Soldano SLO100

This a new SLO purchased in 2009. I believe the amp was manufactured in 2008. I won't bother going over the features of this amp as they have already been covered extensively. This is a stock amp with no mods. Mike Soldano has gone on the record to say that this is his favorite version of the amp...bone stock, the way he originally designed it. It would be nice to have a feature such as a hard bypass foot-switchable loop or the ability to footswitch between the clean and crunch, but none of those things take away from the amp in any way. It more than makes up for any trivial shortcomings with its monsterous tone. I had a Decatone before this and I thought I might miss the depth knob but I don't. The SLO's bass response is so tremendous and focused that I don't even see the need. I use this amp for everything: live, studio, etc. and it excels eveywhere. It has replaced several other amps I was using. Has more than enough power for my needs.

I use a variety of guitars with this amp, mostly Strats and Les Pauls. Every guitar shines through this amp. I play a wide variety of styles and the SLO keeps up with everything I throw at it. I've read comments about the clean being 'bland' and 'two-dimensional' and I personally don't agree. The clean is superb with plenty of chime and depth. The whole band noticed how good all sounds from the amp were when I first brought it to a rehearsal. The overdrive wow factor is a given with this amp but the clean blew us all equally away. I've owned a Fuchs ODS 100 and the SLO comes damn close to it in the clean department...and it beats the ODS for crunch and overdrive tones, IMO. Others may not agree with these statements, but for my needs and styles I play the Soldano gives me more of what I was looking for than the Fuchs did. But the Fuchs is a great amp, don't get me wrong on that. I just didn't bond with it like I have with the SLO.

The noise on the OD channel is minimal for such a high gain monster. I set the OD preamp at about 4 and use a boost for when more gain is needed. The result is that I have almost zero noise issues. The OD channel cleans up like a dream. I can go from a sweet clipping clean to full-on overdrive madness with the twist of a knob. I cover a hell of a lot of ground on the OD channel alone. The Crunch mode has that sweet plexi vibe to it and is very dynamic and responsive. I have to also mention that the amp takes pedals very well...more so than the Decatone and Orange Rockerverb 50 it replaced.

It likes the cabs I use with it...a Bogner 4x12 with 2 G12T75's and 2 Vinatge 30's and a DR Z 'Z-Best' 2x12 with 1 vintage 30 and 1 G12H30. Sounds amazing with both cabs. Where this amp truly shines is when you turn it up and use it live with a band. The tone, presence and focus is just indescribable. It's an experience every time I plug into it. I've always felt that my low end would always seem to 'train wreck' with my bass player's low end frequencies with the end result being mush and mud. The Soldano's low end doesn't fight with my bass player's tone. It sits seperate in the mix in every situation...big and fat and in-your face. Everything just seems to sit better in the mix on stage and at rehearsals with this amp. The whole band notcied this too, not just me. That quality alone is priceless to me and is worth the price of admission. Because my tone doesn't fight the mix to cut through anymore, distracting me, it allows me to play better and with more abandon.

I'm a big Warren Haynes fan for both his playing and tone. There's a good reason this is his go-to amp.

When you buy an SLO, you buy peace of mind. Built to withstand a nuclear blast!

I've dealt with Soldano on a few occasions in the past. Bill and Mike are great and stand behind all of their products. When I leave a message, they CALL BACK! Even though I'm in Canada and it's international long distance. Not my experience with some other boutique amp manufacturers. Soldano is a pleasure to deal with. They value their customers and give great advice.

I've been playing for about 28 years. (Yikes!) I've owned a TON of gear. I sold a Decatone and an Orange Rockerverb 50 for this head and I couldn't be happier. The SLO does everything those two amps did combined but better. I've owned Fuchs, Koch, Marshall, Boogie MK III, IV and roadking, Dr Z's, etc., etc..a LOT of gear. In the end, although all were great amps, the SLO is my number one 'Keeper'. It delivers everything I want it to in spades. I also have a couple of combo amps that I play and will keep those around because the SLO doesn't do small amp or combo tones as well as an actual combo will. But it will do pretty much everything else with tone that leaves you breathless. Worth-every-penny.

This is a new amp 08 i believe and one of twenty combo 2X12. It is loaded, all the mods, de martini, depth and ecerything done to date. I traded a couple amps I could spare. Iv'e had a caswell for years but wanted a combo to carry an all in one. The sound is simply amazing. I consider myself a boutique amp buyer and hard to please. I am pleased. The distortion, clean and crunch are a 10+. The depth helps and the eminence legends are a great match. I use a framptone 3 banger to switch between a matchless independence and an ecstacy classic; I sometimes use a pheonix but the SLO is always in the chain.

I prefer the KT66s for their tone. I have used the power reducer groove tube model 928PR with EL84s for recording a lot. I also run the amp in 60 watt mode with the two outer KT66s pulled and set the ohms at half or 6L6s for 50 watts. This is a more equal match for the thirty watters I switch between. Though the Bogner and the SLO at full Power modes sound awsome and the matchless amps still keep up; believe it or not, they do. I have had no failures. Tubes will eventually blow. That is the nature of the tube, not the amp.

unmatched warrenty, even a transferable warrenty with my used SLO. I have one of the first caswell X99s and it has never needed service, just yearly tube changes. Built rock solid and designed to please the most critical end user. You will probably never have to use the warrenty but if you do, it is perhaps the best in the industry.

I am 45 and began taking lessons at age 5. Guitar is a huge part of my life, it is my Zen. I would pay the full 5 grang plus to replace this amp if it were lost or stolen. To me it is priceless. I love the dimension it adds to my set up. It completes my rig. I no longer have to search for that undescribable component that is missing. I use several amps because I have learned that no one amp can do it all. This one does a great deal and does it quite excellently. It is unmatched, and with it, I finnally have a set up I could wish for no more from. I could be no more pleased than I now am. Soldano, Matchless and Bogner are all fabulous amps and compliment each other to the point that I would not trade what I have for anything else I have ever heard or played. Others have noticed this and made similar comments to me. I am really nobody but one who loves music and tone. Soldano is a trademark and Hallmark of both. thank you Ken Spencer

Not really sure when it was made. Bought used.

I waited over a year before writing this review on it. To make sure I got the "honeymood phase" out of my system.

Up until this amp, I have almost always preferred reverb and effects loops in my amps. I had though bought a few non-reverb no loop amps and liked them, but still missed having those features.

The Soldano has a loop, but I don't like to use it as I hear it degrade the sound and I want all of it. The point is, on the SLO100, I don't miss reverb, and I tried using the loop, but ended up not, and I don't miss it either.

All features are covered, the most I have to add is with sound quality.

This amp is amazing with my Strat, Tele, or Les Paul. I have heard the "common wisdom" that the clean channel is "not the best", but I totally disagree. The clean crunch setting is amazing, and the clean-clean setting also. I can get Hendrixy cleans, smooth, anything with it really. I found after time, I love the clean as much as the amazingly wonderful OD (or lead) channel. Honest!

It fits many music styles, and I am pretty sure I can even improve even more by spending some time looking for speakers. Running through a Marshall cab (4 x 12", think it is called a 1849 or something like that) and it sounds amazing.

After buying it, I did get a few noises when idling, which just turned out to be the V1 preamp (probably shaken up in shipping. Shipped from north of Norway to me in Oslo). I had three spare, and went back and forth, and one of them definitely was head & shoulders above the other two, even it slightly microphonic but not bad, so I used that one. Just saying, V1 has a LOT of influence on the tone/sound of the amp.

The OD is just wonderful. It's just like a wonderful sonic salve to my ears. I had a Deluxe Reverb II that I loved the tone of, but after 20 minutes even at very low volumes my tinnitius was like Niagara Falls....well the SLO it's the opposite. Even at a good deal higher volume, my ears feel fine after playing for hours on it.

It cuts, but is not harsh. Chords are just amazing...so defined you could touch them practically. Touch sensitivity is perfect on this amp.

The thing I probably love most of all, it is just incredibly hard to get a bad tone/sound out of this amp. Honestly, it is no fuss. You can tweak here and there (and I hadn't realized that, about what the person under mentioned about "flat EQ" being tone controls on 2. I just know that I have other amps, and one really expensive one that I have to tweak and tweak, and some days just never hit the tone I want. The SLO just sits there, and I turn it on, I have even just guessed at settings before turning it on, and hear it sound fantastic.

I could go on and on, but seriously, this amp is THE amp for me.
I like and use other amps too, but this is solid, always there, easy to use, easy to carry, and..maybe more than any amp I have owned, the amp WORKS with me to get a good sound.

It was hard to get one here, and I am seriously considering getting another one.

No problems so far. V1 preamp tube, but that wasn't the amps fault.

Been playing 35+ years. Amateur, but serious one!
Have had tons of amps over the years.

If lost I would buy one again, absolutely.
I love the sound of it. I love the ease of use, easy to get great sounds. Love the option for the clean channel. The Master works well. Was worried that I would "need" the mods for playing at lower volumes, but NO WAY...don't need a thing. Mine is stock, and I don't think the mods would give me a beter sound at low or high...

Great 2 channel amp. Where the normal channel can do clean or crunch and the overdrive channel can do anything up to high gain.

This amp sounds great, but you must remember that 5 accross the board eq wise is not flat. Having the amp tone controls on 1 is closest to a flat tone. I run mine at Bass 2, Mids 3, treb 2.5 and presence at 2, this gives a close tone to a bogner ecstacy where its eqs are all at 5.

The mids on this are more upper around the 1.6 khz range so be careful not boosting to much. Tone controls are real interactive. turning down bass for example seems to smooth out mids

Built like a tank

Havent used them

Great amp, its pricey but worth it

A Purple Soldano SLO100, 240Volt Version, ordered through a friend's Music Shop. Waited 3 months for the amp to arrive.

It's the Standard Soldano SLO100, I use it mainly for recording in my "home studio" and am running it on [2] 2x12" 180watt enclosed Speaker Cabinets.

Basic features, but very easy to set-up and find that "sweet spot" in the sound that I've been searching for in many years. I should have bought one earlier.

From "Clean" to "Brilliantly Mean" the Soldano SLO100 is now the "holy grail" of amps in my studio.

Am using the Soldano SLO100 with the following guitars:

1: John Suhr Custom Standard, ASH Body, Koa Top, Flame [Neck], Brazilian Rosewood [Fingerboard] with Locking Sperzel's & 2 Point Style 1055 Tremelo System. John Suhr Single Coils [Neck & Middle]
John Suhr Humbucker [Bridge] 10 ~ 46 Jim Dunlop Strings

1: John Suhr Custom Standard, Basswood Body, Quilted Maple Top, Flame [Neck], Brazilian Rosewood [Fingerboard] with Locking Sperzel's & 2 Point Style 1055 Tremelo System. John Suhr Aldrich Humbuckers [Neck & Bridge] 10 ~ 46 Jim Dunlop Strings

1: PRS Singlecut Tremelo, with Humbuckers & 10 ~ 46 Jim Dunlop Strings.

The Soldano SLO100 covers an exceptionally wide range of musical styles, I'm into 1970's ~ 1990's Classic Hard Rock, you won't find a better amp than the Soldano SLO100, It's made all of my Marshall's totally redundant due to it's "sound".

The Soldano SLO100 has exceptional "clarity" even in it's most saturated overdrive mode. Really excellent sound for guitar solo's, whether "clean" or "mean" it "out performs" any other amp that I've previously owned or played through.

Simply AWESOME !

Have not used the Soldano SLO100 to gig with, it's planted firmly in my home studio.

Like any amplifier, the reliability depends on many factors, especially how the user "treats" the equipment. I expect to get many years of excellent reliability from the Soldano SLO100 based upon the reviews I've read on it.

Have not had to use the Soldano SLO 100 "Customer Support" facility so far, so am unable to comment at this time.

I expect to get many years of excellent service from the Soldano Team, based upon the reviews I've read on it.

I've ordered a 2nd Soldano SLO100 as a result of the 1st one purchased and will dupliacte the set-up of the Soldano SLO100 with another [2] 2x12 180watt enclosed Speaker Cabinets.

Again, the Soldano SLO100 is a simply "AWESOME" amplifier and I'm going to enjoy this set-up for many year to come.

Okay here's the deal...new (07) head right outta the box this week. Standard model, no mods...don't need them.

I play blues, rock, metal occasionally and rarely top 40 stuff. Mostly originals as well.

I give it a 10 for features simply because the experienced player doesn't need any more crap cluttering the tone. Have your soundman put the tone sucking FX through the PA. I plug straight in and get more sounds by just using the crunch and lead channels and the guitar controls then I could hope for. I also use the clean and lead to switch between as well. For me this amp works EXTREMELY well. I have a large collection of vintage Marshalls from 66 on up and the Soldano gives me a nice plexi type tone that cleans up VERY well on both channels provided one understands how the amp works...it works like an old Marshall, yep, that easy to set up.

Mike Soldano has, as it's been stated, created the ultimate 100 watt head if versatility, TONE, reliability and being in control of the aforementioned is paramount to you. It handles ANY gig easily. I usually run the masters at between 3 and 5 depending on the venue and it pumps through a 70 Marshall basketweave straight cab with 25 watt lead cone pre-Rola Celestions which I thing tame it down so it's much more useful then say, v30'S, h30'S, ev'S ETC...The amp is very warm woody and just swirling with harmonics, punch and clarity as no other amp. If you can play and you are a gigging out musician there is no finer tone machine for most styles of music the amp excels at. Don't play surf music with it though ;)

* What kind of sounds can the amp make? How much variety?

Many plexi to hot plexi and believe it or not, the clean is like a smoother tighter JTM 45/Bassman type of tone. Variety is in the hands as is tone.
* Is the clean channel distorted at high volumes? In what settings?

Don't know, like it to stay cleanish but if you lower the preamp knob and raise the master and use a single coil guitar I would say it would stay pretty damned clean..I can cop funk licks on a Strat if that helps.

* How brutal is the distortion?

Is this a real question? If so you must be a kid to ask this...heavy is in the hands. It can get downright NASTY but MUCH more musical than the gain heads out there.

* What guitar and pickup styles are you using it with?

1950's Les Paul/PAF's (52 TO 59 conversion done by Mirabella guitars, 06 Murphy aged 59 RI with real PAF's, The odd Strat, 1957 Les Paul Jr(orig P90),1962 ES335/PAF's, LP Custom with Duncan Distortion/59 set.
* How does it suit your music style (and what is that style)?

VERY WELL. Think of me as a cross between Billy Gibbons, Gary Moore, Freddie,BB and Albert King and James Hetfield.

* Is it noisy? On what settings, and in what environments?
No, not at all. The most quiet amp I own, hands down.

* Can you depend on it? Would you use it on a gig without a backup?

No seasoned player goes to a gig without a backup. I would say after owning restoring, modifying and repairing all types of new and vintage amps that he build quality of this amp is beyond the norm. It's built for life.

* Has the amp ever broken down? Because of neglect of regular servicing (as in tubes), or just plain neglect?

Not yet and I don't expect it to. I make sure my amps are always healthy and fresh.

* If you've dealt with the company, how helpful/friendly were they?

VERY nice, helpful and just plain cool. This company epitomizes the good still in the MI industry'

* Ever try and get it repaired? Was the repair done under warranty?

No but I have no fear they will take care of it


* Were you able to findan authorized service center easily?

N/A
* How long is the warranty?

LIFETIME, transferable.

* How long have you been playing?

About 15 years.

What other gear do you own?

