Soldano Hot Rod 50+

I have a mid 90's Soldano Hot Rod 50 plus in black tolex.It's a 2 channel head with seaperete gain inputs for each channel.It also has a Effects loop,Slave out.The only thing people may not like on this head is the shared EQ but in my case ive learned to tweek it well.One thing i wish this amp had would be is a reberb but from what i understand is it would number one cost too much to place in there as well as effect the tone and in my case leave the tone alone.

Here is where this amp really shines for me.Im currently using 2 eric clapton stratocaster's one with the fender lace sensors and the other with the fender noiseless.i find on the clean channel if u set the gain at 3 with my strats u can get pretty clean pretty close to a old fender bassman and anything above 3 it starts sounding like a jcm 800.channel 2 is killer.you have in tune sutain for hours.i play in alot of different classic rock to current hits bands and this amp just about does it all for me.my head is really quite even at gain settings at 9 even know i dont use the gain normally any higher then 6.as far as people online saying that the slo sounds so much different well there totally wrong.i have them both and they sound like twins the only difference is it's 50 watts and the slo has a clean boast and a treble boast.

This amp is bult like a tank.ive gigged with this steady and never brought a backup due to it's never given me any signs of it feeling on me.as long as you change your preamp and power tubes ever so often you will never has it fail on you.

Bill and Mike soldano are really nice to talk to.they are really helpful and treat you like a pro.

Ive been playing for 14 years and owned Marshall,boogie,fender,etc and this id have to say ends my amp shopping for life.if it was ever stolon on me id say off a few things and buy and brand new one without a second thought.

I HAVE A MID 90'S SOLDANO HOTROD 50 PLUS HEAD WITH BLACK TOLEX.NOT ALOT OF FEATURES BUT ANYONE WHO IS BUYING THIS AMP AINT BUYING IT FOR IT'S FEATURES THE TONE IS WHAT GETS US TO SPEND THE MONEY.

THE SOUND OUT OF THIS AMP I WILL GIVE A 10 ALL AROUND.CHANNEL 1 U CAN GET WHEN TWEEKED THE RIGHT WAY PRETTY CLEAN AT LOW GAIN SETTINGS AND AS U RAISE THE GAIN UP ON IT THIS AMP GETS U IN THE JCM800 AREA.CHANNEL 2 IS KILLER FOR ANYTHING FROM JIMMY PAIGE TO STEVE VAI.I GIG WITH THIS AMP ON A REGULAR DIET AND DONT BRING A BACK UP EVER THOUGH I SHOULD.I ALSO OWN A SOLDANO SLO 100 HEAD AND I HAVE TO SAY IT'S A 50 WATT VERSION OF IT.SO ANYONE OUT THERE THAT ARE NOT SURE IF THIS AMP SOUNDS LIKE THE SLO IM HERE TO SAY IT IS IT'S BABY BROTHER.

IT'S A TANK.NEVER FAILED ON ME ONCE.

EXCELLENT SUPPORT.BILL AND MIKE ARE REALLY COOL AND REALLY TRY TO HELP U OUT AS MUCH AS THEY CAN.

THIS IS ONE GREAT AMP AND IF U CAN SAVE THE MONEY UP BUY YOURSELF ONE OF THESE.YOU GET WHAT U PAY FOR

ok, read what other people who own this Amp say about. Sure, It doesn't have alot of buttons or nonsense like that. It's not about that.....read further down in this review. I gave it 5 for this.

This is the "ONE" as far as this goes. The soldano HR50+ is pure tone. Forget about Marshall/Peavey/Mesa Boogie/VHT etc. This Amp is very versatile. I can get everything from Accoustic Clean to Chuck Berry to Blackmore to "THE" Van Halen(Tone) out of this 50 watt 2 Channel Purple Box. This Amp is a "TONE CHASERS"(To quote Eddie Van Halen) Amp. It can pretty much cover just about any tone you can think of.

