Soldano 44 1x12 Combo

Do you know what year the amp was made in? Made In USA

Is the amp versatile enough for you and the styles of music you play? What are those styles? As versatile as a 1 channel amp can get

How many channels? One

Does it have channel switching? No

Effects loops? Headphone jack? No

What features do you wish it had? It's good as is

Why? It's just a simple, great sounding amp

Are there features you never use? No

Where do you use this amp? Studio & Live

Does it have enough power for you? Yes

Feel free to enter any other features (stereo, tube or solid state, etc.) The reverb is extremely good

I give it a 9 because it does not come with a manual. A manual would be useful to know what the preamp positions are and how to bias the amp, etc...

What guitar and pickup styles are you using it with? Fender Strats & Gibson Les Pauls

How does it suit your music style (and what is that style)? Very well

Is it noisy? It's very quiet

On what settings, and in what environments? All the way up, anywhere it stays quiet and sounds great.

What kind of sounds can the amp make? Dirty blues & rock

How much variety? See above

Is the clean channel distorted at high volumes? Yes. It does not clean up completely. There is always a little grit, but the sound is exceptional.

In what settings? Cleans up with the gain at 2 1/2 on a Gibson & 3 on a strat.

How brutal is the distortion? It's not brutal. It's a rock sound but it gets a lot more overdriven at louder volumes. It sounds cleaner at low volumes. Great power tube saturation. Very smooth, defined and expressive.

No glitches yet. This amp just hit the market recently so I can't say.

If you've dealt with the company, how helpful/friendly were they? I called with a some questions and they were very helpful. I won't score a 10 because I haven't dealt with the company very much, but so far so good.

How long have you been playing? 10 years

What other gear do you own? 4 Fender USA strats, 2 Gibson Les Paul Standards

If it were stolen or lost, would you buy it again or get something else? I would hunt down the bastard that stole it and make them eat their own nuts!

what do you love about it? I love the amp because it's so portable but sounds like big amp. The sound is what you expect from Soldano and at the price.

What do you hate? There is no manual or user's guide

Did you compare it to other products? I compared it to many amplifiers including a Decatone, Bad Cat, Divided By 13 and Dr.Z. I thought it was on par with the Soldano Decatone but killed the other amps. In terms of sound it was probably on the same level as Bad Cat.

Why did you choose this one? Because of size vs. weight vs. sound
Anything you wish it had? I wish it was cleaner on low gain and more distorted on high gain but I have no problem living with it like it is.

Anything else you'd like to share?

This amp is very good but expensive. Price is a tricky subject because amps in this range tend to have a very very good sound. Don't buy this amp expecting to do metal music or hard rock without a pedal. It takes pedals pretty well though.

I recommend this amp to any working musician. Soldano is one of the best there is.

If I had the extra $$ I would have bought the Matchless Chieftain or Bad Cat Hot Cat, but this amp was several hundred $$ cheaper and I think the sound is about as good anyway.

This is an AMAZING one channel tube amp that has a seperate vol for what i used as a solo boost.. The amp that i played also featured a jensen Blackbird that i can't describe as anything other than a match made in heaven..

I am a Assistant manager at a major music retailer so i had plenty of guitars to try it out with.. I took the amp into our sound proof highend room and let the journey begin.. I started first with a Fender SRV strat.
Incredible sustain and clarity.. went through multiple eqsettings and was not dissapointed with any of them
Gibson SG STD
Tight punch with sustain and clarity for days.
Gibson Les Paul w/ P90's
I was very suprised at this amp.. this guitar usually sounds way to thin for my taste but i was huge through this amplifier..
Gibson Les Paul Custom w/ 490 and 498
nothing more to say other than AWESOME!!!
Prs CST22
Insane.. Clarity, punch, sustain, all ranges of gain and plenty of headroom..

you have gotta check this amp out..

ITs a Soldano.. enough said..

I checked this amp out through a local dealer..( BCM).. Incredible knowledge of the amp and just a great person to deal with.. Plus i haven't met anybody that has ever had anything bad to say about Soldano and their staff..

I have played hundreds of amplifiers from cheap to extremely boutique.. hands down this amp is probably one of the best if not the best amp i have ever played.. Now its not a shredder amp but thats not what is was made for.. Perfect amp for studio sessions.. this is the gigging musicians dream amp.. Plenty of gain.. Plenty of headroom.. and it's Incredibly Light... I am Uterly blown away..

