Peavey 5150 212
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Product: Peavey 5150 212
Price Paid: GBP 550 USED
Submitted 06/27/2009
at 03:06pm
by Don Stick
Features
:
No Opinion
Very basic features. I wish the crunch was footswitchable.
Sound Quality
:
No Opinion
Amazing. Much better than my old (block letter) 5150 head. In many ways better than my old Soldano Decatone too, which is very interesting... The lead channel is every bit as good as the Soldano but more brutal. The crunch channel is the big surprise - I found some ballsy classic rock sounds and even some twang with my strat and tele. Even the clean is underrated, just lay off the bright switch (too harsh) and use single coils.
Mine has just been retubed and properly biased with JJ power tubes, which probably helps a lot. I think the factory setup is poor. The stock speakers are quite good but they have a slight paper-tearing edge which doesn't go away even with the treble and presence on 0. I ran the combo through my Soldano 2x12 loaded with Celestion G12-75s and honestly, it sounded like heaven. Much better than my Decatone, even on cleans.
This amp sounds every bit the boutique amp, just needs better tubes and speakers. I also have a Bogner Ecstasy, which I adore, and this honestly sounds like similar money. Yes it's a different sounding amp, nowhere near as flexible, and not as well-built, but with a different badge (Soldano) they'd be charging a fortune for these sounds. And unlike a Soldano, the effects loop works properly. I don't mean to ***** about Soldanos, I love them. But for the money the loop should work properly. The 5150 combo's sounds are very similar, just angrier and grainier to the Soldano's polished razor edge.
Just change and bias the tubes and upgrade the speakers...
Reliability
:
No Opinion
The build quality is lightweight compared to Soldano and Bogner, but that's where you save the money. Still a very solid amp. I never had a problem with my 5150 head.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Don't know.
Overall Rating
:
8
If it came biased properly and had better speakers this amp would be a legend by now. As it is, it's probably the best ??550 I ever spent. If it had a footswitchable crunch I think it would see almost as many gigs as my Bogner Ecstasy.
Product: Peavey 5150 212
Price Paid: UNKNOWN
Submitted 06/17/2009
at 07:53pm
by JazzCaster
Features
:
9
I have no idea the year it was made. I think the features are mentioned somewhere below. If you see "It does not have a clean channel" in prior reviews, please read my Sound Quality section review, this is reason I am writing this review. The only thing I wish it had were another speaker jack and an ohm selector (4/8/16), so I added one. The cab is made of 7/8" thick plywood, but the baffle is particle board, with a center brace, from front to back.
Sound Quality
:
9
I use strats, 3 of em, a VG, an American Deluxe, and an EC signature start with 25db boost circuit. So far the concensous on this amp, after about 13 years and 165+ reviews is: "extremely loud for 60 watts, the heaviest combo amp I have ever used/seen, the noisiest amp on the planet, but well worth the money" Most reviewers have swapped the Sovtek/EH tubes for JJ's from EuroTubes and swapped the Sheffied 1200's for a pair of Celestion Vinatge 30's, and added a Boss NS-2 or Decimator noise gate. First issue: noise. I get the top end hiss, low end hum, and for no additional charge, white noise, sort of wooshing noise that increase with volume. Swapping out the horrible, weak Sovteks helped here. I plug mine into a Furman power conditioner that my other amps use as well, maybe helps a little. I use Svetlana 6L6, increases the bottom end a tad also. I changed V1 to Amperex, may change again to GE 5157 though. I changed V2 - V4 to Mullard reissue 12AX7s and phase splitter to Phillips NOS 12AT7. Sounds much smoother and feedback is gone now. Rhythm channel can sound clear as a bell now, bright switch off. Crunch is also much tamer and smoother. I tried several speakers, including V30's abd GT100's, and even Celestion Neo Dogs. I ended up with a Celestion G12 H30 English-made speaker, and a EVM-12L from the 70's. Bass is noticably thicker, and much tighter, highs are clearer, and the ice-pick midrange can be dialed out completely. Much more clean headroom now. Gain on lead stays on 7, but can go to 10 with out feedback. I also use a Vox Tonelab ST in the low gain input, and use it's noise gate as well. I can get pristine-clean, even acoustic-like sounds now. I can still A/B to the high gain input and stomp on the footswitch and have the sweet smooth 5150 EVH tone in 2 seconds. I like the back on, sounds tighter and deeper with my speakers. The onboard reverb works fine for me. Tone controls are not the most responsive in the world, but my Vox ST will add EQ without coloring the voice of the amp as well. So don't believe it when you read that this amp can not do clean. Backing off the volume on your Axe will clean up as well, use the tone contols on your axe to tame the brittle top end, and use some addtional EQ to bring out the full spectrum of tone this beast can produce. Can't give it a 10 cuz of the noise, but you will not find a better hi-gain tone.
Reliability
:
10
I am amazed by the quality build of this amp. I would love to gig with this, but now she weighs in at over 100 pounds with the EV speaker.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Never dealt with em. I have owned about 7 or 8 Peaveys, mostly solid state.
Overall Rating
:
No Opinion
Has any one treed Eddie's new EVH speakers in this? Just wondering. I own a 67 blackface Super Reverb, a Genz Benz, and this. I love this amp because it is so versitile and powerful. I don't mind shared EQ, it takes 5 seconds to dial the tone in. I use the Vox VT for clean anyway. I added the Marshall 4/8/16 ohm speaker jack so this can be used with other amps. I have the 8 ohm wired to the EVM. I consider it a "feature" to have a nice wood 2x12 closed back cab as an option for all existing and future amps. No rattle or buzzes, no matter how loud I play it. I paid a lot for it, but well worth it.
Product: Peavey 5150 212
Price Paid: UNKNOWN
Submitted 03/13/2009
at 04:50am
by Spike J.
Features
:
6
60 watts - all tube
2 channels - Rhythm and Lead. Rhythm channel with bright switch and crunch switch.
Footswitch to activate onboard reverb and to switch between channels.
Effects loop - non switchable.
High and Low gain inputs.
Reverb (not bad but useable in moderation - at least is has it).
2 x 12" speakers.
Sound Quality
:
9
With the stock Sheffield speakers it sounded quite harsh. Put a couple of V-30s in and that improved the sound (added some really nice mid tones). Also, I replaced the stock tubes with a set of high gain JJ's. This did increase the noise a little but the gain increase and sound improvement was dramatic.
My set-up is Guitar - Boss tuner - Dunlop wah - MXR Phase 90 - 5150 high gain input. In the effects loop, Boss Flanger - Boss Chorus - Danelectro Tremolo - Boss Noise Gate - Boss Digital Delay. Also using stock Peavey footswitch for channel switching and reverb on/off.
The Rhythm channel: sounded really good (surprisingly)using a Strat (with Lace Sensor Hot Golds) and a Tele. Clean when you wanted it clean (pre gain low) or nice and dirty with gain up. With B C Rich Mockingbird and Ibanez RGT42FX (both loaded with old EMG 81 + 85 combo) the clean was less impressive (for obvious reasons) but with the crunch switch engaged and gain up it transformed into a rock machine. This channel is underrated in my opinion and covers alot of musical territory - from usable cleans to heavy metal - with ease.
The Lead Channel: If you like metal or especially de-tuned hardcore (think bands like Terror, Madball, Sworn Enemy etc..) then this amp is the final word in musical thuggery. This channel really likes active pickups and sounds brutal. On it's own this amp(with no extension cab) is more than loud enough to play ANY gig. I also use a standard Marshall 1960 cab with this amp which brings out some added presence and low end thump to the V-30 sound, awesome combination.
At high gain settings it is a bit noisy but that's what noise gates are for. This is a raw sounding amp with an inherent mid tone. Can do the scooped death metal type sound but it's strong point is an all out aggressive type sound with the mids cutting through the mix. Don't max out the gain to achieve a brutal sound - 6 or 7 is more than enough (especially with active pickups) and if you are playing at loud volumes then back off the gain even more.
Reliability
:
9
Never had a problem with it. Sounds good day in and day out.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Never dealt with them.
Overall Rating
:
9
Been playing for about 25 years and can honestly say that this is a good honest amp that not only sounds great at home but even better in big venues at INSANE volumes. Sure, the clean ain't fender pristine and at high gain it is a bit noisy but in real world situations (gigging) it is more than adequate. Takes effects well when used correctly in the loop. I played the 6505 head recently and it sounded good but no where near as good as my 5150 combo.
Product: Peavey 5150 212
Price Paid: GBP 450
Submitted 03/11/2009
at 05:52am
by Diehard
Features
:
10
The features have been covered here several time but needless to say it???s a two channel high gain 2x12??? all valve combo, 3 band eq, presence, reverb etc etc etc???.
This is amp heavy in ever sense of the word. If you want clean, then I wouldn???t recommend this amp as the clean ain???t great ??? but I never bought it for doing clean stuff. There???s a lead and a crunch channel, the lead being a slighter higher gain sounding channel than the crunch. There???s also ???crunch??? and ???bright??? buttons on the crunch channel which give extra tonal dimension. In a nutshell, this is a simple, two-channel, high gain amp. Made from marine ply (as far as I know) you simply have to put this on castors, its just too heavy to carry unaided! Its built like a tank as you would expect from Peavey and can survive some serious knocks.
Its no longer being made as the 5150 - they now called the 6505 so these may become collectable in the future.
Sound Quality
:
10
Sound wise this amp for me, when I first got it was disappointing. I read so many articles about re-biasing and replacing tubes as well as power chokes etc. and considered doing this until an electronics wizard told me to ignore all this and replace the speakers which I did. The stock Sheffield speakers just didn???t do it for me, way too much mid-range and generally just not very warm sounding. I replaced them with Celestion Vintage Lead and a Celestion G12K100 which they claim is the ???undisputed king of metal???. Believe me ??? it is! The improvement in tone and bottom end was remarkable. I think I have created the perfect amp (as far as I am concerned). I can???t see me ever changing this amp. Its absolutely monstrous. I play a Washburn Custom Shop Idol with Bareknuckle Warpig pickups. The sound and tone when used for gigs and rehearsing is just huge especially on chugging rhythm parts. Lead parts are really articulate and full sounding with the Vintage Lead speaker ??? the perfect combination. The gain on this amp is for me, without doubt, the best gain of any amp I have ever tried, and I???ve tried Marshall TSLs, Mesa Dual and Triple Rectifiers, other Peaveys such as the Valveking and XXX amps. I also own a Marshall DSL 20 and being British I would love to fly the flag for British amps but on this occasion Marshal stake a back seat when compared to the 5150 Combo. I play punk and some metal and this amp suits these styles just fine, I???ve also played live and recorded with them and compared to the Marshalls, the sound is just warmer and fuller than anything Marshall can do. I always find Marshall gain dry and slightly brittle. Not so with the 5150, it can do a Marshall style crunch but with more warmth, depth and overall prescence and then with a turn of the pre-gain knob just go into warp fact gain. The reverb was slightly disappointing as its very subtle, sometimes when its on full, I have to check that the effect is actually switched on. Not a major problem for me, as my pedal board takes care of it, but some people might find this an annoyance.
As mentioned, a noise gate of some descrition is useful for this amp, I use an ISP Decimator and some sort of volume boost for use at low volumes but even then they???re not essential. All in all, I would recommend this amp to anyone playing out and out metal that needs a high gain amp, without too much emphasis on using clean tones.
Reliability
:
10
Reliability wise, this is Peavey who have a great reputation on the reliability front. I???ve used other Peavey amps in the past and they???ve never let me down. This amp is well built and has survived several accidental knocks. Its sturdy and made from quality components. Footswitch could be a little better, seems a bit flimsy to me and could have been made from metal rather than plastic but this is a minor gripe. It works fine which is the main thing.
Customer Support
:
10
I have contacted Peavey a few times on occasion. Prompt responses so no complaints there. Website is good too.
Overall Rating
:
10
Overall as I???ve said, this is the perfect amp for me. Sound and feature wise its perfect. No gimmicks or frills, just an honest high gain amp that does with its meant to. I would highly recommend changing the stock speakers, I didn???t like them but that???s just personal taste. The gain on this has to be heard to be believed and is very versatile ranging from overdrive to out and out high gain power. I???ve heard the combo version is a better option than the head alone ??? this may be true, but bear in mind the weight thing. ITS HEAVY. If you live in a tower block, you won???t want to be carting this up and down stairs believe me!
Product: Peavey 5150 212
Price Paid: UNKNOWN
Submitted 01/19/2009
at 09:15pm
by Lizardneck
Features
:
9
Made in 2003. Purchased used in 2004. Very versatile when dialed in properly. Used for Rock and Hard rock/metal styles. 2 channels, fx loop, verb. Has all that I could need for features. Used for gigging, jamming with friends, teaching and recording. Plenty of power. All tube, preamp and output.
Sound Quality
:
10
Due to recent opportunities I felt another review of this amplifier was neccesary. This amp was retested and compared using a stock 1991 Musicman Van Halen guitar and a 1979 Gibson les Paul custom with a Suhr Doug Aldrich bridge pickup and a Duncan 59 in the neck position . Friends of mine have purchased two amps recently. A Soldano SLO-100 head and an EVH 5150 III. We tested all of the amps in a large rehearsal studio with a drummer at master volume levels of 5 and above. After this testing we have come to the conclusion that the Peavey 5150 combo is at the VERY LEAST equal to and in some cases better than the SLO or the EVH 5150 III for overall distorted tone, dynamics, and powertube saturation. All amps were run through a marshall 1960b 4-12 cab with 75 watt celestions. This amp on the lead channel actually produced the same amount of usable gain as the other amps with equal tone, pick articulation, and versatility for the number of different tones attainable on crunch and clean settings . There is very little difference other wise between the three amps over all other than the EVH head having a dedicated clean channel. The 5150 combo also having the added advantage of the low resonance control for more low end thump and an on board reverb as well. The other amps do not have these features. The 5150 combo is tubed with Mesa boogie preamp and output tubes. The internal speakers on the combo were not connected for testing purposes and only a 4-12 was used.
Reliability
:
10
After a few years of abuse..... still no issues.
Customer Support
:
10
The best.
