Correction: The original 5150 power tubes were Sylvania, and HP had bought a bunch of them in the mid-80's as a last time buy when they stopped producing them.
@@snapascrew That's probably the Sylvania's....they had orange Peavey logos on them. We put black logos on the Shuguang tubes that we started buying when we started running out.
@@AmptweakerFX this James Brown the gentleman that made this amp. If want more details ask him he will tell you what's what with these type of amps and even talked about it on Tone-Talk ruclips.net/video/PzOhq3-3d90/видео.html
Out of all the amps I own, my 93 5150 is still my fav. I've had it for a long time and its a special one for sure. Its modded, but it wrecks every other amp out there for me. Glad you found a good one!
@@skubadoobie That actually can be kind of be a problem :P Maybe not with family, if you have a cool family, but then there's the neighbors, and the people down the block, and in the next block, and the next 10 blocks... and then there's the police... lol I joke, but it's also true. When I got one of these back in the early 90's, me and my band got permission to use the rotunda at a local park to test our new equipment, and when I got home later my wife was like 'So, I heard you having fun playing guitar earlier...', and I was like, 'Oh, did you drive by the park?', and she was like, "No, I could hear you *from here*..." which was inside our trailer house a little over a mile away. lol So yeah, *a liiiiittle bit loud*, and I wasn't even running it hard. Long story short... I had to get a Power Soak to crank the speaker's volume back down to a level the law would allow (literally). That let me get the amount of drive I wanted from the power tubes, without having to actually run the speakers as loud as the amp's output. It *still* wasn't a "quiet" amp though. My power soak (tom scholz one) has a "headphones" level port, with the implication that you could turn the output down low enough that you could plug some headphones in instead of speakers. But that must've been some sort of joke, because at that setting it still runs the 4x12 cab at a pretty good volume. Through headphones, it'd blow your freakin' head off. lol Of course, that may have something to do with it only being rated for up to 100w, whereas the original 5150 is a 120w head, aaaand may also explain why the paint has baked off of the top of my power soak over the years... Doh!
@@chrischaf ... Who cranks any dedicated high gain amp into territories where the power amp section suffers from heavy overdrive is clearly insane and does neither comprehend the concept of a master volume in general, nor has he ever tried out why high gain amps need headroom.
Honestly the best and most pristine clean tone I've ever heard! This demo fulfills the 5150's reputation as a sparkly and luxurious clean amp that defined many genres of music since its creation. Great demo!
The clean channel really isn't that useable, about 3 1/2 on the gain and it starts to break up. Depending how loud your band is, that might not be loud enough. Then you'll have to use your volume knob to clean it up This is what evh designed it for. Since he usually uses his volume to get a clean tone The combo has the way better clean than either head version
Hi ! i recently acquired a 5150 block letter! after verifying the serial number with peavey, he was released in april 1992! I waited 20 years before having one! the best amp I played on !! I will not leave him for anything in the world!
I own a block letter 5150 too. I have had mine for 15 years. Many people have asked to buy it. Completely retubed and bias some years ago. Still sounds amazing.
I just bought a block letter this last weekend. I sold it like 6 years ago and been trying to buy it back ever since and was finally able to. I love this amp.
I have the same one. Got mine 17 years ago and still use it. Changed tubes once but no idea what my dad (an audiophile who ordered them for me) put in it! Still has a killer sound! Plus side of growing up is how to dial it in to get a killer death metal sound. My other guitarist uses pedal boards, midi, and 19" racks and all I use is this beast.
Back in 1998 I paid 250$ for my original 5150 block letter from a friend, unfortunately the original tubes have had to be replaced a couple of times over the years, but the original tubes did last just over a decade of heavy, heavy use. I recently replaced every single tube with JJ tubes and I have to say Fuck ya brother thats the sound I remember, truly brought my amp back to life, almost everyone who hears it always ask's me how I got it to sound so good.
Hell Yeah!!! I remember the week these hit the market. I played through it at a store that's actually kinda crappy, but they carried Peavey amps. The salesman kept turning down the gain, telling me it wasn't meant to do that. I laughed and asked if he had not done his homework. Another salesman came over and suggested that he let me see what it can do. Within about 5 minutes I had to leave the store because I was going to have to buy that amp if I stay there any longer, it was the best sounding amp that I had ever heard. And one of the things that was the most fun about that experience was that everybody in the store, all the sales people, the old fuddy-duddies that owned the store, the people who were there to shop for clarinets and grand pianos, young kids that were just being exposed to musical instruments, everybody, stopped what they were doing and just stood there, watching and listening to me play metal riff after metal riff and solo after solo, non-stop for that 5 minutes.
The original 5150 III and the 5150 IIIS had 6L6's. The golden beast here is just the EL34 variant of course. I suppose Marshall DSLs also make for good EL34-based high gain amps.
