Soldano Astro-20 🪐🪐
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- čas přidán 3. 12. 2023
- The ASTRO-20 is an incredibly versatile, multi-channel and multi-function all-tube guitar amplifier, designed to be used in a multitude of ways including:
• Full-featured 20W guitar amplifier
• Stand-alone cab-less amplifier ideal for both live and studio recording sessions
• A practice guitar amplifier thanks to the DPS powered IR Cab simulation and headphones output
20W lightweight all-tube guitar amplifier
Cascading-gain preamp design
Tubes:
2 x 6V6
4 x 12AX7
3 Independent Channels
Master
VOLUME, PRESENCE and 3 position DEPTH switch
Clean Channel - the Green Galaxy
VOLUME, TONE and a 3-way BRIGHT switch
Overdrive Channels - with assignable BLUE, PURPLE or RED Galaxy
Independent GAIN and VOLUME per channel
Shared BASS, MIDDLE and TREBLE controls
Overdrive 1 and Overdrive 2 can be independently programmed to the BLUE, PURPLE or RED galaxies.
GREEN Galaxy ranges from crystal clean to pushed crunchy tones
BLUE Galaxy ranges from bluesy cleans to fat and sparkly hard rock tones
PURPLE Galaxy ranges from hard rock to punchy high gain drive with a tighter response
RED Galaxy with the famous sought after SOLDANO lead overdrive tone
Low Latency IR Cabinet simulation (bypassable)
6 IR presets, individually programmable per channel - these are the planets around the star.
Load your own IRs via the Software Editor
Included 4 button programmable MIDI foot switch pedal
Ultra-transparent series FX loop
XLR Balanced Output with Ground Lift
Cab-less operation
Headphone Output with dedicated VOLUME control
MIDI programmable (up to 128 presets)
MIDI/Footswitch Input
1x16 ohm, 2 x 8ohm (parallel) and 2x4 ohm (parallel) speaker connectors
USB Software Editor
Limited Lifetime Warranty
Combo (with Celestion Greenback speaker) - Hudba
Sounds awesome !!!
Wow - absolutely stellar! Love it. Want it!
Another banger of riffs great demo
Always dig your clips. Simple, to the point, showing what gear is capable of, with some tunes sprinked in.
Love Michael’s playing! That head is awesome.
Huh. That was an interesting piece of shredding to begin with. Love it!
The tone on the blue and purple sound amazing.
Soldano is hittiing it out of the park lately. Quite good.
You Sir have the tastiest chops on CZcams. What an awesome little amp!!
Oh thanks so much! Super nice of you to say!
Very cool , some of your best work ever ... and the intro jam ?!?! Killing it Michael ! Thanks
Thanks!
cracking 80's and 90's tones a plenty.......raawwwk!!! at 60, I will be sticking with my VHT 50CL but wow... what a sound!
What an amp. I cannot believe how high they just set the bar.
Very cool
Great time to be a guitarist
Stuff like this and the Friedman IRX are great options for us all
Love the innovations technology has provided these days. Great video demo as always Micheal.
I prefer the Suhr PT15 personally.
Everyone has different levels and frequencies of hearing and the Soldano has always sounded fizzy to me.
Spectacular sounds! I admit I was selfishly expecting something else than an amp, but only because I don't want or need an amp right now but still would have loved an excuse to consider a Soldano.
new to this channel, amazing playing!
Sick Mike! Mine comes Monday and I CAN'T FUCKING WAIT!!!!
Congrats! I hope you love it! I think it's super rad!
Great demo Michael!
Thanks Shawn!
One of the best channel on CZcams! 😊
You rock Mike! ❤
Thank you! That’s very kind of you! Have an awesome day!
@@BigHairyGuitars you too!
Greetings from Switzerland!
That intro was amazing! Would love to get to try out the amp
This might be what I’ve been waiting for…
Man I wish I could justify owning a soldano. Absolute favorite amp in the world.
Me too, I will just have to wait for some of his glorious captures of it. :)
Very neat little amp! Great walkthrough as well. I'd love to see you get your hands on a Diezel VHX, since it has similar 'tubes plus tech' vibes.
This thing seems amazing. I have an EVH 50W Stealth that I love but this is tempting me a little.
@@chasingtone5748I bought and returned the Astro. The Stealth and, more importantly, my FM9 have me in a spot where I don't really need anything else.
But you know....GAS is gonna GAS 🤷🏾♂️
Don’t need this, but after this review, I WANT THIS!!!
