Soldano Mini and SLO-30 - They Don't Get Much Better Than This Dream Amp!

[@andertons]

I really loved doing this video. It makes me realise just how much I love Eric Claptons playing, especially how much the 80s stuff influenced me while I was learning to play. As much as I love many other players, I guess Eric will always be no1 for me. Cheers, Lee

[@Fret-knot]

Well, he is God, so it makes sense.

[@wildeyedherman3102]

When I heard the opening solo, Lee, I thought to myself…”damn, he sounds like Clapton! The mannerisms are all there…” Nicely done. Someday I’ll tell ya the story about meeting Clapton’s half brother, Edward Fryer. 🤣🤣🤣

[@richfahey]

My first real concert was Eric Clapton in 85 on his Behind the Sun tour. He was on fire at that show. I’ve seen him several times since but nothing has been as good as that show. I think he felt like he had something to prove or some emotions to exorcise on that tour.

[@setra23]

Shame he's a racist, anti-science/fact moron.

[@steved1099]

I am with you there Lee... I have been playing 35 years and listened to many MANY players. But always come full circle to EC and I can never escape his influence on my playing. Phil palmer put it all into perspective when you Interviewed him. Phil has seen it ALL and was in awe of EC's playing (eg badge) compared to the widdle stuff. I must have played Journeyman to death (that and holy mother from August) and from the cradle as a youngster 😁😁

[@MattMitrisMGM]

Proud SLO 30 owner here. No other amp has made me want to play guitar more, it’s incredibly inspiring and versatile. Tone that makes you smile.

[@AndiKravljaca]

Same! Had mine for over a year now and I'm still not okay. Amazing sound.

[@stratrat57]

But the $$$$$$!

[@MattMitrisMGM]

@@stratrat57 All the reason to appreciate it more my dear. Do yourself a favor and part with some of your fun coupons.

[@stevestevens1457]

Even more proud pre-BAD SLO-100 owner here 😁

[@Mujcanal]

Is ok for home playing ?

[@jeffjohnson3785]

Look at Pete's reactions at 18:00 and 18:34. He has just had a Soldano moment. Those amps truly make you smile. You will never plug into an amp that will make you feel any better. You will hear the best tone you ever produced. I highly recommend them.

[@0megalul309]

a wizard does it too.

[@ericwarrington6650]

The Captain absolutely tore it up on the intro! And u knew it when he was jumping right out of his seat at the end..! Awesome job guys..love to see u feeling it..🤘😜🎸💪❤️🔥

[@benlogan430]

I’m not usually doctor high praise, but it’s time has come. The Captain is an excellent role model for guitar playing and as a business person. Showing that Hard work, perseverance, humility, integrity and positivity bring rewards. If you keep with things they get better and better with time. You guys are refreshing in a world of the braggadocio show offs.

[@deplinenoise]

Well said!

[@stoneysdead689]

Ppl "show off" because they think that if they want ppl to watch their videos, to want to learn from them- then they have to be seen as the best player. I get it, I don't think it works that way but- I can see why they would expect it to. The truth is though- ppl seem to care more about liking you and being entertained than they do your skill level. The guys who figure that out- like Phil, Captain, etc.- do well.

[@disco4535]

Lmaooo they're literally salesmen. Literally. Have you ever seen them badmouth anything in these videos, or say they sound bad? Hmmm, I wonder why? And I am not in anyway insulting them. This is their job. And it's our responsibility as consumers to try things ourselves to see what is actually good

[@stoneysdead689]

@@disco4535 Actually- maybe you should watch more often, they say bad stuff about gear all the time. They don't dog on it- they just say things like "I don't prefer this tone." or "You can get this same thing cheaper." etc., etc. They coined the phrase "jafod"- "just another f67cking over drive"- to explain to us how most overdrives sound alike and aren't in anyway special- so we should just get the cheapest one or- look for the few that do have something special about them. You couldn't be more wrong buddy- maybe next time watch before you speak.

