It's great to see that Soldano understands that, unless you're playing stadiums on a regular basis, 20 watts is all you need. I gigged with a little 20 watt Boogie Subway Rocket 10 inch combo for years, and was told to turn down more than once!!!! In this age of "silent stage", low wattage is the way to go! The amp sounds GREAT!!!! Just like a Soldano should!!!
I listened to every demo at least three times before purchasing this amp. Pete’s demo is one of the best. An amp for me has to sound good and be able to pass the live band test. I was skeptical about this as I’ve never owned a tube amp under 50w. I’ve been running it through a 4x12 71 Marshall slant cab with 10 yr old greenbacks. It sounds so good. Actually inspired me to play better. Plenty of volume, even at practice where it’s not mic’d. Running it midi with my Musicomlabs, I have it set to 4 distinct channels per bank; just so versatile. And haven’t even used the IR direct capability yet. If you’re on the fence about this amp and you like the Soldano character then I can guarantee you won’t be disappointed.
Once again, Pete, you knocked it out of the park!!! You do the best demos of anyone I follow!!! Awesome awesome awesome!!! The way you write an original tune in a way that shows off each of the features of the amp. Excellent!!
Maybe Pete's nickname should be Dr. Feelgood. His videos and his playing makes my ears feel all right. Speaking of Motley Crue, I'll bet this amp doubles well with a Marshall for that sound.
Pete, Another excellent video! Thanks for the deep dive on the cleans and the versatility of the amp. You have to get some kind of award for best songs for demoing gear on videos hands down. Keep up the great videos! Hope you play Hawaii soon! Much Mahalos
When you were commenting on the clean modes in IR or "real" speaker, I think that the IR won't emulate cone breakup, since most IRs are static at one (hopefully optimum) recorded level - you can do multiple IRs recorded at multiple levels and blend between them based on some parameter like gain level (especially since the patents on the technology have expired as far as I recall), but it's a lot more complex than just doing a single convolution with a single IR. Still sounds awesome, though!
Great vid as usual Pete. I have the Soldano 30 and this is a whole different animal and maybe more in line what I would use in my studio. I love my Soldano 30 but this definitely has tons more tone options.
Sounds great! Feature-wise, it reminds me a lot of another amp (lower watt, 3 channel tube , + IRs + headphone out, etc). You’re a trend-setter Pete :)
It sounds like a modern American boutique amp set on the foundation of an 80s Marshall like tone which is what I’d expect from a modern Soldano. They’re not reinventing the wheel but responding to the modern musicians needs unlike companies like Marshall. From what I could hear tho it still didn’t give that nice bell like tone you’d look for in a chimey clean. It sounded a little muddy which is good for a rock sound but not necessarily for say a worship band. It did put out some really nice spacey sounds. I’m a metal guy who’s trying to get into worship so I’m always trying to find the best of both worlds. I haven’t been involved with music much since 2016 and I’m trying to find a good rig. I’ve looked at all the modeler stuff and I’m somewhat impressed but those things come with lots of baggage apparently and this is really interesting to me because it kind of scratches that itch without ditching a physical amp so I’m REALLY interested in this thing. My church can work with a pedal that doesn’t have an amp but practice won’t necessarily be powered so I still need something with power and a speaker ultimately but having flexibility is extremely important to me since I’m starting over right now. I still have my old gear but it just needs too much attention and really isn’t suited for any environments I’ll likely be using it in the near future so I’m going to have to dump most of it and like I said, Start from scratch
@@jimyoung9262 A pedal like the Strymon is more about function than fashion. It’s a practical reliable solution which is what you want on Sunday morning when you have no time for snags so it’s perfect if I was just doing worship but to craft my own sound I need something that’s going to be the sound in my head and that pedal is way too generic for that. It covers one end of my needs but not the other
11:00 might have something to do with how they’re doing the internal load /power amp disable for direct recording with no cab? This is good to know because I actually like some hair on a clean sound when you pick hard. Would be interesting to hear blue or purple Galaxy with power amp cranked and bringing up the pre.
