Peavey 5150

I got this amp on a trade for a Marshall JMP-1 and some other rack mount stuff. I play mostly Emo, Screamo, Post Hardcore(Underoath, From First To Last, Saosin, etc...) It has 2 channels switchable with 2 button footswitch and effects loop that can be controled by the footswitch Awesome feature! I wish it had a Master volume but, no worries. This thing is loud i use it for Recording, Live and Practice. It is all tube.

I mainly use a Epiphone SG G400, Epiphone Explorer a Epiphone Les Paul Special with the neck pickup out and only a EMG in the bridge sounds sweet and a Lotus les paul model with EMG 81 Pickups. For my music style it is great a lot of people complain about the clean channel but, in my case i can get some really nice tones out of it just play around with your settings and different tubes and let the tubes warm up. As for the distortion it is amazing for me. Notice how i said "For me" The music i play is heavy but, very melodic i love the way it really brings out your tone. Ive played Marshall and Mesa and they are amazing amps but not the right sounds for me. Mesa just doesn't have enough gain for me and Marshall's gain is to Trebley for me. Once i get enough money i will dish out for a Bogner or Orange but, for now the 5150 is amazing. I think if you play a more aggressive style of music the 5150 is for you but, if you like lighter gain and use a lot more clean it won't suit you very well.

Peavey may be more known for their PA's and mics and mixers but the few really good heads they make are built very well. The 5150 is a beast and i would never worry about anything happening to it but, like all tube heads you have to be carefull of the tubes just get a good road case. I had a Peavey XXL before i got the 5150 and it lasted me forever and still sounds fantastic for a soild state head. I have no worries about the 5150.

Never dealt with them.

I have been playing guitar for over 12 years now and i have finally found the tone i have been searching for in the 5150. If it were stolen i would cry for days because im poor and would have to go back to my XXL which is soild state and after playing all tube heads i don't want to go back to solid state.

Pretty basic features, shared EQ for clean and lead channels. Foot switchable effects loop, saved me a few times playing live (when turning off two or more pedals at once isn't possible).
Tube wise: 4- 6L6 Power Amp tubes and 5- 12ax7 pre amp tubes.
Wattage: 120 RMS
Inputs: High Gain and Low Gain.
Basically the only down fall (feature wise) is the shared EQ between the 2 channels, but I've learned to live with it and it doesn't bother me any more.

Guitar: Gibson Les Paul Studio (stock pickups... for now)
Effects: Dunlop Crybaby, Digitech Whammy (reissue), Boss CS-3, Boss GE-7, Boss PH-2, Danelectro Cool Cat, Boss PS-3.
Well I've owned this amp from new for about 7 or 8 yrs and I've pretty much tried everything with this amp as far as sound goes. During my early yrs I was playing things from pearl jam, soundgarden, and yes of course Nirvana. Well the amp did just fine for that type of music. The clean channel lacked what I was originally looking for but leaving the pre gain on 2 - 2 and 1/2 seemed to solve that problem decently, although not as warm as I would've liked. As for the lead channel the trick I found was to back off on the lead channel gain (3) and that seemed to do the trick for Grunge distortion. Next step came when my playing styles changed to those of the drop D world. Bands such as Tool and Rage had influenced my style at the time, and once again I changed my settings by increasing my Gain for my lead channel (about 5) and inceased the resonance channel to about 8 or so (gave a nice low thud for palm muting). Now with the stage I'm at I've been playing a lot of velvet revolver, G n' R, Van halen, and lenny kravitz and I have to say once again this amp is serving me quite well. With the recent tube replacement(Eurotubes (JJ)), this amp has been hitting similar tones, if not exact to the bands I've just listed. I'm Quite happy with the verisitlity.

In regards to the Effects world, I'd say that this amp responds well to effects but keep in mind this is the first amp I've really started adding effects to. So I haven't had much expreience with other amps as far as effects loops go.