[@disco4535]

@@stoneysdead689 I've only been watching for 7 years. They never bad mouth anything. Even the cheap stuff. What's funny is all the praise they gave the Katana in that video, and then Pete in this one mentions people "buying an expensive guitar and then buying a Katan, like cheap tires on a Ferrari". All good. I'd do the same things if I was a salesmen.

[@sdy30]

I just bought a SLO 30 (from Andertons). I know there’s always a honeymoon phase with any new gear, but wow, just wow! Instant rock crunch, amazing clean tone and unbelievable high gain awesomeness! Apparently, it’s difficult to find a bad setting! I’ve been lucky enough to have many of the ‘classic’ high-end amps over the years. None of them have given the instant ‘wow’ quite like this one. I’m just grinning every time I play it. It’s making me want to go and play guitar more. I can’t gush about it enough! I’ll see how I feel about it in 6 months, but currently my instinct is telling me it’s a keeper!

[@joedelmonte4079]

You guys play better and better together every time you do videos like this. Really cool!

[@guitardave]

Excellent - I was hoping someone would do a side by side of the SLO 30 and SLO Mini. Thanks guys!

[@Sticky_Tea]

Euge Valovirta also did one, great channel 👍🏻

[@guitardave]

@@Sticky_Tea yeah, seen it - been subscribed to his channel for a few months now, some great content on there.

[@joshcarter617]

Dude Lee’s chops have gotten so good. It’s inspired me to get some good practice in today.

[@azizaziz7007]

The Opening Jam blew me away. The tone and rhythm were on point.

[@nathanielvargas3863]

Warren Haynes is the reason I started wanting a Soldano

[@leehanley9149]

Same here 👍

[@charles9487]

The SLO-mini is essentially identical to the Friedman, Diezel and Bogner mini amps. They’re all the same size, same specs, same price, have the same effects loop and back panel layout and are all marketed as mini high gain amps with a lower gain mode. Also, all four brands are owned by Boutique Amps Distribution. Would be an interesting shootout to see what the differences actually are between the four.

[@stratrat57]

I'm wanting either the SLO or Diezel. Side by side comparison would be sweet. I follow George Lynch's style....he's played both of those brands.

[@joesmith8398]

Most likely all four are manufactured overseas in the same factory.

[@stevestevens1457]

Wait, BAD bought Diezel and Bogner too?

[@Muddybagclean]

Anybody know where they are made? I assume all made in the same factory.

[@WhatsUpWhitey]

Our local guitar store had a used SLO 100 back a few years ago. Oh my gosh. I have never heard/felt a guitar amp sound like that before. It was truly an experience.

[@DarthPreamp]

Mike Soldano said that the mini has the same circuit as the larger SLO except that it uses transistors in the place of where the tubes are placed.

[@brunoantony9257]

Tried an SLO 30 for the first time a few days ago and I was shocked by how great it sounded. Never played a Soldano before and now I want one.

[@pekkyas]

I've been watching this channel for a million years, probably first time leaving a comment, sorry guys! That thing Capt started playing at 38:26 made me instantly smile! So, groovy! Thank you very much for that : )

[@AlexH8280]

I appreciate the demo of the mini, the sound with the master cranked was unexpected. And wow does it sounds good.

[@PhillipCalvin627]

I am pretty sure Clapton used a JCM800 boosted by a Boss HM-2 primarily on Behind the Sun, a Sessionette 75 on August, and ended up with a Soldano on Journeyman through Mark Knofler, and retired Blackie for his Famous First Signature Strat with the Lace Sensors and 25db midboost and through the touring cycle that included 24 Nights. I think the Fender Dual Showman was also almost ever present from Blind Faith through the late 80's for some live tones. I love all of his guitar tones but Journeyman has got to be top five for me. Great playing in that intro guys. Way to show how incredible these amps (And those Guitars) are.

