Stevie Ray Vaughan SRV SLO 100 lost amp Mike Soldano explains NAMM 2019 

Please read - Hi and thanks for watching. My bad on the shot - we actually tried to get two stools for the interview but none were around, NAMM is crazy and there isn't much around as far as chairs or stools. In fact its challenging to do interviews as there is so many people jammed in the aisles and packed into the booths and its really noisy. We wanted to set up the shot so we got both people and the amp in there and Mike had the idea of himself kneeling to make it work. He is such a nice guy and so personable and easy to talk to. Plus I am super tall and wide so to not too uneven I try to sit everyone down during interviews if possible. Mike is such the nice guy - just a good dude. Check out the other video on our channel I just posted where we interview Mike and he talks about his brand and the new Solano amps coming out here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-cTGPRa_y4v0.html&lc=UgxqpCmlcpS21UJ2lxF4AaABAg And please stay tuned for more killer content and lessons coming soon. Take care and rock oN! -David Taub, Next Level Guitar Inc.

Great interview! but for the first minute I thought this was a midget impersonating Mike! haha

...to have the kind of legs...

Why is Mike In his knees and the interviewer sitting in the stool! Lol talk about humble

I'm really impressed with Mike Soldano. Humble as can be. I need an SLO now!

Man SRV would have made that amp sing like nobody else..rip Stevie

They couldn't get the guy a chair.

It must be such an ache to want to know what Stevie might have said about his creation.... Words he'll never get to hear....

Excellent interview! Mike Soldano is a humble genius.

Soldano is a national treasure

I've had the great pleasure of playing that SRV Soldano in Mike's studio in Seattle. I also played an SLO that belonged to Warren Haynes and another belonging to Martin Barre of Jethro Tull. All of that was cool, but the coolest part of it all was meeting Mike himself. Such a generous and gracious dude. He invited me to his studio on a day off and showed me his hot rod car in the garage. He treated me like royalty. You would have thought I was Eddie Van Halen by the way he treated me. I'm a nobody, just another dude who plays guitar. But Mike, on the other hand, he's a legend and the kindest, most generous, humble dude you'll ever meet.

I lived in Evanston Illinois at the time and went to many concerts at Alpine Valley. Clapton, SRV and Robert Cray played two nights there . I went the first night . It was so sad to learn what happened the next night . I had seen SRV several times while I lived in the Chicago area . I’m a huge Hendrix fan as I got to see him a couple times when I was young . When SRV played Hendrix it was like he channeled Jimi’s spirit . And I had seen him play with Jeff Beck maybe a year earlier which was a phenomenal concert. A tragic loss in so many ways . Nice to hear this story years later about his Soldano amp . Take Care Everyone

The SLO100 is still an amazing amp even today.

I saw Stevie Ray Vaughan and Greg Allman on the same tour at Riverbend in Cincinnati. I was driving south on 75 coming into Cincinnati when I heard on the radio that he was killed in a helicopter crash. And I remember when I heard Randy Rhoads died in an airplane crash. I was driving west on 275 heading towards Indiana to spend a weekend with my friends drinking and partying.

What an awesome and relaxed guy. I challenge anyone to get Mr PRS to do an interview on his knees.

I would love to play through that amp he built for SRV. I'll bet it sounds completely KILLER!

It would be kind of haunting to plug-in and play the amp. SRV could’ve been the last person to have played it. I’ll never forget Stevie Ray Vaughan standing at the edge of the stage leaning out over the audience jamming with his eyes closed. Shaking that guitar to get the wide vibe brado he was able to get as part of his style. That was just something I remember about that concert. SRV 🙏RIP.

Not 100% sure, but I think actually the last stuff SRV ever played at the Alpine Valley jam might have been through Clapton's spare Soldano SLO-100.

I'm trying to figure out who your looking at? You have Mike Soldano, you would think you'd be focused on him and what he is saying and not looking around. Good content though.

What an enormous wealth given of information in that window of opportunity! Totally new respect for Soldano and boutique makers alike who often get have their own legends started by a chance encounter from other legends

Very interesting! Mr. Soldano has such a friendly personality, this was a real pleasure. It's nice to know the person behind the brand. Thanks!

What a super cool guy. Love hearing we will still have the SLO

D/C heaters... mike youre a genius

Mike is such a great fella! He probably told this story 200 times, but you couldn't tell. Awesome amps!

He’s being modest, everyone knew who he was in 1990. He built the only high gain Marshall killer.

Mr. Soldano is a legend.

Mike is a real icon to guitarist around the world! This man has magic in his hands,...and in his head!

Amazing how an SLO has been one of Mark Knopfler's main amp. He loves it for clean sounds.

My SLO from around 2000 had the “SRV” mod which I used all the time. Jeff Bober also had an amp out to SRV before his Budda days. He told the story on the amps and axes podcast. It was either a Fenton or perhaps this pre-dated Fenton long before he did Budda.

