Soldano Atomic 16 Head

Six controls that go to 11 - preamp, bass, mid, treble, volume, and presense, and two 16 ohm outputs.

I play through a Marshall 2x12 and the sound can go from early boogie to JCM800 and beyond. This thing sustains forever when you run the preamp past 7 with a Humbucker in the Bridge position.

Never ever had a problem in the 4 months I've has it.

This Atomic 16 with it's much lower power rating, I can get the master up to 7-8, which really opens up the power section and it just screams for me. I love this little amp.

Well, it has all the features I need. A simple single channel with the six classic Brit standard Knobs. There's a couple of things I don't like, No Standby and the 16 Ohm output. This could be great for a combo, but not in a head. Would be perfect with the the typical three impedance outputs 4, 8 and 16 Ohm. I like to run my cabs with all the speakers paralleled for better dampening and bass end definition and focusing, but it cannot be done with this amp.

I Play mostly distorted with a Warmoth Les paul Jr style with a EMG 81 and a '92 Les Paul Custom with Seymour Duncan Custom and Pearly gates on it. Both guitars sound great. This amp sounds better than the Marshall 2204 or the MESA Dual Rectifier I had before. Better tone and definition. Its lo-end is not that big, but it's defined and tight. I run bass always at 11, and I feel I need some more. I mostly play Hard rock meets hard-core stuff. And I don't want that typical modern metal hollow mid settings, so this amp is the one.

It seems to be well constructed. Inside everything is clean and tyde. Orange drop caps, Nice PCB board... It seems to last for years.

This amp is great. Loud enough for club gigs. Its 20 watts can stand and even surpass some 50 watters and some transistor amps. Believe me, this little thing screams like hell. I was looking for a Hot Rod 50, but but I don't feel that need right now since this amp arrived four days ago. I will try Tesla tubes in it. I'm not a fan of Sovtek. And I'll try to find a nice couple of NOS Mullard EL 84 for recording. I never heard better EL 84s than those ones.

Another update - I just put JJ/Tesla 12AX7's in the pre for this and it totally changed the amount of bass response. This amp now gets a 10 for sound - plus I still have to replace the power tubes with something better than the sovtek EL84's in there now. But seriously if you find this amp lacking bass - try them out. It immediately made a ton of difference plus now the sound is more round and has slightly less bite but still tons of definition. Overall it really makes this amp shine so much better and now I will never let it go. I may get another and run them both stereo for the higher volume gigs.

This is an update to my review below - I finally really got a chance to use this amp in a band situation and I thought it wasn't going to make it but man it cuts through nice. It really helped give my solos edge to pull them out from the rest of the band. I was just simply using a Dunlop 535Q wah and a Reverend Drivetrain pedal - it just sounded thick and biting - perfect tone. I played better because it really just added to the over sound much better. I felt my place. The only thing I needed on the Drivetrain was cut a tiny bit of treble and boost the bass...this rounded out the tone for some really nice thickness. I have to say I was very happy. I had been considered getting rid of this from a small combo (like my Marshall 800) to lug to rehearsals but this last practice made me like it so much again - I'm not getting rid of it. Now I just need to buy a cabinet for it...a nice 2x12 would sound good.

The amp is simple...Not even a standby switch. Although I had to say the tone isn't extremely versatile but it is a tone more versatile than my JCM800 head. They both sound very similar but the Soldano has slightly better tone (it is clearer and more defined) plus the bottom is less tubby and the clean sounds are a ton better plus it loves single coils unlike my JCM800 which treates them only fair. I tend to like it real simple - a couple pedals and a simple amp will keep me happy. So I make it a 5 because don't look at this amp for features - rather its lack of features is what makes it cool.

With a US strat and a Gibson SG Standard this thing screams. Both guitars are excellent sounding. The single coils really shine through with this amp and have lots of grind and bite but still remain fat and strat sounding. I haven't had an amp sound this good with single coils distorted ever before. I've played many marshalls, peavies, carvins, and mesas. The clean sounds are a bit limited but you can get them to work quite nicely with a strat. Although no matter what this amp was meant to rock with - loud and heavy. It can't be a 10 because nothing is that good (at least none of the amps I've heard so far).

Just got it used but the sucker seems built like a tank.

Haven't had to deal with them ever.

This amp should be a must on everyone's list who's looking for classic Marshall JCM800 tone. It offers that sound in a affordable and lighter package. This sucker is so light and easy to carry. It really beats the hell out of lugging around a huge head. I haven't used it with a band yet but it gets really loud and I'd bet it would keep up with a band for most gigs and practices. It is really nice to be able to actually crank an amp and not destroy my ears. With my Marshall I hardly ever get past 4. With this that is practice level...Killer. This amp has to be one of the best values out there...a handmade amp for $400 or less used. A bargain through and through.

