# Amp quandary - Soldano vs Mezzabarba



## AndiKravljaca (Apr 28, 2020)

Hey guys, 

I have what's known as a 'happy problem' throughout the industrialized world. I'm going to be turning forty, and I'm going to be treating myself to one of those 'once in a lifetime' purchases, using some savings to make my autumn years sweeter, as my wife puts it. 

Now here's the deal. I am an absolute nut for the sound of Soldano amps. I grew up listening to them, and have never had one. I've played Soldano models on everything from the POD XT, to Overloud, Helix, Nembrini Audio's BST100 plugin, and so on - and I sort of have a handle on the fact that I do absolutely want this sound. 

Up until recently, this was going to be a pipe dream - I live in Sweden and Soldanos are few and far between over here. I was especially gutted to hear Mike was retiring, so when the almighty SLO resurfaced as a B.A.D. product, I was over the moon. 

Then I found the website of a guy called Pierangelo Mezzabarba, who makes these hand-built Italian amps. Which look, by specs and the front panel, to be exactly Soldanos, with the exception of an EL-34 poweramp. You can see from the pics below that the knobs are the same, the same switches (Clean/Crunch, Bright switch are in the same places, everything. 

Soldano:






Mezzabarba:





So that puts me in a real quandary. I can only get one amp in this price range - and I've wanted a Soldano all my life. But I read people revieweing these Mezzabarba amps and they're supposed to be absolutely impeccably made. Since it's made in Europe, I can get it at a significantly lower price than a Soldano which is made in the USA (probably the other way around if you're an American). 

So, I'm sort of reaching out to anyone who knows anything more about these amps. Basically, I'm after your standard, pissed off Soldano sound, loads of brightness, harmonics, that touch sensitivity and articulation, and some back-to-back videos later I still think these amps sound the same. Looking at Tony MacKenzie's deconstruction of a Mezzabarba, they seem absolutely impeccable inside - and honestly they seem equally well-engineered inside, right down to the power amp tube soldering. 

Soldano:





Mezzabarba: 



Anyone got any experience with Mezzabarba amps? Or should I just double down, get the Soldano and admit you can't improve on perfection? I'd love some input, this is the sort of purchase you research properly before you commit to it. 

https://www.mezzabarba.com/mzero-overdrive/

Thanks!


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## GoldDragon (Apr 28, 2020)

Flip a coin, and when its in the air, you will know which one you really want.


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## narad (Apr 28, 2020)

Hard to say, but despite the inspiration, they clearly are different amps (from the clips). The MZero seems in the ballpark, but you have to imagine the HR25/50s are similarly there, and the new SLO30 is probably closer. 

For the sound, I would go with Soldano personally. If I wanted a more versatile / modern feature amp, maybe the MZero or Trinity (or any of the BAD Soldanos).

Though I saw a new MZero Overdrive on Reverb for $2200 USD in the US as well, so I wouldn't value it like a $3-4k amp. I think the resale is much lower and the Soldanos have a used value > $3k.


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## AndiKravljaca (Apr 28, 2020)

GoldDragon said:


> Flip a coin, and when its in the air, you will know which one you really want.



Ain't that the truth!



narad said:


> Hard to say, but despite the inspiration, they clearly are different amps (from the clips). The MZero seems in the ballpark, but you have to imagine the HR25/50s are similarly there, and the new SLO30 is probably closer.
> 
> For the sound, I would go with Soldano personally. If I wanted a more versatile / modern feature amp, maybe the MZero or Trinity (or any of the BAD Soldanos).
> 
> Though I saw a new MZero Overdrive on Reverb for $2200 USD in the US as well, so I wouldn't value it like a $3-4k amp. I think the resale is much lower and the Soldanos have a used value > $3k.



Thanks, that's really useful information - I don't imagine I'd be selling it anytime soon, but it's always a good idea to get an indication of the value of something on the used market just as a benchmark to how much you've been asked to pay. Thanks for the feedback regarding the sound - I've obviously never had the opportunity to play either in a room, so it's very much a 'hearplay' situation.


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## budda (Apr 28, 2020)

You wanted the soldano for years. Buy the soldano.


