Peavey 5150

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.

I'm here to write as much as a definative review as I can on a very sought after piece of equipment. You most likely arlready know the features of this unit and are trying to get insight from other people who own and play it. I own a 1994 Block Letter EVH edition. I bought it for it's acclaimed monsterous sound and collectability, not to mention it's affordability as well. It's shared EQ with both the Rhythm and Lead channel is definately a weakness but otherwise the amp is fairly versatile for all styles of Rock music...especially Heavy Metal!

On to the good stuff. A good portion of 5150 owners are using this amp for Hard Rock or Hardcore/Metal such as myself. As I mentioned above, the amp can be pretty versatile so it definately isn't limited to brash sounding music. However, this amp was certainly made to kick some serious ass and hand it back to ya. Do yourself a favor and take the time to tweek the knobs and sift through different combinations to find your "desired" sound. You will definately find something to please your ears. The amount of gain this amp can cook up is intense. Depending on the settings, it can almost be too much and leave you with a unpleasing muddy sound. With a little invested time, you can acquire anything between a classy, blusey sound to an all out Death Metal assault. Excellent sustain and rich in harmonics. As far as clean tones go, I personally wasn't impressed BUT you can find some nice sounds depending on the guitar you use. I tried an array of different types of guitars and obviously found that some sound more full bodied than others. If you play Heavy Metal music such as I do, you most likey are using a dual humbucker guitar (bare minimum humbucker in the bridge position) and the character of the tone seems blah. By all means it's not horrible but definately not a spine tingler. This is the case as well even when you use the neck position pickup. When you switch over to using a single coil guitar the amp starts to give you more tonal options and gives you a fair improvement on capabilities. My judgement is based on plenty of knob tweeking in both Hi and Normal Gain inputs with mahogany bodied guitars (one with a flamed maple top) and set necks. I tested the cleans with Seymour Duncan hot rails, Fender Texas Specials, PAF humbuckers, Seymour Duncan Full Shred Humbuckers, and EMG 81/85's active hums. Overall the amp can accomplish a great amount of tonal varieties but I suggest to look elsewhere if you plan on playing a lot of songs that are written with swithching between clean/distortion due to the shared EQ of the two available channels. It is highly unlikely you will be completely satisfied with the tones you get from both channels on the same EQ settings. I suppose the 5150 II was the answer to this complaint of many diversified musicians in the industry. In regards to the difference in sound of the earlier "block letter" EVH models vs. the "signature" models, I am happily on the "myth" bandwagon. When I was interested in buying one of these puppies, I did some research on the difference between the two with a little help of a friend of mine that owns a little guitar shop. He disassembled the two "different" models (both years unknown) and did find some of the electronic components to be of higher quality in the block letter head in addition to a slightly beefier power supply unit. I'm certainly no electrition of any sort so I wouldn't know whether or not if that makes any difference in tone. Sure it sounds logical but is it really true? I haven't been fortunate enough to test the heads out side by side so I have no answer to this popular myth in the 5150 world. The amp does provide it's share of hiss especially when using the Hi Gain input. BOTTOM LINE: This amp was made to blaze the world. MASSIVE sound! Huge, tight bottom end (great in more than one way if you know what I mean ;-P). Metal Heads, you won't be dissapointed. The impressive list of artists who uses these should be enough proof otherwise.

I bought my model from Ebay and the unit was supposedly hardly used. From the looks of it I believe it. Remarkable condition. Since I don't know how often it was used and I have put only a couple of hours on it so far I'm not going to put a rating in this category. So far so good. I do hear of these things being work horses and fully look foward to living up to those statements.

A1, A+, First Class, First Rate, however you want to put it...they are true professionals. I emailed them for some tech info and they responded in less than 24 hours! Very friendly email might I add. A couple of years back I had a foot controller issue that needed resolving and they were very supportive of my issue. Outstanding organization overall.

