Soldano SLO 30 VS EVH 5150

[@Morte_Deus]

The Sodano, hands down is the best amp i have ever played for metal/rock. It Instantly has that sound we are all looking for.

[@chrisday5341]

Both of these amps are great! The real difference is the sound in the room and the feel. I've owned several 5150s, 6505s etc but the Soldano literally had me giddy playing it. Not a bad tone to be had in that thing! Great comparison!

[@SashaCrutaire]

Agree. I have had some 5150s and have the SLO now, and it has something special going on for sure.

[@peteincanada8412]

Absolutely. It’s great at what it does !

[@GuitarsAndSynths]

same here. Love the Soldano such a great amp. Played one yesterday was a blast.

[@Bridging_the_Political_Divide]

The Hallmark of Soldano's has always been clarity and articulation. In a way they dont seem as high gain as they are because they are so clear and articulate. Nowhere to hide!

[@gkniffen]

That’s why most bedroom guitar players prefer EVH gear. You’re going to need to have your chops together to make that Soldano sing... but when you do, you’ll never be satisfied with the 5150s.

[@gl3605]

Many people think a 100 watt amp will be twice as loud as a 50 watt amp. That's not how it is though because an amp would need 10 X's the watts to double the volume(decibels). If you wanted an amp that was twice as loud as your 5 watt amp then you would need to buy a 50 watt amp. 50 watt amp would need a 500 watt, etc...

[@1992YR]

With the EVH amp holding it's own against the Soldano and being over a $1000 less, what a great value!

[@GuitarsAndSynths]

true

[@madalia1]

But there allot off people having reliability issues with the evh , so….. I don’t know what the best option is from a value point of view.

[@markdakel9253]

I’ have to go with the EVH, it’s more of what I personally want in higher gain amps. However the biggest take away was is in today’s world you have to buy it to try it,… You nailed it

[@crsantin]

They both sound great. The EVH a bit more compressed. Most EVH players don’t necessarily live on the blue channel. The red channel with the gain dialed down a bit is terrific. Soldanos are awesome but I’d take the 5150.

[@Globalsourcer]

yep, I would take the 5150 (maybe I would choose the EL 34 tubes, because in the comparison to the 6L6 tubes they sound a bit more agressive to me) :)

[@Depurity]

Blue channel with a St9pro+ ….ooofff high gain heaven!

[@karmaceutical3963]

i think i actually prefer the evh between these two, its just such a clearly defined amp even under ungodly amounts of gain, one thing that really helped the sound was switching a 12ax7 for a 12au7 in the red channel, really brought the gain to a more usable level (still never go above 9 o'clock on gain) also tamed some of the shrill frequencies on that channel i havnt used the blue channel since i did this switch, the red just slays it now, another tip for a great clean tone on it is to max the gain knob on the green channel and turn ur guitar volume down until its clean, gives a very deep rich fender type tone, much better than just dropping the amps gain knob with a few tweaks the evh holds its own against crazy expensive amps for hard rock/prog/metal/even blues

[@Depurity]

For high gain; I’ll take the EVH any day. It has faster tracking for the bass and will require less eq when recording and trying to achieve a mix ready sounds for metal.

[@heberjeff]

Excellent video as usual Phil! One suggestion... when doing sound comparisons, play shorter phrases and switch between the amps quicker and more frequently.

[@maspesasmasperras5554]

No

[@photoguy4212]

Stayed until the end. Great demo. I recently played a 5150 for the first time and liked it. Really versatile and unique.

[@karlsalocks]

I used to have a 5150 and a SLO100. I can't Imagine this is much different. The refinement and natural punch of the SLO was clearly better than the 5150. Honestly head and shoulders above the 5150

[@nunocarmona]

Right but for modern VH licks the 5150 sounded more spot on to me. Don’t get me wrong: the SLO is a go-to amp on the modellers/software I use. If I could afford one I’d definitely buy it

[@tommilitello198]

Not twice the price better by a long shot

[@alexc2680]

EVH All Day Long!! I used to own an original SLO 100 and it was magical in so many ways. Today, they're super expensive and having played the new ones, IMO, not having those original transformers makes a huge difference. I recently bought an EVH 5150 III 50 watt Stealth head and matching 2x12 cab for less than the price of the SLO30. I love the foot switch, having three channels and being able to turn the loop on and off. Phillip is spot on about trying them out first, yet in today's crazy world, getting to a store with both might be challenging for some. Tone is so subjective, so either one of these can inspire you in ridiculous ways and in the end, it's all about the Music. Great video brother!!!