11 out of 10(No pulling your Chain either). I bought this Amp used back in 1999(a 1996 Model, Verified by Bill Sundt too). I paid 1100 pounds sterling for it(about $2000) with a flightcase. All the valves(Stock Sovtek 5881's) were original(I haven't changed them since.....Work as good as the day the were put in the Amp when it was Handmade). I moved over to the United States in October 2003. I left the soldano over here in England. When I moved back here in February 2007 She fired up perfect just as I left her. How is that for reliability?. Mike Soldano is a genius. Soldano Amps are the best there is. They aren't "Throw Away, False Ecconomy" junk. These thinks are built to withstand a Nuclear War.

I had my girlfriend(Now Wife) Telephone soldano to find out what year my Amp was built. Bill Sundt told her there and then when it was built. Bill Sundt is a True Gentleman, I have talked to him a couple of times myself. I mean how many companies can you call and talk to the guy who helps design your gear?. Soldano are probably the best COMPANY in the entire world. They know people who buy their Amps are passionate guitar players who want the BEST there is.

I have been playing the guitar for 15 years so I am quite an experienced player. My Purple Box is perfect. It won't ever get stolen....If it did I would end up doing 100 years in Jail for the Subhuman Animal that stole it. Soldano Amp's are a true guitar player's Amp. They can't be compared to other "Amps". They are as much of an "INSTRUMENT" as a guitar honestly.

Soldano Amps are a "BIG" Secret. They aren't Marshall/Mesa Boogie but If they are good enough for Eddie Van Halen, Steve Lukather, Eric Clapton, Warren DiMartini, Gary Moore and George Lynch etc.......

Those guys aren't HACKS.

Just go try one out, PEOPLE. When you do you will BUY IT.

Trust me.

Mine's a 1994 model I think, violet tolex (now ain't that cute!).
My main band's a somewhat experimental reggae/hip hop/metal combo. I play lead, and the amp is just fine. I think it's great for any type of rock/metal, possibly barring Dimebag type stuff.
Two channels, crunch and lead - go buy another amp if you want clean.
I use it with a Mesa Recto 4x12, so there is plenty of power for any situation you might imagine. I give it a 5 for features because, plainly speaking, it doesn't have many.

Now here's the good stuff. Channel 1 has a very powerful crunch sound; the intensity of distortion is comparable to a JCM 800. Channel 2 is loads of singing, over-the-top gain while retaining clarity - utterly cool. Don't bother using a booster stomp box for this one. In fact, I do quite the opposite - I use a volume pedal before the amp to make channel 2 playable for fat chords and to clean up channel 1 for what amounts to almost-cleans. Both channels are very detailed-sounding with plenty of upper mids and highs.

I believe that when Mr. Soldano designed this amp, he didn't think clean/distortion but rather rhythm/lead - at least that's how the amp makes sense to me.

My main guitar is a Music Man Axis. I only use wah, volume and delay effects with the Soldano because I like the pure amp tone so much. It's quality.

I always gig without a backup. No problems so far. It's a very solid design.

I never had deal with the manufacturer, but I heard good things about their support.

I've been playing music most of my life; guitar for maybe 12 years now, always in bands. I've recorded original music a number of times and played several hundred shows. I also own an 80s Fender Twin - red buttons, an older Paul Rivera design I believe. It's a good amp, but I prefer the Soldano.

Losing the Soldano would make me very, very unhappy, and I'd try to get at least an equivalent, if not the same again. I may get a second amp to run parallel so I can have some true cleans every now and then.

I just picked up a 1997 in mint condition. Previous owner definately had some tone knowledge as it came equipted with a new matched set of NOS JAN Phillips 6L6s. No fancy bells and whisltes here. In my opinion the HR50+ posseses all the features required to make it versitile enough to gig with plenty of tones at your disposal. However a definate improvment would be the addition of an adjustable parallel effects loop. I describe in "Sounds" why I've come to this conclusion.

