If you've owned 5152/6505+ AND 5153 heads... Come in!

[NinjaRaf]

The EVHs definitely lack the aggressiveness of the Peaveys. I definitely like the Peaveys better, particularly the 212 combos. The 5153 50 watt was great for size and weight, and midi if you need that...but for me, the tone is better on the Peaveys.

I have owned so many of these things...11 separate 5150 amps, all of the Peaveys (5150BL, 6505+ (2), 5150II, 5150 212 (2), 6505 212 (2), 6505MH, and EVH 50 watt, and a 100 watt Stealth). The Peavey 212s and 6505+/5150II are the best ones as far as I am concerned.

 

[controlled_voltage]

i have a 50 watt 3 and i find it"stiff' and really lacking mids.
i wish the EQ knobs did more and went deeper.

that said it's a lot of amp with many features for very little money
i have NOT rolled tubes on it so my experience is based on a bone stock vietnam version
it has not had one problem since i bought it and i am the 2nd owner.

it has made my playing more articulate but it's not a fun amp to play.
the clean channel is ok but not that clean.

when i am playing it i realize it's someone else's amp [obviously]

strange but it's missing that immediate 'clack" "kerrang' that all good marshalls have
for me it lacks that immediate note attack and treble thing that gets better as you turn the amp up to get the power tubes compressing.
it's obvious that withh all of those tubes it's not designed for power output tube compression and gain

that said the blue channel is awesome and it makes you work for the rent.

the red channel is nuts and totally metal /high gain but as others have said it's kinda compressed and well.....just not that great.
you need to bump the presence and lower the gain ALOT to make red work.

For me this amp needs to be boosted with an OD and or a graphic and a hint of verb for some vibe.
i have an ocd,a big muff a boss sd1 and by accident found the Rocktron Nitro Booster Clean Boost Pedal worked really well on this amp.

i agree with everyone who has said that the 6505 [and also the jsx] that had were more metal and fun to play.

i think we are spoiled and the fact that we can try all of these amps at such a low price is great
i am gonna sell my 5150 3 and buy a ceriatone kit
not sure which one but i am leaning towards a chupa or yeti

 

[PRS]

I've been a Peavey 5150 player for years and my last was the 6505mh, which I absolutely loved. I'll have to pickup another one later.

I just got my first 5153 50 watt head a few weeks ago. This is what I discovered, and I love it as well.

-The clean channel is great, much better than the OG 5150 Peavey channel, which was just sterile. The 5153 has a nice way of working with my guitars pickups and is extremely versatile. I have not boosted it yet though, in fact, I haven't used my boosts at all with any channels yet, I will do that next weekend.

-It is a Mark I version sharing volume and gain, the only problem I have is the volume jump, but can be remedied with the add on mod. I don't have any problems using the ch 2 settings for my cleans which is nice.

-The headphone out speaker defeat is awesome, using the preamp out to WOS gives it alot of options and sounds killer. I run multiple cabs, V30s, Greenbacks and some other Mesa 4x12s.

-The mids on ch 2 are a little brittle, when turned down they fatten up the tone, but turned up, instead of strengthening the mids, they sound stiff. Ch 3 works the opposite, the mids work great through the entire sweep.

-Ch 2 doesn't sound as thick or have the lower mids that the OG 5150s have, its still saturated, but in a much more articulate way. Less fizzy, but crisp. Its a refined, a little more hi-fi updated sound. I use ch 2 75% of the time and ch 3 for leads or heavier songs, gain is halfway.

-Ch 3 is just fantastic, It sounds like the Ch2 of the 5150 with more useable gain, I only run this at 5 on the gain. I keep the bass about 6, mids I will go back forth between 3-6 and treble at 6, The resonance knob at 3 o'clockish and the presence at 5.
I love this channel it has the trademark 5150 tone and its hard to not have fun playing this amp.

 

[Badronald]

I love the 6505+.
Clean to devastating.
GREAT amplifier with or without a boost. I can plug straight in, with only a delay in the loop, and play any gig.

 

[PhloridaMan]

Well, I listed my EVH5153 120w and Orange PPC412 cab for sale here locally. I listed here on the forums too, but I am not really interested in shipping them. Guess I am heading backwards to some but there is just something about the tone of a 6505+/5152 through a Mesa Standard Recto cab I miss dearly. Maybe I am just denying the Chimaira Fanboi inside me? Who knows lol Just love that tone...

 

[MetalHeadMike]

I didn't gel with the 5153 either. You like what you like, and it's great to have options!