Doodles Gaming most definitely. Hell, it’s become one of my favorite amps of any genre. I was always a Marshall Plexi or JCM guy until I bought a 5150 last year. It’s my favorite, all star amp now. Peavey killed it with that amp!
One of the best metal amps that I have ever owned was an Ampeg VH140-c. A 140 watt solid state head with a matching 412 loaded with Celestions. That thing was mean!
It's the standard of gain amps. All gain amps get compared to the Peavey 5150 block head. And that's cause it's based off a Solano SLO The soldano is a cleaned up version of a 5150. It has less hiss, thus, it doesn't have that in your face gain that the Peavey 5150 has. But the soldano is still a killer amp Honestly, the combo Peavey 5150, is the way to go. It has a very useable clean channel which the head doesn't have. The 5150ii has a better clean channel but the gain lacks. The combo maintains the gain and a useable clean channel. Only downfall.......it's one heavy ass combo But they are built like tanks, they can take some abuse
I was at a guitar shop in Calgary up here in Canada, told one of the salesman what I was looking for. Passed by a bunch of good amps and ended up in front of one of these. Thought I was being taken, but as soon as I plugged in, man I was hooked. Bought a 60 watt combo variety 10 years later in 2003. I will never part with this beast of an amp. Great demo!!
I was ready to let my 5150 go, not because it was bad but just seemed a little dated. Then I watched this vid and took your advice on the tung sol’s. Needless to say I fell in love all over again with this amp. Great call, thanks!
I'm on my 2nd Peavey 5150...it sounds way better than my first one (both Signature front) with the same tubes in both poweramp and preamp sections through the same 5150 cab and straight in. Glad to see someone else knows the proper history of these mammoth amplifiers! A definite grail you have there! That's a keeper.
I sold my Block for $500 in the early 2000s and regret it still. I ended up buying a Script for $500 a couple years later and I really don't notice a difference but just having the Block EVH on the front is a fun flex.
5:18 you can spray contract cleaner right into the pots from the front without having to go in, works great loosened them right up and no more amplified static, its scary lol Update 2023 just take some tissue and tie it into a Knot and put it around the potentiometer knob and then add some tissue at the bottom just in case it leaks down and your good ! and they will loosen up and static goes sort of away ! keep turning them.
The irony is that all the sonic maximizer does is make more pronounced highs and lows. Aka… scoop the sound. You can do the same thing with the eq by dialing the mids back without an extra device.
We have all these new modern amps yet so many of us go back to the 5150 and old school Rectos. Can't fuck with that stuff, man. Edit: DEAR GOD that tone is some of the best I've heard from this channel.
5150 was my first real amp, and damn did it ever slap me around at first. most importantly, learned that you don't need a lot of gain when your amp has so much bite. wish i had the original tubes still, but i was probably far down the list of owners and they long gone.
I love it sometimes I boost it with a tubescresmer to get that heavey 80s crunch but the crunch cleans up really nice plus the lead channel it's like owning two amps
Your amp reviews were the reason I subbed ages ago when I was looking at a Mesa MKIV. You had one of the only vids on YT with a good play through. Super enjoyed this vid.
I purchased one in '92. Best amp I've ever owned. Never should have sold it. When I bought it, it sounded harsh an fizzley to me. I changed the power amp tube and preamp tubes. I don't recall what I went with, but sought out a slightly lower gain 12ax7 with more headroom. The amp ended up sounding really crisp and punchy. Got a lot of compliments on the tone by musicians and bar owners. When we recorded one of our demos circa '93, the engineer said "I don't like the 5150s, but you've made me change my mind". I initially played it through a Marshall cab, but the secret I believe is playing it through an all birch closed back cab loaded with Celestion G12K-85 speakers. The amp comes alive. Try it.
Still got my block letter head with the a and b 5150 cabs. Still a raging monster to this day. Love these OG Peavey’s, just something about them. Not made to be elegant but to show up, do the job, do it well and leave you wanting more. I have to agree the low end is huge but I found the low end in my OG XXX to be ridiculous. For shits and giggles I even dropped some 6L6’s in it and it’s still ridiculous. Instead of being fat and warm it’s now just fat and glassy.
I had a 5150 block letter. Could kick myself for ever letting it go. Those things have a certain raunchy grit that's untouchable for metal. And pair flawlessly with a triple or dual rec. Classic combo.
I bought my original 5150 back in 98 and finally convinced my friend who was the first owner of it, to sell it to me for only 250 bucks, and let me just say this no matter what other amp I play through I always come back to the 5150, everyone who hears my amp just says what the hell are you playing through cause I've never heard anything like it. It's more than beefy and it has that sound you are talking about, last year the original tubes finally blew and I replaced them with JJ tubes from Euro Tubes, now I paid top dollar for these tubes and the guys from Euro Tubes managed to find me the best tubes for what I wanted, and now my 5150 sounds even better than before.This amp really is the secret to my sound,and it doesn't sound like anyone else's that I know of and I freakin love that, best amp I've ever had or will have.
I never really got on with the 5150 but I also never really appreciated how iconic it's sound is until I heard Nolly studying it (with respect to speakers) in a studio a couple of years back. It made me feel really ignorant haha. Great video!
It looks like Chicago has all the good 5150’s. I just scored a near mint 1992 block letter with original power tubes (super 6’s) and original preamp tubes (super 7’s). \,,/
I bought a Peavey 120/120 stereo tube power amp in January of 1993. As far as I know this amp uses the same power section as the 5150 head X2. That amp came with a set of the Sylvania 6L6 output tubes marked with the Peavey logo. It had Chinese 12AX7's and 12AT7's in the front end of the amp. I used it for many years in my bass rig and the best new tubes I ever used in it were the Sevetlana(not the ones from New Sensor). They were great and I think sounded as good as the orginal Sylvania ones.
When I bought mine, I put it at the end of my bed so it would be the first and last thing I saw every day. I would just stare at it and get goose bumps. Hail EVH! And mine had Rubys.
Love coming back to your amp vids following the release of the ML Sound Roots Amps recently. Cool to see the actual physical amps that were modelled for that plugin.
The Video you did on the Ultra plus was Sick. Had mine Rebuilt and Modified. It can Nail the same sound. Thanks up. My son had this same head and when we played together it sounded superb together.....
Fluff, I dunno why it is, but it is. That riff you play at 1:00 is effing sick. It's like 80s Information Society meets something truly badass. Nice one.
I have just started looking to get one of these after all my years of passing them over..My friend bought a brand new one the day they hit store shelves,and I was his roadie,and I used to tweak the hell out of that amp..we both were amazed at how badass it sounded..I do have the 5150-3 50 watt head and it sounds amazing,but deep down inside I know its time to get one of these.,and now watching this video 1st already made me "JONES" for one even more.
Replying to my own post here..but I got lucky today and got a signature model one of these 5150's..it will arrive in about 1 week..$600 in great condition.
My first tube amp, delivered pizza to afford the $350 used price tag. Even slightly used in 1997 I couldn't keep one of the knobs from falling off. Thanks James Brown, its a great amp
The other John Browne I can confirm this as I have recently reinstalled the original Sylvania tube in my 1992 5150, I even profiled it with my kemper. Through a chandler TG-2 preamp with a sm57 and a roger 121 into a 5150 4x12 with scumback speakers with good results
Had the same set up. After taking an electronic class, modding my amps as my assignments and hooking them up to an oscillating scope..... I learned that ALL AMPS get muddy around 3oclock. The 5150 starts after 1oclock. That's not the signal you what your amp to be in. This is where the hiss and the uncontrollable feedback start. Thus why most 5150 users have a decimator. The 808 gives that bite, I get it. But if you use the amp as it states......clean for your cleans, crunch for your rhythm and lead for leads..........the 1st channel gain setting should be no more passed noon (if you use cleans, either push the button manually or use your volume to clean up, as evh does), the put your 2nd channel gain at 1oclock, this gives it that bite that the 808 does. BOOM, less pedals to carry and your using your amps eq as it was intended for Or you can stick me the finger and keep on your way Just sharing my experience
Peavey has a seriel number lookup online. The 5150 blockletterseriel number is located on the bottom of the amp. They were made from 1992-94. It'll say, "your product was manufactured in 1992" if it's a '92
5150’s In good condition are so rare... back when I was in the market couldn’t find one anywhere. Found one online at a hole into he wall music shop about 2 hrs away from me. Drove out there. Just minutes into playing it and falling in love one of the store employees told me to kick dust because the guy who played it before me wanted to purchase it... I’ll be back in the market soon when I can afford to overpay for one and save myself that kind of hassle the next time around.
I bought one brand new in 1994 from Guitar's ETC in Tucson Az....but I never could get a good lead sound for myself (being a Vai fanatic) ... I let it go of the halfstack, sold it in 2002 for $700 bucks to a neighbor... great amp... best I've used in some ways... but found over time it just wasn't for me and my sound. Using a Crate BlueVoodo BV120H stack now... I love that amp.
Nice. I have always wanted one. Actually. I have always wanted that awesome 2x12 that came out back in the day. I wanted that one sooo bad. A buddy purchased one, and with his electric blue EVH Music Man he basically stripped the paint off my apt playing through Van Halen solos for an hour. Its a great amp. I should look for one.
Slight correction, Ryan: the tubes weren't Svetlanas. They were USA made Sylvanias - same tube as the Mesa STR-415 and the Fender STR-387. Really, really nice tubes.
From what I hear between my 2 Windsors and the demo to my 6505, I really like the sound of the Rubys. One of Windsors has Rubys, the other has Groove Tubes.
