Peavey 5150

I'd give it a 10 if not for the clean channel. Some people who review this amp must be totally on drugs. Yes this is a 800-900 dollar amp (new). Does it sound as good as some botique amps..Definately yes. I have played everything thats out there. To each their own but peavey hits one out of the park with this unit. They are cheap as hell used and they are everywhere..for a reason. If you can actually play, you can get any sound you could ever need from this amp (exception....super fender clean). Tone is not just from an amp...its a total tonal package. A bit of advice...price doesn't make any product better than another. To each there own.....my 2cents.

no problems

n/a Never called

10

120 watt two channel amp. Clean Channel has no equalizer.

I use an Epiphone Les Paul with stock pickups. The sound that emerges from this thing is gorgeous! One thing to keep in mind, and it's something I've learned from tube amps over the years, is that this is the sort of amp that will project all the naunces of your playing. It will give you a perfect projection of what YOU sound like! Dont think circuitry based, DOD type distortion that you can hide behind of. If youre not too skillful with the guitar chances are you will found yourself blaming the amp! I play mostly metal with this thing(In Flames, Soilwork, Meshuggah, Slipknot, Sepultura, etc). I rarely use the clean channel and with no EQ theres no way to dial in the "perfect" sound. Also, for those who have been saying how muddy the amp sounds try lowering the gain ok? Set it at 5 that should be enough.

The amp it's actually my brother's. He bought it used from a local band's guitar player. If you're from Puerto Rico you may be familiar with Sol D' Menta, needless to say the amp has seen plenty of action. Some of the knobs have been replaced. Power tubes were also replaced. The amp has been serviced once, but nothing serious. At the moment it's working in perfect order. I can see it handling more abuse in the future.

I've been playing for 12+ years. If youre looking for a more affordable alternative to a Marshall JCM 2000, that is if youre more interested in the lead channel with even a possibility of acheiving superior tones, I'd would definetly recommend this amp. It's weakness being the clean channel, will have many believe it's not worth the price($900 - $1000 new). But for the lead channel alone, it's worth it!

*************PLEASE READ THIS NOW BOSS NS-2 USERS***************

This amp is amazing.But the hiss it creates is unacceptable.i got a boss ns-2 noise gate pedal and hooked it like this

guitar->-pedal input-->-low gain input(i have emg's)

This does not work,sure it does block sound from your guitar but all the noise is coming after the pedal from the amp.

2nd attempt!

guitar-->-low gain input-->-amp send to pedal input-->-pedal output amp f/x return.

This also doesnt work as the pedal cant distinguish the difference between hiss and the actual note you are playing.you have to have the threshold so hi you get the loss of high end and the delay at the beginning of the note.

THIS IS THE ANSWER!

guitar-->-pedal input--->-pedal output to amp f/x return-->--amp send to pedal return-->-pedal send to amp input(low/high doesnt matter)

THIS WORKS!

It cuts out ALL the hiss even turned up full volume,its amazing,its like the amp aint on.
Basicall the boss ns-2 is designed to be run with effects/distortion through the pedal fx loop.hooking up this way puts the pre-amp(noisy) part of the amp through the fx loop of the pedal.It states in the pedal instructions that this is how the boss pedal distinguishes the difference between noise and the actual sound you are playing.
If someone has already posted this somewhere then sorry for posting,just havent got time to read thru all reviews.

Hey this is an OK head. I play stuff like Between the buried and me, glass casket, and through the eyes of the dead and I couldnt get the sound i wanted out of it. I found it to be realllllllly muddy or to dry. It really had one sound and that was it. The clean chanell was really baddddddddd! If im gonna pay 1000 dollers for a head I at least want a decent clean chanell.hahhaha I dont want to sit here and bash it bcuz it really isent that bad of head and if ur looking in the 1000 doller range and u dont play much clean stuff then this is the head for you. But please make sure you try it before you buy it. Ive heard 5150s that sound like complete SHIT!! and ones that sound pretty damn good. When I was searching for a head I was deciding between the 5150. a mode 4, and a dual rectifier. I got the rectifier bcuz it fit my style better.

no comment

Mine is a block logo 5150. Versatile enough for what i use it for which is covers and original metalgigs. I use it live and in studio. It is way to loud an amp for it to be practical for home/practice use!

Shared eq, fx loop, preamp out and footswitchable. I dont use the footswitch but control it with a GCX controller.

