Peavey 5150 II

My 5150 II is a 2001 model, versatile??? My band plays anything from Ozzy to James Brown to The Who to Black Crows and everything in between. Playing in bars around here, its plenty loud, everyone tells me to turn it down!! I run a Rocktron Intellifex Online through the effects loop for a little delay, but mostly for its hush. I run it through a 5150 slant cab, and use a Boss GE-7 EQ for a mid boost on solo's and sometimes my Ibanez TS9, for alittle touch of "hair"(gain) on solos also. This amp can be alittle noisy, but you shouldn't have your lead preamp level above 4-5. Really, you dont need anymore gain than that....come on guys!

I have a 70's strat and a Wolfgang Red flametop special.Its a very versatile amp, you've read above what kind of music I play in my band. I never have any problems achieving sounds. The clean channel is good (but not the greatest) but I still love it, I have my preamp level on rythmn channel at 5-6 at most. Enough gain is never a factor, The lead preamp level is set at 4-5, and thats MORE than enough, above that its too.... fuzzy and sounds like SHIT playing loud. At bedroom volumes I mess with the settings usually turning them up alittle especially in the gain section. I also put new JJ 6L6's and JJ 12AX7's in it too, to give it a warmer sound. I also pulled the 12k bias resistor in the bias section, and put in a 6.8k resistor.Thus making the amp run alot warmer. This amp sounds really good. My sound is Very Ballsy, In Yer Face, BUT WARM. This is kind of unusual But... I also did something else to tone down the Fuzzy characteristics of this amp. I lined the inside of my 5150 cabinet with POLY FILL( ITS LIKE INSULATION, AND THE SAME MATERIAL YOU STUFF >>STUFFED TOYS WITH, but in a sheet form) I know it sounds STUPID!! But believe me.... IT MAKES A HUGE IMPROVEMENT. It makes the speaker think that its in a bigger cabinet or box, THUS..... giving it alittle more warmer, BIGGER, less fuzzy sound.

Never had any problems. and what I have and will... put my amp through, THAT SAYS ALOT, I play out in my band pretty much every weekend.

NEVER NEEDED IT!!! BUT... I do go into the Peavey forums every day, to research, help out, and try to improve my sound CONSTANTLY! AND everyone on there is AWESOME, AND VERY HELPFULL!!

I give it a 10. BUT I put ALOT of work and research into it making my sound, THE WAY IT IS. GOOD TONE SOMETIMES TAKES ALITTLE WORK... But atleast the 5150 II is A VERY GOOD START! GREAT PRICE AND GREAT TONE~!!!!!

Bought this amp with two 5150 cabs two years ago. If you want total gain this is the amp. I have not played the original block letter heads but this has all the power that you need. It runs better with one 4x12 cab at 16 ohms rather than two at 8 ohms. It is kind of average with two cabs. I replaced with JJ tubes in both power sections and preamp, made it even better. It is built strictly for high gain and a specific tone. If you want versatile this amp is not for that.

I use anything with humbuckers. I have over 17 guitars, my Les Paul Standard does really nice with it, and guitars that I have DiMarzio Super Humbuckers on them. Nice chunk with bottom end, and most of all just plain loud. If you want your leads to soar A/B this with an amp that will give you cleans and reverb. You will not find an amp with this kind of gain and have the other options with another amp.
The clean is very average on this amp. It doesn't suck, but it is not the amp's bread and butter.

I have had no problems.

Peavey has the best site, forums, and response from manufacturer out there. But I have never had to have warranty service through them.

Again, for lead and having awesome gain this amp is for you. If that is your style and nothing but, you will love this amp. If you gig with covers and need versatility, I would use this amp for leads and have another amp for your cleans and on some rhythms. It is really worth it to have as an option for its gain and volume though.
You cannot not love it for that!!

2004...probably one of the last made under the 5150 EVH name. It's a 5150 II..with 5150 II specs.

Hands down...
Thisis the best mnpst versitile amp ever made. It's a must for Metal and Hard Rock. Let me put it in pespective...this amp sits in a stack of other amps..a Mesa Boogie triple recto, Marshall 1987X, Marshall DSL100, PV 5150 (old style) Marshall '84 JCM 800 2204, Marshall 2203ZW Zakk Wylde, Marshall 2555 black '88 Jubilee and Marshall JMP-1/9100. I play the 5150 II 90% of the time because it cooks the most. Crazy gain, all kinds of distortion anything I want right down to a pretty decent clean. If there was a fire in my house I'ld wake up the dog and grab this amp and haul ass for the sidewalk! WTF this amp sell for a grand...they could charge $1800 for the thing and still get it all day long.

