Peavey 5150

It has all the stuff I need. I have a G Major I use for Reverb, delay, spacey shit, etc. I also have a Crybaby wah, a Sovtek Phaser Shifter, Dod Delay, and a Vamp and a Marshall Mg 15 watt. I play atmospheric prog metal, blues VH metal, hard rock, punk, death/black metal, etc. It is very versatile for most styles. 120 watts can blow your fuckin head off! Kick ass 120 watts pure tube tone!

Jackson Dx2 Dinky Reverse with an Evolution at the bridge, Air Norton at the Neck, Olp MM1, King V with SD Jazz and JB. I also use a Carvin 2x12 (open back) that I'm going to make a back for later in the week. As well as me using a Crybaby wah and a tc G Major thats about it.

The essence of the 5150 I have figured out today and will reveal the secrets to all those who would like to know. The Rhythm channel is voiced like early 80's Marshalls, and the lead channel is (alot like) Soldano Slo100's. I have an idea in my mind that Eddie wanted to put the best of the Marshall sound into the Rhythm channel (hence not a real "clean" channel) and the Slo sound in the lead channel for one convienient package (and a lot more inexpensive than both). The Peavey company made it so that Eddie's preferred sounds are in this package without having to switch amps, etc. Does it succeed? In a way its not as good as the originals (JCM 800 or SLO) but this amp is about more of a bang for the buck quality. I have also heard conflicting reports about the similarity between this and the SLO.

Either way, the 5150 is a kick ass rock/metal amp, and can be more versatile with the right setup and eq settings. It cuts like no other modern high gain amp I've heard (and the hi mids dont hurt that either) and it has a very pleasant articulation, resonance, as well as sustain.

Reliabilty depends on whether you consider PC board constructed amps reliable or not. It is a simple two channel amp with an effects loop so it cannot be too bad. However, some of the tubes being mounted to the Pc board is definitely a cost cutting measure. I haven't heard about Peaveys blowing out on people too often (like some of the current Marshalls, etc) however.

They have an excellent website forum in which one can get in touch with an amp tech in real time (James Brown and other Peavey reps always post there). Even though I haven't had any other support experience other than online, if its anything like the online support, it must be second to none.

It is my amp, tone, that I am. I own the 5150 amplifier, and it serves all of my needs.

You all know the features of this amp or you wouldn't be here. Mine is a 1993 "signature" model 5150.

"If it's good enough for Eddie, it's good enough for me"

This amp absolutely DESTROYS and Mesa, Marshall, Crate etc. etc. I love the hot metal distortion that spews forth from my Sheffield speakers and slays any Limp-Bizkit shirt wearing f@ggot crossing the street.

I have many guitars, main axe is a crackle-finish Charvel Predator with Bill lawrence rail pickups. I can play anything from sparkling clean on the single rail in the neck to Slayer on my bridge humbucker. WAR ENSEMBLE!

Some people whine about the clean channel. Personally I think a Peavey clean is very underrated, learn how to EQ and amp like previous reviewers have said. Understand the 5150's quirks and you can achieve most any tone imaginable, however only few can touch the tones that this amp can.

Bottom line is if you want Leo Fender clean, BUY A DUAL REVERB! Duh!

Anyone who has owned a Peavey in the past knows about their reliability. Being the owner of a Butcher, Decade and Stereo Chorus 212, I most certainly can attest to Peavey's quality craftmanship. It says 'Designed and Built in the U.S.A.' for a reason guys.

I personally think that if the Berlin Wall was built with Peavey 5150's, those human rights sheep would have never tore it down. In fact, they all would have been obliterated by its pure 'slut-banging metal' volume, and cowered at the very glance of its might.

Peavey is THE BEST in customer support!!! Bar none! Once I needed a lost fuse holder for a gig, and they overnighted it to me free of charge!!! Parts are shipped quickly, people are great, fabulous southern accents too :)

Ever tried to get customer service from Marshall??? I mean Korg USA?

You haven't. They sell amps on their name, not their reliability, customer service and most of all TONE! BUY AMPS WITH YOUR EARS, NOT YOUR EYES!

The best amp I have ever played, period. I own lots of Peavey gear, some is stated above, all has yet to dissapoint. This amp will never be stolen from me because when the stupid bastard struggles to run out the door with my heavy-ass 5150, he will be shot, then his bloody corpse beaten to a pulp with my amp, only to leave the bloodstains on the amp to make it sound more 'evil'. If this was your Mommy's Line6, he most certainly would have escaped, or if I did in fact shoot the idiot, the amp would instantaneously break upon impact with his forehead. So thusly, it will be mine always.

Versitile this amp is not, no reverb, the clean channel is lacking and the rythm and lead channels share EQ.

Right now Iam using a Jackson dkmgt with a emg 81 in the bridge.It has a fairly high/midrange sound to it naturally but with enough head room to get it to chunk along nice enough.Cuts through the mix in our Band, it works very well with our tuning (C).Lead notes sound glassy and bright, has way more than enough gain, putting it past 5 or 6 depending on youre tunning is too much.This amp slays for metal, it does that job better than anything ive tried so far,marshall jcm dsl/tsl, boogie dual/triple.

Havent had mine long enough to give a good overview but its heavy and built like a tank.

I have been playing for around 12/ 13 years
I definaltey would seek another one if this were stolen
I love its bright solid metal tones, lots of head room for anything evil
I do wish it didn't have a fixed power cord
Basically for the money this thing is death spewing machine, it supports enough tone to handle much if not all of the heaviest shit out there ex impaled, cannibal corpse, vital remains, exhumed etc.
But for a wicked solo tone it rules!!

This baby is about an early 90s model, the first version with the block letter "EVH" on it. Its got 2 channels, clean and lead, clean has a crunch switch, 3 band eq, resonance, and presence. No reverb but do you actually need it on this amp? Sounds fine without it.

This amp sounds beautiful, I just bought it used, it has old tubes in it, and it still rocks extremely hard. I have a gibson les paul studio. The lead channel is so saturated and great for metal, hardcore, stuff like that. The clean channel sounds great to me, if you are complaining about a shitty clean channel, learn how to EQ your sound to get it right. This comes close to the clean I get on my Mesa Boogie Mark IV. But again, absolutey love the lead channel. Getting new tubes in it in a day or so and I cannot wait to hear it then.

Its at least 10 years old, still looks good and works perfectly. Id say this baby was built to last. It is tube though..

Never dealt with.

Ive been playin about 4 years now, Im in a hardcore/metal/rock band, play shows every once in a while. I also own a Mesa Mark IV. The distortion on this blows the Mesa away. Not as diverse of sounds, but still great. I would buy another one of these in a second if this was stolen.

The features are pretty standard, and I'm sure you've read them over a thousand times by now, so I'll skip them. Other than that, this is an amazing amp. All the power you could ever need. The only thing that bothers me is havnig both channels share one EQ section.

I use a Gibson Les Paul with a JB/'59 combo in it, as well as a Fender American Strat w/Lace sensors. Both of these guitars sound absolutely killer through the 5150, and yet they still maintain they're individual characteristics. I play mostly hard rock, with a little metal and classic rock thrown in. The 5150 does excellent for all of them. The clean is definitely good enough for me- but I don't need a pristine, Fender type clean. The distortion is the strong point of this amp (obviously!). You can get all ranges of distortion, and each sounds great in it's own way.

