Re: my friends 5150 is broken?
First, change all the preamp tubes.....swap them out of another amp, before buying new ones, just to diagnose the problem.
Make sure the input jack isn't broken.
Sometimes, the jacks for the FX loop need a good cleaning with contact cleaner, so they aren't shorting out the signal. If the preamp or FX loop circuit is open, due to a bad jack or tube, the only way you'll get sound out of the amp is by plugging into the FX return.