Not much to offer as far as this category goes. However, that's not a bad thing. 1 channel, 6 knobs (Preamp/Bass/Mid/Trebel/Vol./Presence), 1 input, On/Off switch, 2 speaker outs. A simple basic setup, what more do you need? Well, a standby switch would be nice.

I use this with an '01 Fender Hardtail Strat with Fralin High Output pickups, a stock '89 Les Paul Junior RI, and a '95 Les Paul Standard with PAF Classics. I play mostly Blues/Blues Rock and this amp works perfectly for that sound. Very low noise floor on this amp. This amp responds well with the vol. knob on your guitar, thus I have no need for another channel. It's a 1 trick pony, but it does that 1 trick extremely well. Not for "Metalheads".

Haven't had it long enough, but Soldano has a great track record.

E-mailed concerning the ohm rating of this amp, they responded the next business day. By the way, they said it's 16ohm amp, but can run 8 or 4 ohm loads safely. To quote, "16 is best but 8 would be better than 4".

Seeing as I got it for under $400 in MINT condition, I'd say an exceptional value. If you want a great handmade small wattage tube head without all the bells & whistles, get one!

Handmade in 2001.Very basic amp it has preamp,bass,mid,treble,volume,and presence controls.Two speaker outs,no effects loop,all tube design three 12ax7,and two el84 power tubes,16 watts.I would give it a ten if it had two channels.

I'm using a JS1000 into a Bad Horsie wah then into an RP2000 processor then into the amp.I built my own 2-12 cab loaded with celestion vintage 30s.By itself this amp sounds great just no kind of effects to give it color.You can get that power tube saturation at a pretty low loudness level.This amp is perfect for bedroom practice, don't get me wrong it can get pretty loud for 16 watts,but it's not so loud that it hurts to play it.With my setup I can get really good clean sounds and really good distorted sounds.It may not be perfect for death metal but good for stuff like Vai,Satriani,Yngwie you can even get good bluesy sounds.

It's handmade by Soldano in the USA.

One year warranty.Never delt with them.

I have a Marshall valvestate and it sound good at low volumes but when you crank it up it loses its ass.This amp sounds best when cranked up but also sounds good at lower volumes.This amp is awesome for the money, I can only dream of how the SLO 100 sounds.

Although there are not as many features in this amp as a dual channel amp, it does not matter because the sound quality is soooooo good. It more than makes up for it. the controls are preamp(aka gain),bass,mid,treble,prescence,and volume.This is loudest 20 watt amp I have ever tried. Low Watt amps have a BIG advantage because you dont have to make the amp TOO loud to get the saturation that everyone loves.

I use a 94' Gibson Les Paul Studio. I mainly play metal and like a nice saturated bassy and ballsy distortion with that grinding sound and nice blend to it. This amp more than delivers. Instead of using a rectifier tube of the more popular Rectifier amps by Mesa/Boogie, it uses a solid state rectifier that is much more efficiant. In short, a rectifier converts alternating current(AC),to direct current(DC). The first ones were in tube form. The tube rectifiers let a varying amount of current in and tend to loose power when driven, which gives more distortion but tends to be muddy and have a flabby and unfocused bottom end. The solid state rectifier lets an unvarying amount of power in and the power level in always the same. It give the amp a more tight, focused, and punchy sound with an awesome overall tone. I recently tried a Marshall JCM 2000 TSL with a 1960A cabinet, whcih I was considering the purchase of, at a music store. The sound was very muddy, unfocused, and trebley. I thought mabye if it were cranked and driven harder that the resulting sound would as impressive as the large price tag. I was dead wromg. The sound didn't get better, only louder. As I told myself that mabye I was at fault somehow for the lack of the supposed uncompromisable "Marshall tone", my mother asked about the small purple soldano head and the 4X12 soldano cabinet in the corner. I asked to try it out, thinking that Soldano must sound awesome because their prices are pretty high. I was complety right. The amp was the best amp I have ever tried in my life. The distrotion sound is so bassy and focused. My recomendation for anyone who buys the head, buy a Soldano cab as well, you cant go wrong. The amp is twenty watts of class A/B power. DO NOT LET WATTAGE DECIEVE YOU! MORE WATTS DOES NOT MEAN BETTER AMP! I am stuck on the low watters because you can get the tubes to saturate with electrons at a pretty high volume than at a rediculously high volume(like in a 100 watter).The clean sound is great as well, you can get it and keep the high gain setting by using you guitar volume. To make the gain sound even better try using a turbo tube screamer by ibanez. Instead of creating an awful mess of sonic crap, it adds to the natural amp overdrive and creates an amazing sound with infinate sustain. Please do yourself a favor and buy a turbo tube screamer if you purchase this amp, you will thank me and whoever you worship.

