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Jandiden

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After spending quite a bit of time reading through reviews and diving into YouTube demos, I’m in the midst of evaluating a few high-gain tube heads as potential replacements for live use—while retiring my cherished Mesa Tremoverb to more of a home/studio role.

Though the Tremoverb may still make occasional appearances on stage, I’m primarily looking for something with a bit more modern functionality and versatility for regular gigging.

One amp that has stood out during my research is the revised EVH 5150 III 50W 6L6 head, particularly the newer iteration with the concentric volume and gain controls. I’m also considering a few other options listed in the subject line.

I’m curious how well this particular head would integrate into a live rig geared toward versatility, dynamics, and tonal clarity—especially in the context of a full band mix.

To provide some context: I play in a cover band that leans heavily into rock, classic rock, and hair metal, all in standard E tuning. My current live setup features the Mesa Tremoverb head paired with a Marshall 4x12 cab (both listed in my signature). On the pedalboard side,

I’m using a ModTone MT-CB Clean Boost for solo lifts and an MXR M234 Analog Chorus, both powered by a Visual Sound One Spot supply. These pedals are routed through the Mesa’s effects loop, where they’ve performed consistently well.


Given all that, I’d love to hear from anyone with experience using the 5150 III 50W 6L6—especially in a cover band or live setting similar to mine.

How does it sit in the mix? Is the clean channel usable in a live context?

And how does it respond to pedals in the loop compared to something like the Tremoverb?
 
Seems like a 5150 is kind of the same thing as what you already have..
Maybe go the other way with a Mark VII.. :dunno:
 
I loved both of my EVH 50 watt heads, a stealth and regular 6l6. I only got rid of them to use towards other purchases (guitars) and I have a Marshall Silver Jubillee and gig with my Orange Super Crush 100 combos, so have enough amps for my needs.

The thing I liked with the stealth 6l6 50watt over the regular 6l6 50 watt is that it has external bias pots for changing tubes and had better mids in my opinion. Both are great amps.

The only feature I don't like is the effects loop footswitch but that is just a personal thing.
 
SFW said:
They site very nicely in a band mix. Below is a live clip where I used my 100-watt Stelath in my Bush tribute band. I use all three channels with this band.

Click to expand...

The stealth is a great amp.
 
As others have said, the 5153s are good amps that will do the job nicely.
 
The 5153 50w amps are great for all types of rock and metal. It will work really well for that. Plus they have built in MIDI for channel changing.
 
Yep! I can vouch for the EVH 5150III v2 6L6 50 watt head as I bought one new and it went right into my live rig to take the miles off my 95 Mesa Tremoverb head.

I actually used both the same pedals and one spot you use through both my Mesa and the EVH but eventually went to using a DigiTech RP360XP for effects only in the cover band I was in.

The EVH definitely covers a lot of bases well for a good price too and definitely cuts through the mix better than my Tremoverb as my other guitarist was using Marshall DSL100H & 100HR heads.

I also used my other guitarist's Mesa Mark V 90 watt head incorporated into my live rig as well for some time just to try something different and that Amplifier worked great too and versatile to boot! The Mark V 90 watt head or 1x12 combo is definitely more live shows friendly with better features than the Mark VII IMHO 👍
 
Jandiden said:
After spending quite a bit of time reading through reviews and diving into YouTube demos, I’m in the midst of evaluating a few high-gain tube heads as potential replacements for live use—while retiring my cherished Mesa Tremoverb to more of a home/studio role.

Though the Tremoverb may still make occasional appearances on stage, I’m primarily looking for something with a bit more modern functionality and versatility for regular gigging.

One amp that has stood out during my research is the revised EVH 5150 III 50W 6L6 head, particularly the newer iteration with the concentric volume and gain controls. I’m also considering a few other options listed in the subject line.

I’m curious how well this particular head would integrate into a live rig geared toward versatility, dynamics, and tonal clarity—especially in the context of a full band mix.

To provide some context: I play in a cover band that leans heavily into rock, classic rock, and hair metal, all in standard E tuning. My current live setup features the Mesa Tremoverb head paired with a Marshall 4x12 cab (both listed in my signature). On the pedalboard side,

I’m using a ModTone MT-CB Clean Boost for solo lifts and an MXR M234 Analog Chorus, both powered by a Visual Sound One Spot supply. These pedals are routed through the Mesa’s effects loop, where they’ve performed consistently well.


Given all that, I’d love to hear from anyone with experience using the 5150 III 50W 6L6—especially in a cover band or live setting similar to mine.

How does it sit in the mix? Is the clean channel usable in a live context?

And how does it respond to pedals in the loop compared to something like the Tremoverb?
Click to expand...

Can't go wrong with the EVH. Super straight forward, and a dime a dozen. It's been the benchmark for many for years. There's better choices, but if you need 3 channels, I'd say go for it..

Depends on your budget, really...
 
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