Are Soldano's Really THAT Good? (SLO 30)

[@SonicDriveStudio]

So stoked to finally have a Soldano! What are your thoughts? Note: I was having some troubles with the selector switch on my Les Paul as it wasn't working properly. So in some clips the position of the switch doesn't reflect the actual position. The clean clip has the neck pickup, the rest is all bridge.

[@Ningishzidd4]

My thoughts are, I'm going to go broke in no time since I started watching your channel :D

[@adamalexanderray]

Sounds great but pricing is unrealistic for working musicians. Something like the MT15 was very popular because it sounded good and was priced right. If this was the same price as a MT15 they would sell like crazy.

[@strangelet4588]

@@adamalexanderraynot everyone that wants a Porsche has one, but if they sold for the same price as a civic, they’d sell like hotcakes! ;)

[@adamalexanderray]

@@strangelet4588 that’s a great suggestion, you are right, Porsche really should lower the prices so we can all drive them instead of a Honda.

[@adamalexanderray]

@@strangelet4588 on a serious note, the SLO30 sells for about £3000 here in the U.K. You could get six decent tube amps for that money.

[@ianlahaye9476]

Bucket list amp for sure. So glad you finally have one in your collection! Sounds HUGE for being so small. Love me an SLO.

[@LonelyRocker]

Great amp, great tones and a great presentation by a man who knows how to deliver awesome tone...and riffs!

[@prakashkrishnan9646]

Love the chordal colours in that first piece you played! And the notes ring out so clearly despite the heavy distortion!

[@picksalot1]

I like the Soldano Amp in my Modeler. Looking forward to some comparisons between your Soldano and the ones found in Modelers. Thanks

[@AndiKravljaca]

That's how I found out about Soldano. It was the only amp model I liked in my POD XT. So I read up and now I have one!

[@mofomartianp]

I just bought a SLO30 second hand as a late Christmas gift for myself, and the answer is yes. This might be the last (tube) amp I'll ever need.

[@27retrodaze]

I dont have a Soldano head yet, I only have a Soldano pedal, but... I bought a brand new Soldano 412 w/V30's and absolutely love that cab and its not talked about much...

[@NasserSharaf]

Finally ! you got your hands on a SLO - congratulations and as usually great demo. This amp is incredible and I think until one actually plays through a Soldano, it's difficult to convey just how amazing these amps really are. The new Astro 20 is on the very top of my list and I think is a further refinement of the Soldano tone with even more functionality. Looking forward to hearing more great demos from you with this amp. Cheers!

[@jameslatham2655]

Good grief man... The clean thing you played, so frickin pretty. If you haven't already put that in a song you need to. Very tasty and the Soldano is mucho perfecto!

[@riverstone5994]

this channel is the STANDARD. Amazing production and content. Others should take note

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Thank you!

[@smith981]

You're a great riff composer and player, and you're rocking all manner of styles out of my personal go-to amp! Nice work man! I've had my SLO-30 for a year and it's never leaving my studio.

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Thanks!

[@vioreldalia4684]

Got mine paired up with 2 UK vintage 30's and 2 UK vintage green backs in a Marshall 4 X 12 cabinet with pedal effects and I can't even the describe the sounds ... all I can say that it's pure tone heaven for any kind of music I play.

[@michaelrauls4943]

Cool, that's the exact cabinet/ speakers I have and I'm picking up a slow 30 tomorrow so it's great to hear that it's a good combination.

[@mikesallee2509]

Great tone! Always emphasize the importance of the speakers too. Awesome riffs btw! 💥💪

[@johnmiller3804]

Sounds great 👍 I’ve seen a few of your videos, and feel compelled to compliment you on how clean and precise your playing is! And of course your riffs are huge too 👍 Really inspiring to watch Thanks 🙏

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Thanks! :)

[@robertdonosobuchner3129]

Really great sounds. Waiting for the 7 string baritone sounds... 🔥🤘

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Stay tuned ;)

[@rd_rae]

@@SonicDriveStudioCannot wait! 😊Also for the 8 and 9 monsters 👹

[@JimmyLarese]

I have had this same amp for the last 8 months or so, and I absolutely love it. Soldano’s have been my favorite amp company since the 90’s. You got yours sounding fab. I’ll be stoked to hear you use some Greenback IR’s with this bad boy as well. Now we just need to get you a Bogner Ecstasy, and the Uberschall Ultra, and I think you’ve covered it all. Love your videos, channel, and your solo music as well. Killer, Jon! Cheers from Florida.

[@davidcastonguay2927]

Really worth the hype! I'm always stoked by the quality of your riffs, you are a talented guys John.

