Soldano Lucky 13 212 Combo

This new head & cab has been bought recently so it would only be a year or two since manufacture. The head and cab are covered in Black Croc and are specifically made as a set. I've been told that this quad box is specially designed for the Lucky 13 head to enhance the frequencies and overall sound. The head is a 50 watt version with the optional effects loop. The rear pannel has one 16ohm & two 8ohm speaker outputs, effects send and return and footswitch for channel switching for the clean & dirty channels as well as power in. The front starts on the left with a switch for Bright & Normal, then the clean channel Volume, Bass, Middle, Treble & Reverb. The dirty channel has Gain, Bass, Middle, Treble, Reverb, Volume & Presence followed by the On/Standby & Off/Power. The only other feature I would have liked is a footswitch for Reverb on & off. I am using a TC G-System with a variety of patches and programmed channel changes. This is why I would have preferred to control the reverb on & off. The features of the Lucky 13 give the player total control over each channel.

My two main guitars are a Warrior Dran Michael Double cut with Seymour Duncan pikups and LR Baggs Piezo acoustic bridge pickup and a Warrior Dran Michael Single cut with Dimarzio X2N Humbuckers. I play anything from old style formal dance to Latin to classic rock. The clean channel is exceptionally bright and crisp in sound. That's without even using the brightness switch on. I can't say what happens when you crank the clean channel right up because even at 50 watts this is a very powerfull amp and I've never been there. The dirty cahnnel does not have huge amounts of ultra saturation but will give you great classic distortion along the lines of Santana, Clapton, Moore & Page. If you need more saturation add a pedal or try an SLO 100 instead. My son uses one. Wind the gain back a little and you get great crunch rythm sounds. For what I play the Gain is rarely over 10 out of 13. Be aware, this setup is VERY LOUD!!! It is hard to practice at night or with doors open and get no complaints. The sound gets better as you turn it up and you WILL be tempted.

I haven't had the rig long enough to rate the reliability.

I emailed Soldano prior to my purchasing the Lucky 13 to ask about compatability with my G-System and received a response within 48 hours. Further inquiries about the same were answered within 24 hours. I dealt with Bill Sundt on those occasions. When I bought the rig, the quality control card had been signed by Bill. It helps that the people you talk to are the same people who make and test the amps. If I have any issues with the amp in the future it's good to know that you get an answer even all the way over in Australia.

I have been playing and gigging for around 30 years in Brisbane, Australia. My current setup (Soldano Lucky 13, Warrior Guitars, TC G-System, Analysis Plus Cables and Shertler Acoustic Amp for the Piezo) will be around for a long time to come. I can't emphasize enough the great tones I get from this setup. If the amp was lost or stolen I would easily go for the same again. I have previously owned Fender and Orange amps but this one just seems to take it to the next level.

My amp is one of the early L13 models, it has the basic controls for a 2 channel amp, i just wish they had built a presence knob for each channel.

The great thing about the controls on the amp is that they have a really wide range , you can get infinite sounds from this thing.

I use the amp for gigs along with a Marshall JCM800 Half Stack, and the output on the soldano is by far bigger than the 800, together they sound awesome. Dont' get fooled by the "combo" look this is not a practice amp it's loud as hell.

A lot of people rave about the "metal" sound of soldano amps, you really want this amp for the clean channel, its crystal clear even at high volume, but the reverb tends to make noise sometimes.

The Distorted channel is a beast you can get a really warmth blues overdrive up to the most hardcore metal distortion, it's your choice.

Some say soldano amps are not versatile enough, well the L13 is the clean channel can function perfectly for any Jazz licks and the distortion channel can go from early blues OD, to mild rock, hard rock and uber metal.

It's built like a tank, i've had no problems, however i always gig with a Marshall JCM800 just in case.

I contacted soldano for a user manual because the one i bought was used, they replied in a week and sent me the manual.

If you are looking for a great clean sound with an "in your face" drive channel this is your amp, i've tried Mesa and this is way better than any rectifier.

If stolen i would definitely buy it back.

I believe my model is 2001 or 2002. They did not make these in 1990's, so i feel the previous reviewer is clueless. Two channels, clean and overdrive. No effects loop, don't need it on this amp. Comes with footswitch, separate reverbs for both channels. I play mostly blues, jam band oriented stuff, and jazz. I have played live, and recorded with this model.

