Soldano Astroverb 16 1x12 Combo

As far as features go, this is a very simple amp. One channel, 3-band EQ + Presence, Reverb, Pre-amp, and Volume. It gets plenty loud for a 20w and 1x12, although you would probably have to mic it in a live setting. You can run an external cabinet as well.

This amp is extremely responsive in many respects. The tone controls actually work and can produce a variety of sounds, and the amp responds beautifully to variations in picking. There isn't a great deal of clean headroom, you have to max the volume to 11 and use the pre-amp to adjust your volume level. My favorite clean is around volume 11 and pre-amp 3-4, which will be a little overdriven but not much. Keep turning the pre-amp and you will get almost 3 distinctly different overdrive/distortion sounds, from a tight blues tone to an over-the-top metal. The distortion is silky smooth, no grainy or tinny crap. Bottom line is, you won't get that Fender clean out of it, but what you will get is going to sound even better and much more (in my opinion). The reverb gets very strong after 3. Also, the amp responds very well to pedals.

I've heard they're brick-like, and this particular amp is a very simple design.

I've been playing for 12 years, have owned all sorts of solid state and tube amps, and have gone through several high-end guitars (Fender, Gibson, PRS). With an amp that sounds like this, you would probably sound good playing a Peavey Predator strat-ripoff. If I lost this amp, I would either buy another one or upgrade to another amp in the Soldano line.

I bought my astroverb 16 new from bluescitymusic.com. It is a 2005 model and has had the emminence speaker changed to a celestion (england, not china!) G12H classic. I have a variety of sovteks and jj's in the preamp section that suit my particular ear. I bought the astroverb along with a fender blues jr to replace my 75lb. mesa boogie recto-verb. I loved the rectoverb but hated having to take it anywhere. Now I get better distortion and better clean with alot less weight.

This amp rocks harder than my friend's SLO-100 because I can actually crank the master volume without making my ears bleed. I've ab'd the two and in some cases like the astroverb's distortion more than the SLO. Its only short commings is the small cabinet which can lack bass depending on how its positioned in a room. I don't really have this problem with my recto-verb and its widebody 12". I use a radial tonebone for amp switching and the sound is flawless. I play a PRS custom 22 and parker fly mojo and both sound ridiculous. Can nail van halen, slash, warren haynes just by plugging straight into the amp. The reverb is nice although I keep it low around 3, but definately sounds spacey at higher levels

So far so good - built like a tank

I've talked to mike and he's a nice guy :)

I went ahead and paid full price for this amp unseen and only have played a SLO many times. Probably the best distortion amp around.

Just the right amount of features... reverb, master, pre gain, bass, mid, treb & presence; 1 channel of pure tone all packed into a 30 lb 112 cab w/ 5 pre amp tubes and 2 el84 power tubes. It's rated @ 20 watts which means you can turn it up and let the tube saturation do its job. I'm done with the days of over powered amps that I can't turn up past 2 without drowning everyone out and weigh a ton! This is all you need, unless you want/need Fender type extreme clean. It cleans up very nicely w/ your guitar volume knob and your pick attack!No effects loop, no headphone jack.. just tone. Small gigs no sweat, I mike it at larger rooms and it gets the job done - best part, I can carry it out in seconds w/o breaking my back.....

Okay.. I'm using a PRS custom 24 w/ Dragon 1 pickups & an American Strat w/ Seymour Duncan pickups (2 singles & JB Hum)I have had every amp under the sun incuding Mesa Boogie Models (Tremo Verb, Rectoverb, Nomad 55) Hughes & Kettner (Dutonoe, also a great amp), Marshalls (JCM 800, TSL) Rivera(Quiana), Fender (Prosonic, Hot Rods...).... all my amps are tube and all up until now have been 50 0r 100 watts. The Astroverb is as good as any of these and in some ways much better. I play anything from blues, Classic Rock and Contemporary rock, I have done several gigs w/ my new Astro verb and it delivers.. the hotter it gets, the better it seems to sound. The natural tube saturation is just so amazing and responsive I just love it.. as do my band mates! This amp maks me wanna play and play and paly... ya gotta try one of these puppies to believe it. Okay not sure a true metal head would like it nor would anyone looking for a true fender like clean... The amp is quiet as can be and seems to be built like a tank. Tone Monster!!!

Have not had it very long but it seems built to last! My lower rating is because I have not had it long enough to give it a 10. I spoke a bit about to Soldano.. they are very friendly and helpful!

They answer all my calls, all my questions and are friendly too. Try that w/ fender or marsahll. All the yrs I owned Fender equipment and times I have called, they are grumpy and unwilling to help and impossible! Not Soldano... there for you when you need them!

WOW 30 lbs, fat tone and very responsive! I have been playing for 23 yrs and gig regularly - I have owned every amp under the sun and this amp is the real deal! A bit expensive but you get what you paid for.. Pure R&R Roll Tone!

It is what it is - high gain, single channel rock amp that won't shred your ears but will shred with tone. The only reason I give it an 8 is the stock Eminence speaker which is flabby sounding.

This thing just damn rocks. It is like an SLO or a clean JCM combo with a drive pedal in front of it. It perfectly captures that high preamp gain sound you'd hear in a bigger Soldano and really comes to life at higher master volume levels.

If you run this amp with an 8 ohm load (rather than the stock 16) it really opens up and goes from a civilized high gain to a much more bassy and raunchy power amp tone.

I run my amp with Classic 30's, bass at full, trebel and presence about midway with mids to taste.

