Who likes Soldano amps and why?

Travis

New member
What models do you guys like the best and why? How do they compare to other common amp heads/combos - Marshalls, Mesas, 5150, Carvin Legacy, etc.?
 
Re: Who likes Soldano amps and why?

They're great amps, but I find them to be kind of trebly and it's hard to find in between tones on them. They're either clean, if they have a clean channel, or superhottrodded sounding. It's hard to find good midgain tones, unless the master is on 10 and you bring up the gain slowly.

Great amps though. I'm just nitpicking. As a matter of fact, I wouldn't mind having an Avenger, if I found one cheap enough. Hotrods are too trebly, and SLO's are too expensive. The Decatone is a nice 3 channel amp, but it's priced a little too high to compete with other 3 channel amps of the same quality.
 
Re: Who likes Soldano amps and why?

Thanks for the review. Would you have any experience with a 5150 or Carvin Legacy that you may be able to compare the Soldanos to?
 
Re: Who likes Soldano amps and why?

Dave from Sum 41 use a Soldano SLO 100, and i like his tone. But he also uses a DSL 50, so i can't really tell on what songs he uses which amp.
 
Re: Who likes Soldano amps and why?

I like em... some guys say it's like a better smoother 5150 but I never compared them side by side... I've just played Hot Rods (single and dual channel) and don't find em too bright
 
Re: Who likes Soldano amps and why?

I like the Avenger a lot
I think it's thicker, has some brown tones, and gets huge leads. The Depth knob gives you massive bass when needed.

I have the same issues as Gearjonesser. some SLO 100's are a little too grainy or fizzy (more grainy) for me. I actually prefer the Avenger, though it lacks multi channel or FX loop.

Soldanos sound best when mixed with other amps like old Marshalls - a la Allman Brothers.

Their preamps sound good as well. SP77 is rockin'!
 
Re: Who likes Soldano amps and why?

I've owned two Soldanos (HR50 & Decatone) and a Soldano-designed Yamaha T-100. Loved the OD tones and the cleans were better than you'd expect. The crunch on the Decatone's middle channel was quite good, too. Construction is generally good on them, too.

What did I not like?
  • Overly compressed. My Soldanos had tons of gain but were very compressed. That was great for sustain and soloing but didn't feel as aggressive as it sounded, especially for rhythm playing.
  • FX loop. Plan on using rack FX 'cause it doesn't work well with stompboxes. Even with rack stuff, it's not a particularly good sounding loop. If I got another Soldano, I'd probably run a wet/dry rig instead of using an FX loop.
  • Picky about cabs. My Decatone was the pickiest amp I ever had when it came to finding a complimentary cab. A lot of nice cabs (including the G-Flex) didn't sound good with it (to my ear). The good news was that it didn't necessarily demand expensive cabs. It sounded just fine with a cheapo Marshall MG 4x12.
Overall, they're well-made amps whose popularity has suffered as big-bottomed Recto tones have come into style.
 
Re: Who likes Soldano amps and why?

ALEC so what do you think of your TWO ROCK?

How do you like your Rivera Rake and how does it compare to the older Knuckleheads (which I have)
 
Re: Who likes Soldano amps and why?

Great amps i do have to agree, but also a one trick pony. too expensive as well.
i Personally find them to be a bit too compressed as well.

If you can listen to a VHT classic. Smooth gain and can get you classic to metal.
With my 50/12 VHT combo i can dial in Halen and Dire Straits sounds and ZZtop stuff. Also the Clean channel is awesome as well. VHT is not to widely know but awesome in my opinion.
 
Re: Who likes Soldano amps and why?

I too found the Hotrods a bit bright and cutting, but the SLO100 is one of the great all time amps for singing solo work-ever.

If your a soloist then you would be hard pressed to find a more articulate lead amp.
 
Re: Who likes Soldano amps and why?

Hi all, long time, no see...

I've been a Hotrod 50+ user for the past five months, and I'm very happy with it. I've used it as a clean amp when my main clean amp was in the shop, and it did fine, but it comes into it's own as a crunch/solo amp.

I bought mine as I started a rock project and needed a bit more firepower than my blue angel or vibrolux can deliver. I use mine as GJ suggests, by cranking the master and slowly bringing on the gain, to get the warmest, fullest tone. I'm going for a more 70s tone, so my gain levels are pretty low. When it's wound up like that, it has a fantastic, open chiming tone with great attack and just the right amount of crunch.

As for treble response, I remember hearing one years ago when they first came out and thinking it was a very treble-heavy amp, but my particular one isn't especially brutal in that department. Warmer speakers help I'm sure, but then again I wouldn't naturally pair any amp with particularly bright speakers.

It's strange, but somehow the response of the amp is deceptive. I've set up cool tones with pauls, juniors, PRS and semihollows, and switched to strats expecting to slice my head off, only to find that the tones are very usable straight up and not fatiguing at all. I don't know how to explain that. I guess there's something inherent in the tone that I respond well to.

It's certainly a very articulate, quick responding amp. The thing about my Soldano is it's just so playable. The feel of the amp is so 'on' that you really feel you can play above your level. Records great, too. I recently tracked a tune with my junior and soldano, and I was pretty stoked with the results.

Ideally, I'd love to pair it with a nice, woody plexi-style amp. That would be the best of all worlds.
 
Re: Who likes Soldano amps and why?

I played a SLO 100 for a while. They one of the best amps for solos. Their crunch is really good to. I have not played the Lucky13, but I heard Mike Soldano and friend demo one. He seemed to be in a really good mood when he demoed one. Uh. Yes the SLO 100 is the most expensive amp on the market period. I can't think if another amp that more people have heard of that costs that much.
 
Re: Who likes Soldano amps and why?

Ten years gone zombie thread. :smack:
 
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