Differences in 5150 and 5150 II Drive channels: myth?

[TheMagicEight]

I'm thinking of getting one of these. People seem to say there are differences between the two drive channels, or else I would hands down get a 5150 II. Can anyone confirm this?

 

[glpg80]

yes, there are differences. no it is not a myth, where you heard this from i have no clue.

they are subtle - but there. the differences component wise are all over the internet and its quite simple to convert a II into a I.

basically, get a II if you want a dedicated EQ for your clean or crunch. get a I of you could care less or plan to modify it.

 

[smith10210]

Yes ive owned a few of both and own the + series now. + series is way tighter and brighter in the mids and clearer sounding and the 6505/5150 has more gain/saturation more lowend to loose for my taste unless boosted and i would say a tad more aggressive darker. I like them both + series unboosted and 5150 boosted. There is a clip on youtube comparing the two its more obvious in person. You can also mod the lead channel of the + series to 5150 lead channel cost like 6 bucks in parts an hour or so to do. Listen to rafs on HC pretty much sells the + series for me http://acapella.harmony-central.com/sho ... ?t=2709932

 

[NinjaRaf]

HUUUUGE differences. I just got a 6505+ after having a 5150 for a few months, and I much prefer the +. Its tighter, clearer, a bit more upper mid focused, and VERY fucking aggressive. Heres a video and some clips...(clip is 6505+)

http://www.netmusicians.org/index.php?s ... value=8893

 

[JakeAC5253]

There is a difference and it was never meant to be a secret, that's why Peavey gave them different names. The 5150 was Eddie's custom amp design, but Peavey tweaked it a bit when some users began complaining about the sound and lack of features. They also had to contend with the people who wanted Ed's custom amp as well, so they kept the 5150 as is and in comes the 5150 II. Ed split from Peavey and said they could no longer use the name 5150, so they started calling the amps 6505/6505+. I think the myth you are referring to is whether or not the new ones (6505/6505+) versions sound like the old ones. There are too many variables, one of which is indeed age and stubbornness, and neither side has brought forth conclusive evidence that proves or disproves either theory. Things like these are just too subjective. If you are indecisive, then grab a 6505+ (or used 5150 II, as they're the same amp) and play with it for a while. If you like the sound then there you have it. If you desire an original instead, then you can have the lead channel modded back to 5150 lead channel specs, but you'll still have the independent channel settings and EQ's.

Now that's what I call having the Best of Both Worlds©!

Don't sue me Ed^

 

[TheMagicEight]

Thanks guys!

Found the mod information. I'm going to install a switch to go back and forth between the two. Seems as if the difference is just 2 caps and a resistor, and I'd really like to have both options!

 

[glassjaw7]

From Jerry (FJA

The 5150II has the following differences:

Rhythm channel crunch is foot switchable

Adjustable bias (cold range)

Separate EQ for each channel

Separate presence and resonance for each channel

Brighter overall tone

Better clean tone

A little less gain on the lead channel (6 gain stages)

A lot less gain on the rhythm channel (3 gain stages)

 

[Erocku]

There are more than just 3 components that are different between the 5150 and 5150II lead channels. It's more like 10-11.

 

[JerryP]

Thanks guys!

Found the mod information. I'm going to install a switch to go back and forth between the two. Seems as if the difference is just 2 caps and a resistor, and I'd really like to have both options!

A lot more than 3 things. You can't make it switchable.
Jerry

 

[SFW]

IMO, the 5150 (or 6505) sounds better that the 5150 II (6505+). To my ears it sounds thicker. The 5150II is very bright to me. And you can't really dial out that brightness.

 

[glpg80]

IMO, the 5150 (or 6505) sounds better that the 5150 II (6505+). To my ears it sounds thicker. The 5150II is very bright to me. And you can't really dial out that brightness.

the one thing that i loved about 5150's over my 5150 II (and i have owned both at the same time) is that 5150's dont get nearly as fatiguing at high volumes compared to 5150 II's for this very reason.

i loved how my 5150 EVH sounded in a church cranked up, at band practices lasting over 6 hours, at gigs outside, in bars/clubs, etc. the 5150 II just didnt compare stock to stock. the only thing i hated about my 5150 was how much the tone changed from tube change to tube change because i was gigging so much. i bought a 5150 II because i wanted some stability after tube changes because of the amount of tubes i was going through. not for the seperate EQ - the 5150's clean is actually really good - you just have to know how to operate the volume knob on your guitar.

