Designer Profiles

Amp Designer Extraordinaire / Hot-Rod Maniac

Michael Soldano didn’t start playing guitar, building guitars or amplifiers until he was 21. In 1977, with many successful industrial design projects under his belt (including hot-rods, motorcycles and hydroplanes) as well as a growing reputation as “the guy that can build anything,” he opened a custom guitar shop in Seattle, Washington. Over the next few years, with a refined sense of guitar lutherie now in his bag of tricks, Mike set out teaching himself tube electronics. He aimed his discerning ear and technical prowess at making his store-bought amplifiers rise to meet his insatiable sonic needs, and in no time became known as the go-to-guy for high-gain mods. With a fair amount of success in this arena, Mike began the production of “Mr. Science,” a 5-year project and the first Soldano amp, designed and built with friend and fellow engineer Doug Roberts. Mr. Science caught on and Soldano soon produced his first run of amplifiers. In no time, Soldano amps were in the hands some of the world’s most prestigious guitar players, including: Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, Lou Reed, Vivian Campbell and many others.

Check out a great video interview with Michael: