Soldano

I LOVE this cabinet. I originally got it with a Soldano SLO and am currently using it with my Peavey 5150. The cab is built out of high-quality, void-less, birch and loaded with 2 Eminence V12 Legend speakers, running at 8 ohms in a closed-back design. This is probably the deepest 2x12 cab I've ever seen (it's actually deeper than my Marshall 4x12), but is of normal size - length and height wise. However, despite its size, it's actually a very light weight cabinet, and is very easy to transport. The tolex is also very resilient and doesn't wear down easily, even though it feels fairly thin. The Eminence Legend speakers in it sound absolutely HUGE live. They give my 5150 an extra oomph that the V30s in my other cabs couldn't provide. They retain a ton of clarity, while still producing the most brutal sound I've ever heard out of my 5150, and because of the design, it has a giant low-end, that stays amazingly tight. The speakers are crisp, without any harsh EQs associated with a lot of Celestion speakers. A very well balanced cab that sounds great from clean to metal. However, I find that it's somewhat directional, and sounds best listening from directly in front of it. The removable front grille makes micing the cab up a breeze. Pop off the grille and throw an SM57 on it, and you're in business! My only complaint here is, the Legends don't seem to track nearly as well as I'm used to with Vintage 30s. While it sounds great live, it doesn't translate quite as well to a recording, and requires a lot of playing around with mic placement to really get it right. The good news is, with the removable front grille, this is made a lot easier than it sounds, as you're able to physically see the entire speaker, and position it accordingly. Overall, I really recommend this cab to anyone playing rock or heavier. For as small as it is, it really packs a punch, and sounds just as big as my 4x12s (it's actually significantly louder than the Mesa 4x12 I used to have), not to mention it's much easier to move around than your typical 4x12!

The Astroverb is Soldano's 20 watt, single channel, El84 based offering. The amp has onboard reverb and comes in a variety of tolex options. I owned a neon green version that looked stunning. UTILIZATION I found it very easy to dial in a number of great sounds with the Astroverb. The amp responds decently well with your guitar's volume allowing you to get both clean(ish) and high gain sounds from it's single channel design. I paired the head with both a 1x12 soldano cab as well as a 4x12 mesa cab with good results. SOUNDS Played through a Music Man Axis, Gibson Sg Standard, and a Les Paul Traditional Pro. No pedals. The cleans are very chimey. The reverb can get a little out of control quickly on the dial but when set conservatively , added a nice flavor to chords and arpeggios. The amp enters Thin Lizzy territory around 11 o' clock on the dial. Pushing the gain past noon allows for some great 80's tones. I personally favored the amp at around 2 o'clock on the gain. Single note passages soared and had a near-magical quality in the mid range. The amp is very loud. At 3 on the dial (10 o' clock) the amp was already nearing giggable volumes. The amp seemed to lose a noticeable amount of it's clarity past 3. This was experienced on the 4x12 cab. The 1x12 tested seemed to sound a lot more articulate at low volumes but I did not bring the volume as high as with the 4x12. OVERALL OPINION The Astroverb is a very fun amp to play. It is extremely simple to dial in and sounds amazing at low volumes. I feel that if mic'd up properly, this amp could sound great in a live environment. but on it's own I feel it lacks clarity at gigging volumes. You can find the Astroverb for around $799 used. With the Mesa Rectoverb and the Marshall JCM2000 series in this same used price range (both of which offering multiple channels), the Soldano is not the strongest contender. Tonally speaking however, the amp is more than adequate.

Single channel, 20 watts, 2 EL84's, standard EQ section with master volume, no FX loop, 2 16 ohm speaker outs, No standby switch, controls go to 11! UTILIZATION The Atomic 16 is somewhat of a rare bird. I have only seen 10 or so for sale since I purchased mine. Granted, I haven't been trolling ebay for them, but I have come across very few. They aren't like JCM 800's or DSL's which seem to grow on trees. It is a very very very simple amp. If you can't get good tones from it, the problem lies with you. I sort of liken it to a JCM 800 as far as controls go. I will say the the lack of an FX loop is a letdown for sure, but oh well. I actually contacted Soldano about adding one, but it would have been a bigger undertaking than I could have afforded at the time. That was when I used the Atomic 16 as my main amp. Now a days, I use it for recording if I need a specific flavor. SOUNDS Like I mentioned above, the Atomic 16 sounds like a cross between a Marshall JCM800 and a Vox AC30. The distortion it produces is quite smooth. This probably has a lot to do with the EL84's in the power section. This isn't a 'high gain' amp at all, but you can get somewhat more than JCM800 levels of gain. It also takes pedals very well. If you dial it in clean, it really reminds me of an AC30; kinda chimey with a hint of breakup. I like to crank the gain on it to 11 since it sounds very smooth. In the past I used a Tube Screamer with it for even more gain. My only real complaint about this amp is its lack of bass. It's not a huge deal, but coming from my Mesa's, you really notice they lack of low end. Now, it's perfect for recording, but for live I miss having that low end presence. Aside from that, the lack of an FX loop is a bummer since I use delay a lot. So, that's a deal breaker for me to use it live anymore. I've also gone to a higher gain flavor of amps, but this remains in the stable as a studio option. OVERALL OPINION Above all, this is the most reliable amp I have ever owned. I have changed the tubes once in twelve years, which is insane. It has never not worked, never had a hint of an issue, nothing. Just a total tank of an amp. Extremely well built. This was actually my very first tube amp. I went into a guitar store to buy a Marshall, and I came out with this amp and 4x12 Soldano cab for 1k. It doesn't have as many options as my other amps, but it isn't really meant to be that kind of amp. It's more of a simple amp with just great tones. It was a great first tube amp for sure. I have no plans on selling it.

