Well, here's my experience with this... I bought one back in 2016 (when they were $2,100). I just used it in stereo to counter my Fender MH-500 that I completely scooped (w/ a 10 band MXR EQ). It wasn't until I was talked into selling the Fender head in late 2019 that I realized what I had. I just put the EQ in the loop, gave it a slight scoop (+/-/+6db... plus an ISP Decimator II), ran it through a 1960B cab (w/V30's and T75's) and a Randall 1x15 cab, and my jaw dropped. I've been through many amps. Nothing touched this... So, I bought another one (because.. reasons). Ran one wet, and one dry (w/ the 2x12 and 4x12 "Stealth" cabs). BTW, I never needed an overdrive for these, regardless of what pickups I was using. Then some shit happened, and I had to sell everything with an EVH logo...yup. When I could finally buy a new one, I had to wait almost 8 months for them to make more. When it finally showed up, I opened the box and said "..the fuck is this?". They used cheaper parts, different tubes, and it looked like whoever built it was clearly in a hurry. I plugged it in, played it for about 30 minutes, turned it off, put it back in the box, and returned it. It sounded closer to a 6505 (with a lot of noise) than a 5150III. FML... Now, I'm back to playing a solid state / tube "stereo" setup (a Randall Titan and Randall Satan). It sounds good, but not even close to my Stealth heads. I've been thinking about giving EVH another chance, even just getting two 50 watt heads, but they've just become so damn popular...Idk. Anyway, if you made it this far, you're a trooper. Thanks for reading! Lol.
Awesome Demo. Bought mine last year. This amp is Insane. Extremely loud with gain for days. It really starts opening up after 6 and beyond. Definitely need ear protection.
I recently sold mine and opted for the EL34 5150iii. The Stealth is a beast but it didn't sing like I wanted it to for lead parts. I'm loving the sh*t out of the ol' gold! Demo that ish homie.
The drier gain on this amp is, in my opinion, a great feature, because on its own, one can do plenty with it and with a boost, even more. In a subtle way, it kind of has the primary qualities of the classic 5150 paired with some of the very discrete darker tonal elements of the Dual Rectifier, which is great.
Totally agree. I actually REALLY like dry amps like the VHT stuff, it gives you a little bit room to use different boosts and still stand out well in a mix without it being ice picky and unpleasant IMO
@@TaylorDanley Indeed. I think it’s one the reasons why the 5150 III Stealth has been getting praise both as a studio and live amp. Also, the drier gain goes well with the darker tightness of the low end, which allows for plenty of definition on lower tunings. Great review and demo, as always.
Ok, if you’re using the 3rd/red channel on the EVH 6L6 Stealth 100 watt head, you can tinker with the 2nd/blue channel gain knob and use it like a tone knob for the Red channel gain, only when the red channel is in use. Complete counterclockwise takes away the high & clockwise boosts the high - kinda like how the tone knob on the TS9 works. Hope that helps.
Wow, I thought you were completely full of bs, but I fired up my 100w Stealth and messed with the blue channel gain while in red, and you are absolutely right!!! Is this in the manual somewhere??? I always thought the red channel was insanely bright and had to put the High and Presence knobs to about 9 o’clock to get the same brightness as the blue channel same knobs around noon. Always thought something was wrong with my amp…
It’s not in the manual. I just happened by it one day tinkering with the knobs. Funny thing is back in the day some Crate amps were designed that way but never mentioned in the manual too. Happy to share. 👍🏽
Everything about this amp is just over the top. The volume, the size, i mean shit the gain as well its got 7 preamp tubes. Sheesh. I saw gatecreeper recently and their guitatist who uses this prob gave me the gnarliest post show tinnitus ive ever had. The show that finally made me invest in earplugs lol
I messed with that a bit when I was capturing it with my Quad Cortex. Very cool when you boost the master volume, but I actually like how dry and tight it is at lower volumes. Of course I mean "lower volumes" according to the knobs, not the db 😂
@@TaylorDanley yeah this thing is beast. I actually had the 50s and sold it and got the 100. I felt the 50s was great and had tons of clarity but was missing some fullness/punch and weight to the sound the low end was dare i say too tight for my taste. I have the regular 6l6 50 and el34 50 all of them are different and all are excellent with the right cab.