I have never had a problem with this amp. I have gigged it multiple times, and I think that I would be comfortable with it without a backup. Just make sure you take care of the basics, and you should never have a problem with this head.

Peavey customer support is excellent. Easy to deal with, friendly, and very helpful. I have never needed to get the head repaired.

Overall, this is an excellent amp. I have owned quite a few heads, and this one is definitely in the top 5. If you like distortion, the 5150 won't let you down.
If this were stolen, I would definitely invest in another.
Again, the only thing that I don't like is the single EQ section.

Its good it has an Fx loop. Two Channels. No fx but who gives a shit!

It is the sound I have been searching for all my life. Now I need some pickups. However, the bass sounds a bit flabby but it may be my cab as well. I said a "bit" flabby.

How many old Crates do you find at Pawn shops that still work? Peavey has made some mediocre sounding stuff, but you can still see ALL OF IT AROUND. Any questions?

Kick ass. Awesome website. Maybe not as good if you don't have a computer.

The guy from Enforsaken USED to play a 5150. Its really funny that he's bashing it, because the other guitarist from his band STILL PLAYS the 5150!

you already know the features if you're reading this. the 5150II has all the features this one should except for reverb. too bad the 5150II doesn't sound the same.

i use an esp-ltd v-350 with a dimarzio dropsonic in the bridge and a dimarzio humbucker from hell in the neck, an ernie ball steve morse with stock pickups (dimarzio also), and a dillion 490a which is basicly a prs copy with two p-90s. i run a digitech xp-100, vox wah, and sabine pedal tuner in front of the amp. i run an ibanez soundtank super chorus, marshall supervibe, digitech x-series delay and reverb through the effects loop.this amp is loud! it has more bass than anyone should ever need. the low end seems to increase as you turn up the gain actually. there is also more gain than should be allowed by law. anything past 5 is too much. i really like the crunch feature on the rhythm channel. i think that the clean is better than people give it credit for. you have to actually use your pickup selector though. if you try to use your bridge pickup for clean sounds you can give it up. the clean sounds best with single coils. you have to rethink the way you set your knobs with this amp. when setting your amp up quit trying to put so much low end in your sound. that's what bass players are for.

other than standard retubing i don't forsee anything going wrong. i've never heard of anyone having any major problems with these.

This is a review for the first run edition of this amp with the block "EVH" letters instead of the newer signature models. The features are pretty basic. I wish Peavey would have put this thing out with independent EQ for both channels in the first place. It would be cool if you could get a footswitch for it that would switch between clean and crunch also. I quess that's why there's a 5150II.

I'm using an Epiphone Les Paul Custom that has a Rio Grand BBQ in the bridge and a stock pickup in the neck. Strings are D'Addarios 13-56 tuned down a whole step. I run into a boss tu-2 tuner, a bad horsie wah, a Robert Keeley TS-9 tube screamer, a boss super chorus, a boss noise suppressor and then into the 5150. The head powers a Marshall JCM 900 1960B cab and a Crate 4x12 with celestion 50's.
The clean channel is not the best in the world but I like it alot for the style of music we do (metal/hardcore). I personally like a clean tone that has a little grit to it. It cleans up really nice if you roll back on the volume a bit. It takes a little tweaking but you can get a great clean out of it. The bright switch helps alot when you have to cut through the mix.
The crunch channel is very nice. You can get some some fat bluesey tones out of it easily. I was actually able to get a nice creamy vintage tone out of it that closely matched my friends Orange overdrive head. I mean it was really close! Having the tube screamer for this channel really compliments the sound. This channel is the TOOL zone. Very responsive with a nice bite and good dynamics. It really comes alive when you start messing with the volume on your guitar.
The lead channel is just a beast! This is secret holy grail of high gain amps! Don't let the "Peavey" logo fool you or keep you from giving this thing a try. This is pure molten metal and it's freaking loud too. You'll never have to turn the post past three or four. I have my pre-gain on 2.5 and that's plenty for me, if that tells you anything! I have the bass set to about 6 the mids at 5 and the highs on about 4.3. The resonance is set to 6 and the presence is down at about 3. This thing pumps out some of the punchiest, crunchiest, most bad ass distortion I've heard from an amp at this price. This will take you into the realm of 18visions, bleeding through, slayer, god forbid and can nail zakk wylde's lead tone without the need for an overdrive pedal! I'm telling you I'll put this up against a T-REC any day. It can be a bit loud at high volumes but the boss noise suppressor helps with that.
Now, I will suggest changing out the tubes. I've played through both the signature and the block letter models and they are indeed different sounding amps. The Block letter version has more raw power and thump but the signature is a little more versatile and manageable. Play both before you buy one, if you can. I'm using Chinese power tubes (Mesa 6l6GC STR 420's) and they really make the amp come alive. They clean up the sound and add a good deal of midrange punch and overall definition. Mesa doesn't offer the 420's anymore but they have the STR 427's. Ruby Tubes' 6l6gc is also a chinese tube. Look for the wings at the top of the plates. For preamp tubes use the Electro Harmonix 12AX7EH. These little guys are bad ass and will really warm the amp up. You only need three for the gain stages. V4 and V5 are for the effects loop and phase inverter respectively and won't affect your tone. The head is bad ass but the tubes you use will definately affect the tone. It's worth the money to experiment with different tubes.

These things are tanks. Before I bought my own I was playing through a friends that he's had for years. The one I have now is a first edition model with the block "EVH" I got from ebay and it sounds even better than my friends. These things were built to last. As long as the tubes stay fresh my head will be just fine.

Peavey's customer support is incredible. When I was shopping around for amps I kept coming back to the 5150. Whenever I had questions I'd email their customer service. They'd always get back to me within a few days and were always very helpful. They actually recommended using the electro harmonix preamp tubes for me.

This amp is best you'll find for the money. Even at new prices they are a steal but you can find them on Ebay for as little as $450 in some cases. I'm currently saving to buy a second one. I love this amp. If you're thinking about getting one of these I'd do it quick before the prices start going up. This is quickly becoming one of the most often used amps in metal. My only complaints are in the features dept. but it's not really that big a deal. It'll blow the balls of a marshall or a boogie any day of the week. Every time I plug into it and turn it on I can't believe how good it sounds. I've never been able to say that about any other amp I've ever owned.

In my opinion, the (original) 5150 head is for Marshall players who want a bit more flexibility in their sound (i.e. gain and EQ control).
The active bass (resonance) and presence controls really help define your sound a lot, and the dual channel arrangement is perfect for setting up a rhythmn sound, and then a separate (louder) lead sound.
I also really like the effects loop on this amp. In summary, the control panel is VERY basic, but it works well, and you can extract an amazing amount of subtleties from those knobs with a little tweeking!! Also, having the FX footswitchable from the floor is a great feature!