1966 Marshall JTM pLEXI 100, 1967 Marshall plexi Super Bass, 2 1968 Marshall plexi Super Lead, 1969 Marshall plexi Lead 50, 1969 Marshall metal panel Super Bass, 70 Super Bass, 71 Super Lead, 81 JCM 800 2203...7 original Marshall 4x12's, basketweaves, one 2o watt loaded stack, 3 25 watt lead cone stacks, one bass cone straight front basketweave.


* If it were stolen or lost, would you buy it again or get something else?

I'd order another in a second


* what do you love about it? What do you hate?

Everything, I hate nothing about it.


* Did you compare it to other products? Which ones? Why did you
choose this one?

I've owned both generations or Rectifiers both Trip and Dual, Bogner Ecstasy, Peavey 5150 AND THE LIST GOES ON AND ON...I'VE TRIED EVERYTHING and this is the balls. Hands down.

* Anything you wish it had?

Nope.
* Anything else you'd like to share?

In reading these reviews I am amazed people compare this to a 5150...it's nowhere near a comparison, it's a farce. The Soldano is in a league of it's own. It's as much an instrument as any of my guitars.

Well here goes. The first time I saw a soldano, I thought to myself that's one of those 80's metal amps. You know stupid band's like Ratt, posin etc. I have always thought that God blessed me with really good ears. I have owned several different amps like-Matchless (sampson era) Dc-30, amd clubmans. Mesa MarkIV. bogners. Diaz cd-100. Well, let me say a few years ago, I was at a concert with the allman brothers in Live Oak Fl. Well Warren, and Derek were both playing SLO's. I could not believe the tone derek was getting. So, the next week another great guitar slinger from North Florida was also playing a SLO. I told myself the next time I see one, I will try it out. WOW. I could not believe it. Tone for days. The only thing that took alittle time adjusting to was moving from 30 watt's to 100, and let me tell you-it's 100 freaking watts. Funny thing, after playing an SLO for the last year, 100 watts is where this amp needs to be. I would tell anybody to try an SLO. I have been touring for 7 years with a very well know band, and I am here to tell you< there is no way I could live with out my Soldano. I am sold! Take my humble advice-save your money and learn from my mistakes-buy a SLO. The only other amp, which can compete in this catagory and is an all together different animal is my Diaz. The other cool feature is the transferable lifetime warrenty.

GREAT! Soldano, thanks for making a great amp!

Never had one problem out of my SLO for the past year.

Never had to call the the gang at Soldano yet.

I have never scored a amp at 10, and never will. Nothing will ever be perfect(in my humble opinion).

Although only 2 channels, this amp can cover virtually any genre. With the guitar's volume knob or a volume pedal you can get some additional sounds. The FX loop is kind of the downfall with the amp though, due to its placement in the chain and the lack of stomp box compatibility (+4 rack fx level). I am getting a GMajor tomorrow, so we'll see how it does. It is a serial loop which is good though. Couldn't stand the parallel FX loop on my Mesa. Yes, the SLO does share an EQ between the two channels, but surprisingly this doesn't seem to matter to me. I dial in a punchy OD sound and the clean still sounds great.

The clean/crunch channel sounds best IMO on crunch for clean sounds with a lower preamp gain setting. This gives you nice touch sensitive dynamics and slight breakup - more lively. The OD channel is phenomenal...it will sustain for days and if you can play lead guitar, then you will be pleasantly surprised with the liquid tone and great feel. Stock this amp doesn't have enough low end for me unless I can crank it up to about 4 or 5 (which is incredibly loud - louder than I've been able to turn it up just about anywhere). That said, if you get this amp with the depth mod you will probably not have a problem with the amount of low end, unless you're looking for the 3D bass response of an Uberschall or a Triple Rectifier. Highly recommend getting the depth mod on this - it really thickens up the sound at lower volumes as well.
I used to own a Triple Rectifer and sold it after getting the SLO. It can't compare to clarity of the Soldano (you can hear every note on this amp even if the gain is turned to 11!) Some people test drive this amp come away somewhat less impressed than they had hoped. The SLO is an unforgiving amp in terms of showing your technique...at first this made me feel inadequate in my ability, but over time I have learned all the ways that the Mesa was hiding my bad technique and as a result this amp has taken me from intermediate into advanced. This amp also features their patented Kontrolled Clipping which gives you a smoother gain, none of that grainy/harsh stuff and yet still has a great bite which can cut through anything in your band.

Built with waterproof pots. Probably built better than just 99.9 percent of amps out there...wouldn't hesitate to use without a backup. Never broke done on me, other than through using an instrument cable for a speaker cable (my own fault) - see below.

I made a dumb mistake of using an instrument cable as a speaker cable and the amp cut out on me during practice. I was pretty down and decided to call up Soldano. I described the problem and he guided me through a diagnosing process. Turns out all had to do was plug in and out of the FX Loop return jack 5 times and boom the amp worked again, just like normal. Had to replace the fuse that blew, that protected any further damage as well, but that was dirt cheap to do. I have talked to Bill at Soldano about other gear related compatibilities with this amp and have always found his advice very helpful. I really couldn't ask for better customer support. A+

I've been playing for 12 years and this is my favorite amp so far. I am saving up for a Bogner XTC as well and should be satisfied with amp buying for a long time. The Soldano is the benchmark for many modern high gain amplifiers (5150, Mesa Rectifer, etc. were based on its design) and while it's not all that cheap, it is worth the price for an amp of this quality to me. It also comes with a fully transferable lifetime warranty - how many companies offer this? I do wish it had a more friendly FX Loop, but I don't think it's going to be an issue as I'm going with Rack FX and some pedals out front. It is a bright sounding amp which isn't for everyone. If you like darker tones try Bogner. If you do like bright tones and must have 3 channels there's always the Soldano Decatone. I highly recommend this amp if you play lead guitar, as there is pretty much nothing that can touch it in this realm. The clean channel sometimes gets unfairly criticized, but like I said - lower gain setting on the crunch channel sound more than acceptable for a hi-gain amp. If you play heavier rock, definitely get a depth mod on this thing. I don't really use the Warren Haynes mod on this amp, but if you like lower gain settings and more classic rock tones you might dig it, or if you play slide guitar. Not a perfect amp, but pretty close to it for what it was designed to do.

Heaps versatile amp, can pretty much do any genre. I play mainly metal and rock and this thing pulls it off near perfectly. Two channels shared EQ, everyone knows that tho. I would prefer a 3 or even 4 channel amp with independant EQ's because im lazy and cant be bothered to dial in heaps of tones, but over its 2 channels and a couple of good pedals you can cover a wide range of sounds depending on the music you want to play. It's really LOUD.

Through this i use an ibanez s-series prestige with a SD invader in the bridge and various DIY pedals. As i said, with these i can cover a huge range of sounds. The clean channel sounds very good even with my settings for a dirty rhythm tone. Dialing the gain up gets a very nice crunchy sound ideal for classic rock. Hitting the cruch switch goes easilly into hard rock territory. The best part of this amp is the overdrive channel though. Easilly cuts through the mix unlike some other amps i have played through, due to its emphasis on the mids. Chords are always very articulate - you can hear each note ring out and leads scream but are smooth at the same time.

No issues here.

Havn't needed to contact them. They have a good reputation though.

Been playing for 6 years. My first tube amp. I love this thing and would get it again. I only wish it had more channels and independant EQ, however with what it has it gets the closest to that 'sound in my head'.

This is a follow up to my past review. Red head with matching Red Soldano cab. Slave out, effects loop, Warren Haynes, scoop and depth mod.

Since my last review of this amp I have re-tubed it. Putting in KT66 power tubes and JJ High Gain ECC83S'. The re-tube brought this amp to a whole new level. I thought it sounded awesome before now it sounds even more incredible. I purchased my tubes from Doug's Tubes.
If your going to put in new tubes must get them from a reliable tube outfit that tests the tubes. Doug was very helpful. Since I re-tubed this amp my friend's also said the amp sounds even more incredible. I was also using a Boss DD-20 Delay pedal (which will run at a +4 level) but I have since switched to an old Rocktron Intellifex LTD. The Rocktron doesn't seem to color my tone. Even though I hardly use any effects because the amp sounds incredible with out them. This amp is very versitale. I use this in my recording studio. The clean does sound excellent when set right. Crunch sounds awesome and the Overdrive channel is pure heaven. I can do things with amp that were never possible with all the others I have owned. The sustain is incredible.

Built to last a lifetime.

The folk's at Soldano are top notch. Bill Sundt was very helpful. He even help my tech with the rebiasing of the new tubes.

I absolutely love this amp. I have finally found the tone in my head I have been searching for. I have owned Marshall's, Peavey's Crate, Rocktron,ADA,Pod's but none of them compare to the Soldano. I got in alot of trouble with the wife for spending the money I did on this amp but it was worth it. I don't plan on getting rid of this baby. If it were stolen I would hunt do that person down and strap his head to the cabinet and let that person know what a 100 watt all tube amp sound like turn up to eleven.

Mint 1990 Soldano SLO 100 in Boa tolex with KT 66 power tubes (makes the amp sound even bigger and fatter than 6L6's) and NOS Chinese preamp tubes (and believe me preamp tubes make a huge difference in the sound of this amp!) 2 user channels, with 2 modes (wish these were footswitchable as does everone else) on the normal channel being clean or crunch with a bright switch for this channel as well.
The second channel is high gain for soloing but it is articulate enough for chords and any rythem playing as well! Effects loop, slave out, and (toggle switch) bypassable depth mod. The amp has more than enough power especially when you go over the 5 mark on the dials but it just gets better from that point. This is my only amp right now and I have had it approx. 1 year and it is not a one trick pony otherwise it would have been gone long ago as I have GAS (Gear aquisition syndrome) or SATS (serial amp trader syndrome)there have been moments of doubt but you just plug into it later and that feeling goes away..I play 60's 70's 80's 90's and some new hard rock, blues etc...The Soldano cover's it all you just have to learn how to work with it.

The clean channel on the SLO can be crystal clean especially with single coils with the bright switch on and my TC chorus think John Sykes whitesnake type clean! With the bright switch off the clean sound is warmer and rounder sounding still very nice. The clean channel will break up faster with a bridge Humbucker and does have more and more hair the higher you set the channel gain level I stay at about 7 which gives me the best of both worlds with tons of headroom.

The crunch channel on the SLO is that and more if you turn the gain down you can get awesome blues gain sounds, if you go to 6 or 7 nice kinda plexi vibe, turn it up from there and you can get classic rock to metal sounds.

The overdrive channel on SLO is or should be IMHO be the benchmark for all lead channels it still makes me smile everyday. The gain is more than enough for me at 7 or under anything over that is like going to plaid. Very rich harmonic's, sustain, articulation, and the sound swallows the practise room whole no matter what.

The Depth mod I have installed is the Soldano version but with some revisions by myself and my amp tech. I changed the cap value as the one suggested by Soldano was to dark and a little muffled or muddy.
They say use a 1M cap I found the .680 to be clearer with the same depth effect. I installed a bypass switch to put the circuit to stock because with the depth mod turn to 0 it still lost the sweetness of this amp stock. Having this mod is great for when I need a very heavy low end grind, but I prefer the amp stock as it sounds much better, you have to play it to understand.

I use the SLO with my Tom Anderson Drop Top with HSS, Bogner UberKab (with Soldano logo HEHE!) X pattern with Celestions 2 G12H30's and 2 G12M25's, some effects pedals and thats all I need.

Haven't had any issues it seems to be perfect, fully dependable would use it without a backup.

I have spoken with Mike and Bill both are great to deal with, always very helpful with questions I have. No warranty center in Canada. Lifetime transferable warranty who do you know offers that...

I have been playing 20+ years, I have owned many many amps Marshall's, Mesa's, Splawns, Bogner's, Demeter and on and on even 4 other Soldano HOT Rod plus 50's and 100's! I kept going back to Soldano so I figured 5th times a charm I bought the SLO finally and I am very happy with this amp, I don't think there is much out there that would be better for me. If it were lost or stolen I would find you..use your imagination HEHE! The only other amp I see myself buying would be a Fender Vibro King to A/B with the Soldano.

2005 SLO100 Red Head, Warren Haynes mod, scoop mod and depth mod.
This amp is very versatile. I use mainly in my recording studio. I am also using a THD HotPlate and Soldano Cab. I am also using a Boss DD-20 delay in the loop.

The SLO is by far the best amp I have ever played thru. I have played or owned just about everything. It smokes the 5150. I have the Warren Haynes mod,scoop mod and depth mod. I really like the scoop mod. I can get all kinds of sounds with this amp. I am also using a Boss Giga Delay in the loop. This pedal works perfectly with this amp mainly because it can be set to run at +4, which what the loop runs at. I acn't say enough about this amp. It is very tight and responsive. I plat mostly Hard Rock with USA and import BC Rich's, Esp's, Ibanez's and Schecter's. The BC's and the ESP seem to sound the best. I even like the clean channel. Solo's have never sounded so good.

I would have to say excellent (haven't had it to long) but it should be considering it has a lifetime warrenty.

Don't know myself. But have their great.

I have been playing for over 20 years and have had my share of amps and preamps (Crate,5150II,Marshall,ADA,Rocktron) you name it I've either had it or played it. This amp smokes them all. The head and cab are both RED. It looks almost as good as it sounds and It looks damn awesome. My tone has never sounded so good. If were stolen I would I would replace it the next day. Then I would hunt down who stole it strap his head to the cab and crank it to 11 till his ears bleed. The tone is unbleavable. If you can afford this anp buy, if you can't find a way. You won't regret it. I will have mine till the day I die.

just a stock slo....

the amp sounds great... however .. i have had alot of tube problems with it... I play all kinds of music and the amp sounds outstanding.. but like I said.. I am not very happy with it right now..

not well!!! everyone always says how their soldano rocks!! but mine has some issues.. haha ... after owning the amp for 4 years.. i love it.. but I have to put new tubes in every 4 months.. I have taken it to different techs and they haven't found any problems.. but every time I call soldano its the same asshole tech who says.. its just a tube falure... !!! come on!!! so .. a few weeks ago.. I talked to mike soldano.. he was extremly nice about the situation and understanding.. and was telling me how he knows something has to be wrong because he has people who go for years without changing tubes.. so I told him my tech would call him and we could all talk about some issues and try to trouble shoot the problem.. .. and if that didn't work I will mail it back to the factory.. so.. we do all of this.. fix the amp.. and 2 weeks later.. 2 power tubes lite up.. another tube problem... I call soldano again.. and get the same asshole tech.. said its just a tube failure it happens all the time.. i explain the situation.. and how i had the conversation with mike.. and he said .. its not uncommen to replace tubes in amps 4 times a year!!!!! what!!!!! and i told him I was going to send it back.. and he didn't want me to!! he said.. "i guess you can if you want but theirs prob. nothing wrong with it"!!! so.... do you think he will even try to look at it.... i have over 5 grand wrapped in this amp.. and they are trying to be like this with me!! .. if they don't fix this problem... i will never never play this amp on a stage again.. let alone tour with it!! over priced for the pleasure i get!!!

read above.... mike soldano rocks... the other guy i am not so sure about!!

going somewhere else... after 4 years of crap!!! but it does sound good when it works..

I have been waiting a long time for the chance to submit this review... My brand new (3/2006) SLO is fully loaded with all the mods (Warren Haynes, Scoop, Depth Control) in the limited edition black chassis and black covering. I bought it brand new last week.

After about 20 years playing Mesa Mark III's and IV's I began to yearn for a different tone. I was looking for something smoother and less feature-laden, but with the reliability and the "sounds good at any venue/volume" quality of the Mesas. After you realize that there is a reason why the greats all play through this amp it becomes a simple reality that this is the amp to own.

