5150 or 5150 II?

[Dirtyking]

One of my buddies has a Peavey 5150 that I got to jam on last night for awhile and I must say I really liked it. So much so that I've been combing ebay for a bit to see what is out there. So my question is whats the difference between the original and and the II in your most humble opinion.

 

[Reaper of Doom]

Re: 5150 or 5150 II?

Hey man,
The main difference is that the 5150II has a separate EQ for the Rhythm and Lead channels. Also the 5150II has 6 12ax7's in the preamp and the normal 5150 has just 5 therefore giving the MK2 more gain. A lot of people swear by either one or the other and you'll probably find tons of reasons either way on the net.

I have both and always love the mk2. My band has played with Skid Row, Wasp and Ratt who have all had 5150II. IMHO the 5150II is just more in your face than the original and is perfect for the stage. Whenever I bust out the 5150II I always get compliments on my tone. To be honest both amps are awesome. Buy one of each!!!!

 

[Virtual Kevorkian]

Re: 5150 or 5150 II?

The II is twangier and has more top end than the original, and a bit less of the overall raw growl that I love so much out of the 5150.

I've owned 3 5150's and 2 5150 II's - the best sounding one was a stock 5150.

 

[jmh151]

Re: 5150 or 5150 II?

I heard the first 5150 actually has more gain- actually an insane amount and it usually gets turns town a few notches to be useable- but it has it on tap. The extra tube on the 5150 II is for the improved clean channel, and it has slightly less gain- but still an insane amount.

That's what I've read, I've never owned either.

 

[WhoFan]

Re: 5150 or 5150 II?

i only own the original Peavey 5150 head and cab... i love it... mine is the early block EVH logo... i never use it for clean sounds... i have a switching unit made by Axess Electronics and i just switch to a Peavey Classic 50 head for a clean channel... works great!!!

many people have said the 5150II never sounded quite right... not sure why... i have no real experience with them... You will find guys out there that swear by the II version as well so some like it...

my 5150 is a weird beast... it is the perfect amp for some styles of music but it's not a jack of all trades... but i knew that going in... it is an easy way to get metal and great classic heavy rock sounds with lots of low end... After a while of gigging with mine i packed it away and went back to a small Classic 30 combo and a few good pedals... my back has never been happier... and the soundmen in the smaller clubs we used to play in were happy too!

 

[NevermindUs]

Re: 5150 or 5150 II?

the rhythm guitarist in my metal band has an orignal run 5150, and that thing is raw man. sounds pretty **** good with my 80s randall

 

[Petrovsk Mizinski]

Re: 5150 or 5150 II?

Neither has a good clean channel if you want sparkly, ultra clean tones, but the 5150II might suffice if you just need adequate.
In Flames has been known to use PODs in the effects loops of their 5150 for their cleans, and the 5150 tone for their distorted sound, and that's probably the best way to achieve If you're tracking in the studio and playing extreme metal, the lower mids of the 5150 just slay. There are so many great tones that have been done on 5150s in the last 10 years or so in the extreme metal scene with 5150s.

The thing has a lot of mids and can easily become overbearing, so it was no shock when I found out Andy Sneap had tracked some bands using literally 0 mids on the 5150 and plenty of bands have used around 1-2 for the mids, because it was simply enough as it is. Even then some guys have used post processing to get rid of honk.

 

[SlowGroove]

Re: 5150 or 5150 II?

Isn't the II also tighter in the low end, with the original 5150 a bit looser ?



James

 

[SlowGroove]

Re: 5150 or 5150 II?

May i add another spinn to the question ?


How does the 5150II differ from the new Fender made 5150III, tone wise ?

http://www.evhgear.com/5150III/ - 3 channels w 8 (eight) 12AX7's



Thanks
James

 

[Petrovsk Mizinski]

Re: 5150 or 5150 II?

The 5150III was used on the most recent Gojira album, The Way of All Flesh, for anyone wondering.
Seymour Duncan JBs were used too IIRC.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmUgDrdbDhQ

Pretty much proved their worth as extreme metal amps and not just Van Halen hard rock amps.

 

[SlowGroove]

Re: 5150 or 5150 II?

The 5150III was used on the most recent Gojira album, The Way of All Flesh, for anyone wondering.
Seymour Duncan JBs were used too IIRC.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmUgDrdbDhQ

Pretty much proved their worth as extreme metal amps and not just Van Halen hard rock amps.

Hahahahaha, i never saw them as Hard Rock amps, but indeed as Metal-only amps.
Every second matal band has atleast one 5150/5605 in their back line.

Thanx for the clip



James

 

[apj]

Re: 5150 or 5150 II?

I've owned the original 5150 and can comment it has more gain than I can see anyone ever needing, and is pretty tight on the low end depending how you tweak it (the resonance knob can have a big effect on this)

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: 5150 or 5150 II?

When they first came out, I snatched up one of the first 5150's to be shipped, and paid $650 I think. I still think the 5150 and 6505 have a bigger, more open tone, although my only judgement on the II/Plus is based on store demoing, not wide open like I did with the original versions.

But the Fender manufactured 5150III is a completely different animal, and IMO easily the best out of the 5 incarnations (5150, 5150II, 6505, 6505 plus, 5150III. It's as close to Ecstasy, Diezel, Framus quality as you can get, and the price reflects this. I've demoed the heck out of the Fender 5150III, and it's a great amp - crystal clean to metal meltdown....it does it all really well. The GC Hollywood store actually has a Van Halen room, with 6 stacks in a row. I've gone in there and cranked up a fullstack, running between country, old VH, and Metallica to demo the amp, and it does it all really really well. I used an Andy Summers Tele, VH Charvel, and Gibson Explorer doing the demos, and it sounded spot-on for all 3 styles.

 

[Dirtyking]

Re: 5150 or 5150 II?

Man I can't shake the fever. My local GC has a used 5150 I got to A/B with a Single Recto using an oversized boogie cab. Both have more than enough gain for sure but the 5150 just stuck out for me. And for half the price of the Mesa I'm just sick. They want 6 bills for it, but I think I'm gonna offer $450 and see where I get.

 

[Aceman]

Re: 5150 or 5150 II?

Here is an incredible piece of wisdom regarding this issue:

Whichever is cheaper.

 

[korovamilkdud]

Re: 5150 or 5150 II?

I have both and always love the mk2. My band has played with Skid Row, Wasp and Ratt who have all had 5150II.

I haven't heard any stellar review for the 5150II cleans, if that helps. Those single channel amps seem to be a little more aggressive, and you can always use your volume controls.

Never played them but I've heard them plenty, I've read about them, blah blah blah. They're good sounding amps.

 

[GoDrex]

Re: 5150 or 5150 II?

he has 15 posts...

 

[korovamilkdud]

Re: 5150 or 5150 II?

he has 15 posts...

That he does. What took him so long to find us? :scratchch