OK, first off, let me say I've owned a 5150 II -- and after using one for 2 weeks, I sold it. TOTAL CRAP!! I don't know what PV did to make a great thing suck, but they pulled it off. In short, *avoid* the 5150 II like the plague!

Secondly ... I prefer the block logo heads (that say "EVH" on them) over the script signature logo heads. They gain stage is a little beefier on the block logo heads, which are the original issue. A lot of people complained the heads had too much "hiss" in them, and the gain channels were too noisy? Well, I can tell you that this amp *can* be noisy if you do one of the following:
- improper ground
- put the transformer near another amp's tubes/transformer
- run the gain stages anywhere over 8

...otherwise, I've not had any complaints about any of my 5150 heads being hissy or noisy, and they are ALL the original issue/block logo models!

Disclaimer: Peavey ships the 5150 heads biased extremely cold (like running 12-15mA of plate voltage through the output section). This causes an extreme amount of crossover distortion to occur. This MAY be where these people are saying the noise in the gain comes from??

Myself, I have installed adjustable bias pots in ALL of my 5150 heads!
I'm running two of my heads at 40mA and two at 42mA ... they are much warmer sounding, "cleaner" sounding in the gain, and much quiter. Oh, they are also a lot more "fat" sounding than before. Basically, you need to have at least 30mA of voltage before you're out of crossover distortion on a 5150 head, so I would highly recommend this modification to anyone using one. Details on the mod and how it can be done are available here: http://www.eurotubes.com/euro-k.htm

Additionally, it should be noted I'm exclusively using JJ Electronics 6L6GC (#40 to #42 grade) in the output section and model ECC83S 12AX7 tubes in the preamp (also from JJ). They are the BEST tubes for a 5150 head!! I've tried em all -- Groove Tubes, EH, Sovtek -- JJ's are the best sounding tubes and really bring a dull sounding 5150 to life! Read more about the tubes I'm using: http://www.eurotubes.com/euro-e.htm

I've been playing 5150 heads since they came out in 1991. I now own (4) of them, and they all behave equally well. 12 years later, I've got nothing to complain about any of them!! Other than replacing output tubes (because I run them on the hot side, causing them more wear n tear than a normal 5150), I've not had to do anything to my heads...and trust me, they've been everywhere and taken a lot of bumps and roadie abuse. They definitely take a licking and keep on ticking!

Never had to deal with Peavey on them, so I do not have an opinion here.

I've been playing for 30 years. I've owned tons of Marshalls, as well as Fenders and a Boogie or two. For me and my work, the 5150s do a great job. Are they the end-all, be-all amp? NO! In fact, for my setup, I run a 5150 head in parallel with a Soldano SLO amp. I set the 5150 up to be my "gain" engine, as well as handle my effects.
I EQ it on the bassier side to get a very heavy sound, and I run it into 1/2 of a Peavey 4x12MS with Sheffield speakers (which get a great low end response).

Editor's note: The SLO feeds the other 1/2 of the cabinet and I EQ it on the bright side (tons of top end, presence). In essence, I'm running bi-amped. For small gigs, I split a stereo 4x12, for larger gigs, they both feed a separate 4x12, or in extreme cases, (2) 4x12 cabs for a total of two stacks.:

SLO aside, for a decade I used the 5150 head exclusively and was very, very happy with it. For such a basic layout, it has a LOT of sounds within it that can be coaxed out of it -- so it's best to play with it and find what you like.

Just got the 5150 a couple weeks ago...It's a pretty basic amp: 2 Channels, shared EQ, presence, and resonance. Pregain dials for both channels (this is your distortion level) as well as postgain dials (volume). It's also got a footswitch available for channel/effects (I haven't tried this though...Got my amp off ebay) and an effects loop...No headphone jack (like I care). It's not loaded with features, but it's got enough to keep me satisfied...I guess I could've asked for a master volume or something. You can get independent EQ's on the 5150 II, but the original series go for so cheap that I didn't mind having a shared one. I mainly use this amp at home right now...I might be gigging in the future, but that all depends. It's got 120 watts (WAYYYY more than I'll ever use at home, and still more than enough for most gigs anyway). The amp may lack in features, but hell...Who cares about features as long as you like your tone?

Right now I'm using a Genz Benz 2x12 cab and playing through my Ibanez S470 w/ EMG pickups. The Genz Benz is a great cab for this amp- crank the resonance up and the bass is just thundering- great headroom. The 5150 is already well known for its crunchy tones, but the EMG pups just enhance it even more...I love 'em. I play anything rock-oriented, but I espeically love death metal so this amp suits me perfectly (just look at all the metal bands that use this thing)! On the rhythem channel I can also get some good blues tones goin' on...It's actually a pretty versatile amp as far as the tone goes...Everyone complains about the clean channel on these things, but it's really not THAT bad- it's quite useable in fact. Besides, most audiences aren't going to notice if your clean tones aren't 100% sparkly/bouncy. If you really hate it that much, talk to JerryP on the HC amp forum...He can mod the preamp to a lower gain level and make the clean channel sound very clean and full while still retaining all the gain you'll need on the lead channel. I'd also recommend getting the bias mod for this amp (Jerry can do this too)...It's supposed to get rid of that nasty cross-over distortion and give you a more smooth, dynamic sound. This amp can get kinda noisy at high volume levels (not so much with my EMG pups though *wink*), but I usually play at low volumes anyway, so it doesn't really matter...You don't need to crank the amp to get a good sound either; I have my post gain on 1 or 2 and it sounds just as brutal as ever. Just hit a few power chords and you'll know what this amp was meant to do...Great rhythem, great lead...Eddie Van Halen uses this thing, so what does that tell ya?! I picked this thing up for $550, so to pay an extra $60 for the bias mod and $100 for Jerry's mod is still not that bad at all. No amp is perfect, so I'm not going to give this a 10, but don't get me wrong...I love this amp!!!

These things are built like tanks...I got mine used and it still looks like it's in near-mint condition! Never had to deal with Peavey yet, but there are plenty of people around who know how to work with the 5150, so I wouldn't worry about it much anyway.

Dunno...Never had to deal with them, and I'd be surprised if I ever did have to.

All the features you need, none you don't...Great sound (especially for you metal-heads)...Versatile, reliable...What more could you really want. Go try one of these amps out and see what you think!

Two channels- a somewhat decent clean/rhythm channel(depending on what you dial in eq wise) believe it or not and an ultra saturated gain lead channel.
A footswitch and an fx loop which is useful for me. No reverb, no extra features which would make the PCB construction even more cluttered than it should be, hence increasing unreliability. I hate amps with on board effects because the on board effects usually are flawed but it could use some reverb..