Overall Rating
:
10
Between myself and my friends we have over 60 years of combined playing experience. I myself have used 5150's since the early 90's. The combo amp sounds like a 5150 should, and only a few 5150 heads that I have heard sound as good as any the 5150 Combo's. Some of the very early 1st year EVH block letters sounded as good, but after these they were never the same. The combo's however have remained consistant over the years with the same killer tone and distortion quality. The head amp tech at peavey( Roger) has told me that it is a very different amp than the head and he is right. I you feel that you absolutly must spend 2000.00 + dollars on the other mentioned amps go ahead. But if you cant, you can get essentially the same tone at 1/3 the price with a 5150 combo. These amps are gems that can get great tone at low cost.
Product: Peavey 5150 212
Price Paid: USD 300
Submitted 09/03/2008
at 10:39am
by Craig
Features
:
10
The features here dont have all the unneeded bells and whisltes of a the mesa rec's or the new Marshall JCM's but you can dial in the same range of tones if you have half a brain and understand the function of each EQ. The key here is to balance the resonance and presence EQ's as well as the pregain and post gain. The possiblities are broad. Those that say it has a one dimensional sound arent using this amp right. Inputs are pretty standard with an in and out effects loop and a line out to extend into a cabinet.
Sound Quality
:
10
OK i've had a mesa single rectifier (sounds thin with no warmth or color to its sound) and a triple rectifier (gain monster with no warmth or color to its sound), a mesa DC-5 (great head with tight high gain but, distortion isnt loose enough to play fast rythem), A mesa Caliber .50 ( great amp head with tight shredding distortion and bass but sounds a little dry) A marshall valvestate head (Great distortion but isnt saturated enough). Overall the 5150 presents the positive qualities of the amps I just mentioned without any of the negatives. THis amp is an untamed gain monster with the ballsy bass of a mesa, the treble presence of a marshall, fierce shredding cutting mids, and saturated warmth that makes you want to keep on playing. I dont know how the hell Eddie Van Halen influenced this amps design since its so over the top from what he plays. its the loudest 60 watts i've ever heard. This amp is suited for extreme metal but, if EQ'd right it can play all other styles. In fact the rythem channel can be turned into a distorted crunch channel by setting the post and pre gain to the correct settings. If your giggin this amp is ideal but for practice its a to loud. You'll need an attenuator or volume box to lower it to suitable practice volumes that wont get you evicted from your apartment. an attenuator also adds a dynamic presence that enriches the sound. I would also recommend a noise gate to tighten the distortion. This amp does tend to hiss a bit and a noise gate would elminate that entirely. I have a morley noise gate and it did wonders for my tone, i literally am able to get any metal tone I want by adding that pedal. A noise gate is pretty much all you need to shape this amps tone.
Reliability
:
No Opinion
It seems to be built well with its wooden outter shell covered in black leather.
Customer Support
:
7
Seems corporate everytime I call. It takes a while to be directed to the right person who can really answer your question but, they are very attentive and available.
Overall Rating
:
No Opinion
Been playing for 9 years. Have ibanez and jackson shredders. If it were stolen I would probably get the head version although I dont know how anyone could steal this big of a unit. I wish it had a true master volume so I can play at practice volumes. I play metal, metalcore, thrash, and this amp gets those sounds with attitude. This amp sounds unique, and most importantly this amp sounds Mean.
Product: Peavey 5150 212
Price Paid: USD 450
Submitted 06/10/2008
at 12:44pm
by Bill
Features
:
7
Features are 2 channels, reverb, 2x12, 60w. It has been described well enough on other reviews.
The only other feature I wish it had is a footswitch for the clean/crunch switch. Other than that it's good.
Sound Quality
:
7
I use it with Gibson guitars and a strat with a HSS pickup configuration. It sounds great. I have been playing 1/2 stacks all my life and it's the first time I am able to get a decent heavy distortion out of a combo. I am happy to finally be able to downsize. The amp sounds really good but I had to swap the speakers (with Celestions) and the tubes to get it where I wanted it to be.
The stock speakers were too bright and harsh and the stock tubes were too noisy. I replaced the speakers with an old Celestion GH12-70M and a new Vintage 30. It sounds much better now. The tubes were repalced with JJ 6L6s and a combination of NOS RCA, JJ and GT tubes in the preamp. With this mods, I can give the amp a 7 in the tone department. Without them it would be a 3 and I would probably end up selling it, but I really like its tone now.
One good thing about this amp is that even though it has tons of gain, it still lets the character of the guitar shine through. My strat still sounds like a strat, the Gibsons sound like Gibsons etc.
It's really a shame that Peavey chose such crap speakers and tubes for this amp. A lot of people will pass on it because of it.
Reliability
:
No Opinion
Well I bought it just a few weeks ago and just had my first band practice with it last week. So far so good. I have had good experience with Peaveys in the past as far as reliability goes so it should be ok. It looks like it was well built, very solid and bulky.
I wouldn't gig without a backup ever with any amp. I always carry a small POD for a emergency situation.
Customer Support
:
7
This is out of warranty so I would just take to a local tech. Peavey does have a good website and all the manuals are available for download, even for discontinued products.
Overall Rating
:
10
I've been playing guitar for 26 years, I am 33 years old now. I played metal for a long time but now I lean more towards classic rock, funk, blues and hard rock. I'm just getting old, I guess.
I am very happy with this amp. I still have my Marshall stack at home but I will probably sell it at some point because this amp sounds just as good and it's a lot easier to carry around (as long as it's on casters, it is a very heavy amp). I got it used for a killer price, normally they sell for a little more than the 450 I paid for it. At this price, it's an absolute steal. This is really a pro grade amp that will deliver tones that are good enough for any rock band or situation. Many top pros use 5150s and for a good reason. They're really top-notch amps. The stock speakers don't do the amp justice and an upgrade is mandatory if you want to get the best out of the amp. New tubes will also improve the tone and reduce the noise level on the gain channel.
I always wanted to find a combo that gave me the same power and tightness I used to get from my stacks and that's the first amp that really delivers it. Also it's one of the few amps I could plug straight into it without any effects and play a whole gig with it. The clean channel sounds really good and the drive channel is really amazing. I have my gain set to 5 and that's all the gain I need for shred solos and chunky rhythm.
One complaint I have is about the effects loop: the channel master volumes will affect the signal level going into the loop, making it a pain to use rack processors to it, because you have to constantly keep adjusting the in/out level on the rack every time you turn the amp volume up or down. My Marshall has the channel volumes past the loop so the rack levels stay the same regardless of the amp volume. That's much better.
Other than that I have no complaints about the amp, I like its size, tone and versatility. This is a real good choice for anyone planning to downsize from a 1/2 stack.
Product: Peavey 5150 212
Price Paid: UNKNOWN
Submitted 11/15/2007
at 11:50am
by Ted
Features
:
7
Made in 2000
Hits my style just fine.(southern rock,i.e. Lynyrd Skynyrd,Molly Hatchet,etc.)Also will get a good classic rock sound (ac/dc)or over the top gain.
Very simple,2 channels,1 E.Q. high,low gain input.1 trick pony,and thats the way I like it.
I use all the features,dont leave any out.
I use it at home.Dont gig.
Has enough power (60 tube watts)to blow your head off,etc.
Sound Quality
:
7
Hi gain,Low gain,Classic rock,Metal,etc.
Not much variety.Again thats o.k. with me.
Does not really have a clean channel.
Distortion will rip your face off if you want !!
Epi.Les Paul Standard,(burstbuckers,and all new electr.etc.)Epi.Shearton 2,(Seymour Duncan,and all new electr. etc.)Great Guitars,"Crap" electronics !!!!!!!!
Stated above,style etc.
Changed speakers out for Celestion Vintage 30s, and JJ low gain tube option.(Helps settle the gain and hiss down,just a bit)Thanks Bob P. at Eurotubes !!
Reliability
:
10
Very dependable. No problems at all. Would use it with out a back-up.
Never broken down. This thing is a Mack Truck !!!
I do live 1 hr.south of Meridian Ms. So if any problems come up Peavey is some-what in the back yard. These guys are "great".
Customer Support
:
10
Stated above,Very,Very good !!!
Will e-mail you,or call back very quickly !!!
Overall Rating
:
9
Been playing off & on for 31 years.Peavey Mace 212BW combo,Peavey Delta Blues 210.The Mace is 30 years old.1977 model.
I would buy again.
Change the tubes,and speakers if you want. Have Fun !!!
Product: Peavey 5150 212
Price Paid: UNKNOWN
Submitted 10/26/2007
at 02:59pm
by John
Features
:
7
I believe this is a 2003 model (according to the back at least). I play metal mainly and the 5150 is made perfectly for that style. I dabble in a bit of clean spacey stuff and some old school hard rock as well and this combo keeps up nicely for both of those types as well.
It is a 2 channel combo with a rythm and lead channel with shared eq. The rythm side has a bright and crunch switch as well as a overall resonance and presence control as well as built in reverb (which is the worst sounding reverb I have ever heard.) It has an effects loop as well as external speaker out and footswitch jack. My combo has Fender tubes in it for what thats worth as does my 5150 head. I thought it was kind of strange that both 5150s I have bought used had the same power tubes in them. Interesting.
This amp has plenty of power and will keep up with every half stack I have put it up against.
Sound Quality
:
9
I am using a Washburn V with emgs in it as well as a Schecter 006 beater guitar with the emg passive. Both guitars sound really good thru this amp. I can get a good variety of tones (esp compared to the 5150 head which I also own). A good clean sound can be had; just bring up the rythm channel master volume and keep the pregain down around 2 or so with crunch off. If you do engage the crunch you can also get some good mild hard rock tones (if you back off the bass and resonance knobs). It can pretty boomy otherwise. The lead channel is sizzle heaven (in a good way). Very chunky for a combo and tight as well. It doesnt quite have the gut punch of the head with a 4x12; buts it REALLY close. I have toyed with the idea of selling it; but I like it too much to part with.
The only con I can find is that the treble is very very icepicky witht stock speakers. Ihave it and the presence on like 2 tops and that is it. I keep the bright switch off and it works good. With a speaker swap I would give it 9.
Reliability
:
8
I havent gigged with it yet but I have practiced multiple times and it is pretty solid like every other Peavey I have had. It is sturdy and heavy as hell!!!
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
I havent needed customer support yet...
Overall Rating
:
9
Overall I would rate this amp a 9. I have had A Dual Rec.; various older Peaveys (VTMs etc) and Orange AD 140 (Loud as Hell also!!!) and lots of rack stuff. The only amp I regret selling over the years was my Hafler Triple Giant Preamp (the one by Bogner). I have been thinking of selling this amp to buy something a little different than the head I own; but it sounds so damn good I cant bring myself to do it. I know I would regret the sale just like the Triple Giant; so I am keeping it. The only thing I wish it had were better speakers which down the road I might replace anyways. If you're looking for a good metal tone out of a combo; this is it period.
Product: Peavey 5150 212
Price Paid: USD 500 USED
Submitted 05/20/2007
at 08:04pm
by Jay
Features
:
8
I don't know what year this amp was made in.
It is a very versatile amp, I have played jazz, blues, death metal, and it has so much gain that I never turn the dial above 5. if you open the back of the cab, you can get decent cleans and get rid of that "thumpy" sound.
it has 2 channels, I wish it had a real clean channel, but if you turn the rythm gain to 3 and unclick the crunch switch there is a very sweet clean tone. the reverb is very sweet. I never use the effects loop but it is there. and it has an extension jack just in case you have an audience outside of a 5 mile radius that isn't quite deaf yet.
it was a very good deal on a tube amp (I got mine used). it has everything but a clean channel.
Sound Quality
:
9
If you can't find a good tone on this amp, sell your guitars now...you dont deserve them, maybe try the drums.
The clean channel is the rythm channel, so it can distort, but the master volume never goes above 1 or 2 (and the tubes still sound good!!!)
I play metal on a strat with the gain between 5 and 6. if you need more distortion than this amp has... what the heck are you doing to your poor guitar?
I mostly play classic rock (5150...VAN HALEN), with some blues and metal when I feel like it.
It can be noisy, but I just put in some new tubes and it is very quiet now, so maybe it was just the old stock tubes.
It sounds superb now, but it was only ok before the tube change, so I give it a 9.
Reliability
:
10
It weighs nearly 100 pounds!!!! This thing is built like a block of concrete.
It is a tube amp and you should change them ever year or so, but when I got it the old tubes had been in it for almost four years and the amps still sounded decent.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
I have never had to deal with peavey directly... I have heard that they can be rude though.
Overall Rating
:
10
I have been playing about 5 years I use a lp and a strat.
stolen or lost... HA, HAHAHA, HAHAHAHAHAH, HO HO HAHAHA. ROFL.
I can only imagine someone trying to run down the streen with a 90 pound amp the size of a large television. And I hope I never get drunk enough to lose such a large piece of equipment. Even so, I probably would not buy another one, It is great and all.. but I would really like a nice bogner or a celtic.
For power tubes, I would recommend Eurotubes.com, the guy will pick through his stack and send you tubes to set the bias on the amp properly. and he sends the tubes the day you order with an e-mail from the owner himself.
I wouldn't recommend Electro Harmonix preamp tubes unless you like the icepick-in-the-ear feeling.
Product: Peavey 5150 212
Price Paid: 450 (Euro) used
Submitted 06/12/2006
at 01:27am
by Marcel Bijl
Email: marcelbijl<at>hotmail dot com
Features
:
8
The layout of the controls is like every other regular combo: Gain and master volume for both channels, low, mid and high controls, presence, and the resonance control which is less likely to be found on other amps. Both channels share the same eq, but the clean channel has a "bright" switch. If you prefer a dark sounding distortion, you can use this switch for your clean channel. Reverb and an effects loop is also included.
Three features on this combo that I don't like:
1. The effects loop cannot be operated with the footswitch, which is only possible with the 5150 head.
2. The amp weighs about 90 lbs / 45 kilo. You are supposed to lift this weight with a single plastic handle. Get yourself some extra handles and wheels and a roadie.
3. The footswitch that comes with this amp is horrible, the cable breaks too easily and is too short for big stages, it's made of plastic and the plug doesn't look too solid either. I'd replace this with a Boss footswitch and a 6 meter stereo cable.
Sound Quality
:
10
I use this amp with an Ibanez Universe of an Ibanez RG7421 with Di Marzio Evolution 7 pickups. I mostly play metal and rock.
About five years ago, I had the 5150 head, and I really liked it. When I quit my previous band, it had to go because it was too big for my living room. Now I play in a band again, and I was looking for the same thing in a smaller package. Enter the 5150 combo...
This amp can make any sound you like, but it is built for high gain rock and metal tones. First of all, plug your guitar in the low gain input. The pre-amp produces more gain than you would ever want from a guitar amp.
For a good clean tone, turn gain up to about two or three and the volume as you desire. The clean channel can also be used for good overdrive tones especially with the "crunch" switch.
The lead channel provides high-gain distortion tones with lots of sizzle and rumble. I'm happy that the sizzling sound can be reduced by turning gain no further than 6, High at 3 and presence at 4-6. Use lots of mids and add lows as you see fit. This channel does produce some noise, but the signal to noise ratio is still quite good. The key to dialing in low end rumble is using the resonance control.
Don't worry about volume. This amp is L-O-U-D !!! The speakers that come with this combo match the amp better than anything I've heard before. I like to play this amp with resonance control set at 8, and when it is cranked at concert volume, it rumbles, growls and screams. If you want, you can have bandmates and sound engineers begging for mercy. You might even blow away people who play full stacks.
Compared with the 5150 head, this combo sounds much better. The 5150 head had a fixed bias set for very low current, and the combo runs at a higher current than the head, causing the power amp to perform way better. The head I owned had groove tubes in both the pre- and power amp, and the combo still has the original nameless chinese tubes. Go figure.
Reliability
:
10
With the head I owned I played gigs with it every week. I expect the same from this combo. It is built like a tank.
However, the footswitch that comes with the amp needs to be replaced to make it an 100% dependable amp, but I still give it a 10.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
I sent Peavey a mail once wit a simple question, and I got my answer within a day. But I don't know how they handle serious problems.
Overall Rating
:
10
The lead channel provides excellent high gain tones, and it's the only amp I know that is both affordable and capable of handling deathmetal style riffing without using a distortion pedal. This makes the 5150 a unique amp.
There are a few flaws as mentioned in the "features" section, but I'll rate it top notch anyway. The reason I do this, is that there's nothing like it for this price, and this amp oozes attitude!
Product: Peavey 5150 212
Price Paid: US $625.00 used
Submitted 06/02/2006
at 09:28am
by sonic surfer
Features
:
9
just purchased used a few weeks ago. Serial number indicates a manufacture date of 2002.All tube of course. The amplifier is versatile enough for my style which is classic hard rock and metal, blues, some clean jazzier type stuff, and some older country. I have a completly different rig for the clean tones. I use the 5150 only for dirty tones. Basically has two dirty channels. One a little brighter than the other. You can get a clean sound out of it but it is a nice "dirty" clean that has its own character and is very nice for straight up blues. Cool reverb, not too overbearing. The effects loop works well although I don't use alot of effects other than the built in reverb. I plan on gigging this amplifier heavily. I am in two different bands at the moment and needed a new powerhouse rock amp to go with my other dirty amps. Judging from what I have gotten out of it the past two weeks this amp should do fine. The amplifier has plenty of power. I run it through a marshall 4-12 cab and it gets loud enough for any situation. Compresses and smoothes out very nicely at higher volumes. This amp has great features for what it was designed to do, dirty tones.
Sound Quality
:
10
I use a Gibson Les Paul Standard with Dimarzio super distortions, A stock fender american stratocaster, an old kramer Baretta, A peavey Wolfgang, and a musicman Axis stock. The amp suits hard rock and metal very well. It was a little hissy on the high gain lead channel with the gain set above six but this was mitigated by using higher quality preamp tubes. Nice and quiet now. The amp is one of the best amps for distorted tones that I have heard. My other amplifiers are a Mesa Rectifier-from the first year of production, Boogie mark III/w graphic eq, A Soldano SLO that I have had since 1993, and a Marshall Mk II 50 watt combo that I have owned since 1978, a Fender twin, and a Music Man HD-130 2-12 for clean stuff. The distortion that the amp produces could be called "brutal" ( I love these modern Nu Metal terms, they crack me up). I used my Marshall primarily from 1978 up until I purchased my Soldano in 1993. The 5150 sounds alot like the Soldano which is one of the reasons that I purchased it. They have almost the same tone but a little different at the same time. But they both are nice and smooth at higher volumes, nice and creamy. Good job Eddie. He and Peavey practically nailed the Soldano tone. ED still uses Soldano's by the way.
Reliability
:
9
I have had this amplifier for just under 3 weeks now. I have played with the master volume above 3 most of that time with no problems. I am very impressed with the build quality. Very well made and solid. I believe that the amp should hold up very well for many years.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Have not used
Overall Rating
:
10
I have been playing profesionally for 25 years, gigging, recording, jingles, etc.... If the amp were stolen, I might replace it due to the 5150 moniker; hopefully I won't deal with that situation. I have alot of other things that I could still use. I like the fact that it sounds very much like a Soldano but at a much lower cost. I have not found anything that I don't like about it yet. a nice solid amplifier and certainly one of the best sounding tube amplfiers out there in my experience. Very cool. Has a great vibe to it that just makes you want to play more and more and more..... One thing I have found from experimenting with the amp is that if you disconnect the internal speakers and run a 4-12 off of the amp it sounds awesome. The internals speakers are great for portability but the 4-12 really makes the amplifier thump and brings out the power of the amp. This is not to say the 2-12's don't sound great, they do. It's just that a 4-12 is a little more fun!
Product: Peavey 5150 212
Price Paid: ? (350) used
Submitted 04/15/2006
at 06:41am
by Jules
Features
:
9
Dunno the year of manufacture. It has 60 watts, so it's enough for reharsal or live situations.
It has channel switching, effect loop, spring reverb, resonance control. Rhythm channel can be used as a clean channel or a crunch channel just by pressing one button.
There's also a bright switch to add more top end to clean tones too. This also leads me to understand that its design derives from a Soldano SLO infact when you set the distortion control way up, it add little extra low end just as the SLO.
One Hi gain input and one Low Gain input for clean tones. You can't ask for more in this price range.
It also can be used with a 4x12 external cabinet but there's no impedance control (16 Ohm min)
Sound Quality
:
8
I use it with a lot of guitars but the Peavey Wolfgang and the Les Paul Custom are the ones I use the more with this baby. It works better (only?) for Heavy Metal and Hard Rock genres, maybe for a little blues music.
Little noisy: sometimes it starts to feedback even at low volumes. Anyway I said before that this amp to me sounds similar to a Soldano SLO (I own one) but the differences are that with the SLO you don't nearly have all that distortion but it's way more dynamic and you can really use the clean channel for clean tones.
I cannot use the Peavey 212 with the lead preamp pushed more than 5 because there's too much distortion and it become too much thick and harsh losing definition. Anyway it has a really good sound even at low volumes at home. Not really the first VH kind of tone, but you can work it out...
As I said before this babe doesn't have a good clean channel, but you can definitely get better clean tone by changing preamp tubes (I use JJ 12AX7 tubes to get rid of the harsh distortion from chinese tubes).
Reliability
:
5
My amp has a little problem: sometimes more or less after an hour playing, it does a circle hum and the volume gets down to zero. I switch it off, and on again, and it works great for another hour or so...
Anyway I found it lying alone in dust in a guitar store and I paid few bucks for it, and I own 5 amps, so I'm happy with it.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Never dealt with.
Overall Rating
:
8
I play guitar for 17 years, now. I'd buy it again but maybe, if stolen, I'd prefer the head because this amp is really, really, really heavy. I love it's lead tone beacuse it is just good right when you switch it on. I wish it had a impedance control and two handles and maybe 4 small wheels...
Product: Peavey 5150 212
Price Paid: US $1000
Submitted 04/08/2006
at 05:50pm
by Rynod
Features
:
7
2 Channels (Rhytmn & Lead), with High and Low Inputs. Really doesn't have a "true" clean channel, but thats not what you're buying this amp for anyway. You only have one set of EQ knobs for both channels, which can be a problem depending on what kind of sound you want, but on the other hand, with the extra Resonance and Presence controls (ultra low and ultra high freq. controls) it more than makes up for it. It's listed at 60 watts, but is probably loud enough to blow the side of a building off. More than enough power for anyone not playing stadiums.
Sound Quality
:
9
I use a Peavey Wolfgangs, and it seems like this guitar compliments the amp completely (which would make perfect sense, seeing as they were both used by the same artist) My band plays a variety of hard rock cover songs, and this amp can nail almost any of the sounds I need. Once again the clean channel isn't much to get excited about. It's there, and it works good enough. But the distortion kills. I use this on the Low Gain input with the Gain set on 3-4, and its still brutal. More distortion than anyone could ever possibly need. Many complain that it lacks bass, and at lower volumes, it does. But cranked up, it sounds awesome. It's only really noisy if its turned up past 4, but thats what noise gates are for. It does make a hissing noise while not being played, but supposedly new tubes fix this problem (I have yet to try).
Reliability
:
10
It's a tube amp, so there's always the risk of tubes dying, but then again, with only 2 power tubes, theres not a lot to replace, which makes my wallet happy. It's built like an ox (weighing in at near 100 lbs.) No problems with it yet, and I don't anticipate any anytime soon.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Never dealt with Peavey, for the 5150 or my Wolfgangs, which says something for their reliability if nothing else.
Overall Rating
:
9
I've been playing 5 years, and this is the best amp I've played yet. I know its not a boutique amp which seems like all the rage these days, but as a modern guitar player in a modern world, thats not what I want. If you're looking for a warm, overdriven sound, and pristine cleans, look elsewhere, but if you want a balls to the wall rock sound, the 5150 is your daddy.
Product: Peavey 5150 212
Price Paid: 990 (pounds sterling)
Submitted 03/29/2006
at 05:40am
by Gazwin
Features
:
8
This one was made in 2004. It's not versatile. This is a heavy metal amp. If you want clean sounds then you need to change the tubes and that kills the whole point of this amp. 2 channels. Rhythm and lead. The rhythm channel is pretty good. Lead channel lacks definition to me. The resonance dial combined with the closed back cab does generate a f**kin' heavy sound. This is not for someone who needs to play a multitude of styles. It's a metal amp. Don't run distotions or too many other effects thru it.It isn't designed for that. Trust me the amp distortion is amamzing. I see too many people spunking loads of money for a class valve amp and then they run a Boss GT6 thru it! * shrugs * Why?
I used it for reharsals and live venues in London.
Sound Quality
:
7
I always use Sg's or Lp's. Suited what I was playing. i.e. metal.
Being a really high gain amp this thing is noisy! It's always a trade off. Invest in a quality noise gate like the ISP decimator especially if using stompboxes. If you're using a GT6 or some other bit of digital crap with this amp then shame on you.
Clean!? forget it. It's not what it's designed for!!!
The distortion is extremely brutal and just squashes any other combo I've tried. Whether that's good I don't know. Maybe too much power and no finesse?
I have sold it on as I'm now playing in a band with a "lighter" sound.
Reliability
:
9
Seemed well built. All switches and dials are on top of the combo and not on the front panel. Simple footswitch works well but is plastic. Not sure how long this would last.
No problems with it while I owned it.
Customer Support
:
1
Never answered my e-mails. Thanks Peavey!
Overall Rating
:
7
Great amp but a one trick horse. I now use a Marshall TSL 602 which I think is superior and suits the band I play in. But that is just my taste. Both great amps. The Marshall just has more tone and versatility.
The amp's bloody heavy but that's part of the sound and character. I used to think I Was going to snap my spine lugging this thing about!
Could do with castors and side handles! If you haven't got space or the transport for a stack then this is a good choice. It sounds like a 4x12!
Product: Peavey 5150 212
Price Paid: US $600 used
Submitted 03/19/2006
at 07:32am
by Waynehead
Email: heddwayne at comcast<dot>net
Features
:
9
Bought this amp in 2002 and has been able to play to my perfection. The features are great because of the resonance and presence mode. Plus this is Eddie Van Halen's model so you know it will kick ass cuz he is the best.
Sound Quality
:
9
THIS AMP IS &^%$#!& LOUD, which is good for metal shredders. I am a guitar luthier (build guitars) I also have experience in building amps, I am still on a quest to find the perfect amp and this may not be it. but it is for the time being, what a lot of guitarist don't realize is that the hissing can be stopted with noise gates specifically the boss ns-2 and it will sound perfect, I know I know, why spend extra money on a pedal to hush hissing when I can buy some other amp such as a marshall or mesa boogie, because those two amps sound like $%^& compared tp the 5150 so stop your whining and if the amp hissing bothers you, buy a noise gate.
Reliability
:
8
This has never let me down sound wise, although it does weigh areound 90 pounds which is heavier than most amps, also does not have handles on the side of the amp likes most but one on the top which is $%^&ty, personally it looks really goofy picking it up like a lunch box and can possibly damage your back if moving it up and down the stairs buy your self like I have, but I have never worked out a day in my life so what the &^%$! maybe I should.....
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Overall Rating
:
9
Sounds fantasic which is the most important part, but lugging this amp around on tour, on and off of a van, up and down stairs, and in and out of venues every night with no help will give you quite a workout. Plus the wheels will slide the amp around in the van killing every band mate so put it on it's side even though it only has one shitty handle on the top!!!
Product: Peavey 5150 212
Price Paid: US $900
Submitted 03/04/2006
at 10:20pm
by Anonymous
Features
:
8
ITs a 2004 its got basic you know what it had when you got it so cant $%@^& about that
Sound Quality
:
8
sounds great pretty much ,,the average guitar selection lil harsh buta few good guys mod them cheap
Reliability
:
2
THIS is where it gets good preamp section whant south ,,music store had it for a month then they thought they let peavey fix it,,well peavey had it for like ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmm 5 months came back working with no reverb but it worked huh pretty good hell no,,looked like sumbody beat the $%^& out of the face plate all &^%$#@ up on top of it still didnt work right ,,mind you this still looked like a brand new amp mark free,, never ever will i get anything peavey again if thats what there about :O(
Customer Support
:
1
look up many times
Overall Rating
:
5
sucks i got a $%^&!@ one and they made it $%^&!@# cause it does sound nice
Product: Peavey 5150 212
Price Paid: US $525 used
Submitted 03/03/2006
at 12:47pm
by Jon
Features
:
10
Not sure on the year, but it is more than five years old.
