Peavey 5150

my amp is about 3 years old. In that time i liked metalcore a lot and played in some bands in that genre. Nowadays I still play loud music (emoviolence) but also play some indie and postrock.
The amp has the features for metalcore got two channels. one with bright and crunch button and a killer lead channel. I have used the amp on stage many times

for a long time i used an esp/ltd with emg pickups, after that i bought a gibson junior and now I have a fender telecaster. So I used all those guitars on it. The sound is good when you like mosh or deathmetal. this amps has balls and blows your head off. how ever i miss some tone definition. if you like some beautifull harmonics or chords this amp is not your thing. Only powerchords and one string playing does the trick. You can also use the normal input for some more tone.
the clean sounds ok. I don'understand why all people are complaining about that. use the crunch and a little gain and you can get really nice warm sounds.

it's strong but it lost some power...got some new tubes..but still don't have the gain/power back that it gave when i bought it

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I use the amp for about 3/4 years.. It's a descent amp but is not the best there is. miss some tone in it. the sound is messy in higher notes, but its the right amp for hc and nu metal and swedish deathmetal. It's not your amp if you like your music more open..this is notthe amp to play opeth, it is to play hatebreed

Block letter 5150. plenty of power, I pull 2 outer tubes and half the impedance. The effects loop is quiet and having it footswitchable is a big+. This amp sounds better than any modern marshall, it is the best sounding modern Marshall I've had. The flimsy circuit board for the 5 12AX7 tubes is un-excuseable as is the pcb that the 4 6L6 tubes are mounted on. My amp sounds great, allowing me to somewhat deal with the cheap construction.

My 5150 sounded better than I expected when it was stock. With proper bias, GE 6L6 WGB tubes and ecc83 pre amp tubes my amp sounded very good but had alot of noise. I found missing pcb screw that connects ground to board, added screw and amp became quieter. I added shielding to enclosure and my 5150 noise is acceptable now. Peavey did make a better sounding modern amp than Marshall, the crunch sounds of main channel are very good and I - DO - get nice clean sounds with vol on LP at 7, turn to 10 for crunch. I mainly use main channel and it blends similar with how my HIWATT amps are set, turn down LP vol to 7 for clean sounds. The dynamics of the amp are great allowing me to get my tonal variarations from LP vol rather than running over and hitting footswitch to change channels. The effects loop works and sounds very good, better than the Marshall's I sold. The gain channel has all I need set on 3, I usually use main channel and add boost because the gain ch. does sound like the fizzy pre amp high gain sound. So there ya go, I do get a good clean sound with a LP and I usually run amp with only 2 power tubes! 90% of the opinion here is that the 5150 will not do clean, a good thing I decided to not believe the amateur reviews so hastily posted here,lol! A 9 after amp was biased, $300 of n.o.s. tubes and head enclosure was shielded. A 7 in sad stock form.

Peavey does not know how to execute a road worthy amp design. The 5 pre amp tubes pcb is thin AND has no support god forbid if you swap tubes! The pots are micro sized junk you find in a $200 crate amp! The chassis corners are not joined causing it to flex ridiculously when you remove it, ameteur hour here. There is no clearance to re insert chassis in head, the stupid screen scrapes on top of chassis. I cut top of screen, moved front valence up to gain clearance. NO SHIELDING IN HEAD ENCLOSURE! Even Marshall does this, no need to be cheaper than them Brits! lol! I added shielding and amp became considerably quieter. I get the feeling that my 5150 was designed from way too much compromise and no concern for the poor sap that bought it new expecting something above mediocre craftsmanship. The amp is as stated built to low standards and is a disgrace to bear EVH name. USA made, yea right! lol!

They built my 5150 so cheap I doubt they could afford a toll free line, lol!

