A friend of mine has narrowed his new amp search to an EVHIII 100 watt standard 6L6 or Stealth 6L6, Stealth has resonance controls....

I tried them all...Prefered the Stealth 100 6L6. I especially enjoyed the gain cranked on 2 boosting 3 trick.
 
harddriver said:
Is the Stealth worth the extra 500 bucks for the three resonance controls on the back for the three channels?

I assumed the standard 100 watt had a resonance control on it but it does not, the standard model 6L6 does not have any resonance controls on it from the pics at Sweetwater...WTF? Even the standard 50 watt EVHIII 6l6 has a resonance control on it........

I know the resonance(Depth mods) are great for adding low end when jamming at lower volumes which he does quite a bit but he also jams at stage volume so is the stealth worth the extra dough?

Just curious what you EVHIII owners think?:unsure:
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I'll always take resonance controls on anything but I hate the fact that they are on the back off these amps. I agree these amps sound great but they are huge and feel like they weigh 6000 lbs.
 
I played through an EVH 100 head with matching 4x12 cab a bunch at a rehearsal place in AZ. It was awesome! I never once thought "if only there was a depth control"

That being said, I owned a few 50w heads and they are fantastic too.
 
My basic analysis of the EVH stuff:

- Personally like the 6L6 amps better (and I'm an EL34 guy)
- Stealth is low mid focused and standard is high mid focused
- Blue channel good on both 6L6s, red channel is awesome on stealth red
- External bias points on my stealth allows me to do my own tube changes without dying

I liked my 6L6 and was great but kept my 6L6 Stealth. All are great amps but I just didn't jive as well with the EL34 combo I had but may have needed a bias done, etc.
 
Has anyone tried to use the Sylvania 6CA7 in the Stealth 6L6 amp and adjust the bias up? Is there enough control?
 
Thanks for all the viewpoints and opinions guys. All of them are very helpful.

I will direct him to lurk this thread for insights that may help him make a final decision.:2thumbsup::rock:
 
Code001 said:
They're all good IMO. Pick whichever one you get the best deal on. If I had to choose one, it's a toss up between the 6L6 and EL34 stealth for me. But again, they're all great.

Have him listen to this and decide if the stealth series are worth it:
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I sent him that video....Thanks!
 
The 5153s, you CANNOT dial out the huge compression/squish they have...IF that's a thing you don't care for like me. The Iconic, can be dialed in differently to sound WAY more open/raw if you want to.
To me, the Iconic wins by a landslide when you compare tone v tone.
But, I can't stand that squish the 5153 has, and cannot be dialed out.
YMMV.

I'll also add that I've had 2 5153 50w 6L6, and both Stealth 100w and I like the base 5153s better than the Stealths.
 
Racerxrated said:
The 5153s, you CANNOT dial out the huge compression/squish they have...IF that's a thing you don't care for like me. The Iconic, can be dialed in differently to sound WAY more open/raw if you want to.
To me, the Iconic wins by a landslide when you compare tone v tone.
But, I can't stand that squish the 5153 has, and cannot be dialed out.
YMMV.

I'll also add that I've had 2 5153 50w 6L6, and both Stealth 100w and I like the base 5153s better than the Stealths.
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It is weird, I notice it but I must just be used to it. I can go from the EVH to a Marshall and don't feel like I'm changing from say a Fender and Marshall, etc. It feels like the same vein to me.
 
Racerxrated said:
The 5153s, you CANNOT dial out the huge compression/squish they have...IF that's a thing you don't care for like me. The Iconic, can be dialed in differently to sound WAY more open/raw if you want to.
To me, the Iconic wins by a landslide when you compare tone v tone.
But, I can't stand that squish the 5153 has, and cannot be dialed out.
YMMV.

