Peavey 5150

Features are nothing special. It's a 2 channel amp but the clean is absolutely useless....lifeless. It's a waste of channel cause it gets dirty and gritty. Can't stay clean at high volumes.

This amp is a big dissapointment! Sure it has distortion galore but it's fizzy and muddied. The only thing it seems good for is metal mostly and some rock. It can't do jazz or blues. This amp just didn't deliver the goods. I will stick with my Laney.

It's built like a tank and seems quite durable. Peavey has been known to build reliable amps throughout hte years.

It's bad now. Can't even get a respond back from my emails.

This amps is probably good for metal players for the most part. Anything else is crap. There's nothing about this amp that appeals to me when I traded my Marshall for it. I would either go back to my Marshall or Laney.

The 5150 is an all Valve 2 channel amp. I bought it in 1994; it has now been reissued as the Peavey 6505 since EVH withdrew his endorsement. He's now working with Fender. Features-wise this amp is pretty limited with no reverb and an EQ section shared between the two channels. The clean channel ain't very clean at all, but I don't think anyone would buy this amp on the basis of its clean sound anyway. What you get is a raging lead channel and an absolutely excellent effects loop. While not exactly a one-trick pony, it's clear that Peavey tailored this amp for metal. Although it's an EVH signature model, the sound goes way beyond classic rock territory; this is about as heavy as it gets. Loads of modern metal bands use the 5150 or its 6505 equivalent e.g. Trivium, BFMV, Blackstone Cherry, In Flames etc etc.

I play Ibanez S series 7 string guitars. Some have stock pickups, others have Seymour Duncan Invaders (about as high output as passive pups get. I've been playing for 24 years, much of this time semi-pro, so I think I know what I'm talking about! My current band plays a style of music somewhere between classic Pantera and modern stuff like Killswitch. I play a lot of brutal rhythm and extended solo guitar. My 5150 is paired with the standard 5150 slanted 4 x 12 cab.

Reading forums, I see that many people add an overdrive pedal (usually Tubescreamer variants or Boss SD-1) to give the amp a little more clarity and 'chug.' This is fine, but I have a major tip for anyone owning this amp. The amount of distortion on tap is crazy, but can easily wreck your sound if you overdo the gain; anything over 6 and you will lose tonal clarity, . To get a full on chunky metal sound you simply need to increase the volume level of the guitar as it enters the preamp section. I use a Boss GT-8 via the 'four cable' connection method; this gives me all the chorus, delay, wah, pitch shift etc options I could ever need. To get the extra gain 'push' that is required, I make sure that the GT-8 enters the amp at a very 'hot' volume level. The volume knob on the back of the GT-8 is maxed out and the patch level is about 130/200. Do this and you get an absolutely mad metal sound, even with fairly lame stock pickups, perfect for chunky riffs and for sustaining leads. The noise suppressor on the GT-8 also tames any nasty, unwanted hiss perfectly (the gain on tap makes this quite a noisy amp). If you've played Mesa stuff you will know that it is fabulous sounding, but very 'tweaky'; get your settings wrong and eveything will sound crap. One of the great things about the 5150 is the fact that it is not a tweaky amp at all; the basic sound does not alter greatly, even with some quite extreme settings (although the presence control will f##k your ears if you dime it at high volume!).

My settings are: pre-gain 6ish, Bass - just under 5, Mid- 3, Treble 4.5, Resonance - just under 4, Presence - just under 4

To my ears, the rhythm channel is a bit ropey; a genuine clean sound is not that easy to achieve. My Marshall Mode Four has a perfect icy cold clean channel which craps on the Peavey, but truly sucks when one compares the distorted tones available.

The distortion channel of the 5150 is outstanding. You can get great crunchy AC/DC style tones, but increase the preamp gain and the true forte of this amplifier becomes obvious. This amp does mega high-gain modern tones fantastically well. The clarity of sound is really striking. Your guitar will slice through even the busiest, loudest mix like a laser gun.


I'm guessing that anyone using using active pickups will get a mean metal tone direct into the amp. All modern metal players need to check this amp out. Not only is it tailor made for the heaviest of styles, but its price tag is less than half that of the equivalent Meas gear. A truly special design. I'm very glad that Peavey continues to produce it albeit under a different name.

I change valves every 2 years just as a precaution. I've never had this amp die on me. I carry a Marshall Mode Four as gig backup, but have never had to fall back on it. I use JJ tubes and they work great once warmed up for about a quarter of an hour. Some people have moaned that they can't set the tune bias. For the average Joe, like myself, who just wants to get out and gig, this is a good thing; you can revalve this thing in about 10 minutes with no messing about with bias meters etc.