Congrats on your very good ears there brother.
Man the blue mode with your Les Paul is thicccc
That playing and that amp just smacked me so hard in the gonads........sounds absolutely killer.
I love it that you don't need to bring a full 100 W stack to a gig anymore, and Astro-20 proves it. Most people in professional settings use IEM anyway, so long gone are the days of fighting the drummer and the bassman over the stage volume.
Soldano 🤘🤘🤘!!
Dude its to die for!!!
Well that's pretty cool design. You'd think Soldano was focused on good old classic stuff. Wrong, he's still innovating his products. I'm surprised we haven't seen more of this, there's been plenty of years already with the digital tools and people still loving classic amps too. It just makes sense allow this. Might be difficult to design the first time. I wonder if he got inspired by working with Neural DSP.
That demo track, especially the note choice at @0:35 was so good it earned you my subscription :D I'd love this made into a song. Anyway, LOVE the sound you are getting out of that amp! Was that tone you were getting during the demo track boosted or not boosted?
Great demo and very versatile amp , I think the Headfirst Alta is another option, maybe check it out.
This thing is a home run!!!
Wow! That little thing can "get pretty metal"
That sounds really awesome man! Perfect amp for studio and smaller gigs, delay and reverb in the loop and you're golden. Now the question is, what shall I sell to get this? Lol
Kidney
Making that stuff sing.
Ahhhh thanks man! 😊
Great video and it looks like it has a ton of cool features! I haven't really messed with the new 20-watt amps, as I have always loved 50-watt amps that use 6L6/5881/EL34 power tubes. Maybe the new amps are employing tube technology differently than the amps of old?
I think the amp guru's have just figured out all of the ways to really optimize and refine the power sections.
Third time starting this video, I thought: just shut up and play! 🤤 So delicious man!
Like the intro the very most. So damn tasty 👌
Michael, What pickups do you have in the Les Paul. Wonder if it's them or do you have another trick to get that tone on the purple channel (around 7:30)? None of the other reviews i have watched is even close to have that tone. That tone only makes it worth buying.
ANY new product from Soldano is a good product, as far as I'm concerned. But, for us guys that remember the amp that put Mike on the map in the first place, this is a bit "busy". Maybe I'm getting grumpy in my old age, but these days I just want to plug in and play. I'm sure what BAD/Mike are marketing to all the GAS, button pushers out there. I get it, cause there are a ton of them (that strangely have endlessly disposable income). Cool product though! Great video, Michael, as always...thank you for sharing. 👍
Thanks! I think it's important to know where the Astro lands in the Soldano landscape. it's not at all meant to replace the SLO100, or SLO30. Those are like the Dumbles of high gain. Mike really pushed the boundaries of interface and features with the X99 preamp. I think this follows in that lineage of blending tech with tube.
@@BigHairyGuitars Absolutely, Michael... I agree 100%. And, it looks like it would be a KILLER studio tool. I didn't mean to put what looks like a great product in a negative light. Just after simplicity in my old age. Every tone you pulled out of that thing sounded spectacular. You're a great person to be demo'ing these products (the best IMO). *You always keep your playing tasteful, and within context of the demo. I'm forever grateful for that.*
Hi 👋 Michael, you got this amp dialed in nicely 😀 👍🏻 How does it sound compared to the SLO 100 or SLO 30?
Sounds good and great playing. For me personally, I just always find smaller wattage amps sound smaller. I usually need a 50 or 100 watt head. Not sure they make a 100 watt version of this head.
I am not sure what the gallaxies designate.
Mike, how does the red gain sound compared to the SLO?
They are similar. But, I've had 4-5 different Soldano preamps back to back, and they all sounded slightly different, but all sounded like Soldano. It's similar to this. 20w 6v6 power section is definitely different than the 30w or 100w 6L6. If you're A/Bing, you can get close and match some tones, but others you can't. That goes in both directions. The SLO has a very very strong personality that always shines through. The Astro is a little more versatile in terms of colors.
Great amp, great simple review for a simple amp:).
Am I correct to assume that gain 1 and gain 2 are voiced identically (with the option of chossing blue, purple or red)?
Yes. Gain 1 and Gain 2 are totally identical, waiting for you to assign the voice to it.
I wish more 18-20 watt amps would use 6V6's...much more reliable than many circuits that run EL84's too hot
Awesome as always Michael.
Is it manufactured in the USA?
Yes!