I'll also add that I've had 2 5153 50w 6L6, and both Stealth 100w and I like the base 5153s better than the Stealths.
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He has not excluded the Iconic fully yet, he thinks it sounds good too but he just wants to make sure he pulls the trigger on the correct EVH 5150 III 100 watter, ie; Stealth or Standard, if he goes that route so that he doesn't get buyers remorse.

As for the compression factor he is aware of most of the dislikes people have for the amp but all the opinions are worth hearing to help him make his best educated decision. He has been window shopping for quite a while and it is drawing close to D-DAY for him to place an order so it's crunch time so to speak.......I told him I don't envy the decision he has to make........:LOL:


He does like how the EVH 100 watt amps sound and respond for his metal riffage tastes and likes. I think he was a Randall and OG 5150 player back in the day. He likes that the EVH can be somewhat dialed back if he wants to classic or hard rock, plus it has a loop and three usable channels making it even more flexible.
 
I have both a 5150 III 100W and a Stealth 50W.
I prefer Channel 1 & 2 on the 5150 III 100W,
and I prefer Channel 3 on the Stealth.
They are very close sonically, the Stealth has a bit more tightness than the 100W.
 
harddriver said:
Yeah he just isn't an amp tech and doesn't want to start hacking a new amp.

He wants the wallop of a 100 watter even when playing at lower volumes, he just wants a simple plug and play Metal amp, he is into all kinds of different genre's of metal so he is familiar with the tones the EVHIII 100 watter gets and is the amp he wants.

I don't think he wants to go used just out of a concern how the used amps were maintained, the lowest I've seen a used EVHIII 6l6 100 watter standard (not sure what year) was around $1200.00 versus new at $1999.00
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FWIW, I paid under $1k for my 5153 100w standard, and about $620 for my 5153 50w standard. Part of the reason I’ve never owned a stealth is I can’t justify the extra cost for an amp that is basically 8 or so components and two hours of soldering different.

There are fewer used stealths on the market. FWIW, the EL34 version has the same circuit as the stealth and should be able to be biased to use 6L6 if you prefer, so those two versions are basically interchangeable. On the other hand from what I understand, it is risky to use EL34’s in the 6L6 versions of the amp, not the other way around. Someone correct me if I’m wrong there.

Still, I personally can’t imagine buying one new, considering how immensely popular, common, and therefore cheap they are used. Half price basically. Tell your friend not to be afraid of a used amp - it would have to be seriously abused to have any major issues and that should be pretty obvious when buying. Or go through GC used (where I got mine) and you have 45 days to beat on it and make sure you like it and that it works correctly.
 
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If I'd have never played a modded or stock 2203/4/5/10, I'd have been totally happy with the first 5153 I had. Sounded really good through a Marshall VM straight cab. But then I played the Marshalls....and it was all over for the EVHs.
5153s are nice amps for the money with great features, no doubt.
 
Just a heads up:
NEVER put El34's or 6CA7's in a 6L6 5153 100watt. The PT was not designed to put out the heater current required by those tubes, and worse, you will likely melt the heater traces on the power supply pcb @ the fuse holders.
I've seen this on a couple of occasions, and manged to repair one.
Used to happen a lot before the EL34 version came out.

Regarding a resonance mod on the OG.. total pain in the ass... the board has to come out to access the area of the pcb with the nfb. Its in the front corner by the presence controls, so you have quite a run of wire to the back panel for the potentiometers
But... if you do it ( did it to mine ) add a response control as well, to help dial out some of the the "squish".
 
Of any amp I've ever owned, the 5150-III amps.excel at low volumes since there is all of that gain on tap. Practicing at home is easy and cranked they sound amazing.
 
I don't think I've heard a stock amp so tight without some type of EQ or boost up front:shocked:. I have to run a VFE standout EQ and a Revv G8 noise gate to tighten my Splawn modded Marshall to this level......good Lord......... Ola usually breaks out the boost but not in this video, just a Fortin Zuul+....


I can see why you Chugga Chugga metal guys love these amps......I would imagine the 6L6 would grind even more.
 
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