Soldano Hot Rod 50

I bought it from a friend in 1999 who had it in a rack unit. It was originally in a combo cab that he bought in 1990 (brand new) but as he got more famous installed it in a rack and sold the original cab. It was in the period when Mesa Triple Rec's were all the rage and that is what he replaced it with.
Back when I bought it I used her primarily as my "crunch and nasty amp". (my clean sounds came from either a '66 Bassman AA165 circuitry or a '67 Showman) Yeah: I'm old!!! Now on to what features it has: If you are reading this you already know what she has: 6 knobs : Gain, Treble , Middle ,Bass Presence,Volume, not necessarely in that order. ( I use the gain Knob as more of a volume control than vice a versa.)
I now mainly play in a contempory Christian band.
Oh yeah, she has plenty of power since I'm a firm believer of miking my cabs and letting the sound guy do the job.

I'm a Gibson Guy first but I also really like Fender Tele's since they only have two pickups and I can modify them much like the '72 Deluxe and Custom Tele's. For me, two pickups are plenty and if you train your pinky finger to roll off the volume and tone controls you have the best of both worlds.
Now for pickups, my faves as of right now are: Gibson--490R and 498T's. (these are only on my Gibson's). As for the Tele's and my much modded Strat which only has two pickups Tele style--(see what Prince is playing these days) are either Kinmans or Lollars.
Now on to what she sounds like : It is all up to you! For me I control my guitar's amplitude and distortion by my volume and tone controls. This amp depending on if you plug in to the high gain or low gain settings always has an amazing articulate tone. (I do however rely on my Fender amps for my cleans). This like all tube amps cleans up by means of you volume and tone cone controls on your guitar.
The bottom line: is you can play still play 9th 13th or whatever obtuse chords and still get the definition betweeen each string. They don't muddy up like so many amps will. Awesome!

Before I bought it my friend NEVER had a problem with it outside of a tube change. I have only owned it for (OMG 10 years)and have played thru it more times than I can count until a couple of years ago when due to sloppy handling by people and friends that caused the pre-amp tube sockets to loosen where I had to wiggle the tubes to get contact to fire up. Now I had a small tour coming up at the time and needed another 50 watt head to take her place and opted on a Marshall 2266 Vintage Modern (another amazing amp) to take the place of the Soldano so it went into mothballs for a couple of years. (see below)

On 9-25-2009 I emailed "tech@soldano.com" and described what was going on with the amp and within a few minutes received a reply from Bill Sundt regarding my problem and what it may cost to get the amp back in shape which was more than fair IMHO.
On 9/29/09 I shipped the amp via Fed -Ex from Texas to Seattle and emailed Mr.Sundt on 10/2/09 asking if the amp had arrived.
On 10/03/09 I received a reply via email that the amp was repaired to spec (new preamp sockets and re-tensioned power amp sockets) and what kinds of tubes had been put in and how to bias them in the future. Bill even went in depth as to where to bias my new power tube of choice which is a KT 66 (big brother to a 6L6 GC). but to give the tubes they put in a fighting chance.
All I can say is: In my 42 years of playing, I have NEVER dealt with a company as friendly as they are and have had the turn-around for repairs like they have been (I must add Andy Marshall to this list since I own a THD Bivalve and when I called them for info, Andy was the on who answered the phone AND recommended some different tubes to try in the Bi-Valve

Again, over 40 years but I am still learning!!!!!
Lost-----No!!!! Stolen?----As a Christian I would only hope it was stolen to buy food for your family and not drugs,--- I have had many great pieces of equipment stolen over the years and To whoever you are who stolet hem please realize--- You are forgiven if you accept our Lord into your life, other wise I will adhere to the writings of Romans 12:20.

I don't know what year it was made, I bought in 2006 used. The Hot Rod 50 sounds incredible!! 50 watts is just enough power for most venues. It is a single channel amp with no reverb. If you work with both inputs high/low you can dial in a ton of sounds. You can't get a fender clean sound but a fender can get the overdrive sound the hot rod does! You can dial in a good clean sound not great but I didn't buy if for a clean sound. Over all this amp is great, I had people at every gig complement me on my sound, great feeling! It can be a versatile amp with some effects and spending time dialing in the gain. It is not a versatile as a Mesa Road King, but a great amp!

