Peavey 5150 II

If you are hoping this one amp will help you cover a wide range of styles and or provide you with a full sound if less distortion(i.e.70'style medium gain slight crunch ac/dc..deep/jimi/zep/cream or u2 /beatles/radiohead/indie rock) is required,then do not bother with this amp.Your ears will hurt and you will go deaf in the fight trying to make this amp do what it wasnt designed to do.Big bulky and heavy in design.Tubes and transformers with insane amounts of gain in the front end and ample clean cold power for the output stage.2 channels with a loop...blah blah blah...Purchased this only to try out because of the blow out price and I briefly owned the first version of this amp(the 5150).Im using it with a 5150 bottom cab that I ve owned for some time and use it with other heads when something other than recto or marshall cabs are needed.Let me just say that I understand why one could love this amp.If someone wants to instantly contaminate the air with amplified hate and brutality...GREAT,Its designed to plug in and shred.No boost or rat pedal required.In terms of availible gain on tap, its amazing that anything can produce this much sheer highgain distortion.I really like the band Rammstein(spelling)?as well as bits of ministry and NIN so I had to see if this amp would at least provide two usable sounds.The features and tone given at this pricepoint all work on a very specific and limited level(which was intended).But you really get what you pay for.Shop around if are picky about your 12ax7 class ab weapon of abuse.

Im using gibsons/hmbkrs mostly.I think I would rather use a pod than play this amp.It sounds as good as it looks,If you are joking around with tapping for laughs its quite funny really but stop wanking with your floyd rose and try actually playing an actuall song with this amp start to finish at a reasonable volume and if you are heard within the context of other intruments,your head and everyone elses head will hurt.Im not a vanhalen freak but this head has nothing to do with anything other than greed for eddy and peavy because its so late 88 -92 bad sounding and cheap.You might as well put a chorus pedal on it and bury yourself in a sea of homophobia.

Its built like a sherman tank unfortunatly.A masterpiece of art to last several lifetimes to consistantly remind us with utter disgust and regret.I would pay good money afer bad to see these amps blown up.This amp is an abortion and a bi-product of bad hair and snakeskin boots.Thank you ed and peavy.I can depend on you.

Great support actually except my endorsement expired when clay spivy was replaced so no more deals for me however there are good peaple at peavy.They are helpfull and care about there customers.This 5150 amp pays their bills and keeps thier lights on.They are an american company.My first peavy was a 1980 classic with the built in phaser.Then a classic 50 1991.A fine amp for the money and beats some marshalls.

I have a diverse background in music from producing and engineering albums(one double platnum) on ampex/studer analog 2 inch 16 track tape machines to protools HD systems with neve,api,ssl mixing desks to session work as a guitarist for virgin interactive,seventh level,activision,video games,and as a recording artist on Warner Bros with two albums.Ive been to eddy's house and played his guitars and hung out with matt bruck(his longtime tech)Eddy has a few hundred amps in storage but he stands by this amp.Its great only within a narrow window at best.

It's been amply listed here, but here's a brief summery for the lazy. A full-tube 120W (4 6L6) amp head that basically offers the usual 2-channel stuff. Clean/crunch on one, lead on the other, seperate eq and post-gain per channel and a bright-switch on the clean channel. A nice Peavey touch is the post low and high (they call it resonance and contour) controls per channel. It comes with a sturdy stageboard that switches channels, clean/crunch, and the fx loop on/off. In short, it's got what it takes, nothing more (who needs more), nothing less.
Two downers though. The fx loop is situated post-post. That's not handy and serves no purpose I can think of. Also, standby takes the load off all the tubes, including the pre-amp. This means you'll need a loadbox if you want to use the amp in a sidechain, or pre-amp only, if you don't want to burn out the transformer.