What a humble Man. He's A Legend. I would Love To Play Once My Own Top of Soldano. Eddie and Luke Also play Them. They Are Creamy, Plus Brown Sounding 2.

Best 2019 NAMM interview of them all.

This man is a legend !

A very gracious and humble guy. I will check out his amps after seeing this interview.

🤔I would have let Mike sit down. It’s Mike Soldano for Christ’s Sake! SMH..

@4:16 & 5:54 really don't make much sense the 1st time stamp say he was on tour we all know what happened next, Stevie passed, But @ the 2nd time stamp he say's the following............ I don't know you make head or tails of it??? but it doesn't match up........

What everyone is missing is the most important announcements !!! Soldono has sold the company !! These amps will no longer be built by the original Soldono team & Mike anymore , sure he will give a idea about DC heaters , old news . This is what essentially has happened to so many fantastic custom amplification companies over the years. I would bet that the prices might come down & the quality will never be the same of the former amps that were custom hand crafted & super bad ass built in Seattle & LA . Soldono is changing not sure these will be as great .. This is no different when Ampeg , Randall ,BlackStar etc sold to other entities then the anps were being built in Vietnam xcetera with the design and Engineering by Soldono & made in China ? This is the end of an era for a true Soldono custom amps & cabinets ..Soldono has not appeared in any Namn shows for the last several decades " Quote from one of his appearances on a amp talk show " Also it would be good to know more about the person who shipped back the SRV amp & photos or documentation concerning the SRV amp ?? Be aware of what's to come . I wish the new caretakers of the Soldono Brand all the luck . Somehow or another I can just see it the new SRV Soldano signature model with no true , Provenance or documentation . Sorry have to be questioning the SRV amp , nothing has been proven , than a dent in it makes even more Leary to me . This industry has a, history of telling stories that are not 100% and a whole lot of embellishing . " can't remember" "don't know who called me " " but it got sent back" to us, but he loved it?? consumers should honestly think before they spend several thousands of dollars on buying the genuine article , there should be more information of just a tweed tolex & the knobs ! These are truly no longer custom Boutique amps!! I will admit an original Soldano SLO is one awesome amp and many of the other amps as well such as the Hot rods the 44s and most of their other builds prior to 2019 !!! Only time will tell !

I remember as I was there backstage at the Greek, but it was The Bros. & Jeff Healy and Stevie came to sit in with the Bros. I've known Warren for 30+ years now.

The first time I heard of soldano was an interview with the great one shortly before the worst day ever. I can’t imagine the sounds they would have accomplished together. Rip srv🥲

I first thought Mike was standing next to you. He looked like a hobbit 😂

What a cool guy. Great amp builder.

This is so cool! I really love trivia like this! What an awesome guy! Thank you for the upload!

10:39 So true, and sort of funny to me that we're seeing so much action in a shrinking market as the electric guitar becomes less and less relevant in contemporary popular music... Seriously, it's like we're back in the disco days again. Maybe that means next wave hair metal is around the corner?

A great amp designer with a throwback to SRV! Thanx. Might just have to get one. I still have a rack though ;(

he is actually on his knees about this!! jaja comeon guys bring a damn chairrrr or an amp... hes the friggin boss!

I love Soldano amps, they're just amazing. Eager to see the new version with the DC mod!

What a fucking LEGEND

Mr. Soldano, a legend. Thanks for this interesting story.

Mike, thanks for JetCity 333 amp. Budget Boutique Tone. SRV to Angus.

I skied at alpine valley dozens of times as a kid exactly where the helicopter crashed and never even knew it. :(

Give the older man the chair

I really want an SLO 30. Maybe one day.

He has the ring to rules them all.....is amps are soldered with the heat of the mordor thats why they are legendary

Mike is a natural on camera.........a real boutique pioneer

Yeah, never seen this kind of angle, poor guy is on his knees

Great amps cool story, Imagine the conversation when he and SRV meet at the guitar shop in the Afterworld.

SRV did not like scooped mids, he liked LOTS of mids, especially low mids.

It's basically one of my dreams to own a Soldano. They are awesome.

Great interview, I was a little confused at first, but I soon forgot about it. Well done Dave!

Could you say that amp is his pride and joy?

And here I am still with my rack!!!? For my guitar rig.

Mike is great.

M.r Soldano deserves all the kudos of the universe

Very nice interview but as 99.9% of the viewers commented very awkward to see. Anyway, Mike is such a great, ultra cool and humble guy. Can't say enough good things about him, I wish him all the best now that he retired! One of my biggest regrets will always be not buying an amp from this man... I could afford an SLO100 but I was just happy with my JMP Marshalls (Plexis, 2203s/2204s etc.) and didn't really need one, but man now that it's over even if I didn't really need an SLO I'd just be happy to give to this super cool and humble guy $4,000-5,000 or whatever an SLO cost back then. Mike if you happen to read this, you have my utmost respect. All the best to you!