Good Video ! Have a 1992 e Peavey EVH Stack that I picked up in Little RocK, AR in 1992. Still sounds great, but developing a Hummm. Last time I changed tubes was maybe 2010 in FL for $100. Looked up new tubes and they’re listed for $268 per set w/o Tax or shipping to Northern CA. I’ll watch the video a couple more times to listen for the best replacement tubes. If you have updated info, please advise. Thanks !!
I bought Jon Campbell's modded 5150 in Canada for 500$ a few years back, when he stopped by my house i noticed his tattoo's and ask him " are you Jon Campbell for Obey?? " he signed a few of my guitars too, pretty awesome guy.
I have a mint block letter 5150 that I bought in 1992 or 1993 (I still have the receipt for it somewhere). I replaced all the tubes in it at some point with groove tubes, but I still have the original tubes (which are probably still fine, tbh I didn't notice any difference after putting the new tubes in). The original power tubes say "6L6GCR Made in China" on them (they're not the really early sylvania tubes, and I guess not the svetlana tubes either (unless the svetlana tubes were made in china?))
Correction: The original 5150 power tubes were Sylvania, and HP had bought a bunch of them in the mid-80's as a last time buy when they stopped producing them.
🙏🙏🙏🙏
This x1000. Get whichever model you can afford, put good tubes in it and laugh at the guys arguing it out on the forums.
My original block letter came with tubes that said peavey on it (January 1992 amp)
@@snapascrew That's probably the Sylvania's....they had orange Peavey logos on them. We put black logos on the Shuguang tubes that we started buying when we started running out.
@@AmptweakerFX this James Brown the gentleman that made this amp. If want more details ask him he will tell you what's what with these type of amps and even talked about it on Tone-Talk ruclips.net/video/PzOhq3-3d90/видео.html
Out of all the amps I own, my 93 5150 is still my fav. I've had it for a long time and its a special one for sure. Its modded, but it wrecks every other amp out there for me. Glad you found a good one!
I'm stunned by how well preserved that amp is... You're one lucky guy.
Well preserved means "I didn't like it much. I shoved it in the closet and forgot about it."
OldSlowGamer it means it’s fukn loud as shit and I have a family and can never play it.
Everything easy to find, but not in this nice of a condition
@@skubadoobie That actually can be kind of be a problem :P Maybe not with family, if you have a cool family, but then there's the neighbors, and the people down the block, and in the next block, and the next 10 blocks... and then there's the police...
lol
I joke, but it's also true. When I got one of these back in the early 90's, me and my band got permission to use the rotunda at a local park to test our new equipment, and when I got home later my wife was like 'So, I heard you having fun playing guitar earlier...', and I was like, 'Oh, did you drive by the park?', and she was like, "No, I could hear you *from here*..." which was inside our trailer house a little over a mile away. lol
So yeah, *a liiiiittle bit loud*, and I wasn't even running it hard.
Long story short... I had to get a Power Soak to crank the speaker's volume back down to a level the law would allow (literally). That let me get the amount of drive I wanted from the power tubes, without having to actually run the speakers as loud as the amp's output. It *still* wasn't a "quiet" amp though. My power soak (tom scholz one) has a "headphones" level port, with the implication that you could turn the output down low enough that you could plug some headphones in instead of speakers.
But that must've been some sort of joke, because at that setting it still runs the 4x12 cab at a pretty good volume. Through headphones, it'd blow your freakin' head off. lol
Of course, that may have something to do with it only being rated for up to 100w, whereas the original 5150 is a 120w head, aaaand may also explain why the paint has baked off of the top of my power soak over the years... Doh!
@@chrischaf ... Who cranks any dedicated high gain amp into territories where the power amp section suffers from heavy overdrive is clearly insane and does neither comprehend the concept of a master volume in general, nor has he ever tried out why high gain amps need headroom.
Honestly the best and most pristine clean tone I've ever heard! This demo fulfills the 5150's reputation as a sparkly and luxurious clean amp that defined many genres of music since its creation. Great demo!
Tangalang22 good one😂
The clean channel really isn't that useable, about 3 1/2 on the gain and it starts to break up. Depending how loud your band is, that might not be loud enough. Then you'll have to use your volume knob to clean it up
This is what evh designed it for. Since he usually uses his volume to get a clean tone
The combo has the way better clean than either head version
@@user-fb2jb3gz1d I like evh and agree with everything you've said, but it's a joke
@@Tangalang22 Haha, Kool
I was wondering about that cause I never heard a stock Peavey 5150 head to have "sparkling cleans"
Good joke
@@user-fb2jb3gz1d I use my 5150 block letter for jazz all the time 😉
Hi ! i recently acquired a 5150 block letter! after verifying the serial number with peavey, he was released in april 1992! I waited 20 years before having one! the best amp I played on !! I will not leave him for anything in the world!