I'm playing it with a Jackson Dinky Reverse (stock Duncan Designed pups which suck I'm going to replace them soon) and will be playing it soon with my Jackson King V when its fixed (as you see I appreciate the Jackson Company at least when they were still Jackson) stock pups as well (better than the Duncan designed Pups). I use the 5150 thru a 2x12 Carvin cab with V30 clones ( Next step is getting a 4x12). I have a Crybaby Wah, a Zoom Gfx 707 which is at my buddy's house and he may buy it and I have some other pedals I haven't used with it yet. Used my ART Sgx with a lot of other shit to trade up for the 5150 so I'm without an effects processor but I'm likely getting one tommorow. So far so good though, beautiful singing distortion, overdrive, almost a "tingly" sustain. If this is what most Swedish melodic Death metal and other awesome metal bands use, this is the shiznit. I play progressive/Death/Thrash/Technical/Power/black metal, blues, psychedlic, neo classical, punk, etc.. The clean sound is more usable than I thought though a little bland. I'm sure it can be used for clean parts, after all, what the hell did they do in the days of one channel amps? Turn the volume knob down! There is a variety of eq voicings and different setups you can use with the 5150, I haven't used even 10 percent of it yet. It kicks ass thus far though. It is a mighty amp of mighty amps. A bit more loose than Marshall (which I'm sure can be adjusted with better tubes and bias as I just got the amp recently and havent done this), but the gain is to kill for. It kills, it shakes the whole apartment if I have it on 2 or 3. This amp is very mid heavy, so it can cut thru a mix well. It is very bright but not in a bad way (not overly trebly). This is my first "Real" amp. I had shitty equipment for years before and finally I have the real deal. My last amp was a Peavey Butcher which was kind of like my "WEBLOS" (for those of you who don't know boy scout lingo its the step between cub and regular boy scouts) badge into real amps/tube amps. It didn't have enough features and was a little too raw for my kind of metal (I did like it don't get me wrong) so I traded it and a bunch of other shit for a 5150. I've only been playing tube amps since August 2003. I had solid state shit before, but now I have one of the best for this price at least. Would love a Soldano but this 5150 is so kick ass I don't need it at this time. WHen I get 3000 dollars to spare maybe I will. Would like some Mesa stuff as well.

And oh yes, the tingle. The "tingle" is how I'd describe the distortion/sustain on this amp. It doesn't pick at your ears it tingles them. And its a nice sound actually. The amp is a little noisy, but I found out I had a lot of shitty cheap cables and when I switched I had less problems. When I get new pups I'm going to get them properly grounded and I may buy a noise gate and do the Bias mod as well (as long as I can go back to the original). Eddie puts his name to some kick ass shit! Oh and also, it sounds great even at low volumes! Something that can't be said of many amps.
Mommy wow! I have a real amp now!

Peaveys are very reliable. At least for the price and in comparison to other amps at the price. Crates break down, Randalls post 80's do as well as Carvins and (newer) Marshalls. Any modern PCB amp is bound to have problems according to most of the amp snobs who are somewhat correct. This is luckily one of the companies that has the least problems these days as far as reliability. And its so ruggedly built that it should last a long time with little trouble.

I like how Peavey has made their company reps available to talk on internet message boards, etc. I have had a few correspondences with their techs, and they seem like they care about their customers. I don't agree with Hartley politically, but his customer support is great at least from my experience.

I've been playing about 15 years. I used to be a tone dimwit and didn't know that my amps and equipment caused a major hurdle in me musically progressing and with bands, etc. Thanks to many at Harmony Central and elsewhere, I've learned a lot about amps, guitars, and getting a good tone. I'm trying to form a band right now and this time people will be impressed with my tone because I have a kick ass amp, a 5150! This amp is a great deal and you can get kick ass pounding metal out of this amp very easily. Adjust it enough and you can get rock, blues, etc. Its more versatile than people give it credit for. The sustain and articulation are KILLER! But the best thing its built for is one thing- to enable you to MELT PEOPLE'S FACES!

The Head i own was made in 98. it is the signature model. 2 channels. not much to do really but all i play is metal so 2 channels is all i need.

Im playing an Ibanez Rg550 with an emg81 in the bridge and a 58 in the neck (yes a 58). It fits the tone i want perfectly (arch enemy, black dahlia murder, alifeoncelost, cannibal corpse, etc.). for me its been a very quite amp. i can get any distortion tone i pretty much want out of it such as an early 80s sound such as the scorpions (pre-5 bass-5 mid-4 treb-8 res-6 pres-8) or a really brutal tone(pre-8 bass-7 mid-3 treb-9 res-7 pres-9). the clean distorts at higher levels but i love the way it sounds if you flip the crunch it you can definatly get the brown sound. (also i have mesa tubes in place which boosts the sound A LOT)

this amp is very reliable. i do gig it without a back up and its never failed me.

nope

very great amp. does what you need it to do. i would definatly replace this is stolen

1996 model all tube ultra distortion head. 2 channels: Lead / Rythym shared 3 band EQ. 120 watts from 4 6L6 tubes. Switchable effects loop -- no reverb.

This was designed for Eddie's sound. A stock model has BRUTAL gain. As many reviewers have noted, this does not have a clean channel - that's why it's labeled Rhythm. This amp can get a workable clean sound; you have to change the factory tubes. Replace the middle preamp tube with a 12AT7 and you get much more useable headroom. You can actually crank the gain on the Lead channel and get some use out of it instead of mud. This also cleans up the Rhythm channel. The 12AT7 tames the head and makes it not just a "metal" head, though the sounds are still there just at a higher gain setting. Also it makes your guitar's volume control function for more than just an on/off switch.

I've had this amp for 6 years without any problem but power tube replacemnt. Use Ruby 6L6GC's and it just seems to add definition. Just changed out all preamp tubes to Electro Harmonix 12AX7's with the exception of the middle tube being replaced with an Electro Harmonix 12AT7. Never broken down.

Peavey has a good customer service department. I spoke with them inquiring about a new footswitch as well as suggestions on how to get a particular sound.

I've been playing for over 15 years and this was the first tube amp I'd bought. I have owned Fender's Marshalls and Boogies since, but I can't get rid of this head. It's the best thing Peavey has done for themselves. This head has taken some of the stigma away from their company making poor sounding amps. It's also user friendly. The power tubes do not have an adjustable bias (5150II's do) so just get a matched quartet of 6L6's and you are good to go! Get this head and CHANGE THE TUBES! Tube amps are like guitars -- they all need a little something extra. Pickups - strings - hardware can all make a guitar sound better. Higher quality tubes and speakers do the same for tube amps. I wish that ANY amplifier company could make a 30/40 watt version of this head using EL84's for such a good price.

you know the features

I've played through many 5150's. Some sound like cardboard, some sound o.k. and some sound huge. This particular head, from '92, is a real gem. I'm running NOS American 6l6 and NOS preamp tubes. I'm in a modern rock band, well it's like aperfect circle mixed with mighty van halen. The rhythm guitar player uses a rectifier, which compliments the 80's evh tone coming from my side of the stage. Bottom line, this amp rocks. I know this is beating a dead horse, but for the mony you pay, and the sound you get, can't beat it. I usually run a stereo set up with my old head dry and a newer 5150 wet. No clean. Just back the volume off on the guitar for cleaner sounds. I own a triple rec which is real heavy, but harder for me to get "balls" out of it. The 5150 exudes "balls."
My band just a couple weeks ago played with with a bunch of bands in Little Rock, AR, including Staind, and Trapt, yeah, yeah, but the point is they were all using boogie's and Diezel's and when we took to the stage, roadies, techs, other band members where turning their heads to see what was making all the good noise. Yep a cheap peavey. I'm telling you man, peavey 5150's can rock. Just work with them a little bit. Our band is called starkz.

built very well.

gene ford at peavey is a real cool cat. very helpful.

