Re: Should I get a 5150?
Erm, what model is that?
My roland had stack (JCM800) and rectifier (mesa recto).
Didn't have a 5150 model.
Erm, what model is that?
My roland had stack (JCM800) and rectifier (mesa recto).
Didn't have a 5150 model.
Metalman_666
Well-known member
Re: Should I get a 5150?
I remember last year when I was looking to get a tube head, and I talked to Jeff about it. I was definitely looking at Peavey, not only because of the price but because I know they're reliable and the tone always knocks me on my ass.
At first I was thinking 5150, but my biggest problem was the lack of clean channel. Secondly, they really are just one GREAT sound, and then one or two other not-so-good sounds. So Jeff, having owned a Triple XXX before, talked me into buying one off eBay instead of going the 5150 route. I trusted Jeff's opinion then, and I'm VERY glad I did! I'm much more satisfied that I would have been with a 5150.
My Triple XXX has a decent clean channel that I like, a cool Ultra channel (that I use for lower gain) and a Crunch channel that, in my opinion, winds up a sweet and fat-toned foot, kicks a 5150 in the nuts and runs away. I love it.
I remember last year when I was looking to get a tube head, and I talked to Jeff about it. I was definitely looking at Peavey, not only because of the price but because I know they're reliable and the tone always knocks me on my ass.
At first I was thinking 5150, but my biggest problem was the lack of clean channel. Secondly, they really are just one GREAT sound, and then one or two other not-so-good sounds. So Jeff, having owned a Triple XXX before, talked me into buying one off eBay instead of going the 5150 route. I trusted Jeff's opinion then, and I'm VERY glad I did! I'm much more satisfied that I would have been with a 5150.
My Triple XXX has a decent clean channel that I like, a cool Ultra channel (that I use for lower gain) and a Crunch channel that, in my opinion, winds up a sweet and fat-toned foot, kicks a 5150 in the nuts and runs away. I love it.
Re: Should I get a 5150?
The lack of a clean channel caused me to build a rig where i can A/B between the 5150 and a C50 head..... i use a some what expensive head switcher made by a pro rig builder... But i could not be happier... I have 4 channels of fun between the 2 heads... 5 if you incude my Piezo system...
When i look at buying amps and gear in general all i worry about is getting "one great sound".... years ago i gave up on trying to get one axe and one amp to do everything for me... I'd prefer one amazing tone over 5 OK tones. case in point-Most Vintage style amps are one channel amps anyways and some of them are amazing!... But these new 3 channel heads that some brands like Peavey are quite exciting for me.... I'm looking at the JSX and a few others...
But the 5150 is an amazing rock amp and i've been spoiled by the solo channel... have a channel set up for solos only where i can get a huge volume and gain boost... man that is great!
The lack of a clean channel caused me to build a rig where i can A/B between the 5150 and a C50 head..... i use a some what expensive head switcher made by a pro rig builder... But i could not be happier... I have 4 channels of fun between the 2 heads... 5 if you incude my Piezo system...
When i look at buying amps and gear in general all i worry about is getting "one great sound".... years ago i gave up on trying to get one axe and one amp to do everything for me... I'd prefer one amazing tone over 5 OK tones. case in point-Most Vintage style amps are one channel amps anyways and some of them are amazing!... But these new 3 channel heads that some brands like Peavey are quite exciting for me.... I'm looking at the JSX and a few others...
But the 5150 is an amazing rock amp and i've been spoiled by the solo channel... have a channel set up for solos only where i can get a huge volume and gain boost... man that is great!
Re: Should I get a 5150?
Heh funny, I do exactly what you do but I don't have a head switcher yet.
I find that while the 5150 its self is not that versatile, it reacts very well to what you plug in with. After all ted nudgent uses them and I don't consider him metal...
Heh funny, I do exactly what you do but I don't have a head switcher yet.
I find that while the 5150 its self is not that versatile, it reacts very well to what you plug in with. After all ted nudgent uses them and I don't consider him metal...
Re: Should I get a 5150?
Ya i love Ted's tone on some of his latest LIVE cd's....
I'm a huge Who fan of course and the 5150 gives me a tone close enough to Live At Leeds... at least on a budget.... Can't afford Hiwatts... But i'm also a huge VH fan so i had to have a 5150... I was listening to the Van Halen Balance album tonight in the car and i love Ed's sound... I can get darn close to that with a single 5150 half stack no probs..
Ya i love Ted's tone on some of his latest LIVE cd's....
I'm a huge Who fan of course and the 5150 gives me a tone close enough to Live At Leeds... at least on a budget.... Can't afford Hiwatts... But i'm also a huge VH fan so i had to have a 5150... I was listening to the Van Halen Balance album tonight in the car and i love Ed's sound... I can get darn close to that with a single 5150 half stack no probs..