I have to start this by saying to all of those saying it lacks tone/versatility/definition or whatever else - you are the defining factor in your sound not the amp. Try using your guitars volume/tone pots to add colour, try not maxing the gain out (anything past 7/8 only compresses), try working on your playing and practising more rather than blaming the amp for your shortcomings.
Also if your using an ibanez rg series guitar with active emg's or anything else of that ilk then im sorry you have no claim on knowledge of tone! I use Gibson Les Pauls (customs and standards)with the original pickups and electronics.
The cab you use plays a huge part in your sound. I love the 5150 amp but the cabs suck balls. Try a nice orange or mesa cab with vintage 30's in them.
Good cables and your picking attack help mould the sound but the most important thing is your brain and fingers.

I run les pauls > GCX ground control system (w/stompboxes) > 5150 >orange ppc412 and orange ppc212. I play covers gigs 3 nights a week and play in a progressive hardcore band that gig once a week or so.
Its no noisier than any other high gain amp out there and with the use of my guitars controls it can be very versatile.
The clean may not be the best but are you getting this amp for clean sounds? It does clip when i attack hard.
The distortion is thick and hard lets say that! its a solid rock/metal sound. If you wanna sound like vai or satriani then this may not be the amp for you.

I would and have depended on it without a backup. I service it fairly regulary and its never broken down on me yet. Ive heard horror stories from other owners but so far ive escaped any problems (ive owned this amp for 5+ years).

I live in Austalia so trying to deal with the company itself is useless. I take it to my favourite amp tech for repairs and service.

Ived been playing 15 years and am a full time player. If it were lost id be pissed, angry but i dont know if id buy another one. I love my 5150 to death but id be sceptical about findidng another that sounded as good. I'd maybe look around a bit.
I do wish the clean channel was better and it doesnt work very well with dist pedals. Also the fx loop is in a weird place in the signal chain (post master volume) which means if the unit in the fx loop is even slightly noisy then it will be magnified and become a big problem.
Having said all that i do feelthat for my needs this amp is a solid rock amp that covers not only rock but metal and pop as well.
Just be smart with the other equip you choose to use in ur rig as well, everything counts!

I have an original Block Logo 5150. This thing was awesome. I tried every amp they had and the PV 5150 killed them all. It has all the features I will ever need, since I'm not a Tweak-Freak. This amp can cover anything from metal to blues, just by adjusting the volume on my guitar. THAT alone is worth the price of admission. All-tube, 120-watts, and killer...

I have a Strat Copy with H/S/H: the humbuckers I scavenged from an old 80's Ibanez RG, and the SC is a Seymour Duncan Snark. I play hardcore/metal/thrash type stuff, and this amp is awesome. I've never been really unhappy with it, but I am getting it modded to have an adjustable bias. It can be a tad noisy when your not playing, but who gives a shit, if all you have to do is turn down the guitar and its all good.

This amp is a Tank!!! I would never need another amp, except maybe another 5150...

Ben playing for 2 years, and this is my sound. I am totally happy with it. Long Live the 5150!!!!

This amp is me all over. I went into my local music shop, played with a few amps and then thought I would try the 5150. Got it set up and loved it, bought it the same day. It can be used for every style (maybe not jazz) but very versatile in my opinion. Two channels (clean, lead), single eq (not a problem for me) series effects loop, no headphone jack (much to the disappointment of the neighbours). This amp has more power than the average gigging guitarist will ever need (120 watts of pure valve power). I use this amp everywhere, at home, at band practices, on stage. Everywhere you need an amp I use the 5150. Love it to bits.

this baby sings with my peavey Wolfgang, you can tell the guitar and amp are made to be used together, not that my other guitars don?t sound good because they do buy the Wolfgang just sings, from screaming lead to calm soft cleans this guitar and amp combination can handle them all. This amp suites my style down to a tee, I play loads of different stuff raging form emo core to blues and show tunes. The amp can get noisy on higher gain settings but a good quality noise gate sorts that problem out. The distortion is about a distorted as you can get without your ears bleeding!

this amp is built like a tank, I would never use a valve amp without a backup at a gig but that is just my personal preference (I have a Laney TF300 to use if the 5150 broke down) I don?t think that it would breakdown but it is valve and careless rodies can have butter fingers sometimes. it hasn?t broke down as of yet but I have only had it a month so we will wait and see, if it does then my local music shop will do me a repair job on it (they are very good, they are called Electro Music)