3 channels (2 footswitchable), fx loop, WH mod (lo-gain treble cut), Scoop mod (normal channel EQ shaping), Depth Control (a must for any amp - bass resonance control), no reverb, no nonsense. It comes with a pedal for channel switching and that's pretty much about it.

I wish the loop was switchable, but not a huge issue. My Rotosphere doesn't sound 100% through it, but I'm still trying to figure that out, but basically another non-issue. My other effects sound great through the loop and the front. Some call this amp boring, but, for me, this amp is perfect. You just set the amp for the best possible tone and you can work everything else out. The tone is that good.

You can use this amp in the bedroom and still get a great tone. Of course it soudns better on 2 and up, but the point is you don't have to crank it to get a more than playable tone. I will definitley use this at gigs as people say it really cuts through well.

I am mainly using PRS' with stock pickups and Les Paul R9's and an R8 with stock BurstBuckers. I play Classic Rock (Kansas, Floyd, Heart, AC/DC, Rush, Kiss), anything 80's, and newer stuff like Gov't Mule along with Metal. It suits all of these surprisingly well. It is not noisy at all. I use the gain sparingly with an overdrive pedal in front just to add a bit of grind on the top, but I am finding myself not having to rely on the overdrive pedal because the SLO is so great on its own. The pedal now adds a fourth channel almost.

The claen channel is as good or better than any clean I've heard before. It is usable for anything from funk to country (with the scoop switch on). There is enough variety in this amp to accomplish anything. I think people are starting to confuse variety with footswitching capability. Yes, there are hundreds of tones in this amp, but you have to tweak them by hand and you cannot access all of them via a footswitch. If you can get past that your problems are over.

The Overdrive channel is pure goodness. Thick, but not bassy. Cutting, but not harsh or brittle. Middy, but not boxey. It sounds perfect. You can get a wide variety of dostorted tones from a good Allman Bros to Anthrax. It is all there.

I'm assuming I can depend on it. I was trying it out the other night when it arrived and the volume was surging every few seconds. My heart dropped before I tried a different cable and that turned out to be the problem. I guess my other amps weren't sensitive enough to ever surface that problem. I would use it without backup.

I emailed them about the mod definitions because their web site is so horribly undermanaged. They never replied. I didn't try calling. I know they aren't exactly brimming with personnel, but that is why I bought this amp.... because the quality is still there. I would hope that if I had a servicable problem under the warranty that I would be able to get a hold of someone.

I have been playing for 23 years and own a few other Mesas still. I would try and get another one if given the opportunity. I now truly feel there is nothing left to buy. I'm tonally content. After buying amps with too many features or too few I've finally found my perfect amp. You can do metal with it, but you don't have to.

this is an amp that some may feel lacks in features for a 3-4000$ amp.im glad soldano decided to only issue the s.l.o with a fx loop and slave as a standard mod. this amp doesnt need a third chanel. i can go from a gorgeous clean to a s.r.v sound, to all out rock, just with my volume control, then switch to the other chanel,and the into the overdrive mode. what the hell woul a third chanel do???
this is a 2004 model. its my second one.i sold the last one because of $$$ troubles.
i play in 2 bands. a punk band and a radio rock band. this amp does both easy.

here is the majik. while i am primarly a les paul player, i find that this amp really shines with a strat. i re discovered my 62 american re issue with this amp. the single coil sound is just so wide open on the s.l.o .no crazy mind frying high end, just clean sparkling grind. and on the lead chanel its pure heaven. with the articulation being just right.on a les paul , this amp is deadly. page tones are easily acheived,as well as metal tones, however i feel that while the s.l.o has all the gain you want, it doesnt really have that scooped limp bizcuit boogie rectifier tone, wich is great. this amp would do more of an aggressive slayer tone better. this amp has the ability to cut through anything. it has a majik equation of ingredients that allow tha mids to slice through at any setting. the amp is very touch sensitive and responds well to volume button adjustments.i honestly feel that this amp is one of the few that deserves the mistique it creates. there is nothing like it.

i havent had any problems yet. but its been only 6 months.upon inspection of the inside , you feel that you probably wouldnt have any anyway.

i have phoned soldano and spoke to both bill and mike several times. both are always eager to talk gear. ive asked the most redundant questions, and some very ligit ones. both were answered with total clarity and with the feeling that they acctualy cared about my verbal meanderings. ive met mike soldano, and he's a great guy. loves to talk. he singed the back of this amp i am reviewing.

ive been playing 25 years. i own 4 amps that i feel are prime examples of their era. i have a stock 74 marshall 100 watt super leadMKII, i have a 82 2203 jcm 800, i have a bad cat hot cat 100, and this s.l.o.
this is an amp that i would do anything to get back if it were lost. i love its tone ,the look, the prestige. i would say that the s.l.o and the bad cat are my faves, but the s.l.o would beat out the bad cat in number of times played. it easier to use. but i wouldnt say it s better sounding . both sound different.

Think mine was made in '92 This amp is quite versatile for lots of styles of music for me. Its maybe not going to suit a die-hard Fender twin clean player tho'.. they are welcome to buy a twin..! Features have all been stated. This amp has wonderful Blues tones as well as Fabulous Rock/Heavy rock tones. You must always have a great sound in your head, or you will NEVER get a great tone .. no matter what you use. Features are minimal, but this baby does not need many bells and whistles... The biggest feature is its GREAT TONE...!!

I use this amp with two L series Strats ('63+ '64) a Reissue USA Strat, A '71 Les Paul, and 2 MUSIC MAN Luke guitars as well as a '62 tele Custom.. (depending on what type of gig i do) I use it through a Marshall Vintage 4/12 w/ 25 watters, or a Soldano 212 with Vintage 30s. I play it mainly to do Covers. I have nailed a great SRV tone.. it is unbelievably close.. the gains are not too high tho' (5-7 on the crunch, and 3 on the Lead channel. Having the LUKE guitar allows me a genuine Lukather tone with the Soldano SLO 100..I saw him use two here...! now that, IS a great tone. Luke is one of the Best on the PLANET..!! All these sounds are simply spine tingling... I love this amp. It had EL34's in it and I'm leavin' them in there... I Cannot believe ANYONE but a moron would can this Amp...

Never had a problem... I think they need to be looked at around once a year by a great tech to keep it serviced and you shouldn't have a problem. I play around 3 nights per week.

I sent a fax to Soldano before I had a computer, and Had reply within 2 days...Very helpful, And I live in Melbourne, Australia.
Luckily I have the services of Tim Evans In Chelsea Victoria,to look after my gear.. He is about the best Guitar Amp technician here in Australia.

I have Two Labsystems Cage amps( hand built 30 watt class A, and 50 watt A/B)which are GREAT amps for beautiful vintage jangly breakup...!!!(See reviews...) and an old '76 Marshall, and a Mesa dual rectifier. The mesa is great for heavy rock, no doubt,but its not as sweet as the SLO, and does not have the overall best tone from bottom to top, the bottom is a bit ,'false'..but that is partly what gives you the Foo fighters/ Nickelback sound..The Mesa is great with Humbuckers, not so good with Vintage Single Coils.. The Soldano SLO 100 is a credit to its designer/ builder. This amp suits someone who loves good Hot Marshall vintage like tone. Marshall these days, have TOTALLY lost the plot. Soldano...?? LOVE IT... LOVE IT...!!

2002 Model, Extremely Versatile amp, My Amp Quest is Over, Just truly an amazing amp, 2 channel amp, with crunh and brightness switches. Shared EQ in Boith Channels which may be an issue for some but not for me, it's easy to work around that, My Head is stock with no extras on it and IMHO its better the more stuff that touches the circuit the higher chances you have for problems...The Clean channel was important to me and was my primary concern as I do lots of covers and top 40 stuff, The clean channel turned out to be extremely useful,..you can do the funk thing very well..just set the proper pre-amp level an leave it there..it is very,very fenderish type clean...I am very happy with that, the clean on this amp is way better then on my previous HR50+XL heads... The Overdrive Channel is outrageous, and surpassed my liking over and over, Before getting this amp, I was going to go with a Bogner Extacy Classic, which was more money but the tone is very,very similar...but will not cut threw the mix well...This is not the case with the SLO100, I am happy I did not get that amp, and I went down this route, from my previous experience with the soldano products, I had a twin setup with 2 HR50+XL heads, while soldano claims in there ads that the circuit is identical in both models which may be the case I am not an electrical engineer...the SLO100 in my ears was way past both of those amps in the overdrive dept, just sounded very full bodied ,& thick and just makes you want to rip all day long...I had considered doing this change along time ago and always procrastinated..THAT WAS A BIG MISTAKE.

I amp using a USA SCHECTER custom shop telecaster, A Jackson/charvel San Dimas re-issue IV. A Epiphone Les Paul that had all of its guts changed, and a 1982 Stock Fender Strat....The amp is not noisy at all, and does not shriek unlike my old 5150. I am running in the fx Loop a Korg SDD 3300, a Roland SVR-3030, I can dial in any kind of tone with this amp, It can go from lush clean to an extremely aggressive and out of control distrortion, It has lots of Headroom and more punch then you may possibly need..I can dial in scorpions tone easy, nail Gary More sound to the T...You can do a whole set of classic Jazz Standards on thr clean tone..and just go crazy on set 2 with just a stomp on the channel select switch...this amp will blow you away, if you are practicing at home, It maybe somewhat loud as in order to get the good taste of this amp you would probably run it on 2. The amp is 100 watts and is very,very powerfull, I doubt that you will ever go past 6 in live setting as it will start drowning evrything and everyone and they will throw you out of the club. I have used this amp amp with ruby 6l6 tubes on it, as well as old Sylvania 6l6 Tubes........It's so hard to describe this amp, as I have nothing negative to say about it..It blows me away everytime I use it.

in the last 7 years of using soldano products I have never had an amp break down on me, other then regular tubes getting changed.

I have spoken to these people in several times with both models, the support the offer is prestige and excellent, they will never try to sell you anything or recommend that is not necessary, The Warranty is the Best in the Business, on this Model (SLO100) it's lifetime and transferable..You can not get better then that.

I have been playing since 81-82, If someone would rip off this amp, and I would nab him, I would do jail time, I have owned lots of amps in this time, 73 Twin Reverb, 86 Marshall JCM800, Peavey 5150 first series, 69 Fender Bassman, 71 Traynor head, 86 Fender Super Champ (This is the only amp that I actually wish I still had kept.....If you can find one of these pocket rockets, grab it right away) , 85 Boogie MKIIC+, Soldano Hr50+XL . With this amp I can dial tones very,very close to the previous heads I owned, but I don't need 2 heads onstage with an A/B switch....... You pay for what you get, this amp is a keeper. I will never sell this head, tone search is over. Only problem these are very hard to find up in the Canadian great white north, and when you do, you will definately get a big hole in your wallet....I will recommend this amp to anyone

I will admit that the features are limited, but it is sold as a Lead Over Drive unit which it is. If Soldano could have added one more feature, I'd pick reverb. My unit is a combo which I wish it was a head/stack, maybe someday I'll put the head in a new case and buy the cabinets.

I replaced the second position tube with a RCA NOS 12AT7 instead of the 12AX7 tube and that tamed the down the overdrive to my liking. I must say, turn the Overdrive Preamp knob to 11, hit a note and go have lunch, it will still be playing when you get back. I've read some bad reviews and I will say, I had trouble when I first bought my SLO. I have a Les Paul Custom Premium Plus and a Strat Ultra deluxe. After a lot of thinking it was the amp, I found that my strat was creating a 60 hz hum on my SLO, which it didn't have with my Red Knob "The Twin" Fender. I did some work on the guitar and life was good again. I can't imagine an amp with a better Overdrive sound.

I've had it for two years with out a problem. No reason to complain.

When I first bought the amp I e-mail Soldano and received several emails back with suggestions. That's where I got the tip to replace the 2nd tube with a 12AT7. I bought a foot switch and received it promptly. I deal with maintenance of computerized manufacturing equipment for a living and Soldano's crew helped when needed. They were as good as any of the vendors I deal with.

Overall it's a 10 for me. I've played in a few bands around the Portland Oregon area. I played with a couple guys that use Line 6 amps. One night one of the Line 6 amps died and our lead Guitarist plugged into my Fender "The Twin". After that night he has offered to buy my Fender many times which I've said no. After getting and playing my SLO, I'd sale the Fender before the SLO. Although I plan to keep both. I've been playing for 30 years and I like those quite moments when the kids and wife go shopping, then I crank it up and let it rip, you know those quite moments.

2005 model. The amps versatility is there for me. Play a rock, blues, funk, country. This amp covers what I need. No complaints from band members or audience. I get compliments from both on the tone. Not planning on getting the depth or any other mods. Ordered mine with the effect loop I've heard so many bitching about lately. Works fine for me. What the hell is this bullshit about sucking tone, and touch sensitity issues with this loop? I agree with the last poster that Soldano would not be selling amps with this loop if they were that bad. This thing is plenty loud for me. Not too many features. Just right for me.

I'm so tired of people bitching about the clean channel. Some people just like to bitch. You want Fender Twin clean, buy a god damn Fender Twin and shut the fuck up you fucking idiots. This amp was made to rock anyway you fucking morons. The OD channel is the shit. This is one of the few amps I own that sets up well for me just about anywhere. Ofcourse, I don't play in churchs or old folks homes. And, I sure as hell didn't spend this kind of money on any amp to play it in the bedroom. If that's all somebody else bought it for they have fucking rocks and shit for brains. And to the dickweed that said it's no better than a 5150, check with your doctor or psychiatrist. You need serious help. Go get laid. Maybe it will improve your attitude.

Don't anticipate probs at all. Built like a brick shithouse.

Have not had to deal with them yet. Have heard only good about them.

I've got a Mesa MKIV, and VHT UL CL 100. Both great amps, but different. Can't imagine wanting anything else for a while. I'm in tone heaven right now. Too cool.

Truly amazed at the ignorance of the last post.....2005 model. Versatile, not really. More of a one trick pony. I play rock and metal in a cover band.
Effects Loop, well, I will get to that later.....No you are a one trick pony. Lottttttttttts of people including my self find more than one sound from this amp. Learn how to turn the knobs, and listen. Maybe you should have bought a hearing aid instead of the SLO. Get a life.

The previous poster needs to pull his head out of his ass. The loops fine. It wasn't made for cheap bullshit stompboxes or bargain basement rack gear. If it was that bad, Soldano would not be seeling as many of these amps with this loop. Takes away from touch sensitivity? Again bullshit.

The best.

Don't need them yet. Both of mine have worked flawlessly for the past 10 years. They answered what few questions I had right away.

Love these amps. Most reasonable and experienced players that have them do. Never fails some punk will post bullshit on these because they haven't a clue. The 5150 better tha this? Makes me laugh. I think the last poster just wanted to run down the ratings.

2005 model. Versatile, not really. More of a one trick pony. I play rock and metal in a cover band.
Effects Loop, well, I will get to that later.

The SLO is a very nice amp but its shortfalls were just too much for me. The problems I had were mainly with the loop.
When using the loop bad things happened.
First, the tone took a hit with touch sensitivity. I have heard all of the solutions and reasons for a poorly made loop (all loops color the tone, don't use the loop, you have to set it up right, etc...)
Second the levels were just too hot, I know, use an intellifex or G-Major. I tried the G-Major and it did not help any. It still killed a bit of touch sensitivity and tone.
Third, it had too little bottom end. I know, get the depth mod done and use a 4X12. Right?!? Buy expensive amps then pay for mods to cover up the shortcoming.
Fourth, there is a volume disparity when using the loop. The lead was much louder than the clean.
Fifth, when using the loop when you changed channels there was delay and volume swell when going from lead to clean. How can you play live with this???
Postive: It does cut the mix well, the cleans are usable, the lead tone is very nice.