I own a block letter 5150 too. I have had mine for 15 years. Many people have asked to buy it. Completely retubed and bias some years ago. Still sounds amazing.
I just bought a block letter this last weekend. I sold it like 6 years ago and been trying to buy it back ever since and was finally able to. I love this amp.
My favorite amp, so timeless.
I have the same one. Got mine 17 years ago and still use it. Changed tubes once but no idea what my dad (an audiophile who ordered them for me) put in it! Still has a killer sound! Plus side of growing up is how to dial it in to get a killer death metal sound. My other guitarist uses pedal boards, midi, and 19" racks and all I use is this beast.
Back in 1998 I paid 250$ for my original 5150 block letter from a friend, unfortunately the original tubes have had to be replaced a couple of times over the years, but the original tubes did last just over a decade of heavy, heavy use.
I recently replaced every single tube with JJ tubes and I have to say Fuck ya brother thats the sound I remember, truly brought my amp back to life, almost everyone who hears it always ask's me how I got it to sound so good.
Hell Yeah!!! I remember the week these hit the market. I played through it at a store that's actually kinda crappy, but they carried Peavey amps.
The salesman kept turning down the gain, telling me it wasn't meant to do that.
I laughed and asked if he had not done his homework.
Another salesman came over and suggested that he let me see what it can do. Within about 5 minutes I had to leave the store because I was going to have to buy that amp if I stay there any longer, it was the best sounding amp that I had ever heard.
And one of the things that was the most fun about that experience was that everybody in the store, all the sales people, the old fuddy-duddies that owned the store, the people who were there to shop for clarinets and grand pianos, young kids that were just being exposed to musical instruments, everybody, stopped what they were doing and just stood there, watching and listening to me play metal riff after metal riff and solo after solo, non-stop for that 5 minutes.
Hearing a palm mute from a 5150 into a 412 is a religious experience \m/
I was a kid when this amp came out and I was blown away too.
I have my own 5150 III 50 watt now with the matching cab
If it wasnt meant to do it. Then why were you able to is what i woulda said.
Machinehead: Burn my eyes....TONE!
Thats all.
It's not 'accidently' a legend. It's a piece of flowing power.
In other news, prices on Peavy 5150 Block Letters just skyrocketed on Reverb.
Pretty sure they're were always considered rare and of more value
Their is one in Knoxville,TN on Craigslist for $400
I bought one in Alaska last year in excellent condition for $350 and I'm getting offers on it for as high as $700-$800
Derek Miracle wtf it’s an incredible deal
Hog Blockula buy it!
It would be cool to see this vs an EVH 5150 3 with 6L6's as well as the EL34 version
I have the 6534+ and it sounds so fucking good
Nothing beats EVH 5150
The original 5150 III and the 5150 IIIS had 6L6's. The golden beast here is just the EL34 variant of course. I suppose Marshall DSLs also make for good EL34-based high gain amps.
@@pip5528it's good but it's no 5150. I can say that cause I have both now.
I think the 5150 is my all time favourite "metal" amp
Doodles Gaming most definitely. Hell, it’s become one of my favorite amps of any genre. I was always a Marshall Plexi or JCM guy until I bought a 5150 last year. It’s my favorite, all star amp now. Peavey killed it with that amp!
@@waterwoodguitars6871 Timeless classic.
One of the best metal amps that I have ever owned was an Ampeg VH140-c. A 140 watt solid state head with a matching 412 loaded with Celestions. That thing was mean!
It's the standard of gain amps. All gain amps get compared to the Peavey 5150 block head. And that's cause it's based off a Solano SLO
The soldano is a cleaned up version of a 5150. It has less hiss, thus, it doesn't have that in your face gain that the Peavey 5150 has. But the soldano is still a killer amp
Honestly, the combo Peavey 5150, is the way to go. It has a very useable clean channel which the head doesn't have. The 5150ii has a better clean channel but the gain lacks. The combo maintains the gain and a useable clean channel.
Only downfall.......it's one heavy ass combo
But they are built like tanks, they can take some abuse
@@user-fb2jb3gz1d -It is heavy. That combo...
I was at a guitar shop in Calgary up here in Canada, told one of the salesman what I was looking for. Passed by a bunch of good amps and ended up in front of one of these. Thought I was being taken, but as soon as I plugged in, man I was hooked. Bought a 60 watt combo variety 10 years later in 2003. I will never part with this beast of an amp. Great demo!!
I was ready to let my 5150 go, not because it was bad but just seemed a little dated. Then I watched this vid and took your advice on the tung sol’s. Needless to say I fell in love all over again with this amp. Great call, thanks!
Best clean tone on the red channel so far!
I'm on my 2nd Peavey 5150...it sounds way better than my first one (both Signature front) with the same tubes in both poweramp and preamp sections through the same 5150 cab and straight in. Glad to see someone else knows the proper history of these mammoth amplifiers! A definite grail you have there! That's a keeper.