Oh I almost forgot, I'm playing the head through 2 5150 slant cabs. And I love the sound this amp produces with those cabs. I never thought I'd be playing a peavey hahaha

I've never once had this amp fail me. It's been through hell and back with some of the shows my last band played. It's even been tipped over while on and not on standby (on grass mind you, thanks to a drunk at a party) and as soon as I stood it up again, it sounded just like it did before. Very reliable and I don't use a back up when I do use it live.

hahahaha one more thing that prooves this amp is totally durable, last summer I took it to a friends place to use as an outdoor music setup (plug a CD player up to it, play with the EQ's and it works ok), but I never picked it up until the january after. That might not say much but the amp was left outdoors, under a patio. This thing has gone through changes of Summer, Fall and Winter all outside. When I brought it back to my place mid January and plugged it in, it worked completely fine... hows that for reliability and neglect hahaha...

Never dealt with peavey... Warranty is probably way long gone.

Well if anything were to happen to this amp I would honestly consider looking at other amps just to see what is out there now. But I know I would come back to the 5150, especially since I retubed it with JJ tubes; this thing wails!! I might try the bias mod in the future, but I'm currently happy with the setup now. Why change a good thing.

I would recommend this amp to anyone looking to play most rock/hard rock/metal music. Except I might be bitter suggesting it to any of my friends, I like the fact that I'm the only one I know with a 5150 setup.

READ THIS if you still want to get some REAL clean tones out of this amp.
120 watts all tube, 2 Channels Rhythm and Lead.
I wish it had a switch for the crunch on the foot controller!
Use it live in a hardcore band
TONS OF POWER

I play in a post hard-core band. My style of music has just as much clean channel parts as distorted ones. As you have read before this amp was never designed to have a true clean channel, though you can turn down the gain to 3 and get a signal without distortion. I said "a signal" which sounds more like the teacher on the Charlie Brown cartoons than a guitar tone. I couldnt deal with it so I played a Marshall solid state head for the last 2 years. Im a gear junky and buy tons of CRAP without trying it out enough. The 5150 was just another peice of that gear. It set in my room untouched as I rocked the Marshall to the fullist extent of the law. I was seconds away from selling the 5150 and decided to really work with it before I did. I bought it used and the tubes where old. I changed them and the mud I was getting almost dissapeard from the lead channel. However the clean still sounded like raw un-cut ass!
One more thing to try! Today I Borrowed a new BOSS GE-7 EQ peddal from a music store to try it out on the clean. Needless to say I will have to pay for it Monday because it wont be going back. If you set the "rythm channel" Gain on 4 and put this peddal in your signal chain, scoop the mids boost the highs (on the peddal) I promise you are gonna hear something very familer. I could have swarn it was a Fender amp!
I will have to hit 2 bottons at one time on stage to switch on distortion and shut off the EQ (because the lead channel rocks) but I dont care! Try it!

This is a TANK

Iv been playing for 10 years. This is not the best sounding amp Iv ever heard, but it gets the job done. It has a versitillty rating of a 1 because it was only designed to rock, but now I found a way to make it ROLL!

I have two(2) 5150's that I run in stereo. Each has it's own 5150 4X12 straight front cab. They are mid 90's, back when they were first available. 2 channels sharing 1 EQ which also includes a presense knob(for tuning the amp) and a resonance knob(for tuning the cabinets). This is nice because rooms sound differently and you can compensate. Each channel has it's own pre-amp and master volume.Has an effects loop, but I usually plug straight in the front. Rhythm channel has a bright and a crunch button, which is cool 'cuz I'm hardly ever in the same mood.It doesn't have a headphone jack 'cuz yo head would explode.Does have channel switching with a foot switch that I have hooked into a "y" cord so I can switch both channels at the same time with one foot switch. Reverb would be nice, but I didn't choose them for a bunch of features. I didn't want features, I wanted TONE. I like stripped down simple heads that do just a few things extremely well. I'm rating it a 7 'cuz it's not a feature amp, it's a rock and roll monster with enough head room (120 watts each)to play outdoors and not go limp!!