Well, it's like I was saying in the video, the tap, for the DI, is actually taken before the power amp. then there is some digital thump/presence going on as part of that output to simulate with a power amp does, but you can't drive the power amp sim into distortion.
This thing sounds amazing For my personal needs, because this has a simulated power section when running direct I’d prefer a to just take out the power section and make either a rack preamp or a pedal - almost like the Friedman IRX I doubt I’ll get my wish but that would be ideal
Knowhere in the manual is a simulated power section being mentioned, but maybe the power section goes to a load and then to the IR... but it's seperate from the power amp in some way as it's being mentioned to turn the master volume down... which would contradict that observation. But does it really matter? It sounds good...
@@grtxyz4358 This thing sounds amazing. I thought I remembered a video that mentioned the simulated power section but I could have misheard Definitely want one
Sounds great I may be sold on this. I bought an SLO 100 and returned it, great amp but couldn't personally justify $4k and just way to loud for what I do.
Did you find that the clean/green channel was level-matched / normalized to the higher gain channels & galaxies, so you could switch back and forth to crystal cleans and scorching leads with no issues or compromises? Thanks, Pete!
It really depends on the gig. I find it's always drummer dependent, and of course, dependent on how loud you can actually play, usually that's not very loud these days.
with a 6V6 power section, you could use JJ 6V6S for a clear bright to compressed creamy sound, or the new TAD Redbase 6V6GT-STR that the founder of Brunetti amps called the best 6V6 he's ever tried for a more classic fat warm 6V6 sound.
Any opinion on how this amp takes pedals as well as home volumes? Curious how good the master volume is or if this amp might need any attenuation to sound good less than 90dB?
It's curious why they chose to omit the onboard loadbox and went with power amp emulation. Pretty much all other similar amps have onboard reactive load and don't use power amp emulation. Wonder if it's to "emulate" bigger power amp than the physical 20W? Are there settings to manipulate the emulated power amp?
@@tomusic8887 The manual says to do that but no damage if you don't! Power tubes are automatically deactivated when no cable is present on the speaker out!
Well, to be fair, I had my monitors cranked up loud and you're hearing the high game setting, that's just what you get on a high gain amplifier now isn't it?
I want a Soldano amp with a built in Pete Thorn that can play notes that I miss when I am trying to write a hit…. I start playing and out of nowhere Pete sneaks in and adds his notes and riffage and that is the next amp mod AI…. Artificial Intelligence Amps…. Select an artist and when you play a certain way…. It throws in note ideas from that artist to teach you more than you can play…. Like a private lesson but the amp Senses more of what you need but from Pete’s idea base
If they wish to compete with modelling and all the great amp in a pedal stuff that has come out recently then yes tube amps need to change. Or some form of effective on board attenuation, which some amps are starting to offer. Or circuits that work well with good master volumes. Price too. This is a great amp but the price is out of reach for many. The new Boss IR 2 or the Friedman IR-X are great examples of the new reality for guitarists. Lots of other great examples out there at more affordable prices.
I understand what you’re saying, though I prefer my reactive load separate. I paid ~$400 for a Suhr reactive load, and can use it with many different amps. I don’t want to burden every amp with that cost (and the margin that comes with it) when I can make that investment once. But your overall point is a good one-amps that are easier to integrate into project studios and home use at more reasonable volume levels make good sense. Pete’s PT15-IR is a great idea.
Ignorant statement… the modelers have to have something to model…..there are a lot of bedroom shredders but there are also a ton of real platers who love a live guitar amp. Not everyone is plugging into a PC to be a UA-camr.
@@nicefish10 you re talking with one that plays tube amps.. But for the new generations which plays at home expecially to me amp producers has to offer certains specs.
Sounds great, but did we think otherwise with Mike Soldano doing it? lol Does the MIDI just do the gain level/galaxy or are all the channel settings saved too?