I purchased this amp with the XL Mod and still thought it sounded better than my Voodoo modded TSL 100. But it still seemed it's tone was being held back by un-natural forces. Muddy, Bassy, and buzzy if you try to add Treble and Presence to compensate. After reading the reviews I decided immediately to have my tech remove the XL Mod. BLEW ME AWAY! Why this amp was ever desicrated with the XL Mod I'll never know, but this amp in its natural state makes the Marshalls, Boogies, and Peavey's I've owned sound like they're made by Fisher Price. Tons of gain (anything over 4 on the pre-amp is overkill if you're playing at gig volume). Sustain, bottom end at high volume levels, and overall playability on both channels is unsurpassed.

My only heartache is the effects loop. In my previous amp I used a Boss GE-7 in the effects loop to give me lead boost. This setup works well on the HR50's normal channel, but will only work in the overdrive channel if the pre-amp is set less that 3. The more gain you give the channel, the more the amp compresses the signal going through. The result is no volume boost can be achieved while using the overdrive channel whether your using a boost (EQ, OD, etc.) in front of the amp or in the effects loop. To someone like myself who likes to run a simple clean and dirty channel with a lead boost, with this amp I require some type of OD or Dist pedal on the clean channel to give me both my clean and dirty rythym tones, and use my overdrive channel for solo only. This is a waste as the overdrive channel procuces pheonominal rythym ability to use as the primary rythym dirt channel. If there is anyone out there with some tips on how to improve my dilema, give me a shout at mail@alteregorock.com.

Haven't had it on the road yet.

Unreal. Bill at Soldano guided my tech over the phone on the process to remove the XL Mod. Second to none! It's nice to see a company that treats the average semi-pro guys as good as its million dollar clients.

Overall I rate this amp a 9. The only issue holding it back from a 10 is the inability to volume boost the overdrive channel. Again, if there are any tips on how to achieve this please let me know. mail@alteregorock.com

I must say the fellow below is terribly angry regarding this amp, guitars, everything. I agree the Voodoo amps have a nice tone; however, why is classical player buying a Soldano anyway? Then, to dog other musician's. Has anyone seen a classical musician? Not me, I see players. Big difference. Most musicians don't knock other players. They appreciate the differences and talent. I never respond to these reviews like this, but this fellow is so opinionated. Very ignorant...I own two Soldano amps, and if you chose the amp related to your playing style...:-D This amp is the wonderful. I've also been playing twenty years semi pro and professionally. I sure wouldn't purchase this amp for classical music:-D

Excellent amplifier. Mine is exceptionally quiet! I can have the amp at full wide open with minimal hiss. Excellent. I don't like using the effects loop. I personally feel it sucks some tone. However, it is great. I like to run a microphone into my G-Major then to the board. Then, I get the pure amp tone and leave the effects on the board. Try it! It's great.

10 years...1997 model....no problems! I haven't even had a fuse go done. I have retubed:-D. Gig without backup frequently. In my opinion, giving the amp 30 minutes to warm up prior to playing is a must for reliability.

Prior to Soldano's move, I would rate them a 9. I haven't had any return e-mails from them recently in regard to other amp models. I'm sure they are overloaded. I can't knock them to much. I could use the phone:-D

20 years of playing country, blues, rock, jazz, classical:-) Classically trained in college:-D I have many amps and guitars in my studio. Fender strats, les pauls, Ibanez Jem......I use this amp primarily in the studio. I've owned everything out there for amps. Most of them I keep. I'm not into knocking other models! They just don't fit my need or style at the time. I love this amp...by the way. For volume boosts. Run a little alligator from Morley through the effects loop. You can attenuate volume without loss of distortion from the pre-amp. If you run it before the pre-amp like distortion pedals you simply clean up the distortion. This method gets you out overtop everyone in the band to showcase your stuff. Learning lessons that take some time and money to figure out. Hopefully this will help others love this amp even more. Also, you can use the clean channel with a nice distortion pedal (with eq) then cascade your distortions on the distortion side of the amp. You can then have a dedicated lead channel. Three channel then!!! How's that for cool! Analogman.com has the sunface which is a great pedal for this task.