Best Clean channel out there! Overdrive is extremely impressive at loud volumes, unique and personal to the touch on the string. The clean channel will break up, but only when maxed out, it has strong head room. I use with Les Paul studio, and Fender Strat usa, both get unmatched tone qualities when going through this amp. It is slightly noisy, but for a tube amp of this power and quality, that's not a problem. This amp is LOUD, it is not a practice amp. If you know how to play, you can get sick tone out of this amp - but it is pricy.

I have had some tube burn outs, and once the fuse blew. But i cranck this thing when playing live or in practice, because the sound is so unique at loud volumes!

I have had to email them, and did request custom grill for the amp. Within minutes they responded. Also, they goofed on the payment, and Mike Soldano actually wrote a personal letter to me to apologize and thank me, nice touch. The amp itself is tough as nails - but heavy as bitch, like 80 freakin pounds, no fun to lug around!

I have been playing about 12 years, still learning too. I have payed thousands on gear, and lost tons on trade ins -i have learned a great deal about quality tone. This is not an amp for metal or trash playes, but someone looking for straight ballsy blues tone, this can't be beat! The clean channel ranks amongst best ever in my mind, and overdrive can be tilted to max for versitle tones beyond belief. I would by this amp again if stolen for sure, but most likely get a Head and Cab. If you can find one for under 2k, get it, hold on to it, play the shit out of it. It will be a classic some day, and sought after, trust me!

Made in 1991. These things go for $2,800.00, plus tax. It has a clean channel and a distrosion channel. It also has reverb.

My amp is a 1965 Fender Showman with two Tone Tubby speakers. (highly recommended)The reason I even played on a Soldano is there was what appeared to be a good deal, $1,200.00, on Craigs List. I went to check it out with my Tele. w/ Semore Duncan pickups. First, the clean sound was OK at best, I was very disappointed. The reverb was embarassing to say the least. (no wonder the guy left the room when I tried it) LOL.

I've been playing for 40 years and any one who is considering one of these boutique amp owes it to them self to play some kind of pre-CBS fender to use as a benchmark first. If I owned this amp, I'd leave it in my car with the windows rolled down and park it in Oakland.

this is an 02 or 03 model i believe, i do know it was made to commerate the 13th anniversery of the company and a guy at rocker guitars in s.f. (where i got it) said there was a run of about 200 or so. mine is a one of a kind, black alligator finish with cutom grill and it looks absolutely killer. 2 6l6 tubes provide nice breakup on the clean chanel and a blusey/classic rock distortion. true spring reverb tops it all off. only thing though is that there is no effects loop. im debating whether to have one put in.

i do prefer harder rock styles and i will say that this amp, out of the factory, is not meant for that. i need boost pedals to a achieve my metal tone. however, the other main style of music i play (and preform) is jazz, so the clean channel was much more important to me, and this is impeccable. definately a fender twin killer and nothing else even comes close. with my ibanez through this amp i get a perfect pat metheny tone, every time. and, when i do get my metal sound (i usually build it on the clean with a metal zone or tube screamer) it is so throaty and sick sounding that it sounds like a mesa triple-rec. it is so incredibly responsive to nuances like finger picking and false-harmonics (vai and satch lovers will like this). for people who say its noisy--yeah its gonna be noisy if u have a strat on the bridge position pickup, but it will be like that on any amp. humbuckers and the "2" and "4" strat positions produce nothing but silence when not being played.

this thing is built like a rock and weighs 75 pounds. all the wiring is point-to-point, hand sodered. no trouble yet, although no one should gig without a backup or extra tubes.

no having to deal with the company yet, fortunatley, but the amp does have a lifetime warranty. whether this is the lifetime of the amp or the lifetime of soldano i don't know :)

fantastic. i will never need another amp for clean tones again, unless i bought this in a head. amazing. it doesnt have a "metal" channel, but i knew that when i bought it. i would definatley not buy this again if it were stolen--i would hunt down and kill the person that took it because this one in particular is very rare. i don't give out 10's very loosely--i'm not one to say "epihone les paul--just like the real thing but 2000 less" or something retarded like that. but this amp really desereves a 10, based on the clean alone.