Sound quality is GREAT! I sold this amp a few months ago and hated to see it go, but I play in a top 40 band and I have to get to many different sounds. That is the only draw back to this amp. If you need a great sounding rock amp go with a Soldano! I use 3 guitars to gig with, PRS, Les Paul and a strat. The Hot Rod sounded great with all of them! You won't be disappointed! No noise at all. It has a clean channel sorta.. you have to dial it in with the high/low inputs and change the pre amp section, but it sounds great! The distortion is simply one of the best, just ask all the "Guitar Hero's"{not the game} that have used them in the studio. Yes I sold it but I will buy another one in the future.

Work horse! Never had a problem. I bought this of eBay and recieved it Friday afternoon and used it Fri/Sat night. I hauled this thing to over 50 gigs for a year and half and never worried about it. It never let me down!! Never had a back up, you don't have to worried about it with a Soldano! Replaced the tubes once.

Never had a problem!

20+ years of playing, professional playing for the last 10. I have a ton of gear, to much to list. Like I said I sold it but hated to see it go and I will by another one in the future. I love the distortion on it! I don't like the fact that is has no reverb, a little dry on the leads and needs a better clean sound. I bought the Hot Rod 50 because I played it at a recording studio and fell in love with it. I have owned Marshall, Mesa, and many others and the Soldano for a rock sound is one of the best! If you need a extremely versatile amp check out the Mesa Road King, that is what I bought when I sold the Soldano, but I still miss my Hot Rod 50!

The perfect amp simple perfection!even better than marshall got 3 band e.q. , master, preamp,hig/low input.And effects loop and speaker out and a nifty ohm selector.

I love it it beats marshalls and fenders!! Did i mention i'm a fender freak to!After i bought this i'm selling my line6.

built like a tank.

i emailed soldano and got a email back from Michael Soldano himself!!

I would kill the bastard who stole this amp; its my life!!

Versatile enough for everything I do. Rock, old school punk, blues, and some experimental stuff.

Rocks my socks off!

Never had a problem.

Emailed me back within a week.

I'd cry if I lost it, then buy another.

My Hot Rod 50 is a very old model (serial # 0028) and I believe it was originally purchased in 1992. Soldano's are all tube, hand wired, point to point amps.

For me, this amp is everything I need. It only has one channel (high and low input) but the amp is so responsive that all I really need is a tube screamer and the volume controls on my pickups. Your choice of pre and power tubes can make this amp sound almost however you want it to. It has an effects loop (apparently tube driven), though I haven't used it yet.

I play many small to medium sized clubs, and this thing has plenty of power for those situations.

I'm in an original band playing progressive rock with some added crunch. We've been compared to Queen, Yes, and Coheed. We do a lot of dual lead guitar work (think Scorpions or Boston).

I'm using a neck thru Carvin SC-90 with a Gibson 57+ in the bridge and a Duncan Antiquity in the neck. From there I run -->Ernie Ball Volume Pedal -->Analog Man modded Boss SD-1 --> Ibanez AD-9 Analog Delay -->Soldano Hot Rod 50 -->Marshall 1960A 4x12 cab

The distortion on this head is possibly the crunchiest and clearest I've ever heard in person. With the preamp gain at 2 and the master at 7 or higher, I get a very vintage crunch very similar to AC/DC (not a fan of the music...but their tone is amazing). Throw an overdrive on and the amp has enough thump to hurt your chest. It has a LOT of presence and I never have a hard time hearing myself over our other guitar players Mesa Single Rec.

Switch to the neck pickup and roll the volume back a little bit and I get a rich semi-clean tone. Plugged into the high input, even with the gain at 2 and pickup volume down, it doesn't quite completely clean up. I find this sound very useful for our style because it gives my clean a little bit extra sustain and it sounds crystal clear in the mix. I haven't messed around with the low gain input much because I mostly bought this amp for the amazing distortion. I would assume the amp would clean up quite a bit in low.

Another cool thing about this amp is it's sensitivity to tube changes. I bought the amp used with original tubes (15 years old) and had to replace all of them so I did some swapping around in the preamp section. I'm using 3 JJ ECC83's and a Groove Tube 12AX7-M (Mullard Reissue) in the V2 position and that seemed to clean up my tone a little more than just 4 JJ's. I threw in a pair of Tung Sol 5881 Reissues and the tone was just awesome.

Well, it's 15 years old and I received it in almost perfect condition (besides some minor tolex rips). As far as I know, there's never been any work done on it and the stock tubes still sounded good...that's impressive.

I've been told the only way to break a Soldano is by soaking it in water or dropping it down a flight of stairs.

Soldano is a very small company, so when you call them you actually talk to one of the 3 amp builders not just some foreign moron hired for "customer support". I've contacted them a few times and always gotten very helpful information.