VERY TOUCH SENSITIVE but will not really "clean up" due to the punishing gain structure.

Outstanding.

My very first gig with this thing this amp fell from a rolling dolley onto a kitchen floor and sprayed tubes all over the kitchen. After collecting the tubes and plugging then back in it fired up like a champ.

Seems very good. They emailed me some info and verified ohm load configurations very promptly.

If you play rock, don't need crystal clear tones and don't want to break your back or your eardrums this is the best combo amp I've ever played.

Serial number 403 of how many were made...Price paid was 650 US$, very slightly used condition.
You all know the features! Less is more!!Single channel,all tube high gain,reverb, 20 LOUD Watts!!!I was sick and tired of fiddling with knobs and buttons, I just wanted to "plug and play" with a fantastic tone...And I hit the jackpot with this amp!!
No b/s like effects loops and channel switching, but I would like it to have a headphone jack...That said, I can go to crazy gain/overdrive levels without being cursed by my neighbours...!!

I am using a US Stratocaster Yngwie Malmsteen Signature Model (Vintage white, maple neck, HS-3 and YJM pickups)=>Crybaby Wah=>DOD YJM308 Preamp Overdrive=>Boss NS-2=>Astroverb.
As you can see, I am an addicted Yngwie fan, not so much for the "style" or "flash" of the player, but for the trully incredible, unparalleled tone of the guy...
I wanted to duplicate this tone, and I can say that with this set-up, I am closer than ever, only....better!!!!:)
With my low output pickups, the amp sounds fantastic for clean/dirty blues, then as the pregain rises it goes from hard rock to 80's old-school metal. It was all great, but I definately needed more gain for my style of playing (shredding, neo-classical, heavy metal).. When I connected the DOD to my signal chain, I was in tone heaven..Tons of warm, smooth,rich distortion, endless sustain (even at bedroom levels), ridiculous gain enough for even die-hard metalheads!!And all this without ever getting "muddy" or sounding "dark" and "synthetic"...You can hear absolutely everything you play but you'd better be playing good because the Astroverd does not forgive...This is an other big plus in my oppinion, because it makes you focus on your playing much more than before and thus makes you a better player...!!:)
The cleans do tend to break up quite early, but it is fine with me...I almost never use clean!!;)With preamp around 4, you can get a very nice clean range by managing the sound with your guitar volume.

For the time being, this is my one and only amp. I bought it for home playing, small studio rehearsals and small gigs...It can do all that easily and then some!!You can't believe how BIG this little thingy sounds, especially with a 4x12" Marshall speaker cabinet...I mean HUGE!!!!!
It looks and is astonishingly well-built...It even survived an almost fatal error from my rythm-guitar player...The thing is designed to work with 110 Volts, and the ******** idiot put it in 220 Volts without the 220/110 Volt transformer!!!!Can you believe that??Fortunately, the amp survived and I got away with just a blown fuse (thank God and Mike Soldano!!!).
When time comes to change the tubes, I will replace the standard Chinese tubes with Sovtek 12AX7LP , this is Soldano recommendation.
I am and I would use it on a gig without backup...I get compliments for my sound all the time!!

I have never had to deal with the company for something serious yet...Apart from the usual e-mails regarding tubes, set-up etc (which were answered very quickly!!Thanx!!)..I really hope nothing goes wrong with my amp, as I live in Greece and it is impossible to get an authorized service center...I will do my best to keep it in shape...Take theese beers away from my amp!!!!:))

It does not matter what style of music you are into...this amp can do everything and then some, and if you need more gain (like me), throw a good overdrive pedal in front...Pure Magic!!!
If you find it, go for it without questions...Get rid of all the stupid solid-state crap, digital effects proccessors and enter the world of pure tube gain...You will never look back...
I thought the price was on the high side, but it is not...As a previous reviewer said, it is worth its weight in gold!!!
GO FIND ONE AND BUY IT!!!!!!!

This amp was bought brand new & was made in 2003. It has one channel, no effects loop & no headphone jack. I love it. Features are a very subjective thing when it comes to amplifiers. I have always tired to keep my amps as simple as possible. I like the idea of getting back to the basics of just plugging directly into the amp, flip the power switch & being ready to go.

I give the amp a 9 when it comes to features since the LACK of features is exactly what I was looking for.

I have used a few different guitars with this amp. Two Les Pauls, a 71 SG custom & most recently a Schecter. Each of these guitars has a unique sound & this amp was able to easily handle each of them and produce truly amazing tones with each guitar I used.

This amp is actually very quiet for an all tub amplifier. I have used it in different lighting situations and I have not had any noise issues.

I mostly play rock & this amp is able to easily create that guitar sound. Each note that you play can be heard loud & clear. I can only describe the sound as the most rich & tonefull sound that I have heard in an amp. You can easily go from subtle semi-clean break up to grinding rock all the way to a saturated "metal" style sound. This amp is very unforgiving when it comes to your playing. If you dont hit those notes correctly this amp will make you pay. Sloppy playing will be very obvious to everyone listening.

What's to say about the build quality of this amp. It's 100% rock solid. Typical of all Soldano products that I have used. I've used it to gig with and have never needed to use a backup. This amp has never given me an ounce of trouble.

I have never had to send any Soldano product that I've owned back for service. The few times that I have contacted Soldano via telephone or email they have been helpful.

I've been playing almost 20 years now. I would buy another one in a second if I had to replace it. The only thing I wish it had was a standby switch. Soldano is able to add one for a small fee. Maybe when I need to have the amp re-baised I'll have them do the standby as well.