Really like it. Would also like to try Soldano.

The main reason I am writing this review is because people keep referring to the "clean" channel. There is no clean channel. You get two gain channels, rhythm and lead. Peavey?s Ultra Plus, which is now replaced by the XXX, had reverb and a totally clean channel, plus the rhythm and lead channels. That amp didn?t have as much gain, but some reviewers keep saying they never turn their gain past 4-6. So the Ultra Plus would be a better choice for them.

I play only noisy punk rock/hardcore. I've recorded with Mr. 5150 and I like recording with it better than playing live with it, mainly because it's hard to turn down the gain live so people can actually hear what you are playing when you're used to practicing with it that way. The "clean" (rhythm) channel is meant to be played with as much gain as the lead. The lead has more sustain and is better for muting, more of a low end sound but it helps solos come out a bit more too. The ?clean? channel with gain at 10 is probably the best sound I?ve heard come out of an amp. It is a sound no amp manufacturer seems to want to make, but a lot of players would like. Total broken glass trebly gain without a hint of metal, although it would be good for black metal. I would replace the power tubes right away but the pre amp can be left alone. PS Mesas sound great if you dont play anything but a muted E chord.

I've had mine into the shop a few times but it was just me spazzing over nothing. The effects loops doesnt work on mine, but I dont need it. Self biasing, so changing a tube is like changing a light bulb.

I've played for 14 years. I used to use one of those ampeg solid state 140 watt metal heads with reverb and chorus. Those things had a super brutal high end non metal distortion too. I wanted a 5150 but came back from the store with an Ultra Plus, because it was more versitile. I guess that was sort of like going to buy a Corvette and coming back with a minivan. The Ultra Plus broke, I bought the 5150, and I never got the Ultra Plus fixed.

120 watts. Clean, Crunch, and Lead channels. Footswitchable effects loop. Separate eq for each channel. You should know all this by now if your reading reviews on it.

I've been playing guitar for about 8 years now and this is the best amp I've owned so far. I'm not saying its the best amp in the world, I'm saying its the best amp I've personally tried and owned. I play all types of music but mostly blues and metal. I use a PRS CE22 Maple Top, LTD EC-1000, and Fender Deluxe Double Fat Strat. I went to a local music store to try out a Marshall JCM2000 and I was very dissapointed. The Marshall was too muddy and buzzy. But then I plugged in to a Peavey 5150II and it was exactly the sound I was looking for. This amp suits metal tones perfectly with badass sounding palmutes. It's allright for blues tones but its pretty obvious there are better sounding blues amps out there. I used to own a Crate BV120HB and I hated it so much. This amp kicks the BV's ass, but then again, what doesn't. This amp has plenty of gain, I usually keep the gain between 6 and 7. This amp sounded very good out of the box but it sounded even better when I put my GE-7 in the FX loop. I highly recommend getting a noise gate if you're going to get this amp since it tends to feedback at high gain settings. I noticed the feedback goes away if you have the guitar volume knob around 9 or 8.5. I would compare the sound of this amp to Hatebreed's tone. The clean channel is pretty good too. It's a little too bright for my taste but its not as bad as other people have said. I highly recommend this amp to anyone who plays metal. It has enough gain if to suit anyone's taste. I give this amp a nine because of the clean channel.

I've only owned it for about a month but it hasn't given me any trouble and I don't think it ever will.

Only owned for a month.

Price Paid: $950.00 Head and Bottom Cab

This is a 120 watt all tube guitar amplifier. 5 12ax7 preamp tubes, 4 6L6 power tubes. Two channels. Clean and dirty, both footswichable. The clean channel has a crunch switch which creates a second dirty channel. This is a nice feature which allows you to get a much larger variety of dirty sounds which is what this amplifier was designed to do. The clean channel also has a bright switch and it works well to add more sound variety. This amp was made fairly recently. It might be a year or so old. It is the signature model. It has a footswitchable effects loop which is very nice to have. It works well. Nice and quiet. No popping. I got both the head and bottom cab in mint condition. The amp has all of the features that I would ever need for my purposes. I play strictly 80's early 90's guitar based metal, Dokken, Van halen, Dio, Ratt etc.... and for that it is the perfect amp. For what it was designed to do I give it a 9.5 in the features department. In my opinion a 10 does not exist, but this is about as close as you will get. The amp has more than enough power. I plan on starting to gig again in the future, but for now i use it for home practicing.

OK, here we go. I have been playing guitar for 23 years and for 10 of those I was the head guitar tech at Ernie Ball Music Man guitars. I was one of the the techs there when Eddie was designing the EVH guitar and this amp was being designed. My equipment consists of an old (circa 1991) Music Man EVH guitar with a floyd rose trem, a small rack with a BBE 462 Sonic Maximizer, and an Alesis Midiverb III. Thats it. I learned a few things about tone while working at Music Man and the one thing I did to my guitar was raise the bridge pickup just a little. There is a sweet spot that you have to nail to get more output. Too close will kill your sustain, but just right is unbeleivable and it really makes a difference in your tone. Like I said this amp is perfect for over the top high gain 80's metal. It really isn't that noisy considering it's high gain structure. If you know how to control your guitar and set your tones you will be alright. Any amp with this much gain is going to have a little hiss. Solution: Get a hush unit if it bothers you that much. I have never had a problem with feedback at high volumes. I stand back and to the side of the amp and that cures that problem.
As for sounds that I can get with the amp, I can pretty much nail any Van Halen Tone ever made! It will do George Lynch/Dokken (think Back for the Attack)perfectly. Warren DiMartini, Nuno, you name it! It does the Van halen Fair Warning tone (his best!) to a tee and then some. I love gain, and this amp is sheer heaven. You don't need effects when you have this much gain to play with. I have owned or played through just about every kind of rock and roll amp that you can think of, Marshalls, Boogies, Soldano's, Bogners and many more and this amp just kills them all. More gain than all of them, and this is rock stock! No JJ tubes or bias mods. I have heard 5150's with the JJ tubes and mods and it just makes the amp even better. Unstoppable. I recommend that mod for these amps and will be doing it as soon as my tubes wear out.The price to performance ratio of this amp is unbeatable. Why pay $2000 dollars for a head when this sounds as good for $600.00. My hats off to peavey and Eddie, they nailed it. The "clean" channel is a dirty clean. With the crunch and bright switches off and plugged into the low gain input with your guitar volume about halfway it is passable but not a "true" clean sound. It was not designed to do that. This is strictly a distortion amp. Use a Roland JC-120 or Fender Twin for your clean amp. You want clean? Use a seperate amp. The distortion is the most brutal I have ever heard and you could never use it all(some of you could!). Endless sustain, and beautiful even ordered harmonics. String pinches just jump out at you with hardly any effort(Fair Warning tone again!). Staccato fast double picking is fat and articulate and has that wicked fat "pick click" sound. Legato hammering and pull offs are effortless. The resonance an presence controls really make the sound. You can dial in HUGE bottom end and then tighten it up with the presence control. Very tight and defined, no mud to speak of and if you add the sonic maximizer through the effects loop.... just be careful, you will not believe your ears. It's like adding a THIRD distortion channel to the amp! Fucking incredible!
Use the 5150 bottom cab with this amp if you want to get it's full potential. This is personal preference of course and you may prefer a Marshall with vintage 30's or some other configuraion, but that cab sounds GIGANTIC. Will not fart! And i have tried! They are a good match for each other. The amp definetly sounds a little different with another cab. Get a good cab if you can afford it.