Check out this video I made on using MIDI to control a Soldano Astro 20, Torpedo Captor X, & Golden Boy with an Ampero Control (all on different MIDI channels): ua-cam.com/video/R6382C0bDXY/v-deo.htmlsi=Y90suiYDtDzCuWaV
@PeteThorn Great review Pete! I'm really looking at this amp hard.. could you possibly do a replication of VH tones with it through the years to see how close you could get??
You couldn't ask a better person to demo this amp. Very nice!
It's great to see that Soldano understands that, unless you're playing stadiums on a regular basis, 20 watts is all you need. I gigged with a little 20 watt Boogie Subway Rocket 10 inch combo for years, and was told to turn down more than once!!!! In this age of "silent stage", low wattage is the way to go! The amp sounds GREAT!!!! Just like a Soldano should!!!
Every time I watch a Pete Thorn Demo the opening tune is simply tremendous
Thanks!
100% truth.
That head meets all my criteria for an amplifier. Versatile, flexible, and great tone in any channel. Leave it to Mike Soldano.
I listened to every demo at least three times before purchasing this amp. Pete’s demo is one of the best. An amp for me has to sound good and be able to pass the live band test. I was skeptical about this as I’ve never owned a tube amp under 50w. I’ve been running it through a 4x12 71 Marshall slant cab with 10 yr old greenbacks. It sounds so good. Actually inspired me to play better. Plenty of volume, even at practice where it’s not mic’d. Running it midi with my Musicomlabs, I have it set to 4 distinct channels per bank; just so versatile. And haven’t even used the IR direct capability yet. If you’re on the fence about this amp and you like the Soldano character then I can guarantee you won’t be disappointed.
Sounds much bigger than a 20W 6V6 amp; which is hard to do, great job Mike and great demo !
I hate that I have a bunch of cool amps that I really like, and then another cool amp comes out that I really like!
Every time I watch Pete I spend money...not good for my marriage but great for my tone!...Thanks Pete!
it happens to me too🤣
I've watched over half a dozen demos on this wonderful amp. IMO, Pet has the best tone.
Wait, just yesterday you had forgotten you had to have this out today, and now we have this rock and roll jewel box. Pete, you’re a machine.
Once again, Pete, you knocked it out of the park!!! You do the best demos of anyone I follow!!! Awesome awesome awesome!!! The way you write an original tune in a way that shows off each of the features of the amp. Excellent!!
Thanks!!!
Dang Pete! Your playing always takes my head off! WOW!
Thanks!
You are genious man, composing extremely good and unique musical pieces for every thing you are reviewing.
I just ordered one...I mean...it was a no-brainer. This thing sounds sick. SICK!
That clean tone! Wow. It all sounds great. Fantastic demo as usual Pete!
More jaw dropping songwriting and playing of an amazing sounding amp from the good Dr. Thorn!
Thank you kindly!
Maybe Pete's nickname should be Dr. Feelgood. His videos and his playing makes my ears feel all right. Speaking of Motley Crue, I'll bet this amp doubles well with a Marshall for that sound.
Great tool! Definitely a wanting. I owned a Soldano Hot Rod 50 years ago, but I couldn’t it use live cause of its loudness even at low levels.
Pete,
Another excellent video! Thanks for the deep dive on the cleans and the versatility of the amp. You have to get some kind of award for best songs for demoing gear on videos hands down.
Keep up the great videos! Hope you play Hawaii soon!
Much Mahalos
Best review/demo so far. Thanks, Pete!
Great video Pete. Stellar playing as always and a great tune!
This amp is loaded!!! It's a great time to be a guitarist! 🤘
When you were commenting on the clean modes in IR or "real" speaker, I think that the IR won't emulate cone breakup, since most IRs are static at one (hopefully optimum) recorded level - you can do multiple IRs recorded at multiple levels and blend between them based on some parameter like gain level (especially since the patents on the technology have expired as far as I recall), but it's a lot more complex than just doing a single convolution with a single IR. Still sounds awesome, though!
Always enjoy seeing that Danelectro baritone!! Very cool instrument, and of course incredible guitars all around.
Thanks for this demo video, Pete!
Pete makes me want to buy just about everything he demos.