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Thank you!

[@curtismac17]

Very original riffs! One of the reasons I keep coming back to your channel

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Thanks! :)

[@Kinger1625]

Always wanted one. Eddie thought they were awesome, and built the 5150 to be a very close clone of it, but man these amps rock! IMHO.

[@PistolsPlayground]

My buddy had a custom built SLO-100 with KT66 output tubes built for him back in the day by Mike. Holy shit that amp was insane, his SLO also had the depth mod. As far as classic high gain amps go, I think the SLO was the best. That amp was literally PERFECT, in my opinion.

[@kennoble1479]

I never thought I’d own a soldano! (Surrounded by 50 other amps) lol love your videos btw!

[@SonicDriveStudio]

None of them are Soldano ;)

[@jakestewartmusic]

Hey John, can you please do a video comparing the SLO to the 5150/6505? It's no secret that the 5150 borrowed a LOT from the SLO, so it'd be interesting to get a really in-depth comparison between them, including the clean and crunch channels. There's a surprising lack of comprehensive comparison of the two, particularly on clean and crunch (which are massively underrated sounds in the SLO imo) Also, obviously, some modeler comparisons would be sick as well!

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Definitely planning on doing that

[@jakestewartmusic]

@@SonicDriveStudio Awesome man, can't wait! Congrats on the new amp dude, sounds incredible

[@monsterk7603]

I love my hot rod 50+. Gotta love that Soldano gnarly harmonic mid range girth.

[@paulbaum180]

It’s the first amp I’ve had that I’ll never get rid of.

[@Kinger1625]

I can’t say that…,still need one! 😂❤❤❤

[@martincannavo25]

Amazing video, as always :) Would be nice to see a comparison of the real thing vs helix model

[@TomTomIDx]

What I can hear so far is really impressive. I can well imagine how much fun this AMP must be to play. Envy🤤 Could you play some of the first riffs you played on your PRS MT15 In-depht demo while testing? I love these riffs, especially the riff with the baritone guitar, and would love to hear them on the SLO 30.

[@erickvalencia2016]

You came up with this riffs mate, mind-blowing!!!! Have you ever considered writing for other ( well stablished) bands? I'm sure there's lots of dough to be made there, anyway, fantastic day video as always

[@Relayer6a]

The clean with the neck pickup has that "piano" type tone that a lot of people really find desirable.

[@paulbradshawguitar]

Hi Jon, really happy to see you get this amp, it's still on my bucket list =) huge tones just a quick question on Cab IRs, how do you pick which ones to go with each amp/tones ? thanks

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Simple answer: I just try a few and see what works best :)

[@gerrydaly5409]

Great tones. You seem to use that Gibson Les Paul Custom a lot in your videos- it sounds great. Can I please ask is it actually tuned down to drop C sharp all the time, or do you just use your Digitech pedal to drop the tuning?

[@SonicDriveStudio]

I never artificially detune my guitars

[@gerrydaly5409]

@@SonicDriveStudio thanks for your reply

[@raytorvalds3699]

Holy smokes, that sounds really good! \m/ Also, that LP Custom 😍

[@brandonmessmer5102]

Great demo, tones, creativity and playing, sir! Saw the link via TGP thread. Which do you prefer overall now that you've demoed the SLO 30 and the Astro 20?

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Comparison coming tomorrow!

[@threadoflife]

10:30 metal chugs is what I came for it’s so silky smooth I’m so glad I have this amp love it! You’ve inspired me to go play it! 😂

[@1949]

Gotta be honest: for the money I'd rather have either one of the ENGL's in the background. Love the saturated distortion of the Soldano, but I don't think it justifies the price tag in the current market.

[@LPMojoGL]

Been thru too many amps. Love my SLO100.

[@jonathanarnold2225]

I am stoked to buy the ToneX pack 🤩

[@WombatStudioOrg]

Tons (and I mean tons) of videos comparing SLO30 to SLO100 (I've watched them all) and only ONE made up my mind to go with the SLO100. There's an interview with Mike Soldano at the beginning and then a comparison at the end. v=lUL3G9pjVO8

[@nobodyimportant76467]

I grabbed an Astro 20 - it’s fantastic. Maybe someday I’ll pick up an SLO 30 IFF it’s a good deal. Regardless, for me personally Soldano is THE sound

[@SonicDriveStudio]

The Astro seems amazing!

