Peavey 6505 1992 original

  • Thread starter Thread starter BesaMoogie
  • Start date Start date
^ watched this video last night...sometimes I think the OG sounded better, but vice versa. I don't need anymore amps but I really to try an Iconic. Though I end up talking myself out of it because I'm really waiting for the AmpX
 
Bad.Seed said:
I currently have the 6505 1992 Original and new straight cab loaded with the 1230+ speakers at my house. Rendering and uploading my initial impressions on it today.

Much like with the 6505II that I was able to demo in late 2021, the amp tone is largely unchanged. I noticed a slight bit more clarity and focus in the upper mids, we're talking very slight. Everything else we all know and love (or hate) about the 5150/6505 tones are still in tact.

Is this a marketing move? Absolutely. Was the switch to the Invective transformer so that they can use the same transformer across their flagship amps and make it a cost saving measure? I'm sure that it was. But, in talking to John Fields, he put a lot of time and energy into making that transformer as close to, what he felt, was the best of the original 5150 transformers they had in house, and then tweaking it for slightly more clarity. I believe every word, because John has been extremely forthcoming with me about many things going on over there, and he hasn't pulled any punches. He's an amp and speaker lover, and a fan. He is not a marketing guy in the slightest.

As far as the 1230+ speakers, I'm already a fan. Not sure if any of you played the old 1230 speakers that came in the VTM/Butcher cabs after they stopped using the Celestion K85 speakers, but they were honestly a great sounding speaker. When Eddie came over, they essentially used the 1230 and changed out the cone for a greenback cone. The early ones, according to John, were some of the best sounding speakers he'd ever heard. But unfortunately, sourcing and manufacturing inconsistencies made them sound wildly inconsistent throughout the years. A lot of them sound REAL BAD. I have a 5150 slant right now and it just sounds fucking terrible. But I had a couple recently that didn't sound bad at all.

The 1230+ has a tighter low end, strong low mid voicing, and has the very top end fizz tailored a bit. The old 5150 cabs enhanced the 5150 fizz. The new ones dial it back just enough to make the amp sound a little more organic. I truly think they are an awesome speaker, and I generally don't like non-Celestion speakers.

But, that's just been my experience. These will be in the wild soon, so many people will be able to form their own opinions.
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This is happening right now?:

 
Greazygeo said:
I bought the first 5150 in my area when they came out. $585 out the door. Had the Sylvania 6l6’s. It sounded great, used the heck out of it and never had any trouble with it. Nice amp.
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Yeah, I gigged the signature one solid for just over a years in the mid 90’s. Constantly being moved and transported, often from quite hot to freezing cold and it never gave me any trouble. Only reason I moved on from it was I got bitten by the boutique bug after trying a VHT Ultralead and had to sell a bunch to afford it.
 
skoora said:
Yeah, I gigged the signature one solid for just over a years in the mid 90’s. Constantly being moved and transported, often from quite hot to freezing cold and it never gave me any trouble. Only reason I moved on from it was I got bitten by the boutique bug after trying a VHT Ultralead and had to sell a bunch to afford it.
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Same thing here. I was playing in a Maiden tribute band and hauled that amp all over…had it about 8 years then also sold mine to get an UL. Had a few more over the years too…still like them.
 
RevDrucifer said:
I’ve always had good luck with Peavey amps, I guess. My XXL is nearly 20 years old and that thing has taken a fucking BEATING over the years, still fires up just fine. I’ve had 3-4 5150 heads in the mid-00’s that I never had an issue with, my buddies XXX is still rocking just fine, just had some tubes go bad a while back, but that amp was gigged to fuck and back.

The worst amps I’ve ever dealt with were Randalls. Before we switched to Peavey‘s my buddy and I were trying all the newer Randalls they were putting out in the mid-00’s and between the two of us had 3 of them shit the bed before we even gigged them. I can’t even remember the model names anymore, I think one was solid state and the other two were tube or hybrids or something to that effect.
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Ya I’ve usually been let down by Randall. The Satan was the first one I dug .
 