Killer demo tracks, as always. This looks like a really really cool amp and I hope this stuff makes its way into the other boutique brands
Do we know if it is a reactive load or a resistive load (ala Syn-30)?
It actually doesn't load. When you run direct, it bypasses the power amp, and uses digital power amp emulation and IR. If you have something like a PowerStation, you can run the Astro into the load box and apply IR's in the DAW or another cab sim box..
@@BigHairyGuitars that's cool! I suspected that it might
Can you monitor on headphones (no latency) while you record into interface? Is the level of the headphones and DI different in that case?
This a very cool design on the Galaxy assignment capability. Also that you can choose the IR’s from the front for quick recording for scratch ideas. Can you assign different IR’s per channel so they switch with channel selection?
Yes, you can even set up the footswitch to be all the same channel with 4 different IR’s. It’s very flexible
@@BigHairyGuitars Preferences on tone aside, this is a great design for functionality. Nice to see they took it through to what people would actually need it to do. Throw in a pedal looper with midi and stand back.
Hey Michael excellent review thank youu
Did you use some compressor or eq except the reverb in the daw?
Thank so much! In the song part, sometimes I'll use a little bit of EQ to contour parts into place. Not much. I really try to keep the tones very representative of the amp. Then because of the mastering processing in the songs, there's some EQ and compression over the whole thing. Once the talking starts, I never EQ or compress the amp unless I specifically footnote it in the video. Again, I want you to be able to get a good idea of how the amp sounds. I don't want you to feel like I tricked anyone into making the amps sound good. Most amps these days are capable of good sounds, so I'm really trying to show the character of the amp. I don't plan out settings or what I'm going to play for the demo portion of the videos. So it's pretty much the same as sitting with me at an amp store and going through sounds on the amp.
Friend, first of all, I thank you very much for the answer, sincerely!!
You are really in the elite in what you do.
You do everything exceptionally well
Thank you again
If you want, make a video that explains how we could do a simple eq or a mix/master on guitars, it would be very interesting.
Also, I have the Fm9 and I found something very interesting that I would like to see from you!!
Instead of a cab, I use a filter and GEQ, if you want, check it out and show us a video how to use this instead of irs.
I am a session musician here in Greece and it has helped me a lot to have a better feel compared to irs.
Thank you again very much@@BigHairyGuitars
What a killer amp. I’m torn between this and the ENGL Ironball SE
I'd say the Engl might feel thicker and darker maybe with a metal edge, the Soldano brighter with a rock edge. I don't know if that helps, that's just my experience.
Incredible amp and demo!!!!
Are the master volume and/or channel volumes programmable for foot switch-ability?
For solo volume boosting with no tone change?
No, the knobs aren't programable in that way.
Yes, each channel has its own volume, 2 and 3 are the exact same gain channels. You can make channel 3 louder than channel 2 and use it as a lead boost.
@@nevusofota Exactly, I think that's a really good way to use it.
Oh, missed opportunity to change the colour of the wall showing which channel you are using, i bet your light could have done it easily 😀
But yes, purplish blue is cool
as someone that is a bigger fan of the Hot Rod series than the SLO, this is awesome as it definitely sounds more like the HR line (more Marshally) and the lower wattage and recording features make it a no brainer for most people.
Great stuff !! Just got a used SLO-100. OD gain is low. Thinking of re-tubing , what tubes would ya put in there ? Power and pre.
I'm not really a tube snob. I'd check with Dave Friedman, he usually has a beat on what is the most reliable tubes at the moment.
Soldano used Sovteks
Don't waste your money especially on power tubes. Get one new tube (I prefer Sovtek 12AX7WB for more gain and less brittleness) try it in a V1 and V2 position, see if it changes anything. WB might be a little microphonic for V1, but you won't notice at home or tracking in studio.
SLO100 is not in fact a higain amp in a modern sense of this word. Source: I've built a couple of clones myself and had a real thing.
Killer playing and tone, Michael!
Cool amp. I'm happy to see something new from Soldano. But too many unnecessary features for me personally. I'm happy with my SLO-30. I was already in fear of suffering a GAS attack when I saw they released a new amp. 😅
Haha, same here! I just bought an SLO-30 last month... no regrets!
@@TechMetalRules Jelly! Would love that amp
SLO-30 is bonkers good! Congrats!
@@BigHairyGuitarsOh well, there goes my kidney but hey, it is worth every dime!
Thank you! @@BigHairyGuitars
Well, sh*t. i just re-bought an SP-77 to put in a rack and... this will do everything i wanted that to do. and more.
