I like Vai's tone, but of course, mine is something different, but I always try to have it full and rich with strong buttom. I also appreciate when an amp reveals all playing details like vibratos and differences in string picking strength. SETUP:H-S-S or H-S-H guitars with Dimarzio pickups --> Ibanez WD7(wah) --> Boss DS-1 (keeley moded) --> Kustom Solo R16 (subject of this review).The above setup is great for jamming with a bass and drum player. The amp holds its place without problems. I mostly use clean channel with DS-1 ON for solos. For chords I use the lead channel with some crunch having DS-1 OFF. I found that this is amazingly simple cheap and efficient setup which allows to consentrate on music rather than tone of settings.The amp has some hiss when idle. The noise does not depend of volume or gain settings. One can hear it within 3-4 feet distance. It cannot be heard when you stand 10-15 feet away from the amp. My Laney AOR 100 head (another amp I own for years) has the same noise (if not louder).About the tone. Surprisingly, I liked it since the first moment I played through it in a local retailer store. All eq controls are very efficient and allow adjust the tone to my taste. There is one eq section shared for two channels though. In general, it is possible to have different kinds of distortion from mild (bluesy) to really havier (metal probably). The clear channel is great. Same or better than Carvin BelAir (I owned it for years). Again EQ is efficient for both channels.About the spring reverb. It is nice and usefull. Sounds like any other spring reverbs.For years I've had a strong belief that nothing can convince me to use solid state amps or anythig else but tube high gain amps with EL34 power tubes. My main amp is Laney AOR 100 head --> Legacy 2x12 cab with vintage 30 drivers. (I also used to own Carvin BelAir) However, for the last 3 month (since I bought the Solo 16, new), I found myself playing this little amp with the same level of satisfaction.I also had chance to A/B this amp with Fender M-80 Chorus (if I can remember its name correctly), which is also a solid state amp. Solo 16 was easier to operate, and its tone got more definition when playing solos/chords along with bass and drums. The both amps were great though.I am giving 9 in this section, because there is always room for improvement in sound quality and it is always a matter of personal taste. But speaking of Solo 16, it is definitely usefull amplifier for anyone. It is worth to check it out.
Nov 05, 2009 I used to use my DS-1 a lot back when I was running a Kustom K200 with a pair of matching 2x15' cabinets. They can be very harsh sounding, but if you never turn the tone control past nine 'o clock or the distortion past three 'o clock, you're in the clear.