Michael Soldano originally worked with technician Bill Sundt at Stars Guitars of
San Francisco, modifying amps brought into the shop. Soldano built his first amp, a
Fender Bassman clone, with the aid of books discarded by a library. He worked on modifying his version of the Bassman for several years before turning his attention to modifying
Mesa/Boogie Mark IIs, which served as the inspiration for what became the Super Lead Overdrive (SLO) 100. Soldano gave a prototype to
Howard Leese of
Heart while working as a roadie to avoid bankruptcy and soon after received orders from
Lou Reed,
Michael Landau, and
Vivian Campbell.
Joe Satriani,
Steve Vai,
George Lynch, and
Gary Moore.
Guitar Player described the amp as having "a thickness that filled out the high-gain sizzle, and a juicy, touchy-feely playing sensitivity" that especially appealed to lead players. In 1991,
Eddie Van Halen used an SLO 100 (which replaced his
Marshall 1959 due to technical issues) for the album
For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge and modeled his signature amp, the
Peavey 5150, after it. The
Experience Music Project in
Seattle contains an area where visitors can play instruments, such as the electric guitar. These rooms contain Soldano amplifiers, along with various
Squier guitars (including
Stratocaster and
Telecaster guitars). Soldano produced the Supercharger G.T.O. which is a high-voltage valve driven preamp in a floor pedal. The name "G.T.O." derives from the three control knob names—Gain, Tone, Output. Michael Soldano announced his retirement building amps in 2018, but in 2019 announced he would sell the company to Boutique Amps Distribution and would remain with the company as a designer. In 2020, Soldano released a revamped SLO-100 with added depth control, and a lower-wattage SLO-30 version. == See also ==