The new Soldano SLO 30 Classic Head – a shrunken ’90s classic?

26 Jun 2020 by Jef | 5,0 / 5,0 | Approximate reading time: 2 Minutes

Soldano SLO 30 Classic Head  ·  Source: YouTube/Ola Englund

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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.

Soldano SLO 30 Classic Head · Source: Thomann

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.

Soldano SLO 30 Classic Head · Source: Soldano

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

How Deep?

I do wonder that, at this lower wattage, will it still have the depth of tone of the original 100-watt behemoth? Hopefully, as it goes on sale, we should be hearing some reviews very soon from users as to how the SLO 30 stacks up to the amp it takes its inspiration from.

If you want to hear the amp in action, check out the demo video below in which Ola Englund puts the new Soldano SLO 30 Classic Head through its paces.

RRP – GBP 2399 / USD 2699.99

More Information

• Thomann Product Page *
• Soldano Product Page 

Video

*Affiliate link

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