Soldano SLO build cost.

[JB6464]

There is a reason he put his name on Jet City. Do I have to keep typing.

Bingo , we have a winner.

I dont even want to get started on the JCA100H i had.

 

[Pickup]

I loaded down a 100 watt jet city with one if those android resistor capacitive flux loads. Instant Bee Gee`s

 

[Pickup]

Ya know Staying Alive

 

[droptrd]

What do you think it cost(total cost)Mike Soldano to build a SLO.

Does it really matter ?
You either like his products and buy it or you don't.

Who cares if it matters or not?

It don't.
If you think he makes to much profit don't buy his products.

What does this have to to do with the OP question?

 

[thiswaythatway]

If you guys want to get angry at mark up, just check how much that last beer you bought was. And you'd vomit to know how much that beer cost the establishment.

Let's take Yankee stadium or Fenway Park, what's a beer cost? About 10 bucks! It probably costs them pennies for those beers.

 

[JakeAC5253]

I've always thought that the SLO is a bit overpriced for an amp, but it's reasonable because it's a great design and it deserves it. Not quite into the realm of being ridiculous yet. Right around 4k5 for an amp it turns into ridiculous IMO. I just have to stop and think "Who the hell do they think we are, idiots? Like there's some secret metal in there making great sound or something? Moon Rock perhaps?" There are no secrets in audio, only good designs and poor designs, end story. Good quality components can help a good design to sound better, and can make a poor design sound worse. Like all things, you pay for the time that went into research and development, which in this line of work can be a humbling amount of time and money invested.

 

[Digital Jams]

You are buying a well made product and having Mike's name on it is going to cost as well, forums should know damn well that names = $$$

They are very good amps, not like some guy buying kits and blowing them out for big bucks...........................

 

[Mailman1971]

You are buying a well made product and having Mike's name on it is going to cost as well, forums should know damn well that names = $$$

They are very good amps, not like some guy buying kits and blowing them out for big bucks...........................

+100.....

 

[JB6464]

What do you think it cost(total cost)Mike Soldano to build a SLO.

Does it really matter ?
You either like his products and buy it or you don't.

Who cares if it matters or not?

It don't.
If you think he makes to much profit don't buy his products.

What does this have to to do with the OP question?

The OP is asking a question only Mike Soldano or Bill Sundt can answer since they are the only ones who buy the parts and build them personally. And they would'nt share their personal business outside Soldano Amplification.
The OP either believes they are worth the asking price or has a chapped-ass about them being overpriced.

 

[ericsabbath]

the metro kit comparison is completely pointless
it costs $1100 for YOU
I doubt they spend more than $500, maybe $600

I spent around $800 on quality parts/custom transformers/chassis/finish/headshell to get a top notch 50w amp done (not counting tubes), and I live in brazil, where everything costs twice as in the US
I imported a lot of components from Germany
even if Soldano is much higher quality, he doesn't order 10 transformer kits at a time
he probably orders a hundred or so, so it just can't be more than $400 for a full transformer kit (probably much less)

 

[vic]

in australia a bare bones slo is 8000 so there is definitely some mark up

 

[jasonP]

When I was building my SLOclone build, one cap was $25 dollars to cop the original. I needed 9 of them. To say they use the best stuff is an understatement, I mean it is all mil-spec. At the end of the day I would have been better off buying one used for all the time and money I put into it.
I thought I added it up that doing my Marshall I had about $1450 into and I sourced all the parts.

 

[joepete77]

the metro kit comparison is completely pointless
it costs $1100 for YOU
I doubt they spend more than $500, maybe $600

I spent around $800 on quality parts/custom transformers/chassis/finish/headshell to get a top notch 50w amp done (not counting tubes), and I live in brazil, where everything costs twice as in the US
I imported a lot of components from Germany
even if Soldano is much higher quality, he doesn't order 10 transformer kits at a time
he probably orders a hundred or so, so it just can't be more than $400 for a full transformer kit (probably much less)

This is what I was thinking! U have to remember he is a dealer buying in bulk and has been doing business with these parts companies since the 80's so his cost is much much less then it would the average guy or the regular boutique builder. There is however other expenses such as research development, advertisement, labor, lifetime warranty work, rent, taxes,etc, etc. I would say it is $500 his parts expense, thats not counting labor, etc.

 

[hunter]

well you cannot really only look at the variable cost per amp. what about rent, tools, admin employees, marketing cost, distribution/shipping, then the extra you have to put in reserves for the lifetime warranty, etc. etc.

All those make the big difference between a one guy operation in his garage or a company that has reliable delivery dates and can shell out the numbers of amps to serve a global market.

And I would say there is a reason why the SLOs don't drop in price. Usually it is due to ongoing, high demand.

 

[kasperjensen]

It depends. He might choose to focus his spending on a few components, and make them his particular area of profit.

A bit like restaurants. The running costs are often covered by the food, but the big profit is in the drinks.

 

[droptrd]

What do you think it cost(total cost)Mike Soldano to build a SLO.

Does it really matter ?
You either like his products and buy it or you don't.

Who cares if it matters or not?

It don't.
If you think he makes to much profit don't buy his products.

What does this have to to do with the OP question?

The OP is asking a question only Mike Soldano or Bill Sundt can answer since they are the only ones who buy the parts and build them personally. And they would'nt share their personal business outside Soldano Amplification.
The OP either believes they are worth the asking price or has a chapped-ass about them being overpriced.

 

[Ayrton]

What do you think it cost(total cost)Mike Soldano to build a SLO.

Why, think the mark up is too much?

But, if you think about a basic Metro kit, that's $1100 for a flimsy ass aluminum chassis, cheap thin shell, basic transformers, shitty transformer mounts, cheap jacks, cheap pots and fairly basic components, including a stick on front and back plate, complete with not so cohesive adhesive.

Steve

Doesn't Friedman make his Marsha and other amps out of Metro kits? I know he changes out the transformers.

I thought Dave was just getting headshells from George.

 

[RACKSYSTEMS]

My amp is not a kit. George does supply a few things to me oem. All the transformers are custom and none of the parts inside are the standard kit fare. Kits are not even available any more anyway. The reason the panels are not custom is because it is a amp loaded with options that you can select. Its impossible to make a panel for every option because it is different on every amp. Every part in the amp is chosen for a sonic reason. I don't use something unless I know it sounds good and thats even down to the wire thats in it. My Naked amp is going to go through a cosmetic makeover soon and will no longer look like a Marshall. This has no options so it can be done. Back on topic now.

 

[marvcus]

Parts cost = probably less than $1k.

Build cost = ????

I wonder what would happen if Soldano dropped the price of the SLO to around $2k-$2.3k street? The sales would probably skyrocket, IMO.

However, that means volume would have to go up, too. If Mikey likes where he's at, that's prob. all that matters. Nobody is buying a new
one because of the $3500+ tag when you can get a used one for more than $1k less than that.

 

[IntenseJim]

OP,

Instead of asking this here, on TGP, and the Soldano forum, why don't you pick up the phone and call Soldano?