Soldano SLO-30 Classic

The Soldano SLO 30 Classic Head amp is a new, smaller version of the company’s legendary boutique SLO 100 high-gain amplifier. Has Soldano really managed to pack all the power of the SLO 100 into a smaller powered amp head? Read on to find out.

Soldano SLO 30 Classic Head
For quite sometime in the ’90s, the legendary Soldano SLO 100 had a massive following and was the 100-watt all tube, high-gain amp head to own. But not everyone plays in stadiums and arenas, and so the company has released a more manageable 30-watt version with five 12AX7 tubes in the preamp section and a pair of 6L6 power tubes.

High Gain
The front panel has controls for Ch. 1 Overdrive, Ch. 1 Master, Ch. 2 Overdrive, Ch. 2 Master, a shared EQ, and Presence and Depth. There is also a switch to choose between the Normal and Overdrive channels, a Bright on/off switch, and a Mode switch that chooses Clean or Crunch. Expect a harmonically rich character, with enough gain on tap to get right in your face.

Depth and Loop
This new 30-Watt version still has the ‘Depth mode’ knob which was a huge part of the original 100-watt version, and offered additional tonal possibilities within the power amp section of the amp. Soldano has also worked extensively on the effects loop to make it pedal-friendly, and it comes with a solo boost functionality as well as a hardwired bypass feature.

Specifications

• 30-watt all-tube head
• Hand-wired in the USA
• Crystal cleans and harmonically rich crunch tones via the Normal channel’s Bright and Crunch switches
• Instant switching from the Normal to Overdrive channels via the included footswitch
• Independent Preamp and Master controls
• Global 3-band EQ, Presence, and Depth controls voice the entire amp
• Improved tube-buffered FX loop
• FX level control optimises the performance of your effects and offers solo boost functionality
• New effects loop hardwire bypass
• Variable Slave output offers direct recording, perfect for IRs, combining amps, and more
• Use 4, 8, or 16-ohm speaker cabinets via onboard impedance selector