Re: Should I get a 5150?
My kramer is the only guitar that can even get close to the EVH tone with my 6505+. It pretty much dead on nails the unchained tone.
Everything else sounds so radically different even with all the same settings it still amazes me going from guitar to guitar.
What head switcher are you using? I'm going to be grabbing one here eventually.
My kramer is the only guitar that can even get close to the EVH tone with my 6505+. It pretty much dead on nails the unchained tone.
Everything else sounds so radically different even with all the same settings it still amazes me going from guitar to guitar.
What head switcher are you using? I'm going to be grabbing one here eventually.
Re: Should I get a 5150?
the guy who built mine is not making them anymore right now, but may do so in the future... he builds stuff for a lot of top players... EVH had some of his buffers and Peter Frampton used a bit of his stuff, and Rush does too...
www.axess-electronics.com
The unit i have is called the HS2 Head Switcher. It works amazingly but you have to make sure you follow the correct wires and useage of the unit... Simple safty rules for any tube head i guess..... The way it works it does not allow you to use Delays in the amps FX loops... the Delayed notes carry on when you switch heads and can damage your amp that is on standby. But used like the owners manular says it works great!.
the guy who built mine is not making them anymore right now, but may do so in the future... he builds stuff for a lot of top players... EVH had some of his buffers and Peter Frampton used a bit of his stuff, and Rush does too...
www.axess-electronics.com
The unit i have is called the HS2 Head Switcher. It works amazingly but you have to make sure you follow the correct wires and useage of the unit... Simple safty rules for any tube head i guess..... The way it works it does not allow you to use Delays in the amps FX loops... the Delayed notes carry on when you switch heads and can damage your amp that is on standby. But used like the owners manular says it works great!.
Last edited:
Loserchief
SwingingIdiot
Re: Should I get a 5150?
Damn, the salespersons at your store are either really good at ripping people off or the demand is so high that it's like a pointless bidding war on ebay where the auction price exceeds the cost for a new one.
Believe me, here in Germany Engls are like the production standard(definitely not boutique but well built amps) and are very affordable(especially for what they offer) and widely available. They get a bit more expensive when being imported into the US and not everyone has them but it's not bad. On the other hand, prices for Mesas around here are like double the US price.
Only the "flagship"-models are really expensive(SE Head, Midi Preamp, Invader, Sovereign Combo). The rest is more affordable than you might think.
Damn, the salespersons at your store are either really good at ripping people off or the demand is so high that it's like a pointless bidding war on ebay where the auction price exceeds the cost for a new one.
Believe me, here in Germany Engls are like the production standard(definitely not boutique but well built amps) and are very affordable(especially for what they offer) and widely available. They get a bit more expensive when being imported into the US and not everyone has them but it's not bad. On the other hand, prices for Mesas around here are like double the US price.
Only the "flagship"-models are really expensive(SE Head, Midi Preamp, Invader, Sovereign Combo). The rest is more affordable than you might think.
Re: Should I get a 5150?
Should you get a 5150?
Yes.
Is it a one trick Pony? In a sense, yes. You're not going to get fender cleans out of it, but can you do that with a marshall or a mesa? Also, If you're using Hi-gain pickups, basically, anything in the vein of an EMG, active, harsh, buzzy, even some dimarzio's, and yes, Some Duncan's (Dimebucker, LiveWire, Full Shred) Its gonna knock the amp over the top, in a really bad way.
The amp was designed with one specific player in mind! His style is what shaped the amp. Here are somethings that no one seems to mention:
1. how it cleans up when you roll your GUITAR volume back to 10-20%. Even on the lead channel, this is how I get my clean tones, and you know what, lots of headroom left over.
2. DOES NO ONE EVEN KNOW ABOUT THE EQ SHIFT BETWEEN THE RHYTHM AND LEAD CHANNELS ON A 5150 MK I? The Rhythm channel has more low/low-mids than the Lead channel! its a natural boost in itself for soloing! It was designed this way for lead boosting, as well as giving a little bit more low end to VH's Floyd equipped guitars when playing rhythm!
3. The Tone is artificial? Its got 9 tubes (10 for the 5150 II) dammit! If its buzzy, turn down the pregain, turn up the master, adjust the presence and resonance as soon as you adjust the master. I can get Mesa sounds from my 5150, very easily. I can also get some pretty vintage tones from it just as easily.
4. For the money, its a workhorse, in the studio and on the road. Most 5150's have a typical lifespan of 10-12 years before they even start to develop abnormal wear.
