Peavey 5150

Not sure about the year it was made but its a Pat Pending Model.Does not have a lot of features.No reverb,Two channels but both share the same eq knobs.Hi Gain/Low Gain imputs but they actually are Hi Gain and Mega Hi Gain,since this beast does not know the meaning of Low.Very simple in general but perfect for me who plays 99% 8o's Metal.Does have far away more power than what I need,120 watts of all tube.

I use a 1984 a Gibson Les Paul Custom and a 1982 BC Rich Eagle and this amp takes out the best of them.I play mostly 80's Metal and this amp is perfect for hi gain,distorted music.It is noisy like most of the hi gain amps.Can be used for blues or even clean tones with the right set up,but it was not made to play it with a Strat or a Tele.Does not have a clean channel,but if you set the pre gain knob very low,you can get a nice clean tone.A friend of mine use it to play Reggae Music and it does not sound bad at all.The distortion is AMAZING!!!!!! I use it with a Lee Jackson Perfect Connection Pre-Amp and a Boss Super Overdrive and this thing is just amazing.Yuo can go from nice warm punchy distortion to mega hi gain distorted sounds.

This amp is made for war.It is almost imposible to destroy it.Heavy as a tank

Never have a problem with it.Got it used so no warranty on it.

I've been playing for 19 years.I own a Gibson Les Paul Custom and a BC Rich Eagle and they match perfectly for my taste.If it were stolen I would buy a 5150 2 so it is a little more versatile and powerfull.I love its power and distortion but it is still a very basic,expensive amp.if you are the one who like to play with tons of digital effects this is not the amp for you.It was made to play hi gain distorted music.

I am not sure what year this amp was made but it is a signature series. To be honset this is not a very versatilte at all. All that this amp is made for is gain(which it has more than enough of). There is no reverb or any built any effects, but if you have a 5150 you didnt get it cause you need them. I play in a posi old school inspired hardcore band, and this amp suits my needs perfectly. I have not played any shows on this amp yet since i have only had it for about a week and a half. Bottom line is this is a good amp but if you want a way more versital amp go for the peavey XXX.

I have a jackson dinky, reverse headstock with EMG pickups. I get a really really good distrotion. Pinch harmonics come with no effort at all with this set up. This amp is a high gain amp, so ofcourse it is pretty noisy, but it tollerable. It very loud(120 W), i dont even turn up the post gain past 7.5 - 8 for practice and it is fine. This amp doesnt have clean channel, it has lead and rythem. (some people on here post reviews and say this amp has a horrible clean channel, but the thing is it doesnt have one.)

i havn't played a show with this amp yet and havent had it long enough to tell , plus i dont have a back up but if i did i would play with out one. this amp seems reliable so far.

i bought it used so there is no warranty.

i have been playing for about 4 years. this is the only amp that i own right now. if it were lost or stolen, first i would cry, then i would probally get another 5150 or a XXX. Before i got this amp i compared it to the peavey XXX, and i really liked them both, but i probally would of have got a XXX but i liked the 5150 also and i found one for pretty cheap. a few things that are on my x-mas wish wist is a power conditioner and a noise gate.

made early 90s. all this stuff is well covered.

its a sledgehammer. forget cleans or jazz with mk1 5150 , it was built to rock. distortion on both channels is brutal,its just what I need, the 120 watts and that level of drive is exactly what a rock player needs.high gain = noise, thats why I use an ISP noise decimator.

i understand peavey reliabilty is excellent.

never had to use em.

im playing 25 yrs, i use a 2001 R9. The level of drive on both channels allows me big sounding rhythm channel and monster solo boost, its just awesome. for when im the only gtr player i use my cornford hellcat but when its 2 gtrs, you really need something like a 5150 mk1.

It's a 5150. 2 channels plus Crunch. I think it was built in the early 90s but am not sure.