Amp is perfect for everything I play. Normally this consists of brutal metal, but I also love playing simple clean music which I believe this amp to handle just fine! 2 channels that are switchable. No headphone jack. No real features I could ask for.
I use this amp in my apartment (much to my neighbors dismay...) and to play with my band. This amp w/o an extra cabinet holds it's ground against drums and the other musicians without even turning the volume as loud as it will go. I actually found that the 5150 combo got louder volumes than my close friend's marshall jcm 900 head.
Sound Quality
:
10
I play through a Epiphone Les Paul with humbuckers. This amp suits all my needs and more. The various tones you can get out of the Rhythmn channel cover anything I could ever dream of playing, and the Lead channel is full on metal pretty much. This amp is noisy as hell, even with a noise suppressor, but that is why they gave us a clean channel so you can foot switch after the song is over. You simply have to live with noise, any hi gain amp is going to hiss. I keep my gain around 7 and it creates a great deal of noise.
The clean channel gets as loud as my buddy's jcm 900 before distorting. He has the full half stack with a marshall 1960 cabinet, so I am not fretting about the clean volume at all. If you are playing a decent venue, everything will be mic'ed anyway, so you shouldn't worry about this.
The distortion is a God send in my opinion. There is something about the mesa and marshall tones that I just really don't like when playing metal. I have heard so many recordings of bands that I love and read how they played 5150's. If it is good enough for unearth, it is good enough for me (though I believe they got endorsed by someone else recently...)
The sounds out of this amp are incredible, and I know of a number of people that favor the combos to the heads. There are problems with the biasing on the heads that gives crossover distortion as well as poor clean tone. This can be modded, but it is going to cost you a pretty penny. More can be read here: http://www.eurotubes.com/euro-k.htm
Reliability
:
10
This thing is a tank. I have never dropped it, but you can read the other reviews where people have dropped em' down entire flights of stairs and the entire amp is fine. The last band I was in, knocked a dual rectifier off a cabinet, and a tube blew. Can't say I have been in these situations enough to say that the 5150 is built better, but I am willing to put my money on this amp outlasting tons of others.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Never had a problem!
Overall Rating
:
10
I have had this amp for a year now, and only had one tube fail. If this amp was stolen or lost, I would look for another 5150 combo.
I love the overall tone, volume, and over the top distortion. This amp does EVERYTHING I could possibly dream of, and I don't plan on ever parting with it.
Only thing I could possibly dislike is the freaking hiss, but there is not a SINGLE thing you can do about this on ANY high gain amp.
I compared this amp to my friend's marshall jcm 900 half stack, 5150 half stack, Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier Half stack, and found that this amp had all the sounds I wanted for the price, and was still practical enough for me to jam with a drummer. Later on I plan on adding a cabinet to this amp for added volume, but mainly for stage presence. This amp does it all!
Product: Peavey 5150 212
Price Paid: US $550
Submitted 02/20/2006
at 07:41am
by Kris
Email: eatsleepskateslipknot<at>yahoo dot com
Features
:
8
My amp was shipped out September 1993, I play mainly '80s style metal, and instrumental stuff(think Steve Vai). Lately, I've also been playing rock opera/broadway type stuff. Great sound through the amp, however if you play like $%^&, the amp will show it. Doesn't hide your tone. It is a tube/combo amb with two 12" speakers, hence the name 212 Combo. (Played a $3,000 Marshall half stack and this amp blows it away.)
Sound Quality
:
9
Right now I have an ESP LTD KH-202(Kirk Hammett Sig.) and an ESP LTD EXP-200("Lawsuit Edition" Explorer) and both guitars sound great in it, the KH-202 has dual EMG HZ-4 passive pickups in it and the Explorer has dual duncan designed humbuckers, both sound great but I'm getting an EMG 81/60 or 85(neck) set up for the Explorer and I'm selling the KH-202 to get a ESP LTD Deluxe M-1000. The amp has great tone, pinch/natural harmonics are incredible sounding. Can get a good strat sound if you turn up the gain on the rythm channel and use it with destortion, but then again, who wants a strat sound? This amp wasn't made for Eric Clapton. The only problem with the amp is the noise the fuzzy "hiss" is constant on the rhythm channel and even louder on lead(less noticeable whilst playing on the lead, though). I think the tone is just friggin' killer, best amp I've played.
Reliability
:
10
This amp is the definition of badass, weighs 84.5 pounds by itself, that by itself makes it strong as hell, built like a tank.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
I did call Peavey at one time, whoever owned the amp before did not take care of the tubes, I got it used. It sounds great right now and will probably sound even better when I get new tubes/speakers in it, the post gain pot on the rhythm channel is dirty, (which obviously won't be the same on every 5150) so it makes a crackling noise when you turn it, but that's just with mine because the previous owner didn't take care of it. The company was very friendly/helpful and they helped me a lot, stayed on the phone with me for 20 minutes and helped me diagnose the problem, didn't get irate with me or anything. I definetely wouldn't mind dealing with them again, not sure on the warranty, got mine used, but I do know my local shop has a 1 year warranty on anything you buy from them.(Which has run out had it for 13 months now and still working great on old tubes/speakers/electronics.)
Overall Rating
:
10
All you people need to stop !@#$%ing about not being able to find tones like Eddie Van Halen's or Zakk Wylde's or anything, any amp is made for you to find your own tone/sound, they just provide the sound and good electronics, playing guitar isn't about COPYING famous guitarists, play because you WANT to play, not for the money.
Product: Peavey 5150 212
Price Paid: 1500 (can)
Submitted 02/02/2006
at 01:55pm
by Stephane Dufour
Features
:
6
my amp is a 2000 and I like all the features. I put casters and handle (85 lbs) . The only bad point:The amp doesnt have crunch on/off on the footswich (footswitch cable lenght =20``--good-)
Sound Quality
:
9
gibson lespaul classic 1960 (reissu),Boss GT6 ,Cry Baby Wha Pedal
5150 sound very good ... a truee tube sound, but dont abuse of pre amp gain, its a gain monster he can give a very very saturated sound ..BE CAREFUL!!
Reliability
:
No Opinion
Heavy but very strong amp
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
5 years warranty are good but I didnt need it
Overall Rating
:
10
a very versatile map to rock hard. try it and if its your amp you will know very fast. Its my amp.Is not very expensive and better tube give him a better sound
Product: Peavey 5150 212
Price Paid: US $600.00 used
Submitted 01/27/2006
at 09:07am
by anonymous
Features
:
9
Built in 2002. Decent clean channel through low gain input, so that covers the clean. It is not a fender type clean but still very good. The amp is versatile enough for me. I play hard rock, metal and blues. Clean channel has the crunch switch which is very cool. Adds alot of gain and you can get alot of different tones on this channel alone with that switch. Good feature. Reverb is included. I only use it when playing clean. I gig every week with this amp. Plenty of power. Extremely loud and cuts through a full band well..
Sound Quality
:
10
This is the best amp ever! Pure tube, sweet, warm, and nasty. I use a Peavey Wolfgang, Fender Stratocaster, Gibson Les Paul Standard and gibson es-335. I can get any rock and roll sound you can think of.I have played for 22 years and have not heard a finer sounding piece of gear. I have the matching 5150 cabinet and a Marshall 1960B cabinet That I can use with it. Both cabs sound great through it though I like the sound of the 5150 cab slightly better. It does Vintage 30 better than the real thing. The thing I like the most about it is its ability to sound great at low volumes and then just explodes and sounds 10 times better when loud (master at 4-5)The volume just slams you in the chest like a sledge hammer. I never take the gain on the lead channel above 4, I just crank the volume and that does the rest. There is a misconception that the more gain you use the better. This is not true. You must drive the output tubes as well to get a truly great sound. I played for years using too much distortion and it just thins out your sound. Cleaner = fatter tone and better technique. You just can't hide behind alot of distortion although this amp has more gain than You could ever use if you want it. This amp is also unforgiving to sloppy technique. If you can't play this amp will show it.
Reliability
:
10
Never had a problem. Nuff said.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
never had to deal with them .
Overall Rating
:
10
Like I said , the best amp ever. Why pay more for tone?
Product: Peavey 5150 212
Price Paid: US $600 used
Submitted 01/09/2006
at 08:27pm
by Hakk Wyldly
Email: ntloser<at>hotmail dot com
Features
:
1
I am not sure what year the amp was made in. I bought the combo used on Ebay. It has new power and pre amp tubes with less than 5 hours on them.
It has 3 channels, effects loop and a foot switch option.
We all know the specs
The amp is loud
Sound Quality
:
3
I can't get close to any VH type sound. Think has nasaly mids. The EQ, presence and bright swtich (on rythym channel) are useless. They hardly do anything. I thought the amp was broken but the local repair shop gave it a clean bill of health.
The clean channel isn't very clean
The distortion is brutal and sounds like shit. Lead channel is not needed rythm channel has enough gain that anything past 7 is unusable.
I was able to dial in a Zakk Wylde type sound but that was it.
I've heard several audio clips of this combo producing a really good tone. I am completely disappointed and I no longer believe the sound clips I head came out of a 5150 combo.
Reliability
:
No Opinion
I haven't had it long enough.
Customer Support
:
1
Called Peavey to get a replacement panel, (yeah I wanted to make it at least look pretty since it sounded so bad). After navigating through the PBS the phone in the parts center just rang and rang for 6 minutes nad 14 seconds.
Overall Rating
:
1
I have been playing for 12 years. I am just getting back into it now after a 12 year hiatus.
Product: Peavey 5150 212
Price Paid: US $520.00 on EBay used
Submitted 12/02/2005
at 12:46pm
by Nick
Features
:
6
1996 block letter 2X12 combo 60 of the LOUDEST watts I've ever heard.
everyone knows what these amps are all about feature wise so I'll just move on. I give it a 6 because I wish It had separate eq's for the 2 channels and I wish the crunch was included in the foot pedal.
got it used on Ebay from the original owner and he took really good care of it. looks brand new!
I wish it had a line out and a headphone jack but no biggie.
Sound Quality
:
9
I play a Jackson SL2H-Mah soloist and GMW Charvel strat clone and a San Dimas Jackson bolt on strat. All 3 have Seymour Duncans in them.
I play mostly old school 80's type of rock/metal- Van halen, Ratt, Dokken, Ozzy, Yngwie,Megadeth etc, but I also play alot of fusion and some Jazz. This amp is not for fusion or jazz, it is a kick ass rock/metal amp period and as far as that goes I have to give this amp a 9. when I got it it still had the original chineese tubes in it. I did a total retube with JJ's and it made a very noticable difference. the lead channel on this thing is really noisy, but the JJ's did eliminate a lot of the hiss ( an ISP Decimator in the loop kills the rest), and the overall tone greatly improved. It also cleaned up the rhythm channel nicely, now it actually sounds good clean.
As far as what this amp is supposed to do,it does it really well. I have a real good Megadeth "Rust in Peace" tone dialed in right now on the rhythm channel with the crunch in. It just sounds f'n amazing, even at low volume this thing sounds great but it really shines when you turn up the post gain past 4, then WHOAHHHHHHHH, freaking loud as hell but man what a great sound you can get out of this thing.
When I plug in my GMW (solid maple quilt body and maple neck) and adjust the EQ a little bit and add on the slap back delay think Ratt" Lay it Down", it's almost like Warren is in the room with you!
The lead channel is great for .......... ah leads, the tone is voiced just a little differently on the lead channel from the rhythm channel and it gives you a little range in tone. I wish the crunch was included in the foot pedal but no biggie. I don't really get a real "Early Van Halen" sound out of this amp but I can get close enough. With a marshal cab with a mix of V30s and g12h-75s I know I could get real close. VhAholic (check it out http://www.jasonjosephphotography.com/soundclips.html)
nails that VH tone with his 5150 combo and I think the difference is in the speakers.
Regardless I love this amp!
I have a B-52 AT-212 combo that I use for Jazz and fusion and more mesa sounding metal tones,but for old school metal, browner tone
this amp just Kicks Ass! I'd give it a 10 but you really only get one tone out of this thing albeit it is a killer tone, so you lose 1 for lack of versatility.
Reliability
:
No Opinion
haven't had it long enough to tell but it certainly is built like a truck. I don't expect to have any problems with this thing at all.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
I have not ever dealt with Peavey but I've never heard anything bad. The Peavey forum is certainly helpful enough.
Overall Rating
:
9
I've been playing on and off since 1975, I wish I had this amp back in the early 80's when I was doing a lot of gigging and playing all that cool 80's metal in clubs.
If this thing dies on me I would probably get a JSX combo, only because it's more versatile, and it sounds a little better at lower volumes than this does, but I think 5150s are a kick ass amp.
If I was playing in a metal band that was gigging out a lot, this would probably be my amp of choice. I can't ever imagine having a hard time cutting through the mix using one of these amps. This is easily the loudest 60 watt combo I've ever heard. the guy I got this from on ebay was the original owner and installed wheels and included the manual and a cover, and took really good care of it. so I did really well on this one. SCORE!