Backup shmackup, no need my friends.

I have never experienced any problems so I have not needed any.

Cant beat it. Please try to find one and play one if you are looking for a new amp. They are hard to find because they are HAND MADE by a single technition. Slodano's are UNMATCHED amps in value and in quality. I have been playing for 5 or 6 years and have owned and played many amps. There is no room for improvement because this amp has it all covered.

This is amp is a new 2000 sodano atomic 16 made in the US. I've had it a little over a week now. It's a basic single channel Tube amp with no effects loop or reverb. It consists of 3 12ax7 tubes and 2 power tubes. The controls are simple-preamp, bass, mid, treb., volume, and presence. The head is actually closer to 20 watts and is loud enough to play out in a club. I can't turn it past 3 in my apartment. It is a loud 20 watts. You can get a great range of tones out of this amp. I get a great vintage marshall sound out of it and turn up the preamp for heavier distortion. Sounds huge on recordings and cuts through the mix.

I play a Gibson SG and a Strat through the amp. The SG has a 57 classic in the bridge and the Strat has a Seymour Duncan Hotrails in its bridge. The SG sounds great, excellent AC/DC tone with this amp. I have'nt played the strat through this yet but it should have some good blues rock tone. The amp is quite(no noise with the guitar volume off). It does not have the high gain of a Sodano Hot Rod 50, but it does have enough distortion for modern rock, not metal, and it has a wide range of distortion settings. It tends to be a brite amp with more mids than bass. I run it through a 2x12 cab. Its not made for super clean tone, but you can get clean tones at lower volumes.

I don't know yet, but this thing is built like a tank and soldano has an excellent reputation in this area. Everything is "heavy duty" inside and out. I'm confident that it will withstand whatever abuse I put it through. I would gig without a backup amp using this amp.

I here they have good customer support and answer question promptly.
I have'nt dealt with them yet myself.

I've been playing 12 years and this amp is excellent. It is much better than my Carvin valvemaster 100 head as far as construction quality and tone are concerned. If I had the money I'd replace it with a Hot Rod 50 plus. I love its vintage rock, in your face tone and its overall quality. I do wish it had more gain, but I've never cranked it up to see its full potential. I got what I wanted, I great amp for a great price.

Made in Feb. 200, this amp is about as basic as they come. Single input, single channel, including controls for preamp and master volume, bass, mid, treble and presence. 2 speaker outs, rated at 16 ohms, total (though Soldano says it's OK to use an 8 ohm cab). Power output is 20 watts according to Soldano's webpage, but the owner's manual says 16 watts. The amp uses 2 EL-84 tubes, so 20 watts should be possible. (amp is all tube--3 12AX7's and 2 EL-84's)

I run it into a 2 x 12 cab, loaded with Celestion Vintage 30's and there is a LOT of sound! This little bugger is LOUD.

I wanted a basic, good sounding amp and this is it. It does not have an effects loop, channel switching, headphone jack...not even a stand-by switch.

I use a Gibson Flying V and Fender Strat. Both sound GREAT through this amp! I can't believe the gain range in this amp. I play classic rock and this amp delivers the tone I need for most anything I play. You can go from pretty clean (not Fender clean) to really good, saturated distortion. This thing sings forever when you run the preamp gain up past 8-9. You can play singing leads, almost like you are using a compressor or other stomp box. Really nice.

And, even though there is a lot of gain in the preamp, there is not much noise, at all.

I think one of the best ways to describe this amp's sound, is imagine a Marshall JCM 800/2204 on steroids. Nice, chunky-thick tone, with lots of note definition! I do like one difference from Marshall....my JCM 800 tends to get little "honky" sounding if you run the mid up all the way. But the Soldano does not do this, at all. Good tone control, all around.

I haven't owned it all that long, but it seems to be built very well. I'm sure it will serve me for a long time. Would I use it without a back-up amp? No. I wouldn't do that with any amp. Though I'm sure this amp will hold up well, you never know what might happen. I'm a believer in always being prepared! I take a duplicate of *everything*, including cables, tubes, strings, you name it!

The warranty for the Atomic 16 is one year, excluding tubes & output transformer. I've never needed service, but did e-mail a couple of questions and also called the company with a couple of questions. Both times, my questions were answered quickly and in a friendly manner. No complaints here, at all.