Built awesomely clean. Perfect in build quality.

Great Customer Support. Helpful and friendly! They are very nice folks.

I have been playing for 16 years and I have had over 20 high end amps. This one is near the bottom of the pile.
After 15 years of history the SLO should be more refined. For the 3K price tag all of the mods should be standard. The cleans is just ok. Good enough for rock.
This could be a great amp, but it is really a one trick pony. The Peavey 5150 is just as good and $2300 less.
IMO!

I'll keep this simple , as you already know the details if you are reading this. Simply said, after 18+ years of playing and spending thousands of dollars searching for my tone, this $3000+ amp was worth every penny. My most recent amp was a triple channel Marshall JCM2000 TSL100. Yes, lots of features and magic buttons, but a distorted tone that sounded like a wet fart and a bees nest. This amp has two channels, ,,,and what more do you need than one awesome dirty channel and one awesome clean channel. Some bash the clean channel, but with all of the options on this amp, I find that the clean is just as good as my 2000 marshall was,,,,,and the distortion,,,,there is no better in the universe. I use this with a TC electronics G major, ,,which has a relay that switches between clean and dirty so seamlessly that it turns this head into a midi preamp.

Contrary to what I've read,,,I find that the clean channel is so immaculate and clean,,,,it is awesome. Add a little chorus and delay,,,,and it is acoustic heaven. I keep the bright and crunch switches off cuz I want a very clean sound for this channel. And the OD channel. Put it this way,,,nothing on this earth compares. I've had a lot of gear....ADA preamps, Carvin and Peavey power amps, Peavey 5150 amps, Marshall 900, 600, and 2000 series amps, ,,,,ART preamps, Sovtek amps, Crate amps, ........my last amp was a soldano hot rod 50+,,,and it made me regret ever using my Marshall TSL in the first place (all of my band members said it was soo fuzzy). Now, this SLO blows the hot rod away,,,and I can not even fathom a better overdrive sound.

Built like a tank,,,,it is very heavy,,,and compared to the cheap build materials of my Marshalls ( oh geez, glued on gold plating, cheap bubble gum wrapper knobs, jacks that would get loose after two weeks, transformers from a cereal box, tubes mounted to sockets connected to spider webs, etc). Oh it is very noticable. Oh yeah,,,,LIFETIME WARRANTY..

I talk to them A LOT. First about my hot rod 50, now about my SLO. They never rush me off the phone, and will chat for a long time about amps and tone. So cool . Bill and Mike,,,,,thank you, thank you, thank you......for being so cool and down to earth and for building the best amps on earth. I'm no Warren Demartini or EVH, ,,yet they give you as much attention as if you were a famous rock star.

Like I said,,,,,my last amp E V E R !!!! Listen to Van Halen's for unlawful carnal knowledge album,,, Ratt albums, Lynch albums, Scorpions albums, Bon Jovi, etc etc. Find the best sounding albums and see what amps they used to record them. 5150 my butt. Eddie never used that amp on for unlawful........ This amp is expensive, but is an end to a lifelong quest for tone. You can play this amp at bedroom volumes and still sound like a dream. Built with the finest components and then some. Mike Soldano.......what an unbelievable contribution you made to guitar music.

had for about 3 years...i play in a rock cover band...this thing is pretty loud for sure..has some great features for dialiojg in a tone you want..

i use a Custom 24 PRS...sounds great for rock...clean channel is lacking juts a bit...the distortion in one of the best for sure...top 5

no problems except the logo cracked in half for some reason...they said i had to buy a new one for $20...kind of crazy since i juts bought this thing for almost $3000

they have one crappy customer support...i have bee nreading allot of reviews and this is the only place where need help in ...it is kind of like they think their s*** doesnt stink or something...pretty lame...like i said i paid almost $3000 new for this thing and they wont replace a $20 SOLDANO logo for me...pretty sad

it is a cool amp for rock...clean is only o.k.... customer service sucks thats why the low score

Follow up review. I like it more as time goes on.

I have read some folks that slam the effects loop. For me, it's just fine. I use a Lex MPX 1. I love how the PCM-60 patch sounds with this amp. Tight and not too watery. I'd really like to try an old design remote tube driven reverb for grins.

Solid as a rock! If your techo, take the chassis out and look at that craftmanship. BITCHIN!!........for today is doesn't get much better!

Bill Sundt is the MAN!! He always makes time to answer the most obscure product questions. He seems to really love what he does. It shows. No doubt.

I'm looking for a back up. Not because I'm afraid it will fail, but because I don't know what I what do I something did happen to number one. I really lean heavy on my number one. I could fix it myself. But, it's nice to have immediate redundancy. As far as tube options, I think the 5881's are just fine. Hey, they worked great in B-52 auto pilots. They are really tough units. I know some will disagree. But, that's cool. Everyone has a right to speak their mind. That makes things interesting. I hope Mike makes these things as long as possible. Sorry to gush. I've blown so much money over the years buying and selling. This amp is a keeper for me. Sure it's not a Dumble, or Two Rock..... or anything else. If it was, it wouldn't be what it is.It is what it is, and that's just fine for me. Kudos to Soldano. THEY DEFINITELY BUILD AMPS THAT ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is a follow up review after 14 years of use. I originally bought the SLO-100 new in the summer of 1991 at the Rock Block in Nashville, TN for $1960. It came equipped with 4 5881 power tubes, a Sovtek 12ax7LPS in V1, and Chinese 12ax7's in the other positions. I have used the amp extensively in 14 years, and would estimate that I have put over 3500 hours playing time on it. There has never been a malfunction, not even once.

Originally, the amp sounded bright on the overdrive channel. The clean/crunch channel has always had a wonderful bluesy tone when cranked up to about 6 or so, and works very well with a variety of overdrives, notably the Kendrick Buffalo Pfuz, and lately the Lovepedal Eternity.

I have had some work done to "tame the beast." I wanted to get a warmer, calmer overdrive sound suitable for classic rock and blues rock. The first step was to get the Warren Haynes "fat switch." The fat switch simply cuts highs, and therefore reveals the burning mids which distinguish the SLO-100's basic character. The fat switch is definitely worth getting.

Next, I swapped the 5881 power tubes for Groove Tube KT66HP power tubes. The KT66HP is fatter in the mids and lows, and takes some of the highs out as well. I am very happy with the tone. Its warm, fat and really greezy. I also put a Groove Tubes 12ax7M in V1. The Sovtek sounds pretty good, but it has a bright type of attack, and the GT is more focused and clear on the articulation. Putting 2 12ax7M's in V1 and V2 seemed a little too smooth, but it could be worth checking out again with some additional eq tweaking. Definitely worth checking into.

The speakers early on were Soldano X12000's in a Mesa Boogie 412 half back. Those were replaced with V30s, and the open half of the cabinet was closed to limit the bright radiance of the cabinet. Another worthwhile (and inexpensive) move.

The amp is really deep and the mids are absolutely burning. The tone is like black velvet: smooth and articulate, with a bit of a glow to the high end. Its not nearly as bright as before. The lows are very tight and clear.

With a Les Paul, I like to set the overdrive to 5, with the bass @ 7, mids @ 4, treble @ 7, and the presence off. I use treble bleed circuits on the guitar, and will turn the volume to 5 for rhythym, and wind up to 10 for leads. Its a wonderful sound.

With a Strat, I set the mids to 6 and the rest is the same. Sometimes I use the Pfuz on the clean/crunch channel for leads with the Strat. Lately, I have used the overdrive @ 3 to 4, and then used the Lovepedal Eternity for leads. Another nice way to get a great tone.

The clean channel can also be dialed back. With the gain set at about 4.5-5 I get a distinct Byrds-esque type of tone with the Strat. That was quite a surprise.

14 years.
3500+ hours.
No problems.
Its incredibly reliable, and very consistent.

Bill and Mike at Soldano in Seattle are great guys. Easy to talk with. They go out of their way to please the customer. I have nothing but good things to say about them.

The Soldano SLO-100 is a great amp. There are myriad tones simply by adjusting the eq and gain. The amp is not tweaky, but it is interesting to explore the possibilities. Through the years that I've played this, I have noticed several other amps in the vicinity fall apart for various reasons. I tend to think myself that the extra money for the SLO-100 is more than justified when I consider the time and money and frustration that goes into unreliable gear. There are other good amps out there, and it all depends on what you're looking for. But, for me and some other players, this is an awesome amp.

Made in 2002. This is a no frills red head. No mods. Fx loop and slave out. I use this with either a Bogner straight 412 or Marshall 1960TV or sometimes both. Sometimes none of it.

All my guitars are Strats with different pickup configurations, and they all sound great thru this amp/cab(s) combination. I play indie rock and some covers. The clean channel is very sweet, particularly with some compression--I recommend a Barber Tone Press--for extra sustain. Very good for getting that Lowell George slide sound. Pretty good break-up on the clean channel, and I find I'm using it more often. However, the SLO gain channel is the reason otherwise rational people will part with large chunks of hard-earned dollars. There may be some debate out there about whether or not that particular tone is worth the money, and maybe for some people it is not. For a lot of highly talented and famous guitarists out there, the SLO is a great amp at any price. One can get thick crunchy tones, woman tones, brown sound, grunge, vintage, and the hi-gain SLO sound and all of it sounds great. Caveat 1: I haven't played this amp through a huge variety of cabs, and some of them may not match up all that well--The Bogner cab sounds amazingly good. Caveat 2: If you're like me, you've played a lot of tube amps, and you know the best of them have "off days" when you wonder why you bothered turning them on in the first place. Simply turn off your amp and pour yourself a tall glass of Wild Turkey on ice. Drink it and think happy thoughts--like sheep and fresh little candies. Now turn your amp on again. There, sounds a lot better doesn't it. Caveat 3: This works with a lot of amps, but not with the Peavey Transformer line. Draining the entire bottle and turning up to 11 may seem like a good idea, but it is not. I don't care if you do have shiny pants and a mullet.

Never any problems...I use a Hot Rod 50 as a back-up.

Lifetime transferrable warranty. Bill and Mike are great on the phone if you need to talk to them about your amp.

Picking since 1970. I currently use the Soldano amps only. Over the last 5 years I've owned lots of amps--I like my current rig very much, though schlepping them around is not the most pleasant thing in the world. No one holds a gun to my head and tells me I have to march all this stuff to a show, but maybe that would help. I'll have to look into that.

This is a 1992 model. Features 2 channels with 2 modes in the first channel(Clean and crunch). It does pristine clean, medium crunch and all out overdrive. It seems to have a bluesy feel to it. The crunch mode is like a CRANKED Hiwatt -Very glassy and dynamic in a good way. Mine had an effects loop and slave out. It has 4, 8 and 16 ohm selector. It is all tube. Four 5881 output tubes(Military version of the 6L6), and five 12AX7 preamp tubes. This amp served my use for about 7 years. I have never owned an amp for this long. I used it for rock, jazz, funk, fusion, and blues. This is an OUTSTANDING amplifier. I used it at home only. It was a very loud amp, but sounded fantastic at any volumes.

I used this amp with Les Pauls, Ernie Ball, Strats, PRS, and Teles. This amps only "Flawed" noise is the clean channel at low volume settings. I really don't know how to explain it other than it is a bleed over of the lead channel. It is no bother though. The cleans stay clean. The amp is a pure masterpiece. The overdrive will not do Korn or Limp Bizkit dead on. However, it will do MANY other tones that I like better. It is an astounding amp. I will say after owning a Mesa Boogie Dual Rec, Bogner Ecstasy, Diezel Herbert, Bruno Super100, Two-Rock Opal, Matchless DC30, Matchless Clubman, and too many others to list, NOTHING touches the Soldano SLO 100's defenition and clarity at ANY setting or volume. I miss that amp more than any other amp I have ever had for that reason alone. My only issue with the amp was the voicing of the overdrive channel. It was very aggressive and not smooth. EQ settings are able to make this better or worse.

NO PROBLEMS EVER with this amp. PERIOD. I would tour the world without a backup. This amp is truly a workhorse.

Soldano was ALWAYS helpful and polite. They always answered my questions. I sent it to them twice in the 7 years I owned it for a once over. It had a clean bill of health both times. The amp comes with a lifetime transferrable warranty. This is unheard of in other amps. This is a legendary company with outstanding products.

I no longer own the amp, but I will buy another one when I get the money. I loved the amp for it's clarity and that it worked with humbuckers and single coils. It had a large bottom and intense punch. I have never heard or felt this much punch in any other amp. If is a very true sound compared to Bogner, Boogie, Marshall, Diezel, etc.. Soldano has set a very high mark and I believe that no other amp even comes close.

Soldano SLO-100 (2002 model)

Features explained by all the other great reviews on this page. My intention is to try and explain what I can about the sonic differences between the SLO-100 and the Decatone. Some of you out there may be wondering of getting one of these monsters. Up until recently I have used the Decatone and were quite satisfied with it. However, when I came across the SLO-100 the hunt for the perfect tone ended.

I play mostly rock with a little mix of everything, blues, country, folk etc.

I use a Fender strat fitted with "Texas specials" pups.

The first thing you will notice with both the SLO and the Decatone, is their ability to play the real sound of your instrument. Every little grain in the woods can be heard, and the articulation and attack of every note are simply amazing.

Clean channel: The Decatone has a great clean with the midrange reduced and the lows and highs extended to make it more like a Fender type tone. The SLO clean channel has a more flat response.

Crunch/Overdrive channels: This is, in my opinion, where the SLO beats the Decatone. The sound of the SLO is much more defined and smoother. The Decatone is a lot brighter while the SLO has more midrange.

The two-channel SLO has a clean/crunch switch on the "Normal" channel. The Decatone has divided this "Normal" channel into seperate "Clean" and "Crunch" channels, making it a three channel amp.

I feel the SLO is much easier to control and use. It's not hard to dial the tones you desire. Especially getting that clean tone with just a tad of distortion and up to the dirty blues. Switching to overdrive, makes the tones get that keen edge to them with an amazing sustain. I can't say much about the very high gain settings since I never use them and are not really into that stuff.

I never had any problems with Soldano amps. I have owned three different models. Astroverb 16, Decatone and SLO-100. All have worked flawlessly and never failed in any way. I have never even blown a tube. I would easily go to a gig without a backup.

I have sent e-mails to the company many times. They ALWAYS answer within 48 hours, and always help you with the smallest problems and the most stupid questions.

I can without a doubt recommend both the Decatone and the SLO-100 to everybody. They will last longer than you live if you treat them normal. The Decatone is cheaper than the SLO and will work well enough for most rockers. I loved it while I had it.

The SLO-100 has a better sound, and the transferable lifetime guarantee makes it a winner.

This is a follow up review. Before I go on too much of a rant, I just want to say what a shame there has to be those sour reviews on this amp. What the hell, and what can I say? Free speech, and open opinions in all flavors concerning this unit. Everybody has a right to their opinion even if we don't all agree. After reading all the reviews on this unit, I just got to laugh at some of the things and wonder what on earth could some people be thinking? Like!!!!!!!@#?&*?:

A Tube Screamer in front of this thing? REALLY? Go get your hearing checked, go snag a Peavy Bandit, or Crate or some other cheap piece of crap and plug one in front of it and learn how to play in the first place. Spend the money that you would have spent on the SLO on a high tech hearing aid. Surely we are talking about some serious brain damage here!

