Holy cow!!!! When did Soldano SLO100's get to be $4149 new?!

[JB6464]

What chaps my ass more is the ridiculous price for Soldano 4X12 Cabinets.
$1199.00 with Emminence speakers , for that price you think it would include EVM12L's .
It's a box with tolex covering on it and you can buy Emminence speakers for under $100.00 a piece all day long , and that's at retail cost.
But to be fair alot of other manufactures are overpricing their cabinets with cheap speakers as well.

 

[JCDenton6]

 

[joepete77]

What chaps my ass more is the ridiculous price for Soldano 4X12 Cabinets.
$1199.00 with Emminence speakers , for that price you think it would include EVM12L's .
It's a box with tolex covering on it and you can buy Emminence speakers for under $100.00 a piece all day long , and that's at retail cost.
But to be fair alot of other manufactures are overpricing their cabinets with cheap speakers as well.

Yeah, but what about the yrs of r&d needed to make this 4x12???

 

[steve_k]

Butthurt? I think it's more like LOLZ

Oh, now I get it.

 

[thiswaythatway]

Wow, 4K for an amp that can't even do metal! That sucks!

 

[thiswaythatway]

I've owned the SLO. Recently I played through the Axe FX II. I am currently of the opinion that tube amps are in trouble. Not that I won't buy more tube amps, but 4k.... ain't happening.

Liked it that much huh? And the Kemper, by most accounts, sounds better in the room.

 

[Shark Diver]

Wow, 4K for an amp that can't even do metal! That sucks!

It can do Maiden, Sabbath and Priest. How much more Metal do you need

 

[cardinal]

I've owned the SLO. Recently I played through the Axe FX II. I am currently of the opinion that tube amps are in trouble. Not that I won't buy more tube amps, but 4k.... ain't happening.

Liked it that much huh? And the Kemper, by most accounts, sounds better in the room.

Different strokes. I paid nearly this much for my SLO (and think it was worth it) and would gladly have paid more to avoid having to play the Axe FX II, which I wasn't not impressed with at all.

 

[thiswaythatway]

I've owned the SLO. Recently I played through the Axe FX II. I am currently of the opinion that tube amps are in trouble. Not that I won't buy more tube amps, but 4k.... ain't happening.

Liked it that much huh? And the Kemper, by most accounts, sounds better in the room.

Different strokes. I paid nearly this much for my SLO (and think it was worth it) and would gladly have paid more to avoid having to play the Axe FX II, which I wasn't not impressed with at all.

If you "wasn't not" impressed, then that means you were indeed impressed by it.

 

[SLOgriff]

YEs, it is a lot of money for sure! Is it worth it....that's up to each person to decide. Mike is NOT raising prices because he just feels like it! There is an original amp design that he is sticking to and the SLO is all about quality parts and certain componants that make the SLO's certain tones. Unfortunately, the cost for building this amp keeps going up. He doesn't market to you metal-heads who run screaming for a made in mexico $999/$1799 5153, or mass produced mesa, marshall, or peavey. These are all fine amps BUT are built cheaper and marketed for a certain customer at a price point. The SLO is like a Mercedes, BMW, Lexus, etc.....do you complain and whine that their prices are NOT the same as Chevy, Ford, or KIA?!?!

 

[thiswaythatway]

YEs, it is a lot of money for sure! Is it worth it....that's up to each person to decide. Mike is NOT raising prices because he just feels like it! There is an original amp design that he is sticking to and the SLO is all about quality parts and certain componants that make the SLO's certain tones. Unfortunately, the cost for building this amp keeps going up. He doesn't market to you metal-heads who run screaming for a made in mexico $999/$1799 5153, or mass produced mesa, marshall, or peavey. These are all fine amps BUT are built cheaper and marketed for a certain customer at a price point. The SLO is like a Mercedes, BMW, Lexus, etc.....do you complain and whine that their prices are NOT the same as Chevy, Ford, or KIA?!?!

So now Mesa gets lumped in with Mexican made Peavey's? Mesa's are still built solid and i gigged for years with a IIC+ and never brought a backup. Never had 1 issue.

 

[SLOgriff]

YEs, it is a lot of money for sure! Is it worth it....that's up to each person to decide. Mike is NOT raising prices because he just feels like it! There is an original amp design that he is sticking to and the SLO is all about quality parts and certain componants that make the SLO's certain tones. Unfortunately, the cost for building this amp keeps going up. He doesn't market to you metal-heads who run screaming for a made in mexico $999/$1799 5153, or mass produced mesa, marshall, or peavey. These are all fine amps BUT are built cheaper and marketed for a certain customer at a price point. The SLO is like a Mercedes, BMW, Lexus, etc.....do you complain and whine that their prices are NOT the same as Chevy, Ford, or KIA?!?!