These bad boys hiss like a pit full of rattle snakes. Reason is the plates in the output section run hotter than a pistol. It's a tube eater. PEOPLE, IT'S A HOT ROD TUBE AMP DESIGNED BY A GUY WHO IS WAY OVER THE "SCHIZZLE" AND IT ACTS LIKE ONE. (And that's why you gotta keep your tubes replaced at least once a year.)But Tone to the bone!!!! Loud hum, to me, is part of good rock n' roll. I can tell how good a band is gonna sound just by how loud the equipment is before they start playin'. When your playing a tune, you don't hear any hum or hiss. I play a Les Paul Jr. with a P-90 thru these babies and it's ON! Harmonics flying all over the place. I also play a Les Paul with humbuckers and it's a wall of rock n roll. Sometimes I use my American Fender Thinline with Texas Specials and it's raw cool!!!I plug my guitar into a stereo delay pedal to split the signal and barely delay the wet signal to thicken things up. It sound like three people playing...an over dub effect. That really works well with these amps! Clean channel sounds like sooped-up plexi, but you gotta barely have the preamp on if you want it crystal clean 'cuz it wants to rumble. Lead channel sounds like a JCM 800 on steroids, ya'll be careful not to hurt yourself!

Never had any trouble. One of the reasons I chose Peavey is 'cuz they're pretty tough. It's time to replace the power tubes. The gain has dropped and the tone has changed. It's cuz those plates are so high voltage. But tube amps require replacement of expendable parts, it doesn't mean it's a bad amp.

Pretty good. Found out that 5150's are self biasing from Peavey tech.
They have a good web-site, You can download some manuals if you need to.

One head I bought new for $600, the other used for $300 (so I entered the average). I spent a lot of time researching and playing amps before I decided. At the time the 5150 was a little ahead of the curve(this was the mid 90's) I was looking for a simple rig that did in your face rock music, no fancy stuff. This amp isn't for everyone. It's SPICY. If I were to half to change to something else it would have to be a Red Bear MK120 or a Sunn Model T, but they don't even make those any more. I used to have a Peavey Butcher, I'd do that again. The 5150's are were I'm at tonal....rowdy....like the audience being humped by rottweilers

Well all know the goods.

Kudos to peter a few posts down on the NS2 tip. You MUST do this. The 5150 is a noisey amp! With the noise supressor placed in the proper place this noise gets removed. The lead channel on this amp is amazing.
Very full and clear. One thing that helped was putting a tube screamer infront of the amp with 0 drive and 10 volume. I know it sounds crazy but it works. I am playing through a 1960a cab and things are nice. Dont really care for the Rythm or clean channel. But I didnt buy this amp for those.

Peaveys are solid. This is my second high gain tube amp from peavey and Im sure it wont be my last.

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...

Signature (Not block letter) 5150 head and slant cab. Two channel (rythmn and lead).
Works great with a GT6 and a 'real' guitar.
Contrary to popular belief, does not have a 'clean' channel. It was never designed to have a clean channel (unless you think RYTHMN means clean....buy a acoustic). NO CLEAN CHANNEL....DUH!
Reverb would be nice but resonance is better.
Rating.....who cares?

Jackson DK2 (1997), Jackson RR3 (with EMG 58 and 81......58's way better than the 85), Charvel Model 4 (1985).

It's probably my GT6 that gives me the best sound on earth! Definently check it out!

No noise at all.

Sounds better than what you have!

The singer in the band dumped a beer down through the upper vent, I think it's pretty damn durable. Been dropped a couple times as well. Works great!

N/A

Kicks Ass (quit whinin')!

120 Watts RMS into 16, 8 or 4 Ohms
Five 12AX7 preamp tubes
Four 6L6GC power amp tubes
High and low gain inputs
2 channel preamp switchable on front panel or remote footswitch
Rhythm channel: pre- and post-gain, bright & crunch switches
Lead channel: pre- and post-gain
Channels share 3-band EQ, presence, and resonance controls
Switchable post-EQ effects loop
Preamp output

I play with an ibanez rg520qs with dimarzio pickups and a gibson flying v with seymour duncans.The music I play is metal,rock,instrumental rock.
This amp is really noisy,I have to play with a noise gate to shut off the hum and feedback.
Its really good for heavy metal rhythms,very chunky.Sounds like a hot rodded marshall.
The clean channel is garbage,they should have worked more on this channel.

This amp is very dependable,I have gigged with it and never had any problems with it.

I bought this used so I don't know if it is even covered by a warranty.

I play through a carvin 2x12 with vintage 30's in them.
I am not happy with the overall eq,its not very flexable.Anything past 1 sounds the same.I'm thinking about sending it to voodoo amps for the mod,maybe it will make it more flexable and make the clean channel better.Also,thinking about putting in jj tubes in there.

