What's the best version/model of the 5150? Peavey, Fender?

[glassjaw7]

The original Peavey 5150 head is still king of them all IMO.

I really liked the EVH, and was expecting a fire breathing monster. Instead it was a sonic Hugh Hefner: more refined, wore PJs and a smoking jacket all the time and had a pension. Which is cool too.

Ha! Funny way to put it. Makes sense though, the III is pretty refined and more "polite" sounding and easier to play leads on. I would still consider it a pretty punishing and fire-breathing amp though. If I had to choose one, I'd take the Fender. Always dug the 5150/6505 combos too. They both have their strengths.

 

[madrigal77]

The original Peavey 5150 head is still king of them all IMO.

I really liked the EVH, and was expecting a fire breathing monster. Instead it was a sonic Hugh Hefner: more refined, wore PJs and a smoking jacket all the time and had a pension. Which is cool too.

Sounds pretty fire breathing to me...

 

[controlled_voltage]

this thread is begging a blind sound file test/poll

 

[Anonymous]

i think all of them in the right, capable hands will sound phenomenal.

i modded 5150 script and have it so it's pretty close to stock with no mods engaged (save for some low end flub reductions i did and taming some of the gain that i liked, so i made them permanent). the character of the amp is still there.

james is a capable musician with a great ear...any of the EVH amps or peavey amps will be put to good use in his studio.

 

[Heritage Softail]

Fender 5153 has a clean channel good enough to use a Tele and compressor and do some chicken pickin. It also takes a Marshall flavored boost well for that tone. Ch 2 is where it's at for rock metal. Ch 3 has a smooth high gain.

I don't think it has the granularity in the gain. If the signal was a sine wave, the older incarnations are a more sawtooth wave form.

FWIW, I used old faithful Triple Wreck pedal with it on Ch 1 and it was pretty close, grainy buzzy Recto grind.

I think you pups will matter a great deal for compression of the incoming signal the amp starts working with.

No right or wrong answer. I would say take the guitar you will be using and see which amp the guitar likes best.

 

[fluff191]

The original Peavey 5150 head is still king of them all IMO.

I really liked the EVH, and was expecting a fire breathing monster. Instead it was a sonic Hugh Hefner: more refined, wore PJs and a smoking jacket all the time and had a pension. Which is cool too.

Sounds pretty fire breathing to me...

Well sure boosted of course it does. Thought we were talking stock form.

And Rob from Machine Head has long used a bone stock Blockletter 5150 in the studio. He calls its Bubba in fact

 

[nevusofota]

Fender 5153 has a clean channel good enough to use a Tele and compressor and do some chicken pickin. It also takes a Marshall flavored boost well for that tone. Ch 2 is where it's at for rock metal. Ch 3 has a smooth high gain.

I don't think it has the granularity in the gain. If the signal was a sine wave, the older incarnations are a more sawtooth wave form.

FWIW, I used old faithful Triple Wreck pedal with it on Ch 1 and it was pretty close, grainy buzzy Recto grind.

I think you pups will matter a great deal for compression of the incoming signal the amp starts working with.

No right or wrong answer. I would say take the guitar you will be using and see which amp the guitar likes best.

I think this sums it up nicely.

 

[Anonymous]

The original Peavey 5150 head is still king of them all IMO.

I really liked the EVH, and was expecting a fire breathing monster. Instead it was a sonic Hugh Hefner: more refined, wore PJs and a smoking jacket all the time and had a pension. Which is cool too.

Sounds pretty fire breathing to me...

Well sure boosted of course it does. Thought we were talking stock form.

And Rob from Machine Head has long used a bone stock Blockletter 5150 in the studio. He calls its Bubba in fact

indeed!!..but it's been "spiced up" as he's put it. i'll try to dig the interview up..but i think he used those exact words.

i'll find it for ye.

 

[D-Rock]

The original Peavey 5150 head is still king of them all IMO.

I really liked the EVH, and was expecting a fire breathing monster. Instead it was a sonic Hugh Hefner: more refined, wore PJs and a smoking jacket all the time and had a pension. Which is cool too.

Sounds pretty fire breathing to me...

Well sure boosted of course it does. Thought we were talking stock form.

And Rob from Machine Head has long used a bone stock Blockletter 5150 in the studio. He calls its Bubba in fact

indeed!!..but it's been "spiced up" as he's put it. i'll try to dig the interview up..but i think he used those exact words.

i'll find it for ye.

No it's all stock from what I remember, as he states in this GW interview;


Q: How did you get that super-high-gain guitar sound on Unto the Locust and keep the notes so clear? -- Kevin Williams

FLYNN: I have a [Peavey] 5150 amp that I've used forever. I've had him for 14 years and call him "Bubba." I literally have him in a high-security storage area. He comes out to record and then he goes right back in. He never goes on tour. Bubba hasn't been modified at all. It's just one of those magical heads that you come across in your life that stands head and shoulders above the rest. I use that and a Marshall. There is a lot less gain on it than you'd think, and that's part of how we get the clarity and picking definition. A lot of it has to do with my right hand and just being cognizant of my playing. I play all the rhythms, so that really makes it tighter overall. And Phil will come in and do overdubs and leads

 

[Bishop5150]

I bought a block letter back in 1993 and used it as my only amp for gigging and recording for the next 16 years. I did pick up the combo as well. Only had the head in the shop once. Fantastic amp. Workhorse and built like a tank. When the EVH line came out I heard one live and though it sounded pretty much like the Peavey. Then I got a chance to play it and loved the versatility with the clean channel and the blue channel and the hi gain channel. I was sold. The original Peavey is a great metal amp... but that's about it. It's a one trick pony. I love the EVH cause I can pretty much get the same sound of the Peavey out of it with the right EQing plus you have the great crunch and clean channels at your disposal. I just like the versatility more I guess. Hard to go wrong with either really.