Never dealt with them

Fantastic if you want basic evil metal tones. It will also do classic AC/DC style rock really well if you lay off the gain. I love this amp and would cry if someone stole it. I would track down the thief and batter them to death with an Ibanez guitar.

Ok my 5150 peavey was made in 1991 I believe it was one of the first one. A two channel amp with few features like sharing the same eq for the 2 channels. This amp is extremely loud if you have a cab make sure you run 75 watt speakers or you will blow them. Has a swicht that will allow you to run 4 8 and 16 ohms.Also a presence knob and contour knob.There is no reverb or delay other than its very well designed. Poor effects or no dsp other than that this will be up there in the bogner range.

I use three guitar a prs custom 24, a blackhawk custom and carvin 135dc I say this amp really nails it even though the clean it may not seem loud enough, it will work ok for gigs the amp is really outstanding overdriven you can get crunchy sound out of it like sounds from the 80's and you can push this thing to the limit the gain is just insane if you are a lead player this is the amp for you.
This amp will outplay any mesa out there soldano marshall etc.. make sure you get a decent speaker cab I run mine through a marshall 900 1960 's edition and it really rocks. With a good delay pedal and some nice chorus and a good wah nothing, nothing will beat this amp for the price remember I am talking about the head made in the early 90's wich sounds way better than the evh or the peavey 5150 II .

well it's 2008 and I only changed tubes so I guess it makes it good bang for the money. This amp was made 17 yrs ago.

N/A never dealt with them.

I 've been playing 10 years and I owned lots of gear I consider a really well contructed amp.If lost I will probably look for another even though I don't need this much power my house is huge and still makes the cops come to my house my neighboors can really feel the windows shake.

Bought this head 2nd hand so dont know what year its from

its the stock 5150head sig version (EVH signature on front of the amp , Ive heard rumors of this one sounding better than the EVH blockletter 5150 but you'all know what they say about rumors..)

120watts
4 6L6power tubes
5 12AX7 pre amp tubes
2channels rhythm(green) and lead(red)
2 inputs ( normal & hi gain)
came with the el cheapo plastic 2 button footswitch
everything works so no complaints, not that sturdy but Id say if you take care of your stuff you dont need a 'triple titanium' footswitch

I kind of took this amp for what it is.I do agree that fixed bias may seem lame when wanting to experiment with other tubes which require biasing.You can always get it modded for that matter.

If you want to practice at home with this thing I recommend you soundproof your walls.I usually run it at just 1 on the volume when Im practicing @ home which already gets kind of loud :D

My main guitar is a Washburn X-81 with EMG's 85bridge 81neck.I play mostly melodic death metal and it is just a perfect match.This amp is very dark sounding and has loads of gain.The lead channel is just a dream come true.If distortion is your thing you will absolutely love this amps lead channel.the EQ is very responsive and by adding some lows this amp can also sound very chunky for those chugga chugga type of riffs.dial in more mids to the eq for some classic carcass or Arch Enemy.So in terms of metal this thing is quite versatile Id say.It is noisy but get yourself noise gate in the loop and problem solved!

The rhythm channel I use mostly for cleans and this is where most complaints for this amp come in but hey come on for this price what the hell are you babbling about!? I think the cleans sound kind of lifeless !!! yeah Im being honest and not biased cause I own the damn thing.but theres ways to make it come alive like use the neck pickup for a warmer sound.with EMG's its necessary to roll back the volume back a lil on the guitar(find your sweetspots).By using these simple techniques Ive found Im still happy with the clean sound of this amp.If your buying this amp for the cleans your def looking on the wrong department.This amp lives for Hi gain performances.

the crunch on this channel can get pretty nice when boosted with an OD pedal.for pure crunch I would rather get a Marshall JCM though, but it aint all that bad.

I have no idea of the age of this thing, but I do know that these things can go for years when taken good care of.the amp is one solid block and looks very sturdy.

havent dealt with them.

Im playing for 8 years now.I used to own a Marshall SS 50 watt combo (dont remember the model name), Line6 spider II.Sold all of it to get me a real tube amp.This is my first tube amp ever and I will probably keep this until it stops working!

If stolen Id definitely get me another one.maybe Id have to go for one of those ugly 6505's cuz these 5150's will be getting rare in time, but yeah its the inside of these things that count.I would probably not get something else cause I have done allot of research on other amps which offer more versatility but cost twice ,triple or even more.I just play melodic death metal and this amp serves me well I dont need all that jazzy clean and marshall crunch stuff so for me this amp is just a perfect fit.