I have not dealt with peavey but I have heard that they are very good.

i have been playing coming up on 10 years now I dont use crap gear because of the high risk. i do recomend the peacey 5150 to anyone wanting a good solid valve amp to reliy on. other gear which i own includes a vaccaro generator X, 2 peaver wolfangs, fender stratocaster, fender telicaster, cry baby wah wah, mxr 115, a boss eq laney TF300, peaver 5150 and 2 engl 4x12 cabs. if it were stolen i would hunt the person down and make them buy me 5 5150s and 10 engl 4x12s and then ram a very pointed B.C.Rich guitar up his arse, play god save the queen and push him off a cliff.

Well this is your typical 2 virtually 3 channel really two head. It has the usual effects loop, bright switch crunch mode on the ryhthm channel. All in all this used to be a lot of features when these things first came out, but now it's lagging.

First of all, the people who are comparing this and the newer 5150 II heads to boutique units like Bogner and the like and saying amps like Bogner are only marginally better, either don't know what the hell they are talking about or truly have no ear for tone. There is no comparison to high end amps with this one. It does what it was designed to do, it offers a decent overall tone for a decent price. This was not meant to be a top notch piece of gear, if it was it would have cost a lot more. You can get a decent clean tone out of them, altough in my opinion they lack headroom, the crunch is the best thing you can get out of this amp. The lead tones are a little too noisey and well they do get that tradition VH brown sound, which was cool then, but now to me just lacks some articulation. This amp covers up some of the tone in your guitar and fingers, although like I said it does more or less what it was designed to do, which is more than I can say for many out there. I have been using these in the studio for many years now, and probably have more hours on them than people who own one. If you are a guitarist on a limited budget and need something that can handle a general variety decently, and want that tube sound, then this is a good amp for you. If you don't need the real tube sound, there are a ton of modeling amps out there in a similar price range that can do a lot more. Back to the tone, I find that the lead channel's gain is more or less useless beyond about 6-7 because the noise becomes a big problem, it's ok I suppose if you're using a good gate or if you have a volume pedal and always roll it down when you are not playing, but otherwise it gets very annoying. It can handle a good amount of volume, surely enough to handle virtually any venue. I don't agree with the players who think this is the greatest heavy sound for metal playing either. Obviously you've never heard any really good high gain amps. Check out the better stuff made by Hughes and Kettner, VHT, or better yet Engl or Diezel and you'll see what high gain is all about. This has a decent gain which can handle most styles of music.

I wouldn't call these very reliable I have seen them go through some abuse and last, but on the other hand I have seen virtually new ones just suddenly stop having output or not channel switch any more.

I have never had to personally deal with them.

Again, this amp does what it was originally made to do, and it does it fairly well for the price. Don't believe the reviews that say that this is the best amp out there, it's far from it, but don't believe the ones that call it crap either. It's not fair to compare an amp like this to a $3000 head because they're not meant to compete. I have been playing for a long time, and now own a guitar speaker cabinet company. I know a thing or two about tone, it's basically what has driven my career, and the best way to sum up this amp is what I have said...it does what it was designed to do. That's more than I can say for many of the poor expensive attempts companies like Marshall, Fender, and Mesa have done. They make a few products that are awesome and then others that just flop which is one reason why they are always introducing new models. That's not to say that they don't make good products too, I love particular products from all of them and other companies, but I'm simply saying that a big name doesn't mean you're getting what you're paying for. This amp does what it's supposed to do for a reasonable price, I am sure if it was meant to do more they would have charged accordingly. If this amp is the budget you are looking in, I suggest that you also look at the modeling amps in the price range, some of them are very good, and much more flexible. If you do decide to get a 5150 then be weary when buying used because these amps have been known to get abused. They are one of the most popluar amps in practice studios and many of the people who have them simply bought them from a studio at a steal got a lemon and then try to resell, so be careful. If you're interested in other tube amps in this or a similar price range a couple of recommendations, look for a smaller Rivera or VHT combo that will allow you to use an extension cabinet, you may also find an H&K head for a decent price or look into the 5150 II which is a little better. Good luck.

'02 or '03 Signature (not block letter) 5150 Head.