Sounds like, er...no doesn't sound like a Fender, Marshall, or what the hell ever new or vintage piece of shit amp amp you want to compare it to. No vintage vibe whatsoever? OFCOURSE IT DOESN'T SOUND VINTAGE YOU BONE HEAD!!!!!! IT'S NOT VINTAGE!! VINTAGE IS VINTAGE AND NOT NEW. TALK ABOUT OVERATED. IV'E PLAYED THROUGH PLENTY OF THOSE WORN OUT AS PIECES OF SHIT WHEN I WAS A TEENAGER, AND SOLD ALL OF THEM. DO YOU THINK IF THEY WERE REALLY THAT GREAT TO BEGIN WITH THEY MIGHT STILL BE MAKING THEM? AND OF COURSE IT'S NOT WHATEVER THE HELL ELSE YOU WANT TO COMPARE IT TO. IF YOU ARE A COLLECTOR GREAT,BUT ALOT OF US LIKE TO PLAY WHAT WE BUY AND AREN'T INTERESTED IN SOME ANTIQUE PIECE OF SHIT THAT BELONGS IN THE SMITHSONIAN. TOO SIMPLE FOR YOU? NOT ENOUGH OPTIONS? GET A LIFE!!! ALOT OF US LIKE TO PLAY MUSIC NOT TWIDDLE KNOBS ALL DAY. MAYBE YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN AN ASTRONAUT INSTEAD OF A GUITAR PLAYER. GO BUY YOURSELF A SPACE SHUTTLE. WEAK EFFECTS LOOP MY ASS!!!! INSTEAD OF PLUGGING YOUR PIECE OF SHIT STOMP BOX IN THE LOOP, PLUG IT UP YOUR ASS INSTEAD!! ANYONE THAT DOESN'T HAVE ENOUGH SENSE TO KNOW MOST CRAPPY FLOOR EFFECTS WON'T WORK VERY WELL IN A SERIES LOOP???? WHERE DID YOU GET THAT LOBOTOMY AT?

The majority of reviewers give it high marks. Ofcourse if you don't agree with the majority than they must be full of it and don't know what the hell they are talking about. To the minority of people that slammed this amp, I really hope that someday I can be as half as smart as you all. I guess I am just so hopeless to hype something up so much. I know how you hate hype.

If I hear anymore bullshit about tubes I'm going to barf. Somebody told me Eric Johnson can hear the difference in batteries in his VINTAGE (DID I SAY VINTAGE? DID I SAY VINTAGE? DID I SAY VINTAGE? DID I SAY VINTAGE? DID I SAY VINTAGE? DID I SAY VINTAGE? DID I SAY VINTAGE? DID I SAY VINTAGE? DID I SAY VINTAGE? DID I SAY VINTAGE? DID I SAY VINTAGE? DID I SAY VINTAGE? DID I SAY VINTAGE? DID I SAY VINTAGE?)EFFECTS? Forgive me my Echoplex that I just paid twice as much for as my SLO just screwed up. As soon as the audience that pays to hear my music tells me they are concerned about those kind of things, I'll start to be concerned with them as well.

Good enough. Read the other reviews.

S/N 001370. Bought it off Ebay. Play rock, blues, and country with an edge. Read the recent reviews for standard features. This one came with an effects loop and slave out. Looks like these options were put in when it was made. Glad to have em'. I had to put them in myself in the last one I had. This amp is just what I want as far as features. Much simpler, and much much better made than my Mesa MKIV. Ofcourse the SLO is a lot more money. I play out and at home with this amp. Has plenty of power for me. I had one of these before and sold it. Was the stupidest thing I ever did. I could never find another amp I liked as much as this one. I use all the features this amp has.

I only have one guitar right now which is an Anderson Classic, with Texas Specials. The sound of this amp suits me for anything I want to play. For as much gain as this thing has it's pretty quiet for me. For the sounds I have in my head, this amp gets them all. I really dig the mid range punch this thing has. Clean or overdriven, it will cut through anything for me. This amp probably won't give you that bright, thin glass shattering, clean that some some may like. If that's what you like, there's nothing wrong with that. You probably won't get it from this amp. I never tried to get that sound from this amp. I don't like that sound anyway (although my MKIV will blow you down with that tone if that's what you're into). The clean is clean enough for me, and breaks up nicely when pushed. The gain channel gives me all the rich singing tone I want without mush, or screetch. For me it's quite the smooth drive that's tasty, and easy on my ears. Not like an ice pick. As has been said before, tight articulate-hear-every-note clean, or overdriven. This thing has got soul. It's alive to my ears. The distortion is brutal enough for me. It's not the VHT, or Rectifier type brutal. But here again, that' not the sound I'm after. If that's what your after, than maybe this amp's not for you.

From owning one of these before, I can't see it breaking anytime soon. If you have ever had one of these things apart, and looked at the way it's built you know what I'm saying when I say this thing is built solid. Real pretty craftsmanship. Simple, and solid. Sealed pots, porcelin (sorry if I spelled that wrong) tube sockets, beefy circuit board with clean parts layout, super neat wiring, the best components. For me it doesn't get any better. And man I'm here to tell you, I have had a lot of amps apart in my time for repairs and mods. Tubes? What can I say there are good, and bad. I like the sound of this amp so much right now, I don't care what's in it right now. I kept Sovtec 5881's and 12ax7a's in the last one I had, and had pretty good luck with them. I know some people hate em'. They (pwr tubes)always lasted well for me, and managed to stay biased without much drift. Never had probs with the preamp tubes.

I have dealt them in the past. I always talked to Bill Sundt. Nice guy. Really sharp. I understand the SLO-100 has a lifetime xferable warranty. I don't think everything is covered. I need to check with them. As well made as these things are, I can't see it breaking anytime soon. But it it does, and it's something I can't handle, I'll send it to the factory.

Playing 25 years. Also own a Mesa MKIV (it's a good amp too well worth what I paid for it), and Lexicon MPX-1. I would eventually like to buy another just to have. Today, there's so many good amps out there. I believe there is no one best amp out there. I love my Mesa, and would not dream of selling it. But you know, I always ask myself "How many guitars, and amps do I need?" I have bought and sold so many. As old as I am, it would be stupid for me to have more than a couple. But man I sure missed my SLO-100. And I'm glad I finnaly got one again. We will be togather until death does us part. I know that sounds ridiculous.

This review is for a May 2004 SLO 100, bought new in December, 2004. Let me begin by saying I do not gig for a living, I do not teach guitar for a living, and I have no relationship with Soldano or any OTHER manufacturer for that matter. I'm an Airline Captain, but appreciate the best quality I can find, and this SLO 100 is by itself in that category. Let me also say, I have owned several Soldano amps in the past too, but for hi gain, nothing compares.

The SLO is a 100 watt class AB tube amp using Sovtek 5881's in the power amp section and 12AX7's in the preamp section. It is a 2 channel amp with master and gain for each channel. It has a shared eq and presence control but the clean side has a bright, and a clean/crunch switch for it. It has a really good +4db effects loop, slave out, impedence selector for 4, 8, or 16, channel selector, and best thing is the layout of all the above. If you run a big pedal board like I do, it's nice to have all the inputs/sends/returns etc. on the same side of the amp. In this case it is on the left rear side of the amp. Great for using a ready made snake from your pedal board.

I ordered mine from Pete's Amps in Valdosta, Georgia, like I've always done in the past. His service is superlative. This amp was in stock, black, and exactly like I wanted, NO MODS DONE. If you want the Warren Haynes mod or depth scoop, knock yourself out, I wanted nothing to do with affecting this amps change in original tone. It is PERFECT right out of the box, and with me being a perfectionist, that is hard to say.

I find the reviews on this site about the SLO's clean side a little misgiving. No amp other than maybe a 60's Fender/or Dumble has a fabulous clean channel, other than the Lucky 13 from Soldano, but I own one too like I said earlier, and I can't see a major difference in clean gliss etc.. between the Lucky 13 and my SLO, and both are 100 watters. Ths SLO is very clean for me especially in a live setting.

No, this isn't my first boutique amp that I've owned or played intensely. That list includes a 71' Marshall 100 watt super tremolo, Acoustics, Lab Series, THD, Bad Cat Mini Cat, Trem Cat, Cub II, and Hot Cat 30R, Bogner Uberschaul, XTC, Shiva, and Metropolis, SMF, Star, Rivera, and a host of others.

I use this amp at home and can gig with it if I choose, but let's face reality, this amp needs volume but NOT like an old Marshall which is either off or on 10. I do use a Hot Plate heat sink with this amp in either 4 or 8 db attenuation which does the trick. Then it purrs but doesn't break glass at unbelievable volumes.

Ok, it isn't a Dumble clean or an Uberschaul dirty, both of those are one trick ponies, but it is by far the finest amp I've ever touched or played. I've been left speechless with this one. Just to make sure it stays perfect even though it is incredibly well made, I'm buying road case for it. I can't imagine not playing with this one.

I'm a Skynyrd, Velvet Revolver but not all of the heavier stuff, Gov't Mule, Frank Marino kinda guy on the humbucker side, but on the clean side, I'm an SRV, Trower, and Jimi kinda guy. I own several vintage to new or custiomized Fender Strats and Gibson Les Pauls. I use a custom pedal board I made housing Fulltone, SIB, Ibanez, Peterson, and Ernie Ball boutique effects. Amp is very quiet.

The overdrive channel is something that unless you've heard it, you have no idea what it sounds like. It is amazing and can do it all. I was told I'd probably never give up the clean my Lucky 13 amp has, but I've already boxed it and selling it as we speak. Tremendous amp and incredibly versatile, but for crystal clean I have a small Bad Cat, and for overdrive, it has to be this SLO.

Built better than any amp I've seen incorporating a lifetime transferable warranty except for transformers and tubes. I can't imagine it ever breaking.

Mike Soldano and Bill Sundt are very available if you need. Sure, they are busy making great amps but will get back to you just give them a couple of days.

I've played on and off for 28 years, but fly for a living. I'd freak if ever stolen and would buy another one immediately to replace it. If I had to choose one tiny thing it had, that might be a foot switchable option for the clean/crunch switch, but that is splitting hairs folks, just flip the switch for crying out loud, and rock on.

Expensive amp, but once you buy an SLO 100, your search for the best "TONE" will be over. Nothing compares.

Basic features, two channels effects loop and EQ. No big deal, less is more in the amp world.

All kinds of mod are available for the amp. In my opinion, an amp this pricy (new) should receive any and all updates free, or better yet, be designed properly from the start. I know that is many times impossible, but $3000 as a baseline is way too much already if the amp needs mods to sound truly high end. That's why I waited to find a used SLO, so I didn't get too pissed off about having a boatload of cash wrapped up in one amp.

I play classic rock, heavy metal and some blues. This amp is actually pretty flexible. You can get a really cool sounding searing lead tone or just a nice crunch. Clean isn't too bad considering the monster that lurks within. All that or anything in between. Very midrangey!

If you dial the preamp gain much beyond 3, it loses it's articulation and sounds some what compressed. I tried JJs and Svets which help quite a bit, but still the character of the high preamp gain is still present in which to say the notes seem to lose definition. I think the best tone in this amp is to crank the master with minimum pre on the lead channel and let your pick attack dictate when the amp overdrives .... basically let your fingers bring out the tone just like you would do on a Marshall super lead.

Compared to my early Mesa DR, the Mesa has more attack and is much more crisp sounding, but it can get slightly more buzzy with the pre cranked way up compared to the SLO..... who with the same setting, just compresses the hell out of the tone. Its a toss up, both amps have their strong points. The SLO has a way better clean than the DR.

Built like a tank. Excellent attention to detail. Michael followed the tried and proven method of flying leads off the pots and chassis mounted tube sockets. Simple and neat looking. The only thing better is probably a Hylite era Hiwatt DR. Probably could play it for years with no probs.

Never had a problem, so no comment.

I've been playing 18 years. I have a 74 Marshall superlead, a JTM45 reissue, a 93 Mesa DR, a 71 and an early 81 Hiwatt DR103, a Hiwatt clone-Sound City amp, a few Voxs amps, Ampeg bass amp and I think that is it. Guitars... my favorite is a newer USA Tele with a fat neck. I have a 84 LP Custom, a 03 SG, 90 MIJ 62 reissue Strat, 2 Ernie Ball Axis, Fender Pbass and some acoustics.

Yeah, the SLO isn't a bad amp. It is fun to play around with and has it's place, but my old Sound City just stomps it in the tone dept. The Hiwatts too, especially the 71 has such a warm even tonal balance, you just don't realize how good until you compare amp to amp through a common cab. Of course the older amps have to be crank and attenuated to get that nice lead tone. Preamp gain just isn't the same as power tube distortion, but it is fun to play around with just for something different. Another plus is you don't blow your hearing out with a SLO quite as fast, although it is a pretty loud amp.

If it got stolen, I would probably go out and check the new Mesa Stilettos out if I wanted another high gain amp. I would certainly consider another SLO too for the right price.

Over all, it is a good amp for what it is. I love the tone from the 70s amps when the power tubes did the talking, but the SLO style amps are cool because you can still get a good sound and good sustain at a low volume. I put a few NOS Mullards in the pre and finished em off with JJ ECC83s tubes! Wow ! what a nice change in tone. Sovteks are crap and I have no idea why they come standard in a $3000+ amp ??

Anyway, Cheers !

I own a 2004 with modifications. And this is meant to be a review free of DRAMA. Unlike many reviews offered on this website. Here goes. VERSATILITY. The SLO 100, in my opinion is made to SOUND great. As many may know or believe, to add features increases the chance of sound being tainted. I believe this to be true having owned a Bogner Ecstasy and multiple Marshall products. The SLO 100 has two channels, but they share preamplification settings. The EQ just has to do. And I think that it does. It gives you bare bones for the ability to change drive or volume levels save independent clean and overdriven volumes. But I think anyone can make it work. It's about priorities on stage. In the studio it roars, has great flexibility, and loves to have it's picture taken. And that #1 priority certainly represents itself live. It offers an FX loop, but it has high standards. I think that it only works with +4 FX. -10 for me resulted in a slight loss of volume, but loads of high end was taken and was too crippling. If it is going to hurt the tone only slightly, you will most likely hear it very well. So unlike me who found out the hard way; if you are looking to buy it... but also use Delay and Reverb live, you'll need a serious processor or rack. The SLO packs a mean punch. Physical. Only serious equipment can interact with it's levels. I use it live and in the studio. Haven't tried Diezel yet unfortunately. But for me, anything else will have to measure up to the SLO.
It is certainly loud enough for any venue. More cabs might help improve coverage on big stages, but my single 4X12 is plenty in clubs/universities.
TONE. It has a mouth and vocal chords. I'm sure that sounds a little...dramatic. But truth be told, you'll never be able to recreate it through blends of other gear. I feel that certain amps can be referred too. Enough to create the same emotional reaction that the amps of influence did. But Soldano has harnessed a so far immortal voice. And the SLO is probably the most well heard.
Tight humping low end. Quick enough to be tight, but not immediate and ruining the 3D image.
Flexible throaty mids. But you need to be careful with the Treble and Presence. They have great impact on how the mids sit.
I can only try to give you a taste of how much attitude this head has.
In the world of competitive tone, this head has the pink mohawk. But it also has intelligence superceding other competitors. It covers a wide spectrum. Climbing from sorrow, evil and manipulation, it can reach heights of incredible joy and optimism. It amplifies what and more importantly, how you play. If you hurt, it will cry for you.

