6505?

[BloodRose]

How are these?? I currently run a Peavey Ultra plus and am kinda itching to change amps. I really like what I can get from this amp, but wouldnt mind having alittle more of a thicker gain. I like the tone I hear from some bands that use the 6505, but I also know how much tone shaping can go into the recording before the actual amp sound is captured. How does it sound straight into a nice 4x12??
thanks!!!

 

[WhoFan]

Re: 6505?

well i only have the older original 5150.. and i can say it is one amazing sounding high gain amp for the bucks!!!! Countless bands use them in the studio even when they have sponcer deals with other amp companies!

i have never tried the II version but many say they just don't sound as good as the original 5150/6505..

I myself would love to get either a second 5150 head or a new 6505

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: 6505?

There was a thread a month ago from El Uno Astuto, where he got to hang out with a band that had a rack of all the Peaveys. They compared a 5150, 6505, and 6505 II. The general consensus was that the 6505 sounded the best, although it may have only nudged out the 5150 by having better tubes.

When the 5150 first came out, I bought one of the first ones and used it for a year. Not a bad amp at all, but my style started leaning away from that sound. If I were in the market for any Peavey, I'd probably go for the 6505 or Windsor, which I haven't seen or played yet.

 

[Shnook]

Re: 6505?

I'd go for the Combo. It's biased warmer than both the other heads and to me sounds fuller and more pleasant to the ears.

 

[Binnerscot]

Re: 6505?

I agree, the combos do sound fuller. Try one out, but don't give up on the Ultra. Some people are hunting those things down. I had an Ultra 120 in the early 90s and still miss it a bit.

 

[GAMESHRED]

Re: 6505?

The 5150/6505 series is a good, affordable and durable metal amp. I owned a signature 5150 and never could get the tone I wanted from it. I'll also say that I've seen a lot of guys that get a great tone from them, so I think more than anything else, it was I didn't get along well with the amp. I have a good friend that has a 5150 II with the cab and I played through his amp and liked it better than the one I had. I thought it had a better clean channel and the drive channel was smoother. There are a lot of them out there, so I would say go out and try one and see what you think. When you try one, try it with a tube screamer, lots of guys are using this combination and getting excellent results. Btw, if you buy the amp and don't have a noise gate, get one, it really needs one.

 

[Mephis]

Re: 6505?

I love mine.

It's kind of a departure from the boring every day marshally tones. It, very much so, has a tone all of its own. (I like it far better than alot of botique amps.)

The only thing I can't pull off with mine is a clean tone. But with a classic 50 sitting beside it I have a solid rig.

 

[kevlar3000]

Re: 6505?

Having owned a 5150 combo, Ultra 120 ( original blue stripe version) Butcher and VTM ( now for the 2nd time) I think the VTM is the best sounding rock amp they have. My beef with the Ultra, original early 90s version and the 5150, is that they are too hard dynamically and too bright. They are voiced for a ton of gain and the sacrifice for that is nuance, dynamics, chime, warmth ect... The dip switches on the VTM allow for you to go hard and 80s upper mids or more open and 70s style. I think it is a much more dynamic voice for rock music. I have tweaked mine just a bit, useing the JCM 800 warming mod. Simply swapping out the 470k resistor between the input jack and volume and clipping the 470 pF cap tied into it, will make for a full, fat, vintage rock sound, with tons of gain if you desire, but no upper mid snizzle and much better note clarity. Now it won't do the 3 channel Ultra thang, but my channel switching now involves just rolling off the volume to get my clean... Personally, if you are looking for a high gain amp, the Ampeg v140h from the late 80s early 90s, is a screamer with much better natural tone than the 5150, XXX or Ultra. IMO....

 

[BloodRose]

Re: 6505?

thanks Kevlar! I dont have the dollars to start trying Bogner, diezel and all.
That and for some reason Im drawn to PV amps. They are solid and usually workhorses. Plus they are un trendy.. Seems to me that the 5150/6505 sell cuz they are good amps. Unlike bogner,diezel, mesa. Those are great amps but are trophies too. I was interested in Krank, but have heard rumor they have reliability issues. (?)