3 band EQ
Reverb
Speaker out
12" Eminence Legend
Lead volume and footswitch boost

All tube sweetness. Versatile single channel. Sounds just like the crunch channel of an SLO.

Pretty simple amp but it sounds like the 4 horsemen riding into town. I can strap it to my motorcycle and go to a gig and it will sound like I'm playing a 1/2 stack.

My rig is as simple as it gets. Guitars used are Teles and Les Pauls. Single coils perform great and humbuckers turn it into a monster. Nice midrange crunch like a Marshall but better.

It goes from a light crunch to a throaty growling crunch. In my opinion it's suitable for rock and blues. I don't play country but I don't hear the twang in it. You can do cool chicken pickin but it's performs better for jazz in that aspect.

You shouldn't expect anything extreme from the 44. It's the best at what it does. An OD pedal will take you way beyond. I use a tube screamer and it gets me just short of nu-metal.

I don't use the reverb but it's the best I've heard.

I have an SLO and it's too much most of the time. The 44 is just right.

It's built like Fort Knox. Soldano makes the best amps PERIOD. I'm still wondering how they got the two trnsformers in there!

Forget about Marshall! Soldano is as good as it gets. The dealer was more than enthusiastic so I didn't know what to expect, but the amp made me happy so I don't care if he was a little odd.

Soldano answers my questions and is ver helpful.

Overall a very fine amplifier. It's loud. You wouldn't believe me if I told you but it can play any venue wide open.

I can't believe you can get these for just over 2k! It blows away all those more expensive boutiques.

The amp is very simple. No effects loop and a single channel. The footswitch works with the 2nd master vol as a solo boost.

This is a follow up to my first review. I upgraded the speaker and tried different tubes, so here's my follow up after having had the amp for 3 weeks now.

Sound is great for a light Soldano crunch. Look elsewhere if you want legendary Soldano overdrive. For that you would be better off with a Hot Rod 50/100+, Avenger or Decatone. Not as versatile as I was told it was before I bought it.

Look elsewhere if you want fantastic cleans. Even with a strat, it hardly cleans up with the preamp on 2 and the guitar volume down at 5-6. By then the volume is so low you can't gig with it. For cleans a Lucky 13 or Decatone are much better choices.

This amp is not as versatile as I would have believed. The single channel can do a light crunch to a mild overdrive. You can get some good sounds with pedals but you're going to have to work at it. Boosts are too transparent and overdrives color the sound too much. If it only had more overdrive it would make a fantastic amp.

The reverb is outstanding. To me it sounds best set at about 2-3 on the dial.

Using JJ tubes, it's spongier with a little more headroom but it softens the edges a little. I prefer the Tung-Sols.

I originally bought the amp with the stock Eminence Legend speaker. It sounded good but seemed a little dry so I decided to upgrade to the suggested Jensen Jet Blackbird. It was a marginal improvement, but an improvement nonetheless. I like the response of the Blackbird.

It's kind of an expensive speaker. I've seen them retail on the Internet for about $259 I think. At that price range it makes me wonder if a Celestion blue or gold or some other nice alnico speaker would be an even better choice. I don't think it gets much better than this though.

For what it does as a very simple amp, it sounds fantastic. One crunch channel. Get up and go.

Looks like it's reliable Soldano quality. No complaints in this aspect.

Soldano is a fantastic company. I'm very satisfied with the support I received so far. My experience with the dealer isn't anything to write home about. Fortunately Soldano has several dealers to choose from.

The amp sounds great. It's a simple amp with only a crunch channel though. That's what you get, a crunch channel. Not real cleans or real overdrive but in between. For what it does, it does its job very well. I definitely expected a little more overdrive but that's not what this amp is meant to do.

It's is pricey for the simple features. It is amazing how Soldano crafted the amp though. Packing all the powerful cruch at 50 watts in this Astroverb-sized combo. Fortunately it sounds like a bigger amp.

In retrospect I should have waited for an objective review before buying, but the idea of a small high wattage Soldano combo was too irrisistable.

I can only say good things about the amp. It sounds so good. It's good for working musicians who need a simple amp.

Small form factor. Same size as Astroverb combo.
2 6L6, 5 12ax7
12" Eminence Legend
Footswitch
Reverb
Footswitchable Lead volume
Semi-closed back
2 choices of tolex: black, blue
4 speaker choices: Jensen Jet Blackbird or Neo, Eminence Legend, Celestion V30
2 tube choices: JJ, Tung-Sol

The size of the combo scared me a little when I saw the package. After playing it for a while my fears subsided. It doesn't sound like a small combo. An extension cab is probably required for larger venues, but that is the case with almost any 1x12 combo.