Err, at least my amp sounds better than any modern Marshall. I was looking for 1 modern amp to nail the M crunch sound and have effects loop. When I get some time I plan to upgrade the caps to improve the sound of my amp further. I'd like to have one of the ptp turret board propotype amps that Eddie got. My amp does sound great but looks like a pile of crap lined up to my 2 HIWATT amps.

well i just got this amp a few days ago. i bought it off of ebay because these amps aren't made anymore. now Peavey has the 6505's which im sure sound about the same. the guy i bought it from says the original block letter 5150s are way better than the artist series and 5150 II because it used better components and what not. it has 2 channels. a rhythm/clean and a lead channel. the rhythm channel has a bright and crunch buttom with is really usefull in getting whatever tone you want. the lead channel is smooth but brutal. all depends how much gain to dial in. has shared 3 band eq and a resonance and presence on the power amp section. great for getting that perfect metal tone. DID I MENTION ITS A 120 WATTS OF ALL TUBE TONE?!?!?! well it is and it will crush your skull.

i bought this amp for one reason only. METAL METAL METAL!!!! i saw bands like Zao whose guitarist both use these amps and i said to myself " well i love their tone and the pure brutality" so i went on ebay that night and bought one straight up. my guitars are a Gibson Les Paul Supreme, customized japanses strat with a Seymour Duncan Jeff Beck model humbucker in the brige position and a "little 59" humbucker in the neck. i also have a epiphone sheraton. all guitars sound great on their own and also sound great through this amp. ATTENTION: THE CLEAN CHANNEL REALLY DOES SOUND GREAT!!! most people say the clean channel is terrible. maybe its their guitar that is terrible. sure its not a fender tone but only fender can give you that. the cool thing is that the cruch button kinda turns it into a dirty rhythm channel which is really usefull. but when you turn down the volume knob on the guitar it cleans up really nice. just keep tweeking, its easy to get the sound you are looking for with this amp. ACHTUNG BABY!!! people have said this amp is kinda noisy and IT IS!!! the circuitry in the amp just has alot of self noise. i was almost depressed when i got it because it made this terrible hissing noise when the volume was up past 1. i almost cried until i took it to guitar center and played it through a marshall 4x12 instead of my 60 watt 2x12. the 4x12 was a better match and it made the 5150 less noisy even though there was still some hissing but just not as noticeable. with the volume on 2 the output level is so loud that you can't really hear any extra noise until you stop playing and really listen closely. SOLUTION!!!! im getting a rocktron Hush pedal that will reduce/cut out the noise all together. i just read 30 reviews and everyone ( those who really know how to use it) says it works perfectly for high gain amps.

this amp weighs a good bit but not back breaking. i would trust playing it after dropping it off a tall building. this thing is a tank and built to last. Eddie Van Halen wouldn't put his name on something if it wasn't rock steady.

haven't tried them yet. im sure they are nice people.

i bought a mesa/boogie dual rec back in january and it just didn't do it for me. the decay on the distortion was crappy and not smooth at all. but with the 5150 i get smooth, rich distortion which is what this amp was made for. i have finally found the great metal amp i have been looking for. i plan on using it in my rock band and A/B between this and a fender bassman for a straight up clean verses brutal distortion set up. i can't wait to play out live and rock peoples faces off. from rock to metal and many styles in between, this amp can deliver the sweet tone you are looking for.

MADE IN 1998. I PLAY ROCK MOSTLY BUT THIS THING CAN REALLY DO IT ALL.
IT IS A 2 CHANNEL AMP LABELLED RYTHM AND LEAD AND WHEN USED WITH THE VOL KNOB ON YOUR GUITAR THIS AMP DOES IT ALL AND IN BETWEEN.
120 WATTS OF POWER WITH 6L6 TUBES HEAVY BOTTOM .
FEATURE WISE NOT MUCH BUT WHAT ITS GOT IS ALL YOU NEED.