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## cardinal (Apr 28, 2020)

Get the Soldano. You'll always wonder "what if" if you don't.


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## laxu (Apr 28, 2020)

I would wait and see where European prices for the new Soldano SLOs end up. If you look at for example Bogner or Friedman prices, they are not too bad in Europe compared to US pricing. Mesa is the only US brand that really gives you the shaft with euro pricing.

The question you need to ask yourself is "will I doubt my choice if I don't buy the Soldano I truly wanted?"


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## Thaeon (Apr 28, 2020)

If I were going with Mezzabarba, I wouldn't get the M-Zero. I'd be getting the Trinity, since Its the M-Zero plus a good clean. Soldanos are cool amps. But they're not that interesting to me.


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## technomancer (Apr 28, 2020)

They're minor variations of the Soldano circuit with different transformers and in the case of the Trinity more bells and whistles. Guy on one of the amp builders forums I'm on reversed the Trinity.

Personally if buying new I would go Soldano


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## DudeManBrother (Apr 28, 2020)

I don’t know much about either company; but looking at those photos: the SLO looks to be heavily influenced by a Mesa Mark II. From the filter and neg bias caps to the style and general layout of the early style PCBs. That Mez looks like a blend of Plexi and SLO. I haven’t gone so far to look at the schematics, as you can layout the same circuit in a lot of different ways; but from general appearance, the Mez looks like it’s going to be a different spin on the SLO foundation. If you want the SLO sound then grab the real deal.


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## cardinal (Apr 28, 2020)

DudeManBrother said:


> I don’t know much about either company; but looking at those photos: the SLO looks to be heavily influenced by a Mesa Mark II. From the filter and neg bias caps to the style and general layout of the early style PCBs. That Mez looks like a blend of Plexi and SLO. I haven’t gone so far to look at the schematics, as you can layout the same circuit in a lot of different ways; but from general appearance, the Mez looks like it’s going to be a different spin on the SLO foundation. If you want the SLO sound then grab the real deal.



Mike Soldano has said that he bought a IIB (I think it was the B...) when he was still in the conceptual stages of designing his amp, but I don't think the amps are especially similar. The PCBs and such look similar because I think they came out of the same era, and Soldano has just never updated its boards much (though it has redo the layout of the big filter caps over time). It's been said a lot and I don't want to drag this thread off topic, but the Soldano preamp looks much much much more similar to the Rectifier preamp than any Mark series preamp.


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## MetalDaze (Apr 28, 2020)

cardinal said:


> Get the Soldano. You'll always wonder "what if" if you don't.



+1 Go with your dream pick. It’s easy to get distracted by the latest trend, I bet your long term happiness lies in the Soldano.


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## budda (Apr 28, 2020)

It's not even "what if", it's the 20+ year GAS for one of these amps and finally being able to buy it. Why would you buy something else? You have the money OP, the wife's blessing - buy the thing you wanted. /thread


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## eaeolian (Apr 28, 2020)

cardinal said:


> It's been said a lot and I don't want to drag this thread off topic, but the Soldano preamp looks much much much more similar to the Rectifier preamp than any Mark series preamp.



The Recto preamp circuit is almost a direct copy, as is the 5150/6505.

Moving on:

The Soldanos sound fantastic, definitely unique and the best soloing amp I've played. If that's the sound you want, it's the way to get it.


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## Wolfhorsky (Apr 28, 2020)

BAD's made Soldanos have new transformers and Mike Soldano Himself told that they were more suitable for v30s as the "original SLO-100" didn't sound right with these speakers. I would probably go for the SLO-30 version if I'd opted for the new one. But that Mezzabarba looks stunning... If You want to buy used, You can get Mezza cheaper.


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## AndiKravljaca (Apr 29, 2020)

Thanks for all the replies, guys! I genuinely wanted to know what you guys thought of these amps, and some of the comments in here have been really insightful on a technical level - I'm impressed with the way @DudeManBrother read the schematics of the amp just from the image of the circuit - this is the sort of content you get spoiled with on a forum like this. 

@laxu - you have a good point. I have to wait and see what the actual EU prices for the BAD Soldanos will be. I'm not doing myself a service by saying 'it's going to be a thousand dollar more' right off the bat, when the prices haven't even been determined. 