I play jazz and hardcore metal on anything (PRS, Gibson, ESP, Schecter, Ibanez, Fender, Blade, Epiphone, Godin). Some are equipped with DiMarzios (Tone Zone, Blaze, Evo, Air Norton, Super Distortion), some with Seymour Duncans (Custom and Jazz, my favorite combination on mahogany/maple/rosewood).
The lead channel is, hands down, the best there is out there if brutality is what you're after. It's quiet, considering the amount of gain the amp gives. Mesa Rect, Marshall, Engl, H&K, Peavey (it's unbelievable how much stuff one accumulates when you hang around long enough in show business) blows them all out of the water with a whistle and a poke in the nose. I love Engl's versatility, Rect is nice, I'm not particularly fond of Marshall anyway, H&K gives great value for money... but this amp is the bomb for modern hardcore metal. You'll know why Machine Head sounds the way they do.
Crunch is okay, bluesy, nothing special.
Clean is a bit rough and needs tweaking to mellow it down (if that's what you want) but sounds okay.

You'll want this amp for its lead sound if you want lethal distortion. But here's the bad news: Peavey seems to have discontinued it as per 2005. It's not in their product catalogue anymore. Their marketing division is either senile or moronic because without 5150, Peavey is just another good brand, nothing special.

It's a tank. And it's a Peavey. But it's a tube amp so the inexperienced should take heed of the following:

Allow warming up (power up, standby off) for a minute or more before before switching on tube circuitry (it will make your power tubes last longer);
Allow the amp to cool down for a while after a gig or rehearsal before moving it out (it will make your power tubes last longer);
Make sure you ALWAYS load the power amp outlets, either with a speaker cab or a load box (you'll destroy your power amp if you don't);
Make sure the impedance setting is set right. Note that the specified impedance on the speaker should be divided by 2 when connecting two cabs coz the terminals are parallelled (you'll destroy your power amp if you don't);
And last but not least: DON'T PUT YOUR BEER ON IT (you'll waste the whole amp if you do)!!!

Never had a problem. But I do a lot of maintenance myself so I never really needed them. In other words: Peavey never gave me the kind of problems I couldn't handle myself.

I lay on a semi-pro level, been playing for about 35 years. I own 2 19" racks (TC Electronic, Marshall, Engl, Peavey, H&K) with Celestion and Bag End cabs, a 5150-212 combo and some loose stuff including Koch Pedaltone and various stomp boxes and 15 guitars, summarized above, including baritones and 7-strings.
I'd certainly buy it again if stolen, this amp is a league of its own, deserving the same status as reference amps like Recto or JCM-800. Signal routing is a bit silly to my taste, I'll probably mod it one day.

Conclusion: the best amp you can get if you're looking for brutal, modern distortion. Get it while you still can if that's what you're after because it seems to have been discontinued.

before i go like blablabla please note that im from The Netherlands and that my english can be very fuked up!

My main axe is a ESP MHB-400 Baritone loaded with EMG-81 active pick ups.Im in a band called Gilo and we play brutal down tuned in your face metal. I used This amp in the studio together with my modded Marshall G100R cd top the combination of the two amps are BRUTAL! (I never liked marshall and i still dont but the combi of the 5150 and the G110r kills you) Im the only guitarplayer in the band so I want two different heads for more presure and a thick sound. if you want to check out how the amp sounds just download one of our songs right here:

http://gilo.nl/music/GROW.MP3

I use 2 4x12 ENGL speakercabinets.. they are mid rangy and they keep it tight!! I also use a, BBE sonic maximizer, rocktron prophesy (only for the fx) and a rocktron hush super c. We tune down to A and the mids is were the tone is! lots of guitarplayer make a bigg mistake: they create a metalsound by scooping the mids and use lots of high and low.. thats not the way to cut through the mix! its ok for bedroom levels! thats just my personal opinion.

I give the sound a 8.. in combination with my other head its a 9!

p.s. if you change the tubes it can make a huge difference! I loaded the 5150 with ruby tubes selected by koch and it isnt that noisy and harsh anymore and a lill more compression..

a BBE sonic maximazer in the loop can do miracles (lots of guitarplayers use it.. also Chimaira)

got any question? just hit me up!

This Amp is almost as versatile as they come. The cleans are its only weak point, because its not totally clean. It breaks up just a tad kind of in a Bluesie Way. This Amp Has 2 Channels and the rythm chan can be turned into a clean. It come with a footswitch to work with your effects Loop and to switch back and forth in the chans. This amp has TONS of power and doesnt lose any clarity when turned up. I use it mostly at home and dont go past 1.5 on the volume because of how loud it gets and i feel for my neighbors.