[@neil.HobbyPositive]

Pete’s face when crunch mode was engaged. Priceless.

[@francoislouw181]

Gary used the SLO on the Crunch mode. turned his volumes down for clean. boosted it with a tube screamer for solos.

[@AndiKravljaca]

17:48 - that's what this amp does best. Great cleans, great overdrive, but the crunch mode is absolutely world class.

[@stevestan6525]

Btw, I strongly recommend some sort of studio headphones (they don't have to be pricey) to get accurate sound when listening to these awesome videos. Great stuff, Andertons, keep on rocking!

[@thomasfokas]

How could you possibly forget Eddie Van Halen which is probably Mike’s best story.

[@Caged63Man]

You mean Steve Lukather...whom was the first killer artist that was given this amp and just had to tell the rest of the guitar universe this amazing amp tone!

[@marcpinion]

This is most noticeable on the LP. The LP is not muddy it just sounds fantastic.

[@clownhands]

I bought an SLO100 two years ago. Finest guitar amp I’ve ever played.

[@jimiraybeckton]

Excellent video! I’m an SLO-30 owner and user, and you guys really did it well! And now I’ll soon be an SLO Mini owner as well! Cheers 🍻

[@guitardave]

How do you find the mini compares? Can you get it to sound the same if you run it through the SLO-30 power section?

[@jimiraybeckton]

@@guitardave I’d say tonally it’s 95% there. But there’s always something about what the power section of an amp does that really can’t be replicated. The sound “atoms” just do something a little different to the ears haha. But ya, with very similar settings it gets 90-95% there, tonally

[@guitardave]

@@jimiraybeckton that’s good to know, have you tried running the fx send from the Mini to the fx return of the SLO-30, so the Mini is going through a tube power section? I wonder if they’d sound closer doing that.

[@jimiraybeckton]

@@guitardave I haven’t. I might give that a shot though!

[@guitardave]

@@jimiraybeckton if you do I’d love to hear your thoughts on it afterwards :-) I really want to get a SLO-30 but I just can’t afford it, so I’m wondering about the Mini running through the power section of my existing EVH 5150.

[@NINEWALKING]

Check out what amp Mesa Boogie copied when making their Dual rectifier amps. Might be quite interesting. Mike was and is the original as it gets.

[@effess8698]

Man, that is a great sounding piece of equipment. Hearing Pete play Parisienne Walkways was unexpected but it sounded awesome.

[@przemyslaw1235]

I miss Gary Moore🥺he was just wow,pure emotion,fire and soul.

[@bassplayer2011ify]

Yes the SLO came before the 5150. EVH used an SLO on For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge album as he was prototyping the 5150.

[@ChrisRash]

My favorite EVH tone

[@MrBLU80]

@@ChrisRash Me too.

[@rkseventyfour]

@@ChrisRash me too

[@elimg.3684]

That Gary Moore and BB King recording is an aboslute masterpiece, easily a candidate for most epic guitar recording ever! It's been one of my favourites for a while now.

[@jaimzhuda]

Awesome vid! Many thanks to the folks at Andertons music!

[@nedcollie9136]

I saw EC at the round house in 1991 as a 3 piece with Phil Collins and Greg. He played for around 10 minutes on stage on his own with his cranked and dimed SLO 100 wow !! You could tell he was channeling Jimi..

[@nordicomsystems8841]

Wow Lee, I've been watching forever and your solo skills have really improved! Way to go man.

[@tonictonetomrockstar1931]

Pete needs to learn some Ratt and Dokken riffs for these higher gain amp videos.