[@Kickback79]

Soldano all the way. I have an Hot Rod 30 built by Mike. The 5150 is good but it can get fizzy. I like the Peavey 5150 better.

[@bradleyshuppert3393]

The Soldano has a more defined frequency that stays with the gain on any level of volume… the 5150 sounds great but can get hairy and make things sound the same at any volume, losing definition even though it sounds great, where the Soldano shines is note bloom and clarity… it cuts through the mix at a faster rate.

[@TheAxe4Ever]

Maybe here in this video. But that doesn’t describe my EVH 5150 III 50 watt at all. Mine doesn’t sound the same at any volume at all. On the blue channel, when I get the volume cranked to rehearsal and gig levels, it’s much punchier, tighter and the notes bloom huge and goes into harmonic feedback nicely. I guess it’s all in how you dial it in. I see how Phil has it dialed in here and it’s no wonder it sounds way different than mine. I never use the red channel. That channel tends to sound the same at different volumes.

[@shreder75]

@@TheAxe4Ever Phil doesn't know how to dial in an amp, which makes all of his amp demos useless

[@CozyKG]

@@shreder75 Nah you're just used to over processed videos of amps which doesn't actually give you a feel for how things sound in the room which makes your comment useless

[@slash91991]

I have a 5153 6l6. It is great for metal and surprisingly has really clear clean with huge head room. But anything is between high gain and clean, it is not great. It is ok I mean but it is its weak spot for me. Got another mini jcm800 for that territory.

[@shreder75]

@@CozyKG Um. No. I own the 5153. I know what it sounds like in the room from loud to mousefart. This video does not even come close to representing how the amp truly sounds in the room.

[@danieltravis5082]

The soldano absolutely crushed the 5150 as you soon as you compared them soundwise. Especially distorted, but clean, too. Just such a massive amount of balls and headroom for a 30 watt amp. It has a lot of gain, but doesn't lose the chest punch effect. The 5150 is just overgained, even on the blue channel.

[@TJBorbonus]

I have 2 Evh 5150iii's (the 6l6 50w and the Stealth 50w) and the Slo 30. The Slo benefits from lower bass settings and higher presence. I tend to use B-4 M-4 T-6 P-8.5 V-4/5 and depth no higher than 2.5. With these settings I am in Van Halen 1 tone on the maxed out crunch channel and Unlawful Carnal Knowledge on the Lead Channel around 5-7.

[@jjgson69]

I've had my SLO 100 about 10 years and I've yet to play thru another amp I like as well. I completely agree with your statement about the punch form the Soldano. They just have "that thing" I don't find in other amps.

[@rangerdoc1029]

Then you haven't played a Wizard. Probably the only other amp that does "that thing".

[@jjgson69]

@@rangerdoc1029 Correct I never have. So far the only other two amps I've found compare are both Friedman. BE 100 or Dirty Shirley.

[@Bridging_the_Political_Divide]

Punch is transformers. DeYoungs, or Bud Purvine's O'Netics transformers (Bud worked at DeYoung) are in a class of their own.

[@ricmel8008]

I love your shoot out videos. Some of the best in the world. Thanks much for the time you put in.

[@TheToneLounge]

I really wanted the 5150 to be as great as the Soldano, but the Soldano has the type of voicing and frequency content you need to be heard in a mix. It's pushing the kind of mids I like to hear in an amp. Great video, as always. Cheers

[@srdjanbosnjak7413]

You put it in words very well.Soldano has all the richness and sweetnes in the frequency range it projects one could want,yet somehow sound stays fully defined.Wonderfull amps.

[@orbithesun1]

Yeah, Eddie’s amps never fit well in the mix. It’s too bad Eddie didn’t your golden ear. Lmao

[@Timbo1969]

It’s the difference in components used. The EVH uses some cheaper components, the design is as good as the soldano but the difference in components used is the difference in sound.

[@Hadouken5150]

The 5150 does just fine in a mix. Listen to the numerous studio recordings out there. Tons of well known bands are using them. Soldano on the other hand isn’t used much. Is it because of the outrageous price tag? Possibly they’re endorsed? Who knows.