I use this amp with a '99 Tradition Les Paul knockoff with an EMG 89 at the neck and an 85 at the bridge to play hardcore. When I first got the amp, it was noisy and the the distortion was super gritty. Since then, I've replaced all the tubes with mesa 12ax7s and 6L6s and the noise (hum) was gone. Also the new tubes gave me a lot more lowend response and it cleaned up the distortion quite a bit. However, the clean channel still sounded like shit. So, i put in 10k pot in the bias circuit and warmed those icy tubes up. THIS MOD MADE THIS A NEW AMP! Now the clean sounds as good if not better than any marshall, the distortion channel sounds huge and I get people complimenting my sound all the time now. Seriously, if you own a 5150, do a bias mod that allows for manual adjustment, get a gain reduction mod and use good 6L6s.

It's a 5150. Hasn't broken on me yet and I've taken it on 2 US tours, 3 westcoast tours and countless local shows. These amps get noisier or quieter but they don't ever stop working. As far as quality of construction and general burlyness, the 5150 is the greatest amp ever made.

There are entire web based communities of people obsessed with Peavey gear. My point is that if you have a problem or questions, you're taken care of.

I've never dealt with peavey. I bought the amp used and it was already 15 years old and on it's 5th or so owner.

If you are looking into buying a 5150, you probably play metal or something similar and already know what you're getting into. But as I said earlier in this review, there are some very popular modifications you can do to this amp to make it better. So much better, I've actually convinced people to lose their rectos and buy a 5150 to be modded.

It's the most durable amp I've ever heard of.
They're very common and very cheap.
There's a Peavey family of nerds to consult if you need.

I have a 1995 5150 212 combo. I've had this amp for a little over 6 monthes and it's awesome. I have never gigged this amp but if I did it'd be no problem. The 212 combo sounds really good on the rythm and lead channel. I play a variety of music from metal to classicc rock, but this amp can handel it all. I disagree with some of the people who write reviews saying tat the clean channel is crappy. I can get an INCREDIBLY clean sound out of this amp and a really grungy distortion too. I primarily play an Ibanez SZ320 through this amp but have also used a few others including a gibson les paul and a dean. I've used vox,crate, and even marshall amps but this was by far my favorite. The equalizer doesn't affect your sound very much and it's the same for both channels which I don't like, but overall the features are pretty good.

There's not much to say about the sound. It's good for all styles of music. I wouldn't change a thing.

I'm giving this a nine because I had too get the RCA jack for the reverb spring re-soldered. That's the only problem I've ever had. That's pretty good considering this amp is almost 11 years old.

I bought this amp used so there was no warranty, but when I called peavey about my rverb problem they were very polite and helpful and even gave me an estimate on the repair cost. This really shows why peavey has a great reputation for customer support.

Over all, this amp is great for the price. You could get a better amp, but you'd pay upwards of 2,000.00. For this price, the amp is a no brainer. If it were stolen, I'd definatly buy a new one.

I have a '98 Sig model head. Great classic sound to it, no mods done. Changed the tubes, easy to do. Very simple to dial your favorite sound in. Not too many knobs or channels to get confused with on stage. Really, it could have been a 1 channel amp and be just as effective, since I don't change it much, but the clean can be dialed in, and sounds great when it is.

I have a wolfgang standard, early 90's strat, Ibanez roadstar (with SD distortion in the neck, Epi LP classic, Ibanez RG2...
Works great with all the different sounds. I keep an EQ pedal in the chain to help boost some of the sounds I like, but other than that, get's a great distortion when driven, classic tube sound.

Solid, nothing better. I've seen guys drop 'em and knock 'em off stage, and plug 'em right back in and keep going. Built to take a beating.

Peavey is the greatest. Buy a peavey, join their online forum (like a family), and you'll have all the support you need.

I've been playing for over a decade. I also have the 5150 212, and 2 4x12 cabs. The stack is something I've always wanted, and I am really glad I have it. If it were lost, I'd get another one, no doubt about it. I don't like to bash other companies or their gear, but this has the greatest rock tube distortion sound, great prices, solid and dependable.

