Soldano Retiring

Haych

ICBM said:

Haych said:

Right y'all, stop this now!  At the rate everyone is waxing lyrical about the SLO100 I'll have ordered one by the end of the day, and I cannot afford it, I don't need it and I won't use it to it's full potential.  So please, for the sake of my credit card balance and my marriage, please stop????

Just buy a Jet City JCA50. 95% of the sound for 5% of the cost.

LOL, I already have one and I wasn't being entirely serious, but if I did have the money.............

Kalimna

I know it isn't the most highly rated of Soldano's, but I do rather miss my Decatone.... gear that should never have been sold....

Moe_Zambeek

4K for a new SLO - I don’t think prices can shoot up from that point can they???

PolarityMan

ICBM said:

Haych said:

Right y'all, stop this now!  At the rate everyone is waxing lyrical about the SLO100 I'll have ordered one by the end of the day, and I cannot afford it, I don't need it and I won't use it to it's full potential.  So please, for the sake of my credit card balance and my marriage, please stop????

Just buy a Jet City JCA50. 95% of the sound for 5% of the cost.

I wonder if that was a factor in his decision not to sell on the name. 

hubobulous

Wonder if we'll see the high end modellers - Helix, AxeFx, Kemper - also go up in price due to the relatively rarety of the SLO100 now ;-)

breezytele

i saw Warren Haynes using a SLO at blues fest, at Under the Bridge 
and to this day it’s the best live tone I’ve heard 
( we were centre front and hearing the amps, not the PA )

Darren

@webrthomson have you still got the SLO100 I sold you a few years back?

Collings

FelineGuitars said:

I did wonder if ETI/Boutique Amp Distribution was going to continue the line..think I heard a whisper of that on ToneTalk

I think that's where I heard it. I think someone asked Dave the question and he gave a knowing smile and said he could not possibly comment

webrthomson

Darren said:

@webrthomson have you still got the SLO100 I sold you a few years back?

Hey @Darren - I dont, I wasnt gigging and it seems like a shame to have it sitting around the house so I moved it on!

Fantastic amp though, of all the things that I've sold it's pretty much the only one I would still like to have

I do have a Synergy Soldano SLO preamp module thought, which feel more reasonable than a 4K amp to have sitting about the house!!!

Pete24v

Haych said:

ICBM said:

The Mesa Rectifier is a lot more versatile than nu-metal too for that matter.

This is true, I do believe this is a Strat through a dual Rec, it gets very interesting about 3:54:



Apologies for the slight thread hijak 

Love that band, one of the best I've had the pleasure of seeing live. 

DartmoorHedgehog

ICBM said:

The guitarist in my band had one, and unlike the Marshall Super Lead he had before it, he could crank the Soldano to the point of power amp overdrive and it was surprisingly tolerable, even in fairly small venues.

That's a good advertising slogan for them - "Soldano amplifiers - Surprisingly Tolerable"

tekbow

This posted yesterday on Soldano's FB page.

"Hi Everyone!
 
Since founding Soldano Custom Amplification 32 years ago, I’ve had to split my time between developing new products and operating a small business.  I have reached a place in my life where I no longer wish to handle the business side of things and focus on what I enjoy most – designing and developing awesome amps and related products.
 
So, I’m excited to announce that I have teamed up with Boutique Amps Distribution to take Soldano to the next level.  For many months now I have been seeking a company that can carry on my brand and Boutique Amps Distribution was the clear choice.  They have the resources, talent, and passion to manufacture Soldano amps to the standard of quality both I and my customers expect, right here in California, USA.   Together we will be bringing to life some of the products I have been wanting to make for a long time.
 
Many thanks for honoring me all these years with your loyal support and I hope you continue to do so as I transition to this exciting new chapter of my life.  Stay tuned - Soldano is about to get better than ever!
 
If you’re attending the NAMM show, please stop by booth # 5238 to say hi!  I’ll be there Thursday – Saturday.  
 
Best wishes for a Happy 2019,
 
Michael Soldano
Going to 11 since 1987!"

BTW there's a bit of background on the BCM thing.

He tried to put a package together to buy Soldano, but it fell thru. He also despises Avi, the owner of B.A.D.

Myself, I find the BCM guy unpleasant. He's created a gatekeeper to Soldano type role for himself, especially in the states where, to be fair, he's Soldano's biggest dealer and has shifted A LOT of units for Mike.

It's been like that since the Soldano Conforum days.

He's been pretty quiet the last couple days unsurprisingly. This is after making a whole bunch of blatantly false statements the last couple months.

Tantrums are being had.

I think the announcement is a good thing. Mike appears to be involved and doing what he genuinely preferred to do. Design amps.

fretmeister

Who or what is BCM?

tekbow

fretmeister said:

Who or what is BCM?

First Post, Blues City Music in the States.

Fretwired

From another forum:

So, I was on the phone with my good friend Mike Soldano yesterday, and he told me that he's gonna retire from building what are arguably (and IMO) THE best guitar amps on the planet. He says he just cant justify building amps any more, that he's having a hard time making a buck doing that.

I find that astounding, considering the fucking incredible amps he's been building over the years. I've had five Soldano's, and every one of them were crushing tone monsters. At his age, he doesn't wanna pick up shop and move to start all over again, so he's gonna call it quits.

I shipped my SLO-100 off to him today for a full check up and final mod that I've been wanting to have done, just so it can be done by the man himself.

Time goes by, and shit ends... everything ends at some point or another, but knowing that doesn't make it an easier pill to swallow.
To me, this is the end of a level of quality, attention to detail and killer tone in amp building that we may not see again.

Mike Soldano has become a real good friend, and I'm gonna miss talking amps and hot rods with him.

Seems he's not making any money - could be why selling is more hassle than closing the business. Sad.

tekbow

Fretwired said:

From another forum:

So, I was on the phone with my good friend Mike Soldano yesterday, and he told me that he's gonna retire from building what are arguably (and IMO) THE best guitar amps on the planet. He says he just cant justify building amps any more, that he's having a hard time making a buck doing that.

I find that astounding, considering the fucking incredible amps he's been building over the years. I've had five Soldano's, and every one of them were crushing tone monsters. At his age, he doesn't wanna pick up shop and move to start all over again, so he's gonna call it quits.

I shipped my SLO-100 off to him today for a full check up and final mod that I've been wanting to have done, just so it can be done by the man himself.

Time goes by, and shit ends... everything ends at some point or another, but knowing that doesn't make it an easier pill to swallow.
To me, this is the end of a level of quality, attention to detail and killer tone in amp building that we may not see again.

Mike Soldano has become a real good friend, and I'm gonna miss talking amps and hot rods with him.

Seems he's not making any money - could be why selling is more hassle than closing the business. Sad.

That from the TGP "Soldano retiring" thread? it's familiar

That's from a little while back, the announcement I posted is from yesterday on the Soldano Amplification facebook page. It's a done deal, he's at NAMM this year.

A lot of people who've spoken to him on the phone are claiming they're best friends with Mike at the moment. Thing is Mike will talk your ear off if you call him (in the nicest possible way). He'd also welcome most people into the former workshop if you could make it there.

I've spoken to him twice over the last year for tech queries. He's not my best friend, but i wish he was. Super nice guy and all the time in the world to talk.

Anyway, the closing came up and he said "well.. we *might* be back, don't know yet". Take my word for it or not.

I agree that he wasn't making lots of money. His output was limited and his amps are expensive and more "legendary" than relevant. People just weren't buying them like the 80's. He also didn't have endorsees or artist discounts, anyone who owned one bought them.

I'd love to see this move making the name relevant again.