Two channels amp with pure clean tone on one and great solid overdrive. This amp has alot of headroom to play with. A little noisy at higher volume; however, can't notice during performing on stage. Great solid combo amp.

I have a Brian Moore playing mostly classic rock and pop. The soldano is a little noisy like mentioned before but not too much to notice. But on stage, you can not tell at all. I love the clean tone coming out of this amp. The distortion is not very brutal but at higher volume, it sounds really nice.

It's a tube amp and you need to have extra tubes just in case one goes bad. However, the amp built to last. Very solid and well design.

These guys are sitting there and wait for your emails and reply very quick. I love their service. I have never seen any other support team can do better than that. Mostly for the new amp, alots of problems can be solved by talking to them and they are very good at getting back to you.

I've been playing about 15 years or so with many great amps like Marshall, Fender, Budda, and Rivera. But this is the best one so far. It does cost quite a bit but I believe it's worth the money. The clean tone is hard to beat. Budda comes pretty close but not as clean and bright as this. A great built amp !

My Lucky 13 is one of the first few produced, as it was built into the original Soldano large semi-open back speaker cabinet (24" tall x 28" wide x 12" deep). They have since changed the design to a more traditional, and smaller cabinet. I like the original design better for a couple of reasons: (1) The extremely large cabinet REALLY enhances bass response (2) The removable access panel on top of the cabinet makes tube changes a breeze. Soldano told me they changed the design because it was just too big of a combo for most people to haul around. I can see there point... This thing absolutely dwarfs a Super Reverb or Bassman 4x10. Nice sunken handles on both sides make it very comfortable for TWO people to carry... Do not try lifting this one by yourself!!! This amp primarily stays in my home studio, and I gig with my Mesa Boogie Nomad.

The controls are mounted vintage style toward the top/back of the amp. Two channels: Clean and Overdrive + Reverb controls for both channels. This a very straight forward amp that is intended for those who want a great clean tone with tons of headroom + an overdrive channel that can run the full spectrum. No effects loop, or a bunch of bells and whistles, but this amp does not need any gimmicks. It does have a normal/bright switch on the Clean channel, which is very nice. It also has a one button footswitch for channel selection. The only minimal complaint that I have is that both channels share a presence control... I thought this might create a problem, but I quickly found the sweet spot for my setup.

I use a variety of guitars as I play a very wide range of music. If I had to catagorize my main style it would fall into the heavy blues/rock area... My main guitars are a Tom Anderson Hollow Classic, Don Grosh Hollow Custom with P90's, and a 1989 PRS CE24 Flametop. The Lucky 13 is abosolutely PERFECT for me, it loves everything from single coils to humbuckers equally. My typical effects chain is Teese RMC1 Wah > Carl Martin Compressor > Fulltone TR-100 > Captain Coconut (Fuzzfoot/Octave/Provibe) > George Dennis Phaser > Maxon AD900 > Fulltone Fatboost > George Dennis Volume.

The Lucky 13 simply sounds PHENOMENAL. I do not give glowing reviews on all products like some people... But this one deserves it. I really considered the Bogner Shiva,(which is VERY good), but I got the Soldano for a steal, and I am glad, because ultimately I ended up with a better amp. I had trouble finding a two channel amp that really delivered the goods on the clean channel. I am a huge fan of the 6L6 tube sound, and was almost ready to just buy a Fender Twin for clean + something else for a drive amp, and run two amps for channel switching. The Lucky 13 does exaactly that, all in one package. The clean channel is just that... wonderful, warm, round and clean clean clean. Tons of headroom. The drive channel ranks with the best of the best. I own a bunch of tube amps and have tested countless others... The Lucky 13 has the most natural and articulate drive from subtle breakup to full out singing sustain, of any amp I have played. The note definition on both channels is so clear it will show off all of your good notes and your bad ones as well.

This is the first time I have owned an amp with Eminence Legend speakers... And quite honestly I was a little nervous after reading many reviews that bashed them in comparrison to the Celestion V30's they resemble. I must say that in this cabinet, I am very impressed with these speakers. I have other cabinets with V30's and they do sound different, but that does not take away from how good the Eminence Legends sound is this combo.