Mine is a block logo made the first year of production. The amp is versatile enough for most all kinds of music. The tools on here saying it's only good for metal must not have played much with the EQ or gain structure. The ability to dial-in and understand tone and gain is underated, should be taught as well as how to play the instrument. For 5 years, this old beast was my number 1 amp in a gigging pop/dance variety cover band. We played everything from the Bee Gees and Donna Summer disco/funk to Aerosmith and Kravitz. Ironically, "metal" is the only style I've never played on this amp. (side note: I filled in for a buddy in his metal band for a few months, and I ended up using my JCM 2000 TSL100 and 1960A cab instead of the 5150. Believe it or not, it sounds much more "metal" than the 5150. Twice the bottom end.) Once again, use your ear, don't let the advertisements tell you what it can/can't do.

Features I wished it had:
1. a footswitchable effects loop with a mix adjustment.
2. reverb
3. as mentioned by others, seperate EQ's per channel.

I play stock Les Paul Standard > ernie ball volume > Vox wah > Zinky True Grit OD > Boss 7 Band EQ > Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive > EH Black Finger Compressor > EH Memory Man Deluxe > 5150 head and 5150 4x12 cab.

It suits my taste well. Doesn't sound like a Fender or a Marshall. I'd say it's a vanilla tube amp, nothing too impressive or unique in it's sound, but nothing bad either.

I play mostly on the clean channel, then use pedals for the rest. Believe me, experiment. You can get a shimmering sparkling clean out of this thing.

It's proven itself beyond any shadow of a doubt. Peaveys reliability reputation once again has morphed itself into another peice of gear. Other than routine maintenence (tubes every 2 years or so, and just this week 2 caps) It's been a dream. Has defied all the stigmas of tube amp reliability for practical gigging.

I used it without a backup for +/- 500 gigs. When the tubes start dying, you can tell (luckily!) cuz it either starts buzzing a little or getting quieter. Always giving me plenty of notice that it's time to get a re-tube.

Never needed it....Congrats again Peavey....I consider building a reliable peice of gear part of Customer Support, and they do that well. So I'm giving 'em a high number.

I've played over 20 years. As far as amps, I own a Marshall JCM2000 TSL100 with a 1960A 4x12 and a 1060TV 4x12 cab, a Marshall JTM60 2x12 combo, and my new favorite a Peavey Classic 20!
If it were lost or stolen I would probably try something different. Not because of any problems, just cuz I've played this thing for a long time and change is fun.
Love the reliability and nice clean tube tone. No hates.
It compares favorably to other mass production amps. Maybe a little vanilla on the tone, but not to where it's a problem. More reliable than any tube amp I've ever owned.
Get one or try one, and then tweak those knobs. That's what they're there for.
For the price, it's a great working mans gigging amp that can admirably handle most any size gig.

5150: It isn't just for metal anymore. :-)

This amp basically is loud and has lots of gain. Thats really about it, people who say this amp is versatile are pretty loony, sure its got a wide range of gain, but only some of itis useable, and the EQ (shared between channels) is pretty confined, I can't noticed adjustments at all, unless you max or min it completely.

I use 2 guitars, both ibanez rg's, on with emg 81's, and the other with stock dimarzio's.
When people review this amp, they seem to only care about how much gain it has or how well they can "pinch harmonic". If you judge an amp by that, you could have just bought some cheap ss amp.
No matter how hard I try, I cannot dail out the harsh, cold, buzzy, and grainy gain the 5150 produces. I bought this expecting a huge chunky think sound, but no.
The cleans/crunch as you may know by now are complete crap, Im not going to say "oh, there not that bad" because they are, especially on a tube amp.
Leads sounds something like this: "bzzzzzzzzzz" , little note definition, and in general it sounds messy and congested.
Even for the heaviest of metal this amp fails, it retains no articulation or tightness, just a buzzy mess.