@Erik Tomblin its tough to answer that because it really depends on the amp you pair with them. Both cabs seem to work well with almost anything but for example a mesa cab will have more uper mid range presence and be tighter on the low end. The evh will be darker and smoother with its mids the low end is a bit looser compaired to the mesa. Which amp/s are you looking to pair with them?
Killer modern amp, brings the chugs with authority. The 50W gets a bit sweeter because at least you can turn it up a little bit. Sounds a little stale at lower volumes. How about attenuating it with the Captor and cranking the $hit out of it? Should open up a bit more yet
I did when I captured it. I like it more at a reasonable volume. The more your turn the master, the warmer and more compressed it gets, bleeding notes together a bit. That dryness and articulation is what I like the most about it!
Yeh but “the guy at sonic drive studios” goes to the trouble of creating tunes and backing tracks for all his vids. So we can actually here the amps properly in a mix. Most RUclipsrs don’t do that. Almost anything sounds good in isolation by itself. No I don’t know Jon, Taylor. All credit to the both.
@Brook T I don't need to hear the amps in a highly compressed, digital sounding mix. No thanks. If you like his videos that's cool man I got no hate here, just not my cup of tea. I prefer Kyle Bull, Ola, and Taylor style demos over anyone that just uses IRs. Also I commented this a year ago lol
Sorry man, that is a go to riff. It will likely stay for the life of my channel, but I'll learn some new stuff for you to change it up a bit. Glad you notice it, that means you watch a lot of my videos 😂 🙏
Taylor can you answer me a quick question? I recently got a 50w stealth and love it so far but after a few weeks I had the power tubes and 3 pre amp tubes go bad! Really harsh fizz on blue and red CH. Soon as I have the volume past 1/10 etc. I had the store replace the bad tubes and set the bias and the noise is still there... Is this bad girl just a noisy once she gets pushing the volumes? EVH support says they want me to send the amp to them for service but I'm hesitant to loose it for an undetermined period of time. Cheers 🥂
I have no idea, I didn't have a ton of time to have experience with this amp.. and I have none with the 50w. I'd say if it's still under warranty then definitely get it serviced or repaired. IIRC this amp wasn't noisy, it was just insanely loud.
@@TaylorDanley thanks dude! Solid advice! I haven't had a chance to try the 100 w but I will say the 50 w through the matching 2 by 12 cab is absolutely crushing
I want one of those so bad. I have the original signature series peavey 5150 i think the bottom end and the resonance is so much cleaner than the original. That blue channel is so nasty
@@diezelvh4133 Thank you! I loved my Shiva 20th but it couldn't get aggressive or do metal like my PRS Archon 100. Im selling my Mark V and looking at Engl and Diezel, among others. I don't like the Uberschall Twin Jet and the older Uber heads didn't have a good balance between clean and dirty. You said your Diesel can be dry or saturated. The Mesa JP2C is like that, which is cool - having both in one amp. I had a Fryette SigX years ago that I miss. Thanks.
How does it sound playing Poison, or Def Leppard, or Nelson...or... Cherry Pie?!?! Do you put the Boss CE-2 in front, or in the effects loop? How much will this amp cut into my Aqua Net budget??? ;)
@@TheCyberMantis So true. I'll never forget back-in-the-day I was in a hard rock/metal band with this guy who played through a Marshall. We were listening to bands like Boston and wondering how they got "that tone". Then Scholz released The Power Soak. Mike bought one. The first night he hooked it up at practice, he and I looked and each other and said "BLASTING!" It was honestly like a Bill and Ted moment! LOL! Best amp sound ever. But it burned through tubes like nobody's business.