Just got myself the 60W combo today. What an amp! A lot to explore with all these knobs
Fluff, this video has been extremely informative. Thank you very much, the production value is amazing in your videos!
I sold my Block for $500 in the early 2000s and regret it still. I ended up buying a Script for $500 a couple years later and I really don't notice a difference but just having the Block EVH on the front is a fun flex.
I loved my old Block Letter 5150. Can't get much better.
5:18 you can spray contract cleaner right into the pots from the front without having to go in, works great loosened them right up and no more amplified static, its scary lol Update 2023 just take some tissue and tie it into a Knot and put it around the potentiometer knob and then add some tissue at the bottom just in case it leaks down and your good ! and they will loosen up and static goes sort of away ! keep turning them.
My 5150 block letter is in similar condition with the OG Svetlana power tubes. Love it!
The peavey 5150 is the JCM800 of our time it’s super popular and sounds good. Everyone has one it seems.
I wanted one of these for a year and finally got one. It lives up to all my expectations.
These amps with a bbe Sonic Maximizer in the loop defined the sound of the local music scene in new england during the 2000's. Nostalgia!
The irony is that all the sonic maximizer does is make more pronounced highs and lows. Aka… scoop the sound. You can do the same thing with the eq by dialing the mids back without an extra device.
Yeah sonic maximizers are from what I heard meant to get those classic 80’s processed acoustic sounds. They don’t do shit for metal tone
We have all these new modern amps yet so many of us go back to the 5150 and old school Rectos. Can't fuck with that stuff, man.
Edit: DEAR GOD that tone is some of the best I've heard from this channel.
5150 was my first real amp, and damn did it ever slap me around at first. most importantly, learned that you don't need a lot of gain when your amp has so much bite. wish i had the original tubes still, but i was probably far down the list of owners and they long gone.
I happen to have a clean block letter 5150 too, you make me want to pull it out again! Thanks.
The “crunch” channel is so underrated.
This. Yes. Agreed.
Yep, my favorite.
I love it sometimes I boost it with a tubescresmer to get that heavey 80s crunch but the crunch cleans up really nice plus the lead channel it's like owning two amps
Agreed. I have a 5150II and the crunch channel is my favorite.
I had that amp brand new back in the 90s. I sold it 10 years later to a kid. Never should have let it go.
This is the amp of my dreams. Van Halen's For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge got me into guitar and when I saw EVH with this amp it sold me on it.
Damn, i relate to this feeling. Satriani got me into guitar, and the Peavey JSX made me feel like that.
Eddie actually used a soldano amp on that record which is what the 5150 is based off of
The tone at the start gave me chills, killer amp
Your amp reviews were the reason I subbed ages ago when I was looking at a Mesa MKIV. You had one of the only vids on YT with a good play through. Super enjoyed this vid.
I purchased one in '92. Best amp I've ever owned. Never should have sold it. When I bought it, it sounded harsh an fizzley to me. I changed the power amp tube and preamp tubes. I don't recall what I went with, but sought out a slightly lower gain 12ax7 with more headroom. The amp ended up sounding really crisp and punchy. Got a lot of compliments on the tone by musicians and bar owners. When we recorded one of our demos circa '93, the engineer said "I don't like the 5150s, but you've made me change my mind".
I initially played it through a Marshall cab, but the secret I believe is playing it through an all birch closed back cab loaded with Celestion G12K-85 speakers. The amp comes alive. Try it.
I just got a 1992 Peavey 5150 blockletter today! In excellent condition! ❤
I scored a near mint 5150 from 1993 on craigslist earlier this year. It sounds magical.
Ngl this is my favorite tone of yours ive heard in a while!! Sick video
This is my favorite tone out of all the tones.
Still got my block letter head with the a and b 5150 cabs. Still a raging monster to this day.
Love these OG Peavey’s, just something about them.
Not made to be elegant but to show up, do the job, do it well and leave you wanting more. I have to agree the low end is huge but I found the low end in my OG XXX to be ridiculous. For shits and giggles I even dropped some 6L6’s in it and it’s still ridiculous.
Instead of being fat and warm it’s now just fat and glassy.
God damn fluff that sounds thiiiiiiiiick! Awesome job!
I had a 5150 block letter. Could kick myself for ever letting it go. Those things have a certain raunchy grit that's untouchable for metal. And pair flawlessly with a triple or dual rec. Classic combo.
I bought my original 5150 back in 98 and finally convinced my friend who was the first owner of it, to sell it to me for only 250 bucks, and let me just say this no matter what other amp I play through I always come back to the 5150, everyone who hears my amp just says what the hell are you playing through cause I've never heard anything like it. It's more than beefy and it has that sound you are talking about, last year the original tubes finally blew and I replaced them with JJ tubes from Euro Tubes, now I paid top dollar for these tubes and the guys from Euro Tubes managed to find me the best tubes for what I wanted, and now my 5150 sounds even better than before.This amp really is the secret to my sound,and it doesn't sound like anyone else's that I know of and I freakin love that, best amp I've ever had or will have.