[@asnark7115]

@@Hadouken5150 The real benefit of having the EVH is that you can mod it for not very much to get the transparency of a Soldano, but still come in WAY under the Soldano's price tag.

[@td7426]

The end. Made it to the end! Soldano was sweet

[@tractordirt]

Spot on, Phil! I’ve owned the same EVH for several months…didn’t expect to like it but have been greatly impressed. Just picked up an SLO, and also curiously! a Headbone (previous version/different cosmetics) mostly for the purpose of comparing these amps. I set up the EVH blue and SLO normal/crunch for low/Med gain old school rock…very close. Also tuned the red close to the SLO OD…man, VERY close. VERY close. Had do listen, twist, and not look at the knobs. You are spot with so many of your observations (from my experience)…the EVH is a bit stiffer, and found that to get close to the SLO punch I have to crank up the EVH resonance. Like both amps a lot, and the design lineage of the EVH traced back to the SLO is evident. By getting two of the channels really close, keep in mind with the EVH you also get an additional clean channel and switchable FX loop. The EVH is a heck of a bargain!

[@charlesb7831]

I honestly find these days so weird in what people want in amps. I remember back in the day sorta speak, people would crap on you if you ran high gain or lots of distortion. They would always say the people that play with tons of gain and distortion used it to cover their mistakes or to make up some lacking in there playing. I see the point of view, however, try running a high gain setup cleanly. What I mean is you need to control all that gain and that's a feat all its own. I run 3 amps simultaneously with usually an overdrive. 2 tube amps and a solid state. I honestly like that "Breathing " airy sound of the Solo. head. I do however want the EVH 5150 overdrive pedal for my setup lol. Great video, cheers!

[@DrErickLopez]

The clean on the soldando sounds amazing

[@suzannecoholic1467]

Thanks Phil! From where I'm sitting here with headphones on, Soldano baby!

[@clanofhousecats8079]

Thank you for this video! Being a high gain player, I liked the EVH more. It was less muddy sounding. I like clarity for technical playing. Just bought the Engl Ironball Special Edition. Love it, my first high end tube amp. Your video was really helpful on that amp.

[@FangPaw]

As I've said before, human hearing is logarithmic. Hence vol pots are "audio taper", ie logarithmic. As a rule of thumb, a perceived doubling of volume requires 4-5 times the output. Thus a 50w amp will sound twice as loud as a 10w amp. There is no perceptible difference between a 30w and a 50w amp, all other things being equal.

[@5150eruption]

I have the soldano, absolutely awesome amp. Always wanted one and saved, I also have a mesa mark 5. For me soldano is for me the amp!!

[@daveb9370]

I see people talking about hi gain. My personal experience is less gain sounds bigger, especially when recorded. Love that SLO. It sounded alive compared to the EVH. It also has more midrange which is what I prefer. But everyone has their own taste and sound in their head, so they both have their audience. Great comparison. Peace.

[@carsgunsandguitars]

It sounds like the Soldano has more headroom, even though it's lower powered. I love the way the 5150 sounded at the 7:20 mark. I'm a huge Soldano fan but it would be hard to justify the almost 2x price.

[@StratMatt777]

Soldano always biased the power tubes ice cold so that the power section did not interfere or color the preamp's tone too much. My 20 watt astroverb (based on SLO's crunch channel) can be used at whisper volume, but it comes alive above 4 on volume... probably because the speaker sounds better with a little bit of volume

[@rangerdoc1029]

Outstanding review. Most reviewers don't explain the nuances that just can't be heard in a KZbin video. Would love to hear a comparison of the SLO30 vs a JJ Jr.

[@blgdinger3]

It's very much worth mentioning that the resonance/presence knobs for, I believe, any of the Peavey or EVH 5150 style amps acts as an dampener, and therefore directly changes the responsiveness of the speakers. In other words, with the resonance/presence knobs at 50% the speakers are running at half of their full ability to vibrate the corresponding low/high (resonance/presence) tones. This is why you'll hear people talk about "Crazy 8's" because at 8/10 on those knobs, they're running with 80% reduced damping, giving a much more powerful low end and crisp high end. 80% gives headroom as well so the speakers aren't going buckwild. I mean the demonstration at 7:07 shows this clearly. Just listen to how much brighter the Soldano sounds, but look at how low the presence knob is on the EVH. Great comparison otherwise.