 

[Vrad]

IMO, the 5150 (or 6505) sounds better that the 5150 II (6505+). To my ears it sounds thicker. The 5150II is very bright to me. And you can't really dial out that brightness.

the one thing that i loved about 5150's over my 5150 II (and i have owned both at the same time) is that 5150's dont get nearly as fatiguing at high volumes compared to 5150 II's for this very reason.

i loved how my 5150 EVH sounded in a church cranked up, at band practices lasting over 6 hours, at gigs outside, in bars/clubs, etc. the 5150 II just didnt compare stock to stock. the only thing i hated about my 5150 was how much the tone changed from tube change to tube change because i was gigging so much. i bought a 5150 II because i wanted some stability after tube changes because of the amount of tubes i was going through. not for the seperate EQ - the 5150's clean is actually really good - you just have to know how to operate the volume knob on your guitar.

What cab/speakers were you using with your 5150's?

 

[glpg80]

IMO, the 5150 (or 6505) sounds better that the 5150 II (6505+). To my ears it sounds thicker. The 5150II is very bright to me. And you can't really dial out that brightness.

the one thing that i loved about 5150's over my 5150 II (and i have owned both at the same time) is that 5150's dont get nearly as fatiguing at high volumes compared to 5150 II's for this very reason.

i loved how my 5150 EVH sounded in a church cranked up, at band practices lasting over 6 hours, at gigs outside, in bars/clubs, etc. the 5150 II just didnt compare stock to stock. the only thing i hated about my 5150 was how much the tone changed from tube change to tube change because i was gigging so much. i bought a 5150 II because i wanted some stability after tube changes because of the amount of tubes i was going through. not for the seperate EQ - the 5150's clean is actually really good - you just have to know how to operate the volume knob on your guitar.

What cab/speakers were you using with your 5150's?

they dont get alot of love here and arent the best sounding, but sheffield 1200's. one cabinet loaded with the striped-magnet models which have more low-mid emphasis and the standard sheffield 1200's that are brittle sounding/shrill (it evens out with volume, backwards from what you would think)

i only use the slant and straight in band practices, i usually only take the straight for gigs/bars.

i had a third cabinet i used loaded with celestion 65's that was made in the mi-1980's. i used to know the year - forgot it TBH. user overthemountain owns it now. i used it for a bit and cycled cabinets. i liked the 1200's over the 65's though.

i have been wanting a nice 2x12 for at home use and also for bars. if anyone has played corner bars before you would know why

 

[Vrad]

IMO, the 5150 (or 6505) sounds better that the 5150 II (6505+). To my ears it sounds thicker. The 5150II is very bright to me. And you can't really dial out that brightness.

the one thing that i loved about 5150's over my 5150 II (and i have owned both at the same time) is that 5150's dont get nearly as fatiguing at high volumes compared to 5150 II's for this very reason.

i loved how my 5150 EVH sounded in a church cranked up, at band practices lasting over 6 hours, at gigs outside, in bars/clubs, etc. the 5150 II just didnt compare stock to stock. the only thing i hated about my 5150 was how much the tone changed from tube change to tube change because i was gigging so much. i bought a 5150 II because i wanted some stability after tube changes because of the amount of tubes i was going through. not for the seperate EQ - the 5150's clean is actually really good - you just have to know how to operate the volume knob on your guitar.

