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EVH 5150 III 50W EL34 stuff

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  • EVH 5150 III 50W EL34 stuff

    Hey all!

    A year or two ago I got this EVH 5150 III 50W EL34. Before I chose to get the EL34 version I also checked out the 6L6 version and I preferred how the EL34 sounded in a full mix. To me that's the most important thing so that's why I decided on getting this one. The 6L6 seems really great too though so who knows, I might get one of those one day.

    One of the main differences between the 2 versions is the (in)famous blue channel. Some people hate the EL34's blue channel and others love it. The blue channel on the EL34 is a bit more vintage, loose and fuzzy sounding. To me it reminds a lot of Marshall amps and stuff like Soldano amps. It has a hint of Rectifier in there too. The red channel does that super tight and aggressive signature EVH thing very well. I guess a lot of people prefer to have 2 drive channels that sound more similar but I'm primarily a studio musician so for me the added versatility is a huge plus. To me it makes the amp that much more versatile since it's now more capable of delivering more vintage tones as opposed to just doing clean and more tight (high-)gain tones.

    The clean channel is good but probably not my favorite as it has a lot of headroom and it's basically super clean and kind of 'sterile'. Good for super clean sparkly tones but I usually prefer clean channels that can deliver a little bit more breakup.

    I made an in-depth demo of the amp to show off what it can do and to demonstrate how versatile it is. There are clips with 15 different guitars in various styles from clean to super heavy. It's very much a rock/metal amp in general so there are plenty clips there of those genres. Hopefully this gives a good idea of how the amp sounds:



    To those who own this amp: how do you like it? Do you like the blue channel and if so, how do you like to use it?
    Owner and founder of Sonic Drive Studio & social media manager for OwnHammer.

    Facebook.com/sonicdrivestudio
    OwnHammer.com

  • #2
    Re: EVH 5150 III 50W EL34 stuff

    Sounds killer in your demo.

    Do you think getting the 50W is worth the upgrade from the LBX? I have the LBX now, but I feel it lacks a bit in the low-end department. Even with the resonance cranked, if you set it where the power section is doing its thing (around 9-9:30-ish on the master), the bass control is not very reactive past 1 o'clock-ish. It doesn't really add much low-end past there, it just muddies up the sound.
    Last edited by Rex_Rocker; 03-19-2020, 10:19 AM.

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    • #3
      Re: EVH 5150 III 50W EL34 stuff

      Originally posted by Rex_Rocker View Post
      Sounds killer in your demo.

      Do you think getting the 50W is worth the upgrade from the LBX? I have the LBX now, but I feel it lacks a bit in the low-end department. Even with the resonance cranked, if you set it where the power section is doing its thing, the bass control is not very reactive past 1 o'clock-ish. It doesn't really add much low-end past there, it just muddies up the sound.
      Well, I definitely think it's an upgrade but I also dig my LBX. The 50W definitely has a LOT more low-end on tap. My LBX sounds pretty huge though but I don't play it at super high levels so I imagine the power amp let's more of the low-end through because of that.
      Owner and founder of Sonic Drive Studio & social media manager for OwnHammer.

      Facebook.com/sonicdrivestudio
      OwnHammer.com

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: EVH 5150 III 50W EL34 stuff

        Originally posted by Rex_Rocker View Post
        Sounds killer in your demo.

        Do you think getting the 50W is worth the upgrade from the LBX? I have the LBX now, but I feel it lacks a bit in the low-end department. Even with the resonance cranked, if you set it where the power section is doing its thing (around 9-9:30-ish on the master), the bass control is not very reactive past 1 o'clock-ish. It doesn't really add much low-end past there, it just muddies up the sound.
        a couple things to help you. play it through a 4x12 cab. second you can run it through a power amp into a speaker cab. I have a mesa 90/90 with 6l6 tubes and it can add low end grunt. but its somthing else to carry all the time. but you can use the LBX like a pre amp into a power amp into speakers. The deal is the el84 tubes usually dont have a big low end tone. they are mostly a midrange tube. I have had an LBX 1 and I now have the LBX 2 cuz I wanted a dedicated clean channel when I practice or write with other players. I add the EVH overdrive pedal to it if I want extra flexibility or I will run the clean channel with a Germanium fuzz pedal and turn down the volume of my guitar till it cleans up. Its a super cool Hendrix trick that works well till you want to crank your volume on your guitar and get a funky fuzz tone. I like the bigger tubes for low end when I play out. I understand what your saying about low end tone cuz I have a 2x12 combo and Ive had the 6l6 head. Ime picking up another 6l6 and having Kruse Kustom Amplification mod it for me so I can play it at low volume like the Atenuator on the 2x12 combo. then I will use the 6l6 head to play live cuz it will be modded to be more useful to me with different power settings available for different room situations and the clean channel with be super spanky and the amp a little more refined. Its easier to haul a 6l6 head and 2x12 cab in my car then the 2x12 combo but I love the tone of the6l6 2x12 combo. its a brutal sounding tone beast. If i didnt have to haul it up stairs to go play and I had a van it wouldnt be a problem ever.

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        • #5
          Re: EVH 5150 III 50W EL34 stuff

          Sounds great! The demo covers a lot of ground, it's nice. I love the EVH's, they are fantastic!

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