[@peterhenderson2193]

I love that you always use a speaker and mic

[@chadmorral1326]

Hmmm it's like the 5150 tone has some history with the SLO... 😆 Great comparison video though. I own the same model of 5150 that Phil used and I love it. I can play clean country with it in my band and metal with it for my own recordings. And I never have that feeling of "oh, I wish it did better".

[@thebostonguitarist7886]

Hey, Phil! You should get a Ceriatone Yeti 50 on your channel to demo. They're custom build point-to-point high gain amps that cost not that much more than the EVH 50 series amps. Albeit, they're more of a Marshall in flavor but can achieve soaring high gain tones as well! Very interesting vid btw.

[@yeti1002]

Ceriatone yeti or chupa , tones for days .....

[@JanneOksanen]

What you're saying about how listening to a recording of an amp is not the same as playing it really resonates with me. I've always had that disconnect with Mesa Rectifier amps. I love how they sound recorded and I love listening to someone else playing them. But when I play them myself I can't stand the sponginess of the response to my picking.

[@omnaraiya]

Soldano seems more versatile to my ear, but the 5150 may just edge it out in a high gain application. Love radial gear, use their active ABY for a wet/dry setup that has inspired new playing styles for me. Thanks for the great content Phil!

[@VanillaGorilla_808]

Curious as to why you chose the OG 6l6 over the Stealth? The 50 watt Stealth seems to be the popular choice nowadays. Great video, I have the same EVH but I would buy the Soldano if i had the dough.

[@danveneziano565]

The Soldano amplifiers have the best transformers on the market. A big part of the sound

[@garyz0611]

Radial makes a great product….I use the Switchbone-V2 . You can use 3 heads with 3 cabinets….You can run 1 amp by itself or 2 together or even all 3 at the same time

[@pwestcott]

What did you do different on the EVH at the 7:15 mark? It sounds way different and way better!

[@themanicmechanics496]

Soldanos just project like crazy, really noticeable live. I modded my SLO30 through Kruse Kontrol to split the clean and crunch, and made it footswitchable. Soldano has just a more beautiful sound quality live than my previous 5150 el34.

[@jonhornbeck4324]

Being tube amps, don't you have to worry about not have a speaker load on the amp, if the other amp is powering the cabinet? Won't it damage the amp that is idling, because there is no speaker load on it, and cause it to run too hot?

[@JohnnyBeane]

Both amazing amps!

[@vanhalen5150jhs]

Hey now ! Hi Johnny

[@ericshay1142]

Definitely the Soldano! The clarity of the Soldano is much more defined.

[@garymiller531]

Great video Phillip and Whoa... you really shred these days!!! Thanks again for all you do!!

[@anejo333]

That Soldano is just a killer amp. Awesome to hear that clean on the EVH. I know Gary Hoey uses them and gets a killer clean.

[@s9plus20]

Great video! You showed off your excellent chops!

[@machine-madedog5059]

The Soldano has a better fundamental tone, but I know it will only sound its best when cranked a bit, I'd foresee myself wanting to use a loadbox with it even though it's 30 watts. The EVH is more useable at a variety of volume levels, but has some midrange qualities missing.

[@1peanut]

I have a Jet city which is Soldano. It is a great tube amp.

[@guitardave]

I think it’s worth mentioning that the SLO is a better all rounder as it can really nail everything from clean, to crunch, to high gain. The EVH doesn’t really do the low gain thing particularly well. But that price difference… it’s the one thing that prevents me from trading in my 5150 combo for the SLO-30 plus a 1x12 cab. The EVH is a very good and way more affordable option.

[@barrylafratta5720]

the 5150 111 el 34 tubes does clean much better . i had both

[@FretLevelMidnight]

Okay, I'm ignorant to this, and no, I have never tried this... But why is a special A/B box needed to run two tube heads on 1 cab? I currently run my Katana 100 Head (NOT tube, I know), and my Egnater Rebel 30 tube head using a simple Donner ABY box to switch between the two heads with my 1x12 cab. Can someone explain why a device like this is necessary to run 2 tube heads through 1 cab?

[@patientzero3367]

Great video Phil! EVH for me!

[@johnevans1453]

Phil I watch more of your content than even I believe! Haha not kidding. Just bought the Revv D20. Not a big tone tinkerer but I love it nonetheless. Hope you'll do something on it. Thanks!