EMG 89 AND 85 PICKUPS ON A PRS CE24 GUITAR. I REALLY DONT AGREE WITH EVERYBODY SAYING THIS THING IS NOISY. I PLAY WITH THE PRE ON 3.5 AND THE POST ON 4. THIS IS A LOUD CRUNCHY RYTHM SOUND LEAD CHANNEL IS SET THE SAME WAY. BUT THE LEAD CHANNEL HAS TWICE THE GAIN AS THE RYTHM CHANNEL SO THUS MORE DRIVE .
PLACE THIS BABY IN THE RYTHM CHANNEL AND TURN DOWN THE VOL ON YOUR GUITAR AND CLEAN HEAVEN.
UNDERSTAND THIS PUPPY WANTS TO BE PLAYED LOUD, SO TRY ADJUSTING YOUR GUITAR VOL.
THE BEST DISTORTION EVER.
NOTHING LIKE HAVING YOUR PANT LEG MOVE ON A POWER CHORD!!!! OR HOW ABOUT PUTTING OUT A MATCH THROUGH THE PUMP OF A 4X12 CAB AWESOME!!!!

AMP HAS NEVER LET ME DOWN, BUT DO GET A BIAS MOD DONE. THIS IS A DEFINATE THE AMP TENDS TO RUN COOL AT FACTORY BIAS. SO GET THE MOD USE EH12AX7A PREAMP AND 6L6WXT+ POWER TUBES.

I BEEN PLAYING FOR 28 YEARS.
I WOULD DEFINATELY BUY ANOTHER 5150.
I LOVE THE SIMPLICITY AND THE SOUNDS.

Made in 1992 I think?(because it's the block letter version)

Check out peavey's site for specs and details. Though I like to play different styles and I do like nice, clear cleans, I bought this amp to play pure raw metal. I was really inspired to buy this amp because of In Flames :), but I do also love to play BLS, Pantera, Megadeth, etc. It's 2 channels but it shares the eq, so that's about the only downside.

I have this running through a Marshall 1960a cab. I'm using an EMG loaded KV and a Les Paul w/ the Duncan '59/JB comb. I have to say that w/ the Duncans, it is one of the best distortions I have ever heard. It's really heavy and chunky as hell, especially on palm mutes, yet it doesn't have a scooped tone. It's got a nice smooth midrange tone. Like I said, I love to play In Flames, and with the Les Paul, I nailed that tone on the Lead channel, with a BOSS GE-7 eq in the effects loop. The dist. can go from raw thrash, to today's Death Metal. The cleans aren't really that great, but I'm sure no one's buying this amp for the cleans....it's actually no THAT bad if you roll back the pregain all the way on the rhythm channel w/ the bright and crunch switches on 'off'. Also, when you do that, using the volume knob on ur guitar is also really cruicial in getting a decent clean. A chorus or something like that can otherwise clean up the tone. I'll tell you that you won't even need to boost this amp w/ like an overdrive/tubescreamer. It's brutal enough on it's own, you'll find that on the lead channel, you won't really need to put the pre-amp gain past like 6, because more than that is just too much, it's starts getting noisy then. What I would recommend is a eq in the loop, because that really helps tighten the tone. 10 in this category because for modern metal tones, the dist. on this just really shines.

I haven't had it long enough to determine this. But I mean, this amp is probably like ~15 years old and it's still working fine.

I've never dealt w/ them.

This is my first tube amp, and I was thiking between this or a Laney GH100L. Glad I picked this because I've been getting tired of looking for amps which are weak in the dist department. I didn't want a really complicated amp, or one that would require me to use like an overdrive or really crank it to get some decent tones. I really like how I can just plug in and get straight-up nice raw, dirty tones.

Early 90's original block letter model 5150 with Sylvania tubes. Everyone knows the features of a 5150, if not, read other reviews posted here. The 5150 has all the features I need in an amp, the only complaint I have is that the effect loop acts up sometimes, which is a common problem with the 5150 series amps.