Other than the normal tube wear I have not had a problem with the amp yet. It's built like a tank and looks like it too. I would and have used it without a backup. Keep it clean and baby it and I think it would probably last you your whole career. If i had not sold my original EVH head back in 1996 It would probably still be kicking.

I have called/ emailed Peavey on occasion about technical issues and they have gotten back to me in fairly reasonable time. Sometimes a little slow but not too bad.

Been playing for 23 years. I own no other amps or guitars other than what I have mentioned. Don't need them. I would buy another one right away if it were lost or stolen. Same model. Same bottom cab. The only thing I don't like about it......... is nothing! Love it. I chose this amp over all other for it's superior sound and price. You just cant beat it for the money. I'd still buy it at twice the price.

94 120watt 4 5881 and 5 12AX7 preamp tubes
non versatile, This is a Rock n Roll amp. If you want versatile you will need to ad a nice preamp and effects.
This amp has plenty of power for anyone who isnt playing in a stadium.

I play this head through the original 4.12 cab. It is what it is a tremendous high gain amp. It is not clean, but like I said if you want clean you need a clean preamp. Sounds?? Thick, Grind,Heavy,Low end, Massive, ..This is without any effects, It is extreme and by itself a excellent sound. Even better with a good preamp and effects. I cant compare the sound.. It sounds like a 5150 and that is good enough for me.

I would not gig this without a back up. It has never failed me. But I take good care of it.

None needed.

I own lots of guitars and gear and have been playing for 15 or more years. I wrote this to tell others my personal opinion of this amp is that it is simple and has no bells and whistles. It is not hard to get real good tone with this amp with just a guitar and cord. But add good effects and a good preamp and it shines even more. I would not change anything about this amp. I like its Simple yet Brutal approach. If you are a bed room rocker forget this head, It needs to be played loud to get good tube overdrive. And a Power Soak will let you get away with a little but hell man if you want a half stack for your bedroom rock on dude!! With the pregain on 7 and post gain on 6 this amp is loud enough to have you arrested if you have neighbors. The freaken low end will vibrate your skull and the grind will suck the air from the room .

Alright... This amp is a great fucking amp. No mater what mister heavy fucking metal guy from ENFORSAKEN says. It gets the job done and it sounds fucking awsome. You gotta problem with your shitty-ass speakers than get some new one... or just pull your head out of your ass. Annyway, that aside. The the Crunch sound on this amp is through the roof. The clean sound is OK (A/B it with something better). The only problem is the channels sharring EQ.

Awsome awsome crunch, you can get a great sound out of this amp if you know how to use it, again the clean channel isn't the best you are going to find but don't buy it for the clean, buy it for the ripping distortion.

Never had a problem. It's built like a tank. I could probebly fight off armies of Ninja if I needed to.

I have never dealt with Peavey. I imagine if they can make a product as dependable as this amp then they are probebly pretty good business people.

Awsome awsome awsome. Don't be fooled by people who don't know a tube from the bogger they just pulled out of their nose and are preparing to eat (putting your name in all capitol letters doesn't make you cool just in case anyone was wondering). Good rock and roll amp, get another amp to go with it for clean.

I have the block letter model head. It has two channels (rythym and lead) that share one eq, and this is my biggest complaint. The 5150 II has seperate eqs for each channel, but it's distortion doesn't have as much balls to it, and that's what you trade for being able to have a better clean tone. I wouldn't mind having another channel with a kind of in-between distortion, and I have considered using another anp with an A-B switch for clean, and using the Crunch button on the Rythym channel for this purpose. The rythym also has a bright channel, which I recommend you never turn off. It also has a footswitchable effects loop that I have never used yet, but I've considered using it for an eq to tweak my clean tone a bit. Each channel has a pre and post gain, and there are a general resonence and presence settings. With 120 of tube power it's definately loud enough the play anywhere you want. Another problem I find is that if I set the post-gain lower than 3.5, I just don't get the good crunch out of my tubes, so it's hard to play quitely and still get good tone, but this is almost a given.

I got a super good deal of $400 on it because the person on ebay spelled peavey "peavy". I felt kind of sorry for him, but oh well. I give it an 8 because of the single eq, mainly.

I use a Schecter Ultra (guilty-pleasure) with a Seymour Duncan JB59 and sometimes my other guitarists' ESP LTD Eclipse 300 with a EMG-81.


I use this amp in emo-core band. It's super versitlile, and I have a tone that's just between hard rock and metal that compliments the lead guitarist's Mesa/Boogie triple rec nicely. It doesn't sound the same as the Mesa/Boogie by any means, but the tube tone is great and stands up well against the Boogie especially for the price.

Playing around I've got some decent jazz/blues tones out of it, and I can get some brutal metal tones out of it as well. Though setting up the sounds you want is a very subtle art, and I'll give you a few tips.

First the distortion. On your lead channel set your pre-gain at least to 2 or 3 and not higher than 8. I know it has up to 10, but it just starts to sound bad with the pre-gain that high. Even the most brutal metal bands I have seen (Living Sacrafice is all I can think of off the top of my head) don't set the pre-gain higher than 8. Mine's set at 6.5 or so. Next, there's the eq. This is the most subtle art. Though it's hard to change it and dramatically change your tone, you don't want to set anything under 3 or over 8 (just like the pre-gain). Many metal-heads would think pre-gain 10, low 10, mids 1, high 10, but this frankly sounds awful, and I imagine that's the reason that some people have a hard time finding a brutal metal tone. I set mine at 7, 4.5 and 5, which is almost too midsy by itself, but it rather compliments the tone of the Mesa. Next, you need to set your resonence and presence. Once again, don't set them below 3 and above 8. This is where your tone is defined really. Mine's set at 7 and 5. It's subtle, and you're just going to have to play around alot with it to get what you want, but when you've found it, it's sweet.

Now, you can do the same for the clean channel, but then the distortion's not perfect. I just set it up for the distortion, and deal with the clean tone. It's by no means awful, but it's just not as warm as I'd like. I like to have my pre-gain at 5.75, and that's almost too harsh, but since most of my clean parts are single-note leads over picking parts or strumed parts, it works out for me (I just have to strum lightly on when it's called for). Pretty much to get any ammount of volume out of it, your going to want to leave it at at least 4. Like I said, leave the bright button in, unless you want to put in the crunch and make a really blusey distortion. This also brings up the possibility of using the crunch on this. With this in, it becomes basicly the lead channel, with a bit less pre-gain. I've gotten some really good rock tones that are harder to find on the lead channel using this. Like I said, I've thought about using it for that, and getting another amp for clean, so that I can get my clean perfect and be a bit more dynamic, with a more rock tone, then a brutal metal tone for harmonies and such.