I got it new out of the box and turned it on and poof it died. Took it to PV tech and he popped new tubes in and never a problem since (2 months). Wouldn't be the first that jiggled something loose in a tube during shipping..won't be the last I'm sure. The amp is rock solid. Not as nice Mesa finish and feature...but much nicer than the chinky feel of a Marshall (sorry I like Marshall amps but they are a little nitsy and cheap for the cash they want)

PV handled the warranty tubes and phone tech support was prompt and friendly.

I got this amp NEW for $750 closeout.....steal all day long!
If you have $1000 to spend on an amp...buy this amp (6505 Plus)
If you have $2000 to spend on an amp...buy this amp & put $1K in the bank. PV 5150 II is HUGE! What was Eddie thinkin'?

You've heard all about the spec. of this amp before, but I wish it had a damn reverb. so it gets an 8. The footswitchable effects loop is great feature.

I have two 5150II heads, running into a peavey angled cab and a marshall straight cab, both loaded with a mix of vintage30s and g12t-75. Im using a 70s les paul with EMGs.
The clean channel sounds decent, but clears up nicely if you put an eec82 in the v1 slot rather than the standard eec83. Unfortunatley, this makes the clean channel quieter than it would usually be. Various people offer mods to clean up the 5150II clean, so I can recommend you do this if cleans really matter to you.

The distortion channel is great, but can sound to buzzy/grainy, so I suggest putting a boss ge-7 in the loop. On the amp, boost the bass and the resonance, set the mids just over halfway, and set the treble and presence to taste. On the ge-7, take out the 6.4k band completely, ans boost the 3.2K band slightly. Leave the rest of the EQ flat. Even at low volumes, this makes the 5150II sound immense. It takes out the cheap buzzy overtones, but retains the high-end agression.

I find that this amp is not noisy at all if you know how to use a gain control. Don't turn it up past half-way, and you'll have all the gain you need minus the noise.

It isn't as 'plug and play' as a lot of amps, ei. you can dial in a bad tone easily. With a little bit of tweaking and know-how you can make this amp sound incredible.

Not had either of them break down yet.

Never had the need to call them up.

Ive been playing quite a while, and have owned Fenders, Hiwatts, Laneys etc. Each amp has been good, but not quite what I was after. The 5150IIs are great amps, and with a bit of tweaking, can sound immense. Also peavey tend to make quality products at much lower prices.

If they got stolen or lost(!?) etc, I'd definatly get a couple more.

2002
Head is somewhat versatile. I play classic Metal (Maiden,Priest, Slayer etc.. NO numetal)

and blah blah you all know enough about this head

I have 2 guitars a Standard Les Paul with stock pickups and a fender (USA) fat strat with S.D. pickups.

Its ok for some Metal (nu and grind) but it kinda sucks for real metal (whatever that is).
This thing is noisy as fuck it never shuts up.

The clean fucking sucks so bad... nevermind to many things wrong with it.
The distortion is the only selling point . With a Sonic Maximizer the dirty chan. cleans up nice. I bought this head because it was the most bang for the buck.

things built like a tank.

i have been playing for 10 years in a few bands that have toured all over the US.
if you have the extra money just buy a Marshall JMP-1 Tube MIDI Guitar preamp.

I'm sure you all know the features by now, 2/virtually 3 channels, 120watts of brutal all tube power, effects loop etc.... Not exactly a TSL in the fetures department but it does what you need, built to be easy to get a great tone not confuse you with hundreds of knobs.

WOW. I love it. When i found this amp I was out hunting for a half stack, and was leaning towards a TSL. Then I found this baby which blew everything else out of the water. I use a Fender American Deluxe Fat Strat and a heavily modified squier with Kent Armstrong 'Motherbucker' and 'Hot Rails' pickups and the sound just rocks. I play it through a Marshall 1960A cab. This amp is made for metal, although it will do pretty much anything you want it to with some EQ adjustment. The clean channel isn't world beating, but with the single coils in my Fender it's fine, although humbuckers through it will distort it. But then again you can't expect everything from an amp. This amp is great for getting that Metallica tone, they use it too, watch the 'Some Kind Of Monster' film and play spot the 5150MkII. With the resonance and bass up high this amp makes it feel like you are being punched in the stomach, amazing tone. All the gain you could want and none of it looses clarity.

This thing is built like a brick sh*thouse, and weighs a tonne. It's gonna outlive me.