Bought used, unsure what year it is. Black tolex.

I'm impressed with the versatility of this amp. I bought it specifically for use in a 70s-era blues/rock band project, but have since gigged and recorded it in my funk/afrobeat band with very good results. It's far from simply being an 80s metal gain machine, though it does that outstandingly well.

Considering my other two amps are vintage-style, single channel units, the Soldano is something of a step up in verstatility. Granted, the shared eq poses issues, but I can set up two flavours of the same basic sound and gig very happily. It's probably not a good choice if you need top-40 versatility, though.

As far as features I'd like goes, separate presence controls for each channel would be cool for dialling the best clean sound and retaining edge on the overdrive sound.

Power-wise, it's perfect. 50 watts is damn loud and as much as anyone will need for onstage use, but it's also not so loud that you can't get the power section to work out. I've gigged it in small and medium spaces and it punches hard if needed.

I'm using this with a stock Les Paul jr, a PRS Custom 22 with duncan 59s, a 57ri strat with Duncan antiquities and alnico pros, and a stock 72 tele custom ri.

This amp is outstanding for the rock stuff I'm doing. I generally run the gain pretty low (1-4) and push the output section (7-10), and in doing so get a warm, chiming tone with a hint of marshall-esque bite. It's a big, open, musical tone that works well with our other guitarist's Marshall 800. Too often high gain 6l6 amps end up sounding like background noise when played alongside a marshall with the master up, and the soldano holds it's own very well.

For my funk/afrobeat band, the soldano does pretty well. The tight bottom and general fluidity of the amp make it fun to play clean, though I prefer the warmer, less twin-like midrange of my vibrolux (The two together could possibly be the best of all worlds). I didn't buy this amp for that kind of work, but it's cool to know it can go to work if need be.

Outside of clean and more old-school, lower drive tones, the soldano also stands up to it's reputation and gains up nicely. Put the gain midway and you're in EVH/Lynch territory. After midway things get really over the top, and I personally can't imagine any musical situation where I'd dial the gain over 5 or 6, even with the lower output pickups I use.

Overall I'm very impressed with the tonal character and transient response of this amp. Notes jump out at you, yet do so musically and fluidly. It really helps you play, clean or dirty. And whilst it's a bright amp, it never becomes taxing on the ear. Much of this has to do with the very well voiced global presence control, which gives just the right type of bite or cut to your tone.

It's particularly quiet in operation considering the gain on tap.

I'd definitley gig it without backup, and have done already. It's very well built.

No contact needed as of yet. Service would be difficult, as Seattle is a long way from New Zealand.

I've been playing, gigging and recording for over 15 years. My other amps are a fender custom vibrolux reverb and a Mesa Blue Angel head.

If stolen, I'd replace it with another soldano if I could. I'm very impressed with their gear.

I love the tone and response of this amp. It's very inspiring to play and far from a one trick pony. It's also well built and lightweight. At this point, there's nothing I don' like about this amp.

My Hotrod was made in 1999. The features are somewhat limited, but the features are by no means the focal point of this amp. It has two channels with a shared EQ and independent pre and post gain levels for each channel. It has an effects loop and a slave output.

At 50watts this amp has plenty of power for playing at home and any reasonable sized venue or rehearsal space. I've yet to use the effects loop as i normally just run stomp boxes in through the front end using an old Boss master effects loop pedal.

I mostly play jazz, blues, 80's pop, rock and metal and all sorts of fusions of these styles. I would say that this amp can handle all of those quite easily, but in my opinion the versatility of an amplifier is as much down to the player and what you put into it as the amp itself.

There are only two features i would like to have on this amp, a 'deep' dial to control the overall low end, and a master volume control. Splitting the EQ for each channel would make setting up in a hurry easier, but it doesnt take very long to get used to the single EQ.