Product: Peavey 5150 212
Price Paid: US $560.00
Submitted 10/03/2005
at 12:19pm
by BKH
Features
:
8
I bought the amp used on Ebay - I was told it is from 2000 or so. Features are pretty basic - Rhythm and lead channels both with gain controlls but no seperate Eq. It it also has effects loop and reverb. Beyond that what else do you need - it's a tube amp! If you want an amp to be able to model a hundred different amps buy solid state. One very large plus for this amp is that, at least mine, has a great sound at low volume and obviously it is a world shaker at high volume. I give it an 8 because it would be nice to have separate EQ controls for the channels
Sound Quality
:
10
I have had this amp for about 18 months and have been foolishly trying to scale down and get rid the 5150 since I bought it. It is a lot of amp! Here is what I have discovered - I can't get rid of it because is blows away everything I have tried to replace it with. Since I bought this amp I have played an '84 Kramer Focus 3000 (with a really beefy Dimarzio humbucker) and have been happy with the sound. I can get wicked thumping metal through the lead channel but also really nice bluesy sound in the rhythm channel - SRV like stuff with the bridge pick-up. Recently I switched to an Epi Les Paul (yes this is also and endorsement for the Epi Les Paul) and my feelings for this amp are set in stone now. This is a great amp that can do almost anything - I run from Metal to Blues to Punk to Cow Punk and Psychobilly - this amp can do it all. You just have to tweek the gain and reasonance. I have had no noise problems. I think my tube selection has a lot do to with the versatility - Groove Tube power tubes and JJ preamp tubes - a ying and yang tube philosopy that seems to be working. If you are looking for shimmering clean sound or twang this is not the amp for you.
Reliability
:
10
I have had no problems - I live on a nice quiet street and do not drive the amp much but do play loud enough to really feel that I am playing. Tubes last me quite a long time - if you are out gigging a lot they will not last as long. The amp is very heavy and very well built! In transit the spring reverb is very rattly - does not affect the sound - it's just odd. I have had other spring reverb amps that did not make as much noise when moved.
Customer Support
:
7
I have dealt with them only in the 80's after I bought a Stereo Chorus 400. I had a problem and they replaced the amp. My only gripe with Peavey is that their warranty is non-transeferable. The warranty on mine ran out long before I bought it.
Overall Rating
:
9
Epi Les Paul has become my main guitar - I cannot believe how long I played a strat copy. I will hold on to the Kramer for sentimental reasons. I have a pretty long row of Boss effects that work well through the effects loop.
Here is what I have tried to replace the 5150 with - a Mesa Boogie 50 Caliber Plus, Marshall JCM 600 and a Peavey Triple X. Of the three the Marshall was hardest to part with (traded it for the Les Paul). The Triple X was fun but a one trick pony and the Mesa...I do not understand the status Mesa enjoys.
One thing that would be a nice addition - Clean channel with no gain control and stronger reverb. If it were stolen I would certainly replace it!
Product: Peavey 5150 212
Price Paid: US $200.00
Submitted 07/08/2005
at 10:37pm
by Kramr
Features
:
7
Please read the other reviews for the feature list. I've modded mine for an external bias control pot (I mounted it near the power tubes). I also added a "master" volume pot, which I mounted underneath also. This allows me to turn the PRE and POST pots to my liking without meltdown. I wish it had an EQ on each channel, but I added an additional tone stack with sweepable mids for that also.
For the $1100 retail price, it's lacking features.
Sound Quality
:
9
Excellent sounds. The harmonics that come from the lead channel are rich, high, and outright incredible. The distortion is heavier than any other amp I've played. It's also noisier than any amp I've played. A noise gate in the effects loop tames this. The rhythm channel can be clean, but it's not "chimey" like Fenders and Marshalls can be.
Reliability
:
8
I rebuilt this amp from 50% up. It was destroyed when I got it. All pots broken, bias resistor burned, PCBs not even in the chassis, reverb not working, etc. Fortunately, I can fix these things myself. It's reliable now.
Customer Support
:
1
Mine has been out of warranty since before I owned it. Peavey's parts department is a freaking joke. Those people don't know what part goes where. They don't even have diagrams to look at. You'd better know the 11-digit part number when you call... which is hard to do when you need a "4 long screws that bolt the chassis to the cab", of which there are 10 different sizes. 6 out of the 8 orders I called in resulted in either the wrong parts or nothing at all. They never even bothered to call and tell me that they were out of a part... just took my credit card info and left me waiting. Amazing. If my company ran its business like this, we'd be finished. Yep, basically worthless.
Overall Rating
:
5
I've been a fan of Peavey's amps for quite a while. But if they can't get their act together in the parts department, I'll videotape myself pushing my Peaveys in the swimming pool and share it with you all. Yeah, melodramatic, but today was another wrong parts shipment. The parts department is killing their rating here in my review.
I've got an XXL head and 5150 4x12 cab also. It's a great SS amp for the money.
Product: Peavey 5150 212
Price Paid: US $675.00 used
Submitted 07/03/2005
at 09:07pm
by Rollie Delgado
Email: rwdelgado at msn<dot>com
Features
:
8
just got my second 5150 combo. Made in late 2004 I believe. Identical in all ways to my first. I got another one so that I can run stereo. I also run an ADA MP-1 tube pre-amp, and a Digitech GNX4 digital modeler into the effects returns on both amps for a stereo sound. The 5150's make a great power amp too! Absolutly huge sound! Has all the features.
Sound Quality
:
10
This is why I am writing a review again. Using the same Musicman EVH and Peavey Wolfgang guitars as before, This combo sounds way better than my other one. WAAAYYYYY better. I have never heard so much shredding gain from any amp I have ever heard, PERIOD! My friend has a FRAMUS COBRA head and it does not compare to the 5150. Tight, articulate, even ordered harmonic crunch. Almost violin like distortion. Just unbeleivable. I opened it up to check the tubes and guess what? The tubes are what is making all of the difference. My other 5150 has JJ tubes and the new one uses Sovtek wxt+ power tubes and Electro Harmonix 12ax7eh pre-amp tubes. I swapped them and the first combo sounded like the newer one. The JJ's sound good too, but the Sovtek-Electro Harmonix combination takes it for sheer gain and note definition. Overall better tone. No buzziness or harsh overtones. No noticable increase in background hiss. We will see how long they keep sounding that good. Good tubes mean everything boys and babes!
Reliability
:
8
As before built like a tank. I fully expect this one to last for years
Customer Support
:
9
Good People. I had a pickup fail on a brand new Wolfgang and Steve Smith from peavey had another one out to me in two days. Very cool!
Overall Rating
:
10
Been playing, sound teching and consulting for 25 years. This is one of the top 5 best Rock and Metal amps on the planet. I have heard others that only sounded slightly better for 3 times the price and there is a cut-off point where all that extra money does not get you that much more of an amp. I have compared it to Soldano, Marshalls of all types, Bogner, Framus, Engle, Boogie, Deizel, and Line 6 Vetta, It, and it's little brothers the the Triple XXX and the JS-X can hold their own with any of the high priced stuff for Overdriven distorted tones, especially with the right tubes. Spend that extra $1,500 dollars you will save on another guitar or a night of sin in Vegas. Peavey Rokkkkkkkkkks!
Product: Peavey 5150 212
Price Paid: US $1000
Submitted 05/05/2005
at 03:03pm
by Chris
Email: csoulbushcreed at yahoo<dot>com
Features
:
7
Peavey 5150 212 combo, 60 watts, 5 12AX7 Preamp and 2 6L6 Power Tubes. 2 Channels (lead/rhythm) shared EQ. Bright and Crunch controls on rhythm, resonance and presence on lead. FX loop. I do wish it had seperate EQ controls. Unfortunately peavey never made a 5150 II combo, only the head version. The combos are fixed bias and from my experience a little better on clean tone. Don't get me wrong, this is still no Fender Bassman or 65 Twin Reverb..Its not made for clean. Loud Loud Loud!!
Sound Quality
:
8
The amp sounds ok at low volumes as long as you crank the presence control. The louder you turn the amp (post gain = volume) the less presence you need. With postgain on 1 i keep resonance at 8. With post gain at 3 I bump presence back to 4. (keeping resonance up for low end). I use Fender Atomic Humbuckers and Stock MIM single coils. The humbuckers sound great but the single coils are not so hot. I purchased this amp because Ross Childress used this amp when touring for Collective Soul and he has a very long sustain, hot lead tone. I later found out his lead tone came from his Fender 65 Twin Reverb with an Ibanez Tube King and/or an Ibanez PUE5 Tubescreamer and he just ran the 5150 dry along side of it to thicken up his sound.
The amp is fairly quiet on the rhythm channel..on lead with the pre-gain past 5 and it'll hum like the dickens. Doesn't really matter if your going to be riffing anyways. The clean channel is do-able. Raise the post gain to around 4 and drop the pre-gain on the rhythm channel to 1.5 bright switch in, crunch switch out and it has a very decent clean tone. The distortion on the amp is not very versatile..It has that Peaveyesque flavor to it that you can't shake (not necessarily a bad thing) off..... I did put JJ tubes in and it helped the sound a little.. Not sure if an untrained ear would be able to notice the difference but it did help the sound a bit. The louder the amp is, the less gain you need and the better it sounds. For this reason I'm trying to sell mine (if your interested email me). Because I have kids and I don't get a chance to explore the amps full potential..I would rather have something I can get nice hi-gain tones at low volumes (Tonelab SE, POD..something along those lines)
Reliability
:
10
This weighs 85 lbs, very solid. Manufactured very well. Easy to replace tubes. Tubes are well protected..
Customer Support
:
6
Better than Fender but its not Robert Keeley/Dr. Z service...
Overall Rating
:
7
I've been playing for 7 years. This is a good amp but I would get something else if stolen. The tone is great but its just not my tone..I'm still searching for my own unique sound..I'm going for a saturated (almost synth like) distortion that allows some chord work without completely fuzzing out. I'm leaning toward a Vox Tonelab SE in conjunction with some gear and an old Fender amp I have.
Overall If you like metal/rock and will be playing gigs and shows. Go for this. Csoul, 3 doors down..lots of bands use them (lets not forget EVH used them at some point..but not anymore) If your a bedroom player there is more practical gear that you can buy for $500 to $1000.
Product: Peavey 5150 212
Price Paid: US $648.99 used
Submitted 04/30/2005
at 07:45pm
by Chris Damron
Features
:
7
Everyone knows the features.
My only problem is the lack of 2 seperate EQ's for each channel.
But thats what the 5150II is for. Another thing...people complain about there not being a clean. If you want a clean amp, why are you even looking at this? You should know that the 5150 is a Hi-Gain amp. I play mainly a mix of grindcore, hardcore, metalcore, and doom metal...and this thing gets the job done.
Sound Quality
:
10
Firstly, I plugged my Dimebucker-equiped LTD M-100 into it. Brutal. the Rhythm channel has a nice cutting crunch, and when you click the crunch switch off and roll the gain back a little, it gets a really nice, fat, ballsy blues sound. Now for the Lead channel. This thing gets waaaay more gain than I'll ever need!
Next was my 1964 single coil Jaguar. It had a lot of hum and feedback, but still retained some clarity and had a nice fat sound when i used just a little overdrive on the Rhythm channel.
Reliability
:
10
This thing is built like a frickin' tank! It's all of 85 pounds, and it shows! The thing as almost as big as my Marshall cabinet. Other than a few cosmetic issues (that were there when i got it), this thing rocks!
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Havn't had any problems yet.
Overall Rating
:
9
I give it a 9, just because I wish that there was an extra EQ for both channels. But like stated above, that's what the 5150II is for.
Product: Peavey 5150 212
Price Paid: US $1000 new
Submitted 03/21/2005
at 10:10am
by Mark of Fecal Plume, IN
Features
:
10
All-tube, 2 channels: Rhythm & Lead. Rhythm has Bright and Crunch switches. Both channels share 3 band parametric EQ and Resonance and Presence functions. Also has reverb, FX loop (very handy). Fairly steamlined design--simple is good. Still, eminently tweakable given these features. 16 ohm extension cab jack. Insane amount of gain. 60W, louder than God.
Sound Quality
:
10
I use several humbucker guitars--MIA Wolfgang Special FT, Gibson Les Paul Standard, Deluxe Fat Strat--and play mostly classic rock and metal. I have it hooked into a 16 ohm 5150 4-12 cab--holy shit, can that thing move air. You could die from the concussive force. (If you use an extension cab, WATCH YER OHMS!!) Now I know what those Al-Qaeda fuckers feel when one of those Daisy Cutter bombs go off overhead. I've Ebola-tized my brain many a night with this amp.
I usually just use the rhythm channel, pre-gain at 5-7, post-gain no more than 2. I have literally knocked shit off walls and shelves. I retubed the power section with JJ6l6s--HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, worth the price (which is modest), and Bob at Eurotubes is a helluva good guy. This amp does NOT like pedals in front of it, especially any OD/distortion. I run everything through the FX loop, but really don't need *any* distortion devices. If you think you need more gain, you're nuttier than a North Korean dictator.
It's a little noisy, and doesn't get Fender-clean. That's what they make Twin Reverbs for--but it's clean enough for me. Best of both worlds--TR for clean, 5150 for sonic mayhem. This amp is about as subtle as a horde of meth-stoked bikers kicking in your front door and crapping on your froo-froo Persian rug.
So, 3 words of advice: use an ext. cab, retube with JJs, and run pedals (if you think they are necessary at all) through the FX loop.
Reliability
:
9
The fuse has gone out a coupla times, but no big deal. The original tubes got kinda flakey once, so I replaced 'em.
Customer Support
:
10
I have hit up the Peavey online amp forum a number of times, and Roger Crimm (Peavey tech dude) and other users have helped TREMENDOUSLY. Roger is Da Man! I've never had to look elsewhere for help. Those guys diagnosed problems online that my local tech could not identify by physically inspecting it. It's preternatural, and I suspect voodoo is involved. That said, the few problems I've had were minor.
Overall Rating
:
10
I've been playing 8 years and have had tons of gear--most of which I dumped in Stalinesque purges. I've had the 5150 about 3 years, and no way will I part with it. This amp is all about RAWK, dudes. And it sounds killer without having to use any pedals to color it.
It would be nice if it had separate EQs for each channel, like the 5150 II head, but no biggie. It's a heavy mother, too--casters would be nice. You need an industrial grade floorjack to move this thing, unless Jason Giambi or some other MLB 'roid freak is yer friend. The reverb is kinda lame, but then again, it ain't a surf-amp.
This is a classic amp, right up there with Fender blackfaces, Marshall plexis and JCM 800s, Vox AC30, Mesa rectumfriers, and stuff like that--it's pro-level equipment. It's relatively cheap for what you're getting in terms of quality, too.
If it got ripped off, I'd follow the blood trail at a walk, as the perp will be dragging his bleeding entrails out his ass trying to carry this, slowly.
