A shock absorber in which a flow of hydraulic oil caused by sliding movement of a piston in a cylinder is controlled by a pilot type main valve and a pilot valve to generate damping force. The valve-opening operation of the main valve is controlled by adjusting the pressure in a pilot chamber with the pilot valve. A valve block and a solenoid block are connected together into one unit and inserted into a casing before being secured with a nut. At this time, an actuating rod of the solenoid block is engaged with a pilot valve member retained by a pilot spring and a fail-safe spring in a cylindrical portion of a pilot body of the valve block.