5. What you put into it greatly alters what you get out of it. Pickups, Guitars, effects. EFFECTS EFFECTS EFFECTS: The amp doesn't even put out enough ohm's to drive a pedal/Rack in its loop until you have the master volume on 5. The amp was designed to be played loud.
6. Just because the amp has gain on tap, doesn't mean you have to get drunk off it.
Sorry for the rant, But I just feel that this amp is really misunderstood. It'll be worth the money. I picked up mine for $550 on ebay a few years back (2001 model), and shipped it to canada from the states, customs and all.
Should you get a 5150?
Yes.
Is it a one trick Pony? In a sense, yes. You're not going to get fender cleans out of it, but can you do that with a marshall or a mesa? Also, If you're using Hi-gain pickups, basically, anything in the vein of an EMG, active, harsh, buzzy, even some dimarzio's, and yes, Some Duncan's (Dimebucker, LiveWire, Full Shred) Its gonna knock the amp over the top, in a really bad way.
The amp was designed with one specific player in mind! His style is what shaped the amp. Here are somethings that no one seems to mention:
1. how it cleans up when you roll your GUITAR volume back to 10-20%. Even on the lead channel, this is how I get my clean tones, and you know what, lots of headroom left over.
2. DOES NO ONE EVEN KNOW ABOUT THE EQ SHIFT BETWEEN THE RHYTHM AND LEAD CHANNELS ON A 5150 MK I? The Rhythm channel has more low/low-mids than the Lead channel! its a natural boost in itself for soloing! It was designed this way for lead boosting, as well as giving a little bit more low end to VH's Floyd equipped guitars when playing rhythm!
3. The Tone is artificial? Its got 9 tubes (10 for the 5150 II) dammit! If its buzzy, turn down the pregain, turn up the master, adjust the presence and resonance as soon as you adjust the master. I can get Mesa sounds from my 5150, very easily. I can also get some pretty vintage tones from it just as easily.
4. For the money, its a workhorse, in the studio and on the road. Most 5150's have a typical lifespan of 10-12 years before they even start to develop abnormal wear.
5. What you put into it greatly alters what you get out of it. Pickups, Guitars, effects. EFFECTS EFFECTS EFFECTS: The amp doesn't even put out enough ohm's to drive a pedal/Rack in its loop until you have the master volume on 5. The amp was designed to be played loud.
6. Just because the amp has gain on tap, doesn't mean you have to get drunk off it.
Sorry for the rant, But I just feel that this amp is really misunderstood. It'll be worth the money. I picked up mine for $550 on ebay a few years back (2001 model), and shipped it to canada from the states, customs and all.
Re: Should I get a 5150?
+1 on the amp being horribly misunderstood... Mostly due to death metal people promoting the living hell out of them and getting mad when they find out they'll need different guitars to coax different tones with the amp.
I disagree about hot pickups. My 6505+ likes anything I put into it. They just don't clean up on the lead channel like a vintage pickup. But that's why I play a H/H/S strat, flip to middle or neck and clean up just fine.
Tele, vintage buckers, P-90s, ric pickups, super high output humbuckers, single coils... It gets along great with them all and develops a unique flavor with all of them. Also records fantastically at low volumes and high alike... *Cough* Yes jeff, I know *cough*
Also, different preamp tubes up in different orders can create vastly different tones. Mine's currently set up from V1 to V6:
jjECC83S, jjECC83S, jjECC83S, Sovtek 12AX7LPS, jjECC83S, Sovtek 12AX7LPS. I played with it a long time before settling on it like that, thickest fattest tone I could get. (Without getting the cello sound.)
Sorry if any of this post is confusing or incoherient, on a new medication to help with insomina. I think my backspace button is going to asplode.
+1 on the amp being horribly misunderstood... Mostly due to death metal people promoting the living hell out of them and getting mad when they find out they'll need different guitars to coax different tones with the amp.
I disagree about hot pickups. My 6505+ likes anything I put into it. They just don't clean up on the lead channel like a vintage pickup. But that's why I play a H/H/S strat, flip to middle or neck and clean up just fine.
Tele, vintage buckers, P-90s, ric pickups, super high output humbuckers, single coils... It gets along great with them all and develops a unique flavor with all of them. Also records fantastically at low volumes and high alike... *Cough* Yes jeff, I know *cough*
Also, different preamp tubes up in different orders can create vastly different tones. Mine's currently set up from V1 to V6:
jjECC83S, jjECC83S, jjECC83S, Sovtek 12AX7LPS, jjECC83S, Sovtek 12AX7LPS. I played with it a long time before settling on it like that, thickest fattest tone I could get. (Without getting the cello sound.)
Sorry if any of this post is confusing or incoherient, on a new medication to help with insomina. I think my backspace button is going to asplode.
Last edited:
Similar threads