Right now I'm playing a Gibson Les Paul, and a Fender Telecaster.
The music I write is predominantly heavy, groove oriented patterns. Coupled with eccentric clean passages most usually laced with either sorrow, or learning.
The SLO has a flexible enough "clean" channel that I can ride it live through the set and cover all of my needs. The overdirve channel allows me countless paths to achieve the energy I need to convey. Plus it's ability to cut through the din makes solo concentration easy to achieve.
It's only noisy when you make it look in the mirror through your guitar. About three feet at live volumes is all you get unless you have a bypass.
The clean channel distorts. Not a cleaniac's amplifier. But it can be incredibly relaxed and smoothe. From my perspective, any clean track ever recorded could be replaced with the SLO, and the recording would probably benefit.
The distortion isn't buzz saw, but I think of it as switch blade. Classic... yet dense. Certainly enough to represent great power.

Soldano pride themselves in the reliability and housing of their product. It's military. No really. I have to really want to hurt this amp to cause failure. And if I succeed, something tells me a paper middle finger is going to pop up as a last remark from somewhere in the chassis.
I can't afford a back up. But I'm not BIG time yet. If ever I can I will. But my ease of conscience is only due to this head's structure and reliability.
It has not broken yet. And I do not expect the mortal parts to go soon save the tubes. It's really relaxed. You can hear it's pulse. Though always ready to go over the edge, it breaks no sweat.

I bought mine on ebay. Thinking that the FX Loop was always stock, I was bummed when I recieved it and had to have it installed for more $$. The heads that are special ordered only have an FX loop if specified. While having the install done, the service and support was unbelievable. Bill is an amazing man for those who are new to the product. The warranty is lifelong save the transformer. And they represent their product.

I've said enough.

Well, after approx 11 years use, I have to make a short review of the SLO.
After reading the last review below, I just had to laugh. Seems like this guy has gone totally wrong with his SLO. A "Tube-screamer" for leads when using a SLO is IMHO a waste. The SLO needs to be cranked a bit to sound its best. When You "know" this amp, its capable of KILLER tones.
The features are well covered from other posts, a simple yet very versatile amp. For my playing style, all I need.
I play in three diff. bands, a blues band, a "classic rock" band, and a metal band. The SLO covers all styles great.
I've got two SLO's, a '92 and a '99. Yep, that says a lot. I really like this amp compared to a LOT out there.
It gets a 9 for features, but if it had a crunch & lead boost it would be a def. 10.
No amp is "perfect".

I'm using mostly LP's, and from time to time strats.
LP's: 59'Historics with Tom Holmes 450/455, and orig PAF's, a '68 LP and a 1980 LP Heritage 80 with Lindy Fralins, and my main LP, a 1970 LPC with Duncan Custom in the bridge. The SLO tranfers all the guitars diff. tones excellent. Change to another pup, and You'll hear it instantly. Plug in a strat, and You'll have strat-tones in spades.
Clean-ch:
I've never used the clean-ch that much of the SLO, but the clean is good. You can even max it for a nice warm breakup tone. Compared to say a BF Fender Super, Matchless DC-30/JJ-30, Bruno Coowtipper etc, the SLO clean-ch is not "that great". But good enough for a "high-gain" amp. IMO, better than my long gone Bogner XTC and Ubers clean-ch's, which were cool enough.
Crunch ch:
A great crunch, from slighly break-up to AC/DC and old VH. I love this ch. For some blues gigs, I used this ch alone, and just used the guitarvolume for leads.
Lead-ch:
What can I say? The industry std, Fat, fat, fat. It cuts great within the band-mix. I've never played an amp with fatter mids than the SLO, it growls.
Beeing an old Marshall-guy, it's all I could ever dream of reg. a "hot-rodded" old Marshall. Exellent string to string definition, and this amp stays CLEAR even with the most gained-out tones.
This ch covers groovy ZZ-Top, VH to Pantera tones.
Or....smooth Warren Haynes tones are easy on tap.

I've had both my SLO modded with the WH-mod, which takes away some topend "sizzle" on the lead ch. IMO, You also loose a tiny bit gain with the WH-mod engaged (I have a switch on the backside of the amp). This mod is not a "must", I use the SLO more or less witout it. But, cool to have it if You "need it".
I've also another mod with both SLO's, a fixed bass-boost (sim. as a depth-mod). This mod gives the amp(s) just the "right" added bottom end. I feel the SLO is a tiny bit thin on the lower reg. without it.

What's always real cool, is to hear the SLO through a PA. It find its place easy in the mix, and what "might" seem like an amp which could use more bottom end, all questions just dissapeared. It barks through a PA, and usually (in my experience), no need for any eq on the board. Let the bass-player handle the extreme bottom end.
Hehehe, regarding "bottom-end", I could never that good tone with my Uber or old Dual&Triple Rects.
Same goes with recording, it records great!
I could go on "forever" comparing it with other amps, all I can say:
The SLO gets a SOLID 10.
(Despite the clean-ch, which would get a 7 if I used it).

It's built to last. Transferable lifetime warranty. Take a look inside, and You'll see that the amp would not have any issue with reliability. I've used the SLO many years, without ANY problems whatsoever.
I can not say that very thing for a couple of other well-known manufacturers out there.
The SLO has always delivered killer tones. And I think it will last "forever" if not run over by a truck or something.

Every time I've been in contact with Soldano, I've got great customer support. They stand behind their products 100%, real nice and knowledable people.
My questions have been related to diff. tubes and mods, and they've been very helpful.

The SLO is a bit "finchy" about the "right" tubes and speakers. I've used Svets EL-34's, and the NOS Sylvania tubes for the "best" tones.
I tried out some KT-66's which were nice. Sort of a mix between the EL-34 and 6l6, big headroom and more power. But I felt they were too "clean". I like the power-section to break up more, without being "insane" loud. The stock 5881's were to hard&glassy, but they have a tight good bottom end.
For my taste that is.
This amp can sound good to GREAT. IMO, it depends on the right match with tubes / speakers. I've found old GB's (G12H30's or 25W's) to be the best. Old 412 Marshall or Bogner cabs, are a very good match.
IMO, even better than Soldanos own 412's. I still use a straight Soldano 412 with old GB's on the top, and Matchless-mod V-30's on the bottom. Sounds good, but still, Marshall/Bogner beats it.
I sold off my slant Soldano 412, a bit "thin" compared to the above cabs. Hmmm, then again it was great for small stages. And it's very easy to transport. The straight Soldano 412 has a bit more bass, and sounds fuller. Its a keeper.

I've been playing approx 29 years, and I've never been "that" pleased with any other amp. I've been through many great amps, including a couple which I still miss, like the Bogner XTC or a BadCat BlackCat. I actually sold off my XTC amp to get another SLO. No regrets, but I "wish" I could have kept them all. Heheh, I'm not "that" rich.

My old Marshalls been collecting dust some time, but I use a '69 Marshall 50W JMP with the SLO for some rock-gigs. A great combination.
For the heavier stuff, I use two SLO's or one SLO running with a BadCat HotCat-100. This is the best two-amp combo I've used "so far".
The SLO's great cut and fat mids combined with a very greasy&woody tone from the BadCat sounds IMO KILLER.

No need to list "all" my amps, but a Mathless Phoenix 35 is my "no-1" for the blues gigs. A Matchless JJ-30 is at home, too great to sell off. Etc.... Anyway the SLO is still "it", and that's the amp I grab when just going for it.
If I lost the SLO, I would def. get another, have the mods done, and get rolling again. I can't really find something to "hate" about it, I'm just that pleased. And I have been for a looong time. Some know I have said a lot about the SLO on the HCAF. I'm happy to know that one amp actually can "do it all".

Anyway, the SLO is not the amp for everyone. Spend some time with it. It needs to be played a little "loud" to open it up, and to get the best tone. Its not a "bedroom-wanking" amp, the power-section needs to be cranked a bit to have it "bark & growl". Still, I use it sometime at home also, and yep, nice tones.
Btw, I use only a BuddaWah with the SLO , no other fx's. This amp does not IMO need any fx to "clutter" its great tone.
Last, I "hate" to give 10's. No product is 100% perfect, still I feel the SLO truly deserves it. Hype? Nope, just a stellar amp still going strong after 16 - 17 years.
Real cool!!!

Well, it's pretty simple to use but I find it very limited. I wish there was at least a reverb.

This is where I have a problem. I bought this amp because I like the sound that Warren Haynes gets but he must have a much different setup than I do. I use Tube Screamers for my gain and very little of the built in gain from the amp. The amp is very crusty sounding yet at the same time way too midrangy. It's almost like missing the right spectrum of sound frequencies. No EQ helped with it. I don't mean to offend anyone who has had good results with this... I'm glad for you. However, when I compare it to my 1965 Fender Twin or my Mesa Boogie Nomad 100 through the same cabinets, it just doesn't sound pleasant to me at all. I think that it is way overpriced. I have decided to sell it since I can't stand to plug into it anymore. If anyone might be interested in buying a used SLO-100 my email is TreyPhanDobbs@aol.com. After this glowing review, I'm sure that I'm hurting my chances of selling it but I want to be honest. Nothing about this amp sounds anything like the tone that I want. Period.

It's built great and I doubt you would ever have a problem. I just changed the power tubes to try and get a better tone, and it just got worse. Oh well.

I've never really dealt with them.

Like I said, I don't mean to offend anyone who loves this amp, but I can't stand it. I would love to sell it. I wish I had saved the money and bought two better amps instead.

2 CHANNELS.MANUFACTURED I BELEIVE IN 1988. MINE HAS LOOP BUT I PREFER THE SLAVE FOR DRY SOUND AND EFFECTS. GOOD FOR ALL VENUES. PLENTY LOUD.

I USE FENDER AND GIBSON HUMBUCKERS AND SINGLE COILS.( ACTIVE AND PASSIVE) WORKS WITH THEM ALL.SOME NOISE ON VERY HIGH GAIN BUT NOT ANY WORSE THAN ANY OTHER HIGH GAIN AMP. DISTORTION CHANNEL SMOKES, CLEAN CHANNEL NOT PRISTINE BUT CLEAN ENOUGH IF YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING.

I'VE BEEN USING THIS AMP SINCE 1994 AND THE ONLY THING THAT EVER HAPPENED IS I BLEW A FUSE TWICE AND OF COURSE SEVERAL RE-TUBES.

CUSTOMER SERVICE IS AAA. BILL IS VERY HELPFULL. I HAVE A LIFETIME TRANSFERABLE WARRENTY BUT IT DON'T LOOK LIKE I'M GOING TO NEED IT.

I'VE BEEN PLAYING PROFFESIONAL FOR OVER 25 YEARS IN ALL KINDS OF PROJECTS. FROM JAZZ TO BLUES TO ROCK AND HEAVY METAL AND THIS AMP HAS SHINED ON ALL STYLES. I OWNED ALL KINDS OF MARSHALLS AND FENDERS AND OTHERS AND THIS AMP KILLS THEM. SOMETIMES I WISH IT HAD A SPRING REVERB BUT I GUESS THAT WOULD EFFECT THE TONE. IF LOST OR STOLDEN I WOULD BE OUT A COUPLE OF GRAND FOR A REPLACEMENT.

I'm starting to get really pissed off with some of the reviews. I have spent a lot of time playing around on a fully-modded, and on a non-modded, slo, and I thought it was the best amp ever. I don't want to hear any of that bullshit about the clean channel sounding thin or flat, play with the knobs. If you still don't like it, buy a fucking equilizer. The crunch channels carries enough "umph!" to keep any bright distortion fan happy. It isn't for nu-metal, but those people don't deserve anything other than a Crate, anyway.
P.S. Learn to spell Wylde, dumbass.

I wrote a review down there somewhere. I cant help but want to come back and comment after I read and hear so much hype and bullshit in so many different places. Im not a bedroom jammer. So everyone knows where Im comming from. Last year I played 190 dates. Ive been paid to record many tracks. Heres an update. Im still using my Soldano when called for but not because its in any way my ultimate tone. Not close.

#1 - The clean channel is nothing special. Thats right. Its not bad in any way. But Im going to scream if I hear one more person somewhere tell me the Soldano clean is like a Fender. Ugh!! I can tell that most people would find it an addequate clean sound. Some would feel its just fine. But many would, and do, hate it. Especially players who are used to nice, dynamic, touch responsive clean sounds. Not here. What is here is a great clean channel for a high gain channel switching amp. Its a clean sound for when most of your music is heavy. I never thought that Clapton or Knopflers tone through a Soldano was that great at all. Dont be fooled just because their good players. If you really listen you can hear just how thin and sterile that clean sound is compared to when either of them use a Marshall or a Fender. But if you want that sound its here. Like they say be carefull what you wish for.

#2 The crunch or lead channel in no way sounds like a Plexi or other marshall. This amps gain sounds are reminiscent of modded marshalls, but in no way do they sound like Marshalls. I own many marshalls. Not the new stuff. I have a few JMPs, a Superbass and a 2203. They sound different. Period. You want Tom Morello, Zakk Wyldd or anyone who usses a JCM800, get a JCM800. Their much cheaper. This amp cleans up resonably well with the volume knob for a high gain amp (despite whove used them and the hype these things are saturated high gain amps.) The gain has this really present bite to the high end. Its got this really metallic, thin bite especially with alot of gain. You can really hear it on the lower strings. This amp can sound very thin. I would say that comes hand in hand with having an amp this saturated and still this tight. It is tight. If you want the opposite of a Dual Recto when you chug a muted power chord on the low strings this is it.

Describing just what the gain sounds like is difficult. Im not a big Aerosmith fan at all but I was listening to that Big Ones CD a while back. I was curious because one song reminded me so much of my Soldano. I went home and looked it up and sure enough, Joe Perry and the other guy used Soldano all over the album that song is from. The song is #1 on the Big Ones CD. If you listen you'll get a great idea of what the Soldano sound is. That song is such a good example that the first time I heard the song, without knowing, I said thats got to be a Soldano. It has that metallic bite to the notes especially when you play open notes on the low strings. You can hear this real well. Listen to that song.

I would say the eq is totally balanced and clear. It doesnt have that creamy midrange like many british amps. It can and does cut. It cuts well for this much gain. No sound man should ever say he has a problem getting a nice clean and clear sound from it. Id never call the amp muddy. Its very bright and present. But it has no vintage vibe. Not in any way. My personal belief is if your into cleaner or overdriven sounds, and your used to amps of that type or have good ears, you will ultimately not be pleased with this amp. If you like Nu-metal I dont think youll be into this amp either. Its much to thin, bright and tight. I usually dime the bass (since this amp is so thin and tight the bass on 10 will not fart out or be "too" much) and thats something I never do on any amp. I leave the treble at noon and the presence low. This tone stack is not that interactive with the tone. Its more like a stereo eq. I believe thats because the tone controls come after the preamp and before the output s

Two foot-switchable channels with separate gain & master volume controls. The Bass-Mid-Treble tone stack is shared by both channels. It also has a +4 dBu effects loop, which may be too hot for some gear.

The clean channel sounds pretty flat - I would appreciate a bit more mid scoop, as Fenders offer. The overdrive channel sounds similar to vintage Marshalls at low gain settings, but gets an overwhelming amount of presence as the gain is increased.

Built well, with quality components. However it is a bit finicky about preamp tubes. The first stage (V1) requires a low noise tube like a 7025, or equivalent low noise 12AX7. The overdrive stages (V2) require a durable 12AX7 that can tolerate the 350V plate voltage on V2b, referenced to its cathode.

Excellent support with very fast response - one of the best in the business.

I've been playing guitar for many years, and I'm also an Electrical Engineer.

