Buying an amp isn’t as straightforward as it used to be – and that’s fine by me. Some of us are looking for particular features or configurations that you just don’t find in your local music store’s offerings. Luckily, one of the coolest industry trends on the rise is the customizable amp from an established manufacturer; with the extra tweaking being done by the customer, a retailer or some combination thereof.
Such is the case with the Soldano 44, a real-deal Soldano amp that is only offered by Blues City Music, a retail store just outside Memphis. Blues City owner James “Lynn” Burke had a particular vision for an amp he wanted to use in the studio himself, so he worked with Mike Soldano and Bill Sundt of Soldano Amplification to create it. Here’s what he was thinking: Astroverb-sized 50-watt combo amp pushing 6L6/5881 output tubes, five 12AX7s, a reverb, a standard tone stack and a pre-gain control. The idea was to fuse Soldano tone and craftsmanship with his own take on what the ultimate gigging amp would be – a killer sounding, versatile workhouse that is more portable than a 50-pound tube head with a 4x12 cab.
The end result is a 1x12” combo amp that can be further customized, says Burke. Other options include two tolex colors (black or Regency Blue), speakers (Jensen Blackbird Jet Alnico, Celestion V30, Soldano-tweaked Eminence Legend or Jensen Neo), verb tank harnesses and special-made Studio Slip covers. Two other preamp configurations are available, too – in addition to the Electro-Harmonix 12AX7-EH setup, players wanting cleaner headroom can order the 44 with JJ ECC 83S tubes while players who dig higher gain can ask for Tung-Sol 12AX7s.
The model I received was equipped with five Tung-Sol 12AX7 hi-gain preamp tubes and a 12” Jensen Blackbird Jet Alnico speaker. The speaker and reverb tank harnesses were connected with 10 gauge Solid Cables wire. I’ve seen a lot of combos in my day but this one was very different from the get-go.
The base model comes with an industry standard power cord but my review came equipped with big upgrade - the Monster Cable MPL 300 power chord. From a glance you’d think it ran on 220. Burke says he can also upgrade the amp with a Solid Cable power cord that is even bigger.
The control panel is clever, yet simple, with an input, a pre-gain control and standard tone controls (bass, mid, treble). Dual volume controls for foot-switchable Normal and Lead levels are basically operate as a built-in boost and the Presence control lets you shape the top of your tone as you see fit. Every pot is calibrated from 0 to 11. The standby and power switches on my review model were flanked with a blue pilot light that matched the cabinet’s rich Regency Blue Tolex. I’m always a fan of having such controls on the front of an amp as I’d rather not reach around the back and fumble around in the dark. The back of the amp was limited to the power cord, two speaker jacks, the impedance selector knob and 2 fuses.
The Soldano 44’s reverb tank is not mounted to the amp, it actually resides in its own case that stays in place via Velcro, preventing amp noise from tainting the sound. I found the reverb to be very lush and usable – not too washed out and not too dry. However, those looking for canyon-sized, surf rock reverb will not find it here. For rhythm, I kept it at 2, or just a hair below. For leads I liked it up around 5.
The 44 is extremely versatile for a single channel amp. I was able to get a great blues tone, soaring with just the right grit, with the pre around 6. Backing off the volume on your guitar cleans up the dirt nicely. Even with the volume cranked I could play 7th and 9th chords while still retaining clarity. When lowering the pre a hair and raising the master volume a touch I was able to get a great Nashville sound with my Tele.
If classic rock is your thing, you’ll be in hog’s heaven playing PAF’s through the Soldano 44. Crunchy, muscular, singing tone just pushes out of this amp. It handled everything I threw at it – my Strat, myTele, my Les Paul with EMGs. Even cranked up all the way, this amp never got flabby or showed signs of farting out.
I would rank this amp’s versatility somewhere between unbelievable and ridiculous. I’ve never seen a 50 watt, 1x12 combo put out death metal with such power and razor sharp edges while still being able to turn around and sing clean combo jazz with all the responsiveness and musicality you’d normally expect from a very specific-minded boutique creation. I can see how this amp would get a lot of use in a busy studio – it is dead quiet and subtle or raunchy loud and full. It’s fun to test the limits of its ability to push hard with very controllable breakup. In terms of sheer volume, I could hardly believe what it was doing with just 50 watts. If you play in larger clubs, you can hook up a 4x12 cab at 8 ohms with no worries at all.
The control layout takes a second to get used to but once you do, it’s hard to go back to anything else. Between the Pre, the Normal Volume, the Lead Volume and my guitar’s own volumes controls, I had a range of maneuverability that was truly inspiring and potentially pedal-killing.