I've been playing guitar for somewhere around 8 years. I've played through a few Fender's and a JCM900 SLX in the past, and those aren't even in the same class as the Soldano.

The only complaint I have so far is that it doesn't mask any of my sloppy playing (crap)...though that's nothing to complain about really. Hopefully it'll just make me a better player.

I purchased this amp back in mid 1997. This amp is a single channel amp with a high and low gain inputs. It has a series effect loop. I use only the high gain input. I roll back my guitar volume for cleaner tones. I play mainly hard rock.

The sound that this amp produces is absolutely amazing. This amp was made before the xl mod. The range of the tone controls are the best that I have seen on an amp. I play it through a VHT 4-12 speaker cabinet loaded with Celestion vintage 30 speakers. I would not get the mod. This amp teamed with this cabinet has all the bass I ever need. I recently added a Keeley katana boost pedal for a lead boost which really makes it sing. My main guitar I use is a Gibson SG.

Soldano products are built like a tank. This amp fell off my cabinet once, didn't faze it. I have not had any problems with it since I bought it 10 years ago, other than relacing tubes.

I tried to contact them through e-mail one time, never heard back from them. It was just a question about when should the coupling and electolytic compacitors be replaced. I expected a reply because of experinces other people have had with them. I was greatly disapointed about it.

I have been playing for around 20 years. I have a 10 watt single ended class a amp that I built myself (4 gain stages). Keeley katana, Keeley compressor, dunlop wylde wah, mxr noise gate, chorus, reverb and delay rackmount unit and a boss TU-12 tuner. If the soldano was ever stolen or lost I would definatly replace it with another soldano amp. (there the best!)

One Channel, like the Hot Rod 50, but a Custom 100 watt 4 6L6 version.

I bought this Amp from a friend. I usually stay away from Master Volume amps. Not this one! The Overdrive on this amp is amazing but a little too much all of the time. So I set the Master at 5, 6 or 7 & use the Preamp for my volume control. It turns this amp into a Malcolm Young Dream. And then I can use my Stompbox for solo's. When you crank the Master Volume your pushing the Power section & not the Preamp section so you get Huge Punchy Tone with more controlled Gain.
I plan to record soon with it & I won't take one pedal into the session.
I wish I would have bought one of these 10 years ago.

It's solid!

Nice folks at Soldano.

I lucked out getting this amp. I took it apart to clean it up & it's the most solid piece of Tube Amp machinery I've ever seen. My LP & LP Jr. sound killer through this amp. I've gone through far too many amps in the past 5 years. I found out that many amps sound very good, but don't take you to 100% satisfaction. Usually about 80 to 90%. No amp is perfect. This Amp gets me to 95% all of the time. That's all I can ask for. I wish more Amp companies would focus a little more on 1 channel amps. This amp is amazing & even with the Gain cranked it's transparent. Although this amps not a Hot Rod 50, it should help you make your mind up if you're looking into a Soldano.

If you want the Punch of a Hiwatt or Bandmaster & the Gain of JCM800 with much better Overdrive, then this is your amp. I know it's mine.

At the price I got this amp I wish I could give it an Eleven!

If memory serves I bought this amp new in 1993 after my Marshall JCM800 was stolen from a studio I was recording at... I intended to purchase another used JCM800 until a music store salesman (who knew the style I played) suggested I try the Soldano. I played it side by side with the Marshall and was BLOWN AWAY by the difference! I almost died when I saw the price tag though! I decided to pass on the Soldano. So, the salesman said "take it for a week and if you don't like it bring it back"... I took it to a rehearsal and was told "...if I return the amp I'm out of the band"!!! Feature-wise it does exactly what I want - HEAVY!!! I use it with a Marshall 1960 4x12 cab - just plug straight into the amp without pedals - set the gain to 6.5 and enjoy the ride!

I've been using this thing in clubs since '93 and everynight either or both the soundman and guitar players from other bands will comment on how amazing this thing sounds! Guitar players in bands we have played with before quite often ask if they can use my rig when they play with us!

I've never done a thing to this beauty and it still sounds and looks WICKED! It has travelled thousands of miles without a road case in all temperatures and gone from one extreme to another and been shared by as many as five bands in a night on many nights and it still keeps on ticking! I bought a replacement set of tubes about 10 years ago but haven't had to use them yet!!!

Never had a need for customer support...

I wouldn't even consider anything else for the music I play! I'd be F*#@!$g pissed if is was ever lost or stolen!