I'm playing my 5150 along with a Bogner Uberkab (2 V30's and 2 G12T75's in an X pattern) and a Caparison Horus with EMG85/S pickups. I also run a Maxon OD808 in front of the rhythm channel as a boost, an ISP Decimator, and a TC Electronic G Major in the loop for effects. The 5150 suits my style of music perfectly. I play melodic death metal in the vein of In Flames, Soilwork, At The Gates, Carcass, The Absence, etc. For Swedish metal, there is no better amp than the Peavey 5150. I doubt that's what EVH had in mind when he helped design the amp, but it's become the signature Swede metal amp. It just has that crushing brutal mid grind that sounds perfect down in lower tunings like C and B. I run both of the channels on my 5150 as high gain channels, with the OD808 in front for both channels. There is no true clean channel, but when I want to play clean, I plug into the normal gain input and use the rhythm channel. Paired with my G Major and single coil EMG S, I can get surprisingly good clean tones from the 5150, although I don't play clean that often, and it's not what I bought the amp for.

5150's are some of the most reliable amps ever made.

I've never dealt with Peavey Customer Service at this point.

Overall, I can say the 5150 fits my style perfectly, and I just love this amp. I've been playing 5150's for a few years now, and have been through lots of other stuff, but keep coming back to the 5150. Once I found the perfect cab for it (Bogner), I've yet to be dissapointed in my tone. Rhythm tones are crushing, lead tones just sing, and clean tones are more than useable when needed.

Most of the features involve tone shaping. There's good 3-band eq, control over preamp/poweramp gain, and poweramp tone shaping too. There's no reverb, which is a little irritating, but it's also one less thing to break down since reverb tanks constantly go out. An Electro Harmonix Holy Grail reverb is a good choice with this amp.

I bought this amp with the intention of using it as a backup, but now I use it as a primary. I used to A-B a clean amp (Fender Pro Reverb) with a crunch amp (either a Marshall or the underrated and oft-forgotten Sovtek Mig 50 Tube Midget). I play mostly indie-pop and power pop with a Telecaster, so most people would assume this is the last amp on Earth that I should buy. However, this amp is perfect for even my type of music. It's just a matter of rolling off the preamp gain, plugging into the normal gain input, and using the right speakers--in my case a 412 with Celestion G12H30's. These speakers are perfect for this amp because they bring the low end back. Those of you complaining of the harshness need to play with your tone a little more and use some common sense. This is a very high-gain amp, so roll back on the preamp gain and you'll get less grit but will still have plenty of gain. Also, don't plug this into a cab loaded with Vintage 30s, Greenbacks, or Jensens and then complain about how piercing and thin your tone is. You've got to match any head with the right cab, and I think I've done that here. I also get a pretty strong clean tone from this amp. No, it's not Fender clean, but it holds its own fine for a live situation, and I can easily see myself gigging without a separate clean amp from now on and just use a footswitch. This is coming from a clean-tone snob too. This amp isn't perfect, but what amp is? I agree that it requires more tweaking than most amps, but that also gives it wider tonal range and makes this by no means a one-trick pony if matched with the right cab.

Mine is an early block letter model, so it's over ten years old. It's pretty road worn, but everything still works perfect. Having no reverb/tremolo can be a plus since these two things often add noise and require the most servicing. So, I'd say this thing is pretty reliable.

never tried to call peavey

That's right, I paid $270 for this puppy, and it was the best $270 I've ever spent. This guy isn't much to look at it, but it sounds great. Most people associate Peavey with bad equipment because they sell so much low-end gear. However, their US-made higher-end stuff like the 5150 prove that they build great gear at reasonable prices. I wouldn't say I'm proud to own a 5150 like a Marshall owner is proud of owning a Plexi, but I'm also not embarrased. This is pro gear!

For me it's ideal. Great sound, great power.

From Crunch to Death Metal it sound very good. no HIGH GAIN shit Marshall's will ever sound better :)

Well - it's a TUBE AMP so sometimes.... there are electronical problems - but I try to manage them.

I'm not from the US so I don't know much about the Peavey's customer support - but back home in Poland it sucked. :)

Great HEAD, great AMP, ideal for different kinds of music. You wanna hear it? www.butelka.metal.pl - there you go :)

mid 90's signature head. 2 channels. 120 watts. Low, mid and high eq. Also has resonance and presence controls for added tone shaping -a nice feature. Series effects loop. Preamp out. Footswitch for channel switching and effects in and out.Very straight forward. No reverb but I plug a GSP Digitech 2101 in fx loop and it takes care of everything.