As many here have said, the SLO-30 is probably a good option as well at a good deal less, I mean it's not like I'm filling stadiums anyway, and the SLO-30 seems to have all the options of the larger amps anyway (with the exception of a hard bypass for the effects loop, as I recall). 

Also, thanks for the heaps of encouragement, guys! It's a luxury problem, for sure, but you know how it is. It's one thing to dream of something, and another to sit there, money in hand, and suddenly realize it's possible. 

Sevenstring.org is awesome.


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## StevenC (Apr 29, 2020)

As to price, in the US they're $100 or $200 more than the top priced Friedmans, so adding a couple thousand SEK onto local Friedman prices will give you a good idea, is say.


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## USMarine75 (Apr 29, 2020)

As someone who owned a SLO and HR50+ (9 knob version). Get the SLO. There are many other great amps but none are inherently better. You know what you’ll get. It does everything. Killer clean chime, it IS early VH (not the 5150), and it does metal and even chuggs hard with a boost/OD in front. It is the loudest amp you will ever hear. The 50w HR50 was louder than any 100w amp I owned by a wide margin. And the leads are just liquid gold. Legato sustain for days. 

Unfortunately probably not many people can speak for the other amp. Which is why I’m saying that other one MAY be good, but you know for sure what you get with the SLO or HR.


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## narad (Apr 29, 2020)

USMarine75 said:


> It is the loudest amp you will ever hear. The 50w HR50 was louder than any 100w amp I owned by a wide margin.



And this from the Budda guy.


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## USMarine75 (Apr 29, 2020)

narad said:


> And this from the Budda guy.


 
Dammit you’re right. Ok. The Budda was designed by someone that hates ears. It is stupidly loud. On a master 2 it rocked GC so loud people outside thought there was an event going on (imagine their disappointment when they came in and saw it was only me). 

So... correction: 
Budda SD80 > Soldano SLO >>> all other amps.


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## laxu (Apr 29, 2020)

I would like to remind you that volume control positions between amps are not comparable. 50W amp A that is louder at 2 than 50W amp B at 4 just means that amp A has an awful volume control.

Also a 100W amp is a mere 3 dB louder than a 50W. 3 dB is about the equivalent of turning the master volume up one notch. But the 100W is going to stay cleaner to louder volumes and will push more bottom end.

Use decibel meters if you want to compare how loud an amp is and use the same speaker cab as well so there are no speaker sensitivity mismatches.


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## Thaeon (Apr 29, 2020)

Buddas are SO loud. Jeff Bober really does hate ears. There's almost no power amp compression in those things...


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## Thaeon (Apr 29, 2020)

laxu said:


> I would like to remind you that volume control positions between amps are not comparable. 50W amp A that is louder at 2 than 50W amp B at 4 just means that amp A has an awful volume control.
> 
> Also a 100W amp is a mere 3 dB louder than a 50W. 3 dB is about the equivalent of turning the master volume up one notch. But the 100W is going to stay cleaner to louder volumes and will push more bottom end.
> 
> Use decibel meters if you want to compare how loud an amp is and use the same speaker cab as well so there are no speaker sensitivity mismatches.



In a perfectly ideal scenario, yes that is correct. Output Transformers also have an effect on power delivery to the speakers and on the sound of the amp itself. I've owned a Budda Superdrive 45. I did a shootout with a buddy using his cabs. His 200 watt rackmount system on 2 412s. My single Budda SD45 on one 412 ate his rig for lunch and still had room to turn up. Just because the amp is running at a full wattage rating doesn't mean that all that wattage is being efficiently delivered to the speakers.


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## Wolfhorsky (Apr 29, 2020)




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## USMarine75 (Apr 30, 2020)

Thaeon said:


> In a perfectly ideal scenario, yes that is correct. Output Transformers also have an effect on power delivery to the speakers and on the sound of the amp itself. I've owned a Budda Superdrive 45. I did a shootout with a buddy using his cabs. His 200 watt rackmount system on 2 412s. My single Budda SD45 on one 412 ate his rig for lunch and still had room to turn up. Just because the amp is running at a full wattage rating doesn't mean that all that wattage is being efficiently delivered to the speakers.



