Soldano Hot Mod vs. Legendary Tones V2 in a Marshall JMP 2203

I've always been a massive fan of the original Soldano Hot Mod (this neat little device that turns your Marshall into a fire breathing monster without having to physically mod your valuable amp), I was lucky enough to hunt down a couple of them while they were still available on the used marked, but I was always a bit reluctant to use them much because finding replacement tubes at a reasonable price became more and more difficult.
So I was really stoked when I found out about the Legendary Tones HotMod V2, which takes the same principal but used readily available 12ax7 instead...Took me about 2 minutes to buy one of them and about 2 weeks for it to arrive.
And flip me, is that thing sick!
Anyway, here's a direct comparison between the two.

No post processing on the guitars, cab was a Mesa Recto 4x12, miked with an sm57 and an R121.

[TheOtherJohnBrowne]

The legendary reamp riff always gets me pumped. Both mods sound killer

[baconfirre]

This actually made a difference that was audibly easy to hear. Sizzly Vs Tight is spot on, that's what I hear too.

[metal_helm]

to be honest i couldn't tell a difference, but thought they both sounded great.

[MichaelDespairs]

I'm back again to enjoy this amazing tone. The soldano Hotmod has some Demanufacture power to it. I dream about tone like this.

[themodernguitarist]

The Hot Mod seems more saturated with a little more gain, while the V2 is a little lower output, but tighter as you said. The Hot Mod definitely reminds me of that old Stuck Mojo sound for obvious reasons.

EDIT: I just noticed you said the gain boost toggle wasn't activated. Probably explains the difference. Definitely would prefer the V2 in this case.

[givemeajackson]

both sound awesome, i think the soldano sounds a bit brighter/squeakier on the palm mutes and i like that. but barely any difference. very cool that these things exist.

[guitarexpert]

You always come up with great stuff. Love it Thanks.

[wolfslainman]

finaly you did it Lasse...my piece is on the way...thanx!!!

[markwinkle]

Thank you so much for doing this comparison! I've been wanting to hear what these LT V2 mods sound like directly compared to an original Soldano HotMod. I'm convinced that I want to purchase one, not so much that it sounds better, more so that it does sound just as good as the Soldano HotMod which I've used for years. As you said, the triple triode tube that the Hotmod uses are getting harder to come by because I don't believe anyone is manufacturing new ones, particularly the the higher gain, 6C10 triple triode tube.

[kahlrhoam]

Simply, 😬👏.
I like the little one, it lets more of the amp’s Marshallality through.

[reneotten]

I need this for my '78 2203 JPM :-) Thanks for this awesome demo!!!!

[LightCyrus]

Hot Damn! That Soldano mod gets awfully close to the old school Fear Factory sound. So cool.

[metaljonesy]

V2 sounds a little clearer on its own compared to the original, but it also sounds like it has a tiny little less gain so this is probably what I am hearing, other than that, super similar and in a full mix, it's negligible. Nice comparison vid again Lasse!

[flyboymcgee]

Hot Mod V2 has a more focused and punchy low end. Mids cut and feel more percussive as well. Soldano is for sure good but not really holding it's own in comparison

[michaellrakes]

Hey Lasse, hopefully you check out this comment/question: but have you tried either of these on your JCM 900 SLX? I know the Hot Mod V2 is compatible with that amp, so considering it already has an extra gain stage tube and this adds ANOTHER gain stage, ive wondered how far it can go?

[bebopsamurai_music]

They both sound pretty close, but I think the V2 sound tighter overall

Are these KT88 powertubes?

[ABHORRANCE]

That's sweet. I'd love to see if a Krank Revolution would benefit from the V2.
When I had a couple Krank amps, my only problem was lack of gain. I didn't like using OD pedals with them either because the low end is already so tight and lean.

[eds]

much prefer the V2, clearer on top and bottom end (maybe has a touch less gain in this comparison?)

[JosephCraciun]

I love that you use the same killer song in a lot of the shoot outs, is fucking super sick and has a killer array of styles to gauge the tone🤘🤘is there a whole song?

[nevusofota]

Remember, the EQ settings were identical. You could easily get both versions to sound the same with some knob turning.