[@anthonynelson1699]

While the 5150 is iconic, I ADORE the Soldano's tone. It just grunts and it's like going up against a heavyweight boxer but through the speakers. I'm effectively running a poor-man's Soldano currently with my KSR Vesta pedalboard based setup. The first time I heard one live I was absolutely FLOORED (literally, as I was in a mosh pit seeing Wild Throne.)

[@danielhunsinger8017]

They both sound great. With the Volume and gain separated on the 1-2 channels( Green-Blue) I think is a game changer. I had the original 50 watt amp and returned it as I hated the shared volume and gain. I was never able to get the green and Blue channels setup how I wanted, each channel I wanted different gain and volume settings.

[@brickbreaker8148]

The easy choice is the one that is half the price of the other, since they sound pretty similar.

[@IamMusicNerd]

Both awesome, but the Soldano wins for me. The gain is really close, but I much prefer the clean tone of the Soldano, so it’s more flexible for me.

[@jamesbarrick3403]

I think the winner is the Soldano 100W flagship. this 30w head is nice but if you are into the market for paying 3k-4k for a head you take the big boy. It's more versatile and it's the reason this brand is being reviewed.

[@onesandzeros]

Thanks Phil, great demo. Appropriately rippin riffs for these amps. Clean playing very nice as well :)

[@AlexH8280]

I didn't think I'd go into this preferring the EVH, but its most worthy.

[@markrajfura4443]

@Phil I do have a question about the headbone switcher. Since the power output section has to go to the switcher, and with tube amps you need to have a load on them otherwise the amp can get damaged. When switching from one amp to another do you put the amp not being used into standby or does the switch handle this issue on its own?

[@picksalot1]

Radial has a good reputation for making reliable, quality gear. I preferred the clean tones, and the suspended chords on the EVH, sounded like Eddie. I preferred the general leads on the Soldano, due to the clarity and higher resonant peak in the overall tone.

[@montycline9840]

I really love this video you you answered a lot of my questions thank you very much.😁

[@Jerry_Fried]

Why do amps with an effects loop have the jacks in back, when the pedals are going to be in front?

[@frankenstein4106]

SLO30 all the way for me! I've got one, and it's tone dynamics put everything else I've ever owned to shame. Running an oversized 2x12 Avatar cabinet and it kills it!!

[@MarkAnthony5150]

Can we see you jam hear it? This hobby has become overboard price wise.

[@jimandcathep9915]

I have one as well - IMHO - the crunch channel is where all the magic is, and why I bought one. It has that swirly fizzy dynamic thing the SLO's are know for. The od channel is great, but I feel like anything with the gain past 4 or 5 it just becomes a mess...

[@frankenstein4106]

Agreed, the crunch channel is where I mostly live with the SLO@

[@TheDemolitionKings]

The Soldano is the winner to my ear but I’m more stoked about the Radial. I could go nuts with my Marshall 2203 and VHT Deliverance 60 through my vintage Ampeg 4x12 magic cab.

[@SDisonYT]

I love the Soldano, but no way I can spend 3 grand on a head. The EVH (and Hughes & Kettner Grandmeister) sound fantastic to me, and half the price of the Soldano.

[@rolandosolis3053]

Great review thanks for the info and I know everybody’s opinion differs from one another. I’m waiting to get my hands on an EVH amp.

[@ynot5150]

Looking to getting back into the tube amp world...just played a 5150iii head and combo earlier today (6L6 versions) and I'm feeling they have way too much gain for my taste. Literally had the gain, on the blue channel, on .5 to .75....yes, under 1!! Incredible amp, just WAY too much gain for me.

[@TVoltG]

I have used one for some recording a while back and how I used it made me want to buy one. I actually used a Timmy pedal as a choke on the gain. I set the output on the Timmy very low with the gain at 1. It made the gain on the amp controllable. I was able to get some great lower gain with it that sounded amazing. Using the Timmy's output was able to dial down higher gain amps. It works great with my PV5150 as well.

[@nunocarmona]

I share the same opinion. In my case I switched the first tube (V1) to 12AT7 and the second to 12DW7. It tamed the gain and made the blue and red channels less redundant (blue channel much lower gain than previously)

[@Ashley-oi8cj]

Have you tried the stealth? I just picked one up recently and the gain structure is very different to the original, a finer tuning as such.

[@ynot5150]

@@Ashley-oi8cj they don't make the Stealth in a combo. Lol

[@ynot5150]

@@TVoltG going to do more research. Leaning toward the combo, due to the built in attenuator. Unsure on getting the 6L6 or EL34 version.