Bought used in 1996, this amp has the old EVH block logo, and believe it was a first year. Veratality: 9, if you know how to twiddle your knobs you can squeeze almost anything out of this amp. Features have already been covered, I wish it had a reverb. It has more than enough power to play in front of 30-3000 people, all of which I have done with this amp over the last 10 years.

I play in a cover band and I can get great tone for songs as varied as Megalomaniac,(Another)Piece of My Heart, Barracuda, Ain't Talking 'Bout Love, and This Love (marooon 5). I listed specific songs vs genre's because genre's don't tell you jack s#%^& about actual tonal versatility of an amp. Although the lead channel will hiss when left sitting with the channel switched on, I don't know many people that perform a silent solo. The lead channel hiss is undetectable when being played. One item of note, you do not need to use alot of gain with this amp, it has more headroom than any amp I have ever used/played through (brew-tell). Most often I use the lo gain input which provides the tonal variety I need. I find I can control the majority of my tone through the use of my volume/tone knobs on guitar, and leave my basic settings on the amp alone. I only use a delay, chorus (maybe a phase shifter) for effects, and the effects loop works them in perfectly. One negative issue however is the channel switching foot pedal, which if stomped too hard can transmit an audible click throught the amp.

I have used it to gig in front of crowds as large as 3000 (at an outdoow festival) w/out backup (which I do not really recommend, there are other reasons to have backup amps, such as power surges, clumsy roadies, other bands looking to steal your sh&*). Those that have "blown" this amp may not understand impedance matching. The only time I have ever had to re-tube was when using a non-rated (homebrew) cabinet which did not allow me to properly match impedance, series/parallel etc. and bascially ran the tubes into the dirt (operator error). Otherwise the amp has been killer for ten years.

Peavey customer support is pretty good but not great. Have used them in conjunction with other products of theirs and found them to be NOT the best, but not the worst. If you rely on email contact, you may be waiting for quite sometime. OTherwise I have no experience with their local authorized service centers, and it was long out of warranty when I bought it.

I have been playing 10 years, I run the 5150 through a 1968 Marshall 1969AV cab. I also own a Music Man HD-130 for nostalgia's sake, but never have to use it the 5150 covers it all. If it were stolen I would go out and buy another immediately. I have played through a variety of amps, Marshall, Dr. Z etc, they are just not as versatile as the 5150.

This is an early 5150 with the EVH block lettering. In it's early life it was not very versatile but really kicked butt for the high gain stuff. This is a 2 channel beast and I do run an early Ibanez rack mount digital delay through the effects loop. The tubes it came with were chinese made 6l6's.

My main guitar is a Parker Fly Classic but I also run an early Gibson SG, Carvin "Kit" Strat (this is a GREAT guitar!, Dano 56-u2, and a Chinese cheap strat through the 5150. I play AC/DC, Creed, classic rock type music primarily. The tone is there for the hyper distorted stuff if I need it. Is the clean channel distorted at high volumes? Who the heck can crank one of these and survive! Distortion is a 9 on a scale of one to ten for brutality!

Here's what made the amp come alive. I had Torres Engineering in the SF Bay area install an adjustable bias and replace the tubes. Holy Cow. They put Svetlana's for the power tubes and JJ 12AX7s for the preamp. This is not the same amp. The warmth is incredible and I can nail many more classic rock tones on channel one than I could ever before. Channel 2 is now more focused and the individual notes now come out...before they were a saturated mess. Spend the bucks for this mod or quit yer whinin'!

This is a tank. Never a breakdown and I trust it

Called with a question and they were helpful and fast to answer.

Been playing for 20+ years and have a Princeton Reverb, Crate practice amp, Silvertone 1430 amp, etc. I love this amp but it is dang stinkin' big, especially with th 4x12 slant cab. Need a roadie and I'm not that good!

Channel 2 is really noisy, hissssssss. Reverb would be nice, I'm spoiled with the Princeton's reverb.

Again, invest in new tubes and the bias mod. It's worth it!

Bought new in early 90's. Not a versatile amp, yes does one thing but does it VERY well. Features have been done - same here.