I could see many a player settling in with this amp for a very long haul. It’s a powerful workhorse that is well suited for growling (at least with the Tung-Sols) and precision studio work. In the amp world, the “versatility” claim has become clichéd and abused by now, but this is an amp that truly delivers on that front. It is an expressive tone tool that is engineered for nuanced playing but it is so much more. If you’ve lived the dream of hauling 4x12 cabs and 50 lbs tube heads I’d venture to guess that this little combo won’t disappoint you.
Buy if...
you''re looking for an amp with pro tone that is built to last.
Skip if...
you need over-the-top reverb
Rating...
MSRP Base Model Retail $2170 - Soldano Amps/ Blues City Music - bluescitymusic.com |
“Earthwood Bell Bronze strings are a giant leap forward in tone, playability, and durability. They’re great in any musical setting but really shine when played solo. There’s an orchestral quality to them.” -John Mayer
Product Features:
- Developed in collaboration with John Mayer
- Big, bold sound
- Inspired by alloys used for bells and cymbals
- Increased resonance with improved projection and sustain
- Patent-pending alloy unique to Ernie Ball stringsHow is Bell Bronze different?
- Richer and fuller sound than 80/20 and Phosphor Bronze without sounding dark
- Similar top end to 80/20 Bronze with richer low end than Phosphor Bronze
Milkman’s Jerry Garcia-style JG-40 combo.
Entire books about the Grateful Dead’s gear have been written, so we can’t cover it all here. Garcia tinkered with all facets of his sound from about 1971 until 1978, when his signal path reached stability. By then, his On-Board Effects Loop—an innovation he developed to control how much signal reached his effects—was dialed in, his backline firm, and his choice of effects pedals solidified. Even then, adjustments were made, especially when MIDI arrived or when technology like in-ear monitoring was used. Here are some basics.
Scarlet Fire’s recreation of Garcia’s Wolf, originally built by Doug Irwin.
It starts with guitars. For players wanting to get their Jerry on, there’s a wide range of Garcia-esque instruments—with just as wide a range of prices—out there. Recreations of the Doug Irwin guitars and the Fender Alligator Strat abound. China-built models from companies likePhred Instruments can go for as little as $700 or so. Luthier Thomas Lieber apprenticed with Irwin long ago, and his Lieber Guitars will deliver a copy of a variety of Garcia models. Leo Elliott’sScarlet Fire Guitars out of Dallas, Texas, takes things in another direction. Elliott builds Doug Irwin replicas that start at $20,000 and go up from there, with a current wait time of about 18 months for an instrument. He’s outfitted many of the top Garcia guitarists today, including Tom Hamilton Jr. and Jeff Mattson. Elliott says, “I’m a self-taught luthier; I didn’t really build my first guitar until 2010. I understood a little bit about woodworking before I got started, but I learned by reading books and through trial and error. I started building replicas of Doug Irwin’s Wolf guitar right away, which is sort of like building a car and starting with a Ferrari. I didn’t know any better. Then, eventually I got to know Doug Irwin and collaborated with him. So, I got to hold Garcia’s Tiger guitar and get to know it really well, and by 2015, I had built replicas of that guitar. There’s one guy who helps me around the shop, but otherwise, I am building these guitars on my own. I’m collaborating with Doug Irwin on a new series of Tiger guitars, which will retail for 50 grand each.” That’s one way to get your Jerry going.
The JBL-inspired Milkman K-120.
Garcia’s choice of amplifiers is another matter. He preferred Fender Twin Reverbs loaded with JBL Alnico speakers, which were popular amongst many rock bands in the 1970s. The details get complicated; Garcia’s amps were heavily modified, and the Fender Twin served as a preamp that ran to a McIntosh MC-3500 power amp.
It’s hard to find vintage JBL speakers today—at least ones in good shape. San Francisco’s Milkman Sound, founded by Tim Marcus, has created a faithful reproduction of those classic JBLsthey call the K-120. They’re coupling those speakers with a Garcia-style recreation of his Fender Twin that Marcus named the JG-40. “I think 75 percent of Jerry’s tone is in the JBL speakers,” Milkman’s founder says. “But when you start to analyze the other 25 percent, you kind of have to start withDon Rich. [Editor’s Note: Rich was the guitar player in Buck Owens’ band, pioneers of the Bakersfield Sound.] That’s Jerry’s tone, too, but the difference is Garcia’s midrange was a bit throatier. It sounds clean, but really, it’s not clean at the same time. Especially his tone in the late ’70s. There is something about running that Fender Twin Reverb through the McIntosh that would just completely blow out the tone in a really interesting way.”
Garcia colored his tone with off-the-shelf effects. This was, after all, long before the days of boutique pedals. By 1978 and beyond, you’d hear him playing through an MXR Distortion+, an MXR Analog Delay, and an MXR Phase 100. He often used auto wahs, preferring the Musitronics Mu-Tron envelope filter as well as a Mu-Tron Octave Divider and a Mu-Tron combination volume and wah pedal.