The site is good, the manual leaves a little to be desired but don't they all

I have been playing this amp for a good four months now and love it more every day. I go to small venue gigs regularly, and have seen pretty much every rock/metal amp in action and this one beats them all in my opinion. It's got all the gain you could ever need, unbeatable clarity and insane volume levels. Even the store worker I bought it from was selling his Mesa Boogie dual rectifier to get his hands on one. If it was lost (hmm, a bit big to loose) or stolen (bit heavy to steal) I would be seriously gutted and get a 6505+, as Eddie Van Halen stopped endorsing them. With my guitars, GT6 and this amp I belive I have a world class, professional sound. My advice, get one.

2004 model made in USA. I Play mostly metal and this is THE metal head...2 channel, the first one is a clean channel : pre, mid, high, bass, post, ressonance and presence. This Channel has a Crunch/Bright Feature..pretty interesting to play classis rock stuff. The Second channel is the monster one!!!...same knob has the first one but ...a large amount of gain...This Channel is a fucking monster..Effect loop is include but I don't use it.It's a 120watt tube power it's enough...believe me. 6 6l6 tubes and 4 AX7....great

My guitar chain:

Jackson DK2-S(with EMG pickup on the bridge)---->Dunlop Cry baby---->DOD Milk Box Compressor---->MXR Smart Gate--->5150 II Head---->5150 4x12 Slant Cab.

This Amp is the perfect amp to play metal but like any other Higain amps you'll need a Noise Gate or you'll kill Yourself. The Clean channel is OK.. I've heard people complaining about it but I don't understand just keep the pre at 2 or 3. The most brutal distortion ever...it's basicly for Death Metal..don't ask why In Flames, Arch Enemy, Children Of Bodom, Chimaira, Anonymus, Opeth, and heaven metallica(they use it in the studio) play with it.

It sure that I'll use it Live...

No Problem with that

The best amp I ever tried for me...I play through Mesa, Marshall,Randall, Line 6, hugues And Kettner, Crate, etc...and no one was close to get that kind of tone.The price is ridiculy low so jump on it!!!

120 watts , 4 8 16 ohms, 4 6l6s, 2 channels with "crunch" and "bright" selections. eq for each channel. foot switch.

i used a gibson les paul classic. this amp is pretty high gain and saturation, you cant really articulate chords well, everything sounds meh.
basically a crappier jcm 900.
if youre looking for a really high end sound, just buy a jcm 800 and get a boost pedal.

i go for a more vintage, "warm", master volume marshall jmp/sound city type sound, so this amp really doesnt do it for me.
dont buy this head, it only sounds good if youre a total burn out from 1985 named eddie

its not very loud, contrary to belief.
ive played louder 30 watt orange heads.
i guess its dependable though, its pretty toughly made.
ill give eddie van wanker that at least.

dont bother.
just get a jcm 800 and put a ratt or big muff on it.

this amp fits me in every way possible, i play, hardcore, metal, jazz/blues, rock, grind it has perfect settings for what i need...i was looking for a good tube head, and i had seen this head and the other 5150 model at just about every show i went to for several years and loved how they sounded, and these were bands such as, between the buried and me, folly, reflux, ion dissonance, the warriors...etc...its lead channel can be brutal or more easy going depending on how you EQ it, alot of people push this head really hard, but i find that maybe gain up to 5 is high enough, plus having it there wont give me as much feedback during full playing...the clean/rhythm channel can be a little rough if not EQed just right, i spent atleast a week perfecting my clean channel, so it sounds pefect for my needs, ive never used the distortion on the rhythm channel, so i cant comment about it

my guitars:
ESP/LTD Viper-400VSB EMG-81 bridge and neck
Jackson JJII scott ian sig. seymour duncan scott ian pickups
Ibanez RG7321, factory pickups
Ibanez SZ, factory pickups

i also have a rack containing the following:
Korg DTR-2000
BBE 362 sonic maximizer
Rocktron HUSH super C

it sounds great with just about every guitar i have, the only problems ive encountered have really only been with the guitars because of the woods being different and different pickups and all that jazz, all i have to do is adjust the maximizer and it sounds just fine

for what i play its perfect, it has the brutal lows and the punchy highs that fit my bands perfectly, i also play through a marshall vs412 140W cabinet, which handles it just as good as a 1960, or any cabinet it has been next to

the clean could be better but like i said before i spent a week on EQ so it sounds dead on for me

heres my story: this is probably the bad part of my review

but i ordered this head through a music store locally from peavey because the store didnt have any in stock, so when they got it in i went and tried it out, worked fine, got it home, wouldnt turn off standby, took it back had it fixed, it was great, sounded amazing working like a fucking CHAMPION, december 23rd, doesnt play louder than volume level 0, took it to get it fixed, got it back a few weeks later, took it back to get tubes changed, got it back for 3 days, on the 3rd day, it went out again just like the last time, no volume above 0, took it back, it is currently AT PEAVEY getting repaired, im getting it back in 2 weeks at the latest