Even though the amp is fairly easy to use, I think an owner's manual should have been included. I personally feel like every amp should come with an owner's manual and some sample settings to get started. I think the amp is geared towards working professional guitarists who are already familiar with configuring gear, so that's probably the reason why it doesn't come with one.

It's not a feature packed amp. No effects loop, no headphone out or direct outs, but it's also one of the reasons why the amp sounds so damned good. Just straightforward great sound.

I play a variety of musical styles. My guitars include Fender Strats, PRS & Gibson Les Pauls. The amp is well suited for blues & rock. It goes from nice mild breakup to 80's rock. Not a "high-gain" amp per se. With humbuckers there's enough gain for a variety of rock and classic metal. With single coils you can get away with most hard rock. You're going to need a pedal to get those searing shred leads and heavy chugging nu-metal riffs.

It has that unmistakable Soldano roar and fantastic midrange growl. You can really cut through a mix. It has an aggressive edge but the highs are smooth and round at the very top so it's not harsh in the least. Even with a bright strat and presence set to 7 there was no harshness.

Dialing in a clean sound with the right volume was the biggest challenge but I got close enough to the sound I wanted. It can do jazz but it screams for rock. One thing I like about it is the clean sparkle and definition. Even on highest gain settings with humbuckers and a mild overdrive you can hear each and every note in a chord.

The reverb is outstanding. I don't use much reverb but if I went all out, dialing it in at 12:00 would be plenty for me.

The sound is tight. Very tight and unforgiving. Like a world-class boutique amp should be, there is a substantial amount of touch sensitivity. I love how you can touch the string and get a subtle note and strike the string and get a loud, hard note. This amp is for players who want subtle nuance in their sound. No cover up for sloppy playing. In that respect this amp is top notch.

The controls are very responsive. That's important especially when you crank the volume up.

I haven't had it long enough to discover any reliability issues. From examining it, I can tell the amp is built solid. Not loose screws or defects in the workmanship. The amp was delivered well packed and in perfect condition. Given the Soldano name and what I have seen of the amp so far, I don't expect ANY problems at all.

I have had some experience with the dealer and Soldano. The Soldano company is top notch. I love how you can call and get someone on the phone who is willing to help and answer questions and take care of problems. The dealer, Blues City Music is my kind of dealer. The service I received was comprehensive from the get go. I feel confident with the support I will receive if needed.

I want to give this amp a 10 because it just sounds so damned good! Unfortunately, I have some concerns.

First is the very compact size. For a 50 watt amp I'm concerned with the effects of vibration and tube rattle. With the volume at 1:00 I can feel the vibration of the chassis at my feet. Soldano seems to have done a particularly great job of putting the amp together solid but only time will tell the long term effects.

Secondly, there is not owner's manual. I think all amps should come with an owners manual and sample settings to get you going. Given the considerable cost of the amp, you would expect some guidance on setup, care & maintenance.

Thirdly, the price is very steep. It's one of the most expensive small amps I have seen. The problem for musicians who sometimes have to part with equipment to make ends meet will lose a lot of value because of the very small size.

Fourth, the amp did not include a cable for the footswitch. Again, for the price of the amp you should not have to purchase additional parts.

Lastly, the gain is limited. To be a truly versatile amp, it should eliminate the need for overdrive pedals. For today's musical styles and soloing, more drive is needed. With humbuckers the amp is passable, but with single coils it falls a little short.

Interestingly enough, with the lack of drive it's kind of a dirty amp. Finding a pristine clean sound is difficult without losing volume. With humbuckers the preamp gain needs to be at about 9:00 or less. That means the master volume has be be cranked.

Overall the amp is fantastic. It's got a great Soldano sound. I love the touch sensitivity and dynamic response. In these regards it cannot be beat. Its compact size is great for guitarists who need at least 50 watts in a portable combo. The reverb is as good as it gets. Perfect for studio and gigging. This is the kind of amp you keep for a very very long time.

If you are looking for a perfect amp with bells and whistles and thumping bass response you might be better off with a Bogner, but you're going to be missing out on a fantastic sound that not everybody has. If you're a guitarist who needs world-class tone in a portable size, this amp is for you.