@@MeTuLHeD If it eats tubes, the bias is not set correctly, or there is not a sufficient load on it. Or the ohm switch is not set correctly to match the speaker cab. Not normal to eat tubes like that.
@@TheCyberMantis Yeah. I know something was definitely wrong with the setup. Possibly the load. Or the bias. Who knows? That was 1979. But it sounded amazing. So powerful...
Great video man, but I do kinda wish you'd spent just a little more time and attention exploring the clean channel for this vid. Kinda seems a bit glossed over in this presentation. Great vid otherwise!
Thanks for watching, don’t forget to hit the like button if you enjoyed this!
the 5150 50W stealth is definitely in my wish list..
Hey Mr Taylor once again:). Which amp you prefer: 5150 BLOCK letter or EVH 5150? please answer with honestly arguments. all the best for you. Peter
Question the microphone in front of your cabinet where do you plug it back into
Man, a 5150 on steroids is what that beast is. That is one brutal sounding amp
💪 beast mode activated
Well, here's my experience with this... I bought one back in 2016 (when they were $2,100). I just used it in stereo to counter my Fender MH-500 that I completely scooped (w/ a 10 band MXR EQ). It wasn't until I was talked into selling the Fender head in late 2019 that I realized what I had. I just put the EQ in the loop, gave it a slight scoop (+/-/+6db... plus an ISP Decimator II), ran it through a 1960B cab (w/V30's and T75's) and a Randall 1x15 cab, and my jaw dropped. I've been through many amps. Nothing touched this... So, I bought another one (because.. reasons). Ran one wet, and one dry (w/ the 2x12 and 4x12 "Stealth" cabs). BTW, I never needed an overdrive for these, regardless of what pickups I was using. Then some shit happened, and I had to sell everything with an EVH logo...yup. When I could finally buy a new one, I had to wait almost 8 months for them to make more. When it finally showed up, I opened the box and said "..the fuck is this?". They used cheaper parts, different tubes, and it looked like whoever built it was clearly in a hurry. I plugged it in, played it for about 30 minutes, turned it off, put it back in the box, and returned it. It sounded closer to a 6505 (with a lot of noise) than a 5150III. FML... Now, I'm back to playing a solid state / tube "stereo" setup (a Randall Titan and Randall Satan). It sounds good, but not even close to my Stealth heads. I've been thinking about giving EVH another chance, even just getting two 50 watt heads, but they've just become so damn popular...Idk. Anyway, if you made it this far, you're a trooper. Thanks for reading! Lol.
Awesome Demo. Bought mine last year. This amp is Insane. Extremely loud with gain for days. It really starts opening up after 6 and beyond. Definitely need ear protection.
Best damn head on the market period. Developed by the King himself.
I recently sold mine and opted for the EL34 5150iii. The Stealth is a beast but it didn't sing like I wanted it to for lead parts. I'm loving the sh*t out of the ol' gold! Demo that ish homie.
Thanks Brian! I like the EL34 variant as well… but this one is black, so call me old fashioned but I like the black one more 🤷♂️🤣
The drier gain on this amp is, in my opinion, a great feature, because on its own, one can do plenty with it and with a boost, even more. In a subtle way, it kind of has the primary qualities of the classic 5150 paired with some of the very discrete darker tonal elements of the Dual Rectifier, which is great.
Totally agree. I actually REALLY like dry amps like the VHT stuff, it gives you a little bit room to use different boosts and still stand out well in a mix without it being ice picky and unpleasant IMO
@@TaylorDanley Indeed. I think it’s one the reasons why the 5150 III Stealth has been getting praise both as a studio and live amp. Also, the drier gain goes well with the darker tightness of the low end, which allows for plenty of definition on lower tunings.
Great review and demo, as always.
The Easter egg here with this head is, while on the Red channel you can tone shape it by using the Blue channel gain knob! It’s awesome! Try it!!!
