A shock absorber includes an external control valve which controls the damping characteristics of the shock absorber. The external control valve controls the flow of fluid between the lower working chamber of the shock absorber and the reservoir chamber and between the upper working chamber of the shock absorber. The damping characteristics are dependent on the amount of current being applied to a solenoid valve which controls a fluid valve assembly. A soft fluid valve assembly is disposed in series with the fluid valve assembly to allow for the tuning of the damping forces at low current levels provided to the solenoid valve.