Product: Peavey 5150 212
Price Paid: 1200 (CDN)
Submitted 03/11/2005
at 11:06am
by Chris
Features
:
7
This, according to the Peavey rep, was the second last 5150 combo made for Canada in late 2004. You know the features by now, 2 channel, all tube, high gain, loud, etc... This amp is a rock and roll amp, pure and simple. It does not have a 'clean' channel. It has rhythm and lead. Very basic Pre/Post and EQ controls. Serial effects loop, footswitchable channels and reverb on/off. 60 Watts, can output to another speaker cab. This is amp is a very loud amplifier for 60 watts. Turn the post gain up to 2-3 is usually too loud for just practice level at home. At band rehearsals and the like, it is perfect. My only complaint about the amp, is its weight. It is easily 80 pounds or more, and is not very easy to move around. No casters or side handles. I'm knocking of a point or two for this only. This is not a very feature rich amplifier. It is very simple. Simple is good.
Sound Quality
:
9
I'm playing through this amp with an Musicman Axis guitar usually. Combined with the 5150, it is a tone monster. The amp totally cooks for rock/hard rock styles. The amp does have a fair bit of hiss when idle, but this is more or less the norm for high gain amplifiers. Replacing the stock tubes really cut this down alot for me. I replaced the stock Electroharmonix 12ax7/Ruby 6l6 tubes, with JJ tubes. Trust me, you want to do this. Really improved the amp for me. I generally get a great tone from the amp, I can nail early Van Halen sounds as well as more modern tones as well, if I want to. As I said earlier, the amp doesn't have a clean channel, clean sounds can be coaxed out of the rhythm channel, but they're not the greatest. It's not what this amp is about. If you're looking for a sparkling clean sounds, buy a Fender amp. This amp will do just about any kind of rock/hard rock/metal sound, but it don't do clean well. The distortion on this thing is over the top, most people won't ever need to put it up to what it can do, I usually have my lead gain setting at about 4-5. The resonance/presence controls on this amp give it alot of control for high/low end sound. You can really tweak your exact tone with them. Tweaking the amp is a very tricky thing, for me anyway. It took me a while to figure out how to use it correctly. It seemed simple enough Bass, Mid, High, Resonance, Presence, but it seems that all these controls effect each other more than other amps I've tried. You really have to experiment to get them just right. So to sum up, this is a tone monster for rock players, clean players should look elsewhere, so a point or two off there.
Reliability
:
9
Not much I can say about it. I only got it in December and haven't gigged it yet. I'd carry spare tubes and a fuse or two maybe if I were to gig with it. It is a Peavey, and they're pretty solid so I'm not too worried about it. The unit is built like a tank, and about half as heavy as one.
Customer Support
:
8
Peavey is Peavey, I'm sure you know of them. I've spoken to some of thier customer support people recently and in the past online. They seem helpful enough. They're usually quite informative as well. Authorized Peavey service centers are everywhere. The amp comes with a 2 year warranty, and if you register your amp with Peavey I think they extend it another 2 or three years.
Overall Rating
:
9
I've been playing for almost twenty years and have had a few nice amps over the years. I've always had tube screamers or overdrive pedals in front of my amps, eqs in front and in the loop, etc.. Always trying to get that perfect rock guitar tone, I've been close, but since I bought the 5150 I'm closer than ever. Probably as close as I'm going to get until I cave and buy a Soldano or something of that caliber. I'm quite happy with the amp, other than the weight issue. If it were lost or stolen I'd buy another if possible. I love the sounds this thing can make, and the way it makes my guts move when cranked. I hate its cumbersome weight and dimensions. I compared this to a couple of Marshall combos and a Mesa Boogie. I picked this one because it sounded different than the Marshalls, and was much cheaper then the Mesa, I didn't really dig the sound of the Mesa either, I sounded like every other player with a Mesa, yawn. For the price, this amp cannot be beat as a kick ass rock guitar amp. I do wish it could do better clean sounds sometimes, but then I switch on the lead channel again and forget all about that.
Product: Peavey 5150 212
Price Paid: 1299.00 (CDN)
Submitted 03/09/2005
at 12:29pm
by Anonymous
Features
:
10
Everyone knows.
Sound Quality
:
10
SD JB Pickup in a Yammie AES620
CHANGED TUBES TO EUROTUBES JJ LOW GAIN OPTION
AND ALL RATINGS ARE BASED ON THIS. WE ALL KNOW WHAT A STOCK 5150 SOUNDS LIKE SO HERE IT IS WITH THE JJ LOW GAIN TUBES.
First, the gain is way more controlled and yes it is LESS but in a rich creamy smooth way with gobs of control and overtones. Pre gain at 10 is similar to what it was like on 5-6 in stock trim at lower volumes but crank the post with pre on 7-9 and drive the 6L6s and WOW! this thing is an even bigger more controllable MONSTER of tone. I've had Marshalls, Mesas, VHT to name a few and with a 5150 4X12 cab under it, this combo BLOWS EVERYTHING ELSE I'VE HAD AWAY!!! No shit! Get a cab under it and some JJ tubes from Bob at Eurotubes (which ever gain option you like) and it will be all you have been searching for.....low gain tubes gives creamy blues to rippin' metal....
Reliability
:
10
Built like a tank.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
No dealings yet.
Overall Rating
:
10
Stock it works well for those who are working on finding their tone.
With JJ tubes, you'll wonder why you have spent so much looking for that sound up until now.
Product: Peavey 5150 212
Price Paid: US $650 used
Submitted 01/06/2005
at 11:26am
by Eric
Email: sk84food<at>earthlink dot net
Features
:
9
I recently bought a peavey 5150 2x12 combo and it is an all tube 60 watt combo amp with great distortion and reverb. This amp can play mostly any style of music but it surpasses good quality in music with distortion with low end. There is an effects loop and a speaker output. This thing totally blows away in power and i dont know why people buy the half stack this thing is so damn loud.
Sound Quality
:
10
This thing is an absolute beast. I took a chance buying this amp because i play all styles of music from Clapton to Slayer, and im only 15 years old and i saved all summer for this so if it didnt work out i was screwed. Well im glad i bought this bad boy. It plays my styles and more. The distortion takes a while to find your sweet spot but once you find it it kicks some ass. For extral low end take off the back speaker cover. The clean is awesome with the pre gain rythm low and the post gain high. So sweet. With the distortion high it makes quite a hiss so put a noise gate in the effects loop to take most of the hiss out. I am actually still trying to find some good settrings for drop tuning songs like atreyu, killswitch engage, shadows fall and other shit like that. if someone could e-mail me i would love it.
Reliability
:
8
I acually just got the amp a week ago and i got it used so apperantly it can hold up this long. Just use the standby switch before powering on and off for longer tube life. I would definatly take this thing lone ranger to a gig.
Customer Support
:
7
Havent contacted peavey although their site isn't very helpful since van halen and peavey's partnership bvroke up and this amp is now the 6505 but the manual is on the internet as well as a sweet site with some settings for this amp www.wolfgangregistry.com
Overall Rating
:
9
I've been playing for about 7 years now and im fifteen so thats like 50% of my life. I run my gibson flying v with stock humbuckers even though im looking into a pair of emg 81's. i use a crybaby wah and the boss noise suppressor.I love this amp all around. although i do wish it had a clean channel by itself because the rythm sounds so good distorted and the lead channel cant get very clean. I still love this amp in every aspect. I fit were stolen i would have bno choice but to hunt the thief down force his head in front of the speakers and turn this all the way up and blaze out angel of death by slayer while i watch his brains splatter on the wall. I think i just found my new best friend and it is such a deal everyone should own one.
Product: Peavey 5150 212
Price Paid: 550 (#) used
Submitted 01/01/2005
at 12:25pm
by Anonymous
Features
:
7
2 channels, "rhythm" and "lead". the rhythm (clean) channel has 2 extra switches, one is bright and the other is crunch. it has ya standard eq type setup plus reverb, resonance and presence. it also has a hi gain and low gain input. it is fitted with 12ax7's and 2 6L6 valves. I believe its a mid 90's amp.
Sound Quality
:
9
I use a les paul special and i play metal and prog type stuff like incubus. to be honest if you are playing anything remotely heavy this amp is all you will need. get rid of ya distortion pedals too cuz this thing is PHAT. it is ridiculously loud. i used to play through a 100w laney head and 4x12 cab and this thing blows it to shit. if you value your ears you wont turn this thing up past half volume. now this thing doesn't get rave reviews for its clean channel but if you are thinking of buying this then im guessing you dont care too much about clean channels. if you want a clean channel go buy a fender or a vox. however i dont mind the clean channel that much on it, i think it is much better than most people give it credit for. also this thing is a little bit on the noisy side but it is such a high gain amp that i guess it is to be expected. good choice of valves should remedy that problem.
Reliability
:
9
the only backup i would recommend on this thing is health insurance because it is stupidly loud and weighs the same as the eiffel tower. this thing is as sturdy as a tank and i have nearly given myself a hernia on several occasions trying to lift it. the simple answer would be to have handles fitted on the side but i aint got round to it yet. i cant see this thing breaking unless someone dropped a large planet on it.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
well it hasnt broken on me so i havent had to deal with peavey yet.
Overall Rating
:
9
ive been playin about 4 years now but i used to work in a guitar shop so i have fiddled with a hell of a lot of gear and i can honestly say i have never seen a combo like this. it dumps on jcm2000 combos and mesa combos. i actually chose it over a mesa rocket. if i had to replace it, i would only buy the same again. It looks sexy, it sounds sexy. Buy it.
Product: Peavey 5150 212
Price Paid: N/A
Submitted 12/10/2004
at 06:11pm
by Anonymous
Features
:
4
i dunnno the exact year of my amp but it has the EVH signature. I play mostly metal and some blues. It has enough versatility for me in this regard, seeing as tho im not too keen on the classic blues tone.
Sound Quality
:
No Opinion
i run it through an ibanez rg with active EMG pickups. Im really dsiapointed with the combo version of this amp overall. i bought it and tried and tried as much time and effort i put into it, i could never coax the right tone from this thing. I was very specifically looking for that brutal early In Flames/At The gates kind of distortion. it was always too.....clear. like the distortion was TOO tight. I guess i would attribute it to teh fact that the combos are biased hotter than the heads.
A few months later i just bit the bullet, sold the damn thing and put down the money for the half stack. The half stack had all the tone this combo was missing. If u want a 5150 and ur looking for a specific tone, go all out and get the head or dont even bother. The head blows this away in terms of tone, power and gain.
Reliability
:
No Opinion
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Overall Rating
:
No Opinion
Product: Peavey 5150 212
Price Paid: US $600.00 used
Submitted 12/09/2004
at 07:39pm
by R. Price
Features
:
8
I am not sure exactly what the exact year of manufacture is. Sometime in the late 1990's. The amp is two channels, rhythm and lead. The rhythm channel has a bright switch for boosting the high end at low gain settings and a crunch switch for boosting the gain structure, giving you the option of a second drivin channel. Both channels share the same three band EQ. The amp has global reverb, presence and resonance. 60 Watts, enough power to carry most rooms and any stage. I like the lower watt tube amps. I like to be able to push the tubes without making everyones ears bleed. I rear controls are pretty straight forward. Effects send and return, footswitch jack and extention speaker jack. Over all most of what you need and nothing you don't.
Sound Quality
:
9
My primay guitar is a 1998 Les Paul Studio with stock pickups. I also play a 1983 Carvin CM130 loaded with Seymour Duncan 59's. Setting this amp up as a dual gain amplifier, all I can say is that I love the amp. With the rhythm channel set up with the crunch switch engage gain set from 8 to 10 and the lead set up with the gain set to 6 or 8, this is the ultimate rock and roll amplifier. The drawback is that it is very difficult to get this amp to "clean up". If you play music requiring good clean work, especially chording, this amp won't do it. Believe me I have tried tirelessly. As far as noise, yeah it has some hiss. More gain, more hiss. Every high gain amp has hissing, there is no way to get around it.
Reliability
:
10
It's a tube amp you need to be ready for maintance. I have gigged with it without a backup. Four or more hours of solid rockin. I been lucky in that I have never blown a tube during a gig. But I have blown them in practice. I always carry a full set of tubes with me at gigs and several spare fuses. I have never had anything other problems other than tubes. The amp is built like a rock. It weighs a ton and is constructed of heavy plywood. I believe this amp could last many years of hard use on the road. Peavey did a great job with the tubes also. The preamp tube are housed inside retainer tubes and the power tubes have good spring clips.
Customer Support
:
8
I have never had service done. So far in my career I have been able to take care of all of my problems. But I have sent many email to customer service. Customer service has always answered all of my questions promptly and completely.
Overall Rating
:
8
I've been playing guitar for about 25 years. I played in several bar and club bands during that time. If it were lost or stolen I wouldn't replace it. Only because I would pursue a three channel tube amp without shared EQs. If Peavey would add seperate EQs to the channels this would be the ultimate rock and roll amp.
Product: Peavey 5150 212
Price Paid: N/A
Submitted 10/27/2004
at 11:23am
by Marlon B
Features
:
7
two channels, clean(called rhythm) and lead, has bright and crunch switches. reverb, resonance and presence control. 3 band EQ. pre and post gain controls for both channels. I wish it had more reverb. and an good clean channel would be a great additional feature...
Sound Quality
:
10
This amp was designed for hardrock/metal. the main feature of this amp is the lead channel. rhythm channel is just an added feature which isnt anything that great. it sucks actually. peavey added it for cosmetic reasons, coz it would be more marketable. the lead gain channal has so much gain, its almost crazy. i'm not surprised coz eddie is crazy. lol. it sounds great though. sounds like a marshall to my ears thats really pushed to its limits like what you hear on van halen's first album. awesome tube saturation even at very low volumes. this amp works equally well for metal, it gave a fucking ballsy metal tone. very brutal i've ever heard. I havent tried the mesa rectifier but i've heard that the mesa recto is a muddy amp. th3 5150 aint muddy at all. most of the rhythm playing intricacies come through clearly. i think dimebag darrell should check out this amp, sounds fit for his style and not solid state (his amps sound like buzzsaw garbage). no cleans sounds here (it wasnt meant to do that)
Reliability
:
No Opinion
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Overall Rating
:
9
great amp for metal/rock. its the best at what it does i think, which is hard rock and metal.