however, i have seen tons of bands use this head and the original 5150 head for years and years on end even my friends that have them have had them forever and they have been solid, ofcoarse the tube changes and whatnot, but theyve been solid heads, so i trust in them

for me the companys ive delt with getting my head fixed have been amazing, ive had it since september 04 and its still under warranty so luckily all my repairs have been free of charge, everyone ive delt with have been very nice and helpful with me to get my amp back into my hands and for them to never see it again, and i thank each and every person who has laid hands on my head to repair it a GREAT deal, because without them id be stuck with shit tone coming from a broken marshall combo computer head and a digitech effects processor....lame...

been playing it since september 04 been in repair for a total of 2 months total, not consecutively

if stolen or lost i would totally get another one if i can find it

i love how its fucking brutal, but has a gentle clean if EQed right, i stress EQing the clean right

i hate how its been in maintenance longer than ive been able to play it

i think it smothers all the other competitors, and i chose this one because every band ive seen in the past 2 years has had atleast 1 of these or the 5150 head

i wish it had a little better clean

if you can find one or a 5150 EVH block...buy it, make sure it works right, and buy it...dont ask questions...itll be rare soon

This is a 5150 II made in 2000. footswitch 2 seperate channels with 2 different eqs. mine has jj tubes in it. i'm also playing out of a 5150 cab as well. like everybody says, the clean channel isn't ace, but it sounds a lot better with jjs. i would give mine a 7.5 but i'll make it 8.

this amp sounds tremendous. i'd been playing out of an avt150H with a marshall 1960A cab, and this thing sounds amazing. its got the wickedest distortion that is fully saturated and just so ballsy and thick. i chose this amp because i hate marshals and mesas, and i can't afford a framus or bogner. i play a lot of metalcore and hardcore and metal, but i also use the amp for classic rock and garage band stuff. i will run down the channels, as well as them compared to other amps i've played; keep in mind that these are only my opinions, based on limited experience with both my amp and the ones i will compare it too.

5150 clean channel: this sounds a lot like a marshall with gain turned down, and i mean like a jcm800 or jcm900. personally i don't have much use for it, i prefer just turning the gain down on the rhythm channel. Compared to the avt, the clean probably isn't as good, but it is more expressive. compared to the mesa i think it sounds a heck of a lot better, but i am biased in that i can't stand the cleans of a high gain amp. they sound like such crap. but the 5150 sounds just like a marshall clean.

5150 Rhythm channel: Once i heard this i was already sold. It sounds almost exactly like an older marshall. Think the vines tone, it sounds just like that. Compared to the avt, the avt blows. That was the avts major vice; there was no useable low gain sounds. the gain 1 channel was useless. no good blues or classic rock tones. Compared to a mesa it is truly a matter of opinion. i like this one better because i like the marshall tone that it gets, and the mesa to me just sounds like its high gain version except with less gain.

5150 Lead channel: After playing on an avt this channel was AMAZING. it just has so much character and tone, as well as a shit of a lot of balls. it really does simply crush the avt. its a very musical distortion in that its easy to manipulate and control just based on pick attack and playing style. i can say that this amp matches my tone almost dead on. the one thing that i don't like much about it is that particularly on lower volume levels with the pre-gain turned up, you get this strange overtone above the actual note that you are playing. you need to listen carefully to hear it, but it is there. it seems almost like a type of feedback. although i wish there were some way to get rid of it, it really isn't that much of a big deal, especially on higher volume levels. compared to mesa, again it is a matter of opinion. it is a lot darker of a sound, especially with the 5150 cabinet. i don't really like the triple rectifier sound, it seems kind of brittle and dry to me, but that is just my opinion. maybe if that amp had a pair of el34s as well as the other 6l6s it would sound better to me. but some people like it so whatever.

i'm happy to say that i've found my tone through this amp. i would like a couple of small augmentations, and for these i'm considering voodoo mods. can anyone tell me about these guys? email me at SA3Zdmvz@gmail.com

as for solidness i really can't attest for it, but it made a trip from illinois without any wear whatsoever. i'll probably post again later.

again, i don't have any experience with customer support so i can't give an opinion.

I've owned an avt150H and i've played countless mesas, bogners, and higher in the line marshals, and for the price this one takes the cake. to get a better high gain amp, you'd have to spend thousands more. there just isn't anything that can compare in this price range. if it were stolen i'd find whoever it was and then beat them to a pulp and steal all their money and use it to send my peavey to voodoo mods.