The S.L.O. 101 makes use of an FET/transistor-based Class A amplification circuit, and just as
the name behind the meaning implies (Super Lead Overdrive), the S.L.O. 101 is a pedal that
produces classic overdrive/gain amp sounds that vintage tone purists have sought after.
The circuitry of the S.L.O. 101 is designed just like that of a tube amplifier, overcoming the limitations inherent to OP-AMP-based drive pedals of the
past. This not only allows a wider range of tonal nuances from a superior degree of picking dynamics, the S.L.O. 101 is also designed to produce a very
full-sounding drive tone embodied in both a rich overdriven sound, in addition
to a very expressive amount of dynamic punch.
Just like classic fuzz pedals, the S.L.O. 101 requires a high-impedance input (Hi-Z, must be used with passive pickups and not after a buffered pedal), which also allows one to set the pedal to one’s preferred drive setting and use the guitar’s volume knob to control a wide range of drive tones; being able to
back off for clean tones and then turning things up for all-out overdriven tones. An even richer degree of gain can be produced when used before an already
overdriven amplifier, but with the S.L.O. 101’s optimization of core midrange
tones, the guitar’s original frequency range is also preserved.