Product: Peavey 5150 212
Price Paid: US $500 used
Submitted 10/25/2004
at 07:46am
by Maurice Cashman
Email: mauriceandkate<at>earthlink dot net
Features
:
10
This is a follow up to the review I posted earlier when I first received my 5150 combo. My issues with the amp to begin with were the thin low end and the harsh noise that the amp produces. Since then I have found a few things I would like to pass along to others.
Sound Quality
:
10
The first thing I would suggest to do is to take the back off of the cabinet. I really do prefer the sound of the combo with the back off since it seems to help with the low end, or at least a lower volumes it does. The main improvement that I would suggest is to look up Eurotubes.com and check out the full retube kits that Bob has to offer. After reading a few other reviews about Eurotubes I thought I would check them out for myself and do some research and I'm extremely happy I did. After reading the entire site I decided to check out the tubes Bob had to offer and decided on purchasing the high gain retube kit for the 5150 combo (approximately $85 with S&H). After plugging these tubes in this amp really reaches it's full potential. The hiss from the amp is reduced to a hum, much much quieter than before, even on the lead channel. The tone is much more refined, less muddy and just awesome. Plus I did notice an increase in the gain of the amp, which is what I was after. Finally, with the balanced ECC83S in the phase inverter socket this amp truly sings out every note, before some where quieter than others. The power tubes are matched to tight tolerances and are the correct rating to get the bias just right, they sound excellent with great lows. Do yourself a favor and check this out, it's more than worth it.
Reliability
:
10
Just fine so far, no problems
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Haven't had to deal with them.
Overall Rating
:
10
If something were to happen to this amp now, I would definitely get another one, or get the head version and modify it the way that Bob at Eurotubes did. I cannot get enough of this amp now and I think that it sounds as good as or better than it's much higher priced competitors.
Product: Peavey 5150 212
Price Paid: 1400 (SGD)
Submitted 10/21/2004
at 07:33pm
by ChanMin
Email: chanminator<at>hotmail dot com
Features
:
8
Everybody knows this.
Sound Quality
:
10
I have a jap strat with holygrails and a 91'prs ce24 fitted with seymoure duncans. This Amp Has alot of gain, abit too much in fact. With the strat as it has lower output ( noiseless as well ) clean sounds are average. nothing beats a twin reverb. Rythm channel provides a much tighter and focus chug gain at 7-8 w/the crunch switch on. Lead channel has a irritating hiss even at low volumes, present with single coil or humbucker guitars. Gain will never hold definition after 6-7.Could be the china tubes. EXTREMELY LOUD. EXTREMELY GOOD DISTORTION. PERFECT FOR METAL AND ROCK. you will need to noodle with the settings and eq abit. but once you're set . you will be killing most plant life and small animals within a 20m radius of your amp.
i enjoy playing various genres- speedmetal/neoclassical metal/bossa/funk/Rock/blues(who doesnt play blues..?)/jazz
i play as much clean as i do dirty. This amp's clean channel will satisfy most people. but if you really want the best of both worlds. Get a twin reverb and A/B it with your 5150. *drool*
Reliability
:
10
its REAlly REALLY heavy.took 2 guys to carry it up a flight of stairs into my room. i will be installing casters to ease the movement of this amp. Lightning stuck my home the first day i played it. Could be Gods way of warning me about the destructive gain of this amp. I stuck a finger in the air , cursed loudly... and bought new fuses. Jammed a power chord and the tree infront of my house burst out in flames killing a few children.
Customer Support
:
6
never dealt with them. Not like "customer support" means anything nowadays. they dont "really" want to help you. they just want you to buy their stuff.
Overall Rating
:
9
been playing for 6 years. my first tube amp. if it were stolen which is unlikely as this amp weighs like a cow. i would probably buy another amp. probably a lower wattage one. this one is abit loud. it would be cool if they came with Attenuators... then it would be perfect. i tried a marshall jcm900 , mesa dual rect and the line6 flextoneIII head. initially wanted the flextoneIII , but the 5150 is just too kickass not to have.
Product: Peavey 5150 212
Price Paid: US $500 used
Submitted 10/08/2004
at 06:48am
by Maurice Cashman
Features
:
8
I won't go through the specs since they are all over. The amp is very versatile for me. I can get both good clean and over the top distortion sounds. I'm in to playing music similar to Tool and I get all the sounds necessary out of this amp. It could have a second set of controls to allow settings for each channel, but with an EQ it's not a very big deal. This amp is very powerful and loud. I accidently got to close and thought my ears weren't going to stop ringing.
Sound Quality
:
8
I think the sounds on this amp are very good, and it's tremendously loud. I can get a really nice and warm clean sound (has a little to do with the EQ) by keeping the rhythm pre amp setting around 1.5 and then adjusting the post control to the desired level. I'm not sure why everyone says the channel cannot get clean. Could cause I like my hearing and don't play it at extreme volumes. Distortion is what this amp is known for and it delivers, it can really kick it out. However, I did think the amp sounded thin and really didn't have the low end response like I had heard about with the closed back cabinet. I ended up taking the back off and I think it helped the low end tremendously. The only reason I didn' give the amp a 10 is because it does have a whole hiss and noise. I haven't changed the tubes yet, but that's the next step. Then I'm planning on trying a MXR smart gate. I hear that the combos came from the factory with flaws, so I might try to have that fixed if the tubes don't improve it much. Just FYI, I use a ESP EC 1000 Deluxe with EMG 81's, through a morley wah, and a MXR Kerry King 10 band EQ.
Reliability
:
10
Can't say a whole lot about this yet, haven't had the amp to long yet. Construction seems pretty rigorous, don't expect to have any problems.
Customer Support
:
10
Going to check in on the flaws and see if there's any help from them as to how to fix them. They've been good any other time I had to deal with them.
Overall Rating
:
9
I've been playing for almost 10 years now, off and on. I've had a Laney half stack and a Hughes & Kettner Attax (great amp). I wanted a mesa (of course), but didn't think I could convince my wife of the price tag. I'm extremely happy with this purchase and would look to replace it if something happened to it. The sounds are great out of this amp, but I could really do without all the extra noise. It's a tremendous value, get a lot of sound for a lot less money.
Product: Peavey 5150 212
Price Paid: US $989.00
Submitted 09/22/2004
at 06:33am
by John Ventura
Email: jemv45 at optonline<dot>net
Features
:
8
The gain on this combo is definitley all that is needed if you are pursuing heavy music. Wouldn't recommend this amo to someone if they are looking for blues sounds at high volumes, yes this is amo very loud but for metal nothing else.
Sound Quality
:
8
Clean channel is not very good, I have a fender deville, that is what clean is about !!!! I didn't buy this amp for clean though, I brought it to play loud metal solos, which it does fine
VERY IMPORTANT HERE.... THE LEADS WILL SOUND HARSH AND UNPLEASANT, I LEARNED THIS AS SOON AS I STARTED TO PLAY. THE STCK TUBES SUCK IN THING. I HAD THE TUBES CHANGED TO GIVE ME A WARM SOUND AND STILL RETAIN THAT LEVEL OF GAIN, NOW IT SOUNDS WAY WAY BETTER, SEE FOR YOURSELF, LEADS ARE NOT SMOOTH AT ALL CHANGE THE TUBES!! IF IT WEREN'T FOR THE SHIT TUBES I WOULD GIVE IT A TEN, BUT BECAUSE OF THIS REASON I AM GIVING A 8 NOTE.. THE PEAVEY XXX DOES HAVE A WARM TONE TO IT, SAVE YOURSELF THE TIME, AND GET A XXX BUT BE PREPARED TO HAVE AN AMP NOT AS LOUD AS THE 5150 THATS WHY I STAYED WITH THE 5150.... IT'S LOUD AND NOW ITS SMOOTH !!!!
Reliability
:
No Opinion
VERY RELIABLE SO FAR
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
NEVER DELT WITH
Overall Rating
:
9
GOOD AMP OVERALL
ONE MORE TIME FOR THOSE WHO DIDN'T LISTEN
CHANGE THE TUBES
CHANGE THE TUBES
CHANGE THE TUBES !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Product: Peavey 5150 212
Price Paid: N/A
Submitted 07/16/2004
at 01:54pm
by eg
Features
:
No Opinion
My 5150 combo was made in 1996. Bought new from a peavey dealer. Original power tubes blew in first month. Replaced with Groove Tubes and never touched for all the years since.
Sound Quality
:
9
I play a Gibson LP with a 500T in the bridge and a Strat with a hot double humbucker. Our band plays a hard rock/hard blues mix of music from 60's to 00's.
The combo, by itself, has the right amount of power but lacks bass. I purchased a 4X12 5150 cabinet and set the combo on top for a total of 6 speakers. This helped to boost the bass output substantially and improved the overall sound. It also elevates the speakers so that they can be heard on stage at a closer to ear level. The 60 watt power output allows me to crank the amp to properly clip its output without blowing my head off and let the sound man do his job by micing the amp and properly bringing it into the mix.
The amp has built in reverb so i simply run direct from my guitar into the amp.
I adjust the controls: bass up, resonance up, mids scooped, treble halfway up and presence less than halfway up. This creates a great chunky sound. I play generally using the cleaner channel with the gain all the way up and adjust my desired sound with the volume control or pickup switch on the guitar. This gives me a dynamic range from very soft overdrive to strongly overdriven. I use the high gain channel for only about 20% of songs where super high gain/sustain are necessary like Van Halen songs. The high gain channel compresses the dynamic range so the clean channel turned up sounds better and give more flexibility. Two other guitar players I know have purchased 5150s as a result of hearing mine.
I love the amp: it is simple to use with great tone.
Downsides:
It is missing a second set of tone controls for the two channels, but you can buy a 5150 II if you want that. It is also very heavy. You'll be tired by the time you get it carted in to a gig.
Reliability
:
9
Other than tube blowing early, it has been perfectly reliable. This was a blessing in disguise as the new tubes sound much better than stock. It has had probably a dozen beers spilled into it, sat in a flooded and moldy basement where it grew green mold, the top is covered with burns from smokes and it still works and sounds great but the adjustment knobs seem a little sticky from the beer spills. I couldn't ask for more.
Customer Support
:
9
Peavy dealer helped me install the new power tubes and properly biased the amp to run a bit hotter than factory. Other than that no contact with Peavey.
Overall Rating
:
9
Overall a 9. I love this amp. I have been looking at triple rectos lately but not because I'm unhappy, just looking for a new toy.
Product: Peavey 5150 212
Price Paid: US $979
Submitted 07/06/2004
at 05:37am
by Anonymous
Features
:
10
Sound Quality
:
10
I Play with an American Fender Strat and an Epiphone Les Paul Zakk Wylde Custom with EMG 81 and 85. The only effect I use is a Dunlop Cry Baby and thats it. This amp is the only amp I have ever played that I did not need a distortion box for and I like that a lot. I previously owned a Peavey rage 158 and then steped up to a Peavey Classic 50 Full Stack and with both of those I was not happy, I had too much shit on the floor. Finally I broke down and sold the Peavey Classic 50 and saved up for the 5150 combo and am very happy with it. Great Job Peavey
Reliability
:
10
Its a Peavey and Van Halen Tours the world so what do you think???
Customer Support
:
10
Doubt I will ever need them
Overall Rating
:
10
Excellent Rock amp with a lot of good tones to work with. Bought Brand new from Musicians Friend
Kep Rockin........
Product: Peavey 5150 212
Price Paid: trade (were asking $600)
Submitted 06/25/2004
at 06:51am
by Fuzzy
Features
:
9
Rythm gain w/ crunch and bright switches,lead gain,treb,mid,bass rythm and lead master volumes,resonance and presance.High and low gain inputs FX loop.Haveing two seperate EQs is nice but thats what the 5150 II is for.
Sound Quality
:
9
Well I playing in a metal band doing national club tours so I traded up another tube amp for this.I also play in a rock band for fun(and extra dough)in my down time.I was surprised the rythm channel kicks @ss w/ gain on 5.5 and crunch on w/ my Dimarzio super equiped strat it sounds very much lie a Marshall JCM 800 2210 for luesy rock tones,very nice.And ofcourse the lead channel will do the metal distortion thang.Gain to about 6.5 is insain and much past that gets to be to much.The resonance control reall helps the lowend thump for metal.
Reliability
:
No Opinion
I have only had it a short time so I dunno yetPeavey is known for there reliabilitie though.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Dunno
Overall Rating
:
8
I've been playing over 10yrs.I really like this amp will do the Marshall clean/crunch smooth bluesy rock tone with out the grainy buz you get from other amps.(Note the master must be atleast 4 for this amp to start sounding right,its a tube amp a know)The lead channel is waaaaaay to grungy for rock but I like it for metal.For those who complain about the cleans not being clean.Why did you buy a high gain amp??Thats kinna like complaining your fender twin don't do metal.Espcially the louder you get the output valves distort(Its just nature).Also for those who complain about the amp being thin,its a tube amp and tube amps need to be played fairly loud(at least 4) to get the output tubes cooking for decent tone(again nature),if its too loud get a attenuator.
Product: Peavey 5150 212
Price Paid: US $600
Submitted 05/27/2004
at 11:00am
by Kris D
Email: kris_d<at>skynet dot be
Features
:
9
It's one off the earlier models from 1998 I think.
Bought it new in 2001 here in Belgium for a very good price because the shop
wanted to get wrid of it because it didn't function well or not at all.
In general it has all the features I need.I've have owned a
line6 vetta and that has to mainy features and not good enough sound.
Sound Quality
:
10
This is where it gets tricky.When people say that this amp doesn't sound good it is mostly because they have played it at a music store.
In the first months that I've owned the amp it sounded very valvestate,and had no punch or dynamics at all, I must say i was very disapointed. Then i brought the amp to a good amp tech here in Belgium. According to this man some series of the 5150's have flaws comming out of the factory witch can be easily solved by an experienced technician. He solved the flaws, putted new Sovtec tubes in it and it sounded very good. Instand Vanhalen and AC DC.