What???? Explain 🤣🤣
Ok, if you’re using the 3rd/red channel on the EVH 6L6 Stealth 100 watt head, you can tinker with the 2nd/blue channel gain knob and use it like a tone knob for the Red channel gain, only when the red channel is in use. Complete counterclockwise takes away the high & clockwise boosts the high - kinda like how the tone knob on the TS9 works. Hope that helps.
Wow, I thought you were completely full of bs, but I fired up my 100w Stealth and messed with the blue channel gain while in red, and you are absolutely right!!! Is this in the manual somewhere??? I always thought the red channel was insanely bright and had to put the High and Presence knobs to about 9 o’clock to get the same brightness as the blue channel same knobs around noon. Always thought something was wrong with my amp…
It’s not in the manual. I just happened by it one day tinkering with the knobs. Funny thing is back in the day some Crate amps were designed that way but never mentioned in the manual too. Happy to share. 👍🏽
Its because the channels share preamp tubes@4142Wilb
What a great amp. Big fan of the 5150 III. I flip a lot of amps, but I always have a 5150 around. 🤘
🤘 they’re keepers for sure!
This amp is so nice , so underrated compare to other boutique amp. I would take this one over a lot of other big brand boutique name amp!
This is simply my Dream Amp!
I HIGHLY recommend
Buy a used one made before 2021. They're built better and sound better.
..or get the 50 watt. They sound better than the new 100 watt heads.
This makes me miss my stealth head. I just have held on to it. Told myself I was just going to sell the 100w and get the 50w but never followed up
DUDE. They are so cool. I think amps are one of the things I can never justify parting with... Maybe cabs too.
now THAT is loud enough, killer amp!!!
It's ridiculous. I wish I could demonstrate it better in a video, but it's absolutely one of the loudest amps I've ever played.
Bought this same amp last November. It’s really an incredible amp. I can’t say enough about how much this amp rips.
It definitely rips... a lot!
@TaylorDanley I have the 50w stealth but I'd love to get the 100. Still have the peavey 5150ii that I will never sell
Hell yeah stealth vs. Og 5150 for sure :)
😉
Wow!!! Love this amp man!, Especially the blue channel which is so accurate into my ears
Well done! This is the best video I have seen yet on this amp! Thanks for trying the boost and explaining how it works with it!
Everything about this amp is just over the top. The volume, the size, i mean shit the gain as well its got 7 preamp tubes. Sheesh. I saw gatecreeper recently and their guitatist who uses this prob gave me the gnarliest post show tinnitus ive ever had. The show that finally made me invest in earplugs lol
8
@@NobotyBoi yea didnt realize until recently the full size versions had 8 preamp tubes
I'm so stoked that you played it through a mesa recto 4x12. Thing sounds like a rabid monster lol
It's a beast!
Recently picked one up and have the same Mesa cab as well as the EVH 4x12. Amazing amp. Sounds great antenuated with a captor also.
I messed with that a bit when I was capturing it with my Quad Cortex. Very cool when you boost the master volume, but I actually like how dry and tight it is at lower volumes. Of course I mean "lower volumes" according to the knobs, not the db 😂
@@TaylorDanley yeah this thing is beast. I actually had the 50s and sold it and got the 100. I felt the 50s was great and had tons of clarity but was missing some fullness/punch and weight to the sound the low end was dare i say too tight for my taste. I have the regular 6l6 50 and el34 50 all of them are different and all are excellent with the right cab.
Hi Kryptron! Got any feedback on the EVH 4x12 vs the Mesa? Trying to decide between the two myself...
@Erik Tomblin its tough to answer that because it really depends on the amp you pair with them. Both cabs seem to work well with almost anything but for example a mesa cab will have more uper mid range presence and be tighter on the low end. The evh will be darker and smoother with its mids the low end is a bit looser compaired to the mesa. Which amp/s are you looking to pair with them?