**********************************************************************
One thing that really surprised me about this amp is how close the SLO's overdrive channel circuit is to the "Orange-Normal" channel on the Mesa Dual Rectifier. The key difference being that the Mesa has a presence pad circuit on the Master Volume pot. This filters out the 'fizz' or 'insect-like' presence that is produced by the cascading gain stages. Adding this to the SLO makes the overdrive sound much better & more useful to me. The presence pad consists of a 22k-ohm resistor, coming off the Overdrive Master pot, in series with a 0.003uF cap to ground. You can download both the SLO & DR schematics for reference at: http://www.mif.pg.gda.pl/homepages/tom/schematics.htm

Also, consider reducing or removing the 120pF treble-boost cap on the clean/crunch channel's second stage. This cap comes after V1a and is in parallel with a 2.2M-ohm resistor. It adds a treble peak to the clean/crunch channel. I found that changing it to 39pF works well to offset miller capacitance without adding any peak in the response. Or simply remove it for a darker sound.

Both of these mods are simple & very effective. They are also easy to reverse. PLEASE DO NOT ATTEMPT ANY MODS UNLESS YOU ARE QUALIFIED TO DO SO - TUBE AMPS CONTAIN LETHAL VOLTAGES!!!
**********************************************************************

I submitted a review of the SLO years go. I've had mine since winter 90-91. I still love this amp. For 14 years it's provided consistent amazing tones, especially in the crunch to lead/overdrive modes. No problems at all.

Today I was in a boutique music stored and played Bogner, Diezel, Peavey XXXX (not very boutique), Dr Z, Victoria, and a few others and I am sooooooo glad I have my SLO. Nothing comes close to it. Granted the SLO can't do things other amps can but when it comes to tube overdrive with harmonics, tightness, sustain, clarity, and relative transparentnesss where you can here the tonal differences of all your guitars and your playing nuances, well, it's pure joy.

And for those who say the lead channel is too fizzy or bright, play with the controls. Try mid and treble at position 1-2 (not oclock but position or knob value), prescence to taste, bass cranked, and slowly increase mids and treble to taste.

And with my stat I get pure Eric Johnson overdrive tones. I can't play as well as Eric but... And with the right cab and guitar you get pretty darn close to EVH but so much of Eddie's tone is his hands and not the gear.

Mine was a 2002 in purple tolex with none of the mods. I'm completely baffled by the high ratings for features on this amp. The features are pretty limited. Two channels, Clean and Overdrive, with the Clean having the Crunch switch. A pretty weak effects loop. No reverb, though to be honest the amp has such a great natural decay to it you don't need reverb. Also, the knobs go to 11, which is the coolest feature ever, though it has no bearing on how it operates of course. It's got features, but it's no 10.

Played with an Ibanez RG-570, ESP M-350, and Epiphone Les Paul which has practically no stock parts in it any more. I tried it with the 6L6s and the KT-88s. I also ran in both 100W mode and with two tubes pulled for a 50W mode.

Much like features, I'm not really following the mega-high marks in Sound Quality here. I will admit that the clean and distorted channels were pretty good, but a real let-down. Neither one could do anything that my Rect-O-Verb head couldn't do. The Crunch channel is laughable it's so useless and the versatility is non-existent.

It wasn't noisy, and the distortion was really nice, but that's about all it had going for it.

Seemed like I could use it as a bulldozer without scratching it.

Never dealt with them.

I thought this amp would balance out my tone. I already have a Rect-O-Verb which has tremoendous versatility and thought the SLO would give me the more "Marshally" tones the Mesa couldn't do. Wrong. Every sound on the SLO could be duplicated exactly on the Mesa by modifying the EQ, which mostly meant flattening it to where it was doing nothing (the SLO's EQ section seemed to have zero effect unless dialed completely out or at 11).

I want to stress that it's got a pretty good tone in there, but it is, after all's said and done, *A* good tone. And that good tone was nothing I couldn't already get. I've since sold it, it was a real let-down.

1996 production. Rare "Chrome Crocodile" tolex. Completely stock with the tube buffered effects loop and slave out. 2 channel head. I give the features rating of 8 based on the fact that I wish it had seperate EQ's for each channel (not that it really needs it, but I like that on an amp) and an option for a reverb. Other wise perfect amp.

I would like to start off by saying that I just received this SLO today and after tweaking and playing it with my band for a 2 hour rehersal, I would like to give some preliminary feelings about the amp. We play original music in the styles of Queensryche, Fates Warning, Dream Theater, Metallica, Alice in Chains, etc. We also play covers in the same style of music. I played a Hamer USA Californian loaded with an EMG SA single coil at the neck and an EMG 81 HB at the bridge plugged straight into the amp. The amp was plugged into an open back cab loaded with 2 Celestion Vintage 30's and then at home into a pair of Randall closed back cabinets with 2 Randall Jaguar speakers in each. I can't wait until I can plug it into my pair of Mesa Recto 4x12 cabinets with Celstion Vintage 30's. My initial findings are the same as some other reviews here. It is probably the most "honest" amp I have ever heard or played. By this I mean that you will know exactly what your guitar and playing truely sound like with no coloration by the amp. I have many other amps (Mesa Boogie Dual Recto, Mesa Trem-o-verb, Tri-axis, Simul 2:90, Simul 395, Marshal Jubille 2550, Marshall 9100, Randall RG80, Bogner/Hafler Triple Giant, etc.) and you expect and get a certain sound out of them. The Marshall sounds like your guitar through a Marshall, the same with the Mesa amps and the Randall, but the SLO doesn't add any color other than the tone settings you dial in to your taste. If you are just getting into playing guitar and don't have your chops down, don't buy this amp now, wait until you are a solid player. It will put all your weaknesses out there for all to hear. But if you are a good player, you will love how it picks up every detail of your playing. The clean channel has gotten some bad press here, but I find it to be very useful. Crystal clean, clear and full with alot of pressence. Some would probably like it a little warmer and the Warren Hayes mod would fix that. It may also have to do with what pickups others have used, but it worked well for me. The overdrive channel is to die for and is what makes this amp great. The tube cascading circuit that Soldano uses works great. The tone stays true and clear and the sustain is awesome. Chunky and well defined are what you get, not muddy or flabby. I could dial in most off the sounds from my other amps, except for that true Mesa Recto thrash low end. But that is not what this amp is about. The tone controls do work well. I've heard the term "sterile" used here to describe this amp and I disagree. I think some people just think that if an amp doesn't mold or twist their guitar into something it's not then they say it's "sterile", I say it's "honest". You want an amp that makes all your guitars have that heavy scooped mid thrash sound? Then buy a Mesa Dual Recto (no bashing on Mesa here, I love mine for that sound, that's why I own one). If you have to get a certain tone (Marshall, Mesa, Rivera, etc.), then by that amp for that tone. But if you think your amp isn't getting all your style and playing abilities out front in the band, get the SLO. Nothing sounds like it.

Just got it, but as said many times before, "Built like a tank with military grade components". Lifetime transferable warranty. What else could be said?

I've only emailed Soldano technical once to ask a few questions and got a responce the next day.

I've been playing guitar 22 years and have played and heard many amps out there. This is really a great amp. It took me a long time to decide to get one and I'm sorry I waited so long. I do play alot of rack gear also which is in another league of sound, but for a straight amp and guitar sound, you really can't beat it.

2003 model. 3 channels although you can on ly footswitch between 2. Effects loop, slave out, depth mod, warren haynes mod, scoop mod. features 4 NOS phillips tubes top shelf(400 for the quad!) 5 12ax7's (more phillips)

I tried this amp with NUmetal..forget about it. It is very raspy If your into motley crue's tone this might be for you. I'm into John Sykes, Neal Schon, Lukather, Early VH, Zakk Wylde. These tones aren't there. I'm used to a stereo triaxis rig w/ a TC2290 and a lexicon PCM80..so my clean sound Is the ultimate(think whitesnake)..The slo sound pretty damn lame compared to it. Simply sterile and way too bright..The stereo rig is swirling, alive, lush 3d. The SLO crunch channel can be described in 1 word worthless. no wonder you can only switch between 2 of the 3 channels with a footswitch. Imagine mick mars' tone with his gain on 2!(crap). The lead(overdrive) channel has a lot of buzzy gain but has next to no compression..and small amounts of sustain. All the eq knobs really work..I konow because I tried all of them to try to get a good sound! The depth mod is a knob with a cheesy sticker label that says depth. It really works(it only took soldano 15 years to add some bass to the most overhyped amp on the planet. The warren haynes and scoop mods are pretty lame..w.h. mod cuts some of the excessive treble this amp produces(It shouldn't even be a mod) The scoop mod knocks a little of the mids out.(whatever) You have to crank the amp to even tell those 2 mods are even doing something! The amp isn't noisy I play it on 10 for an hour. I hear the lame excuse about overhyped marshalls and others having to be on 10 to sound good. Crap sounds like loud crap when you turn it up. I tried a huge variety of tubes from 40 a quad to 400..Not much difference. This amp reminded me at times of whitesnake w/o compression/sustain.

The amp was mint..They have a lifetime warranty

Great people

I started playing 16 years ago. I have 19 guitars(PRS, old Les Pauls, 62 strat, Fernandes sustainers, Ibanez rg's etc.) A marshall jcm 800, Diezel Herbert, Triaxis/simul 290, Mesa MK3, Fender vibro champ, crate blue voodoo, crate gx15. If the slo were stolen I would have only been upset because of the cost. I would never buy another soldano product..If this is the flagship Why in the hell would I want to hear the cheap stuff? The mark 3 destroys this amp. The triaxis/simul 290 is so superior it's not even funny. The Herbert is like comparing a arion delay to a lexicon pcm 80

Born in 1991, this SLO was the first one bought by Joe Satriani. I bought it used at a local big chain music store. They gave me a screaming deal. It came with GT 6L6 tubes, and ECC83's, has the effects loop, Fender and Warren Haynes Mods, done after the fact from the Soldano factory. Perfect shape, not a scratch on this baby. I'll give it a 9, because I own 2 Bogner Shiva's that have been modded to use the boost feature as a solo switch. Much more versatile.

I use Andersons, Les Pauls and Strats. Because my gigging amp of choice is the Bogner Shiva Head with verb and 6L6 tubes, I'll compare the 2. Firt of all, I must say that for a HIGH GAIN AMP, I have yet to hear an amp with more harmonics and sustain. Mesa Dual rectifiers have more gain, but it is a fizzy quality that I personally do not care for. The SLO is brighter and has more gain on tap than my Shivas, but less thump and fatness. I don't like the sound better, it's just different. For what it does, the SLO is unbeatable...although I will probably stick with the Shiva as my main gigging rig because of its ease of use in the versatility dept. I don't use so much gain anymore, so the extra gain is not as much of a bonus to me like it would be for a metal player. I'm more of a classic rock guy, who needs the ability to go from clean, to crunch to a lead tone all with my feet. The Shiva modded does it with ease. If I compared the two without the Shiva mod, I would give them an equal rating, just different. The SLO's sounds are excellent. Without the Fender mod, its clean tone is sterile, but with it it is quite good, but not as good as the shiva. The Lead tone of the SLO is a bit better because it is brighter. All this is subject to my personal taste, but that is what I hear. Outstanding tone.

Built like a tank, best parts money can buy. Mike Soldano is the cream of the crop, and his amps are outstanding. Eats tubes about every year, but that is to to the hot rodded design. Can't get that sound without it, so no knocks there. Open one up, and you will see the beautiful wiring. The Shiva is the same, although the Soldano has thye best parts, teflon coated wiring, custom Deyoung Transformers, and a much better effects loop than the Shiva.

Outstanding. This is not my first, I had to sell my others due to financial hardship. In all of my dealings with them, Sean, Bill, and Mike are the best. Wonderful people, very helpful and friendly. Mike himself built me a Surfbox ( the last one of 100 ) and Bill and Sean were great as well.

Fantastic value. Even new for 3K, it's worth every penny. You get what you pay for. The Shiva is 1K less, but the custom parts justify the price differential.

Tha SLO has only one outstanding feature. It does everything it was designed to do very..very well, and if anything was added to it, it could very well compromise what it has. Of course in a perfect world, a third channel would be nice. A clone of the crunch channel would do me fine.

Mainly Gibsons (humbuckers), occasionally strats. If you want to know what your guitar "really" sounds like, plug into one of these. Their true character, or lack of, will be layed bare. Every pickup position, volume and tone tweak is obvious from squeaky clean through to heavy overdrive. It should be said that I am, or rather was (almost), a total vintage snob. Driven there by necessity really after spending the last 20 odd years, and countless dollars searching for a decent multi channel amp. Sure they sounded good at lower volumes (though some didn't), but put them in a gig situation, where you're relying on your backline to project and it was usually disappointing. Obviously, and dare I say, luckily for the big amp manufacturers, good sound reinforcement through the PA can make an amp sound much bigger, but you're still stuck with it's inherent tone for better or (usually again) for worse. A good vintage amp however IMO, has a much larger "scale" sound straight up. It's like they project with a bit of weight behind them, fuller, firmer and further. Only trouble with them is they're not always versatile enough, and often they need to be deafeningly loud to get the tone you want. Enter the Soldano SLO. Soldano's are pretty rare in Australia, so when a used one came up for sale at a music store a couple of hundred miles from my home, I just had to have a look. I'd heard the hype surrounding them and I admired some of the guys that use them, but in reality I just wanted to dislike in the flesh what is considered, the best of it's breed. No preamp driven channel switcher was gonna impress me. Well needless to say it did. The overdrive channel is simply as good as it gets. Big, bold, clearly defined and unmistakenly all tube. Sure it's bright and bitey, but that's exactly what a rock amp should be and unlike an amp which is being driven by an overdrive pedal, the bottom end doesn't drop out and leave a gaping hole in the mix, which IMO even the best pedals are guilty of. The crunch channel is also a gem. It's kind of pointless making comparisoms to other amps, but somehow necessary so here goes. Definately a Marshall players amp for sure, but very much with a sound all it's own. I liken it to preferring a cover version of a song to the original. Dynamic, defined and very classy, cleaning up beautifully from the guitar's volume control. Another trait common to good vintage amps, and generally lacking on high gain examples. Which brings me to another point. The old power tube versus preamp tube debate. Before this amp I was firmly entrenched in the "power tube distortion is best" camp, and while I still love my old "crank em hard" amps, the SLO has this way of just looking at you and patiently explaining the facts. After all you can't have a high gain amp without high gain, and that comes from the preamp tubes. I think the trick is to get the right balance between the preamp and the power amp, and I think Soldano got it right on the money. In fact, if you experiment with power tubes, which I recommend you do to fine tune your sound, you'll realize just how much they contribute to the SLO's sound, even at lower volumes, which incidently, still sound pretty full. The clean mode of channel one does the "bouncy" Fender thing pretty well IMO, but you'd have to run it through an open back cab loaded with old Jensens and maybe through a tube reverb, to fully exploit it, and that's not what this amp is really about. Suffice to say, the Soldano is a hell of a lot closer to sounding like a Fender Twin than a Fender Twin will ever come to sounding like a Soldano. The clean sound that I like in the SLO is the lower gain settings in the crunch mode. You can get a big bold "Hiwatt" clean easily in this mode, but you'd have to forego your true crunch setting for it, which is why a clone of this mode, becoming a third channel would be great. But like I said, not if it compromises anythin

I really can't imagine this amp ever letting me down. Foolhardy optimism perhaps, but it's just so well made. You turn it on and there's a dull click that echoes through the chassis that somehow fills me with confidence. The design and layout of the whole amp, inside and out, is so understated that you can almost overlook the amazing workmanship and thought that has obviously been put into it. I've got a 1973 DR103 Hiwatt. Pretty much the benchmark in quality, and the Soldano is definately in the same league. Sure it's PCB, but unmistakenly hand made and uncompromising in every way. I just love the way they've never changed the design since day one, so you don't get any of this "Oh the pre so and so date models are the ones to use". I carry spare tubes and fuses. Reckon I'm safe.. Oh and a Sovtek Midget 50 cos it fits in anywhwere.