Single-channel with reverb and a few tone knobs period. This amp is all about thick, beautiful tone at a moderate price. Factory tubes suck and the eminence speaker is darker and lacks character. No standby switch or effects loop.

Even with the crap tubes and a less than desirable speaker, it still sounds fantastic!!!! I ended up changing the tubes to GT EL84?s #5 and the distortion became even thicker and meaner. I just love this amp and since I picked it up my Marshall?s lonely as the little Soldano provides a much better range of sweet tones. I like a dirtier clean as opposed to the Fender clean with more body and a little dirty depth and with the Pre at 3-4 and the Master at 8-9, I use a chorus pedal and have a sweet clean that is articulate and multi dimensional. As far as for heavier styles of music, this is where Mike Soldano has created his reputation. This amp rocks!! Drop a cheap pedal in front and look out. I run an old stinky Tube Screamer, which I have always hated, but in front of this amp it adds just a little extra dirt to an already crazy amount of distortion for perfect Soundgarden. I even run the Pre at 3 and Master at 10 for a clean Jimmy Page sound and stomp on the TS for amazing results. At lower practice volumes it just the ticket for sweet vintage and modern rock at volumes that my little daughter can sleep with. This amp shines with single coils and with PAF output humbuckers, run for the hills. If you have the chance, plug a well built quality 4x12 in and listen to how huge this things sounds and I mean HUGE.

It?s a Soldano!! There products are so well designed and built to last.

I called several times and spoke with a rep at length about several topics and later found out it was actually Mike Soldano. He was the nicest guy and enjoys hearing from his customers, which is very different today. Try to call Jim Marshall about the low cost, cheap crap Marshall produces today and you?ll be left high and dry. My older Marshall Plexi is great, hand built p2p wiring but unreliable, expensive to repair and needs an arena size venue to crank up those power tubes. Nowhere near the build quality or design of Mike Soldano products.

I've been playing to 20 years and you name the amp and I've propbably owned it like so many of us gear junkies. The Soldano circuit is as special as any ever created and if you like some clarity with jaw crushing gain and thick nasty crunch, I would highly suggest you check out any of Mike?s products. For the Astroverb 16, it?s the perfect amp for me, as I wanted an EL84 lower wattage amp so I could crank it up for true power tube distortion and this thing just shines. This is simply my opinion, but I love it and find myself playing more than ever before because of the beautiful tone. Thank you Mike!!

Not many features. One channel. Reverb. This amps shines in the overdrive distort department so reverb seems a waste. If I could do it again I would have purchased the Atomic, same amp less verb.

With single coils I had a decent level of clean. With PAF output humbuckers, I don't have much clean to play with, it breaks up very early. Pre amp past 2 and I distort. The crunch and high gain sounds are awesome. I can get a Led Zep I tone, later Zep tone, early Van Halen tone, etc... I had a MBoogie studio 22, a Marshall JTM amp, a Fender Hot Rod deluxe, and this one tops them all for the overdriven and high gain sound. It is sophisticated and refined. You can hear the notes even under high gain. It does not get mushy of fart out. For clean ability I rate low, otherwise top notch.

Hasn't let me down in a year. I do not gig, so it's a pampered amp. None of my cheaper amps ever let me down as well. The only amp then was unreliable was my garbage boutique TopHat Portly Cadet. See review dated 6/12/04

Initially emails were resonded to promptly. I asked about getting a head cab for this and some questions about tube types. Recently I emailed about the tube layout and after two emails have not received a response. Not to happy about that. The lack of toll free support makes me chose email over the phone.

Overall it's a very nice amp. I recently took out the chassis. The build quality of the cab is great. Whereas my TopHat had extra holes in the internal wood and uneven bolt holes, this thing is perfect. Obviously better than the mass produced Fenders and Marshalls etc. My Mesa Boogie was also very well contructed. The thing I do not like is that this is an entirely PCB constructed amp. Even the tubes are mounted on the one and only PCB. A seperate board or direct chasis mount would seem better, especially for the price. The price is another bad point. Dealers do not seem to discount them very much. At the same price or a little more, you have quite a selection out there of amps using chassis mounted tubes multi channels etc. Overall this is my best amp, however considering what I now know, I would probably not purchase if I could do it over. If it had more clean headroom it would be all I need. A higher end Soldano would probably be the solution.

Just a note from my last review -

This is the best amp I have ever played and has left me not only completely satisfied with my purchase but wanting to play longer and play better. What I have found is a renewed sense of excitement in practicing, playing and recording and I've been playing for over 17 years. I can pull a very glassy clean to heavy crunch with little time and the quality of the Soldano Products is fantastic. I've been a Groove Tubes amp player for the better part of 10 years and those are excellent amps but rather expensive. This purple people eater provides me with everything my Soul-O amp did at a fraction of the cost and has a lush, gain soaked vibe that I could only get by pushing the power section of a much larger amp at crazy volumes. This is simply my opinion, but the little Soldanos like the Astroverbe and Atomic series provide a boat load of crunchy tone at a low price. I love my little amp and for the first time in years, I can use the same rig from the bedroom to the studio to the small stage and that says a lot.

Very basic ? just see the other reviews for the basic controls.