Great vid as usual Pete. I have the Soldano 30 and this is a whole different animal and maybe more in line what I would use in my studio. I love my Soldano 30 but this definitely has tons more tone options.
Great demo - I bought this because of you . This is great for the regular Joe .
Sounds great! Feature-wise, it reminds me a lot of another amp (lower watt, 3 channel tube , + IRs + headphone out, etc). You’re a trend-setter Pete :)
Fast becoming my favorite guitarist man. These demo songs of yours are fantastic! Keep kicking ass...rock needs more people with your passion
He's so freaking good. His Wampler Ratsbane demo is a legit banger.
sick! Ill have to find that one@@LP-123
That's the best clean sound I've heard in ages. Maybe ever. And the opening track was🔥🤟
It sounds like a modern American boutique amp set on the foundation of an 80s Marshall like tone which is what I’d expect from a modern Soldano.
They’re not reinventing the wheel but responding to the modern musicians needs unlike companies like Marshall.
From what I could hear tho it still didn’t give that nice bell like tone you’d look for in a chimey clean.
It sounded a little muddy which is good for a rock sound but not necessarily for say a worship band.
It did put out some really nice spacey sounds.
I’m a metal guy who’s trying to get into worship so I’m always trying to find the best of both worlds.
I haven’t been involved with music much since 2016 and I’m trying to find a good rig.
I’ve looked at all the modeler stuff and I’m somewhat impressed but those things come with lots of baggage apparently and this is really interesting to me because it kind of scratches that itch without ditching a physical amp so I’m REALLY interested in this thing.
My church can work with a pedal that doesn’t have an amp but practice won’t necessarily be powered so I still need something with power and a speaker ultimately but having flexibility is extremely important to me since I’m starting over right now.
I still have my old gear but it just needs too much attention and really isn’t suited for any environments I’ll likely be using it in the near future so I’m going to have to dump most of it and like I said, Start from scratch
I run a strymon iridium direct at my church and it's great. My monitor is a QSC CP12 which is great for FRFR.
@@jimyoung9262 A pedal like the Strymon is more about function than fashion.
It’s a practical reliable solution which is what you want on Sunday morning when you have no time for snags so it’s perfect if I was just doing worship but to craft my own sound I need something that’s going to be the sound in my head and that pedal is way too generic for that.
It covers one end of my needs but not the other
Really well thought out and sounds great. I'll be contemplating hard about this one. Thanks Pete!
God damn I love all of Pete’s tracks, such great vibes on all of them. Makes everything sound good…
Thanks!
Pete...that was an absolutely awesome intro...you made that Soldano sing!!! 👏
Man.. you write some of the most killer opening songs! All that with those amazing licks… wow
That was fast, just saw the live and now here you are. Sounds like a very sweet amp, very versatile. Cool demo.
Finally, someone who knows how to demonstrate an amp even strum a few clean chords
Great job Pete!!
Great review. That amp is on my wishlist.
That’s a strong amp, very flexible and from what I can tell you don’t loose anything
Hey Pete great info ! Just got the Astro on order . Thanks 🙏!
As soon as I saw this announced I came here. No one better to demo this. 👌
Well done! Killer amp! My wallet has a racing heartbeat. 🤘🏼😯
Sounds cool. Doesnt sound like an SLO but still cool. Thx for the demo Pete.
Best review on this amp I've seen.
Such a great demo!!
11:00 might have something to do with how they’re doing the internal load /power amp disable for direct recording with no cab? This is good to know because I actually like some hair on a clean sound when you pick hard. Would be interesting to hear blue or purple Galaxy with power amp cranked and bringing up the pre.
Well, it's like I was saying in the video, the tap, for the DI, is actually taken before the power amp. then there is some digital thump/presence going on as part of that output to simulate with a power amp does, but you can't drive the power amp sim into distortion.
I understood what you said. I was just guessing at a reason as to why they designed it that way and weren’t doing a tap off the OT.
Great Pete! Cool amp, maybe a little bit noise in the red mode, is it?!