[@nobodyimportant76467]

Definitely worth a try! I don’t have an SLO to compare it to so I guess I’ll have to fix that, eh? 😂

[@synonyx]

Truth be told, I own both and prefer my Astro 20 w/ red back speaker. Much more versatile. 4 galaxies of tone. The clean channel is much better on the Astro too. I’ll prolly sell my SLO30 and keep the Astro.

[@SonicDriveStudio]

I should be getting my Astro this weekend....

[@synonyx]

@@SonicDriveStudio look forward to your thoughts on the two! I personally think the Astro can do anything the SLO can.

[@GinoGenero]

Speaking of the roots of high gain amps, maybe you could get your hands on the Rivera Knuckle Head sometime. I'd love to hear it compared to the more modern high gain amps.

[@Kinger1625]

Wow! That sounds great. They always do. ❤

[@incitatus634]

How does it compare to your ENGLs? I'm a diehard Engl fan, I love their tightness, never played something more articulated, not even Diezel!

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Will do comparisons

[@erikhernandez2990]

So awesome!! Not gonna lie i’ve been looking at at astro 20 and kraken mk2 amps lately.

[@YsAbTones]

Cool little amp what guitar cables are you using ?

[@AndiKravljaca]

Congrats Jon! My SLO-30 came about three years ago and I haven't looked back since. In fact I bought a rackmount Soldano preamp just to have access to two more channels. The overdrive is 'what it says on the box' but the secret weapon for me is the crunch setting of the normal channel. As I said, no GAS in three years must mean something!

[@Professional.Bro.777]

Gotta love the 6l6s!!

[@MaxPowersTastyTones]

I definitely need one of those someday in my life. But I‘m aiming for the 100 watt version. At least at the moment. Which of your amps is the closest to this one? If there even is any…

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Probably the Wangs HD-30 but I need to compare them

[@MaxPowersTastyTones]

@@SonicDriveStudio sounds interesting. Please do so, if the time is right. 🫶🏻

[@ismaeldiaz7978]

Yes they are! My SLO 30 is my favorite

[@jdubbs9655]

Looking forward to more! Also, still looking forward to more videos on the Kreative Devices machine. I know you mention ML Drums but what do you use for your Bass tracks? "Keep Doing That Voodoo That You Do!"

[@Chillnote]

Soldanos always sound very smooth to me, would you recommend a speaker with more high end treble for them?

[@SonicDriveStudio]

V30s work well

[@EchoApexFirstEcho]

Great tube amp but I would make sure you have a noise gate IMP. I’ve had a couple of these and returned the first one because the noise floor was too high for my tastes. Not enough to stop me from buying one I should add.🙌(🙌=Too Much Metal for One Hand⚡️)

[@SonicDriveStudio]

The noise floor on mine is fine

[@Filterbear]

What about the SLO pedal😊?

[@towerpower]

It really does seem like it sounds killer! But I must admit there is one issue with your channel.. Everything you make sounds just so F****g good and it is hard to know if it's really and outstanding amp or the Jon Factor... hahah Keep up the good work. And like others said, bucket list amp for sure!

[@blksteve11]

Suffering from success

[@andyblakely7576]

Killer amp! Are you going to do a comparison to the wangs hd-30?

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Yes

[@andyblakely7576]

@@SonicDriveStudio awesome, that’s what I’m hoping for! I love my hd-30, and now have a synergy setup with the slo module. Both are great and sound pretty similar. Can’t wait to see your comparison.

[@Patrick-rf7vx]

would love to hear it compared to yout VH2. found a video online where these 2 were really close.

[@riccardomaiwald5926]

Great as Always my Dude. What Strings are you using in this LP CUSTOM? Pretty af this guitar. Greetings.

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Elixir 10s

[@riccardomaiwald5926]

@@SonicDriveStudio to 52?

[@tadgoodman]

Sounds great. Would love to see how it compares to your Wangs HD-30 if you still have it.

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Definitely planning on comparing them

[@rhapsodygd]

@@SonicDriveStudio Can't wait to see that!

[@djentlover]

I like this but aaah I would have loved to hear an example with a boost pedal

[@SonicDriveStudio]

It will happen

[@Rob-qr2kn]

SLO 30 or ENGLE Fireball 25 ?