0:33 😂😂. It looks like he has “no legs” from where I’m sittin.

FUCK! When he moved to the amp and exposed his legs I jumped! I thought he was a midget. Lolz

I grew up with Mike he's always had a very creative mind his dad was a great architect in Seattle very nice man and his mom and his SISTERS OH YAAA I WAS IN MIKES BASEMENT WHEN HE WAS TAKING APART a Marshall amp trying to make it better well he did better wiring, better plywood, an anodized chassis,way better pots and tubes n transformer s but all that costs and his amps last forever that's a big deal most guys I played with I took them to meet Mike or soldie as we call him and he up graded there amps in clouding all my ampeg amps mike sold his company and hes doing other ventures now 2 people I played with bought soldie amps and never a problem after 10 n 12 years of abuse his amps are built like a Mac truck built to shred your head

It would have been a much better look if the guest was seated instead.

At first I thought Mike was a Hobbit, but then I saw he was on his knees!

On his knees for 11 minutes? Stamina not even a pornstar has...

Great interview and story. Thanks for Sharing it!👍

literally what on gods green earth posessed you to do this interview this way..... im laughing so hard haha

Thank God, Mike is cutting a deal for someone to carry on! Hopefully DeYoung will go along.... A couple of clones are mighty, mighty close. Just glad that circuit will still be around.

I did not find the midget look too bad after awhile. I thought Soldano was a wee person in the beginning. Is he selling out? His amps are expensive. Shit everything is expensive. Shocking! Especially when alot of musicians are playing freebeez! The buzz!

Sad to hear he’s calling it quits. Awesome guy!

so it's just to look at and not listen to?

Very nice interview!

Next level guitar!🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣Legs in the industry!🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂🤣🤣

I've seen n old GW pic of his last gig with the all star jam at the end of the show, that amp IS in the backline with all the other amps!!!!! Fact, please look it up!!!!!

a thought mike was a dwarf for a second

But Play the dam thing

He looks like so tiny man.

MATA "make american tubes again" ! He said it and I agree, eastern european and also chinese tube's quality sucks...

Mike Soldano teams up with Frodo and company of the Shire

I'm surprised Mike didn't say "dude...is the Mob after you or something?! What are you looking around at!?"

Mr. Soldano is correct about the quality of tubes. I started seeing this trend of terrible tubes coming out of China with names like "groove, fender etc etc etc.' And this was in 1995. Now remember, I'm gigging with a 100 watt 1991 Marshall JCM Combo amp. Took 4 preamp tubes. Very picky of an amp and yes it would heat up heavy with crappy tubes. I eventually sold it in 2000 cause again, tubes wear hard to find. Yes Russian made Mollards wear around then. But it was like hit and miss for their tubes.

Only Soldano amplification can bring you to your knees if, you are a straight, white, guy! ha ha Nice tag line.

Awesome story! Would love to hear it! Cheers

I disagree with using crappy guitar level pedals in the loop and having to squash the signal so low then have to re-amplify it so much...then complain the effects “sucks tone”. Their are plenty of modern delay and reverb pedals that easily maintain pro audio +4 dB level and those that do have much higher quality amp stage in them. Examples eventide time factor Dunlop/mxr reverb, probably strymon, Tc etc. save that crappy $90 guitar level only pedal for your combo amp! But effects loops are still always a compromise

What's ironic about this interview, if you listened closely, was him mentioning Warren Haynes. Warren ended up using Soldano later in his career. I had a front-row seat to one of those shows and was impressed that a metal amp was being used by a blues man! Sounded great!

"So Mike, can you remember what your name is?"

For a second there, I was like 'holy cow is he short....'

What a great chat. I would love to hear the amp. I wonder if there are plans to release a range of SLO amps.

* Dude walks in front of the camera * Behold, as we see the "trade-show douche-knob" in his natural environment. Watch as he stalks around with no sense of boundaries or intelligence... Crikey!

hooray soldano amps are awesome! but so are a great many other amps. the pity is that every one of those boutique amps cost 3 arms and 3 legs. unfortunately i don't have that many appendages....oh well. hey SRV would have sounded awesome playing through a Line6. so suck it soldano! and matchless! and riviera! and even marshall and fender! some of us have to make due with cheap-ass shit.

Great video but how about a Soldano amp that the average guitarist can afford. Something like a $500 combo! Ha! Never...

When srv is flying your flag your brand demands sum respect ! And a personal memory of mine is when he played the commadore in vancouver '86......the mans rig was so loud n proud you could hear him clearly two blocks away from the venue. Those were the days!

I didn't want to be that guy who noticed the dude looked a little different from everyone else but then they show he was on his knees Ahahahahahaahh!

"Legs in this industry" Where are they?

Fantastic amps with a not so fantastic price. You shouldnt have to sell your house or car for an amp.

So that's what he looks like! It would be great to have Vintage Guitar mag do a story on it.