When I got this amp in the mail, and pluged it it, it sounded okay, but there seemed to be something wrong. As it turned out, I had a couple of blown tubes, and when I replaced them, it was so much better. This thing is a tank though, and I don't think there's a need to put it in a case, like my other guitarists' Mesa. I might trust it to tour without a backup, but we have one just in case.

Never delt with them, but my amp-tech said if something went wrong, it would be really easy to repair (it turned out to be a couple of dead tubes).

Also, one of my friends got one of these at a pawn shop for $200, because it wouldn't turn on. All that was wrong with it was a shorted power cable, and they replaced that, and it worked good as new!

I've had this for about 6 months, and though I've only been playing guitar about 2 years, but all of that time I have been very serious, and I know I've spent more time and effort than some people who have been playing twice as long. Like I said, it's not a Mesa/Boogie, but it still holds it own, and in my band situation, it's great. If it was stolen, I might consider getting a 5150 II, mainly for the seperate eqs, but I definately wouldn't settle for anything less. If I was to get a Boogie, I wouldn't sell my 5150.

Early block letter EVH model. Bought used off e-Bay. I'm only giving a 9 because clean & overdrive share the same EQ controls, but who the hell buys a 5150 for the clean channel anyway. Never had a problem with the effects loop, and effects work great through it. I play anything from CCR to Slayer, and it does fine. For $500, how can anyone complain. Came with a footswitch to change between and channels and turn on/off the effects loop.

I play a Les Paul, Explorer, and Ibanez RG570 through it. With a little adjusting, you can get good sounds for all of them. This amp obviously prefers high gain chunky shit, but will work for alot more. If you want crushing distortion, this has it, and not that harsh, everyone plays a Mesa, mainstream distortion. I do use a Mesa 2x12 recto cab with it. That complements the 5150 very nice. The cab was worth the money. The 5150's distortion has alot more feel to it. In Flames & Soilwork uses these. Jerry Cantrell, Devin Townsend, even Nuge uses 5150's. It is a bit noisy at high volumes, but I've had no problems with feedback. From heavy chunk picking to speed picking, it does very well.

Thing it built like a friekin' bomb shelter. Has to weigh 50 lbs. Never had a problem with it.

Never dealt with them.

I've been playing for 8 years and I've found my amp of choice. I've tried alot of other stuff (Mesa, Marshall, Crate, Randall). This is, in my opinion, by far superior in sound quality for rock and metal. Mesa's are too expensive, to me Marshall's sound weak, Crate and Randall are weak solid state amps with no feel to them. If you want tubes, get this amp.

first off i play extreme music in a very popular death metal band...if that doesn't do it for ya, then stop reading right here. i'm in an extremely brutal death/grind band and i use this amp for practice at home/studio work, etc. this is my take on the amp, and if you don't agree with me, that's fine, i could give a fuck. i just hadda respond to this dude from enforsaken. number one- enforsaken is a super gay name. number two- the band sounds like shit anyhow, and must sound even worse now if you decided that newer randall shit sounds any good. man, you MUST have done something wrong...and since you sound so convinced it's the amp and not YOU...maybe you're just retarded and wouldn't know a good guitar sound if it bit you in the ass. if you're playing brutal shit, this amp can take your head off if you've got it set up right. you're prolly one of those homos that cuts all the mids and tunes down to Z 'cus it's BRRRROOOOOOTTTTTTAAAAAAAAAUUUUULAUALALLLL to not have any midrange in your sound. the guitar is a midrange instrument not a fucking sludge noise maker. it's people like you that give metal a bad name when you write that all your mistakes show up with this amp. what a surprise that you like mesa stuff! i imagine by mesa you mean the dual recto....and that thing is extremely overrated and muddy.... that new randall shit is gayer than gay. either you're a dumbfuck or your amp needs a retubing. didja try that, sport? if you hate it so much, why DIDNT you take it to an amp tech to have it looked over? don't just trash it because YOU couldn't get a good sound out of it. it's the player not the amp, pal. oh yeah, your little rant about how "sloppy playing really comes thru..." and "you'd hafta be a really good player to get anything out of this amp" gave me the needed comedy relief for today. hahahaha. what the fuck are you doing even PLAYING guitar, man? if you play like shit, you play like shit. hiding behind tons of gain and what not won't make you sound great. learn to play and you'd be surprised what this amp could do for you.

Mid 1990's. Peavey 5150 Signature amp head, not block EVH early model. All of the features that everyone else describes. 120 watts, very loud amp. Tube amp (oh goodie!) Borderline useless EQ. Have been using it for almost 4 years (4 wasted years!) Have used it live and for gigging. Used it for my metal band Enforsaken. Blah, blah, blah.

First of all, I play guitar in the metal band ENFORSAKEN. I used this amp to play extreme metal. Second of all, if you want to sound like Van Halen, go buy a vintage Marshall head. Use what he actually used on those classic late 70's and 80's recordings. This was a pathetic attempt to cash in on his name by Peavey. I'll bet Van Halen himself took the check to the bank, then sold all of the free ones he got from Peavey. Either that, or they're sitting in a storage locker somewhere in California collecting dust. That's where they belong. So anyways, this is my take on this amp. Clean channel sucks. I never used it. As for the distortion channel: This amp has been adopted by metal bands like Arch Enemy, In Flames, Dark Tranquillity, Carcass (rip) and hundreds more. BTW, these bands are moving on from the 5150 just like me. Half of them don't use it in the studio anymore. In the studio, you can make this thing sound fairly decent. But it will take some heavy eq'ing/processing for sure. The sound when you plug straight in is very brittle and crusty. When you're blasting this amp at a volume setting of 3 (any higher is pointless, it seems to almost max out at 5) the sound coming out of the speakers is atrocious. You have to be a very good player to make this thing sound acceptable in a live setting. It's very unforgiving. All fucked up notes and sloppy playing will come through on this amp. Some people swear by it, i used to, but there are simply better amps out there. It's a cheap amp. i used this in Enforsaken for 4 years. I wish i would have spent the extra few hundred on a mesa boogie. THERE ARE MUCH HEAVIER AND BETTER SOUNDING AMPS OUT THERE NOWADAYS. This amp was cool in 1993. This amp sucks in 2003. I have played this through a Marshall cab , Peavey 5150 4x12 cab and a Randall cab. To me, three shitty sounds. It's loud for band practice. That's a good thing. As for tone, It sucks by itself. I don't like hooking up all kinds of fucking pedals/processors when playing. You should just plug in and rock. So what if it's a tube amp? It still sounds like shit. I've tried every tube combination on earth on it. I've played everything from a Gibson Les Paul to an Ibanez Satriani model through it. I gave it a chance. I have heard worse. I am being hard on it here, but I can be since i've dealt with it forever. Fuck it. I sold it on ebay and bought a Randall 200 RHSC. You want to get a crushing fucking metal sound and not go broke? Go Randall. This Randall blow the 5150 out of the water. If you want a loud, inexpensive tube amp go for it. Add some effects pedals to help with the problems it has by itself. But to me, you can't "polish a turd." If you want something that sounds bad ass from the git go, get a Randall or Mesa Boogie. That is if you're into really heavy fucking metal.