 

[PhloridaMan]

I didn't gel with the 5153 either. You like what you like, and it's great to have options!

Yeah I've been on this weird tone quest forever. I played 5150s with Marshall 1960Bs loaded with V30s and T75s for YEARS and then I got my Framus because KSE was using them. I had that amp for a long time and then eventually moved on through my progression of different higher end amps, but along the way, I kept ending up with a 6505 or 5150 and they just felt right but I kept looking to see if there was something better. Truthfully for me, I don't think there really is anything better at least for me. I am at a point where I want to have a studio rig that stays put and something to haul around to practice or gigs. I am honestly thinking that I might just try to find a clean 6505 and Mesa cab to keep in my studio at home, and then a beat up version of each on the cheap to haul around. Maybe even a 212 cab even though I have never owned one and am not quite sure how different they sound from a 412. We will see I guess.

Thanks for the input though everyone. You all made me feel less insane for feeling that a cheaper amp was better than a more expensive one lol

 

[1meanplexi]

Well, I listed my EVH5153 120w and Orange PPC412 cab for sale here locally. I listed here on the forums too, but I am not really interested in shipping them. Guess I am heading backwards to some but there is just something about the tone of a 6505+/5152 through a Mesa Standard Recto cab I miss dearly. Maybe I am just denying the Chimaira Fanboi inside me? Who knows lol Just love that tone...

No shame going in reverse for that tone. My 6505+ through my Mesa 4x12 stiletto is a f'n dream. For smaller venues the 6505+ combo with my EVH 2x12 is no slouch either. Not needed but I hit the front end with a fortin 33 and grind.

 

[PhloridaMan]

Well, I listed my EVH5153 120w and Orange PPC412 cab for sale here locally. I listed here on the forums too, but I am not really interested in shipping them. Guess I am heading backwards to some but there is just something about the tone of a 6505+/5152 through a Mesa Standard Recto cab I miss dearly. Maybe I am just denying the Chimaira Fanboi inside me? Who knows lol Just love that tone...

No shame going in reverse for that tone. My 6505+ through my Mesa 4x12 stiletto is a f'n dream. For smaller venues the 6505+ combo with my EVH 2x12 is no slouch either. Not needed but I hit the front end with a fortin 33 and grind.

I use the OD808 as a boost normally. I have been considering trying the Precision Drive by Horizon Devices.

 

[PRS]

Good decision, if you're happy with the Peaveys, go for it. Can't go wrong with a Mesa cab either.

 

[PhloridaMan]

Good decision, if you're happy with the Peaveys, go for it. Can't go wrong with a Mesa cab either.

I mean, they just work. The rig I have now is great, but it's not inspiring to play for me. It lacks some of the things that I love.

 

[guitarbilly74]

I’ve owned the block, sig, II, and now the Evh 50 watt and I greatly prefer it for metal. I use a little unusual settings I guess, but it’s much clearer, and I can get to about 4 on the master for live use, where I couldn’t on the 120 watters.
Plus it’s small, fits in my rack, midi, switchable loop, and doesn’t need a boost. May be the minority, but it was an improvement across the board for me. The big differences for me dialing it in was the presence had to be low, and the gain super low for my liking. Where the peaveys I could run the presence high, and the gain on 5 or 6.

Is this a custom rack or just a regular rack case? Any pics? I've been really wanting to rack mine up...

 

[MYLILSS]

Well, I listed my EVH5153 120w and Orange PPC412 cab for sale here locally. I listed here on the forums too, but I am not really interested in shipping them. Guess I am heading backwards to some but there is just something about the tone of a 6505+/5152 through a Mesa Standard Recto cab I miss dearly. Maybe I am just denying the Chimaira Fanboi inside me? Who knows lol Just love that tone...

No shame going in reverse for that tone. My 6505+ through my Mesa 4x12 stiletto is a f'n dream. For smaller venues the 6505+ combo with my EVH 2x12 is no slouch either. Not needed but I hit the front end with a fortin 33 and grind.