Exactly. By his definition my 300w Vetta II through the same cabinet should be "louder" than the 50w Soldano. Yet the Soldano crushed it at about a 4 IIRC. 

tl;dr

vs


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## Thaeon (Apr 30, 2020)

Wolfhorsky said:


>




I wanted to hear channel two boosted. With the internal boost and with the 33. Maybe both. 2 was less chewy and more raw. I think the gainier chugs would have sounded better from that channel.


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## Thaeon (Apr 30, 2020)

USMarine75 said:


> Exactly. By his definition my 300w Vetta II through the same cabinet should be "louder" than the 50w Soldano. Yet the Soldano crushed it at about a 4 IIRC.
> 
> tl;dr
> View attachment 80110
> ...



We all know that solid state wattage rarely competes with tubes when the chips are down. I think mostly due to the fact that most solid state amps are not designed as well and are using cheaper components. The really well made solid state stuff weighs at least as much as tubes, and doesn't save a lot of space either. The only way most solid state guitar amps will compete is by adding a more efficient speaker. But there's no higher efficiency versions of the usual suspects. Because everything with guitar is so modular, and people want to keep it that way, its easier to continue doing it like we have. Reality is, that a really well made class AB solid state power amp with a worth OT would sound sick. Most of us high gain heads don't want power amp distortion anyway.


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## Emperoff (Apr 30, 2020)

@AndiKravljaca I know you're in Sweden but I encourage you to contact Randall Pearson from Chondro Guitars (he's got a Facebook group named Chondro's Snakepit that would be the perfect place for this). He's both a Mezzabarba and a Soldano dealer and is already stocking the new MAB ones. He might clear up your doubts if you ask him honestly even if you don't buy from him.

I always see his Mezzabarba posts on Facebook so he knows a thing or two about them


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## tedtan (Apr 30, 2020)

I'm with those saying to just get the Soldano. It's what you've wanted for 20 years - don't sell yourself short.


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## Elric (Apr 30, 2020)

The SLO is a proven all time legendary amp. It is literally on everyone's bucket list. I'm sure that other amp is nice, but this would not even be a contest for me personally. LOL.


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## USMarine75 (Apr 30, 2020)




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## SSK0909 (Apr 30, 2020)

Funny. It's only been a month since I posted here, because I seriously considered purchasing an SLO myself. Always been my dream amp, but in the end, the convenience and versatility of digital won 

As others have stated. Everyone knows what a SLO is, and it holds its value well. The other amp, most people have probably never heard of, and because of that, it would probably be much harder to sell, and would definately sell with a loss.


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## Meeotch (Apr 30, 2020)

Man for that kind of coin, I'd say get the Synergy SLO module and a nice tube power amp (or just run it into the fx return of whatever you got). There's a number of youtube vida out there comparing the two, check it out.

FWIW, I actually bought a Trinity last year and promptly returned it. To be fair it was a sweet amp, but not $4k sweet, and it didn't do the tight modern metal thing either.


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## MetalHead40 (Apr 30, 2020)

AndiKravljaca said:


> Hey guys,
> 
> I have what's known as a 'happy problem' throughout the industrialized world. I'm going to be turning forty, and I'm going to be treating myself to one of those 'once in a lifetime' purchases, using some savings to make my autumn years sweeter, as my wife puts it.
> 
> Now here's the deal. I am an absolute nut for the sound of Soldano amps. I grew up listening to them, and have never had one. I've played Soldano models on everything from the POD XT, to Overloud, Helix, Nembrini Audio's BST100 plugin, and so on - and I sort of have a handle on the fact that I do absolutely want this sound.



I'd say Soldano if that's what your dreaming of. But that level of coin I would also be looking at Wizards.


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## narad (Apr 30, 2020)

Though if his goal is SLO-like sound, I don't imagine him being happy with a Wizard.