Still have my 5150 II with a Mercury magnetics OT. I turned mine into a two channel amp making the clean channel more clean and the red channel just over the top. It was tuned back when I could tune them at band levels. I keep it around because it flat out fucking delivers the goods. I don’t have a good video of it but I wish I did. I had it at James Lugo’s amp fest in 2010. Total underdog scenario and jaws were dropped when mine came around.
 
My Langner modded '71 Superlead would always do the same. I always would hear my boutique this and multi channel that can blah blah blah and then open it up and literally destoy their whole being...
 
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Exo-metal said:
My Langner modded '71 Superlead would always do the same. I always would hear my boutique this and that blah blah blah and then open it up and literally destoy their whole being...
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Modded Marshalls and builds based on that topology always triumph lol.
 
Bad.Seed said:
I currently have the 6505 1992 Original and new straight cab loaded with the 1230+ speakers at my house. Rendering and uploading my initial impressions on it today.

Much like with the 6505II that I was able to demo in late 2021, the amp tone is largely unchanged. I noticed a slight bit more clarity and focus in the upper mids, we're talking very slight. Everything else we all know and love (or hate) about the 5150/6505 tones are still in tact.

Is this a marketing move? Absolutely. Was the switch to the Invective transformer so that they can use the same transformer across their flagship amps and make it a cost saving measure? I'm sure that it was. But, in talking to John Fields, he put a lot of time and energy into making that transformer as close to, what he felt, was the best of the original 5150 transformers they had in house, and then tweaking it for slightly more clarity. I believe every word, because John has been extremely forthcoming with me about many things going on over there, and he hasn't pulled any punches. He's an amp and speaker lover, and a fan. He is not a marketing guy in the slightest.

As far as the 1230+ speakers, I'm already a fan. Not sure if any of you played the old 1230 speakers that came in the VTM/Butcher cabs after they stopped using the Celestion K85 speakers, but they were honestly a great sounding speaker. When Eddie came over, they essentially used the 1230 and changed out the cone for a greenback cone. The early ones, according to John, were some of the best sounding speakers he'd ever heard. But unfortunately, sourcing and manufacturing inconsistencies made them sound wildly inconsistent throughout the years. A lot of them sound REAL BAD. I have a 5150 slant right now and it just sounds fucking terrible. But I had a couple recently that didn't sound bad at all.

The 1230+ has a tighter low end, strong low mid voicing, and has the very top end fizz tailored a bit. The old 5150 cabs enhanced the 5150 fizz. The new ones dial it back just enough to make the amp sound a little more organic. I truly think they are an awesome speaker, and I generally don't like non-Celestion speakers.

But, that's just been my experience. These will be in the wild soon, so many people will be able to form their own opinions.
Click to expand...
Can you tell us if the 1230+ speakers still made in the US at least or in China like the amp ?
 
Bad.Seed said:
As far as I'm aware, everything Peavey is now made in China
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Sounds Good Kyle. I wonder if you could make a video Boosting the Green Channel since so many HC Bands that i've spoken with do exactly that to get thier tone. Madball would be a Prime example of that when Mitts was in the band.
 
Missed chance by Peavey to rename the speaker something more "cool",,,,,,,if only for the marketing factor.
 
glpg80 said:
Still have my 5150 II with a Mercury magnetics OT. I turned mine into a two channel amp making the clean channel more clean and the red channel just over the top. It was tuned back when I could tune them at band levels. I keep it around because it flat out fucking delivers the goods. I don’t have a good video of it but I wish I did. I had it at James Lugo’s amp fest in 2010. Total underdog scenario and jaws were dropped when mine came around.
Click to expand...

That would be awesome to hear that clip! I remember James posting those, that was really cool of him to do. IMO 5150ii's sit really well in the mix, my good friend had one and played out all the time and it just sat in the mix just perfectly.
 
The biggest question for me on the reissue of the OG's is why did they fix the Master Volume? In this day an age of bedroom rockers, IMO a great Master Volume is a must have. The only reason I don't still own my two OG 5150's is the Master, it's unusable at lower volumes and I've done the hot plate thing years back, not getting back into that stuff.

I get reissuing them with some updates because the amps are legendary but if you want it to take a bite out of the EVH line which has a great Master Volume, big misread by Peavey here if they didn't address that issue.
 
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