The Astroverb16 1x12 combo is a very interesting amp that took me the better part of a day to actually enjoy playing. Based on the hype I read from this and other sites along with the Soldano reputation, I purchased a little purple combo sight unseen. I was moving away from a large rig and wanted a small single channel EL84 driven combo for recording and small venues. I play mostly classic and modern rock and some cleaner country style stuff every blue moon. I had been using a 6L6 powered, single channel amp with pedals out in front for the longest time and firing up the AV16 was a completely different sensation. The distortion is very crisp and clean, more articulate in nature than I had ever played before and very unforgiving. If you?ve ever played a Marshall you know the thickness of the tone covers everything but with the Soldano, what you play is what you get. It?s primarily controlled via the Pre-Amp and Master switches and there?s a lot of room to move within them. I only have one guitar left that I play (American Strat) and it normally sounds a little thin with higher gain amps. With the Pre lower around 4-5 and the master around 6-7, the guitars volume know allows for a real clean type of sound. The amps very responsive to picking dynamics, which is the sign of a well constructed amp. Move the Pre up to 8-9 and the master down to 4-5 and it?s a beautiful break up. Overall, The more I played it without any pedals out front, the more I focused on my playing hence the tone kept improving. I recorded three songs with my new AV16 and each recording improved and sounded better and better. I prefer the natural distortion of this amp than to use a distortion pedal out front and with the guitars volume knob and just a little chorus I was really enjoying the tone. I would imagine with a Les Paul style guitar, it would be pure rock-n-roll. With my Strat, I have a variety of sounds available and could move from clean blues rhythm to a sharper Jimmy Page style on Zep1, ZZ Top through Judas Priest, Alice in Chains, VH. For my tastes, it?s not as heavy a distortion as I thought it would be and doesn?t have the ?thickness? I normally like. With that said, I can?t wait to get home and play and it and it gets it?s own fantastic sound which keeps improving with each passing phrase or lick. I absolutely love this little purple machine and it exactly as billed, a small lightweight combo with big tone at lower volumes and don?t let the 16 watts fool you because this little monster will push some serious volume for a small combo. I can imagine how it would sound with another cabinet.

In the end, a superior deal for the price and the Soldano circuits are very sophisticated and well designed. If a small wattage, portable single channel tube amp capable of high gain tones is what you?re looking for; look no further because this things will rock your socks off and if you need more gain, it handles pedals nicely.

Very well built and I couldn?t find any weak points. The stock speaker is good, but a little lacking for my tastes and some reviews talked about substituting a CelestionV30, which would be an interesting mod. Stock tubes are crap, so through in some quality GT or whatever you fancy for tubes and that?s all the modification you would ever need to make.

Answered email very timely and spent a great deal of time talking on the phone with me. I?m always tough on companies as I work in a service industry and they were fantastic on all occasions. I love the way Soldano treats the customer and all interactions, including the web site visits were always a pleasure.

The quality is fantastic!! Mike Soldano has built his company on the fundamental approach to providing the highest quality equipment within a reasonable price point and this is a prime example of that philosophy. There?s no DI or headphone out, no effects loop, no standby switch or other unnecessary options other than big, gain soaked tone.

As usual single channel 2xEL84 crunch-high gain amplifier. Mine was born on Christmas Eve 2003. Good karma ?

For me it's a 10 feature wise as it's exactly what I wanted from this purchase. Other amps in it's class 7 or so.

I currently own: Bad Cat Hot Cat, Bad Cat Mini-Cat , Line6 Spider II and the Astroverb. Guitars are various Les Pauls and Ibanez RGs

The Astroverb is perfect for a low volume JCM800ish boutique amp. The master actually works !!! Best tone I have heard at bedroom level
and no need to "crank it" to get decent tone. Very detailed crunch to higher gain "British" sounding amp.

For all the people who believe you need a moddeling amp to get higher gain tone at managable volume, you need to try this amp. I live in a two bedroom town house and I could not be happier with the tone I get without getting evicted. The master tapers better than my 5 watt Mini-Cat.

At lower gain settings it does get into the plexi/metal panel JMP area but it really shines with preamp at 7 or higher. Lots of gain for 80s metal stuff, with detail, definition and very tight bottom. Does not fall apart as the master goes up.

One the negative side --
I have jammed with it but it really does not project enough on it's own to keep up with a loud drummer. Might be perfect with a 4x12?

The clean tones are pretty weak. If you want clean this is the wrong amp. Very little headroom ( which I am happy about)

This is getting really picky but I find I keep the bass control at 9 or higher at all times. It could have a little more "bottom" but what is there is real tight, at any volume.

For me it's a 10 in this category.

Only had it a month. So far so good.

Email responded to in 48 hours. Emailed a copy of the manual as the wrong one was sent. Seem like good guys.

They did miss an opportunity to sell more amps as I did ask about the Hot Rod+ in my email and how I was interested in one. Did not receive a reply to that question.

Been playing 18 years.

Besides the Line6 stuff I lean towards boutique amps and custom shop Les Pauls. I have owned literally 100s or guitars and amps and have found for the extra 5% you pay the extra 50%.. but it's worth it.

The Astroverb is competively priced even if it does not have the features of comparible amps. If I only could keep two amps it would be this one and the Hot Cat.

I think I am sold for life on this amp.

My amp was made in 2003, I believe. 1 channel, 20 watts of pure tube power, no effects loop or headphone jack(though if I wanted one, I can add one in). Don't let the 1 channel fool you; the volume knob on your guitar more than takes care of the lack of a second channel. Keep your volume low for cleans, medium for mild-crunch, and high for some awesome bluesy-crunch.