Those SP77's are really underrated though. Good preamp!
So when saving a channel, it’s IR and EQ and channel gain setting, can the midi presets (128) save all four of those above parameters ?
You can program voicing and IR, can’t program EQ and volume.
Waiting for a 100/50 watt amp with dedicated eq knobs and a depth control
So we are hearing the sound through your studio monitors?
Seems like a great amp and also very usable, but my Question with a 20 watt amp, will it be loud enough and usable with a Rockband? 20 watts doesn’t leave a lot of room for headroom
These guys really know how to optimize a 20w power section these days. However, it’s a touch question to answer because if there’s another Guitarrist in the band that likes to run a 50w amp cranked, then 20w will have a hard time keeping up.
If everyone is playing nice then 20w sits perfectly.
Thanks for the reply, I just hope they make a 50 watt version or higher, would be perfect :)
I have the Friedman Pink taco v2 and it’s also hard to keep up with a band
Ouuuugh, small wattage amp with programmable channels and Impulse Respose, didn't see that before. Wait, Hughes&Kettner Grandmeister? Hook Wizard? Diezel VHX? Would love to see something thats ahead of time instead of being late to the party. 😔
I would say that this is more 'on time'.
I am going to get in so much trouble… it’s like Godfather 3 quote “They Keep Pulling Me Back In!”😂
🤣🤣🤣🤣
I have an SLO-30 and I’m loathe to ever sell it as it was (and still is!) a dream amp for me. However… this new Astro-20 does have a lot of extra features and actually costs less! So the big question is - does it nail those SLO tones? It sounds like it on CZcams, but in the room, does it have that same feel and “oomph”?
Yes and no. They are different amps. 20w 6v6 power section is definitely different than the 30w 6L6. If you're A/Bing the 2, they'll be different. But depending on the volume level, you can get things to match up. In some ways the Astro is more versatile than the SLO30, BUT, the SLO30 *IS* an SLO (I think it's as good as the 100).
@@BigHairyGuitars Thanks for the reply, great to get your thoughts on that.
Just run your SLO in a reactive load and some ir loader, and you have have even more flexibility
Like grtxyz4358 said, if you love your SLO-30, then just get a Two Notes Torpedo Captor or Suhr Reactive Load and you're good to go. The Captor comes with Wall of Sound (free plugin to load IRs, including 3rd party IRs). The Suhr RL doesn't, but you can just get an IR loader plugin, such as from STL Tones. Load the plugin in your DAW and you're good to go. If you want access to IRs without loading up your DAW, then there's the Captor X or Suhr RL IR - you can load your IRs on those units. The benefit of loading IRs through a plugin, is that you can change them after tracking guitars, to choose what sounds best in the mix.
Other thanthe IR's... What does this amp do different than the SLO? Talking gain/tone wise...
Probably not much other than maybe a bit less air on top due to less headroom/lower wattage. That's the plan though I guess, sort of offering the SLO tone in a more modern package for gigging musicians. In a studio I would probably prefer the SLO everytime.
It sounds awesome by the way!
The SLO has a very very strong personality that always shines through. The Astro is a little more versatile in terms of colors. The Astro has a little more juicy squish to the notes, the SLO is very sturdy, almost stiff. The SLO is a brick wall of solidness, the Astro is a little "nicer". They're different amps. Both sound like Soldano.
@@BigHairyGuitars Thank you, that is what i was thinking in the sounds I hear from this.
@@BigHairyGuitars I like the Astro better. It has that chewy feel and is more forgiving
How this Soldano Astro-20 watts compare with the EVH 5150iii 50 watts?
Next question: in a live gig at a medium-size pub with a loud drummer and NO mic on my speakers, could this Soldano Astro-20 watts keep up with a loud drummer in terms of volume?
Lots of variables there. You seem to be saying that you need a LOUD amp. I’d go with 50w or more
Thanks my friend!!! In terms of sustain and pinch-harmonics, which one is better?
@@user-lv9nh8wf3r I'm a little biased because I'm not a super fan of the 5150 series. I love the tone and feel of the Astro.
I’ve been playing mine with the full band (5 piece) through a 71 Marshall 4x12 with Greenbacks. Haven’t played at a venue yet but it was plenty loud at rehearsals. It’s also a requirement of mine and I was skeptical about it not holding up. So far it’s passed with flying color. Of course it heavily depends on the volume of the rest of your band.
Is there a link to buy the amp or at least see the price?