My other amp is a Framus Cobra, which is absolutely rammed with features like onboard MIDI and a 2nd master boost... which i never need to use. This amp has NOTHING that i dont intend to use. To me it seems like a workhorse amp, simple and effective.

I play a 1993 PRS Custom w/seymour duncans and a 1994 PRS Standard with original Dragon I pick ups. Both guitars have coil taps, which is incredibly useful with this amp.

This amp does not have a clean channel as such. The first channel is the low gain "normal" channel. Do not expect to get a Fender type clean sound from this channel. If you want to have a clean channel that sounds like a Fender, just buy one and an A/B switch. After a little experimenting with the EQ i fell in love with this channel. It breaks up quite early on, but doesnt lose any character at all. Personally i think it sounds at it's best when it's just starting to break up a little. Using the coil tapping i can easily back off enough to get the sound very clean.

The "overdrive" channel is absolutely fantastic! It has no trouble covering a full spectrum of sounds from softer rock to metal. This amp has plenty of mid range and a very thick tone to it which cuts through incredibly well. I'd been touring with a Framus Cobra previously to getting this amp, and although i love the amp i found its mid range quite limited. For lead work and solos the hotrod is superb! Its VERY clear with an incredible amount of sustain. The only downside is that this channel can be quite noisy at high gain settings, but it's easy enough to change channels when not playing.

This amp is definately geared more towards rock and metal players, but still has plenty to offer blues players too.

This amp is built to last. With maintenance and a little care i can see myself still playing through this amp in 20 years time!

It's incredibly sturdy with plenty of ventilation for the tubes, which is always a bonus because my old marshall used to get hot enough to cook breakfast on!

I have gigged many times, and even toured without a backup, although i really wouldnt recommend it. I actually bought the hotrod to use as back up, but now i love it too much to not play it at every oportunity! I trust that it wouldn't let me down, but fuses and tubes can be very tempremental so it's always worth having something on the sidelines that you can fire up "just in case"

I haven't had to deal with customer services as yet, but i have only heard good things about them.

Ive been playing for nearly 10 years now and have owned most amps. Ive had a rack set up that looked like a time machine! a mesa dual rec (everyone makes mistakes), a framus cobra, an engl powerball, marshalls, peaveys, laneys, an orange and few fenders. Out of all the amps that i have played to date, the only two that i have felt really matched what i wanted were this Soldano and my Framus Cobra. I bought this amp as a "simple" back up, and it has exceeded all my expectations by MILES!

If this and the Framus got stolen tomorrow i would buy another Hotrod 50+ and put the rest of the money in the bank.

If you are reading the reviews on here to try and decide whether to buy this amp or not i would really suggest just taking your guitar to a music store and trying one out for yourself. I really cant stress enough though, the importance of trying out equipment with you OWN guitar and with heads, through the closest you can find in the store to the speaker cabinet you own. Nothing sucks more than buying something on how it sounds in a shop, and getting it home to find its completely unsuited to the rest of your set up.

Again, i must add that this really is a rock amp. It wont do shimmering crystal clear Fender cleans because that is not what it was made to do, just like a Fender Twin wont do brutal death metal distortion! If you play any sort of blues or rock music the hotrod is 2nd to none.

Not alot of features....but thats what I wanted (has the snakeskin tolex and the guy I got it from gave me 2 other cabinets for the head in purple and black tolex). Like going into a restaurant and scoping the menu to find they have TOO many choices and you can't figure out what you want! 2 channels...the clean is not really a true clean channel, and do wish it had Verb, but no big deal. The overdrive just kicks ass...sustain like I've NEVER gotten before. I play blues & blues-based rock and this is the perfect amp for those tones.....who needs a distortion pedal with this amp? 50 watts is perfect, whether in the living room or a club. Building a pedal board, and haven't tried the effects loop yet, but have no doubt that it will perform like the rest of the amp.