[@ChrisM-ne4bc]

I am also a huge Clapton fan. For me Journey man, unplugged waa my earlier education then my ultimate was from the cradle. Where I first noticed the Soldano super powered Blues. With his signature stratocaster's as well as vintage ES-335 Absolutely love that tone

[@SharpEdgeStandardOfficial]

I’m a Soldano SLO30 owner. Had it for 1 month and it’s going back for a Mesa MkVII. Slo30 is cool if u like the classic rock thing with a little extra charge in it but that’s about it

[@Mark_Ocain]

I owned a Soldano SLO 100 back in the early 90's...it was a real 'paint peeler'..ridiculously loud. I had trouble finding places and occasions deserving of it's use LOL

[@serhiikravchenko7805]

Pete's tele sounds amazing. Tasty jam guys. Thanks

[@CarloRegadasGuitar]

I keep fantasising about a Lee Jackson / Metaltronix mini head. One can but dream... Great video guys and ripping tones! Carlo 👍🏼🎸

[@asbury29]

I thought "Dirty Boulevard" era Lou Reed before you even mentioned him as a user -- the Soldano amp has a very distinctive character, more than I would've guessed. Great demo, guys!

[@EasyHeat]

Ok. Freakin' Hell's Bells!! That may just be the best sounding mini solid state amp I've ever heard?! Definitely a potential studio ace up the sleeve show stopper IMO.🤯 Me most seriously wanty. I must haves the mini. Wowzerz.😯 Best demo yet chaps! Especially within the most recent YT deluge, and a much shorter to boot!🙃 Triple Lindy!!! WooHoo!

[@Kevin20ftw]

Great opening jam guys!

[@IamMusicNerd]

I realize that traditionalist will always say the greatest amps of all time is either Marshall, Fender, or Vox. But if Soldano had existed in the 60s, I think people would definitely be giving it consideration as the greatest amp ever made. It is truly incredible.

[@bassplayer2011ify]

Soldano came about pretty much the same way Boogie did. Michael Soldano started as an amp modder, the original SLOs were based on the Boogie Mark 2. The reason it never took off is because Saldano was basically a one man operation up until recently. And they were basically used as studio weapons through out the 90s along with the Boogie Mark 2c+ and Mark 3.

[@trevor4533]

The only ones that would say those 3 are the greatest amps are boomers, and those that haven't tried many amps lol. The Trainwreck Express is probably the greatest amp ever made.

[@frankiewalnuts]

Best intro solo you guys have ever done

[@kapers5772]

I agree with Lee, if you got that amp you have to respect it and use its own overdrive

[@sevendblackjem]

Great demo guys and the Captain just keeps getting better! 🎸💯

[@TheOligoclonalBand]

I always wanted a Soldano but I don't have the space or use for the big ones. But this Mini or the Synergy Module just might do the trick, paired with something like a Torpedo CAB. Thanks for the video, I enjoyed it very much, especially the obvious Clapton vibes. Clapton from the Captain!

[@Dor_Cohen1]

Man the mini one sounds crazy!! Sounds better than the big one to my ear!

[@geoffreywalls4093]

I love my custom finish SLO-30. Such a beast

[@ivorharden]

Soldanos are seriously nice amps. You can play any genre on them. Little known Fact, whilst Mike Soldano was repairing Eddie Van Halen's Plexi Eddie borrowed a SLO100 and fell in love with it. It was then used on For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge album and as the basis for the Peavey 5150.

[@crsantin]

Eddie actually purchased two of them from Mike Soldano. One was a purple tolex. He played it live at the Cabo Wabo gig. You can watch the boots on KZbin and you’ll see it on stage.

[@ivorharden]

@@crsantin and now Danish Pete has a purple a slo30.

[@AnyoneSeenMikeHunt]

Andertons have the best shipping prices to Au I've seen from any UK company. WELL DONE! (Most UK and US small business are hopeless at international shipping and the prices are drop dead outrageous)

[@MrSpeed-lt8gr]

Captain I love hearing you that rendition of Badge at the beginning. Awesome, sir

[@myway9128]

Pete's purple tele makes every amp sound great.

[@TheBlackStrat502]

Get it, Lee!! Great job, guys

[@AndyK.23]

Man that SLO 30 kicks ass! Great sounding amp!