So now Mesa gets lumped in with Mexican made Peavey's? Mesa's are still built solid and i gigged for years with a IIC+ and never brought a backup. Never had 1 issue.

New Mesa's are built ok....but they ARE at a certain price point, brother! Your old IIC+ was a more hand built amp like an SLO.

 

[GtarLover]

Interesting discussion...

Lot's of opinions and that's exactly it. Choice is up to each user.

I wish Mike all the best, as I wish Peter at Diezel and John at Suhr the same.
I dig all this gear, sounds excellent to me. Of course YMMV

 

[glpg80]

Your old IIC+ was a more hand built amp like an SLO.

but $3,000 cheaper

 

[Philo Beddoe]

New SLO prices reminds of this old commercial:

 

[steve_k]

I bought a new Camaro in the mid 80's. I think it was about $12,000. Was checking them out online the other day. MSRP in the 40's. Full of plastic, shit subbed out to China. I'd say prices in the hand made in the USA amp market have stayed pretty much below the inflation radar. It's all about what you choose to own. It's all disposable income.

While ragging on the SLO, let's go ahead and get the other flagships in there from Bogner, Diezel, Wizard, Suhr, etc. Shit, lets go ahead and put Friedman, Fortin and some of the others in there. $3500-$4500. Depends on what you are after. Why stop there? Let's go ahead with Larry Amps too.

Your opinions are yours on what you think of the amp, its cost or what it does or doesn't do compared to brand X or what you own. Careful though what your expressed and implied opinion is about people here who own them.

 

[IntenseJim]

New SLO prices reminds of this old commercial:

 

[thiswaythatway]

Wow, 4K for an amp that can't even do metal! That sucks!

It can do Maiden, Sabbath and Priest. How much more Metal do you need

Those bands recorded with Marshall's, Mesa's, Orange, or Hiwatt. So it makes perfect sense to go spend $4149 on a amp they didn't use use to get their tone.


Geez, the SLO can't even do Viking death puke doom metal and the 5153 can!

 

[baron55]

Ahh the SLO...

The SLO is priced so high for several reasons and Quality is really not why (it is very high quality but that is not that expensive). First of all. these do not sell in the tens of thousands or more like the Chinese built amps, so the margins are very low. That is why you see the Bogner Line 6 and Jet City lines so those amp can pay the bills.

The celebrity status also helps keep the price high, EVH, Clapton, Haynes, Lynch, De-Martini, etc. And those guys were not endorsers, they bought those amps. So many of the rock, country, and blues gods have legitimized this amp.

But one thing people forget, is the lifetime warranty. Amps won't last forever, especially the electrolytic caps. So 10 to 15, 20, 30, etc years down the road they are fixing amps. I would guess that 1000.00 of the price is part of the warranty. I have no idea, but time parts and labor add up.

So from a build point of view the SLO is about 1000.00 or less in parts (and I am talking the real parts), but that does not include, labor, paying employees, advertising, website upkeep and generally running a business.

Also don't forget branding, the Soldano name is also worth money.

 

[steve_k]

Ahh the SLO...

The SLO is priced so high for several reasons and Quality is really not why (it is very high quality but that is not that expensive). First of all. these do not sell in the tens of thousands or more like the Chinese built amps, so the margins are very low. That is why you see the Bogner Line 6 and Jet City lines so those amp can pay the bills.

The celebrity status also helps keep the price high, EVH, Clapton, Haynes, Lynch, De-Martini, etc. And those guys were not endorsers, they bought those amps. So many of the rock, country, and blues gods have legitimized this amp.

But one thing people forget, is the lifetime warranty. Amps won't last forever, especially the electrolytic caps. So 10 to 15, 20, 30, etc years down the road they are fixing amps. I would guess that 1000.00 of the price is part of the warranty. I have no idea, but time parts and labor add up.

So from a build point of view the SLO is about 1000.00 or less in parts (and I am talking the real parts), but that does not include, labor, paying employees, advertising, website upkeep and generally running a business.

Also don't forget branding, the Soldano name is also worth money.

Finally, a post that explains it from someone in the industry with first hand knowledge. Thanks for that.

Steve