It seems well built, except for the fact that something on the inside is buzzing during certain frequencies, which sounds like a tube rattle which leads to busted power tubes. bad news.

I give the 5150 a 5, because after 2 years under my possesion, it has not once given me half decent tones. I play all sorts of music, and use the 5150 for metal (of course) and it has been a very uninspiring expirience, no wonder evh dumped peavey.

I wish I knew the year it was made. Very versatile head. It has a clean channel (called Rhythm) and a dirty channel (called Lead). The Rhythm channel can get itself dirty enough like an overdriven Fender for that bluesy tone. Kept clean, it's MUCH nicer than the clean on my split-channel Marshall JCM 800. The Lead channel has alot of gain. There are two inputs (high gain and normal gain) which make a very distinct difference in your sound. I love this thing. All tube head - 120 watts.

I play Guild solid bodies with humbuckers and a coil splitting switch. I play with the coils split, like Jimmy Page. My style is heavy but full sounding - I love to pinch harmonics and hold onto some sustain. This thing sustains forever! There are many, many tones to explore. Way more than any of my Marshalls. Moving the knobs really does change things quite a bit. By the way, I LOVE my Marshalls. I love this, too, for more high gain reasons, as well as the better clean channel. The distortion can get very heavy, but I wouldn't call it brutal. It always sounds rich and creamy, even when super high gained.

I've owned it for five months, and no problems. It does not rattle when moved like my old Marshalls do. It's very solid feeling. I feel confident when transporting it.

Never needed it.

I've been playing since 1986. The day after I saw EVH himself in Providence, RI. Yes, the very next day. I also a Marshall JCM 800 head, and a Trace Elliot Speed Twin head. If lost or stolen, I would hunt down the thief, or get another 5150. I've never heard a 5151 II, so I can't comment on the changes. I like the big 5150 logo.

- EQ
- Presence, Resonance, 2 Pre-gain and 2 Post-gain (i.e. volume), bright and crunch switch
- serial effects loop (footswitchable)
- 120 Watts
- 5 12ax7 preamp tubes, 4 6l6 power tubes

Everything you need. The 5150 II has two EQs, which is better, of course.

I used this amp in a Mesa/Boogie Rectifier Cab and a Marshall 1960 AV. I play a Gibson SG and an LTD Baritone. The amp handles even the lowest tuning with no problem. There's a lot of gain and you get a lot of really fat and hard metal rhythm sounds out of this amp. Death Metal, Power Metal, Progressive Metal, Hard Rock, probably even classic rock - you name it, the 5150 handles it.
Lead sound good as well, a little bit rounder than on a Marshall, but still enough character. The amp has loads of gain, more than you'll ever need probably.

The clean channel isn't too great, a bit lifeless and easily distorted, but the crunch button gives you a killer crunch. The amp has a lot of noise but you get used to it quickly and can either use a noise gate or just be careful.

The best thing about this amp is how it cuts through the band mix - far better than my JCM900 Marshall. I was so amazed, I didn't believe the difference. Soundwise, the 5150 is not so much different from the Marshall, but it's response it less British, with a flatter general EQ. This thing is a no-brainer for a good Rock/Metal sound and easily in the league with much more expensive amps. I wouldn't think its good for really classic rock, blues (it just doesn't have a blues feeling) and certainly nothing were you want a really nice clean sound.

The amp is brutally loud. It seems even louder than my bandmates other Marshall (a 100 Watt model). I used to turn my 50 Watt-Marshall to 7, now I put the 5150 barely past 2.
I give it a 9 because of the crappy clean sounds. Otherwise it's just great.

Only had it a couple of months without gigging a lot but it seems ok.

This the old blockletter model. Don't buy the crap that the old Blockletter sound better than ones with the signature - they sound exactly the same.

This is good amp for a player who wants a professional amp but doesn't want to spend thousands on a Mesa/Boogie, Diezel, ENGL, or whatever.

I give it a 10 because for this price it's just unbelievable.