I am using this with a 2002 Gibson Les Paul Standard with Burstbucker V pickups. My favorite band in the world is silverchair, and it accomplishes their tone and oh-so-much more without any problem whatsoever. There is not a single bad sound in this amp. It's also as quiet as a mouse! When I bought this amp, I bought it for my apartment, and I figured, "Well, 20 watts should be about right. I can crank it up to 5 or 6 probably and not bother anyone." WRONG!!! I am currently still in my house(haven't moved yet), and this thing fills my house and 4 acres of land with smooth, warm tone with the volume on 2.5-3!!! Do NOT let that wattage rating fool you!

Another very nice thing about this amp is how sensitive it is to pick attacks. If you lightly touch the strings, it lightly and cleanly emits that sound. If you strum or pick hard, it breaks up perfectly and produces an awesome tone. It's responding to your movements and tempo. I love it!!!

The distortion on this is very warm and pleasant. I primarily bought this amp for those famous Soldano cleans(think the intro to Silverchair's "Tomorrow"), and instead I've fallen in love with the distortion!

Right now I have it set at: Preamp 4, Reverb 3.5, Bass 9, Middle 10, Treble 5, and Presence about 8. I usually have the volume at 2-3 while at home(although I'm investing in a Koch LB120 attenuator next week).

This amp is absolutely incredible.

You know, I always read the reviews of Soldanos and how they were always tagged as "tanks!" I always though, "Pfft, right, no amp can be a tank." This thing is a tank. It would wipe out a Sherman if dropped on it. I haven't had it that long, but I don't foresee any problems... ever... Tubes will need to be replaced, of course, but that's it.

I have e-mailed Soldano every time I have had a question, and they have responded quickly every time. I e-mailed them for a manual, and Bill Sundt e-mailed me back later with a manual. I e-mailed them about the Koch attenuator, and they told me which one to get(make sure you get the 16 ohms one). Bill Sundt is the man!

I must admit that I haven't been playing that long; about a year. I'd say I'm pretty good considering the amount of time I've been playing.

If this amp was stolen or lost, I would hunt the person down and kill him, because it would definitely qualify as justifiable homicide once the Police heard its tone. I would buy another in a heartbeat without thinking about it at all. The only reason I foresee to ever buy another amp would be to upgrade to another Soldano. I love this company.

What do I love about it? The tone is incredible beyond words, the fact that it is incredibly reliable and is literally built like a tank. Mix that with the best support staff of any music manufacturer in the world, and you have one amazing company.

I didn't really compare it to other products because it was impossible for me to get my hands on one. I bought this amp blind(well, deaf) off of eBay for $670.01. I would even pay the retail of $850 or whatever for this amp. If you ever see one up for sale, grab it! There's no risk involved whatsoever. I promise, they are THAT good.

The only thing I wish it had is a headphone jack. However, next week
I'm buying a Koch LB120, which is an attenuator with a headphone jack, so problem solved. This will also let me heat up those tubes and get this baby screaming!

Honestly, words cannot describe how much I love this amp. When I
first got it, words failed me. Words still fail me. If my review seems rambling or babbling, it's because there are so many awesome things to say about this amp that I'm not sure when or how to say them!

I bought this amp based solely on reviews from here and from what I got from the Soldano website. I have never been happier in my life...

Not a whole lot of features, single channel, 20 watts, w/reverb. BUT, outstanding tone and flexibility in respect to how the amp cleans up when you roll your guitar's volume back.

I use a Fender American Stratocaster with it and the Astroverb sounds amazing. Very Quiet. This is one great Rock 'n Roll amplifier. The amp is pretty classic sounding, does not do the scooped mid thing very well. Thank goodness, an amp with TONE for day's!!! The more you crank it, the better it sounds. You can do this without blowing your ears out. Very Cool!

Soldanos have incredible build quality, and I forsee no problems.

They have responded to my e-mails and questions within hours. Amazing!!

I just recently had a chance to use the Astroverb for a gig. Honestly I wasn't sure if it would be loud enough. BUT! that concern was soon laid to rest. Wow, this little thing was just incredible. The best tone I've ever had at a show, and it was very loud and full sounding. I'd considered buying an extension cab to fill out the sound a little, but now I'm not sure I need one at all. The Astroverb souded as big as my Marshall halfstack!! I just bought a HR-50 last week and I'm in TONE HEAVEN! Thank you Mike Soldano!

20 watt single channel master volune 12 inch speaker

This is the best built amp ive ever owned. Its made of real wood birtch i think, beautiful construction through out, not like partical board fender and marshall crap. beautiful
tolex job etc. Nothing but high quality.

this is the best sounding amp ive ever owned and ive owned a number of amps. princeton reverb 2, deluxe 85, blues jr. marshall reverb 30,
and others. this amp really does sound perfect to my ears. I play a strat and coupled with a jeckyl & hyde and vox wah, I can get some beautiful tones from srv blues to zz
top or whatever. I dislike nothing about this amp. great for some marshally low volume crunch as well, to keep the wife happy. Without a pedal in front it lacks some bass
and midrange, but hey so do most amps. Beautiful looking and sounding eminance speaker.

Im sure it will last, since it has nothing but high quality parts through out.

havnt dealt with

Perfect amp for me, ive been playing fo 6 years and this amp is a keeper, my amp search is over. I'm completly satisfied, I just wanted a low wattage tube amp that sounded
good to play the blues at home, this is the one, this astroverb is not made anymore, if you find one you should consider buying it, you won't regret it. I would buy the same
amp again if it were lost or stolen. I love the small size, the overall quality, and tone from this fine amp.