That opening track is sooo good. Sheeeeee
Wow! Really got cooking at the end there
Great!
This thing sounds amazing
For my personal needs, because this has a simulated power section when running direct I’d prefer a to just take out the power section and make either a rack preamp or a pedal - almost like the Friedman IRX
I doubt I’ll get my wish but that would be ideal
Knowhere in the manual is a simulated power section being mentioned, but maybe the power section goes to a load and then to the IR... but it's seperate from the power amp in some way as it's being mentioned to turn the master volume down... which would contradict that observation. But does it really matter? It sounds good...
@@grtxyz4358 This thing sounds amazing. I thought I remembered a video that mentioned the simulated power section but I could have misheard
Definitely want one
@@grtxyz4358 there is no load and yes there is digital power amp sim in the irs
Wow… Pete your soloing always amazes me💯🎸😎 it’s really no wonder why you worked with the likes of the people you you’ve had the opportunity too💪🏻💯🎸
Thank you!
Sounds great I may be sold on this. I bought an SLO 100 and returned it, great amp but couldn't personally justify $4k and just way to loud for what I do.
What an intro! Awesome vid Pete!
Thank you kindly!
Cool,what a nice demo for this amazing amp, thanks a lot, Peter. ;-)
Pete smokin' it! great demo!
Hot, dayum! That was freakin' epic! Great amp! Though, dude, you are one of my greatest inspirations! 🤘😎🤘
Dude! Pete! That intro tune is so gooood! And excellent demo as always!
Glad you like it!
What an informative demo in a compressed time slot. Love Petes delivery.
👌💥👌Damn that Intro ..Thats how a pro sounds👌💥👌
Looks/sounds good! Pete does not do a lot of amp demos he has his own kit!
Rippin opening tune!
Happy Monday! ☀️
Hey Pete! Great demo, as usual.
I’ve seen the upload from John Browne, a very interesting amp indeed but I have to listen to Pete’s rifs off course, let’s goooo 🔥
Holy damn, man. Intro song is killer.
Thanks u!
Great clean sound!
wow, that's a winner! really articulate gain sounds, those open G chords ..... {{{{{{spicy!}}}}}}
Did you find that the clean/green channel was level-matched / normalized to the higher gain channels & galaxies, so you could switch back and forth to crystal cleans and scorching leads with no issues or compromises? Thanks, Pete!
Clean and overdrive 1 and overdrive 2 has separate and independent volume controls, so no issue!
Jeezus Pete, you should make an album just of all the awesome intro jams
Amazing tones and functionality!!
Are variable master volumes programmable per channel?
Killer intro track!! As per usual… They never lack!!!!
Not enough guitars in the opening intro. lol
Always like your gear reviews Pete. Thank you.
Fedup with you Pete. Because of you, can't fox my G.A.S disease! great review as usual
This amp plus talent...
Being 20 watts does it have enough headroom?
Also is it loud enough for live settings?
It really depends on the gig. I find it's always drummer dependent, and of course, dependent on how loud you can actually play, usually that's not very loud these days.
Oooo effects loop for That Clean....is the effects loop MIDI switch able too?
nah, seriously i can't afford it .... nice though.
killer demo and killer playing as always, well done Pete and well done Soldano
with a 6V6 power section, you could use JJ 6V6S for a clear bright to compressed creamy sound, or the new TAD Redbase 6V6GT-STR that the founder of Brunetti amps called the best 6V6 he's ever tried for a more classic fat warm 6V6 sound.
great review. What do you think, SLO or Astro?
Its great but 8 wonder if the tight low end and heavy brightness will make my guitar sound brittle, your guitars are top quality.
Great job. Thank you! 👌🏻
Yes Sir!
Is it just me or its a very well balanced amp ? Does evetuthing well 😊
Are the tone stack values stored and recalled within the presets?
Any opinion on how this amp takes pedals as well as home volumes? Curious how good the master volume is or if this amp might need any attenuation to sound good less than 90dB?