Pair this amp with the Engl xxl 4x12 cab and you just unleashed the Beast.
maybe to get rid of the dry sound, use a cab with EVH G12H EVH 30W Annivesary Series speakers, such as the origional cab
Meshuggah on their last album used 5150 and it's a good article , to be honest. (on guitar world)
Every demo of the stealth always sounds great
Expert mode: bass max, treble max, mids 1isg, resonance max, presence ear adjust and roll off the hiss slightly
Alright, you primitive screwheads, listen up! See this? THIS...is my LIKE BUTTON!
Wow, what a beast! Great vid. Cheers!
Everything I read about the 100w is that it’s limited. Think that means they only have a set number made of the 100w?
SHOOTOUT WITH OG!!!!!!! Omg YASSSSSS
Oh, we're going to do it!
Killer modern amp, brings the chugs with authority. The 50W gets a bit sweeter because at least you can turn it up a little bit. Sounds a little stale at lower volumes. How about attenuating it with the Captor and cranking the $hit out of it? Should open up a bit more yet
I did when I captured it. I like it more at a reasonable volume. The more your turn the master, the warmer and more compressed it gets, bleeding notes together a bit. That dryness and articulation is what I like the most about it!
@@TaylorDanley Noice! Ok, to be able to get both is definitely a plus. Can't wait for my Captor, it's in the mail 🤘
When he put the boost on the red i was like '''nooo he diiiiiinnnt''''
I have this amp running through a traditional Mesa 412. It's definitely a monster
This beast amp totally insane... Love chug
Hot "little" amp!
Definitely a shootout with a block letter!
Hi, can you compare this amp with engl savage 120?
I have always wanted to try the stealth. Thanks for using a cab and mic and not just a f’n IR like the guy at sonic drive studios.
Yeh but “the guy at sonic drive studios” goes to the trouble of creating tunes and backing tracks for all his vids. So we can actually here the amps properly in a mix. Most RUclipsrs don’t do that. Almost anything sounds good in isolation by itself. No I don’t know Jon, Taylor. All credit to the both.
@Brook T I don't need to hear the amps in a highly compressed, digital sounding mix. No thanks. If you like his videos that's cool man I got no hate here, just not my cup of tea. I prefer Kyle Bull, Ola, and Taylor style demos over anyone that just uses IRs. Also I commented this a year ago lol
@@resistorstudios All good :-)
I'd love a video of you comparing your boosted 5150 Block Letter, an EVH 5150 III, and possibly a Stealth.
This rips man.
Plans to get the EVH 5150 Iconic when it drops? Would love to hear you slay or praise that thing when it's in the wild
How would you say this performs first a new duel rec? I’m about to make a purchase of one, if you had to go with one ?
The riff starting 3.30, stop doing that riff cause it is so irritating 😂 Please keep up the other quality content still 💪🏻
Sorry man, that is a go to riff. It will likely stay for the life of my channel, but I'll learn some new stuff for you to change it up a bit. Glad you notice it, that means you watch a lot of my videos 😂 🙏
Amp sounds badass, definitely a comparison with the original 5150 is required!
I have one it’s a incredible amp great tone
My favorite flavor of amplifier.
Taylor can you answer me a quick question? I recently got a 50w stealth and love it so far but after a few weeks I had the power tubes and 3 pre amp tubes go bad! Really harsh fizz on blue and red CH. Soon as I have the volume past 1/10 etc. I had the store replace the bad tubes and set the bias and the noise is still there... Is this bad girl just a noisy once she gets pushing the volumes? EVH support says they want me to send the amp to them for service but I'm hesitant to loose it for an undetermined period of time. Cheers 🥂
I have no idea, I didn't have a ton of time to have experience with this amp.. and I have none with the 50w. I'd say if it's still under warranty then definitely get it serviced or repaired. IIRC this amp wasn't noisy, it was just insanely loud.