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## SSK0909 (May 1, 2020)

Meeotch said:


> Man for that kind of coin, I'd say get the Synergy SLO module and a nice tube power amp (or just run it into the fx return of whatever you got). There's a number of youtube vida out there comparing the two, check it out.
> 
> FWIW, I actually bought a Trinity last year and promptly returned it. To be fair it was a sweet amp, but not $4k sweet, and it didn't do the tight modern metal thing either.


Syngergy is ridiculously expensive in europe. I looked into them myself, but you can almost get a used SLO for the same money a 2 rack synergy unit with SLO modulers and power amp costs here.


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## Emperoff (May 6, 2020)

Meeotch said:


> Man for that kind of coin, I'd say get the Synergy SLO module and a nice tube power amp (or just run it into the fx return of whatever you got). There's a number of youtube vida out there comparing the two, check it out.
> 
> FWIW, I actually bought a Trinity last year and promptly returned it. To be fair it was a sweet amp, but not $4k sweet, and it didn't do the tight modern metal thing either.



The key ingredient on the SLO sound are his transformers, which you won't find in a SYN module. Yeah, it will bring you close but it won't be *IT. *And I'm not even accounting the poweramp which is a huge factor in the sound of any amp.

I have a Soldano preamp and the first thing my amp tech said when he heard it was: "That doesn't sound like a Soldano at all, and believe me I've worked in quite a few of them. You're missing half of the picture".


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## Zado (May 7, 2020)

Emperoff said:


> The key ingredient on the SLO sound are his transformers, which you won't find in a SYN module.



And in the new SLO either 

So OP you may wanna consider a Ceriatone SLO with that said.


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## budda (May 7, 2020)

Zado said:


> And in the new SLO either
> 
> So OP you may wanna consider a Ceriatone SLO with that said.



He's been waiting like 20+ years - get a soldano.


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## Emperoff (May 7, 2020)

Zado said:


> And in the new SLO either



And apparently they're no slouch. I've even heard people prefering the new ones.


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (May 7, 2020)

I was gonna say it sounds like a situation similar to the JP2C. Where they reverse engineered an original transformer to get something as close as you can get to an original.


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## narad (May 7, 2020)

Simultaneously the new one is supposedly voiced for V30s, so it's not intended as an exact reproduction. Or if it is, it's trying to match the sound of an old SLO and some other speaker set to a new SLO and a v30 cab. I run my old SLO through a v30 cab, so I guess I have no idea how Mike actually wants these to sound.


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## technomancer (May 7, 2020)

Emperoff said:


> And apparently they're no slouch. I've even heard people prefering the new ones.



They're being wound to the same specs, just not by the same company since DeYoung was bought out and won't make them anymore.... though Mike also said he prefers V30s with the new amps so that is what they went with, so who knows.



technomancer said:


> They're being wound to the same specs, just not by the same company since DeYoung was bought out and won't make them antymore.



The original designer doesn't really have to reverse engineer anything... and Soldano designed the transformer 

Much like the JP2C though guys with an original will tend to prefer that even side by side because reasons (and also ignoring that there were a boatload of 2C+ variations).

That said I have seen at least 2 guys who own both new and old SLOs saying the new ones are on the same level.


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## Zado (May 7, 2020)

budda said:


> He's been waiting like 20+ years - get a soldano.



Sure, I personally wouldn't because for the price of a SLO here in Italy you can get a Ceriatone (magnificent PTP construction btw) plus a great cab, a great guitar and a good pedal board.


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## laxu (May 7, 2020)

Zado said:


> Sure, I personally wouldn't because for the price of a SLO here in Italy you can get a Ceriatone (magnificent PTP construction btw) plus a great cab, a great guitar and a good pedal board.



While I agree with you, sometimes spending a lot of money on something that makes you happy is more important than choosing the most financially savvy option.


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (May 7, 2020)

Also if a LOT of that SLO sound comes from the Transformers, I'd go all out and get a Soldano-designed amp with a Soldano-designed transformer.


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## Zado (May 7, 2020)

laxu said:


> While I agree with you, sometimes spending a lot of money on something that makes you happy is more important than choosing the most financially savvy option.


Not sometimes, everytime. But I have a particular affection towards Nik and his crew (which I haven't for Mr Soldano) so I might be biased


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## Zado (May 7, 2020)

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Also if a LOT of that SLO sound comes from the Transformers, I'd go all out and get a Soldano-designed amp with a Soldano-designed transformer.