4 guitars....Les Paul Classic, Jackson with Zak Wilde EMG's, Telecaster (with a Texas Special in the bridge and a red-dually Lace Sensor in the bridge) and an all graphite Steinberger with EMG's (SSH setup). I love the Gary Moore blues tone and the Texas-blues guys just knock me out. This amp gives me exactly that. If you like the Jimmy Page tone.....bingo. Hard rock to blues is A to Z. ZZ Top, you're there.....SRV, it can happen!

I'm replacing the tubes tomorrow with new Svetlana's, as I have no idea how old the ones are that are now in. They're making noise so I know it's time, can't wait to get those shitty Groove Tubes out and get some kick ass tubes in. Soldano's are built like tanks so I anticipate NO problems.

I have spoken with Bill Sundt and he is awesome.....very nice and eagar to help!

Been playing for 45 years (on and off), more lately than ever, especially since I bought my "dream" amp. I pretty much knew this was the one. I just sold a Line 6 Vetta. A cool little Pignose 20 (gift) take anywhere practice amp. Also original owner of a early 70's Fender Princeton Reverb. Have owned a cpl Marshall JCM 800's. I have a DigiTech DD-5 unit that a guy gave me. Have a vintage, late 60's Vox Tone Bender and two 2x12 closed-back cabinets, an Ampeg and a Soldano. Also play with a Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive, Boss DD-6 Delay, a CLYDE Deluxe Wah, Arion Stage Tuner and looking for a nice used TC Electronics Flanger/ Chorus. After that my rig will be complete. All that will be laid on a Pedal Pad MPS-XL. Yes, I'd find away to buy another HR50+ if lost.

Eq for each channel would have been nice, i mean for the amount paid i think Soldano can throw in a few linear pots and some capacitors!
NO amp can produce the sound i desire, they have absolutely NO character.
In all honesty, i played through a variety of amplifiers, the best sound i ever obtained was with a Crate Voodoo head/cab and a Jem7DBK; articulated leads!
Sadly, the Crate Voodoo head look's like it is made out of drift wood, the fake tolex was peeling like contact paper a women would use to cover shelves; cheap a$$ company.
The Soldano has two very basic channels (period).

All amplifiers over 20 watts can bring down a small house, the Soldano has plenty of power (50W).

All guitar are basically made to look good, every guitar pimped to the typical guitarist is junk!
The Fender is junk, the trem is useless; huge heel!
The Gibson and BC Rich have a neck shaped like a 2X4!
The Parker is like balsa wood, squeeze too hard and it becomes splinters!
The PRS is an overpriced canvas; absolutely no character; Yuppie lamers way to impress their squeeze!
The Ibanez has the finest neck available (JEM series) but the guitar is loaded with junk controls; cheap, in the way components!

The guitars i did not mention all belong in a huge trash compactor; I'll pull the switch!

Trying to duplicate the famous Danney Alkana or Marty Friedman is a difficult task, NO amplifier without pedal support can pull it off.
(The two artists above are the best guitar players in the World)

People are so stupid when they talk about dependability of a tube amp.
Face it, when a Tube is on it is wearing out, the plate is slowly vanishing!
Six months of continual playing and it requires new valves!
I always hear the story of the poser that played a tube amp for 10 years without replacing a tube; in truth he strummed in his/her basement for 1 day a week for 1.5hrs; like i said "A POSER".

The man at Soldano better answer the tele or he would be out of business in 6 months.
I never had to deal with the company concerning a defected amp.
In truth what is an amp? hmmm, let's see, you have an "Input" a "Preamp" a "Power Amp" and an "Output".

Wow, a typical Tube amp design that was invented around +65 years ago! "Could building a tube amp be so difficult?"

I have been playing for around 20 years "classical only"
Metal, Rock, Jazz is silly music for silly people.

I compared it to the Crate Voodoo and don't know why it is $2000.00 more...

A Soldano amp like a Marshall have 1 "GREAT" feature, when you come to the truth you can always re-sell the item on eBay and not lose your shirt.
Posers are always lining up to buy what they don't understand!