This is a fine high gain low-watt amp. Single channel, 2 EL84s, I think 4 12AX7's , reverb, no effects loop, no headphone jack, no standby switch. Definintely has a practice amp feel to it as far as features. But those features are more than enough for my studio apt/small jam session purposes.
The stock speaker is fine, i ran it trhough a Celestion Greenback and got some different tones out of it, but for this voicing and the intended purpose of this amp, i think the stock speaker is fine.

A Standby switch and an effects loop would be nice, but oh well.

I use primarily strats, but also a Les Paul and a frankestrat that i rigged up with a Dimarzio Tone Zone humbucker. WOW, this amp is made for a humbucker frankenstrat, I can get an EVH-esque tone with that amp and guitar combo. Very nice. Presence all the way up , treble on 2, bass and middle dimed, pregain up, and master volume wherever your neighbors can stand. To me this is what this amp is made to do.

However last weekend I was able to crank it wide open for most of a weekend on a farm and it has a wonderful power tube saturation. You don't even need much pre-amp gain, even with a strat. Very nice sound.

It took me some time to get used to the strat through this amp as i'm used to playing through Fender. As with most hi-gain amps, clean is just ...well, not dirty. Not much character. Not bad, but I think i'll keep playing the juicier clean stuff through my Bassman.

But for what this amp is inteded to do, which is ROCK this amp does it well. You can get some false harmonics with the presence all the way up that would make Billy Gibbons jealous.

Very tough, very solid. I haven't even had to replace a tube in a year. Much better built than my current Fenders.

They've always answered my emails, never had any problems so not sure about how well they resolve issues.

Been playing since for 15 years, with more than 2 fingers, for 3 years or so. I think it's a great amp. Play it first, make sure that's the sound you are looking for and go for it.

If it were stolen i'd probably save up and get a SLO-100, but for a low wattage/high-gain amp, you can't beat the Astroverb.

I Love this amp. I'm not sure exactly whan it was made but it's fairly new. It is extremely versatile and it works perfetly for my musical styles. Those include, Rock, Metal, Blues and Country. (Yeah I know it's a wide margin but it sound great to my ears. It's a single channel amp without an effects loop or a headphone jack. There aren't really any feature I feel it's missing. I guess 2 channels would be cool but this amp is meant to be small and ballsy. You can get clean or brown out of it depending on how you set the knobs. I love the reverb and the presence setting is great. You can get a digital amp sound or get the great warmth of the tubes. I bought this amp for my home. I don't play out just for fun. If I did play out I would get a Reverb-O-Sonic or use my 5150 Combo. Currently I am using Groove Tubes in it and I love how they sound. I did purchase a set of Soldano tubes for when it needs to be retubed.

I use one of my Peavey Wolfgangs. I have a special and a regular one. I also have a strat style guitar that I use too. The strat has a 59 Seymour Duncan and the Wolfies have the stock P/U's. The amp distorts very well at higher vloumes passed say 5 or 6. The distortion continues on with out clipping for me right up to 11, yes that's right I did say 11. The clean channel is great too. I often use it in conjunction with my Line 6 POD 2.0 and let the POD do the distortion. Just for fun.

These amps are in my opinion some of the best on earth. I honestly believe this amp is worth the $995.00 MSRP. Not that I could have paid that but it's worth every red cent. I have had ZERO problems with is but I know if I did, Soldano would be great to deal with.

Have not had to use it thus far. But, as I said above, I'm not worried either way.

I have been playing off and on for a couple of years. Strictly for fun. If this amp was lost or stolen, I would try to find another but they aren't making the Astroverbs any more. And then again, mine purple so I would probably have to send the next one back to Soldano and get it re-covered with Purple tolex. It's the only color Soldano to own IMHO. There's absolutely nothing to dislike about this amp period. If you find one get it. I like it better than the Atomic 16 mainly because of the reverb. check out my Soldano page for this amp: http://www.vhvault.com/mr5150/Soldano_Page.html

the astroverb is a very simple amp to operate.bass/mid/treble a nice little reverb. preamp and master volume and a presence control to boot.the best thing about this cool little amp is all tubes!thats right boys only one channel so let your volume control on your guitar do the talking.no effects loop on this one so if your into that best to get out of this ballpark.

its a soldano and at 16 watts you best like gain.plug in an old les paul jr. with p 90s and then your feeling warm and fussy.buy the way take out those china made 12ax7 and replace them with some sovtek 12ax7lps,es then the little baby will dance.i,m running my amp bass 7 and up mids around 3 to 6 and treble 6 or 7.

go ahead and open up the chassis,strate forward built like a tank.i,ve kicked mine around on stage and off no probs.

the best thing is when i call i get a person and one that know,s what a tube is.what more ya, want.

put it this way i,ll never hall around another plex head and 412 tell sombody else is do,in it.butt i allso play a vox ac30 ab,ed with the astrovreb.so for a good marshall plex sound in a 1-12 amp i bought it.

The features of the Astroverb are quite simple. I think they intended it that way. Kind of no frills. It seems Soldano was just concentrating on good tone. It has two speaker outs. Great for a 2x12 cab. The only drawback is no effects loop. I bought this amp for a small practice amp but soon learned that it's very much gig ready. I'm a straight-forward player (the less effects the better), and I'm considering buying another Astro and runnung an A/B box (one clean and one dirty) for gigs. I love the tone that much.
I picked this one up used at a local Pittsburgh shop for a real song and a dance-----$250. I don't know why he sold it so cheap--I didn't ask any questions either. It's absolutely mint condition. Also, it's #91 of the Astroverb series.

