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

[moltisanti]

if it's for studio use then the clean channel is irrelevant right ? if you want to track clean cleans i'm sure James has dedicated fenders, two rocks etc that can cover that ground.

so it boils down to what you want it to do, i had the original 5150 back in 1995 and it was the best high gain metal sound i've ever had. Recently had the 5153 and it does sound heavy as f*ck on the red channel, possibly a little smoother to my ears than the old one.

if it was my money and it was a specific metal tone i was looking for i'd get a used 6505, try it on tape and see if it sticks. you can always pick up a 5153 if you don't get on with it

 

[faisalbaig]

Even though its slays for metal, i like the lower gain tones u can get out of the 5150 original as well. It can get mighty crunchy!

Ive had a 5150 halfstack stock, 5150 2X12 combo (which sounded HUGE as well)......but a couple of years ago i found a beat up 5150 halfstack in a repair shop and bought if for $300. It sounds better than any 5150 i ever played and did not require any boost like i sued with my previous 2. Then did some basic mods which i found on this very forum and that killed my GAS for a FJA 5150!

The Rockmasters are awesome too, especially in the return of a 5150 head.....imparts some 5150 color to it. Intense experience.
Will get mine modded though, if only to dial out the cocked wah lead frequency.

If only Peavey would introduce a Triple X/JSX format 5150......3 Independent channels and authentic clean.

 

[skoora]

nuff said

I don't think you want that as your poster child on how great the 5150III is

 

[ibenhad]

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.

Indeed this observation is dead on. I have two of them (original block letter) and they just bring it. I love the clean on them too. Plug in a tele and they sound soooo damn sweet. Lot's of guys swear by the bias mod and I have yet to do it to one of mine but I bought the parts so soon. Didn't want to bugger up a mint example of a classic. For the money this amp IMHO is one of the best ever made for what it does. These amps have definitely stood the test of time. Hell I even saw Harry Cody touring with these in Shotgun Messiah back in 92/93.

Interesting note and to my ears which I am sure are different from everyone else, in a band situation I was in the EVH 5150 iii and my Uberschall were in the same sonic footprint so I had to change amps because the EVH was my other players only amp. Did they sound the same, no but it had that thump to it. IMHO.

 

[Tone Zone]

I chose the EVH 50W 5153 and still do...

 

[rp108]

...

The clean channel on the Fender EVH isnt any better than the clean channel on the 6505+ IMO

...

I agree. For a Fender amp, I was quite disappointed with the clean channel on the EVH.

 

[Rushtallica]

Man I gotta get serious here now lol .... The thing is if you dont have the amps side by side your memory will play tricks on you broski... I have the Fender EVH and a Peavey 6505+ sitting side by side at my home.. Ive compared them several times and let me say that the EVH was my main amp for a long time and I still love it....

With that being said I actually think the clean channel on the Peavey 6505+ is just as good if not better than the EVH , some might prefer it because it has a more open and chimey top end, yes the evh clean is a bit warmer and darker but that doesnt mean its better or it "Obliterates" anything.... (Lets not confuse the 6505+ with the 6505) The 6505 (original 5150) does not really have a clean channel, it was meant to be a dirty clean, so yeah if you are talkin about the 6505 then the EVH has a much better clean clean and so would the 6505+. The 6505+ was designed with a dedicated clean that can be clean with no brakeup.

The only thing the EVH does better than the Peavey is its crunch channel...The crunch channel has something cool goin on that the peaveys might lack a bit , but I rarely used the crunch channel because I felt it could use a little more lowend and could have more gain on tap. If you are someone who uses the crunch channel a lot then I could see liking the EVH over the peavey but once again it comes down to what type of music you are playing.... For Metal the EVH is not better than the Peaveys , I would say any version of the 5150 (Peavey or Fender) is a great choice for Metal, the original 5150(6505) might be "the winner" in that respect because its the meanest sounding and has the most lowend out of the bunch.

As far as lead channels go my EVH sounds so similar to the Peavey, I use the lead channels on both amps for everything but cleans, both amps lead channels do Metal rhythm and lead very well ... The Lead Channel on the EVH might be a bit better for soloing because it has more of a liquid feel, is also more saturated and compressed. The Peavey Lead channel is a bit better for Rhythm because its clearer, tighter and not as dark.. I like both prob equally but cant say either one is "better" (Also keep in mind I always use a Maxon 808 to tighten up the lowend on my amps so that plays a part aswell . I think the lead channel on the EVH is a little looser so it really benefits from the boost... I also set the gain low on both amps lead channels.

If you plan to play Metal on these amps then there is nothing better about the EVH... If you want to have more versatility blues, rock, country, 80s , modern Metal all in one package etc then the EVH might be a better choice.

Great post. 8)

 

[SFW]

I've owned three of the Peavey 5150s, the 50 way 212 combo and have ayes the 5150 II. I now own an EVH 5150 III, and could never imagine going back to the Peavies. Not that they are bad, but the III just fits my playing style much better. The III has a much warmer mid range.

 

[Reflux]

I've owned a 6505 and a 6505+ and had my fair share of playing time on a bunch of 5150 blockletters. Almost bought one the other day...
Still think my 5153 sits just right in terms of what I am going for...

 

[jabps]

I've owned all the peaveys and have played the EVH one extensively. Most people probably like the EVH the best, but I think the peavey 212 combo is the best sounding out of all of them.

peavey 6505/5150 = most aggressive and simplest of the series. Shared EQ, 2 channels with a crunch boost on the rhythm channel. Huge low end that can be hard to dial. Great with a boost. Very big sound.
peavey 6505+/5150II = tighter than the original on the lead channel, doesnt need a boost. No shared EQ. 2 channels with crunch boost on the rhythm channel. Sounds huge and tight and aggressive.
peavey 6505+ 112 = 112 combo, made in china, sounds as you would expect a 6505+ to sound through a 112 cab.
peavey 6505/5150 212 combo = IMO, best sounding out of all 5150 amps. 2 channel, built in reverb, shared EQ. I treat mine as a single channel amp and live on the crunch channel. Crunch boost on the crunch channel acts more like a TS type boost. Tighter than the rest of the series. My favorite by FAR!!
EVH 5150III 50 watt = 50 watt mini head. 3 channels, shared EQ between clean and crunch. Sounds great. Smoother than the peaveys. Clean channel is pretty good, but I agree that its not better than the 6505+ clean channel.
EVH 5150III 100 watt = 100 watt full size head. crunch channel has less gain than 50 watt head. Lead channel is aggressive yet smooth. Not as aggressive as the peaveys. More refined sounding. Clean channel is great. Crunch can get you almost anywhere you wanna go (would make a great single channel head with a boost).

Havent had a chance to play the EVH 212s, yet, but Im VERY interested...not even sure if theyve been released yet.

James...this is about as dead on as you can get. IMO it's a really fine series of amps that has those that like them and hate them...no different than any other amp. My personal fave would be the original 5150. It's variation was cosmetic only as it came in the EVH Block Letter (first production run) the EVH Script logo and the rebranded 6505...all the same amp. The 5150 EVH Block Letter sometimes gets a little more hype but the only difference in those amps is that first production run shipped with what is considered some of the best 6L6's ever made, the Sylvania's.

Even though I loved my 5150 (I also had the 5150II and the 5150 combo) and played it hard for a decade straight, I'd probably go for the EVH III. As was said above, it's a little more refined and more flexible at lower volumes. You've got to juice the 5150's/6505's, get them moving some air for them to sound good IMO. Crank them and they'll smooth out a lot, tons of punch...whereas at very low volumes they are fizzy. Of course you could always attenuate them.