I bought an original Peavey 5150 block letter in Perth West Australia in March ‘93 and it came with 5881WXT Sovtek power amp tubes installed.
I got the signature version with JJ tubes and I absolutely love it. 👍
I never really got on with the 5150 but I also never really appreciated how iconic it's sound is until I heard Nolly studying it (with respect to speakers) in a studio a couple of years back. It made me feel really ignorant haha. Great video!
It looks like Chicago has all the good 5150’s. I just scored a near mint 1992 block letter with original power tubes (super 6’s) and original preamp tubes (super 7’s). \,,/
I bought a Peavey 120/120 stereo tube power amp in January of 1993. As far as I know this amp uses the same power section as the 5150 head X2. That amp came with a set of the Sylvania 6L6 output tubes marked with the Peavey logo. It had Chinese 12AX7's and 12AT7's in the front end of the amp. I used it for many years in my bass rig and the best new tubes I ever used in it were the Sevetlana(not the ones from New Sensor). They were great and I think sounded as good as the orginal Sylvania ones.
When I bought mine, I put it at the end of my bed so it would be the first and last thing I saw every day. I would just stare at it and get goose bumps. Hail EVH! And mine had Rubys.
A Fluff signature baritone Music Man or Sterling would be so sick
With those Fishmans, aye..
@@rickc2102 Nah throw some bareknuckles in there then we talking
Fishman and bare knuckle pickups both suck
Oh that wonderful saturation when the pre-gain got turned up...
Love coming back to your amp vids following the release of the ML Sound Roots Amps recently. Cool to see the actual physical amps that were modelled for that plugin.
I love this amp! Wouldn't use anything else for studio stuff. No way. It's a workhorse.
One of the best amps ever made, love it :D
The Video you did on the Ultra plus was Sick. Had mine Rebuilt and Modified. It can Nail the same sound. Thanks up. My son had this same head and when we played together it sounded superb together.....
Fluff, I dunno why it is, but it is. That riff you play at 1:00 is effing sick. It's like 80s Information Society meets something truly badass. Nice one.
Awesome, I love that Peavy tone!
just when i thought i could live without a 5150 you drop this vid showing me exactly how bad i want one :/
I have just started looking to get one of these after all my years of passing them over..My friend bought a brand new one the day they hit store shelves,and I was his roadie,and I used to tweak the hell out of that amp..we both were amazed at how badass it sounded..I do have the 5150-3 50 watt head and it sounds amazing,but deep down inside I know its time to get one of these.,and now watching this video 1st already made me "JONES" for one even more.
Replying to my own post here..but I got lucky today and got a signature model one of these 5150's..it will arrive in about 1 week..$600 in great condition.
This is my favorite one on your amp sim package !
Ahhhhh, it's nice to see those 1 min riffs/songs again!
You can sometimes find NOS Super 6's on eBay/Reverb occasionally. I bought some last year for my EVH 5150 III.
My first tube amp, delivered pizza to afford the $350 used price tag. Even slightly used in 1997 I couldn't keep one of the knobs from falling off.
Thanks James Brown, its a great amp
I think the OG 5150 power tubes were Sylvanias not Svetlanas
They were. James Brown talked about this in length on the Tone Talk video he was on.
The other John Browne my Soldano SLO pisses all over my 1992 5150
The other John Browne I can confirm this as I have recently reinstalled the original Sylvania tube in my 1992 5150, I even profiled it with my kemper. Through a chandler TG-2 preamp with a sm57 and a roger 121 into a 5150 4x12 with scumback speakers with good results
@@centraliafuckcorruption It should, shouldn't it? Aren't SLO 10 times the prices of a 5150?
5150’s were always my favorite amps
Every Peavey amp I have ever owned has been Bullet Proof!!!
Thats an exact copy of my setup. 92' 5150 with a 808 and isp decimator in front. Killer amp
I just picked up a 1992 5150 Signature 212 combo for $350.00.
The 808 is key
808 is the key with just about any amp.
I take that back. My combo is a signature series. I called Peavey, and gave them the serial number. My 5150 combo was built in 1999.
Had the same set up. After taking an electronic class, modding my amps as my assignments and hooking them up to an oscillating scope..... I learned that ALL AMPS get muddy around 3oclock. The 5150 starts after 1oclock. That's not the signal you what your amp to be in. This is where the hiss and the uncontrollable feedback start. Thus why most 5150 users have a decimator. The 808 gives that bite, I get it. But if you use the amp as it states......clean for your cleans, crunch for your rhythm and lead for leads..........the 1st channel gain setting should be no more passed noon (if you use cleans, either push the button manually or use your volume to clean up, as evh does), the put your 2nd channel gain at 1oclock, this gives it that bite that the 808 does.