Honestly I've played many SLO clones I liked as much as the real thing, even with different OTs


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## AndiKravljaca (May 8, 2020)

Thanks for all of the feedback, everyone, it's really nice to see so many people chiming in with their two cents. I'll try to reply to you below:



StevenC said:


> As to price, in the US they're $100 or $200 more than the top priced Friedmans, so adding a couple thousand SEK onto local Friedman prices will give you a good idea, is say.



This is a good idea - by that logic, yes, the Soldano will cost me more than a Mezzabarba, but it won't break the bank. It'll be interesting to see what happens when the SLO-100s start showing up on Thomann and Musik-Produktiv and places like that, if the price stays below 4000 Euros or not.



Emperoff said:


> @AndiKravljaca I know you're in Sweden but I encourage you to contact Randall Pearson from Chondro Guitars (he's got a Facebook group named Chondro's Snakepit that would be the perfect place for this). He's both a Mezzabarba and a Soldano dealer and is already stocking the new MAB ones. He might clear up your doubts if you ask him honestly even if you don't buy from him.



Another great idea. I also picked up on a user on TGP whose profile picture is these exact two amps and have reached out to that person to see if they can shed some light on this.



Meeotch said:


> Man for that kind of coin, I'd say get the Synergy SLO module and a nice tube power amp (or just run it into the fx return of whatever you got). There's a number of youtube vida out there comparing the two, check it out.



I've contemplated that, I have a JCM900, and you could potentially get a Synergy preamp (Or an old Soldano one) and feed it into the effects return of the 900, of course - but that feels like I'd be cutting a big portion of the sound out for me. Besides, the Synergy is expensive because of a feature I won't need - the interchangeable modules. An updated X88/X99 would have been better in that respect (funnily enough, Mezzabarba happens to make that too: https://www.mezzabarba.com/nirvana/ - recognize the layout much?) You could also go Myasnikov, but...



SSK0909 said:


> Funny. It's only been a month since I posted here, because I seriously considered purchasing an SLO myself. Always been my dream amp, but in the end, the convenience and versatility of digital won



I absolutely remember you and your thread - you went for the AF3 in the end, then? I remember commenting something along the lines of what I put in this thread. I'm endowed with a rack unit that'll do something like 70 amps, and all I ever use is one. Why not just get that one, then. But I don't blame you for buying the Axe Fx, man, it's a heck of a value proposition! Enjoy!



MetalHead40 said:


> I'd say Soldano if that's what your dreaming of. But that level of coin I would also be looking at Wizards.





narad said:


> Though if his goal is SLO-like sound, I don't imagine him being happy with a Wizard.



I did look at Wizard, KSR and so on, but the thing here isn't to buy 'An amazing high-end amp', it's to buy 'An amp that sounds like an SLO-100'. There's tons of awesome manufacturers, but the truth is I've got my eye on a very particular sound and I want an amp that does exactly that.



Wolfhorsky said:


>




That was pretty cool to see, thanks! I actually don't live too far away from Ola at all, if only I was able to get in that room 



Emperoff said:


> And apparently they're no slouch. I've even heard people prefering the new ones.





technomancer said:


> They're being wound to the same specs, just not by the same company since DeYoung was bought out and won't make them anymore.... though Mike also said he prefers V30s with the new amps so that is what they went with, so who knows.



I honestly don't have any issue with B.A.D. making the amp. They make Friedmans and those amps are incredible. It's nice to geek over boutiqueness, but in the end these are electronic components which are supposed to do a job - I am completely confident in the fact that B.A.D. will make components to or above that standard, even if it by definition won't match the standard of someone hand-building every amp. I'm not going to geek out over PTP vs PCB - to me that's a waste of time. I'm looking for the sound, not the clout.



Zado said:


> OP you may wanna consider a Ceriatone SLO with that said. For the price of a SLO here in Italy you can get a Ceriatone (magnificent PTP construction btw) plus a great cab, a great guitar and a good pedal board.