I Use this with A Gibson Flying V and a Schecter C-1+. Both guitars with EMG 81 at the Bridge. This amp suits my style perfectly. Not only can you play Classic rock like some Van Halen , Scorpions , Rush , Deep Purple, ect . But you Can also go to the other end and play Brutal Metal Like Children of Bodom , Arch Enemy , ect. This amp shines in its ability to have so much distortion and bottom end and not mess the clarity of your playing. The cleans arnt the greatest, but if you buy this amp and are looking to play alot of cleans then go buy a fender. This amp was made to be a high gain amp for people who want high gain, and usually dont really use the clean chan much anyway. The distortion can go from Absolutly Brutal like Arch Enemy to a nice Controlled Distortion you would hear in Rush.(With the Rythm Chan)

From what i have read and friends have told me peaveys are built like tanks and from what i have seen so far its al true.

Never dealt with them but have heard good things from their custumer service. Just fill out your extended warranty card and email them with any questions and they get back to you very fast.

Ive Been playing for about 3 Years and a solid state Line 6 Flextone II Plus. Having a tube amp now gives u that little variation that the solid state could nail.(Not to say that the Flextone isnt good becuase i think its a very kick ass amp)If it was lost i would run to my room and cry for a couple of hours before going out and hunting whoever stole it. I would definetly replace it if anything were to happen to it. I loved its brutal distortion and didnt hate anything about it. If i had to compare it to other amps like Rectifiers or the JCM series amps i would say this amp blows them away because it suits my style more. This is more of a metal amp while the JCM is more of a AC/DC sounding amp and the boogie is somewhere in between.

This is a completely stock, new amp.

I knocked a couple points off because of the lack of range available in the bias adjustment. I understand that Peavey may have done this to keep idiots from dammaging their amps by going overboard with it, but it sucks for me!

It apears that since Eddie's partnership with Peavey has ended, this amp will carry as the 6505+. Which is a great thing, because this amp is truly unique!

See previous reviews for more details.

I like the original 5150, but I like this one more!

The first time got this amp dialed in and played it, I got so exited that I had to mosh around a bit, and then damn, I smashed one of the fingers on my left hand so hard against my coffee mug that the knuckle busted open and swelled up bad! I've got it on ice, it's getting better.

I'm using a custom, self-built guitar; mahogany body with maple top, maple neck with rosewood finger board, dual L500s, and a fixed bridge.

I tried it with my other guitar, which is equipped with EMGs, but guitar differences aside, the L500s clearly performed much better. Sweeter, more open, and better harmonics!

My amp came stock with these tubes;
The pre-amp:
V1-V4 12AX7EH
V5-V6 Sovtek 12AX7LPS

Power-amp:
Ruby 6L6GCMSTR (Very sweet sounding!)


I'm going to experiment with some C-9s in a few of the pre-amp positions to see if I get some improvement.


You either love the midrange grind that this amp produces or you don't. I am truly addicted to it! It barks and growls just the way I like.


There are a few things that I would like to see improved on this amp;
One: The fizziness in the crunch mode with the Pre set above 2.5
Two: The hiss in the Lead channel with the Pre set above 5.25.
Three: I'd like palm mutes to be tighter.

I may consider a few minor mods to address these issues, but nothing that would cause a loss of this amps signature bark and growl!

I don't know yet on this one, I just got it, so unlike some idiot reviewers who would give it a "0", and throw the overall ratings off. I will do the intelligent thing, and give it a "No Opinion" here.

I may post an update in the future.

I don't know yet on this one, I just got it, so unlike some idiot reviewers who would give it a "0", and throw the overall ratings off. I will do the intelligent thing, and give it a "No Opinion" here.

I may post an update in the future.