[@quiksilver78]

Man, you really lost me at $2,600

[@nomadronin7361]

If it were me it would be another $200 because if I were going to spend that much on the Soldano I may as well splurge and get the snakeskin tolex, which is my favorite. Too bad I can’t justify that purchase though.

[@TinyLegs15243]

Exactly, you can buy an ENGL Savage 120 or a Mesa Dual Rec for that money

[@eds4754]

great video. I own a lot of amps and I have to say that the difference in price almost never correlates to a better sound, but you pay for quality of components and build. The EVH amps are a great achievement and wildly successful as they tick all the right boxes. There are some cheap capacitors in there that will fail eventually and for a tech to remove the pcb they have to remove all the pots which can become costly. The Soldano is in another league as far as components and build - a very simple design and easy to work on. Tonally they’re really just different sonic flavours and IMO the Soldano only really has the edge in as far as it’s a nicer thing to own.

[@jeffc1753]

I can attest to the cheapness of the EVH amps - my 100w stealth has been in the shop twice in a month for “rattling” inside the head, and when I bought a 50w guess what? Within a week, the same thing.

[@crsantin]

The original 5150 block letter may not have the build quality of the original SLO but it’s very well made. I bought mine in 1994 and have been using it ever since without a single issue. It’s a tank.

[@eds4754]

@@crsantin peavey’s are always super reliable for me, never the sexiest looking but tanks

[@1100yrs]

I am soooo glad you agree it’s hard to try n buy. Most joints just want the sell. I am so nervous to buy an amp because I never know what the thing can really do and not do. These shootout vids are priceless to me. Lastly can you do a vid on Splawn amps? Thanks

[@stevenm78]

Both sound incredible.

[@sleboeu]

Imo the soldano sounds alot better but way over priced.

[@timothyhingham3672]

So it's supposed to sound a lot better for the same price? The 5150 peavey 6550 was the answer to a cheaper version of the SLO. Cheaper parts gives you a lesser sound. We should be grateful such an incredible amp exists in the first place. I mean for the average person, some hard saving for months could make up the cost difference to afford the best high gain amp in the world.

[@vanhalen5150jhs]

I prefer the EVH 5150. Nice head, but I just got the Marshall DSL 20 head and a Marshall 1x12. I'm replacing the seventy 80 speaker with a EVH 20 watt 12 inch. hoping it sounds better.

[@allengoeddey2719]

I replaced my seventy80 as well. There's 4 seventy80's at my local Music Go Round if anyone wants to make a crappy sounding 4X12 cab. LOL

[@bmark7951]

TRASH

[@markrajfura4443]

Well it seems you can get two EVH amps for the price of a Soldano and in that scenario you can get the EL34 and the 6L6 models. I love both amp sounds and just bought the EVH 50 watt head with 6L6 tubes for $849 new on a crazy sale, so will have to play with it for sure. The Soldano in this video seems to have a fuller sound, if you ask me, but the EVH sounds good as well.

[@richardfranklin8359]

Great video Phillip! Next up, 5150 vs. MT 15

[@LordGrendel]

Great video and compare/contrast. I own the 5150 III Ivory 6L6 and I love it but, I have to say…I’m not to keen on the volume and gain for ch1/2 being on the same circuit.

[@97warlock]

5150 III to me, is my absolute Top most wanted awesome amp. Theres No amp on earth I want more than the 5150 III 6L6s

[@stug5041]

I have an EVH 6L6 50 Watt and it’s… okay. I was really happy with it until I got a Mark V… and now I never use it. The Mark slays it in ever way - clean, blues, mid gain, high gain. IMO if you’re looking for a modern metal head, Engl, Revv, Mesa all are superior if you can save the extra $$

[@tommilitello198]

That’s not a little extra money,it’s a lot

[@stug5041]

@@tommilitello198 absolutely- didn’t say it was ‘a little’ more; imo if you’re already investing over a grand you may as well save more and go all the way

[@nickvankempen]

It’s all so personal with these amps. The Mark V90 I owned is by far the most unsatisfying amp I ever played. The mark IVa I owned blew it away. Now I want a Soldano or Mezzabarba.