@@TaylorDanley thanks dude! Solid advice! I haven't had a chance to try the 100 w but I will say the 50 w through the matching 2 by 12 cab is absolutely crushing
Hell yeah buddy! \m/
Debating between this, a Bogner Uber ultra EL34, Bogner Helios, or a revv of some sorts. Mainly C# thrash/technical death.
I want one of those so bad. I have the original signature series peavey 5150 i think the bottom end and the resonance is so much cleaner than the original. That blue channel is so nasty
Wonderful sounding amp, very dry though I feel like a touch of reverb would be in order for it
So cool!
Nissssssssssssssssssce 🍻
This amp is chock full of chugalo!
⬛⚫◼️◾▪️💣▪️◾◼️⚫⬛
Nice. Do a Deliverance review. They KRUSH
By the way. The blue channel gain knob is a boost for red channel.
Awesome
This or axe fx3 ?
This amp does NOT need a boost. People rely on those damn things way too much.
On the contrary! Youre not higher or mightier for not using a boost.. Use whatever you like
Is the gain or amp more saturated. With the gain up? I don't like dry amps, which is why I ask! Thanks
You should just get a Bogner if you like saturation. My Diezel Vh4 can be dry or saturated/liquid.
@@diezelvh4133 Thank you! I loved my Shiva 20th but it couldn't get aggressive or do metal like my PRS Archon 100.
Im selling my Mark V and looking at Engl and Diezel, among others. I don't like the Uberschall Twin Jet and the older Uber heads didn't have a good balance between clean and dirty.
You said your Diesel can be dry or saturated. The Mesa JP2C is like that, which is cool - having both in one amp.
I had a Fryette SigX years ago that I miss.
Thanks.
Were you using a standard or traditional Mesa cab?
It’s Standard (oversized)
@@sheldonswan45 thank you I was gonna get the 50w version and seems like the oversized is a good pairing
You are still here so it didn't Blow You Away.... :)
Nice🧐
Thanks 🔥
give us those irs
It would be a violation of the EULA agreement, but you can check them out from ML Sound Lab!
@@TaylorDanley violate, give us the irs as if we asked you like last year
Or don't be a cheap ass and go buy them...
How does it sound playing Poison, or Def Leppard, or Nelson...or... Cherry Pie?!?! Do you put the Boss CE-2 in front, or in the effects loop? How much will this amp cut into my Aqua Net budget??? ;)
Shootout please!!!
💯
This amp just cries out for an attenuator. It doesn't really "open up" until the volume is cranked.
Yeah, all these tube amps have a "sweet spot". You have to crank them up a bit to get them to bloom.
@@TheCyberMantis So true. I'll never forget back-in-the-day I was in a hard rock/metal band with this guy who played through a Marshall. We were listening to bands like Boston and wondering how they got "that tone". Then Scholz released The Power Soak. Mike bought one. The first night he hooked it up at practice, he and I looked and each other and said "BLASTING!" It was honestly like a Bill and Ted moment! LOL! Best amp sound ever. But it burned through tubes like nobody's business.
@@MeTuLHeD If it eats tubes, the bias is not set correctly, or there is not a sufficient load on it. Or the ohm switch is not set correctly to match the speaker cab. Not normal to eat tubes like that.
@@TheCyberMantis Yeah. I know something was definitely wrong with the setup. Possibly the load. Or the bias. Who knows? That was 1979. But it sounded amazing. So powerful...
beautifull sounding amp and this articulation every detail I hear...thank you !!! and with boost is f....g grinding tone !!! I love it
Great video man, but I do kinda wish you'd spent just a little more time and attention exploring the clean channel for this vid. Kinda seems a bit glossed over in this presentation. Great vid otherwise!
Title says 5150ii instead of iii
my red channel has a lot of hiss, do u know why?
I’m agree that it sounds better with a boost. I don’t get why so many guys are so adamant to say you don’t need a boost. Lol just use what you like.
Why saying “ in the back!?”, who cares this is a 5150iii steath! Obviously not an EVH enthusiast
it sounds constipated to me