For guitars I use a `71 SG with Pat. Pend. pickups, a 79 Les Paul RD Artist, and a `89 American Stratocaster. I first heard this amp when I was checking out an ad for a used Marshall slant cab.When I got there, the guy had a 5150 plugged into it. He turned it on and the sound just blew me away, very crunchy and defined. I bought the cab and found a 5150 two weeks later on e-bay for short money. This amp is a sleeper!!!. The tones you can get from it rivals much higher priced amps for much less money. This amp has replaced my `82 Marshall JCM 800 for gigging. It's a bit noisy - just use a noise gate. This amp will sound even better if you have the bias mod done, much warmer sound. I also changed the first preamp tube to a 12au7 and the second to a 12ay7. I get a descent clean sound this way and it helps to reign in the sick amount of gain this amp makes.

I bought this amp used on e-bay almost 5 years ago and have been gigging with it pretty steady ever since. I always bring a backup just in case, but have never needed it.

Early 90's original block-letter bought brand new off the showroom floor. The amp's features have been covered time and time again. Many reveiwers comment on the lack of reverb. I had a reverb habbit myself, but this amp cured me. Many also comment on the shared eq, which does limit the versitility of this model, if you actually use the rhythm channel, which the 5150 II corrected. Also well documented is that cleaner tones tend to suffer using this amp. The fact is that there is no clean channel - only rhythm, rhythm/crunch, and lead. Didn't they know what they were buying? A cool feature is the resonance control, which is basically a presence knob for low end punch.

I mainly use this amp with a modded Strat using Duncan Little 59's, as well as a Les Paul. I will say that it is possible to get some decent clean sounds from this amp if you experiment with the rhythm channel using the low input. However, this amp was built for distortion and the 5150 does it extremely well. Throw away all those stomp boxes cause you don't need them. Even when I was in grungy/heavy bands during the 90's I never played this amp with the gain more than 6.5, which is more than enough distortion. Anything more than that and you are just hiding your playing. I always recieved lots of compliments on my tone using this amp! Unless I'm recording, I never use the rhythm channel. I simply roll back the volumn knob on the guitar if I want to clean it up a bit. My only complaint is that like most hi gain tube amps, all that distortion comes at a price in the form of tube hiss. Over the years I've tried lots of combinations of tubes attempting to eliminate the noise. I've heard that it's possible, but I had no luck. I've always used a Rocktron Hush unit through the effects loop, which easily killed the hiss without changing the tone. Off and on I also ran a BBE Sonic Maximizer through the effects loop as well, but I actually liked the tone better without it. The less, the better in my book! So, because of the hiss the amp scores a 9. Also, cabinets make a huge tonal difference. I've played the amp through Marshall cabs, Mesa, Fender, and yes the 5150 cab as well and for my money the best of the best is Carvin. But this isn't a review of cabs... One more thing - no, this amp will NOT make you sound like EVH. That is ridiculous. What it will make you sound like is YOU playing through a 5150, which can be a very good thing, depending on YOU. If you want to sound like EVH, go buy an old modded Plexi, and good luck.

Are you kidding? This thing is a tank. I never gigged with a back-up with this amp cause it would have been wasted space and effort lugging another amp around. Just plug your guitar cord in, let the tubes warm up, hit the standby switch, and enjoy some of the coolest sounding distortion around. Of course, that's just my opinion.

No opinion cause I've never contacted Peavey, although I hear they are the best in the business.

Been playing for a while now. My first tube amp was a Carvin X-100B, which I sold after I bought the 5150. (I wish I didn't do that now!) Those were cool amps as well. But I wanted a distortion machine back then and it's hard to beat a 5150 in that regard. Marshall's JCM 900 SL-X gives it a run for it's money, that's for sure! If my 5150 were lost or stolen I would definitely try and replace it while the prices were low. Now that Peavey quit making them they probably won't be getting any cheaper in the future. It's been a great amp.