I tested the SOLO on various guitars with different pickup configurations. As you may already know, single coil pickups give a brighter biting character while humbuckers add a darker and fatter attitude to the sound. The SOLO gave fantastic results in both instances. The Scoop control quickly became one of my favorite functions. It really allows you to add blistering textures to your sound. I found that I could create a blunt, sledgehammer type feel or give the tone a razor's edge depending on what I was looking for and which song I was playing. I found that I was able to achieve great sounds for anything from blues and country, to classic and hard rock. The variations you can achieve make this a very flexible pedal indeed.

One of my favorite aspects of this pedal was the way it allowed my personal playing dynamics to come though. When playing aggressively, the "SOLO" absolutely screams, but when you back off on your string attack, it mellows right out. This is very similar to the natural effect of driving a tube amplifier but now you can obtain this phenomenon at lower volume levels - which is a blessing if you intend on recording or play through a PA at relatively low stage volumes. In today’s music world, this kind of versatility is an essential element to a player’s style.

I choose guitars based on their unique tonal elements. I have found that many distortion effects pedals actually bury the guitar's natural properties thus making every guitar sound alike. I loved the fact that the SOLO allows the guitars natural tonal characteristics to shine through. I like to use different guitars for various situations, and now I am able to use one pedal and reap the distinctive benefits of the guitar I choose.

The biggest asset I have found with ProCo stompboxes is the ability to go from a warm slightly overdriven sound to nuclear distortion with the turn of a knob. The SOLO is no exception to the rule, and in fact I find it to be even more versatile in this area than any pedal that has come before it. You can squeeze enough hard driving distortion out of the SOLO to please your peers and offend your parents at the same time. This is certainly NOT your Daddy’s distortion stompbox!

Closing Thoughts

I have been a fan of ProCo’s products since I first used their "Guardian" guitar cables. As we moved into reviewing their whole line of Rat pedals, I have continued to gain respect for their commitment to quality, and building products that do exactly what they say they do.

If you are looking to add something different, maybe just a little edge to your sound, or you are looking to awe your crowds with ear blistering distortion, you owe it to yourself to take a "SOLO" flight. ProCo Sound has come through yet again with a pedal that truly deserves the Guitar Gear Heads "Rig Ready" award for 2006. I tip my hat to Charlie Wicks and the crew at ProCo Sound.

Gary Allen - Guitar GearHeads