[@thewindsorproject796]

Just curious... Why not use an A/B/Y switch on a stereo cab to demo both amps? ie A - Soldano SLO 100, B - SLO mini, Y ... Would it be easier to tone match them together?

[@davidyoung1962]

that strat is just beautiful

[@markyp4262]

I’m Sold 👌🎵❤ never heard anything as good as this amp & I’ve just only recently stumbled across Soldano amplifiers in a pre amp rabbit hole search on here 👌😜🤪

[@highdollaslimjim1509]

I’m going to be the oddball and say I think the mini sounds better. But both sound great. You could get a MXR 10 band and use it to bump the specific low frequency that the SLO30 has more of and get them even closer. :)

[@EamonBJWyse]

I must've watched Clapton Live at the Royal Albert Hall a hundred times.

[@davidr5250]

You obtained your top merit badge with the intro

[@dpault]

Literally just had an opportunity a couple weeks ago to play through a SLO-30 at a local guitar shop. It was simply the best amp I've ever played, both clean and overdriven. Hoping to get a kidney up for sale here soon. ;-)

[@neilhanks]

Wow! That mini slo sounds surprisingly good. I can’t believe it doesn’t have any chubes in it. Great video 👍

[@themigwel6185]

That intro was really good guys.

[@johnjgibson6807]

Very Impressive knowing Eric Clapton’s Sound was coming from this amp makes Me want more, I just purchased THE CREAM DRIVE Because I Love that Eric Clapton Sound 👍👍🎶🎶🎸Would Love to hear a Demo of that pedal with Your take on His Sound.

[@houseofshred3725]

43:18 It's like someone started playing bass. The 30 sounds fantastic!

[@che2335]

Modelers will never replicate the plasma oozing thru the tubes as hot as the sun!

[@taddB2010]

Great job guys. Love it

[@nilskirschlager9345]

A footswitch option would make the mini that much more practical, even if only used as a practice amp. Not a great idea to save on that end when it already has an fx loop included.

[@killacoiler1707]

If I had to describe the sound of the 30 it would be what you get if you had a 3 way love triangle between an AC 30, Marshall JCM 800, and a Bogner Alchemist. The responsiveness of that amp is simply insane! Its tonal range seems to have all bases covered and no real shortcomings anywhere. They should call it the Soldano Do-all 30. I cannot believe how exquisite the crunch and drive channels are on that thing! I used to think that when it came to onboard Overdrive channels that the Crate Blue Voodoo was the best I had heard but Holy M.O.G this thing is stellar. Moving on to the mini; with the LP running through it I have to say it would be a fantastic choice for someone looking to do AC/DC covers. I use very high quality audiophile headphones and would be interested how it sounds live but that little bugger has some seriously valvey sounding tones to it and definitely is down with the business. To that I have to say not all solid state amplifiers are created equal and even when they are not primarily looking to be a modeling or valve emulating amplifier in function some of them are built to such a quality that to an untrained ear there is minimal discernable difference in tone if any. The mini IMO has that character if you play with the EQ a bit. Thanks for sharing now I need to start saving my butt off to get a Soldano Do-All 30 lol!

[@Hesohi]

I always smile when I am doing something else but listening to the Jam and I hear a tasty nice riff, then turn around to find out it’s Lee. It would be easy to just sit back and let Pete, Rebea or Chapman do the gunslinging. Captain can swing his own axe with the best.

[@young__blacksmith]

Oh my god that intro JAM. Aye aye Captain. Aye aye 🫡 Edit: Also listening to Pete play makes me want to pick up my guitar and practice hahaha

[@Steedonline]

EVH played on a SLO and it became the basis for the 5150

[@JKM395]

That Mini is surprisingly good. I'd love to use one as a second amp in my rig. It would sound great beside my Peavey Classic 30.