This amp is a bit noisy, especially with the reverb turned up. I have experimented with different 12AX7 tubes and have found a pretty good combination. I think some people are really oversensitive to noise in relation to tube amps, analog effects, and single coil pickups. If you like that sound combination, you are going to experience some noise. Deal with it... If you are just a bedroom rocker, it might bother you... If you are in the studio, there are ways to combat the problem... If you are on stage, no one else will ever notice. Do not let a little noise keep you from experiencing all of the PURE TONE this amp has to offer.

I always gig with backup tubes... I have not had any problems with this amp and it is built like a tank. I can not imagine how you could have built it any better.

I have dealt with Bill Sundt at Soldano many times. I had a few questions about the amp when I bought it as a NOS item from a non Soldano dealer. The customer service at Soldano is second to none. They answered all of my questions promptly via email and sent me a new manual free of charge. They have treated my like a customer that paid full retail... I can not say enough good things about the people at Soldano. I also had them build a custom grille for the front of my Lucky 13 which they shipped in only a matter of days.

I have been playing for a good many years and have owned a ton of different tube amps. The Lucky 13 overdrive is the best two channel combo for pure versatility that I have found. The Bogner Shiva 6L6 being a very close second. This does not mean that it is the perfect amp for everyone. Look at a Victoria Amp if you play nothing but blues, or look at one of the Soldano high end heads if want over the top gain, but if you are looking for that pure warm clean sound and some of sweetest singing overdrive in one package, you can not go wrong with the Lucky 13. If it were stolen I would buy another without a doubt. Since my cabinet design is not available anymore, I would have to by the head and 2x12 enclosure. I give it a 10 as overall value because I just plain lucked out on getting this from a local music store that took this in as a NOS item. For $1,075 you can not beat it, and I would have paid close to $2,000 without feeling any buyers remorse.

This is a basic two channel combo with (controls listed from left to right on the panel):
Bright/Normal Switch
Clean Channel:Volume, Bass, Middle, Treble, Reverb (independent per channel).
Drive Channel:
Gain, Bass, Middle, Treble, Reverb, Volume
Shared Presence Control.
This amp has outs for cabinet and footswitch out jack.
No Effects loop here and no frills (who needs them when you have this amp!!!!)
This amp goes from Dead on Blackface Fender clean (reverb is incredible!!!) to Sub-Mesa distortion (more rounded and versatile bottom end...not as scooped in the mids unless you dial it in that way). This is not the metal heads amp, but man it can do all rock tones and everthing clean under the sun. I like this amp the way it is and can't imagine it adding anything but perhaps a direct line out for recording...that would be merely fluff and Soldano tries not to give that to us. I use this amp at home and in the garage band environment and it has more than enough power (100 watts...) it can also play at bedroom volumes (it goes to 13 in tribute to the 13th anniversary of the company). This is an all tube amp and sounds like it....

I play classic rock, blues, some prog rock, and pop. I would not call this a metal players amp, but it can really rock when pushed. I have a Mesa Tremoverb and this amp doesn't scoop out like that amp, but I don't think the Mesa can touch this amp for pure tone (I love the Tremoverb too...it's just not as toneful overall). This amp is pretty clean and the sounds are limitless. The gain on the drive channel is very responsive and does a lot at the 5 or 6 settings to make you love it (can you say Fender Twin). At higher levels it does Marshall with class....The distortion isn't brutal, but it totally sings and rocks...

This is a point to point tank. It is made beautifully and simply. Never gig without a backup, but if you had to take just one amp this would do. Never needed service, but I would send it to Soldano due to their great work.

They are great to work with and a pleasure to talk to. Yeah they are busy and a bit slower than I'd like, but you have to get some compromises here...

I can't say enough about the amp. It looks good, sounds fantastic and is a great tone machine. This is why tube amps are so great and Mike Soldano is a master. I think this blows away any Soldano I've played and any Marshall. The Fender tones are there and I am thankful... I like the simplicity of the amp and if you want a 1000 features buy something else. If you want 100% tone then buy this amp. I couldn't imagine it being stolen...I'd really have to hurt someone.