generic "rock" tone, a tight, high-gain chug-riffing monster, and even as a loose wall of fuzz or great lead tone.

The Tube Zone is one of my favorite pedals I've ever played. The SLOstortion is an obviously great pedal, but the characteristics of what it's meant to do (that it does very well) were not for me. As always, IMHO, YMMV, etc...

[jamesc]

Thanks theGhost. Sounds like the SLO would make a tighter high gain chugger. The TZ is a tad spongy in the low end for me, even with the character turned down.

[theGhost]

Thanks theGhost. Sounds like the SLO would make a tighter high gain chugger. The TZ is a tad spongy in the low end for me, even with the character turned down.

You're right about the spongy-ness of the TZ, but I wouldn't necessarily call the SLO a "tight chugger" - at least not in the same way that a VHT or a modded Marshall would be. It's just different. Chunky is the best word I can think to describe it, really, but it's not perfect. The notes bloom in a certain character upon attack that makes the SLO very distinct.

Obviously both are really great pedals, but they are very different.

[fabriciorj]

I agree with theGhost.
I had a Tube zone and now I have the SLOStortion.
The Tubezone is a amazing pedal...REALLY.
The SLOStortion is a great pedal, but I prefer the Tubezone because I have to use less post EQ.

[10strings]

-- Don't want to get this thread of course, but which would be better direct?

[fabriciorj]

I use the 2 pedals plugged into a SS11B (clean), than to my profire 610.
I use impulses (mix 57 and 414 mics).
They are diferent, but I prefer the TubeZone.

[jlagrassa]

I had a Tube Zone 6 knob version, The Tube Zone is nice but I just didnt care much for the tone of that pedal and the touchy EQ

[fabriciorj]

The EQ in TubeZone is VERY sensitive...is real...but is what make the pedal SO good.
Just my 2cents

[brewtality]

I did a search and stumbled upon this thread. I currently owen a V3 Tubezone which I use as a preamp to my tube amp. I plug in on the fx loop rather instead of the guitar input. The huge range of EQ option for the TZ makes this possible, especially the combination of bright and tone control tweaking.

Now, can the SLOstortion be a preamp as well? Or if you guys haven't tried it as such can the SLOstortion be set to be incredibly thin and ear piercingly bright? From my experience, very good settings on my TZ as a preamp translates as thin and super bright once I plug to my normal guitar input and not re-tweaking anything.

[joe_k]

I did a search and stumbled upon this thread. I currently owen a V3 Tubezone which I use as a preamp to my tube amp. I plug in on the fx loop rather instead of the guitar input. The huge range of EQ option for the TZ makes this possible, especially the combination of bright and tone control tweaking.

Now, can the SLOstortion be a preamp as well? Or if you guys haven't tried it as such can the SLOstortion be set to be incredibly thin and ear piercingly bright? From my experience, very good settings on my TZ as a preamp translates as thin and super bright once I plug to my normal guitar input and not re-tweaking anything.
not sure if using it as a preamp would be a brilliant idea. usually the preamp takes a signal which is at line level. i doubt the pedal amplifies the signal to line level.

[brewtality]

Which pedal are you talking about? The SLOstortion? In the case of TZ, i don't know if it is line level but the TZ has a huge output. I already gigged with TZ as a preamp twice and on both gigs, I sounded great. :)

[joe_k]

i was talking about the TZ but if it works and sounds good then keep doing it i say.

[prsnstrat]

I'd say they're a bit different in character - the TZ is very tweakable and could get you close to the SLO sound. On the other hand I think you could tweak the Slostortion to get close to the TZ. Both amazing pedals but i'd choose the Slostortion between the two. Why? because I think the EQ is better on the Slo; the TZ always had a fizzy sound if I tried to dial in any top end bite.