BOOM, less pedals to carry and your using your amps eq as it was intended for
Or you can stick me the finger and keep on your way
Just sharing my experience
Peavey has a seriel number lookup online. The 5150 blockletterseriel number is located on the bottom of the amp. They were made from 1992-94. It'll say, "your product was manufactured in 1992" if it's a '92
Yeah yeah yeah the amp is awesome (and thanks for making the vid, Fluff!). But that goddamn riff 👌👌👌 lol I was head banging with my morning coffee.
The one and only king 😁🤘
This amp is so sic 🤘
Nice demo man!
I had the combo for over a decade. I miss that amp.
I remember when the stock tubes went I put some groove tubes in it.
Still have mine 🤘
That amp is older than some of your viewers. Let that sink in old guys. I'm going to go cry now. Thanks!
1992 ...I had been playing 32 years by that date. Still suck to this day.
@@sansocie I am glad to know I am now alone. 🍻 Cheers to that, mate!!
I picture the Ace Ventura seen when hes delivering the package haha, 5150s are built like a tank!
Easily one of the greatest riffs you’ve ever smashed my face with, Fluff
Stoked to hear you compare this with the other EVH
Great amp! I love the resonance control.
Very cool history on this amp. I honestly learned a lot!
5150’s In good condition are so rare... back when I was in the market couldn’t find one anywhere. Found one online at a hole into he wall music shop about 2 hrs away from me. Drove out there. Just minutes into playing it and falling in love one of the store employees told me to kick dust because the guy who played it before me wanted to purchase it... I’ll be back in the market soon when I can afford to overpay for one and save myself that kind of hassle the next time around.
I bought one brand new in 1994 from Guitar's ETC in Tucson Az....but I never could get a good lead sound for myself (being a Vai fanatic) ... I let it go of the halfstack, sold it in 2002 for $700 bucks to a neighbor... great amp... best I've used in some ways... but found over time it just wasn't for me and my sound. Using a Crate BlueVoodo BV120H stack now... I love that amp.
every hardcore band I ever toured with has at least one of these, Always would seek them out on craigslist.
I used one for years in a pop rock band, fucking loved that head. I used it with barely any gain and it fucking sung
They also changed the OT in around '98 according to James B
Different manufacturer but same exact build specs
Man , amp saturation and sustain for days. Killer tone.
Nice. I have always wanted one. Actually. I have always wanted that awesome 2x12 that came out back in the day. I wanted that one sooo bad. A buddy purchased one, and with his electric blue EVH Music Man he basically stripped the paint off my apt playing through Van Halen solos for an hour. Its a great amp. I should look for one.
Slight correction, Ryan: the tubes weren't Svetlanas. They were USA made Sylvanias - same tube as the Mesa STR-415 and the Fender STR-387. Really, really nice tubes.
Again, a great amp wielded by a great player. 5150 is epic.
From what I hear between my 2 Windsors and the demo to my 6505, I really like the sound of the Rubys. One of Windsors has Rubys, the other has Groove Tubes.
Good Video ! Have a 1992 e Peavey EVH Stack that I picked up in Little RocK, AR in 1992. Still sounds great, but developing a Hummm. Last time I changed tubes was maybe 2010 in FL for $100. Looked up new tubes and they’re listed for $268 per set w/o Tax or shipping to Northern CA. I’ll watch the video a couple more times to listen for the best replacement tubes. If you have updated info, please advise. Thanks !!
Still have mine. Got it cheap in a pawn shop in the late 90's
Fluff. I had one of those back in the day when they first came out. Wish I still had it.
Oh wow! DAT SOUND!!! 💖
I bought Jon Campbell's modded 5150 in Canada for 500$ a few years back, when he stopped by my house i noticed his tattoo's and ask him " are you Jon Campbell for Obey?? " he signed a few of my guitars too, pretty awesome guy.
that tone is disgusting holy fuck i love it
Looks like new - what a find!
I had the cherry block letter in 92. Was bad ass!! Wish I hadn't sold it.
Bought one of those in 92 it was a great amp but traded to a friend for a jcm800 . He played that 5150 for years....
A cranked JCM800 is sheer nirvana to my ears.
@@MrDavee1 me too that's why I traded the 5150. The 800 is the tone of Rock pure and simple
Both amps are definitely classics for what they're intended
I have a mint block letter 5150 that I bought in 1992 or 1993 (I still have the receipt for it somewhere). I replaced all the tubes in it at some point with groove tubes, but I still have the original tubes (which are probably still fine, tbh I didn't notice any difference after putting the new tubes in). The original power tubes say "6L6GCR Made in China" on them (they're not the really early sylvania tubes, and I guess not the svetlana tubes either (unless the svetlana tubes were made in china?))
Love the sound of that thing