I don’t know how I missed this earlier. Next on my to buy list…
It's curious why they chose to omit the onboard loadbox and went with power amp emulation. Pretty much all other similar amps have onboard reactive load and don't use power amp emulation. Wonder if it's to "emulate" bigger power amp than the physical 20W? Are there settings to manipulate the emulated power amp?
2:05 is that true other reviews warn about the master has to go to zero? (dangerous for the amp if you forget?)
No, the amp will do it automatically, that's just for additional safety.
@@politoleo sounds better indeed, I heard andertons and others tell different. 🤷
@@tomusic8887 The manual says to do that but no damage if you don't! Power tubes are automatically deactivated when no cable is present on the speaker out!
Loving the hiss. 😉😄
Well, to be fair, I had my monitors cranked up loud and you're hearing the high game setting, that's just what you get on a high gain amplifier now isn't it?
@@PeteThornI was just joking, of course this is completely normal when playing with that much gain. I am just so used to noise gates these days. 😉
Maybe I missed it, can you load different cab sims into each of the galaxies?
Yes, on every preset too.
Dammit, Pete. Now I need to buy another soldano!!
Was a Moserite?
I want a Soldano amp with a built in Pete Thorn that can play notes that I miss when I am trying to write a hit…. I start playing and out of nowhere Pete sneaks in and adds his notes and riffage and that is the next amp mod AI…. Artificial Intelligence Amps…. Select an artist and when you play a certain way…. It throws in note ideas from that artist to teach you more than you can play…. Like a private lesson but the amp
Senses more of what you need but from Pete’s idea base
Dont try and write a hit and you might write a hit 😊
Got the chance to take mine to band prCtice last night and its a killer amp
Good for home playing on monitors ?
@@Mujcanal yep. I use mine as a practice amp basically every day
@@BreadandFaxes this is great then, I may get one for myself, thank you.
The only way to survive for tube amps is having an onboard reactive load with ir loader..
If they wish to compete with modelling and all the great amp in a pedal stuff that has come out recently then yes tube amps need to change. Or some form of effective on board attenuation, which some amps are starting to offer. Or circuits that work well with good master volumes. Price too. This is a great amp but the price is out of reach for many. The new Boss IR 2 or the Friedman IR-X are great examples of the new reality for guitarists. Lots of other great examples out there at more affordable prices.
I understand what you’re saying, though I prefer my reactive load separate. I paid ~$400 for a Suhr reactive load, and can use it with many different amps. I don’t want to burden every amp with that cost (and the margin that comes with it) when I can make that investment once.
But your overall point is a good one-amps that are easier to integrate into project studios and home use at more reasonable volume levels make good sense. Pete’s PT15-IR is a great idea.
Ignorant statement… the modelers have to have something to model…..there are a lot of bedroom shredders but there are also a ton of real platers who love a live guitar amp. Not everyone is plugging into a PC to be a UA-camr.
@@nicefish10 you re talking with one that plays tube amps.. But for the new generations which plays at home expecially to me amp producers has to offer certains specs.
@@crsantinnope ... tubes stay pure
Sounds great, but did we think otherwise with Mike Soldano doing it? lol
Does the MIDI just do the gain level/galaxy or are all the channel settings saved too?
It does not, unfortunately, save eq settings. That would have been killer
Is there a Standby switch ?
No, amps don’t need them. 20 watt Friedman’s don’t either.
I think the 80s are back. This is cool.
Check out this video I made on using MIDI to control a Soldano Astro 20, Torpedo Captor X, & Golden Boy with an Ampero Control (all on different MIDI channels):
ua-cam.com/video/R6382C0bDXY/v-deo.htmlsi=Y90suiYDtDzCuWaV
Is it manufactured in the USA?
That’s why in Europe we buy made in the EU
@PeteThorn Great review Pete! I'm really looking at this amp hard.. could you possibly do a replication of VH tones with it through the years to see how close you could get??
Now I have to sell a few things and save towards this Amp
Might need to check the ad settings; I've had 4 ads and I'm just past half way thru
I will change that right now
Fixed, thanks