If you ever had any desire in owning this amp from hearing all the ranting and raving, do yourself a favor and GO GET ONE! For the price(which steadily increases as each year goes by) and quality of this unit, you can't beat it. I consider myself to be a tone whore. I love all kinds of different products that produce great tone. Afficionados are always gonna boast and brag about what they think is great. Truth is whether its a Marshall JCM 800, Soldano SLO-100, Engl Powerball, Framus Cobra, Diezel Herbert, Bogner Uberschall, VHT G-100-UL Pittbull, Mesa Rectifier or Mark IV, etc etc etc, they all embody their own unique, individual and versatile tones. Somebody is always gonna tell you why brand X is superior to the others. This review is based solely on the 5150 and I am just proud to post a solid recomendation to anyone who wanted to get an opinion on it.

I bin playing off/on since age 7-41.
Ace simple amp.
Saw one in the paper and raced 20 miles to buy it.
Dont see many around.
I used to play in Deep Purple covers band with it.
Just the job.
Also did a few nice tunes.
The amp is like having a dog... it's just behind you and you bond with it... you hear every sound... it's mean... and subtle too.
No point in buying a Chiwawa to kick ass.

No reverb. Acts like a noise gate.... when u stop playin so does the amp.
Enables clearer soloing etc.
Managed to wack out Sweet Child of Mine through my Les Paul Junior... what a nice sound, full bodied with sustain..i actually got off on that... felt like Slash.
Put the head on a Marshall 4x12 to fill the sound ofcourse.
Basically a UNIQUE WARM valve monster.
In a gig situation it is a perfect SIZE. You never need to turn it down and restrict the valves, they are always pumping. This blows the nuts off 2x12 amps ofcourse.
Now using a Strat Deluxe to experiment with.
I believe in no-fx at all, except Wah. the crowd love a real player (who struggles a bit with no-fx).
This amp has a lot of gain and I find it easier to play than full overdrive on my Marshall 50DFX practice amp... your fingers just race along........
You can get ace feedback aka Hendrix styleeee.

Can be bundled into back of me van to gigs OK.
I had a practice, round my house and ran a BASS guitar throo it!!
Seemed to work at the time but laterzzz...i think i shagged a valve.... had to replace one of the 12AX7s.
Bin gigging over a few yrs, I somehow shagged the send/return effects loop so go inline now through guitar input channels.

n/a.

Good rock amp.

I have a signature series. Features are quite lacking, but like others said, can be a good thing. As there is less that can go wrong. But 2 seperate EQ's for the channels would have been nice.

Come on, how can you not say this amps sound quality is amazing? I spent a very long time searching for the tones only this amp has been able to create. I've played for 14 years, and I've never heard anything touch this. Sound quality is to die for on any style of music you play. I play everything from Jazz - Metal, and I get killer tone in any situation. Not only that, but it doesn't matter what volume you play at either. Still sounds disgustingly good. Gives me the chills most of the time when practicing. Speaking of volume. I don't know who put the 120 Watt label on this puppy, because it sounds more like 1020. I usually practice in my metal band on about 2.5 Post gain, and cut through everything like a steak knife through warm butter. I can't say enough about the sound this amp produces. Anyone who says it sounds noisy, obviously hasn't figured out the proper settings for the sound they're looking for.

I've had mine for 2 years, never had one problem. Replaced the tubes once in that whole time period, but it ended up being for the best. They sounded even better then the originals. I definitely don't fret if this amp will work or not when I hit the stand by switch to on.

Don't know about this one. Never had to deal with Peavey, because the amp has never had anything wrong with it.

I've been playing over 14 years, and right now I own 2 Ibanez's. One RG3120 and another RGT42 for backup. A 76 American Strat, and a custom Hamer. Gone through many others, Jackson's, Gibson's and such. I just sold my TSL 100, because after I got this I never touched it. Been through tons of amps looking for tone like this. If it were stolen, I would either track it down, or buy a new one. I love the TONE!!! I hate the 1 EQ. Although I must say, whatever they did to 5150 II which was made just for this feature. It just is not the same. At all... Overall, I'd say, especially for the money, buy one if you can. Signature or block letter. I can tell you from experience they sound EXACTLY the same.