The features are few, but useful. Two channels, Rhythm and Lead. Shared 3-band EQ and poweramp-shaping section (resonance and presence). Independant volume and gain. Effects loop. Can run at 4, 8, or 16 ohms. Five 12AX7s and four 6L6s at 120 watts.

The Rhythm channel has two tone-shaping switches. One is "bright" which is pretty standard. It just makes everything a little brighter and clearer. The other is "Crunch" which adds another gain stage (kind of like a channel in between Rhythm and Lead).

You either like a simple set-up or you prefer more tweakability. For my uses, the features are useful and simple, though I would vastly prefer to gave the "Crunch" mode available on the footswitch.

I'm using several guitars with this rig: Gibson SG Special with EMGs (81 and 85), Ibanez RG model with DiMarzios (Tone Zone, HB from Hell), and a stock PRS McCarty Rosewood. Playing music in the style of In Flames, NOFX, old Bad Religeon, Opeth, Muse, and more (All rock oriented).

For my needs, the amp suits me just fine. I would like it if it had a reverb tank, but a good verb pedal in the loop works just as well.

Many have said this amp has no clean tone. That's not entirely the case - it doesn't do pure clean very well, but the Rhythm channel with the "Crunch" turned off at a low preamp gain setting can produce some very cool clean-ish tones that will distort more if you hit the strings hard. You can go from a slightly overdriven bluesy sound all the way to jaggy classic rock with it. This is fine with me.

Turn the "Crunch" mode on, and the Rhythm channel goes right into EVH / early 80's metal territory. It's very clear and bright, and extremely tight and crunchy. This setting is great for punk as well. It contains a lot of musical harmonic content - single notes sound strong and fat, and chords bloom quickly and have a great sparkle on the top-end. The preamp gain turned up can give you a totally convincing modern metal chug, but that's really what the lead channel is for, and since I enjoy the less brutal 80's sound so much on this channel I use it for that.

The lead channel, as many others have said, is the most brutal and punishing distortion I have ever heard/felt. The secret to getting a good (amazing) chug / lead tone out of this channel is to RESPECT THE GAIN KNOB. Turn it much past 6 and it will eat you alive and then go after your band mates, devouring them one by one until only pools of murky blood and shreds of stylish outfits remain. In all seriousness, this amp is capable of producing far too much gain for any useable purpose, even in the most wicked of blackmetal riffery. Keep it between 4 and 6 for huge distortion that is full and easy to control. Many high-gain amps have either one of two advantages. They either have powerful low-end, but can feel flubby, or they have great definition but no balls. This amp definitely seems to have both. Palm mute a power chord at any respectable volume and it's like a fast mule-kick in the chest. No mush, no flubbyness, just tight (SUPER tight) chug with an authoritative low-end punch. This amp is so tight that you could hybrid-pick palm muted chords as fast as you possibly can and hear each individual one. That's awesome.

Overall, there is a very distinctive tonal character to this amp. It has an almost.. well.. It's hard to describe. It's like you can really hear your strings moving - it's pure. You really have to play one to understand. You should listen to newer In Flames or Chimaira to get a good idea of how it sounds cranked. Their albums pretty much capture the sound.

One last thing - this amp is loud as all hell. You'll never need all the headroom it can offer, but it's nice to know it's there.

Have only had the amp for a few weeks, and have not gigged with it yet. It weighs a metric ton and seems pretty bullet-proof, so I would gig without a backup. I would definitely have spare tubes and fuses with me, though. No sense being cavalier about it.

N/A

This amp would be flawless for me if it had a few things:

1. Switchable crunch
2. Reverb
3. Low-power switch (for playing at home)

The sounds it gets are so satisfying that I'll give it an 8 despite these things. Recommended. Try one out.

i think youve all read the other reviews....

ALIRITE this is what i need to talk about...everyone was talking about how awsum this amp sounded...and i decided its time for me to get one...and i thot this thing was gonna be the best..but its just OK...i seem to like the triple xxx peavey better...well i relized i use a stande set up ... i have no special fx or anything..and the 5150 is POWERFULL...and i need help with what i can do to help it...caus i love the power just not the sound...and i thot it wood b more prutal than it is...maybe theres a problem with it:-/...PLS EMAIL ME ABOUT WAT I CAN DO TO FIX THIS..or just make it better...im a gain freak..and i ant seem to have enof..i was wondering any rack equip i could use on it...