I'd love for you to educate me on this - I'm looking at ceriatone.com and don't see an SLO clone amp, nor do I see any distributors I can get the amp through. The listings for Sweden are two extremely niche small volume amp shops who don't even list Ceriatone on their own websites, so I'm not sure I can get a hold of one here so easily. If it's an avenue worth exploring, I'll definitely put in some work to explore it. I know Ceriatone make a killer Klon pedal, but that's about it for me as far as knowledge.



laxu said:


> While I agree with you, sometimes spending a lot of money on something that makes you happy is more important than choosing the most financially savvy option.



Absolutely right, I'd say. Is the Soldano model on my Helix good enough to record with? Of course it is. I've made several EPs, done session work and videos and all sorts of things using it. Will a four thousand dollar amp get me four times the tone? Of course not. This is a luxury and an indulgence and a way for me to celebrate turning forty - it's a gesture and a memento more than it's a practical recording device. Heck, for most recording these days I use the Nembrini BST-100 plugin since everyone wants DIs anyway. It's a Soldano in a box and it's an amazing one at that. But I can't look at it when I wake up in the morning and walk into my studio with a cup of tea in my hand and feel 'I have one of these'. And as I said above, I'm not looking for clout. I just want something that'll make me smile, and feel six years old when I turn it on.



USMarine75 said:


> As someone who owned a SLO and HR50+ (9 knob version). Get the SLO. There are many other great amps but none are inherently better. You know what you’ll get. It does everything.





tedtan said:


> I'm with those saying to just get the Soldano. It's what you've wanted for 20 years - don't sell yourself short.





Elric said:


> The SLO is a proven all time legendary amp. It is literally on everyone's bucket list. I'm sure that other amp is nice, but this would not even be a contest for me personally. LOL.





HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Also if a LOT of that SLO sound comes from the Transformers, I'd go all out and get a Soldano-designed amp with a Soldano-designed transformer.





budda said:


> He's been waiting like 20+ years - get a soldano.



I'd say these are some very persuasive arguments 

I really want to thank all of you for investing your time into helping me with this! It's a once in a lifetime purchase, and I want to get it right, so I came to the place I knew would help me out.

Cheers!


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## Zado (May 8, 2020)

AndiKravljaca said:


> I'd love for you to educate me on this - I'm looking at ceriatone.com and don't see an SLO clone amp, nor do I see any distributors I can get the amp through. The listings for Sweden are two extremely niche small volume amp shops who don't even list Ceriatone on their own websites, so I'm not sure I can get a hold of one here so easily. If it's an avenue worth exploring, I'll definitely put in some work to explore it. I know Ceriatone make a killer Klon pedal, but that's about it for me as far as knowledge.



It's not listed on the site yet, as it's a new product. You can email Nik about it, and even ask him for mods if you have something in mind. The amps get shipped directly from the source to the buyer so you wont find EU distributors for their products, but they are worth every cent.


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## budda (May 8, 2020)

You answered your own question in your multi response, @AndiKravljaca - go buy a SLO. Enjoy your birthday.


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## SSK0909 (May 8, 2020)

AndiKravljaca said:


> I absolutely remember you and your thread - you went for the AF3 in the end, then? I remember commenting something along the lines of what I put in this thread. I'm endowed with a rack unit that'll do something like 70 amps, and all I ever use is one. Why not just get that one, then. But I don't blame you for buying the Axe Fx, man, it's a heck of a value proposition! Enjoy!


I actually went with a Kemper stage. Found one at a good price  Honestly I also only use 5 amp models/profiles. But to me it's not about the number of amps, it's that fact that it sounds the same every night, it's easy to store and carry when gigging, it's easy to record, I can play/record with heaphones, which means I can enjoy it even when my wife sleeps in the room next to me. 

The decision to go digital again was because I would only get to use the SLO 3 hours a week at band pratice. It would simply be too loud and impractical to play and record with it at home, and I was afraid that even at our rehearsal space I couldn't crank it enough to get that sweet spot.

