The Soldano Astro-20 Head is a Soldano amplifier, currently around $1999.99. Close alternatives include the Soldano X88 and the Marshall 2555X Silver Jubilee. It pairs well with the Ibanez Tube Screamer and the J. Rockett Archer.
Soldano Astro-20 Head
Soldano · amplifier
The Soldano Astro-20 is a three-channel 20-watt head, a lower-powered design from the company Mike Soldano founded on the SLO-100, the amplifier that defined high-gain boutique amplification in the late 1980s. At 20 watts the Astro brings that lineage into rooms where an SLO-100 is unusable, and three channels give clean through to high gain. It suits hard rock and metal players wanting Soldano character at practical volume.
What stands out
“At 20 watts the Astro brings that lineage into rooms where an SLO-100 is unusable, and three channels give clean through to high gain”
— from the listing
“Its strengths are the legendary lead tone, versatility, and value;”
— from the community notes
“A smooth, saturated, singing high-gain voice drawn from the SLO-100, with clean and crunch channels and a built-in DI for direct recording, at a room-friendly 20 watts with power scaling”
— from the reviews
“The Soldano Astro-20 is a three-channel 20-watt head, a lower-powered design from the company Mike Soldano founded on the SLO-100, the amplifier that defined high-gain boutique amplification in the late 1980s”
— from the listing
“and it wants a quality cab for full low end”
— from the reviews
- high gain
- lead
- di
- low end
- direct recording
- full
- smooth
- soldano character
Good for
- Live
- Practice
- Studio
Price updated Oct 24, 2026
Genres the Soldano Astro-20 Head is commonly used in
- Hard Rock
- Metal
- Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Alternative
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Heavy Metal
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Pedals that stack with the Soldano Astro-20 Head
Ibanez Tube Screamer
Ibanez
36% matchpushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (high gain → mid-forward)
Stack Ibanez Tube Screamer on top and a high gain tone tightens toward mid-forward
Goes in front of the amp
J. Rockett Archer
pedal
32% matchclean platform takes the driveA clean, high-headroom stage takes on dirt it can't generate by itself. (transparent → high gain)
Soldano Astro-20 Head leans toward high gain, and that's a real, usable character to pair with
Goes in front of the amp
Electro-Harmonix 1973 Violet Ram's Head Big Muff Pi V2
Electro-Harmonix
30% matchgain stackingStacks two gain stages for more saturation than either produces alone. (mid-forward → high gain)
Put Soldano Astro-20 Head in front and the mid-forward tone leans further toward high gain
Goes in front of the amp
Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer
Ibanez
28% matchgain stackingStacks two gain stages for more saturation than either produces alone. (mid-forward → high gain)
Soldano Astro-20 Head layers high gain onto an already mid-forward signal
Goes in front of the amp
MXR Timmy Overdrive
MXR
27% matchclean platform takes the driveA clean, high-headroom stage takes on dirt it can't generate by itself. (transparent → high gain)
Soldano Astro-20 Head leans this transparent tone toward high gain, which it doesn't make on its own
Goes in front of the amp
Mythos Mjolnir
Mythos
27% matchclean platform takes the driveA clean, high-headroom stage takes on dirt it can't generate by itself. (transparent → high gain)
Soldano Astro-20 Head leans this transparent tone toward high gain, which it doesn't make on its own
Goes in front of the amp
Klon Centaur
Klon
27% matchpushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (high gain → mid-forward)
Klon Centaur takes that high gain character and pushes it toward mid-forward
Goes in front of the amp
TC Electronic SCF Gold SE Stereo
TC Electronic
25% matchSoldano Astro-20 Head leans toward high gain, and that's a real, usable character to pair with
Goes in front of the amp
See all 39 pedals that pair with the Soldano Astro-20 Head →
Cheaper alternatives
Soldano SLO Mini
Soldano
65% similarityShared character: singing, smooth, high gain settings
Laney Ironheart Foundry Leadtop 60W Head
Laney
52% similarityShared character: countless rock and metal players, hard rock, crunch
Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier
Mesa Boogie
48% similarityShared character: two channels, standout, hard rock
Bogner Ecstasy 3534
Bogner
43% similarityShared character: two channels, crunch, high gain settings
Peavey Invective 120
Peavey
41% similarityShared character: two channels, crunch, high gain settings
Mesa Boogie Lone Star Head
amplifier
41% similarityShared character: two channels, crunch, smooth
Boutique & premium upgrades
Similar charactersee all similar tone character →
Soldano X88
Soldano
69% similarityShared character: singing, crunch, smooth
Marshall 2555X Silver Jubilee
Marshall
50% similarityShared character: singing, hard rock, crunch
EVH 5150 III
Evh
50% similarityShared character: singing, hard rock, crunch
Marshall JCM800 Purple Ltd
Marshall
46% similarityShared character: two channels, singing, hard rock
Blackstar DA100 Doug Aldrich Signature 100W Tube
Blackstar
45% similarityShared character: two channels, hard rock, crunch
Orange Dark Terror
Orange
44% similarityShared character: singing, hard rock, crunch
See all alternatives to the Soldano Astro-20 Head (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Soldano Astro-20 Head?+
The closest matches in character are the Soldano X88, the Marshall 2555X Silver Jubilee, the EVH 5150 III. Budget picks: Soldano SLO Mini, Laney Ironheart Foundry Leadtop 60W Head, Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier. Boutique upgrades: 3rd Power DRGN-100.
What pairs well with the Soldano Astro-20 Head?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Ibanez Tube Screamer, J. Rockett Archer, Electro-Harmonix 1973 Violet Ram's Head Big Muff Pi V2 — Stack Ibanez Tube Screamer on top and a high gain tone tightens toward mid-forward.
How much does the Soldano Astro-20 Head cost?+
Around $1999.99 (live listing price, updated Oct 24, 2026).
Compare
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