I'm one of those guitarist that is always on the prowl for the ultimate channel switcher head. Sure, some days I like to have a single channel AC30 and use a few pedals but when you're on tour a great channel switcher comes in handy. I have probably played 100 heads that are 3 or more channels over the years. The Decatone was one of the first 3 channel heads. Sporting 5881 tubes, a simple 4 EQ and depth control layout, and hand built quality, the Decatone was a big deal back in the day. And still is. UTILIZATION The FX loops on these are tricky. Certain effects sound great in it and others really need to be used in front of the amp. Playing with the effects mix knob helps a lot too. I really feel that you need a solid pedal board or a good midi setup to get full use out of this amp. All three channels are pretty solid so you need to have good controls at your feet. SOUNDS I used the Decatone for a while in a pop act. (Yes that's right, a pop rock band) and it probably saw 20 months total of touring when it was all said and done. Never a hiccup either. These have a hot rodded marshall vibe but the EQ is done much more tastefully. The lead channel is the highlight, and while it can do searing aggressive lead, it's put to better use by turning back the gain knob and using the guitar to control it. The crunch channel is more of a "less" version of the lead channel with a less aggressive voicing to go with it. I tend to use this channel about 30% of the time. The clean channel gets used sparingly because I don't really need it tbh. There is no power amp gain at all really. It's all preamp. So you don't exactly need to crank it (as if you could) to get a good sound. OVERALL OPINION Most reliable amp I've ever owned considering how hard I drove it. It really takes punishment and sounds great every night. If I could use it for pop rock then imagine what else it could handle? These aren't just for metal...I promise. This might be my favorite Soldano amp behind maybe the Hot rod 100-Loudest amp ever.

100 watt single channel tube head. Gain, bass, middle, treble, master, presence, depth controls, selectable 4, 8, 16 ohm impedance. High and low sensitivity inputs. Four 5881 power tubes. This version came with the DeYoung output transformer which since the circuit is pretty much the lead channel of the Soldano SLO made for a very similar sounding amp. UTILIZATION Super simple lay-out makes for a very easily dialed in amp. Manual is not needed. Dialing it in is as simple as as can be. The low sensitivity input essentially mimics the SLO-100 with the Warren Haynes mod. SOUNDS Use this a lot with a Patrick Eggle Berlin and a O'Donnell Fusion. Very easy to get a mid rich high gain tone ala Holdsworth. The amp's gain a natural compression makes for a great smooth sound. But just like it's bigger brother it has enough teeth on top so it won't be a muddy mess. With the DeYoung output transformer it sounded very close to one of the 2 SLO-100 I compared it to. OVERALL OPINION Since the amp has no effects loop if you want delay it'll get a bit more convoluted. Running a delay pedal before the amp, thus before the overdrive will end up with that "folded over note" sound. The only option-unless you mic the amp and add delay after the fact- is to run it in either a wet/dry set-up or loaded down into effects into a power amp. But this applies to any amp that has lots of gain and no effects loop. Usually I don't care all that much about visuals, but the face plate machined to look like a hot rodded cars engine block is also a nice touch. For Fusion guys with dual amp set-ups, or if you don't need a clean sound this is a great choice. I've used this together with an old Fender Bassman switched into the same cab via a Radial Engineering Headbone switcher. I'm not sure how much milage guys that want a versatile amp get out of this one, you can dial in nice clean tones, but for my tastes the amp's strong suit lays with it's high gain tones. This is also one of the few amp's I have used that has enough natural compression to use fretless guitars without extra pedals. If gain is your thing, this very well may be the ticket.

My first +$1000 amp was a 1994 single channel Soldano Hot Rod 50. Fantastic amp. Granted it was hard to get clean tones out of it at any loud volume, the overdriven tones were wonderful. Mid focused, squishy complex tones. Great, great lead tones. I've owned 2 SLOs and I honestly feel the tone of my Hot Rod 50 was just as good. In fact, I feel the Hot Rod 50 has some magic that the SLOs don't have. Whereas the 100 watt SLOs are big, bold and tight, these Hot Rod 50s have a big of magical squishy-ness to them that is so unique and beautiful. For the $1000-$1300 these early Hot Rods go for on the used market, a wonderful value. You get what you pay for, and in a Hot Rod 50, you get killer tones, an incredibly well built unit, and just such a cool amp. With SLOs going for $3000 typically on the used market, these early Hot Rod 50s are a steal at perhaps $1000-1300. Love them.

Mike Soldano builds wonderful products. The SLO is a legend for a reason....killer tones and robust build quality. In recent years I've owned Soldano SLOs (2), Soldano Hot Rod 50, Bogner Ecstasy, Carvins, Peaveys, etc and can attest that every amp has valuable tones. Not better or worse, just different. The SLO is an amp voiced mid-high. Without the depth control, some feel it is a very trebly amp, to which I agree. If you love mid-high voicing, you will love the SLO. If you are a fan of mid-low voiced amps like the Bogner or many Carvins, the SLO may appeal to you less...and vice versa. My point is....no 1 amp will ever be everything to everyone. Soldano products are held in high regard because they are so clean, even on the high gain lead channels. Big, bold, clean, & articulate. Even with the gain on 10, if you play a chord, you hear every note ring out! They are wonderfully clear and articulate. Makes you a cleaner player, no fuzz or muddiness to hide behind. The clean channel has been called sterile by many and not particularly warm. Again, it's very clear and articulate which probably isn't "warm" like say an EL84 amp which always have the most warm clean tones (but not the articulation of the SLO). So, again, every amp brings different tones and strengths. Value the SLO for what it is (a mid-high lead amp with wonderful tones) and you will love it. Just don't expect this, or any amp, to be the end all-be all for all possible tones. That's why the pros have 20 amps, they all do something different!

I purchased this cabinet with my Soldano Atomic 16 head for 1k. Overall, this is a great speaker cabinet. You don't see these pop up too often on the used market. But, when they do they tend to go for relatively low prices. Sizewise, they are a little smaller than the Marshall 1960 or the Mesa Traditional cab. They are also somewhat lighter in weight, which is nice. They are made of marine grade baltic birch ply, and are super strong. I don't find them quite as aesthetically pleasing that the Marshall 1960, but that's just me. They are a little plain looking. The metal handles and all the appointments blow away the Marshal cabs, so that's big plus. Everything it top notch. The speakers are also front loaded, which makes swapping speakers pretty easy. You just take off the grill cloth and frame which is actually attached with some very strong velcro. Super convenient! I've heard front loaded cabs are actually a lot punchier than rear loaded ones, but I haven't really noticed anything too convincing. Probably the best part about the cab, are the custom X12000 speakers made by Eminence. They are like Vintage 30's without the mid spike. Sometimes, they can sound almost too smooth. I might drop in a pair of V30's just to even them out. Oddly enough, I probably use this cab the least, but I plan on trying it out with some of my newer amp acquisitions. I've had it the longest out of all my cabs, so I got somewhat sick of the sound.

Just an insanely fat sounding amplifier. One thing I love about Soldano's are their fat chewy and rich sounding gain distortion. The lead lines on these amps are so fluid and rich in tone that it makes a lot of other amps sound inferior. The Hot Rod + takes the best of the SLO features and steps up the ante from the regular Hot Rod Avenger amp with two channels. Having a compressed and an uncompressed feature is very nice where dialing in that particular tone. For example you can have the vintage tone with the uncompressed and kick in the overdrive channel for some modern singing sustain. UTILIZATION Soldano Hot Rod 100 Plus 100W Tube Guitar Amp Head Features: * 2-Channels with independent preamp and master volume controls — Normal (uncompressed) and Overdrive (compressed) 100 Watts of Tube Power Tube-buffered serial effects loop A speaker impedance switch (16, 8, 4 ohms) Footswitch for channel switching Handmade in the U.S.A. Dimensions: 9.5" H x 25" W x 9.5" Weight: 42 lb. SOUNDS I like just about any guitar with this amp. However, the Fender Strat stands out to me with this amp. I think it really comes alive with that body shape whether is be a super strat or a regular single coil, the amp reacts to that guitar better than a solid Gibson Les Paul. I think Marshall goes well with Gibson's and Strat's go well with Soldanos. Not saying you can't play one with the other, I'm just saying there is something special to me with those particular parings. A Charvel can play in any setting at any time. Best guitars in the world! Anyway try this amp out with a Strat and you'll see what I mean by a match made in Heaven. The two were made for one another. OVERALL OPINION This is a great amp for the price. At new they come in at around $2500 which is a great price for an amp of this caliber. The tone is agressive and heavy which makes playing extremely enjoyable. I would recommend this amp to anyone searching for a great high gain amplifier and doesn't want to splurge on a Bogner XTC or other high gain Marshall inspired amp. The Bogner XTC and this would be in the same camp as far as high gainers go but the XTC would have one more channels and lot more options to shape your tone. This is a no nonsense rocker amp that doesn't have a bunch of options, but just straight ahead rock and roll tone.