What cab/speakers were you using with your 5150's?

they dont get alot of love here and arent the best sounding, but sheffield 1200's. one cabinet loaded with the striped-magnet models which have more low-mid emphasis and the standard sheffield 1200's that are brittle sounding/shrill (it evens out with volume, backwards from what you would think)

i only use the slant and straight in band practices, i usually only take the straight for gigs/bars.

i had a third cabinet i used loaded with celestion 65's that was made in the mi-1980's. i used to know the year - forgot it TBH. user overthemountain owns it now. i used it for a bit and cycled cabinets. i liked the 1200's over the 65's though.

i have been wanting a nice 2x12 for at home use and also for bars. if anyone has played corner bars before you would know why

The sheffields sound fine in my kid's 5150 combo. At volume they sound real good. Fizzy and harsh at lower volumes.
Wonder how it would sound with the splawn 4x12 with the SB25's.

 

[glpg80]

IMO, the 5150 (or 6505) sounds better that the 5150 II (6505+). To my ears it sounds thicker. The 5150II is very bright to me. And you can't really dial out that brightness.

the one thing that i loved about 5150's over my 5150 II (and i have owned both at the same time) is that 5150's dont get nearly as fatiguing at high volumes compared to 5150 II's for this very reason.

i loved how my 5150 EVH sounded in a church cranked up, at band practices lasting over 6 hours, at gigs outside, in bars/clubs, etc. the 5150 II just didnt compare stock to stock. the only thing i hated about my 5150 was how much the tone changed from tube change to tube change because i was gigging so much. i bought a 5150 II because i wanted some stability after tube changes because of the amount of tubes i was going through. not for the seperate EQ - the 5150's clean is actually really good - you just have to know how to operate the volume knob on your guitar.

What cab/speakers were you using with your 5150's?

they dont get alot of love here and arent the best sounding, but sheffield 1200's. one cabinet loaded with the striped-magnet models which have more low-mid emphasis and the standard sheffield 1200's that are brittle sounding/shrill (it evens out with volume, backwards from what you would think)

i only use the slant and straight in band practices, i usually only take the straight for gigs/bars.

i had a third cabinet i used loaded with celestion 65's that was made in the mi-1980's. i used to know the year - forgot it TBH. user overthemountain owns it now. i used it for a bit and cycled cabinets. i liked the 1200's over the 65's though.

i have been wanting a nice 2x12 for at home use and also for bars. if anyone has played corner bars before you would know why

The sheffields sound fine in my kid's 5150 combo. At volume they sound real good. Fizzy and harsh at lower volumes.
Wonder how it would sound with the splawn 4x12 with the SB25's.

it sounds fucking phenominal. it blows away the sheffields. it was a night and day difference, i had the chance to play a 2x12 5150 combo loaded with splawns SB's and it was sick insane

im saving up for four splawn cabinets - two with small blocks, and two more to load with V30's. i gave scott's shop a call recently to get some specs and more info on the cabinets to make sure i was solid on a few details.

im going to stop by the shop and deliver some old style marshall basket-weave material for the V30 cabinets.

just to be clear though the sheiffields arent going anywhere. my ears are tuned to them and i use them as a comparison speaker for everything else. they are underrated IMHO

 

[saxxamafone]

Definately a difference from when I've recorded with both.

I like the original much better.

Sounds more aggressive, has the low mid thing going on, sounds thicker.

 

[XSSIVE]

i run my 5150 (and my 3120) through splawn 4x12 straight cabs loaded with V30s (one hellatone broken in V30s the other just old broken in V30s) and it's a perfect combo IMO. i was always so-so on the 5150 and sheffields (but i liked them with Ultra + i used to have) but with the V30s it's great. since the amp has loads of bottom and top end the mid push of the V30s seems to balance things out well.

 

[TheMagicEight]

There are more than just 3 components that are different between the 5150 and 5150II lead channels. It's more like 10-11.

It seems as if the 3 components get pretty close, even if it's not identical. Just picked up the 6505+ last night; I'm going to do the mod, go back and put it up next to the 6505.

Anyway, I'm going off this thread:
http://forums.peavey.com/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=6843

From the clips, again, it seems like the three components get pretty close.

And thanks for these responses! I should have researched the topic a little more before posting. I see now that the schematics are different; I just wasn't sure if it was a scenario similar to the 2 vs 3 channel Rectifiers where the parts are the same and they just sound different.