I'm currently using four different guitars with the Astroverb. An Amer. St. Strat, a Strat-style Guild Aviator with an EMG SA/SA/81 configuration, a Hamer Explorer with 2 Duncan design humbuckers, and an Ovation Celebrity Deluxe.
I'm currently in a band that plays just about any type of rock and/or blues rock. From SRV to Bush. This little amp covers the gammet. It doesn't give death-metal distortion, but it gives everything up to it. The slightest altering of a knob changes the sound considerably. Fantastic. The clean side is a little limited though. This amp tends to break up early when it's pushed. It still has a great clean sound. Just not enough variation. One other minor flaw is that the tubes rattle at higher volumes. I'm a Boogie player and my Boogies have a small aluminium plate with a rubber lining that holds the pre-tubes in place so they don't rattle. Again, this is a minor flaw because you don't really hear the tubes rattle when your band is playing, but if you crank it alone (and you will) they buzz pretty good.

Like I said above I'm primarily a Booogie player so I'm used to high-quality amps. Boogies are built like tanks and so is this Astroverb. I learned from reading about both amps, that the build process is quite similar. I don't forsee any major problems with this amp. I've only had it a few months but I'm sure it'll give years of good service. You get what you pay for.

I've really had no reason to contact Soldano with the exception of an email to ask where I could get an owner's manual (this amp's not complicated--I just wanted one). I got a reply the next day (impressive) stating that they'd send me one free of charge. I got it 3 days later. (Even more impressive.) If this is any indication of how they operate, buy a Soldano on this principal alone.

I've been playing 18 years and have had countless guitars and amps. Every so often I go through a transitional period where I get rid of just about my whole rig and start fresh with a good amp and a good guitar. This is the amp. When I first saw the retail price of this combo I thought, "That's a little steep for that little amp." Take a listen. You be the judge. These things are worth their weight in gold. I think I'd buy a new one if I somehow lost the one I have.
Soldanos are a little more expensive than their competition
(Boogie's Subway Rocket 22 watt, dual-channel, 1x10 combo sells for about $550), but the versatility of Soldano is well worth the extra few bucks.

This is a single channel 20 watt (not 16 like the model # would make you think) all-tube amp with reverb. This is a standard master volume setup, preamp gain, EQ, master vol, presence. I'm playing mostly 90's music (Matchbox 20, Tonic, Pearl Jam) with some 80's thrown in and covers the bases well. I run my guitar in to a Boss GT-5 then into the Astroverb.

I am usign the amp with a Les Paul Showcase edition guitar (EMG p/u's) and a Hamer Archtop Studio. Both are equipped with humbuckers and sound great with the Astroverb. Even though it is easy to saturate the preamp, I like playing it with the master on between 6 and 10 and the preamp at around 3. That way my Boss GT-5 floor effects unit can interact well with the amp.

OK - it is unfair to even rate this since I've only had the amp three weeks. I would base my opinion on other comments in here on other Soldano Amps that people have had longer than me. It does look well built (probably even overbuilt) and generally I think it will be a work horse

Again unfair because I've only had it three weeks - but like others I posed a few technical questions to Soldano via e-mail and got a response within a day! I don't think I would want anyone besides the factory servicing this amp.

I thought this would make a great practice amp or an amp to bring to small gigs. WRONG! I quickly found I can use this compact monster anywhere! I absolutely love being able to crank the amp up to get "that" sound, and still be at a decent volume for just about anything. I'm actually considering a Astroverb 2 X 12 as an additional amp!

This amp is a follow up to the atomic 16 I first purchased, the reverb in this is worth the admission price and more, the atomic 16 is a great workhorse amp aith an effects pedal but this amp has the depth the sound really needs at afraction of the cost.

PArker nitefly, jimmie vaughn strat and amer. stand. tele. it has a very hot high gain trebly albert collins kind of tone this is the ultimate amp for size weight ease of use with overdrive just a twist of the preamp or volume and this thing roars with or without a pedal, hooked up to a boogie 2 12 cabinet or a single celestion it is very very loud and full , the bes sound is the preamp on about 8 and the voume on 10, they all go to 12 so there is some power to spare we are talking real loud here for a 16 or 20 watt amp, they dont say anyway I bought this used over the net at a music store

WELL THIS AMP BELONGED TO A BASS player who traded it to a st paul music store it was shipped to me in a mesa boogie cab looked like a dc2 maybe and it got jarred so it makes a nasally raspy noise like in the speaker so I have to get a new speaker and go over it and tighten everything down such is what you have to deal with ups and shipping things

For my money the soldano line is the best sound on the market, what I have heard is good but some sounds you are just partial to, I love the controls on the amp and the ability to run different cabs for a wide variety of sounds

Number 57 of how many they made. I cant believe I never hear much about these amps .I got this from a store on the net in St Paul for 400$ and it was steal. the reverb is amazing and subtle and the overall sound is full and alive there are groove tubes in it. simple tone controls but very loud for 16 watts very very loud. every time you twist the preamp or the volume the amp sounds different, top me it is just amazing sounds you can get out of this little unit. I have an atomic 16 without reverb and this one is just out outstanding.

