5150 And 5150 Ii.....

SCOTT502

New member
Can anyone tell me the difference between these two? I am thinking of looking into getting a high-gain tube head (my first one) and have read good things about the 5150. Any info would be a big help!

Thanks!

Scott
 
Re: 5150 And 5150 Ii.....

There is a slight tone difference and i believe each channel has it's own EQ controlls... The tried to make one channel sound alittle better when set cleaner... i own the original early-mid 90's 5150 head and love it!
 
Re: 5150 And 5150 Ii.....

5150 mk1, from a live point of view side by side the 5150II doesnt cut through as much, more fizzy and less beefy, though the extra eq controls allow the clean and overdrive to be set how you want them better, so in sense a better clean channel, somehow the overdrive section sounds different, and i dont think in a good way...

however both sound great.
 
Re: 5150 And 5150 Ii.....

The 5150 II has the added EQ section on the clean channel (as mentioned) and has an additional gain stage or two in the preamp, which means one more preamp tube than the original 5150.

I like the original model better. It has more crunch, and sounds fatter to me. The II is more buzzy like that angry bees thing. I wouldn't mind getting an original 5150 again but them things are heavy, heavier than my Marshall head.
 
Re: 5150 And 5150 Ii.....

I've heard good things about them as far as metal is concerned but are they more or less one trick ponies?

How about other tube amp recommendations in the $600 - $800 range used?

I've also heard about Randall stuff...any opinions on those?
 
Re: 5150 And 5150 Ii.....

hey man,for that price range,i've got a suggestion for you.i just tried out the recently new Peavey Valveking 100.it's a 100-watt/6l6 tube head.check out Peavey's website for all the details on it & musiciansfriend.com for the price.it's selling at $499.00 and it's a great sounding head for the money.it's tight,crunchy,has a good clean channel & sounds great at low-bedroom type volume levels too.i played it for the first time at a local music store here in Chicago last weekend and i was impressed.it's basically a rock/metal amp...hope that helps...check it out! ...as for Randall,i own a Randall 50-watt MTS-module head which has two slots for a choice of 14 different preamp modules that Randall offers.i love this head.extremely versatile! the head costs about about $750.00 and each module runs at $199.00,but if you keep your eye out on ebay,you can pickup clean,nearly-new modules for about $100-$135...i'm really diggin this head plus the fact that i can plug in a different module,clean or high-gain, and make it a totally different sounding amp head.no one-trick pony here!!! very cool,indeed! then there's my Engl "Fireball" Head...simply UNHOLY tone,but that's a story for another day!!!
 
Re: 5150 And 5150 Ii.....

I personally think that a valveking sounds a lot like a 5150, ive owned and gigged my 5150 for almost 2 years now and i love it, but ive heard the valveking head and it impressed me.
 
Re: 5150 And 5150 Ii.....

ErikH said:
The 5150 II has the added EQ section on the clean channel (as mentioned) and has an additional gain stage or two in the preamp, which means one more preamp tube than the original 5150.

I like the original model better. It has more crunch, and sounds fatter to me. The II is more buzzy like that angry bees thing. I wouldn't mind getting an original 5150 again but them things are heavy, heavier than my Marshall head.

yup my early 5150 head is heavy as hell..... it was a b**ch to carry down the stairs of a local bar i used to play... but once set up it was well worth it... but at 2am the last thing i looked forward to was hauling that stuff back up to the van! But i had to have that sound! I hope to grab another 5150 head... i've had mine for 10 or 11 years now.... I saw a used one for $500 Canadian bucks 3-4 years ago and i should of grabbed it.... i think they have gone up in price since EVH left Peavey.... I'll have to wait now to find a cheap used 6505....
 
Re: 5150 And 5150 Ii.....

WhoFan said:
yup my early 5150 head is heavy as hell..... it was a b**ch to carry down the stairs of a local bar i used to play... but once set up it was well worth it... but at 2am the last thing i looked forward to was hauling that stuff back up to the van! But i had to have that sound! I hope to grab another 5150 head... i've had mine for 10 or 11 years now.... I saw a used one for $500 Canadian bucks 3-4 years ago and i should of grabbed it.... i think they have gone up in price since EVH left Peavey.... I'll have to wait now to find a cheap used 6505....
When I got mine, I think in the 1994-1995 timeframe, I paid $499 for mine. It was sitting there in a shop, mint condition. I quickly put it on layaway. Wish I still had it sometimes.
 
Re: 5150 And 5150 Ii.....

ErikH said:
When I got mine, I think in the 1994-1995 timeframe, I paid $499 for mine. It was sitting there in a shop, mint condition. I quickly put it on layaway. Wish I still had it sometimes.

I should of grabed more of them when they were cheap... I know they are still somewhat cheap but the used prices are going up on them.... I grabbed my 5150 head Direct from Peavey-(Canadian operation) themself for $450.... in around 1995... it was used, a artist loaner or a repaired item...
 
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