Every video i've noticed you guys seem to have the volume cranked. Does it even sound good at lower volume? I mean, to me that's the whole point of amps like this. Your volume didn't look blasted but other channels it is
It sounds really good at low volumes. A couple things to note. When you're running the ASTRO direct, the MASTER volume has no effect on the sound. All of the level is adjusted from the channel VOLUME controls. The channel volumes sound best at around noon (IHMO). Then you can adjust the MASTER to taste.
Michael, are you using superior drummer 3 on your intro song?
I usually start with Superior 3. In this case, I kept the toms, hats and cymbals, but used a different library for the kick and snare. It's called, Krimh Drums from Borgen Digital. They're nicely priced and sound awesome!
@@BigHairyGuitars Thank you for the tip!!!
Stock footswitch provides 7pin midi cable, do you know if the head is compatible with 5 pin midi?
Yes it's compatible!
@@politoleo might want to check that out. It will work but you will be losing something.
Yes, it’s compatible with 5 pin. You just lose the phantom power to the switcher.
The only thing that confuses me is why didn’t they make the galaxies foot-switchable
They are!
Minoxidil with LoGain
Ohh boy, $2000 for a 20 watt amp. Thats not ridiculous at all.
Im guessing theres a matching saldono cab for another $2000.
As always great playing and demo. The amp has nice tons and lots of features. But with a 2300€ price tag?? I’ll pass
The import / export price changes is always a bummer. It comes in just below 2k in the States. Still the least expensive Soldano tube amp.
It doesn’t sound like it can djent?
It's a fun gadget, beautiful capability etc, its overpriced though, underpowered and a bit of a modeller too by the look of it, I think the new Baby from Boss can already nail the main two live tones at a fraction of the cost AND with no expensive tube upkeep required or gobbling up space or dragging around some cab too.
I'm old fashioned I guess? (I prefer the term classic) I can't get off my GT-1 with how I run it and I know it's capable already of shaking any house.
People will complain about 20 watt amps then they’ll go and use a modeler and in ears on a “quiet stage”. Lol.
Does it get to 11?
It does . . . but "11" won't make you go blind and loosen alll your teeth.
HAHA
What is the punishment for beginning an amp demo with the clean channel?
HA! 🤣
2:39 - where’s the hat!?? I wanted to see the hat!!!!
I was *trying hatless. I don't like it at all! 🤣👎
@@BigHairyGuitars
I wanted to see the “scientist hat”!! 🙂
After buying a Boss Katana all new amps seems to be insufficient.
Not for $2000. For a 20 watt amp. Way overpriced. 😢. Get yourself a Triple Rectfier Mesa Boogie for that price 👍💯. Good video though buddy 👍👌💯🎸🎸
The app looks really similar to the Friedman app…
Yes, it's essentially the same software shell.
I'm sick of this s**t Michael, you have no idea how many amps I have purchased because of you and your video's, just stop the madness, I can't keep this up much longer.
Maaaaan! I'm SORRY! I feel ya! Everything that comes through here has been SO good! If it makes you feel any better, I don't get amps for free, so I'm in the same boat! 😭
I don't want to live in a world where tube amps have USB ports and stuff. And Soldano too?!!? I'm very sad... 😞
still cant beat my 5150ii imho
good........not for my wallet
agreed
Way over priced for what it is maybe 300 bucks would be worth it
Very Line6 in the Tone
Agreed! I'll take an old Atomic/Astro any day of the week, yet it's modern and may be a perfect fit for another player. As usual, Mike's playing is Awesome!!
Two thousand dollars for a 20w amp??????
Yeah that’s kind of the going rate for this BAD 20w amps now…and they’re worth it
Consider all that it does…it’s reasonably priced. It’s 3 channels plus 4 modes between them, 20 watts, American made, has IRs+software, can be used direct without a cabinet for use with interfaces and PAs….pretty big shoes to fill. The only thing comparable in this form factor is Hughes and Kettner Grandmeister Deluxe 40, which is better overall value, but it ain’t a Soldano.
It's a Soldano man, you can sell anything you are using now😅
Soldano, MIA, IR loader, uhhh. Yeah.
@@zancoex91 we all know that guy is just salty because he’s 10 cheap lunchbox amps. I see shit that like all the time-guys will complain how the good shit is expensive, but they’ve nickel-and-dimed their way out of owning the good shit. Like instead buying 8 Harley Benton guitars and a bunch of fucking Boss Katana type stuff, that could’ve been a Soldano and 1 GOOD ESP or something.