[@ernieb3626]

thanks for the shootout Phil. I realy believe you when you do something like this. I also am thankful for the headbone! Man that could come in handy. Going to find out how much $$ right now. lol thanks again my friend

[@billwarkentin3630]

Would the SLO30 sound/work well at bedroom levels? Thank-you

[@madisonbullock2337]

I dont expect a reply but curious if you have ever tried a quickrod by splawn? I find it very tight and articulate with great sustain without the fizz and flub you get with most high gain amps

[@foggyblues13]

Great video. Thanks Phil!

[@StratMatt777]

The SLO slays the Peavey, but they both sound like they are drowning in fuzz and lack of definition. I've never heard a Soldano sound so undefined. Try the SLO's clean channel with the crunch switch on and turn gain up to 9 and maybe it will sound as good as my budget soldano astroverb. (I'm not being negative!) :)

[@svtrader]

When are you going to give the EVH a try?

[@tfive1060]

It’s hard for me to believe that anyone thinks the 5150 is better. But that just goes to show you how objective tone is! And why there are so many amps out there. Something for every one

[@stevewright107]

Great video!

[@joelsinger8112]

Two epic high gain heads I can’t afford but wish I could? And it’s by Phil? Instant click

[@ProthoPectore]

5150 > Soldano. my opinion. 5150 just sounds better. more expensive doesn't always mean more better.

[@KyleKingGuitar]

I bought an slo 100 a few weeks ago and ended up returning it because the overdrive channel had this odd, round & fuzzy character to it that was far too classic rock for me. I never could dial it out even with pedals. Great clean channel and crunch, but the overdrive channel was such a letdown. I felt I was going nuts considering how much seemingly universal praise it gets as being "the best amp ever", wasn't my experience at all. Although the build quality was incredible. For modern metal/modern hard rock between the two, I'd definitely take the EVH here.

[@joshuamichael4312]

If it sounded fuzzy or fizzy something was wrong with it. Tubes or maybe a cold solder joint somewhere, socket tub, etc. Had the same problem with a different amp and I ended up having to solder in a cap and resistor and the fizz distortion turned into liquid smooth high Gain.

[@KyleKingGuitar]

@@joshuamichael4312 Potentially it could’ve been, but it didn’t sound like a broken type of fuzziness and it wasn’t out of control or anything. It sounded more like a round inherent character of the amp distortion to me. Regardless it went back because i couldn’t gamble with what ifs with an amp that expensive during its return period.

[@loulagro2315]

Something was wrong with it, or with all due respect there was a problem in with how you might have been using it. I have the slo30 and the overdrive channel gain is WAAY back, and it's plenty. It naturally has a kick in the mids and tighter bottom than the crunch. Also I find the bass needs to be WAY down or it's too round and bloated sounding, as well, careful with the depth ..... almost off for me. It's the most dynamic and expressive amp I've ever played in 40+ years including anything you can mention. It's also the best sounding low volume studio amp sound I've ever had. Because it gets most of its tone and feel in cascading preamps it is very inear when turning up the volume

[@questlive2338]

I don't have one of the newer ones but my mid 90's version has to have the presence past noon or else it is kind of fuzzy and almost chokes the note off.

[@elimarsilvanikock7818]

2 amazing rocking machines great review

[@cliveclive54]

Nice demo Phil,season's greetings to you and yours \m/

[@danc3746]

I understand you can A/B with that switch using one cabinet, but does it also allow you to run both heads at the same time into that one cabinet?

[@JackieMcGruffster]

It would be interesting to hear & see a comparison between the Soldano SLO 30 and the EVH 5150 III 50 Stealth.

[@hollywoodactress]

Both are fantastic amps and sound great. The soldano had more bass in this review when I was listening through headphones. I think the 5150 may sound better in a live mix but I am sure the soldano can be tweaked to cut through more. For me I would buy 5150 as it is half the price, even though I would love to have a soldano but evh for me today 👍

[@stevenohata8494]

Could you use the Radial Headbone into an Ox instead of cabinet? If so does Radial make a Headbone is a 3 or 4 amp version? Looking for an affordable alternative to an Ampete.

[@charlesestrada4139]

Is it still the case that if you are using the Headbone, you cannot use your amps FX loop at the same time? I know that was the case for this pedal in the past.

[@Eu_Sou_A_Novia_Countryball]

I liked more the Soldano but both sounded great.

[@bbrotherton6345]

I have a Radial Switch-Bone ABY. Great quality!