An amp so astonishingly good you had to live on ramen for a while to get it

[naveed211]

There’s been a Soldano SLO-30 at the local GC for weeks now. I’ve been avoiding it, afraid of what I might realize, like Adam and Eve in the garden.

Finally said screw it and plugged it in yesterday. Good lord, it’s the best amp I’ve ever played. It’s incredible. Normal channel, crunch mode, can go from tight riffing, raw rock and roll, to glassy cleans all with pick attack. It does it all amazingly.

$2000+ amp is definitely not in the budget any time soon. But damn, it’s so good, I may have to make it happen.

Was there an amp so good you had to be a bit more frugal in other aspects of life to get it?

 

[Peegoo]

@naveed211

Do whatever you have to do--short of bank robbery--to get the amp. Otherwise you'll spend the rest of your life wondering why you didn't do it.

I've never scrimped to buy any musical monkey bizniz equipment. But I have actually lived on ramen, peanut butter sammiches, and other cheap grub to save up for the down payment on a house.

 

[Silent Otto]

Have you seen the price of ramen these days?

 

[naveed211]

@naveed211

Do whatever you have to do--short of bank robbery--to get the amp. Otherwise you'll spend the rest of your life wondering why you didn't do it.

I've never scrimped to buy any musical monkey bizniz equipment. But I have actually lived on ramen, peanut butter sammiches, and other cheap grub to save up for the down payment on a house.

Yeah, the moment I plug it in after unboxing I’m sure something will need repair with my house or my car.

But the pull is definitely strong.

 

[Lawdawg]

Amp, no. Guitar, yes! I was literally saving up pennies and skipping meals to buy my Strat plus in 92.

 

[sadfield]

**** no. I enjoy food more.

 

[joebloggs13]

While I did not have to eat ramen, my latest amp is... Astonishingly good.

 

[DHart]

Yes. But fortunately I don't have to eat ramen (though I do still enjoy a good ramen from time to time.) I did sell some of my unused camera gear to fund the new amp.

The Morgan MVP23 did it for me. Priced at $1900 at GC and Sweetwater. But no way I was going to stretch to $1900 for a new one. I was fortunate to find a really nice used one on the GC website, and had it shipped to me from SF Bay Area.

It did need a new EL84 (looks like the tube broke in transit), but aside from that - amazing. The tonal palette is stunning. At $1295... it was a buy that I couldn't pass up and I decided it was a keeper. (After arrival, GC happily credited me $100 to cover a full set of new tubes.)

It has been a great experience experimenting with so many different combinations of gain, master, and power scaling, combined with various bass, middle, and treble control settings.

The touch sensitivity is exceptional. So many different possibilities and all can be dialed down in output volume from 23 watts to 1/4 watt with the power scaling pot, with little to no discernible change in tone. Truly excellent power scaling implementation by varying the voltage available to the power tubes. As this is used in my home studio, the excellent power scaling feature was a major factor in my buying decision.

This Shawn Tubbs demo video pushed me over the edge.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPQRWhmYaho


A 12" Celestion Creamback serves up the sound waves.

I feel quite spoiled in that this amp will only be used in my home studio. But every morning I'm eager to brew up some coffee, grab up a guitar, and fire up the amp for a big helping of delicious tone colors.

 

[Lowspeid]

There’s been a Soldano SLO-30 at the local GC for weeks now. I’ve been avoiding it, afraid of what I might realize, like Adam and Eve in the garden.

Finally said screw it and plugged it in yesterday. Good lord, it’s the best amp I’ve ever played. It’s incredible. Normal channel, crunch mode, can go from tight riffing, raw rock and roll, to glassy cleans all with pick attack. It does it all amazingly.

$2000+ amp is definitely not in the budget any time soon. But damn, it’s so good, I may have to make it happen.

Was there an amp so good you had to be a bit more frugal in other aspects of life to get it?

Not to cause you any more discomfort from Soldano GAS, but I recently picked up a Soldano Astro 20 and 2x12 for a price that was too good to pass up. I figured I could flip it if I didn’t like it. It’s such an amazing amp. The more I’ve played it and gotten to know it the more I love it. When I played it against my other amps (low watt vintage Fenders, and a Prosonic) I really didn’t like it. It sounded too “nasal”, too “pristine”, and I can’t run my reverb and delay into the front without it “blowing up” (same thing happens with the drive channel of the Prosonic). But I was comparing a modern amp to vintage amps. It took a couple weeks of just letting it be what it is (and turning the mids knob way to the left), but when I just play it now (and throw the reverb and delay into the (awesome) loop) it’s phenomenal!

I don’t use any OD/Distortion pedals with it because the Soldano doesn’t need them. It’s incredibly touch sensitive, and easily as responsive to pick attack as my 5e3.

When I play with my buddies in the garage it sits perfectly in the mix whether it’s clean, dirty, or absolutely filthy. It doesn’t matter what guitar I plug in. They all sound great. Some higher-gain amps I’ve played make every guitar sound the same, but not the Soldano. My Tele sounds like a Tele, my JM like a JM, and my LP like a LP.