I grew musically with lots of tube amps, but IMO they just have so many detriments compared to the modellers now a days


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## StevenC (May 8, 2020)

Peach Guitars in England had a new SLO100 for £3999


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## Zado (May 8, 2020)

StevenC said:


> Peach Guitars in England had a new SLO100 for £3999



Yep


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## protest (May 8, 2020)

If you can actually afford it, then get what you've always wanted. In the grand scheme of things it's like the cost of a vacation, but it lasts the rest of your life and not a week.


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## Endnote (May 8, 2020)

Quick story time: I saw High on Fire years ago when they opened for Dethklok, Mastodon, and Converge in 2009 here in LA. I walked in right as HOF started playing and it was the loudest band I ever heard. Matt Pike, the guitarist/vocalist, had a JCM800 Kerry King and an SLO-100. I'd heard HOF before but not in this live context. Before that I wasn't a fan in any sense. Safe to safe they shot up into my top 5 bands within a year. Since then I've seen HOF every time they've played in LA and a couple other places I've been fortunate enough to see them at. I'd heard of the SLO before but never had the chance to hear it in a context that blew me away like this. The last two times I saw HOF Pike had 3, 3 full stacks of SLOs (wtf man why so many?!) and it still sounded perfect to my ears. So that was enough for me to really want an SLO, but I hesitated and bought other amps along the way due to the price, the Orange Dual Dark 50 and a KSR Orthos. I still wanted to get a Soldano that whole time. Back in 2016 I got to try one out at a GC, bone stock, and I was floored again. But it took me some time to save the money and I sold the KSR in anticipation. I finally bought an SLO back in 2018 used before Mr Soldano went into semi-retirement. So here's my conclusion:

It was worth the hype. My expectations were exceeded and just playing any open chord and letting it ring out is still extremely satisfying to this day. When I play the crunch/normal channel I play with the gain on 10 (sometimes I'll drop it to 6 or 7 just to keep the ladies from getting to crazy), overdrive channel on 6, with the presence set low, usually around 3, and the EQ all set to five, usually with the volumes anywhere from 2-6 depending on what I'm doing. But I can't get it to sound bad when using it for metal, rock and blues, which is what I primarily play, with some indie in there. I do use an OD for death metal and when the bass needs to be tightened up. But I can play HOF without any pedals and the settings I mentioned above, and while I'm not Matt Pike, I at least feel as cool as that dude. So I'd go for it man. Most amp manufacturers have something to offer, but as someone that was once in a similar position, I've realized that the SLO is what I should have went for in the first place. If my current one was stolen today I'd find another one or buy the a new BAD-manufactured one because I have a lot of faith in that circuit. Mind you I'm just a recreational player, haven't played in a band in years, and I love the digital stuff too (I own a Fractal AX8), but I've been sold on the SLO and I have no reason to get rid of it outside of some kind of catastrophe. Go big or go home man! Greetings from LA, hope to visit Sweden and Norway in the next few years after all this COVID stuff cools down.


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## AndiKravljaca (Jun 29, 2020)

Well, guys, the Thomann listing for the SLO-30 is up:

https://www.thomann.de/se/soldano_s...HQ--qa5HJuwyphGCCRu_zqWFtqdWgCeMaAsaqEALw_wcB

Unfortunately, this looks like it's going to be outside my budget. At 2800 EUR (3100 USD) it's just too much juice for the wallet to lose. I'm gutted, but at the same time it's nice to know I'd have gotten one if I could have afforded it. Hopefully one will turn up on the used market someday. Thanks for all your support!

I've no doubt it's worth the money, but it's a bridge too far for me. 

I'm going to be looking at Ceriatone, Mezzabarba and Myasnikov and seeing if that could be a viable option.


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## Bearitone (Jun 30, 2020)

A real SLO is on my shortlist of dream amps. If it ends up disappointing, at the very least you can sell it quick and easy. They hold their resale value quite well


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## Spicypickles (Jun 30, 2020)

Dang, what’s your budget then? I thought most SLO’s were way above the 3k level.


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## Emperoff (Jun 30, 2020)

I don't understand. You're undecided between two amps well over 3k, then when the SLO 30W version (which is under 3k) gets released is way off your budget. 

Can I ask how much money did you expect to spend on a Soldano? Because I don't see the point of being undecided between a BMW and a Mercedes if you can't afford neither...


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