I played allot on my friends JCM900 before I bought this and I like em both but for melodicdeath I definitely prefer the 5150 for its darker higher gain sound.I do wish it sometimes has separate EQ's for the rhythm and lead channels.The 5150II does offer that but is a little different sounding.Fuck it Ill take the 5150 for what it is any day without complaining. thanks

This is a two channel 5150 EVH block letter head, I am using this for a trash meets samba metal band. (Myspace.com/elphantheadrocks) if you want to check it out. The effects loop on this amp is amazing I run a MXR-135 and a boss ge-7 through the fx loop. I really wish this model came with a external bias control, it came pretty cold. I replaced the stock tubes with eurotubes intregrated quad set and it has been amazing. I use this amp live and in studio, I love it, plenty of power. I am giving this an 8 for 2 reasons, first the bias was only kicking out 12mA until I put the eurotubes in & second cause they did not put a bias switch on.

The amp is very versital, the clean channel is a bit dull but the eurotubes warmed it up a bit. Distortion hisses like a snake but thats where the mxr-135 came in, if run through the fx loop it takes care of that. Distortion is great, clean, big, full sound. I am using mainly an ESP Standard Viper with EMG 81's so it also has a very fat sound. Im gonna have to give this portion a 7 cause without the fx and a high end guitar this head will just sound like a bunch of noise.

I fully depend on this amp, I am 100% dependent on it. We have been playing a lot of shows and it has been very dependable. I dropped it once pretty hard as well and no problems at all.

Never delt with Peavey, Unfortunetly I have heard bad things but never experienced it for myself so.....

I have been playing for 13 years, I have gone through a lot of gear. I have had Marshalls, Mesas, ADA, Rocktron, and a VHT to my surprise the Peavey has been my favorite, It is amazing with a few alterations. I am planning on modding it at some point or getting another one just as a back up, but I really want to stick with the EVH block letter which are getting harder to find. If it were stolen I would be pissed and would defently replace it. I saw that FJA does the mod to put the bias meters on the back panel, so after that and I get and iec jack mod done I think my amp will be the best one have have ever had.

two channel, clean and distorted channels, the clean does have a crunch u can put on it. Sometimes I prefer that over the distortion. goes to 16 ohms. On and Standby. normal speaker inputs just 2.

Okk so everyone always says that this amp is only good for the distortion. well i had my bias modded and it actually changed my clean drastically. I use to play in a band with another guy who had a 6505 and we compared the clean his sounded a lot flatter and when he turned it to high volumes it would distort. Mine sounds full and smooth all the way. I play in a hardcore/metalish band and this amp has always pulled out the sounds i was always looking for

never had any problem with it.. just change the tubes and this thing hauls

never used it

great head, im looking to start running two heads live and im gonna keep the tradition of using peavey and im looking at the butcher. This amp was in my price range and I've been using it for 2 years and just absolutely love it.. I couldnt say enough about finding a head under a grand that blows most other heads out of the water!

2003 Peavey 5150 head 120 watts all tube Essentially 3 channels but you can only switch between 2 with the foot switch (Rhythm has a crunch setting). High and low gain inputs you can get a half decent clean tone with the low input. Would have liked a 5150 II but this does the job well enough for me.

This amp is built for metal and hardcore music pick up any hardcore records before bands landed big endorsements (Mesa/Boogie) Chances are the guitarists used one of these heads cos they're cheap, reliable and sound brutal. I used to play in hardcore bands and this amp was awesome I now play in a pop rock band and to be honest this amp is still pretty good for that not ideal but it works.

It's Peavey it'll go on forever just feed it new tubes once in a while and it'll last til the end of time!

Mine was second hand so Peavey wont want to know if anything goes wrong. All peavey stuff I've had in the past they've been more than helpful generally just needing new manuals and stuff.

I've been playing for 13 years my setup goes Heavily modded Fender '72 Telecaster Custom > Boss Tu-2 Tuner > Marshall Supervibe Chorus > Boss Ns-2 Noise Suppressor > Boss DD-20 Digital Delay > Peavey 5150 Head > Peavey Triple XXX Slanted 4x12. I got this just after peavey discontinued them off a friend of mine who wanted a less "metal" amp I'd been after one of these for years so traded him my PRS CE 24 (Which hadn't been out of it's case for 6 months) for it. Before I got this head I was using a Peavey XXL head which also a great amp but just didn't sound as powerful as the 5150.

update on my old 5150 head that I was thinking of dumping due to bad muddy tone. all features have been described