When I asked Jeff Mattson, Bella Rayne, and Tom Hamilton Jr. exactly how orthodox they are about using the kind of gear that Garcia did, I got three different answers.
Mattson tells me that because Dark Star Orchestra is doing something very specific, he really has to tailor his sound as carefully to Garcia’s as he can. “Some folks get too hung up on small things, like what kind of cable to use and things like that, and I don’t go that far. But it’s important for Dark Star Orchestra to get Jerry’s sound right because we are covering different eras and different shows. In 2022, for example, we went to Europe and recreated shows from the Dead’s famous Europe ’72 tour, so you have to pay close attention to what kind of gear they were using to do that right.”
Hamilton works differently. He’s always preferred a higher-gain signal than Garcia ever did, landing in more of a British or heavy metal tone. (Randy Rhoads was a big influence.) “I’ve always approached it like, ‘What’s the new information we can put into this thing?’” he says. “Not just recreate but pushing in a forward direction. And anytime I’ve played with the guys who played with Garcia back in the day, they always said to me, ‘You’re here because you’re here. Don’t try and do what we did back in 1978 or do it because Garcia did it that way.’ They’ve always encouraged me to be myself.”
Bella Rayne is just wrapping her head around what it really means to try to sound like Garcia. “Besides Jerry, I’m influenced by guitarists like Dickey Betts and Derek Trucks, so my tone tends to be a bit heavier and bluesy,” she explains. “I’m generally running a Stratocaster through a Fender Twin Reverb. But recently, I was doing a show, and a buddy of mine set up a Jerry rig for me, and that was so cool: JBL speakers, McIntosh head, the whole setup. I had never played through one. I didn’t know what the hype was all about. I plugged in, and it was just amazing; there was such a snap, and I was really commanding the band. I can see myself keeping my current rig but adding a Dead-rig to experiment. But honestly, anything is fine; I am not picky. I just want to play the best that I can.”
“The distinctive pickup configurations of these five guitars deliver a versatile tonal platform, whether you’re exploring subtle textures or pushing the envelope. The deep dive into our Narrowfield technology is obvious with this launch. With both the S2 models made in our Maryland factory and the SE models made in Indonesia, our goal has been to create guitars that will inspire you and spark creativity, all at an exceptional value,” said PRS Guitars COO, Jack Higginbotham.
S2 Special Semi-Hollow
The PRS S2 Special Semi-Hollow features a pair of 58/15 LT humbuckers in the bass and treble positions and a PRS Narrowfield in the middle. A 5-way blade switch and two mini-toggles allow players to tap the humbuckers, creating twelve distinct pickup combinations for sonic exploration. The carved maple top and mahogany back encompass a semi-hollow body that adds a natural airiness and depth to the guitar’s tone while enhancing sustain.
S2 Studio
The PRS S2 Studio delivers a wide range of sonic possibilities through its distinctive single-single-hum configuration. Featuring two proprietary PRS Narrowfield pickups in the bass and middle positions and a 58/15 LT humbucker in the treble position, the S2 Studio offers a palette of sounds from single-coil clarity to vocal humbucker tones. This model also has a 5-way blade switch and push/pull tone control.
SE Special Semi-Hollow
The PRS SE Special Semi-Hollow is designed with the versatility of a hum/“single”/hum setup, bringing PRS’s Narrowfield DD pickup design to the SE Series in a classic maple-top guitar. The semi-hollow construction also enhances sustain and resonance, while the f-hole adds a classic aesthetic. The coil-tap switching system unlocks a wide range of tones through a pair of 58/15 LT “S” pickups in the bass and treble positions and a PRS Narrowfield DD “S” in the middle.
SE Studio
The PRS SE Studio’s “single”/”single”/hum pickup configuration provides a wide range of tonal options. This combination of PRS Narrowfield DD “S” bass and middle pickups with a PRS 58/15 LT “S” treble humbucker offers humbucking warmth, single-coil sparkle, and everything in between. The 5-way blade switch and push/pull tone control further enhance its versatility.
SE Studio Standard
The only bolt-on neck in this release group, the PRS SE Studio Standard brings the tone, playability, and versatility of the Studio model to the SE Series and into an all-mahogany design with a vintage-style pickguard aesthetic. At the heart of the SE Studio Standard is its versatile trio of pickups: an 58/15 LT “S” humbucker in the treble position with two Narrowfield DD “S” pickups in the middle and bass positions. The 5-way blade switch and push/pull tone control allow for an array of pickup configurations.
PRS Guitars continues its schedule of launching new products each month in 2025. Stay tuned to see new gear and 40th Anniversary limited-edition guitars throughout the year.
