Premier Guitar

Soldano’s much-loved beast-in-a-box overdrive makes a triumphant return.

Soldano’s Supercharger GTO reissue is freaking big. It practically dares you to make it the only pedal you haul on stage. But if you’re a rock player that likes to run your Marshall or Fender amp right at the verge of breaking up, it might actually be the only pedal you’ll need—it’s just that growlingly perfect for the job.

This new version of Soldano’s much-coveted two-12AX7-driven preamp in a box makes it easy to hear why the original became an object of lust. Players that associate the Soldano name with high-gain tones will be surprised how the GTO excels at mid-gain tones (they are, to my ears, its strength) and just how much headroom there is to play with. Some players might also be a little surprised by the pedal’s relatively tame low-end output. (Is it just the box’s physical dimensions that suggest low-end fatness?) But what the GTO might lack in bottom-end oomph, it makes up for in detail across the harmonic spectrum. Purring midrange has rarely sounded so good, and that emphasis brings the best out of British-inflected amps and transforms 6L6-based circuits into killer, more Marshall-like versions of themselves.

Blues City Music Relaunches 10th Anniversary Soldano 44

The Soldano 44 is equipped with two Sovtek 5881/6L6 power amp tubes, five 12AX7s preamp tubes, and a three-spring Magic reverb tank.

Memphis, TN (August 5, 2015) -- Celebrating their 10-year anniversary, Blues City Music has teamed up with Soldano Custom Amplification to relaunch the Soldano 44. The amp was created after owner of Blues City Music, James Burke, approached Mike Soldano with the desire for an amp with big sound in a tiny box. This “top shelf” amplifier provides guitarists with a wide assortment of tones, power, and versatility and can only be purchased direct from the new state of the art BluesCityMusic.com website.

This 50-watt amplifier measures at 17.5” tall x 17.5” wide x 10” deep and weighs 48 pounds with a semi open cabinet. But the first indication as to this being different from any other 44 is the regency blue tolex complimenting the blue “power on” jewel light on the front panel in a black chassis. This color combination is exclusive to Blues City Music. It is a 1 x 12” combo and uses a single “SLO-100” crunch channel for tone preservation and simplicity. The controls include preamp, reverb, bass, middle, treble, presence, and normal volume. The amp also has a lead volume control that is activated by a footswitch making it perfect for boosting solos. Two speaker jacks are provided to facilitate use of an extension speaker cabinet.

soldano

Soldano’s much-loved beast-in-a-box overdrive makes a triumphant return.

The Soldano 44 is equipped with two Sovtek 5881/6L6 power amp tubes, five 12AX7s preamp tubes, and a three-spring Magic reverb tank.