Tone is a subjective matter to a certain degree, and for me, this amp has outstanding tone, and all of the features that I need. If you like it, buy one!

every thing you want out of a metal/rock amp....cept no reverb which makes blues/blues rock tuff....but still possible

holy shit!!! i play mainly hardcore/metal(himsa, at the gates, bla bla bla..) and it kicks the shit out of anything ive played on...for awhile i was playing through a variety of marshalls and mesas and never really found the tone that i was looking for...but now..that has changed ....i love it...best part....i can only play with volume at about 2...everything thing ealse is excess....but o so fun...my only complaint is that on clean....it kinda lacks but after about3 hours of playing i was able to dial in a pretty good clean, just set the bass realativly high and lay off the mid/highs a bit...reverb always helps too...p/s-more gain that you could ever use...or could you?? HA TAKE THAT NEIGHBORS!

never had a problem

absolutely love it....it really is the best amp for what it does...and the price didnt hurt...only complaints are clean kinda lacks but thats what fender and vox are for and no reverb...but thats not a big deal...if i had to do it over again i would pick another one up in a heart beat....best thing i could have done...

2002 model great amp super versatilefor clasic rock to heavey metal.It has two channels but with the foot swichable cruch button it has three IMHO efex loop on the foot switch great stuff and this 5150 II has a bias trim built in You need this in all your tube amps

I use humbuckers(PRS) and single coils(strat) The amp handles both with ease. A word about the clean sound, This amp can do a good clean sound if you dial it in right. To have an amp do a good clean and a super rythm dirt and a super over the top brutal distortion and then don't forget sustain for days in the lead channel, well what hell more do you want. On top of that these amps are cheap and still built well. stop complaining about the clean, its good enough. I use the clean channel for my plexi type gain (split my p/u's and roll back the guitar volume and you got a good clean sound) then I engage the crunch button for a JCM 800 sound and you get a volume bump which I like a lot. You can puch up your rythm parts for dynamics or even use it for leads(good stuff)Then there's the lead channel which is great. I find I go low on the treble (say about three) and then dial in my highs with the resonce power amp adjustment. this is when the amp really started to sing for me (the power amp adjustments are key) I also am running just two power tubes and I switched to kt-88's I'm a Marshall guy and my plexi has more tone but this amp for playing gigs can't be beat. I don't no why people bash 5150's it's a real work horse that does a lot of things very well.

had three never a problemn

playing about 30 years I own a plexi and a fenderI've had Bogner soldano and mesas's don't belieave the hype on the high priced amps. you'll pay 100% more and get about 5% better tone maybe. Save you money and buy a peavey or a Marshall old scholl Plexi The marshall Hand wired series are freakin fantasti but they're big bucks.

I am the recent proud owner of a 2004 120-watt all-tube, all-balls Peavey 5150 II. As far as features, i couldn't give her a 10, just because it doesn't have reverb, but then again, i don't use reverb. With the introduction of the mk.II 5150, Peavey added a third option for you cry baby's who NEEDED a 'clean' channel. The rhythm channel is now a true clean channel, with a BRIGHT and CRUNCH push button to enhance the clean channel.
As far as power and gain, DAMN!!!!! 120 WATTS OF ALL-TUBE POWER!! It's a fuckin beast. I play in a rehersal studio, at my singer's house, and this amp, at 3, can be heard up the street. I love tube amps, and this is the best tube amp on the planet, as far as sound-quality to price. No other amp comes close.

I have two Gibson Les Pauls, both with active EMGs, and a Peavey Wolfgang special. I use 5 pedals, 2 through the effects loop-a Boss Chorus Ensemble and Digital Delay DD-3,- and Crybaby Hendrix wah, Dunlop Rotovibe and a Boss Super Overdrive SD-1 run straight in to the amp. This amp is everything i could ever ask for with my set-up. The RHYTHM channel, with the BRIGHT and CRUNCH buttons in, gives you that classic JCM-800 like tone. With the Super Overdrive kicked in, u get that Zakk Wylde/BLS style tone, a lot of crunch with an insane amount of sustain. For my clean tones, i usually just turn the SD-1 off and engage the CE-5 and roll off the volume of my guitar, down between 2-4, giving me then best late 80s to mid 90s style ballad tone. I always keep the PRE-GAIN controls on my amp at 10, i like to keep the 12AX7 tubes hot. However, sometimes i like the 'chimmey' clean tone. I turn off the crunch channel, leaving the clean pre-amp tone, with the CE-5 still on. It is incredible the nice clean gain tone u get. It is clean, but with the preamp tubes burning hott, u get a nice chime to the tone.
NOW, we get in to the whole reason people buy this amp. THE LEAD CHANNEL. Before i bought this amp, i was torn between the 5150 II and the Peavey XXX. The lead channel on this amp has more balls than the XXX could dream of. It has more gain the a Hughes & Kettner and a MESA/Boogie Triple Rec. It is simply sick as hell. It has gain at every volume, .5 all the way up to 10. Even though as a warning, be careful turning this amp up past 6 or 7 as most amps, or people's ears for that matterm can handle the amp of gain this amp has to offer.