As good as the Astro is, I have a feeling the SLO 30 is even better. If I had a SLO 30 sitting at my nearby GC I’d be trading/selling whatever I could (within the confines of the law) to get it. Just my $.02.

 

[Memphis Soul]

I paid $2200 for my Fender 65 Twin Reverb reissue but did it the easy way. I got a Sweetwater card and payed 48 equal payments for it. Now I have $4000 to spend on it and want a 59 Bassman reissue very badly but I told my wife I would close the card out after the last couple of payments I have to make for it to be free and clear. So I might be starving for awhile trying to get this one. It is also $2200.

 

[Holy smokes]

I wish I could play good enough to justify your scenario. But I would just be a blues shizz lawyer.congratulations life is short enjoy

 

[gwjensen]

Yes. But fortunately I don't have to eat ramen (though I do still enjoy a good ramen from time to time.) I did sell some of my unused camera gear to fund the new amp.

The Morgan MVP23 did it for me. Priced at $1900 at GC and Sweetwater. But no way I was going to stretch to $1900 for a new one. I was fortunate to find a really nice used one on the GC website, and had it shipped to me from SF Bay Area.

It did need a new EL84 (looks like the tube broke in transit), but aside from that - amazing. The tonal palette is stunning. At $1295... it was a buy that I couldn't pass up and I decided it was a keeper. (After arrival, GC happily credited me $100 to cover a full set of new tubes.)

It has been a great experience experimenting with so many different combinations of gain, master, and power scaling, combined with various bass, middle, and treble control settings.

The touch sensitivity is exceptional. So many different possibilities and all can be dialed down in output volume from 23 watts to 1/4 watt with the power scaling pot, with little to no discernible change in tone. Truly excellent power scaling implementation by varying the voltage available to the power tubes. As this is used in my home studio, the excellent power scaling feature was a major factor in my buying decision.

This Shawn Tubbs demo video pushed me over the edge.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPQRWhmYaho


A 12" Celestion Creamback serves up the sound waves.

I feel quite spoiled in that this amp will only be used in my home studio. But every morning I'm eager to brew up some coffee, grab up a guitar, and fire up the amp for a big helping of delicious tone colors.

I have the head and matching 1x12. SO versatile with brilliant power scaling... I love it.

 

[loudboy]

I paid $2200 for my Fender 65 Twin Reverb reissue but did it the easy way. I got a Sweetwater card and payed 48 equal payments for it. Now I have $4000 to spend on it and want a 59 Bassman reissue very badly but I told my wife I would close the card out after the last couple of payments I have to make for it to be free and clear. So I might be starving for awhile trying to get this one. It is also $2200.

Hate to break it to you, but you can get a real SF Twin Reverb for $7-800, all day long.

 

[ndcaster]

There’s been a Soldano SLO-30 at the local GC for weeks now. I’ve been avoiding it, afraid of what I might realize, like Adam and Eve in the garden.

Finally said screw it and plugged it in yesterday. Good lord, it’s the best amp I’ve ever played. It’s incredible. Normal channel, crunch mode, can go from tight riffing, raw rock and roll, to glassy cleans all with pick attack. It does it all amazingly.

$2000+ amp is definitely not in the budget any time soon. But damn, it’s so good, I may have to make it happen.

Was there an amp so good you had to be a bit more frugal in other aspects of life to get it?

bro, scrimp and get it, life is too short to kick the can down a road that ends too soon

 

[Unionjack515]

Two for me:

1) Two Rock Bloomfield Drive. Worth every penny. Probably would have paid more, despite the fact that it was already stupid money.

2) Divided By 13 CCC 9/15. See above.

I also spend a lot of time playing through a Tone King Imperial. I got my MK1 fairly cheap (in context) but my MK2 cost me some as I wanted it in the lacquered tweed finish and they don’t come up for sale all that often.

 

[Emster]

When I read these sort of "gotta have it no matter what" tales, my little brain says "wait a bit after they get it... they will love amp unconditionally for sure.... but that guitar...? and that gnawing hunger will transfer to somehow finding the perfect guitar for the perfect amp. I think it has to do with Buddha's teaching "all life is suffering."
I could be wrong....

 

[tfarny]

Allen Accomplice jr, 40 watt 6l6 mod. haven’t had any amp GAS for 6 years. Get a good amp and keep it!

 

[Recce]

I didn’t eat Ramen even in college. I do sometimes save for things.

 

[naveed211]

I didn’t eat Ramen even in college. I do sometimes save for things.

Fair enough, I have a good job but I eat ramen even now.

 

[Pops_Caster]

I haven’t come across an amp like that, yet, but it could happen. If you’re not in a rush, just bide your time, stash extra cash or move some other gear/stuff to start a fund. What’s the saying? Fortune smiles on he who is prepared? Something like that.