One great setting on this amp is using the clean side volume on 10 and preamp on about 3, then a danelectro pedal with the distorion off and the volume all the way up going through a mesa boogie 2 12 extension cabinet gives such a big full rich sound it just floors me and I have been playing hendrix style blues for thirty years and for overall value price and sound quality this is the absolute best deal I have ever come across. I have another 40 watt fender, a mesa boogie amp that is a treat but complicated at times for loose craniums like mine ,this amp is simple and very effective. I have a couple of pro juniors with modded tubes one a tweed that is a fabulos amp but for 400 bucks this amp is more than great

I think these things are indestructible I have always heard nothing but good things about Soldano and they answered email in two days

I got this from a bass player on the internet who just traded it in to a guitar store and he emailed me back so I could track it down, what a generous act of kindness, I mean it, I think these amps are the best and each one sounds a little different and I really got a good one tone wise

About as simple as an amp gets (see the other review for details on controls, tubes, specs). No effects loop, no preamp out, single channel only. Excellent reverb, however, and the simple set of controls covers a gamut of preamp output and tone adjustments with completely useful tone at every setting, 1 to 11. I bought it to use strictly as a recording amp and it works perfectly, miked with an Sm57. Excellent sound quality (roots rock, blues, a little Brit pop jangle) to tape AND to hard disk.

Impedance appears to mate perfectly, or close to it, with a standard U.S. Strat. Terrific responsiveness to volume and tone-pot adjustments on the guitar; excellent responsiveness to playing dynamics. At a preamp setting of about 4 you can work both sides of the blues line, clean to light-but-rich overdrive, with just your guitar pick. I'm not a user or major fan of deep distortion but this amp appears to do that pretty well too. Plenty of sustain as you dial toward 11. The reverb matches well with the amp. This is not a deep-dish surf vibe, but a very useable rounding and richening of tone along with the clean, open reverb sound. Why not a 10 for sound? The clean tone operates through a very narrow preamp range; there's not a lot to work with; sounds fine but probably not someone's first choice for major classic Fender vibe.

No problems at all in seven months of pretty steady use.

No idea. Havent needed it

The AV16 is pricey for what you get -- unless the sound outweighs all other considerations, as it did for me. I bought this after playing all the small Mesa Boogies, the Peavey Classic series, the Fender Hot Rod DeVille class of tube amps, and a couple of solid-state amps with tube emulation-- a Roland and the Tech 21 amp (forget the name). I'd buy it again. The compact size makes it easy to fit into a cramped home studio. The only thing I think it really could have, for gigging players, is an effects loop. For recording (for me anyway) that's not an issue.

The Astroverb 16 is similiar to the Atomic 16, with the addition of tube driven Accutronics spring reverb. This is a 16 watt RMS 1x12 combo, featuring three 12AX7 and two EL84. There are two additional 12AX7 tubes for the reverb circuit. The speaker is a 12" Soldano X-12000, 16 ohms, with provision at the rear for an extension speaker (8 ohm min). There is no effects loop, or standby switch. The front panel includes the input, preamp, reverb, bass, middle, treble, volume, and presence knobs (chicken head style), and power switch. This is a single channel amp, rated at 16 watts, which seems much more powerful. This amp looks righteous in purple tolex!

I am playing with an '84 Fender Strat, surf green/maple neck, w/ gold lace sensors, which happens to be an exceptionally lively guitar. My other axe is a PRS CE Bolt-on, alder w/flamed maple top, scarlet red with gold hardware and abalone dots, and a maple/rosewood neck. I am amazed at all the glorious sounds the Soldano can produce from these guitars. Since it is single channel, and I play mostly blues-rock, with a lot of ringing open alternate chords during rythym work, this amp SMOKES! With the strat, I set the preamp on about 6, volume on 8, and I get a very harmonic, rich, full tone, with just a bit of breakup. Just control it with your guitar volume knob to go from glassy rythym, to beefy crunch. Of course, my heavily strung strat (11-53 Thomastik), tuned to E flat, has a very thick and lucious tone. With the 'Smith, this is strung 10-52, and with the humbuckers, I set the preamp usually between 3-5, with the volume set from 6-8. Just turn up the preamp to 7 or more, and you are smokin it with hard rock music.This amp must be heard to be believed, the power and marvelous tone! Oh my! All this, and it is light enough to carry in one hand, your guitar in the other. The only thing missing, is a standby switch, and an effects loop. But word is that Mike wanted to keep the cost down, so he shined this on. I was almost ready to buy a Mesa Maverick 2x12, but the Soldano is much less coin, and this amp, like the Mav, is great for my style of playing.

I have only had the amp about 3 months, and so far no problem. Soldano of course has a pretty good reputation, so we'll see what happens, but right now, so far, so good.

No comment, as I have had no reason to seek company support.

I originally bought this as a bedroom amp, but I can and do use this with my band. It sounds great miked. The reverb is rich and luscious. It can go from clean to crunch, and beyond, just by adjusting the preamp and volume controls, and your guitar volume knob. My other amps are a 1969 Hiwatt Custom 100 half stack, and an '82 Fender Concert 1x12. I also play bass, I have an ash Fender P-Bass Plus,w/a 2-tek bridge and Duncan 1/4 pounders, and a Hamer Cruise 5, also 2-tek bridge, thru my Ampeg SVT 3-Pro, Ampeg 4x10 Pro, and 1x18 cabs... I gotta tell y'all, this Soldano is one smokin' amp! For it's size, you will not believe all the tone, volume, and punch. A standby switch and effects loop would be nice, but I think Soldano made a good choice to leave this stuff off, keep the price down, and give us a great product for the money.