I would put my life up for this amp. It has been nothing but good to me.

I've been playing guitar for 8 years, i play everything from southern rock(Skynyrd, Allman Brothers) to hard rock(Aerosmith, GNR) to metal(Metallica, Slayer, BLS, Ozzy) and i can get just about every tone in between. I have always been a dedicated Peavey player as far as amplification, so maybe i am a little biased. But when the greats in every genre of music, Joe Satriani, Gary Rossington of Lynyrd Skynyrd and Eddie Van Halen play Peavey, you got to know something. I mean, the equipment speaks for itself. So don't take my word or anyone elses word for it. go play one for your self, and bleed the metal baby. BLEED IT HARD. You will not find a better deal than a Peavey 5150 II.

you know them, 2 and bit channels, loops etc. all the usual good amp stuff. the footswitch is the only minor niggle i have, the effects loop is on the wrong side!! when u want to switch channel and put effects in you need to move from one side to the other. the boost/crunch feature in the clean channel is a pretty good additon from the series 1, i dont use it much in my live playing(heavy stuff like pantera/killswitch styles) but its good for ac/dc old school rocking in the bedroom. the independant eq on each channel is cool to.
i use it for giging a lot and ive never needed to go past 4 on the volume.

i use a gibson explorer loaded with emg's and a couple of boss pedals (chorus/delay etc). my main style of playing is heavy, and this amp is simply the best. it kills mesas, marshalls, crates and randalls, it simply has the best distortion tone in the world.
the clean tone is a bit lacking but my pedals more than make up for that.
basically if you want an amp to play any music that needs high quality distortion, this is the one. ive even seen robbie williams backing band use them!!
im currently running a marshall cab with it. it still sounds awesome but im looking to upgrade.

i have no backup amps. its built like a tank, yeah its valve but its still a rock solid amp.

i never spoke to peavy so i dunno. i got it from electro music in doncaster and they were super helpful, i reckomend them.

best amp in the world. works well with my other gear, its just the best.

you know.

I play mainly death metal/tech metal(Ion Dissonance, PsyOpus, Necrophagist..etc) and god damn..this amp tears everything to shreds. A set of EMG's and a 5150 with the matching cab and a maximizer and you're set for life. You need nothing more.

I haven't ever had a problem with this amp, it's a fucking BEAST.

Great people, best forum ever and they make their shit to last. I wish all companies were as amazing as Peavey.

This review isn't all fluff..I have one huge problem with the 5150, and Peavey in general. They lack consistancy in their products. I have owned two 5150's, and for the longest time I felt incredibly unsatisfied with the 5150's. My first that I had, I tried all I could to make it sound good. I changed the tubes many times, I had mods done to it, I seriously tried to re-make this amp to make it awesome. But I failed miserably and ended up selling it for about what I bought it for to a friend of mine. I have many friends that play this amp and basically the same rig that I had. After playing through theirs, I realized that it wasn't even the same friggin' amp. Mine sounded buzzy and thin, and theirs sounded aaaaamazing. The only way I can describe it is, it sounded pissed off. The tone was awesome. I liked it so much I went out that same day and bought another 5150. I don't know what it is, but every 5150, 5150II, 5150 combo, all that stuff..sounds totally different. I don't get it. But what I have found out is just make sure it sounds good before you take it home. If you get it on the internet it's a gamble. Half sound good, half sound like complete garbage. Take two 5150's, put them right next to each other with the same exact gear, same settings, everything and they sound like different amps. It's shit. I am just happy I found one that sounds good, a quality 5150 overtakes any mesa, vht, or bogner or any of that high priced bullshit.