So far, I love this amp. I was looking for something to gig with, other than my Marshall (for club gigs). The Marshall is a GREAT amp, but is so darned loud, I'm never able to turn the master vol. past 3-4. So, I never really get into power tube distortion. On the Atomic 16 however, and it's much lower power rating, I can get the master up to 7-8, which really opens up the power section and it just SINGS!

I do like the characteristics of EL-34's a little more than the EL-84's in the Soldano, but that could simply be the brand and type that came in the amp. I'm waiting on an order of slightly better EL-84's and we'll see what that does. I think it may solve what little (and I mean little) problem I have with the over-all performance. I really have no complaints. But if you can make a good thing *great*, then why not?

My over-all opinion of this little amp, based on what it is supposed to do, is that I *love* it! If you like the sound of a Marshall JCM 800/2204, or the like, then you owe it to yourself to check one of these out! I think you'll be pretty impressed.

I love the sound of this amp and it's size. I was going to buy a Mesa Boogie but they are too heavy. This amp has the sound I have been looking for at less bucks then the boogie and just as well made in my opinion. Great for rock and blues. I play through a Boogie 2x12 vert. cabinet and this amp cranks.

This amp can sound real clean or with a little bite or real gritty if you want it. I use a strat 68 reissue this amp suits this guitar well I just wish this amp had two channels but for the price I guess you can't have everything. I use it clean mostly low on the preamp and turn volume all the way up for dist. I use a Fulltone Fulldrive 2

I don't think this amp will break it is so well made I couldn't afford a backup. Havent needed service or anything . I really trust this amp too serve me for a long time I tend to baby my stuff anyway.

Haven't needed support other then a few phonecalls made to the company and they were real nice and helpful

I love this thing more than the Mesa Maverick because it was too heavy I felt like a wimp trying to pick that amp up. The soldano is light enough to take anywhere and it sound awesome and even better through the Boogie cabinet I have if you like rock and blues this amp is for you.

Made in 1999. This amp is as basic as can be. A power switch (no standby), six knobs (preamp, bass, mid, treble, volume, and presense), and two 16 ohm outputs. This 16 watt amp uses three 12ax7 preamp tubes and a pair of el84 power tubes. As a recording amp, it has enough features for me. An effects loop may have been nice, cause I like to put my wah after the preamp (I don't like using any stomp boxes for distortion).

I use the head with a standard masrall 4x12 with celestion 25s. The amp is not noisy, but it does lack bass. I keep the bass knob at 11. The eq knobs are useful and have good range. The sound is very warm and smooth, not harsh at all. This amp suits rock and blues. Don't expect any clean head room though. The amp starts to break up with the preamp at about 3. This is fine for me cause I keep the preamp knob at 11 at all times. I record all my clean parts going direct. This amp does not have a lot of preamp gain. I wanted a low wattage head so I could get power tube distortion at lower volumes. Unfortunately, there isn't that much difference between a 16 watt amp and a 50 watt amp. Why don't manufacturers make 1 watt amp heads? That being said, the amp still sounds wonderful even though I have not turned the volume past 5 with the preamp maxed. I am sure this amp would sound even better with both the preamp and volume maxed.

Built like a tank. Thick Plywood and metal renforced corners. No problems at all. My amp does not leave the house though.

I have not contacted Soldano since I got the amp, but they always replied my email within a day when I had questions regarding their products in the past. I was dissapointed that it took almost three months to get mine after I placed my order because they were so backed up. But I understand. This is by far their cheapest amp and I am sure they don't sell a lot of them or make much money off them.

If this amp was stolen, I would probably get the 5 watt crate vc508 and have it modified by adding a speaker out jack so it can drive my marshall cab. I love this amp but not being able to max the volume is a downer. If I could afford to sound proof my walls (which I can't), I'd rather get a marshall plexi. From a value perspective, this amp deserves a 10. Where else can you get a brand new hand built tube amp head from a respectable manufactuer for $850 Canadian (under $550 US)? All this aside, here is the main reason I made this entry. As a hobbiest, I am new to recording. So anybody who can help me with this problem through email would be greatly appreciated. Whenever I play single notes in HIGH GAIN situations through this half stack or my digitech 2120 or anything else for that matter, I get this "quack" noise with each note (the 2120 even has a eq preset called quack, but why anyone would want it on purpose is beyond me). It doesn't matter if I play fast or slow, pick light or hard. I've tried using different guitars with no help. What is causing this quack and how do I get rid of it? I never hear this on store bought cds. Is it an eq problem? Am I miking my cabinet wrong? Anybody, please help!