I use the OD808 as a boost normally. I have been considering trying the Precision Drive by Horizon Devices.

the precision drive is a badass boost pedal. with the attack control you can get that 808 vibe, or dial it up and get more of that fortin grind/33 type of sound. horizon did an awesome job with the design of the pedal in my opinion. they did so well I own both versions . (note: the second version is just a looks/color change. nothing tonally is different)

 

[K-Roll]

I've owned following peavey styled amps in the past and/or have used some in band or recording situations:


peavey 5150 original EVH block letter amp: probably the fiercest of the bunch, great growl, a one trick pony, clean channel sucked
peavey 6505+: more upper mids and less of that growly low/mid sound compared to the above - sounded better in the band mix, though but recorded sounded thinner than 5150
EVH 5150 III 100w: red channel is stupid, you won't go beyond 2-3 on the preamp gain, blue channel sucks balls but sounds better boosted than the red channel, sounds more hi fi than the two above. I'd say its more polished and sounds more processed or as if you had already boosted it. Id even go the extra mile and say it sounds like a modded american sound than a 'peavey' based amp. It almost sounds like its pushing a lot of air and has a lot of sag, which you can't hear that well in the band mix though

EVH 5150 III 50w: I think i liked this one the most of the bunch, despite being 50w only. You can actually turn it up. The blue channel had been redesigned and allows you to get a great full tone which cuts and has a lot of mojo. even in a band mix it has its own place. The added resonance control feature is amazing, works pretty well with the orange 4x12 my band mate uses it with. To me it sounds more lively than the wooly evh 100 version. Red channel is still stupid hot, but the green and blue are just worth getting the amp for.
It was a surprise to me and i'd probably take this 50w over any of the above which i can't even believe i am saying

 

[PhloridaMan]

Well, I listed my EVH5153 120w and Orange PPC412 cab for sale here locally. I listed here on the forums too, but I am not really interested in shipping them. Guess I am heading backwards to some but there is just something about the tone of a 6505+/5152 through a Mesa Standard Recto cab I miss dearly. Maybe I am just denying the Chimaira Fanboi inside me? Who knows lol Just love that tone...

No shame going in reverse for that tone. My 6505+ through my Mesa 4x12 stiletto is a f'n dream. For smaller venues the 6505+ combo with my EVH 2x12 is no slouch either. Not needed but I hit the front end with a fortin 33 and grind.

I use the OD808 as a boost normally. I have been considering trying the Precision Drive by Horizon Devices.

the precision drive is a badass boost pedal. with the attack control you can get that 808 vibe, or dial it up and get more of that fortin grind/33 type of sound. horizon did an awesome job with the design of the pedal in my opinion. they did so well I own both versions . (note: the second version is just a looks/color change. nothing tonally is different)

I definitely need a Precision Drive now lol

 

[cust22]

I have the 100 watt 5153, I love it. I think it's more of a rock amp too, but I really don't play metal.

 

[Mailman1971]

I’ve owned all of them as well.
They all sounded different but good.
Had both stealths too.
I currently have the EL34 Stealth. And love it. It just kills in my set up.
Really punchy edgy and just a powerhouse

 

[mchn13]

I’ve owned the block, sig, II, and now the Evh 50 watt and I greatly prefer it for metal. I use a little unusual settings I guess, but it’s much clearer, and I can get to about 4 on the master for live use, where I couldn’t on the 120 watters.
Plus it’s small, fits in my rack, midi, switchable loop, and doesn’t need a boost. May be the minority, but it was an improvement across the board for me. The big differences for me dialing it in was the presence had to be low, and the gain super low for my liking. Where the peaveys I could run the presence high, and the gain on 5 or 6.

Is this a custom rack or just a regular rack case? Any pics? I've been really wanting to rack mine up...

Nah just a regular 12u rack. I just sat it in the bottom with the power amp in the top of the rack, split via a chorus pedal, and run to three cabs W/D/W.
3D979530-DBE6-437B-A2A2-9E0223F873CB by steve moore, on Flickr

F92CA6A5-CDC0-4D17-94D8-4A60D42AF64F by steve moore, on Flickr

Stupid simple, but I can run it mono/split, stereo, or wdw. No phase or polarity issues.

 

[riffermadness]

How is the 6505+ 1-12" combo for bedroom to slightly above bedroom sounds ? I sold my XXX head about 1 year ago and as soon as it was gone I bummed out,it sounded great even at bedroom volumes,but I have back problems so I have to lighten things up quite a bit..
I did have the 6505 MH,actually 2 of them and the 1st one sucked,sent it back and the second one wasn't much better for me,even after re-biasing and many tube swaps I sold it and won't go that route again but could use a 1-12" combo for sure.

 

[indespise]

Man, if you're worried about weight, a tube combo is probably a bad idea- that one weighs 64 lbs and is probably awkward in its weight distribution. You would probably be better off looking into some other lunch box heads or digging into the modeling world.