 

[jabps]

IMO, the 5150 (or 6505) sounds better that the 5150 II (6505+). To my ears it sounds thicker. The 5150II is very bright to me. And you can't really dial out that brightness.

the one thing that i loved about 5150's over my 5150 II (and i have owned both at the same time) is that 5150's dont get nearly as fatiguing at high volumes compared to 5150 II's for this very reason.

i loved how my 5150 EVH sounded in a church cranked up, at band practices lasting over 6 hours, at gigs outside, in bars/clubs, etc. the 5150 II just didnt compare stock to stock. the only thing i hated about my 5150 was how much the tone changed from tube change to tube change because i was gigging so much. i bought a 5150 II because i wanted some stability after tube changes because of the amount of tubes i was going through. not for the seperate EQ - the 5150's clean is actually really good - you just have to know how to operate the volume knob on your guitar.

Pretty much the same experience I had with mine. Loved the grind of the original and learned to use the volume knob when I had that amp...in fact I'm glad it opened that door for me because I still work the volume knob constantly.

Had a stock II sold it for the above reason and later bought a modded one by Jerry with the lead channel back to the original's specs and other trimmings. Much better sounding to my ears.

Also preferred the stock 5150 cabs with those amps as well. Literally played 100's of shows with that combo and never had a breakdown or bad sound night. And to this day one of the best studio tones I ever got was just a 5150 head and cabs.

Somewhere at the end I just started looking for other things tonally, when I tried to come back to 5150's I was just ready to move onto other things. Still one of the best amps I've ever owned and definitely holds the record for my main amp in number of years.

 

[glpg80]

IMO, the 5150 (or 6505) sounds better that the 5150 II (6505+). To my ears it sounds thicker. The 5150II is very bright to me. And you can't really dial out that brightness.

the one thing that i loved about 5150's over my 5150 II (and i have owned both at the same time) is that 5150's dont get nearly as fatiguing at high volumes compared to 5150 II's for this very reason.

i loved how my 5150 EVH sounded in a church cranked up, at band practices lasting over 6 hours, at gigs outside, in bars/clubs, etc. the 5150 II just didnt compare stock to stock. the only thing i hated about my 5150 was how much the tone changed from tube change to tube change because i was gigging so much. i bought a 5150 II because i wanted some stability after tube changes because of the amount of tubes i was going through. not for the seperate EQ - the 5150's clean is actually really good - you just have to know how to operate the volume knob on your guitar.

Pretty much the same experience I had with mine. Loved the grind of the original and learned to use the volume knob when I had that amp...in fact I'm glad it opened that door for me because I still work the volume knob constantly.

Had a stock II sold it for the above reason and later bought a modded one by Jerry with the lead channel back to the original's specs and other trimmings. Much better sounding to my ears.

Also preferred the stock 5150 cabs with those amps as well. Literally played 100's of shows with that combo and never had a breakdown or bad sound night. And to this day one of the best studio tones I ever got was just a 5150 head and cabs.

Somewhere at the end I just started looking for other things tonally, when I tried to come back to 5150's I was just ready to move onto other things. Still one of the best amps I've ever owned and definitely holds the record for my main amp in number of years.

yeah i agree. i have been around 5150's for about 13 years in music, i owned both models for roughly 2 years during the peak of my gigging stints (not playing out anymore right now so i sold the 5150 for the tube reason) and i have owned my 5150 II for 6 years. the tone is great but you are right in that you start searching for something else. not that what you have does not work, but in that it has its own character that somedays gets on your last nerves, and other days it sounds like gold.

the stock speakers are great, its more that the cabinet construction quality tends to change in the peavey cabinets. i have put identical cabinets side by side and there is subtle differences in each. swap the speakers which are the same model/type/brand, and the characteristics of that cabinet do not change.

i love my setup. the 5150 haters can knock them all day long about the ribbon cables and PCB design but at the end of the day i spent a quarter of what a new SLO or any other model costs and can squeeze some serious tones out of one - its very versatile.