 

[madrigal77]

The original Peavey 5150 head is still king of them all IMO.

I really liked the EVH, and was expecting a fire breathing monster. Instead it was a sonic Hugh Hefner: more refined, wore PJs and a smoking jacket all the time and had a pension. Which is cool too.

Sounds pretty fire breathing to me...

Well sure boosted of course it does. Thought we were talking stock form.

And Rob from Machine Head has long used a bone stock Blockletter 5150 in the studio. He calls its Bubba in fact

That's not boosted (the Gojira clips I posted). The first one is into the matchig cab, and the second song was into an old Peavey 5150 cab.

 

[Lord Toneking]

Have a 5150 and had a 5150III 50w

The 5150III was a fun fun amp to play but I didn't care for it in a band mix. Started having "issues" so then it had to go. I will say though that Howard Kaplan is one of the coolest and most helpful guys you'd ever meet. Customer service is top notch!

The 5150 however is my $350 beast of an amp that I will never sell. Though I play my Splawn as my 'main' amp I think I'm taking my 5150 to rehearsal tonite just because

 

[chunktone]

I started recording a band today in Australia and the guitar player has 6505+, man I think it sounds great with a recto cab and a Les Paul.

Good call! IME the amps LOVE V30's!

 

[bwill81]

I started with a block letter 5150 that I absolutely love. So much, that I still use it at practice. I had a 6505+ a couple of years ago. While it didn't sound particularly bad, but to me, it never sounded "right". My understanding on this was that the 6505+ had a similar gain stage as the 5150II, which was different than those of the 5150/6505's. (Perhaps one of you could verify this?) I eventually moved to the EVH 5150III 50 watt. Just a fantastic head with midi functionality, and fits perfectly in the back floorboard of a car! To me, this was/is the perfect amp for my needs.
Since then, I have made the move over to the Axe FX, and my primary amp setting is still the 5153 Blue!
Ultimately, I think don't think you would be disappointed with any of the amps discussed here.

 

[GuitarGuyLP]

I don't have a boat load of experience with the Peavey versions, but I bought a 50 watt 5150 III, and it just sounds right to me. There are so many different sounds I can get with it. All three channels are great. I just play at home so the volume difference between channel 1, and 2 with the shared controls doesn't bother me at all, but it might be an issue for some.

 

[lolzgreg]

this thread is begging a blind sound file test/poll

Your wish is my command


If you'd like to hear a blind test, Please follow me to this thread, as I think this one has gotten too long

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=137015

 

[nevusofota]

nuff said

 

[aftec]

The EVH cab is probably the best greenback cab around, and the 5153 just sounds great through that. I guess it's an integral part of the sound. For a gigging musician the 3 completely separate channels are the bomb.
Big fat heavy can be a lot of different things and most of them can be achieved with this head.
Clean is really a Fender clean, but turn the gain up and it is AC/DC. Weird but kinda cool. Can do from country to classic rock with ease.
As a core sound on blue channel, it sits between the BE100 and the SLO. Not as "refined, snarly but warm" as the BE, but not as grindy and tight as the SLO. It's a classic sound with a touch of modern. Love it. It has enough gain, it can feel lacking for some guys at low volumes, but so does a modded 800.
Red channel is pretty much the old 5150 high gain sound, but it's not fizzy at all, unless you turn the presence up. Dial them mids out, crank the presence and there you go, modern metal.
That 3 presence knobs are the most important tone shapers of that head.
Effects loop works good, transparent and clean. Some folks had issues at bedroom levels, not having enough signal. Dunno. Never met that issue.
Tried a lot of versions of the Peavey 5150 but never bonded. Yes it can be brutal, but that's it.

 

[RocknRolla81]

Definitely depends on what you want. The relationship between my Les Paul and my 6505+ is amazing. Its the closest to what I refer to as "the rock n roll sound" as I've gotten. I mostly stay in the lead channel and use my guitar volume, but the other channel is very usable. I guess its something about the extra tubes in the lead channel. It feels different. I like it better even if I dial it down. I can't speak for the rest of these amps, but mine kicks ass.

 

[Kemper-VS-Fractal]

Looks like there's a lot of internet myth creeping into this thread.

Just to be clear, there is no difference between a 'script' 5150 or a 'block letter' 5150. They are exactly the same amplifier apart from the little logo. This amp is also exactly the same as the 6505.

The 5150ii / 6505+ have the extra channel and the gain sounds very slightly different.