My amp was made late '91 (SN - 0211). I play all kinds of stuff from classic rock to my all-original extreme metal band's music. Pretty much a straight forward amp: 50w, all tube, effects loop, single channel. That's about it. Cool, huh! Too much crap can get in the way of pure tone, in my opinion. 50w is plenty of power for anyone if they are using their amp properly. I kind of wish I would have held out for the SLO (Ch switching), but funds were somewhat limited at the time.

I play on a bunch of different guitars from custom ESP strats to EMG-loaded Gibson '58-style Vs. I like the fact that most of the reviewers here know a bit more than on some of the other threads. This amp is truly amazing! I got this amp mainly to be different. It seems that EVERYBODY is using the PRS/Mesa combination. Boring. Mesas are really overrated! I work in a repair shop, so not only do I get to try out many different amps, but I get to repair a bunch of CRAP, also! We've seen our fair share of Mesas,Peaveys, Marshalls etc. Soldano rules! No mud, no harsh noise, just pure badass-ness! Super quiet and responsive, even at high gain settings. This amp compresses a lot, however; so don't try backing off the volume to clean up the signal at high gain. I use this amp through a Marshall 1960A w/Vintage 30s. I enjoy the constant compliments & the always present question, "dude, what kind of amp IS that?" My HR-50 has many a Mesa convert to it's credit! Every guitar I own sounds unique through this amp, so I dont have to tweak out the controls much to go between styles. Just change guitars and attack, & a completely different sound emerges!

These things are built like bomb shelters!!! 'Nuff said!

Bought used, so no warranty. I e-mailed them for info(year & fx loop question) and got back an immediate response! Don't think I would need a warranty; these are among the best built amps out there.

I've been playin for 20 years, and have owned all kinda stuff. 4 Marshalls, 2 Laney GH series(great for the $$), 5150, Ampeg etc. Soldano kills 'em all! The only thing I would replace it with is a Soldano SLO. About my only complaint is the fx loop, which only operates w/+10 db rack-type effects units. If anyone says, "you can't get enough distortion from these things", just tell 'em to shut up! There is more than enough gain than anybody needs(mine is set at 6 of 11). Great sound & snakeskin tolex to boot! How different & badass is that?! Best straight-forward rock machine ever built...period!

I'm not sure what year mine is. The features are very limited, but to be honest, if you wanted an amp with a lot of features, you wouldn't buy the HR-50. It's a one channel amp that sounds amazing on its own. If you need more than that, don't buy it. If you only need one channel, you have found heavan with this one. It also has a "low" input, so if you really need a good clean or blues (with the pre-amp maxed) tone in the studio, you've got it. But you can't A/B between them live, so don't even think of that. If you absolutely need two channells, buy the HR-50+.

I'm using it with a Gibson SG standard, and a Gibson SG 1961 re-issue. I had heard complaints that there isn't enough gain on these amps, but these come from people who are either accidentaly plugged into the low input, or have no clue what good tone is. Believe me, the distorted sounds you get out of this amp are amazing. And I mean amazing in the "every note still clear yet still totally heavy" way. If you like the crap distortion that a Peavy XXX will give you...or if you think that the treble knob should always be on 10, with no bass, and you don't know how to play your guitar, and have no clue what live sound is all about, don't buy this amp. If you want something heavy that emphasizes your playing and makes you stand out onstage (no crappy wall-of-sound here, thank god), this is perfect for you. I'm in a heavy band, and have found an aMAZING tone with the pre-amp (gain) at about 3 or 4, with the volume higher than usual. But ALL the knobs go to 11. Literally. Yeah.

I haven't dealt witht he low input much, but when I tried it out, it sounded very, very quality.

I have to give this a 10. I owned a Mesa Dual Rectifier for a year or two, and one day with my HR-50 gave me the sound I was trying to tweak out of the Mesa for over 12 months.

I have only had this amp for a few weeks. I prefer to gig with backup tubes, for safety reasons, but I have always done that.

Never used it. Heard the support was fantastic. Even Soldano himself will get on the phone with you.

I've been playing guitar for 8-10 years, and using tube heads for the last 2 or three. I've played through a Marshall JCM 900 and a Mesa Dual, and this Soldano destroys them. It's just such a quality tone, you won't believe it. If it were stolen, or lost, I'd cry for a long time, and then go find a new one.

The only drawback is the fact that it only has one channel, which may be insufficient for some players. Luckily they made the HR-50+, and I could see myself, someday, upgrading to one of those. But for the next few years, this thing gives me everything I want.