[@krailanuar]

Always Legendary Soldano Have Signature Sound

[@the_red_channel]

It's definitely on my list... and probably the next one I'd buy, actually 😂

[@StompboxMods]

I compared both the MT-15 and a SLO30. The MT-15 is highly influenced by the SLO. The MT-15 has less power, a little less low end thump overall due to there being no depth knob, but the tones are very close! You can hear the influence. The SLO was louder, more midrange on tap, bigger bottom end, and had a clearer less compressed tone overall, BUT when I tried to use my overdrive pedals with the desired amp settings l dialed in, I got tons of noise and feedback. It was damn near uncontrollable with my semi hollowbody guitar and very frustrating to say the least. I redialed, did multiple change ups with pedal settings etc. and I just couldn’t get it to sound good! At the end of my tests I was pretty astounded how the MT-15 stacked up to the SLO… The MT-15 still gives me everything from Warren Haynes to Alter Bridge tones. Maybe it’s the extra filtering in this amp, but all my overdrives and everything I throw at it holds strong to the note with articulation-and it doesn’t feed back uncontrollably or have hiss and noise emitting everywhere. Even though I could’ve kept the SLO, I had to be objective, and honest with myself…I couldn’t justify keeping it. The SLO on its own is great. It’s badass amp no doubt-I can’t take anything away from it. But, I just want people to know the MT-15 is a killer, no brainer alternative. If you throw a 7 band eq in the loop you can boost the low end even more, or increase the mids to sound damn near identical to the SLO. You can get that SLO tone at a fraction of the price. Goes to show that Tremonti and PRS made a really quality amp. Just wanted to share my personal experience and opinions on this. If you’re dreaming for a SLO…you might find a few drawbacks even after spending 3xs the money.

[@enginerd27]

What’s the purpose of the dampener at the nut and bridge?

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Unwanted resonances

[@irondaza]

Sounds good. I only liked the high gain metal sound, but I hear it quite generic, I don't feel it's on the top side

[@Dan-vb7lz]

ML sound labs soldano when?

[@DerSilvano]

fr

[@SteveBaerThatsMe]

Sure the amp sounds great, but these riffs are very creative. Came here for the review, stayed for the playing.

[@jetvanderkrogt679]

Awesome!

[@DigitalDistortedGuitars]

Which audio monitors u preffer for metal mix'es?

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Adam A77H

[@Nsypski]

The metal tone sound gave me Reinkaos vibes

[@moonlight-reveals]

Sounds not bad at all, though to me Engl SE FE is miles ahead when it comes to metal tones. One can say it's a different flavor though and would be right :-)

[@Tanax13]

Awesome amp for sure! But the price here in Europe is kinda outrageous >.

[@SonicDriveStudio]

I know, that's why the 30 was more appealing to me

[@jayou812a]

bought an soldano astro 20 awesome capabilities

[@David01.d]

Randall rm100?

[@harshgarrett]

I honestly think a digital recreation of an slo 100 would sound better than a tube slo 30. just my experience from playing a 100 watt evh vs the 50 watt versions. the 100 watt has a lot more oomph, hard to put into words, but you can hear and feel the difference.

[@RezqRabbitVT]

The 50 watt 5150s are designed and tweaked differently than the 100 watt versions. The SLO 30 is an exact copy of the 100 minus 2 power tubes. You'd be surprised at how close they both are

[@Aeon_Electronics]

I've built a clone of the SLO 100 some time ago and I was pretty disappointed with the "overdrive" channel. But this is only personal expectations: I always thought that this would be a high gain (metal) amp. But it is not. It has a beautiful crunch and a good rock lead tone, but nothing metal. Of course you CAN play metal on it, since it is a wide term and you can always boost it. But for the price (if bought new) I am not that satisfied. Most KZbin videos are misleading about the amount of gain :/

[@SonicDriveStudio]

This one has a ton of gain on tap

[@aidanoliver8209]

Try a Fender Prosonic. The thing breathes fire and is relatively unknown.

[@NobotyBoi]

How much does this little guy cost???

[@SuperWaxer]

Best amp ever. Full stop. Change my mind 😂

[@alexanderbonnet3494]

Why Not a Simulation Software for Studio stuff??? Instead of hundred of amps…???

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Because Tube Amps Rule!

[@alexanderbonnet3494]

@@SonicDriveStudio Ruin your wallet

[@KreativeDevices]

🔥

[@Oijadt]

Yes, it is.

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Oh yeah

[@Burkhimself]

I’ve owned 2 hot Rod 50’s, an SP-77 preamp…had a minor mod on it, also a Myasnikov SLO preamp and they are killer. I’m sure you’re aware of the story of how Mesa ripped off the design and basically a dual rec is a poor man’s slo with a lesser hi-fi power amp…..🤘🏼

[@MarcusW87]

You make it sound good, but I’m 99% sure I wouldn’t get along with it if not boosted (also not a fan of Rectifiers).

[@smith981]

As one who owns this amp, I'd say this can't be the case-- unless you're doing drop-tuned djent maybe. Even then, all those guys use heavy gates.

