Soldano Hot Rod 50+ XL Head

This amp gets my award for being the easiest and best sounding I've ever had the luxury of using. Soldano's simply don't need all the fancy, over-complicated knobs that most over priced amps have these days. Nope, this thing is stripped to the bones, which allows pro's and novices alike to dial in just about any sound they want. With that said, the reason I gave the Hot Rod 50+ a 9 instead of a 10 is because of the XL MOD (continue reading below).

As other reviewers have said, REMOVE THE XL MOD!!!!! I simply cannot stress that enough. I purchased this amp with the XL already installed, and while I was happy with it at first, it never seemed to live up to the hype I had heard when people mentioned the Soldano name. I did everything I could to dull down the low, muddy buzz but nothing worked. I changed tubes, changed the pickups in my guitar, and even removed the back off my speaker cab so that the sound would be dispersed a little more. While all of those helped, it still didn't fix the problem.

I went online to look about selling my amp when I saw a number of people saying that removing the XL MOD would turn the amp into the beast it was meant to be. So, I took it to my local guitar shop, had them call Soldano so they could walk them through the process, paid $25 for labor and 20 cents for the part that was needed, took my amp home, plugged it in, and was absolutely blown away!

It makes no sense to me why Soldano ever decided to produce the MOD in the first place. My transitions are now super clear and the Tool-like distortion is creamy smooth. My guitar actually feels different in my hands now. Before, I had to use heavy attack, but now the sound is so thick that it actually sounds like reverb is built in.

In summery, other than a $4,500 Diezel, this is the best sounding amp I've heard.

This amp is built with extreme care and it shows. The internal layout is very clean and switching tubes is a breeze. I've never had any kind of performance issues and don't foresee any.

Absolutely a 10! I called Soldano and asked if they would walk my tech through the process of removing the XL MOD. They said no problem and did just that when he called. If you ever have any questions feel free to contact them. There support is unbeatable and you actually speak with the people who build the amp; not some dreaded foreign support who knows less about their product than you do.

If my Hot Rod 50+ was stolen or if a nuclear missile hit it, I would immediately place another on order without hesitation. I LOVE my amp and would recommend it to anyone who is an avid guitar player. Just take mine, and everyone else's advice, and remove the XL MOD!

Two basic channels, effects loop,slave out. Not a lot of bells and whistles, but after owning a Marshall TSL100 head, I love the simplicity. Not too mention how the tone on this soldano creams the marshalls I've owned.......no more buzzy fuzzy gain,,instead, pure liquid sustain.

Best amp I've ever heard in 18 yrs of playing and LOTS of gear and LOST money along the way. From ADA preamps to Marshall tube amps (900, 2000TSL, JCM600, JTM60) to trying out Peaveys (XXX, 5150)...............This amp is my dream come true. I bought this brand new from Musician's Friend without ever hearing a SOldano,,,,I just knew it was what I wanted. I blindly sold all of my marshalls and bought this. Best move I ever made. REMOVE THE XL MOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I immediately had a local electronics guy take it out,,,too much mud.

Seems to be built extremely well. I've never touched an amp that felt this well put together.

Awesome,,,,,my local electronics guy called them up and they guided him through the removal of the XL mod as he worked. Nice guys.

I know ,,they say nothing is a 10.......but if you are still searching for a tone to satisfy you,,please, give a soldano a try. Ended my search for my perfect amp.

I believe this head is from 1993. I bought it off ebay about 6 months ago after deciding my Astroverb just wasn't enough anymore. I wanted two channels
and more power. I'm not going to list any features because it's redundant at this point. Read further for all the specs if you don't know them. Mine had the XL bass boost and that turned out to be a huge problem for me. Read on..

When I opened up the box I was full of anticipation to hear the beautiful tone, punch and crunch that other people talked about in previous posts. I got it all together
with my Avatar 2 X 12 (celestions- vintage 30's) and plugged in my emg equipped PRS custom 22 and I was ready to rock. I stepped on my Analogman DS-1 and dug in and my highs quickly turned to lows as I started doing everything I could to dial out this awful RUMBLE that would not go away. WAY too much bass. No highs. Anything I tried (lowering the bass, raising the treble, raising the presence) only made the amp fuzzy and weak.
I replaced the power tubes with new Sovteks and, while the sound was definately better, there was still way too much bass. So I replaced the preamp tubes with electro harmonix's and there was some light at the end of the tunnel. There was some better midrange and a little punch that was missing. But it still had that god-awful rumble that mostly sounded like RUMBLING MUD. I hated it. And I just spent $900!
I'm obsessive about these things so I started digging around on the Web and I found
Mikey Soldano's column at Musician'sHotline.com. Other people complained about the same thing and Mike Soldano himself said that the XL mod was the cause and
he suggested to have it removed by him or a competent tech. It wasn't designed to have the XL mod. Mikey doesn't even like it. So I took his advice and I am only writing this to help others who are unhappy with their Hot Rods with the rumble (or just don't know yet) - Removing this mod turned the amp I hated into the amp I've always dreamed of having.
Now I have true bass, true punch and beautiful crunch!!! It breathes and pumps and screams like I originally expected it to and more. I used to fight this amp just to hit artificial harmonics that were once so easy with my old Astroverb. Now I am in total F'in bliss. I swear it has made me a better player overnight. Take my word for it. Remove the XL mod that is keeping your Ferrari-quality amp stuck in the mud. It's an easy fix. If you don't want to deal with it, send it to them. It only costs about $40 (plus shipping).

The amp is excellent quality. I don't think anyone should gig without a backup
but I wouldn't feel too concerned if I didn't have one. These are top-notch amps
and I wouldn't expect them to fail. Just make sure you bring extra tubes and fuses.

They are fantastic. I complained about the rumble and asked about getting the
XL Mod removed and they were very helpful. They gave me the option of sending it in
but also suggested that it was an easy fix and probably something I could do myself.
So after poking around a bit on the Net and reading about the possibility of death from electrocution I decided to find a tech in my area. I got lucky and found a guy that works on amps on the side as a hobby and, best of all, he refused to charge me
for labor- just parts (The part that I needed was 7 cents- he is now one of my heroes). So thank you guys at Soldano for your great support and advice.

It's impossible for me to give this amp one overall rating.
With the XL mod this amp just plain sucks. I give it a 6 at best. It really brought me down for months.
Without the mod this amp is an absolute 10!!! It's now the best amp I've ever
heard- and it's mine. Now I am incredibly happy with my Hot Rod.
Just for you guys who may be thinking I'm some country western, chicken-pickin' wimp who doesn't appreciate a good grind- I love many styles of music but my main thing is Heavy Rock and Metal- from Satch, Vai, Eddie, and Randy to Zakk and our beloved Dime. Remove the XL mod and you will start to sound like them. Keep it in and be forever left behind (stuck in the mud).