The amp has been resurrected from the brink of being sold. Really did not want to sell the old beast so I went all out and actually found that the amp can sound the way it was designed to. It's gone from muddy and brittle with jcm 800 like gain to hot elastic soldano like gain with a super tight bottom end. Sounds so close to a SLO 100 now it's unbeleivable and as good or better than the 5150 combo. THE CURE: Electro-Harmonix rated for high gain 12ax7's all the way across from V1 to V5 and two Sovtek 6L6 WXT+ power tubes. It is run at sixty watts only. And the other half of the solution: Marshall 1960B cab with 75 watt Celestions. This amp loves celestions. The 5150 cabs sound really bad compared to the marshall. The distortion tone is now a solid equal to the Mesa studio and the 5150 combo and also the Soldano. I couldn't be happier with it. It also sounds as good as a JSX head as well. I am going to purchase one of those as soon as I can too.

never failed

cool people

This is a first rate high gain head. I encourage anybody who owns one that is not happy with the tone, thinking that it is harsh, muddy, lacks gain, brittle, or whatever to play with tubes and speaker cabs before selling. You will be surprised. It is essentially a lower cost SLO 100, just a little different.

it does have a 1/4 and xlr jack, so that is nice. 16 ohms. bout the extent of features on a cab. this cab is def for metal, and that is what i'm using it for and its a dream.

the sound is unbelievable. i read some reviews on hear about people getting their cab and it, "farting." I didn't know what that meant, until i got mine and it started farting. it either sounded like a rattling or ripped speaker... so we opened it up and sure enough the speaker wasn't tight enough, we tightened it up and put it back together. i started playin it... and it wasn't as bad but there was still a really bad buzzing sound. i got this thing used on co-signment at a local muisc shop and i wasn't able to take it back so i was nervous. but we figured out it was the back panel rattling because the cab is so LOUD! so we took it apart again got some carpet padding put it on the sides so that it was tighter and wouldn't rattle. ever since then it has worked like a dream. this thing is soooo loud. i use to use a crappy Marshall MD cab, and this thing is more than double as loud, it is insane.

take the back pannel off and just look at the speakers... the magnets are HUGE! like i said i got this used so i don't know how well it was set up when new, because the previous owner did some mods, like changing the casters and leaving the holes from the old one. i'm going to cover them up and try and get it as air tight as possible, i can't even put my amp over like 4 to play now, and i'm in a hardcore band.

this thing looks like a tank, and is built like a tank, which is good since i'm gona be taking it on the road every weekend and months at a time in the sumer

haven't really tried. but i got endorsed by peavey and they were so nice and helpfull. i'm giving them an 8 cause i haven't worked with them that much.

i love this thing. my other guitarist has a Marshall mode 4, it is really nice cab of the nicest that marshall makes, and would choose my 5150 over it any day. i play on a gibson sg and a peavey valve king head(can't beat for the price, but saving up to get either 5150 head or 6505. my outfit sounds awesome right now w/just the vavle king and i cna't wait to get a 6505.) like i said i play in a hardcore band, like metalish type of stuff. if you are wanting a crunchy, gritty, powerfull cab than this is the cab for you. i'll say this once more... i love this cab....

two channel amp. Crunch and lead. Semi clean if you want, Loop, chan. switching. Plenty of juice.Wish it had verb. All tube.

Gets dirty and dirtier. Not much variety but good enough if you spend the time and like the tones. Not much of a clean sound. Distortion is just ok, not great. Using PV Wolfgang and MM EVH guitars both with Dimarzio pups.Suits my style which is blues hard rock and metal of all types. Not noisy. OK, here is the deal. I have had the amp for three years now. It's been great while I have had it and has been alot of fun, BUT sadly ever since getting my 5150 combo and My Mesa Boogie Studio preamp it has been left in the dust as far as sound quality goes. The Combo simply destroys it for tone and gain. And the Mesa Boogie? Well there is just no comparison. The Boogie shreds the poor 5150 HEAD. It is thin and lifeless compared to those amps. I have swapped tubes , used new tubes , and had the amp gone through with no problems found. I am spoiled by the Boogie sound now which can get ALOT heavier than the 5150 head ever could. The same goes for the 5150 COMBO. Much larger sound and much fatter sound. It is a different amp altogether according to Roger Crimm at PV. Those amps are fat and juicy and the head sounds flat by comparison. Am contemplating on selling it and getting a Mesa Triaxis or Mark III instead. I am going to give it one more go at getting it to sound up to the level of my other amps and then we will see. I might keep it around to use as a power amp with the triaxis or something. we will see.

Very reliable, only blown fuses

The best.

Been playing for 28 years. A veteran of the 80's metal scene. Like I said , one more go round for the old beast. I have basically been converted over to older(not Rectifier!) Mesa Boogie type tone which is far superior for ANY kind of tone, mellow or heavey. MY Studio Preamp sounds like a Mark IIc+! I wanted to keep it for collectability reasons but I still have the combo so...... They will always be around I think if I ever want another one, But i'll probably start collecting old Mesa Boogies instead, better resale value and better sound to go with it.