I am not a metal player usually, I grew up on classic, southern and hard rock but love a good higain amp. The gain on this amp is just amazing, but you DO have to be subtle with the tweaking.

Yes, clean is VERY COLD. Would love a warmer clean - even though I actually don't mind a little gain - just needs to have some warmth in the breakup. But I can get amazing range of gain with this using low input, (guitars of choice are strats w/sc and bridge humbuckers) and go from nice breakup to wailing singning scorching leads with flick of knobs/switch.

Yes, truth is you need to turn up post-gain to at least 4 to start getting good sound (like my Marshall Silver Jub) and I use lead channel pre-gain at between 2 and 5-6. While it is just tone nirvana to me my old ears can't take 120watts for long.

BTW - yes you CAN get old EVH sounds out of it - but its mostly up to the player & technique, not just the amp. (EVH tone changed dramatically later, and I can get more of that old 'brown sound' out of this amp than he did/does, though he obviously isn't 'trying' to mimic his old marshall.)

toally reliable - done many gigs w/o backup.

n/a, never needed them for any peavey amp.

Playing 20 years - own lots of peavey's because of Bang for Buck factor. (Classic 15, Classic 30, Triumph 120, even old studio 40) Other tube amps include, Marshall 2550 Silver Anniverary head and Marshall DSL2000, 401 combo. Mostly strats, LOVE the single coil quack, but also like a 'bucker in bridge.

I prefer to gig with this amp over any other for most purposes & would HAVE to replace if I lost it. Bang for BUCK is there!

I don't know what year mine was made, but it kicks all ass. i don't really know how versatile it is... i just found a GREAT sound for me that i LOVE, so i haven't tried fucking around with it too much. it has 2 channels that both sound really really fucking good. i don't wish that this had anything else... it's pretty much fabulous how it is. i'm in a band that plays a lot of loud rock shows, so it's good to have a 120 watt beast backing me up while i'm rocking out. this is a tube beauty.

I use a Gibson SG Special Faded. It sounds so good. i play anything from "emo" to "metal-core". this suits everything that i'm into. seriously this amp can do whatever i want.

I got this used about 4 days ago and it hasn't broken down yet. haha, i don't know it's history though. it seems like a beast though.

i didn't talk to anybody from Peavey, but i this amp a lot so i'm gonna give them a 10 anyways.

I really like this amp. i got the 5150 head and 5150 straight cab for $1,100 used. i like it a lot. it kicks ass. i RECOMEND THIS


this is the band i'm in. we're from NC.
www.purevolume.com/thekeep

yall know this stuff....2 channels...shared eq....high/normal inputs....etc.

so, i play several things...i'm in a melodic hardcore band (somewhere between nodes of ranvier, norma jean, comeback kid, and underoath), a metalcore band (along the lines of somewhere between bleeding through and atreyu), a "noisecore" band (along the lines of converge, psyopus, and between the buried and me), and a praise and worship band. i use an esp (ltd) ex 351 with emgs (hz's until i get the $$ for the 85 and 81 that i want). this guitar has sounded awesome through several amps...the passive emg's are pretty impressive...i mean, they dont stand up to the active ones when it comes to distortion, but they still sound really good. but anyway, like i said, i get awesome sounds out of several amps, apparently this one is an exception. dont get me wrong, it sounds decent....just not defined....even with the bass on 5 it still sounds muddy....i actually got the clean sounding decent, i think that has somethin to do with the fact that i like heavy strings (tuned to standard of course...maybe drop d every once in a while....im no nu metal kid who wants to tune to drop a so i can sound like korn). point is, its a severely limited in what it can do...and it doesnt even do that very well...

well, its alreday broken down twice....that and the wiring in it sucked when i got it....from what i hear, 5150s in general have that problem

peavey has fairly good customer support....they've workded with me every time

the reason i got this amp was the band i was in was going on tour and i needed a better amp more suited for playing shows and i didnt have all that much $$....all in all i beleive i could have done much better....i guess i might have just gotten a bad amp.....either way i wouldnt buy another 5150....maybe a marshall...or a mesa...or a bogner...but def not a 5150

Look them up at www.peavey.com!