I use this amp with my fender strat, peavey wolfgang and gibson les paul, I also use a delay and chorus pedal and a marshall guv'ner2 pedal to boost the amp for my solo's.
The Rhythm channel is very much like a hotrodded plexi, and I can know this because I own a Jimmy hendrix plexi stack.
The lead channel is very good for 80's solo's, but like al pros do
when you want a more modern sound out of this channel you have to boost the mids with a eq.pedal.
Overall this is a very good sounding amp and also very versatile.
Reliability
:
7
Before I took it to my amp tech it wasned very reliable.
But when the flaws are corrected it is very reliable.
Like others say, it is build like a tank, almost ways as much too.
If you buy it new and have one of the normal working models you have a very reliabel amp. When people say it's not reliabel it's because the tubes aren't reliabel. Those stock chinees tubes aren't worth shit and they make the amp sound bad.
Customer Support
:
8
Always good customer support.
Whenever I mailed them they responded the next day.
They are very helpfull and always know what the problem is
and how to solve it.
Overall Rating
:
9
I've been playing for abour ten years now.
I've owned a marshall valvestate 8240 and a line6 vetta1 and not one of those amp can be compared to a good valve amp.
Know I own a marshall limited edition jimmi hendrix purple stack and this combo. Effects: Boss od1,ds1,ce3,dd3 ,Dod Ygm308, Dunlop cry baby, eh muff pi and at last a roger mayer classic fuzz.
In may oppinion it can sound as heavy as a mesa bougie rectifier and with good tubes it's in the same leage of the bougies,vht,soldano,bogner,brunetti and all those other high grade amps. If can't get stolen because it ways a ton. Overall it's one of the best amps I've heard and believe me I've heard a lot of amps.
Product: Peavey 5150 212
Price Paid: US $600 used
Submitted 04/29/2004
at 10:23am
by chris
Email: hesterc64 at hotmail<dot>com
Features
:
7
Unsure of the year mine was but it has the cursive EVH signature. Not a very good clean amp, you can back off of the volume on your guitar and get some decent semi-clean tones from the rhythm channel. For this reason I use an ABY box to run one to the 5150 and one to a Fender M-80 for clean tones. I also use an az1000g in front of the m-80 so I can run distortion through both amps. Has effect loop and pretty good reverb built in. I give it a 7 due to lack of clean.
Sound Quality
:
10
I'm using a Fender Toronado and a Fender Strat -->Dunlop Wah -->Ibanez TS7 Tubescreamer-->Morley ABY: A channel goes to an Korg AX1000G processor and then a dod grunge and a ibanez SM7 smashbox (which i'm thinking of trading for 535Q wah) into the fender. I run the B side straight into the 5150 after the tubescreamer. Sounds great with both guitars, can be very noise but thats what you get w/ an amp w/ so much gain. I put JJ tubes that are tweaked for a little more gain so that doesn't help the noise problem at all. I've been thinking of running a boss noise supressor in the fx loop just to see what that does. Distortion is the best amp distorion I've ever heard, you can get a nice crunchy rhythm sound and a searing lead. Main reason I bought this is Ross Childress plays a 5150 live and I could never get the response and the screams that he had. Now I can.
Reliability
:
9
It weights 85 pounds, Its probably more reliable than most amps out there. HAven't had a problem yet, bought it used so the first thing I did was replace the tubes. HEAVY HEAVY HEAVY. If your gonna use this in your house get those moving men pads you put underneath and just slide it around. If you gig get some casters and some side handles, Its a beast.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Haven't had to deal w/ them. Purchased used, may contact them to get a footswitch.
Overall Rating
:
9
I love this amp, I was always skeptical about tube amps until I played one. This amp is worth every cent. The amp can put out some serious low end or boost up the presense for the brown sound. The louder you crank the amp the less presense you need. Distortion is versitile (not the clean) I was getting sounds from skynard to Satch. Great Great amp...Buy it used, you can find it for half the price.
Product: Peavey 5150 212
Price Paid: 550 (canadian) used
Submitted 04/12/2004
at 01:48am
by Anonymous
Features
:
9
The is a nice little beast. Raw, simple balls out power. 212 Sheffields are better than I expected and handle the power this amp throws out well. The quater stack design is great and gives its a ballsier feel then a normal combo, plus the 60 watt head is frikkin great. Enough controls to tweak 2 very nice tones on each side of the switch.
Sound Quality
:
10
Using 85 strat (emg89,sa,sa), 1988 kramer usa (duncan distortion tb, hot rails, hot rails) and 2002 Les Paul (emg85,89). Play mainly metal.
Dont get this amp if you play anything that doesnt demand a heavier guitar sound. There is no clean channel, the rythym channel is dirtier than most marshalls tube amps, the lead channel is off the page gain, ive never heard this much gain outta tubes before in my life, heeping slabs upon slabs of dirt. You really have to hear it to understand how filthy it can get.
When i first got it the stock tubes had been blown to bits and sounded like it, best thing to do with this amp is too have the tubes replaced immediately.....the rubys are terrible. I have the new Sovtek 6L6 WXT+ installed, for preamp one EH, for rythym side install cleaner sounding tubes! like sovtek 12ax7a's , and for lead ax7b's.....you want as contrasting tubes as you can get in these slots.
After tubes are done this way youll get much better tonal variety and power than you had off the floor. and thats when this amp is gonna kick your ass. it will still be hissy on the lead channel at high dirt but there is no way you can get that sweet assed gain without a little noise. use your footswitch and gain controls right and you wont have any problems.
this amp is great for anyone who plays metal, or real dirty blues...you will never get a truly clean sparkling sound out of it like you would with a laney tube head, but you can get some nice rich cleans.
as for volume....i jam with full bands with my post gains on 3. this thing will get you noise complaints and will cause hearing loss =-)
some people have commented than the reverb is weak...maybe but i like tight reverb so i think its great....nice to have control of it on the stomper too
would use it to record, but havent tried a mic on it yet so cant comment
Reliability
:
10
you cant hurt it without resorting to power tools...same construction as a full size cabinet basically, weighs a ton and is a pain in the ass to lift around.
electronically its top notch, fixed bias.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
havent had the need but ive easily found the schematic and owners manual online
Overall Rating
:
10
ive used everything imaginable in my 20 years of playing and i know a good amp when i hear it, this amp is frikkin great, not for everyone but great in its own way. You wouldnt get a jcm900 to play with a church band so dont get this and expect to play george bensons greatest and then complain. this amp is loud and dirty.
for the price i got it at i couldnt have gotten anything better.
highly recomended if you play metal.
Product: Peavey 5150 212
Price Paid: US $850
Submitted 04/07/2004
at 07:46pm
by dan
Features
:
8
Purchased new in 1996. Everyone else has already listed the specs. No need to relist them. A versatile amp? For many people no, but for me yes. I play various types of rock-based music and can get get pretty much the tones I need. Some complain of having only one EQ for both channels, but I have a Boss GE-7 to take care of that. I wish it had a line out and/or a headphone jack. I also wish the crunch was footswitchable (like on the 5150 II) instead of the having a switch for the reverb (kinda useless if you ask me). Otherwise, it has pretty much what I need. I'll give it an 8.
Sound Quality
:
9
By now, you probably know that this amp was designed for its distortion (LEAD channel) more than anything else. It has plenty of gain to give. Some players feel it has too much. A simple solution is just don't put the knob on 10 (I rarely go past 6 or 7). Like any amp, you need to keep making adjustments until you find what you like. The RHYTHM channel, or what some people mistakenly call the "clean" channel, is more versatile than most would realize. The clean sound is less desirable than the sound you'd get from most other amps. But with the right settings, you can get a decent clean sound. (But make no mistake, this amp is a high gain amp and will not do cleans like a Fender tweed or a Roland Jazz Chorus.) The RHYTHM channel has a crunch switch which give it very nice overdriven tones. Being a high gain amp, it has a tendency to be noisy. I changed the tubes (SEDS for power and c9's for preamp) and the amp cleaned up slighty. I recently started using a Boss NS-2 (Noise Suppressor) and the amp is a lot quieter now. (Try it out!) Right now there seems to be a trend of getting this amp modded, but since I'm able to get a lot of usable sounds, I give it a 9.
Reliability
:
10
Never had a problem with it. Personally, I think people who can afford a backup amp would bring one. People who can't afford one, don't use one. Kind of a silly question to me.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Never used them.
Overall Rating
:
9
I've playing for 16 years. I haven't played through a world of amps, but I'm pretty happy with mine. Seems like most people either love 'em or hate 'em. If it were lost, I may get another one. However, I've had it for 8 years now. I'd probably go see what else is out there. Yeh, and it's big and heavy. I don't have a problem with it, but if you think you would, find something else. It really excels at what it was designed to do, lots of volume and lots of gain. For it's price, it's a good purchase. Overall, I'd give it a 9.
Product: Peavey 5150 212
Price Paid: US $550 used
Submitted 03/13/2004
at 06:37pm
by Joe
Email: The_PlagueSG at hotmail<dot>com
Features
:
6
Basic features. 2 channels, 3 band EQ, presence and resonance controls, spring reverb, and effects loop.
I really wish it had a line out. Recording with this amp is a real pain. It doesn't mic up well, and a line out would make things much easier.
Sound Quality
:
8
My setup is my '88 Charvel Model 4 straight into the 5150. I don't use any effects, just my guitar and amp. Simpler is better.
I play in a couple bands. One is a punk-thrash type band. The other is a lighter rock band with some jazz and blues influences. I need an amp with a brutal distortion, as well as a sweet clean.
I don't see what everyone is talking about when they say the clean sucks. I actually like it a lot. It sounds just as good as my other guitarist's Classic 50. I keep the bright switch pushed in. With the crunch switch, you can drive the tubes into distortion.
The distortion can get extremely heavy. I usually keep my lead preamp at around 7, and it can handle the heaviest of metal. It's not quite as good at doing light distortions, but it definately can be done. Rolling back the volume on my guitar I can get a nice blues lead tone.
This amp is very noisy. When not playing on the lead channel, it's a constant hiss. When playing this isn't noticible, so it's not a big deal. A noise gate could probably help with this.
It doesn't mic up well for recording.
Reliability
:
10
I've gigged with this amp many times in the months that I've had it, and I've never used a backup. It's built very well, and as a result is heavy.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Never dealt with.
Overall Rating
:
8
This amp is very good. It would be great if it had the simple addition of a line out.
Product: Peavey 5150 212
Price Paid: US $989
Submitted 02/24/2004
at 06:32am
by John Blossick
Features
:
5
Brand new 2004. I think you know the features by now. No on board effects is what I needed. No use in paying for an overpriced amp I won't use. I gave the features a 5 because...well there aren't many. But it's a 10 for me.
Sound Quality
:
7
I'm playing a Jackson Rhoades PS3T, with EMG's 81,85 with a Boss Metal Zone pedal. I play metal and that's all I play. Well, maybe a little blues. (You can actually get an overdriven blues tone out of this amp) With some tweaking, you can get a decent clean sound also. The distortion on this thing is sic! It can get very saturated. I find the lead tone to not be of much use for me. I like the tone I get for my rhythm and lead. I gave it a seven because I don't like the lead tone. Maybe I need to mess with it some more.
Reliability
:
No Opinion
It seems tough! It is very heavy!! It's still new so I wouldn't know yet.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Warranty is 1 yr. I think
Overall Rating
:
10
I sold my Marshall VS265R in search of tube tone. I tried a JCM900, TSL2000 and a Line 6. The line 6 just blew for me. The Marshalls were ok sounding but I didn't want to go through the reliability issues I've been hearing about them. I plugged into the 5150 and was blown away. This thing sounds badass if you play metal. The knobs are very touchy and you can get alot of sounds out of it. The footswitch is kinda cheap. It's plastic, definitely not as durable as a Boss pedal. Jamming in the room, I haven't had it much past 1. I cranked it for a second and it got disturbingly loud. I'm sure that this amp will get obscenely loud. At the music stored I played the 5150 half stack and the combo sounds identical if not better. If you need to, you could hook an external cab to it and just let it rip. Like i said though, I haven't had it that long, I like it so far though
Product: Peavey 5150 212
Price Paid: US $690
Submitted 02/20/2004
at 01:02pm
by RJ
Email: Rockland66 at hotmail<dot>com
Features
:
2
You have clean and OD on the same EQ with pres and reso. Not a hell of alot you can do with this amp.
Sound Quality
:
6
I play Jacksons and and Les Pauls with EMG 81s. This amp is good for playing riffs like "for whom the bell tolls" CHUG CHUG CHUG, CRUNCH CRUNCH CRUNCH. Very good for plam muting.
The closed back 2x12 cab has almost no low end responce.
The peavey speakers sound crackly and fullrange.
It does not mic up well.
The bias is very cold, have it hot roded.
The tubes are not very warm, Get new tubes.
The clean channel is bla.
Its good for weight lifting.
This was my first tube amp I ever owned and it was great to learn about tubes and how they sound. Befor I played BOSS GT-6s and PODs. After a few years with them, I was not liking the way my tracks sounded compared to studio records. It was then realized there is no way digital amps can create that type of full think sound. So I learned all about mic placments and recorded with this amp.
I know it is tuff finding the tone in your head. You will have to travel all over, play every amp, criticaly listen to recordings, Experimenting with mics, and stay up all night trying to figure out what it is your after. Its all part of being a musican. Gear is as important as your physical playing I think.
Good buy for the price though! Great amp under 1000. Loud as hell, good for playing out. But I think I am going to save up for amps like Bogner H&K Soldano and whatever else I can find that sounds like heaven and will make my bank account $0.
Reliability
:
7
Build like a tank, but I bought it with the resonace control not working, so somethings still can go wrong.
Customer Support
:
1
Took them 30 days not to fix my broken control.
Overall Rating
:
6
Good Amp! Not totally a peice of junk, it will sound better then PODs if you have a good mic preamp and a good mic. But Not what Im looking for. I am going to save up and get the best amp I can find. Screw it you only live once!
If anyone wants to talk amps, E-mail me. Id be glad to exchange information.
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