[@SonicDriveStudio]

It's not as loose as most Rectos but it takes boosts really well

[@MarcusW87]

@@smith981 I’d really like to be wrong, but taking the asking price in account I’ll probably never find out 😂. I have a Peavey 5150II, Marshall JVM205H and an ENGL Powerball II and I have 0 desire to buy more amps to be completely honest.

[@Solidsaw]

hey man, love your content but gotta have to let you know something, I dont know whether or not its your mixing settings or the drums you use or whatever else, every demo you put out sounds extremely similiar, (tone, sound, feel, etc) regardless of the amps / guitars.

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Well, of course certain things in my mixes are very constant (and on purpose) like the drums and bass. It's often literally the same mix, settings etc. Not always but often. It leaves room for you to hear the differences in the guitar tones. I always hear pretty significant differences between the amps, cabs and guitars. Some people can't hear that and that's fine. Many people can though

[@Custoid]

Yes.

[@kagunmarx5914]

Nice

[@belligerentamateur]

oh yes, she nice.

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Vewwy nice

[@ericskinner7355]

After hearing all the hype, I spent the big bucks and got one. It's a good amp, but not very versatile. All of the overdriven tone is from the preamp. The power amp only makes it louder, and doesn't have any noticable difference on the sound. Basically like having a decent distortion pedal built in. The new Astro looks a lot more versatile.

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Most modern amps have the tone coming from the preamp. However, the poweramp definitely does something when you push it, and deliberately. It could have been a 50w amp but Mike turned it down so that you get a nice squish when you push the poweramp (kind if like the van halen voltage thing).

[@ericskinner7355]

@@SonicDriveStudio I only notice a volume difference. It is very loud for a 30 watt amp.

[@Buica-4]

Yes yes yes

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Yes

[@jconner3891]

How,much different than th3 slo and 5150

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Very different

[@shreder75]

It doesn't cost like a small amp, either :p

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Haha nope

[@morbidcorpse5954]

Play without the backing track.

[@SonicDriveStudio]

No

[@shreder75]

@@SonicDriveStudio lol

[@MangoMeoww]

Soldanos are great but cost too much imo. Not worth the price.

[@DownDeepFishing]

If i had 3k to spend on an amp it wouldnt be this one i can promise you that.

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Ok

[@DownDeepFishing]

@SonicDriveStudio love your channel, buddy. Just being real. You have a ton of different amps and if I had to pick one. It wouldn't be this one. Not being Snarky. But 3k for a 30 watt amp? Engle, Boogie, peavey, so many to choose from. It would be tough for sure. Your guitar playing is stellar. I think you could make a gorilla amp sound good to be honest. Lol. Keep Rocking out the content, brother.

[@SonicDriveStudio]

@DownDeepFishing we all have different tastes and preferences! A year ago I wouldn't even have bought a Soldano so I understand :)

[@DownDeepFishing]

@SonicDriveStudio just a thought on a video. On my previous comment, try to find a cheap amp and make it sound good. I think with your guitar playing ability you could pull it off. Using a Guitar pedal or EQ to shape the sound. I would watch that video in a heartbeat. I don't think k I would be alone on that idea. 👍

[@DownDeepFishing]

@SonicDriveStudio Great comment back by the way. Not argumentiive or abrasive. Your good at what you do my friend. You have to take the not so great comments and turn them into a fun and positive response back. Kudos 👏

[@svenhanke3251]

Mezzabarba is better…..😁

[@raytorvalds3699]

I so want a Mezzabarba M-Zero Overdrive. Expensive, though.

[@johnk9762]

​rraytorvalds369 you are right the mzero overdrive is expensive but once you play it you'll know exactly why it costs what it does. I took the chance and bought it and I've never regreted it. It's definitely worth saving for.

[@raytorvalds3699]

@@johnk9762 Thank you for your reply. I bet it's definitely worth it. Have fun with that sick amp! \m/

[@spectre3492]

Sounds like an amp

[@paulrib86]

Daddy of Peavey 5150(6505). Well mesa rectifier little bit.

[@danmills8521]

It’s not fkn worth 3k!!! Maybe 1500 the most! I own this amp, but it’s going BACK for a Mesa Mark 7!

[@its_Kris]

agreed. good idea

[@jaykay0401]

Id get a friedman.

[@woody2669]

and the mesa is how much?

[@famousforever8556]

I disagree. The Soldano KILLS anything Mesa has to offer imo. Still gives me goosebumps.

[@MrWilly2204]

Bull. It’s worth every penny. Don’t hate just bc you’re cheap.