The Soldano shop must be around 10,000 miles from where I live, and their service is better than my local music store, which I could hit with a rock (and probably should).
Absolutely second to none, even though I bought my amp used.

I've been playing around 25 years. Have lot's of old amps. Marshalls, Fenders, Hiwatt. Wouldn't swap them for anything. Had lot's of newer stuff too. They're mostly gone. Try everything I can, just out of curiosity. I don't get moved too often by modern gear. Soldano was exception. Really couldn't afford it at the time, but I had to have it. Thankfully I'm irresponsible, and my wife's tolerant.
If it was lost or stolen I would have to replace it for sure. Have to track down another used one though. Wife's not that tolerant.
If you're a player like me that needs a good tone to play at your best, and the aggresive, but oh so refined nature of this amp suits your tastes, I believe you'll be in awe of the SLO. If you're a player that can sound good playing a bamboo Indonesian Strat through a transistor radio you'll be less in awe.. but your audience will be.

My SLO is built in '94, if your reading this review you probably know what Soldano is all about "Amplifiers Built To Rock" depending on your skill the SLO is very versatile, my style is Classical Jazz Rock,
Progressive Fusion Pop! Two Channel w/Foot Switch, Effects loop etc.
The SLO is used in recording studios, live performances in various
venues, simple Pure Tube Tone with great Articulation!

My main guitar is a PRS Custom 22 Artist w/Dragon II pickups. The
tone through the SLO is wide & focus, fat and tight in the lows with a great highend that doesn't screech, sweet mid-tone! By manipulation of the pick it can be smooth to aggressive! for me I really love the amp with 6L6WXT+ power tubes you can bias from -54 to -56(colder), and 12AX7C9 preamps. Through my Soldano 2x12 cabinet and Celestion Vintage 30 spkrs the Clean tone is really nice, if I back off the volume to 9, it's more mellow for jazz type tones, or keep the clean channel on with my TS-808 for a very cool blues tone, or switch to the crunch (ch-1) and the OD pedal with the PRS tone on 2nd or 4th position and you'll get a great mid-power blues tone. Switching to
CH-2 the Overdrive is what Soldano is all about. The tone is somewhere around Lynch-Vai-Holdsworth Smooth..... and even on
11(overdrive) you can hear as everyone else, Every Note!

Every technician will say "Built like a Tank" but with Soldano it's True! My experience has been with my Bogner XTC-C, VHT Pittbull CLX,
both are fine amps! but the SLO goes further! the other two amps have a number of negitives, many options that you'll never use because they tend to sound so close, even when you record it's negligible.
My amp is 10yrs old and it's perfect, what a great amp should be.

I've dealt with Soldano for many years and they are the PRO's! Speaking with Mike is cool as he has worked with so many Pro guitarists, being a guitar player himself he knows exactly what your talking about regarding equipment. Bill has answered every question that I've every had, quickly. Turn around time is fast.

The SLO is an amp that's been used by many pro's over the years, EVH, Vai, Lynch, Clapton, Moore it goes on and on. Many artists have a large amount of amps for creative expressions! There is NO One amp does all! I've own wonderful Fenders with Great clean tone that the SLO would fall short in but with a great guitar to start off with you can get a nice balance! The Overdrive is where it's at! I've own many
modified Marshall's (Jose Arrenondo, Lee Jackson) the better of the rest etc. The SLO reminds me of some of the greatist Marshall Plexi's
with additional high-gain modifications and the best components that are cleaner and clearer. When you open it up at around 5 and so on, it takes on a life, all it's own(power tubes etc.) and every note can be heard! You can hide your inabilities in many of the others! many amps are loud but don't have that something special! If you have an SLO set up correctly with bias, tubes, spkers & cab along with a great guitar you'll be pleased with great tone, Definitely for the Artist! From Hype I had once sold my earlier SLO for a Bogner XTC-C
which was No where near as Awesome as the SLO!!! Mike Soldano believes in his product to give a lifetime warranty (transferable) to as many people that would own it! MANY Amp Builders only give an lifetime warranty to the Original owner! For an amp that has been around the world and chosen more for Tone and Reliability, it's understandable why more professionals have it, Awesome Tone and a Great Tool!

Stock with the Haynes MOD

This review is after 3 years and well over 300 gigs and recording 4 CD's.

Used mostly with Les Pauls and LP style guitars. Various Vintage/boutique FX. Various vintage style cabs.

Despite all the hype about this amp and voodoo about players whove used them all your getting is another decent amp, no better or worse then most good amps that cost alot more or alot less. Im not talking about amps youd buy in Sam Ash or Guitar Center. I would never buy an amp from a chain store 99% of the time. Only strings. With few exceptions those stores carry amps for the kiddies/newbies. This amp is suited for certain things, and for others its just OK.

Considering the price of some boutique amps and vintage amps this isnt an expensive amp either. Its more midpriced when you look at the whole picture. Ive paid alot more for an amp, new and vintage.

Heres some of my truths:

#1- the clean channel sounds NOTHING like a fender or vox or any other famouse clean sounds. At best Id consider it a decent sounding later JCM800 marshall clean channel or just a decent clean channel to get you buy when your mostly using the drive. I own a 67 Deluxe and its not even ballpark. My 72 HiWatt floors this amp. But its passable when your not going for clean in the majority of your playing. At least a tradition clean tone. This amp is all about the gain. I have a 2 amp setup for large, important gigs. I would never use it in the studio. Still its better then many 2-channel-high-gain amps' clean channels. The Bogner XTC clean channel is much better. Much more 3d and dynamic. For a high gain 2+ channel amp anyway. Your style and sound is your own thing but in a traditional sense this is not a great clean channel. Just OK. Decent. I wont even rate it for the clean channel since thats more about flexability. Probably an afterthought. This amps all about the drive channel.

#2 - This gain does not sound like a marshall. Its got the Marshall vibe but Ive owned almost every marshall out there. This is distinctly different from every marshall. Its probably closest to a modded JCM 800 with the really biting top but its still different. Its not modern marshall or mesa in any way. Marshalls, while having a biting top, still have a punchy tone and a deeper throatier tone. More midrange definition.

If you like classic rock, EVH brown sound, EJs tone, Jimis tone, your not gonna get that tone. You can capture the vibe through your technique (Ive seen an awesome guitar player sound like Jimi playing a F&*@ing Dual Recto! it was all his amazing technique) but those tone types are not what this amplifier's about even if it was intended to be. Most of those tones are about power tube saturation and the tone and dynamics that go with it. This is about preamp tube distortion done in a tastefull way.

This may not be a mesa or modern marshall but its still a preamp-tube-gain amp. Its one of the better ones Ive played. The overall tone is a little thin. Its very present in the high end. I think its lacking somewhat in the midrange "body" frequencies, but it has its own sound in that way. Older marshalls have more body, a deeper sound while still having a treble bite. This amps tone seems to me to have no strong character. That by itself may be the amps character. That its crystal clear and has a very even flat EQ. Its not strong in the bass or mids. It is very present in the highs but not like the trebles are boosted. Its just even and clear and cutting. It does cut through well for a high gain amp. The chord clarity with gain is decent but not like a good vintage amp. The chords are a little mushy but still clear. Moreso then most modern preamp buzz garbage amps. As always you cant just dial the inherent tone out with EQ either. Its just gonna eq frequencies that sit on top of the tone like a radio. The basic tone cant be dialed out. Only tweaked to fit a room or sound.

One good thing is the gain is very tight. The break up and responce of the gain when you palm

Emails answered in a day or 2. Transferable lifetime warranty. What more can you expect?

All in all I find this amp to be just a very good amp. Nothing ground shaking. Its a great amp to use if your trying to cover pop/rock songs from the 60's through modern times when a decent gain sound will be more important then clean. It cleans up decent with the volume knob so if your a player with good technique you should be able to get the 3 main sounds you need to cover 95% of songs. That being clean sounds, drive/blues/crunch sounds, and harder higher gain/lead sounds. Theres many ways to do that. You can set up a clean sound and a high gain sound and just back off the volume in the high gain drive channel for bluesier/crunchier stuff. Or you can set up your clean sound, dial in a blues crunch sound in the drive channel and use a gain boosting OD pedal to boost the drive over the top with high gain lead sounds. Or you can have your clean and high gain channels and use an OD pedal on the normal/clean channel for a bluesy sound. If you have the technique that should give you enouph to work with to sound great covering all but the most extreme sounds.

My overall main beef with this amp is just its lack of character. It has no strong or unique voicing. Just a flat, even, strait ahead drive that can be a little too thin and biting. Harsh at times.

People who give this thing all 10's to me dont have a clue. AN amp is just a part of the chain like the guitar and it cant do everything. I dont even think its the best amp at what its doing. I think many people need to stop listening to hype and actually go and try lots of amps and not just read about them. So taking everything into consideration Ill give this thing an 8. Really Id like to give it a 7.5. Nothing is a 10. You cant say thiers nothing better unless youve tried everything and that would take a lifetime.

Mine is a 2002 SLO-100. I wish I had ordered it without the loop, as I run a 3-way system. It has the Haynes mod and the depth mod, both of which I recommend. I agree with other posters that I wish it had the ability to footswitch between the clean and crunch. The button is on the front, so I dont know why they couldn't transfer it to a footswitch (but who know, I'm not a guitar tech). The amp is plenty loud unless you crystal clear - which it can't (and shouldn't) do. Mine has the standard 6L6 power tubes. I've heard them with KT6, and much prefer the tight bottom end of the 6L6. KT6's in this amp sound kind of mushy to me, and less clear on both high end and low end. If you like a very straight forward amp, this one can't be beat. A monkey could dial in a great tone (and probably a few non-primates as well).

I'm 35 and finally attained a position in life where I could afford whatever I wanted. Frankly, I wanted the best, because I earned it. In my search for the perfect amp (notice I didn't say the "only" amp, because no amp can do it all) I listend to them all - Bogner, Mesa, VHT, Peavey, Bedrock, Matchless (and his new company), Marshall, Carvin, HiWatt - and nothing can beat the sound of the Soldano. The SLO is very clear and punchy on the low end, not the buzzsaw tone you'll get from a Bogner and the like. It really can't do Rectifier scooped sounds out of the box, but I'm sure the right tubes and perhaps an EQ in the loop could come close. (If you want that, go for the Soldano Avenger). The other thing that simply amazes me about the SLO is that it can still sound awesome at very low levels.

I play my SLO with a 1982 Les Paul Custom, a 1969 Telecaster, a 1966 Strat, a G&L Strat, and a Floral Ibanez Jem. I think running pickups that are too hot through this amp really detracts from the tone of the amp - and besides that, you simply don't need it. If you need more gain than what the SLO can give out, what you really need is more practice. This amp will not allow you to play trash guitar and cover your mistakes with harmonically clipped noise. It will bropadcast your errors to the world. The reward is that every properly played note will sing and sustain and have tone for days. It will make you a better player faster than anything else will.

Not quite sure what to say about this. A dealer that I trust the most assures me that the Soldano is a tank. Soldano has a life-time transferable warranty, so I guess they're not worried, which is about the best sign a company offered. Still, my dealer had one cut out while showing it to me, and not I noticed mine might need a little tap on the top to get the full volume to kick in. Frankly, though, I blame that on a tube. These things are hand wired, so there is always room for human error. But because of that, any problem is easily fixed.

Call Soldano for yourself. A real person will answer by the third ring and answer any question you have about your amp, and probably any other metaphysical questions you may be pondering about the meaning of good tone.

When you're ready for the best, and want to give your ears a break from the death-metal tone of the minute, go for the SLO-100. This amp is the amp of choice for any number of 80's metal bands, but don't forget that it is also a mainstay for Clapton and other cleaner acts. It still amazes me how an amp with so few "options" can be made to sound so unique to such a diverse number of styles. It is a quality that you can't find in many of the other amps out there.

Pretty much stated above, its not a control board for a rocket ship nor is it the 2 tone knobs on your guitar. Very well layed out.

Im using a Jackson SL-2H mahogany body with mahogany n/t. With EMG 81/85 pups. This thing sounds incredible you can tell its got the Marshall background, but it has its own voice. The amp is more of a hi-midranged amp with the tone controls all set to 12:00(flat) and for those of you who think you can't get any low end, you must have to turn up your hearing aids a bit more! The amp is so responsive, to every little picking technique, and finger movement. The amp has more than enough gain on tap, and with the gain cranked and the guitar volume down aroud 1 1/2 you get great srv tones. All the controls on the amp are very responsive, no need to crank the knobs half way around to get a noticable tone difference, tiny increments will do enough to make a tone difference. The clean is by far the best clean i have ever heard next to a 66' twin reverb, but thats a fender thing. and if your looking for that fender clean, BUY A FENDER!. I can get the clean to sparkle and shimmer and then get it to be very rich and deep, 3d like. you can also get a great rock n'roll tone just by cranking the preamp on the clean channel. The amp beautifull at low volumes, (room volumes) but wait till you crank, it it will sound amazing. This is a very honest amp if you suck, it'll emphasize it, and because of that this amp has made me work on my technique nad style, overall making me a better player. This amp is perfect for large and small venues, and will fit right into the mix when you want it, and cut right through the mix if you want it. Playing leads on this thing is a pleasure very aggresive sound but creamy, if that makes any sence. If you play just 2 notes, and play them right this amp will make those two notes sound like youve played a whole song. Oh and speaking of noise at high volumes, if you are running effects pedals into the amp the 2 grounds will make noise, easily fixed by removing the one ground and or adding batteries instead of a power sourece. becarefull not remove both grounds or else it can cause electracal shock even deadly shocks. Noise can also depend on pickups, cords, amp placement, and power supply, mine makes slight noise, but not noticable, and what amp doesn't make noise???

You could drop this thing off a ten story bulding TWICE and still go on a full year tour. of course you have to change tubes.

Mike is great talked to him over the phone lots, great guy.

Every body has different opinions on the ideal tone, well this amp is MY holy grail of tone! Very expensive this is worth all the gold and silver in the world

And every time i play it, i get goose bumps.

Time to Jamm

Straight forward. Shared EQ. Not a problem for me, and I wouldn't have it any other way. If you want tons of features get a Line 6 and sound horrible.

I play Rock/fusion a la Tony Macalpine, George Lynch,etc.
It has a refined distortion with its own character. The ampn is very honest and as others have said "If you can't play don't even bother with this amp as it will make you sound worse than you are." This si the best sounding amp I have ever owned. I have owned basically every amp out there and nothing comes close period. If you want the best buy this amp and don't waste your time with anything else.(MESA,MARSHALL,BOGNER). If you still think a Mesa or Marshall sound better than this amp after you play one, go out and sell your guitar because you are tone deaf and can't play anyways.

Basically you could drop it out of a plane and it would still work without a problem.

Lifetime warranty... think about it.
Call Soldano anytime and you will talk to someone who actually designed the damn thing. THE BEST!!!

I have been playing for 25 years. I own or have owned just about everything out there. This is the best amp I have ever heard...
What else is there to say??? If I lost it I would buy another one in a heartbeat. They are so good I own 4. By the way, Mesa Rectifiers and any Marshalls are pieces of shit compared to this amp... Maybe I am a little biased...