The Apex of Slash’s Lifelong Pursuit of Tone
The Magnatone SL-100 Slash Signature is a 100-watt, British-voiced tube amp head developed alongside the legendary top-hatted musician himself. Built to the Guns N’ Roses guitarist’s demanding specifications, the SL-100 takes Magnatone’s Super Fifty-Nine M-80 — Slash’s amp of choice on G N’ R’s 2023 world tour — and cranks it up to devastating new levels. This hot-rodded tone monster slithers with muscular EL34-fueled textures via two footswitchable, 12AX7-infused Gain modes optimized for maximum clarity, grind, and headroom — all the important ingredients in Slash’s sonic recipe. The SL-100 includes a Master volume knob, independent Lo and Hi Gain knobs, and a powerful 4-band tone stack for dialing in everything from pushed cleans to hard-rock crunch to searing leads. You also get a tube-buffered effects loop for integrating your pedalboard. The Magnatone SL-100 Slash Signature isn’t limited to nailing the elusive “Appetite” tone; rather, it’s the culmination of one of rock’s most esteemed guitarist’s lifelong quest for tone.
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100 watts of tube-fueled British tone
If there’s one thing Slash is associated with, it’s scorching-hot British tone played at cranked-to-11 volumes. Based on a 100-watt British-style circuit, the SL-100 Slash Signature was clearly built with this sound in mind. This tube amplifier head’s power section is loaded with four EL34 tubes, arming you with the clarity, grind, and headroom Slash demands both onstage and in the studio. In the SL-100’s preamp section, you’ll find four 12AX7 tubes — the gold standard for high-gain hard rock and metal. Far more than a mere “Appetite” or “SIR #39” clone, the SL-100 boasts an entirely new design based on a highly modded version of Magnatone’s Super Fifty-Nine M-80. The result is a high-octane tube amp with a British voice and enough American rock ’n’ roll attitude to fill a snake pit.
Two footswitchable gain modes
The Magnatone SL-100 Slash Signature sports two footswitchable Gain modes, enabling you to tackle pushed cleans, muscular high gain, and everything in between. The amp’s Lo Gain mode is reminiscent of a ’60s-era British design but with beefed-up lows and sweetened highs to make it suitable for modern playing styles. Matching a humbucker-equipped axe with the SL-100’s Lo mode enables you to clean up your tone using your guitar’s volume knob — but with plenty of crunch at your disposal when you crank it. You can also match a single-coil-equipped guitar with Lo mode for instant Jimi-isms. The SL-100’s Hi Gain mode gives rise to the modded, cascaded-gain preamp sound that ruled the ’80s but with added articulation and zero fizziness. In fact, the Hi Gain mode sounds so smooth that you can crank the SL-100’s Treble control all you want for extra penetration and pick clarity without unwanted harshness.
Loaded with stage-worthy features
The SL-100 Slash Signature brandishes a streamlined set of controls, making it a breeze to dial in. For starters, you get an intuitive 4-band tone stack with Presence, Bass, Mid, and Treble knobs. Independent Lo and Hi Gain knobs allow you to set different levels of grind for the amplifier’s Lo and Hi Gain modes. You also get a Master volume knob to get all the crunch you want, even at bedroom levels. (That said, we wholeheartedly recommend cranking the SL-100 up LOUD.) The SL-100 also includes a tube-buffered effects loop optimized for pedal-level operation.
Magnatone: a slice of rock history
Magnatone first began producing electric guitars and amplifiers in the late 1930s. By the ’50s and ’60s, Magnatone amps had become highly sought after, largely because of their distinctive pitch-shifting vibrato effect, which was responsible for the “watery” guitar sounds you hear on Buddy Holly and early Bo Diddley recordings. Legendary blues-rock guitarist Lonnie Mack employed Magnatone amplifiers to achieve his signature vibrato-soaked sound. Today, Neil Young is also an admirer and uses a vintage Magnatone in his live rig. In 2013, Magnatone entered into a new phase of their evolution, creating a new and improved line of boutique guitar amplifiers that have been embraced by guitar luminaries such as Jeff Beck and Billy Gibbons, as well as quite a few of the guitarists at Sweetwater.
Magnatone SL-100 Slash Signature 100-watt Tube Amplifier Head Features:
- Signature tube amp head of Slash (Guns N’ Roses, Velvet Revolver, and Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators)
- Developed in collaboration with Slash himself
- Based around a British-style circuit with 4 x EL34 power tubes and 4 x 12AX7 preamp tubes
- 2 footswitchable Gain modes: Lo and Hi
- Lo Gain mode reminiscent of a ’60s-era British design
- Hi Gain mode that gives rise to the modded, cascaded-gain preamp sound that ruled the ’80s
- Independent Lo and Hi Gain knobs to allow you to set different levels of grind for the Lo and Hi Gain modes
- Intuitive 4-band tone stack with Presence, Bass, Mid, and Treble knobs
- Master volume knob that maintains your tone — even at bedroom levels
- Tube-buffered effects loop optimized for pedal-level operation
- Speaker-compensated line output (must be used with speaker connected)
- Flexible cabinet matching via rear-panel 4-/8-/16-ohm Impedance switch
- British-inspired aesthetics with Slash’s “Skully” logo on the front panel
