Peavey 5150 tube help

[Vincent]

Hi guys,

I heard that it is possible to reduce the wattage of this beast from 120watts to 60 watts simply by removing 2 of the 4 output 6L6 tubes. Is this right?

Has anyone done this and can you pls let me know exactly how to do this?

(I'm terrified of screwing the whole head up)

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Peavey 5150 tube help

I'd call Peavey first, and reconfirm that it won't damage the head. I'm sure it'll void their warrantee, but only if you tell them you pulled the tubes, then it blew.

To lower the wattage, you pull out the outter 2 power tubes, and also change the ohms selector to half what the cab is rated at. If you usually have it set on 16 to match the 16ohm cab, you now set the head to 8.

 

[flank]

Re: Peavey 5150 tube help

ive read about this, and i think i remember that is doesnt neccesarily lower than volume that much, it just simply distorts quicker........ thus its more commonly done on old marshalls where the power tube drive is needed....... on that amp, i couldnt imagine you could need or want any more gain he he

but like GJ said, im not quite sure as to whether this can be done on just ANY amp, id definately call peavey

 

[inter]

Re: Peavey 5150 tube help

I've done this on my 5150 head. The main concern is the loss of headroom on the clean channel. The lead channel doesn't sound much different.

If you want a 'meatier' tone, I'd try using the low/normal gain input jack with low output/low treble humbuckers.

 

[Vincent]

Re: Peavey 5150 tube help

What I am trying to achieve is a fuller tone at lower volumes. Its just that at the moment, this monster of an amp is only being played *just* past bedroom levels and the sound is rather thin. I read that lowering the output wattage from 120watts to 60 watts enables you to play at bedroom volumes but with a fuller, better tone.


I've heard that power attenuator's dont quite work with 5150s. In fact, some say they don't work well at all. Any opinions here?

So let me get this right: I pull the outer tubes as in if they are arranged in this order:

1 2 3 4

I pull tubes 1 and 4.... and then I lower the ohmage of the load by 1/2. Is this right?

BTW, this is a block EVH head from 1992, one of the first in Australia!! Used in the studio by Reece Species and a couple of other 'home-grown' Aussie rock stars.

 

[kaknight]

Re: Peavey 5150 tube help

I have a 100w fender twin, and I pulled half the tubes out to of it. It worked just great! I also did this with my old 100w Mesa head with good results (although I lost too much of the clean tone so I reverted with the mesa). Give it a try. I think you'll be happy!

 

[Vincent]

Re: Peavey 5150 tube help

bump

 

[Warheart]

Re: Peavey 5150 tube help

Vincent, you are correct, pulling out tubes 1 & 4 (& halving the ohmage) will do the trick, but there is not as much change as you'd think. I'm not speaking from personal experience, rather from reading countless posts on the peavey forum. you can even take out tubes 2 & 3 and leave 1 & 4 and it'll accomplish the same thing, so long as you still halve the ohmage. I *think* (trying to remember) that the 5150 is an A/B amp? which means it needs two tubes, one to push current and one to pull. thats why it can only be one of those two options, not just any two tubes you remove. When you pull the tubes, i think theres only a -3 db difference anyways? but don't quote me on that. if you're looking for a fuller sound...try diming up the mids just a touch, or cranking the resonance, i've read the the resonance can make the amp sound better at low volumes, but you need to turn it back down when the post gain is cranked up, as it can sound floppy on the attack.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Peavey 5150 tube help

If you're looking to fatten up the sound of that amp, try a 31 band rackmounted EQ or a BBE Sonic Maximizer. Or try a stompbox like a Boss EQ or Fulltone Fatboost.
You may find what you're looking for by beefing up the tone at a low volume, rather than trying to attenuate it.