 

[kevlar3000]

Re: 6505?

thanks Kevlar! I dont have the dollars to start trying Bogner, diezel and all.
That and for some reason Im drawn to PV amps. They are solid and usually workhorses. Plus they are un trendy.. Seems to me that the 5150/6505 sell cuz they are good amps. Unlike bogner,diezel, mesa. Those are great amps but are trophies too. I was interested in Krank, but have heard rumor they have reliability issues. (?)

Important correction, the monster Ampeg is the Lee Jackson VL series. I have a V50 H which is a much more vintage voiced amp from the early 90s.

I have never had a PV break on me, they always eem to turn on....lol

 

[Virtual Kevorkian]

Re: 6505?

Krank's reliability issue stem from false information that has been passed around and added too via the internet. It started when Jon Donais of Shadows Fall left 4 of his heads on during the opening 2 bands sets, unconnected to cabinets.

 

[frehley]

Re: 6505?

Hey Virtual,
I heard you have a 5150 that was modded somehow. What did you have
done to it?

 

[Mephis]

Re: 6505?

Hey Virtual,
I heard you have a 5150 that was modded somehow. What did you have
done to it?

I thought he had a bias mod done to it?

 

[Virtual Kevorkian]

Re: 6505?

Hey Virtual,
I heard you have a 5150 that was modded somehow. What did you have
done to it?

I've had a grand total of 3 5150's now.

-FJA Modded (Bias + clarity mods)
-Bias Modded
-Stock

Long story short: I still have the stock one.


Reason being? I felt that the more mods it had, the less '5150' it was.

The FJA mods made it sound way more like an 80's amp - more hardrock/early metal type stuff.

The bias mod did improve the clean channel a bit (though not as much as everyone says it does), and it did make the amp more dynamic and whatnot, but in all honesty, that's not what I bought it for, and I really think if you're buying a 5150 and wanting it to be a dynamic, super responsive amp, you're looking in the wrong place

The more things that were done to it, the less brutal, relentless, crushing, and tight it sounded. I bought the amp because it has an insane grind and chug to it, while still retaining awesome quality and having a totally raw feel to it.

 

[BloodRose]

Re: 6505?

Krank's reliability issue stem from false information that has been passed around and added too via the internet. It started when Jon Donais of Shadows Fall left 4 of his heads on during the opening 2 bands sets, unconnected to cabinets.

Good info!! No load will def have bad effect.. sadly, I also heard there were probs from a couple of local hardcore bands that prev owned kranks, not just internet chatter. one player went back to his 5150, another popped for triple rec.

 

[WhoFan]

Re: 6505?

I love mine.

It's kind of a departure from the boring every day marshally tones. It, very much so, has a tone all of its own. (I like it far better than alot of botique amps.)

The only thing I can't pull off with mine is a clean tone. But with a classic 50 sitting beside it I have a solid rig.

our rigs are close to the same.... I switch from a 5150 head to a Classic 50 head for clean tones.. I have a custom head switcher made by a Canadian pro rig maker and it allows me to switch between the 2 heads into a single cab

I want to try some of those new noise free A/B pedals so i can sent the C50 into a different cab... but for now the rig i have above is amazing!

 

[BloodRose]

Re: 6505?

I LOVE my classic 30 for cleans and blues

 

[GAMESHRED]

Re: 6505?

Good info!! No load will def have bad effect.. sadly, I also heard there were probs from a couple of local hardcore bands that prev owned kranks, not just internet chatter. one player went back to his 5150, another popped for triple rec.

I have a Krankenstein and really like the amp, not the cab though, I hate the tone of the Texas Heat speakers. A lot of bands tour with Kranks with little to no problems. Reliability issues can pop up with any manufacturer at any time. I think you have to look at overall quality. I'm not saying you should get one. In fact, I'm saying you should try all the amps on your list out and make a decision based on what your ears tell you.