[@gsbguitarsgsb679]

I really wish I would have bought a slo 100 back before they reached the 2 grand mark. The price was ridiculous back then and even more so now. Dumble is even worse. Who woulda thought we would be at this insane amounts of money for gear and everything else as well. That amp sounds sooooooooooo good…

[@mrredritehand]

That little Slo sounds killer!

[@texasbootlegger3752]

Great video and awesome amps!

[@brrblack497]

Gary Moore's solo in the cover of Shapes of Things is a real barn burner. Probably in the top 10 solos from the 80's imo. Love to have that 30! Yes, I quit getting guitars and on a quest for amps!

[@j.reveille6815]

Live version on we want Moore is legend status.

[@sourav2328]

what a beautiful strat that is !

[@Paul-D]

sounded unreal tbf but all i could think when you played the LP was man that is an EXPENSIVE tone haha

[@harshtruth9148]

I got the neural SLO 100….such a good plug-in

[@addieandleesfunplayaddiean7325]

I’m a big Clapton fan and a lifetime professional player on stage and studio. I have used nothing but the Clapton Strats since 1993. I’ve seen EC a bunch of times since the 1970s in concert. The Clapton SLO Soldano years are far superior to his others in terms of tone and beautiful sustain. The Fender amps he has been paid to endorse the last few decades are disappointing compared to the Soldano EC era. Money talks! And Fender has plenty of money. I had the SLO 100 and it and the Soldano 4x12 cab were just too much for me to carry to gigs and really more than I needed for the gigs and studio sessions. But, I settled for the Soldano tone and crunch channels I love so much by using a Soldano Reverbosonic 2x12 50 watts combo amp and I love it. The ROS has been my go to amp for the last 20 years. I know Mike Soldano and when I told him how much I love the ROS 50 he told me he designed the ROS for himself so he could more easily take the SLO on a smaller scale for the jams he would play at the clubs. But lately, need it or not, the SLO 30 is looking like it’s going to be in my possession very soon! Thanks for the fantastic in-depth review/demonstration! I will be getting that SLO 30. Tone, tone tone…beautiful cleans and that incredible crunch and it fits the Clapton Strats like a hand in glove! Great job, guys!

[@viperBSG]

The Les Paul sounded so good through that amp, WOW!!

[@alessandrorossini8704]

22:12, that Pete's face when he likes a piece of gear... 😁

[@Triple3hot]

The captain owned the intro solo

[@JeffLynnGuitar]

That is the best opening jam so far

[@tah5w]

Uhhh, of course EVH played them. The developments with Peavy and subsequent EVH lines were basically copied then modified from Mike's original gain staging circuit/structure

[@SeanDS89]

5:41 when Pete said "Morgan" I thought he was making a Morgan Freeman joke lol shows u what I know 😂

[@drv4859]

I was listening to this video through laptop speakers until they started to play. Headphones on when Pete starts playing.

[@officialWWM]

I love how tight these amps sound!

[@adiohead]

Daniel Johns used Soldano Hot Rod 100s with Silverchair.

[@gpdaelemans]

Love my SLO-30!

[@snakeplissken6649]

Here's a video suggestion for you. Take all the various "premium" mini amps & do a comparison to see if there's actually any difference.

[@Pulse2AM]

I have Amplitube 5 with the SLO 100. Any tips from owners how to get tones out of it? I made some but I think it probably has better than what I made.

[@repomanband]

something wierd about the mini... probably how the cab is miked?

[@notarealperson87]

Lee's dead right, whatever you listen around the age of 15ish sticks with you for life. to this day, no matter what genre i play, i compare all of my tones to Mark Tremonti's cleans and distortions. haha, im such a dork.

[@slawsonscot]

Think the strat is a pre-2008 due to the bridge saddles. Looks and sounds great!

[@SomeKindOfMadman]

The “Sexy Danish Pete and his Magical Purple Tele” is definitely my contemporary influence! EC is cool too.

[@Bobby_Digital37]

What speakers are in the soldano cabinet used here? they sound great!!!

[@howtoshootstraighthtss4948]

V30