I only play a Gibson Historic 57 Goldtop with Burstbucker pickups with this amp. I use no pedals except for a Boss tuner, and Planet Waves cables. I play the whole spectrum of rock and roll and this amp gets any tone I want. I have it loaded with JJ Tubes from Bob at www.eurotubs.com. I mostly use the clean channel with the crunch and bright buttons depressed and use the volume knob to go from Led Zeppelin style bluesy clean to Bon Scott era AC/DC. I only use the low gain input and switch to the lead channel for blistering The Darkness style solos. I never use the effects loop and the shared EQ works great, no need for a seperate one for me. When I'm in the mood I get a great Godsmack sound with the lead channel too. I couldn't be more pleased with the sound and versatility of this rock and roll amp. I have no need to look elsewhere.

Never had a problem yet and I doubt I will. I plan to purchase a 5150 combo in the near future just in case and to get a little more variety of tone, reverb tank, different tubes, etc.

Bought the amp and a matching 4x12 cab off ebay, never had to deal with Peavey.

I'm 27, been playing for 7 years. I have owned a variety of Marshall's, JCM 800, 900, DSL, and AVT. I switched to Peavey for several reasons and havn't regretted it at all. It's made in America, was developed and tested by some of the best ears on the planet, Eddie Van Halen, is played by one of my favorite guitar players ever, Ted Nugent, and is based on a Marshall style head. I couldn't be happier, this one is a keeper!

shoot, I don't know. Sorta like an old Marshall head but I never touched the dials. I just played through this guys rig. It was a 5150 head on a Peavy 4x12 cabinet.

I'll totally agree with Jason down below who gave this a "1" for tonal quality. I'm not going to rate it however. I'll just tell you my experience with it was that the power chord come through real cool like all the newer metal bands sound like but that for soloing it was pretty aweful. I bent up the B string to a high E and all I got was a high E. Well, I want more, I want some harmonics for God's sake! Where was the vasilating overtones? No burn, no scream, no feedback, no nothing....just a high E......

Well, I'm an old dude who grew up learning solos from the greats like Schenker and Hendrix. I've been shredding the finger board for 30 years on a daily basis. I should be someone by now but....fuck, I don't know what happened!

But then, soloing is out of vogue anymore. Modern metal guitars didn't have time to learn how to solo it seems. Who wants to hear 2000 notes ripped out in 30 seconds anymore anyways? People, these days, don't have time solos anymore. "Just verses and choruses, please" is all they say.

Eddie Van Halen?????????? OH STOP!!!! This sounds absolutely nothing like Eddie's sound!

But I do like the rhytym tone on this. It's heavy and clean. Great for all that new NickelBack, Slip Knot, Chevelle, etc etc modern metal stuff

ugh!

There is a few things i miss in this amp,such as chorus and reverb and also a clean channel.
But if you think of the sound you get distorted i really complain,because it is good!!!!

im havin my modified with an extra clean channel to solve one of my few complaints about this amp,and for the rest im going to get some pedals.

Im using a Epiphone Les Paul standard,with EMG 81 in the bridge and im so ssatisfied with the sound im getting.
i have only used it for a couple of hours with my band now but i think i would like to be burried with this amp when i die! =)
I play detuned music,heavily distorted such as machine head,sepultura,slipknot but also a lot of slayer,pantera,metallica and so on.
I have had a lot of feedback and pretty much noise with it,but i have it crancked to a 6 at lead channel with gain set at 6 or 7 so........
As i previously said about the clean sound it isnt to good,but you have to have in mind that it doesnt have a clean channel,only a rhytm channel that you can turn down the gain to get a clean sound out of.
But its all i can afford for now and its ok but not great so..........
I dont use it very much anyway,only on one son in the band.

This amp is so great for me,and im so satisfied!
I can asure you,if you play some sepultura,slayer,slipknot och machine head stuff you will be satisfied with this amp.
A tip,have them adjust the bios,ive heard that it makes great difference and an even greater distortion,im going to get it done on mine!

Dont know,havent even had it for a week so............
But no problem yet! =)

Dont know,never tried! =)

So awesome,i love this amp!
Once i get money to adjust bios and get a clean channel,i think i will keep this amp for the rest of my life!
Couldnt think of anyone better.