One good thing, never had a problem with it. It is built well. Pre amp tube compartment is located in a shitty, difficult to access area of the amp, but no big deal really.

Never had to call Peavey. I'm not a retard either. I can read instructions manuals. I'm not one to call up some place and bitch and moan because i'm a fucking moron that doesn't know what kind of power amp tubes I should buy. If it had a problem, I'd call a local amp tech to fix it.

I've been playing 14 years. I know what sounds good and what sounds like shit at this point. If it was stolen before I sold it, i would be grateful. The thief could then start a shitty nu metal band with his piece of shit loser friends. By the time he plugged into it, I'd have already bought a amp that dosen't suck. I'd be fucking his girlfriend a week later as well. It would all work out. LOL!

I got this amp brand new from musician's superstore this past july. This amp is 120 watts, which is plenty. It doesn't have reverb, which for me isn't a problem, but for some it might be.

I'm using this amp with a esp eclipse with emg 81 pickups and also with a tele. I run this head through a VHT fat bottom cab with the p50 speakers. It has so much bottom end i nearly empty my bowels when i hit a palm muted open chord in drop c tuning. I play mainly metalcore stuff like Unearth and Darkest Hour, and this amp is exactly what I was looking for. The clean channel is rarely used by me, but when it is, i think it sounds just fine. You just have to eq it right, without too much trebel. But where this amp really shines, is in the distortion department. It's sooooooo heavy. If you play any kind of hardcore/metalcore/death metal, this is the amp to get. So heavy, and the distortion doesn't crap out with a lot of gain either. Just make sure you have a good cab to go with it, and not some little marshall with mini 12's or something.

This thing is a beast. So heavy, but it can take a beating. Mine has been dropped and has fallen off of my cab during shows due to myself or other bandmembers being knocked into it during a song. I don't use a backup rig, due in part to lack of funds and also in part that this thing is built to last.

haven't had to.

If this was stolen or lost i'd go get another one asap. It's just so good. It might not be everyone's cup of tea, but for my stlyle, it's perfect.

Made in : '96 - Signature Edition w/ slant cab.

Versatility - Not a lot of features on the head, but the effects loop makes up for a lot. I actually find it more versatile to find the effects I like and stick them in that, rather than having a Crate-style built-in Chorus that sucks.

I primarily use a Peavy Nitro Limited with this head, but occasionally conenect a cheap Strat knock-off. Very little noise, even with a Keeley Mod Boss MT-2 connected to it. Using it on the lead channel is another story though...

Clean channel sounds great...especially with flange or chorus. The most kick-ass part of this amp is the almost backwards-reverb bass attack that comes from nowhere when palm-muting. Tone kicks ass. Loud as hell, too.

Reliability is awesome. I've toured with this and taken it on several gigs over the years. Never had to replace anything on it. Tubes are 7 years old.

Built like a tank.

Dealt w/ Peavey through mail before, regarding replacement manuals for a few of their other products and received them free of charge later the same week.

$1200 for both the head and the cab...that was in '96. Been playing for 20 years, and have never regretter purchasing this amp.

Love - Tone, Power, Resonance

Hate - That it was made in Mississippi.

This one is a 2k3 model made in USA (that's what is written on the amp). it got 2 channels, firt channel with clean/crunch and a bright switch and second channel is a lead channel with the same eq as the rythm one (shared eq). resonance and presence knobs are really appreciated. this amp come with 5 preamp tubes (12ax7) and 4 power tubes (6l6) and an ohm switch allowing you to use 4, 8, or 16 ohm.
i'm rating it 8 because it has everything i need for what i do, but i wish it had a solo option like on the rectifiers.

i use a les paul custom loaded with emg's and a marshall 1960 cab, the amp works and sounds awesome really thick! the sound of this amp isnt very versatile, but i dont care, it gives me the tone i seek and the power i need, yes the clean isnt really polished, but for me it's all ok, and if one day i need a good clean i will buy a a/b switch and buy a roland.

now let's say that this amp isnt noisy, those brainless fruitcake who complain about the noisyness of this amp are somehow stupids. i play loud and "c tuned" hardcore riffs on the rythm channels with the pre-gain at 5 or 6 with this setting : bass 6, mids 4-5, high 5-6, and leads with the lead channel's pre-gain at 4 not more! and the amp produces serious chunck and warm and striking leads. all you have to do, or not to do is to set your amp correcly, the 5150 isnt a marhsall, you dont have to crank the gain all the way up to get descent sustain and harmonics, it's just a question of balance, most of the players nowaday play with way too much gain and their tone sucks and gets muddy and steril, you must produce the chunk with your approach, picking and a descent amp setting.plus, this amp isnt limited to metal, i love playing blues lick when i'm alone in the rehearsal studio, with a descent setting of the rythm channel you can get some warm and soulfull blues/rock tone.

the 5150 can be as burtal as you want, many people compare it to a dual rectifier, but i prefer the 5150 because everybody plays rectefier (i dont say they sound bad) and everybody sounds the same in the end and i like the "nasal" and "spongy" tone of the 5150. im thinking of changing the stock tubes and getting a bias mod, it will certainly sound a lot better again.


p.s: noise gates suck hard!

i always do gigs without a backup and it never let me down, the amp is bullet proof!

never really dealt with peavy, but i once sent an emial to 'em and they answered me in like 24 or 36 hours, for me it's good customer support, but i dont know much about peavey so a 8 i given.

to finish i love this amp, if it was stolen, i would beat the shit out of this stealer scum. for me theres no perfect amp but this amp do everything i need and then more, so i dig it a lot. before getting this amp i was looking for a XXX, a marshall dsl-100 but in the end, i choose the 5150 because the xxx doesnt really had that distinct tone and sounded somehow steril, and the dsl wasnt very bad, i loved it too, but i dont know, i've been hooked to the 5150, plus it looked way cooler!

ps: if you have any questions regarding the 5150 or other gears i listed in my review feel free to drop me a line.

If you play metal then this is definately the amp for you. It seems all the complaints about this head are from people trying to play different styles other than metal, "no reverb" is a common complaint, I hate reverb personally, so I'm glad it doesn't have it. Read reviews below for features. It's got all the features I need, really heavy, rich distortion that still remains clear for intricate guitar work. It's got enough power for me at 3.

I've been playing guitar for 8 years now. Right now I'm into really melodic, intricate metalcore. I've played a lot of amps out there and finally found the 5150, it sounded perfect for me, no pedals needed, and just massive overdrive. I got sick and tired of messing around with my amps and pedals trying to achieve that perfect tone, and really amazingly brutal distortion. I played a 5150 for the first time, and I was like finally, the amp that I've been looking for. I had it retubed with Svetlana 6L6GC power tubes, and Sovtek 12AX7 LPS preamp tubes. Wow was that an improvement, a lot more power and richness, not to mention more distortion. Then I had the amp biased properly, and realized what true perfection in amplifier tone could be. I'm telling you, GET NEW TUBES AND GET THE BIAS MOD!!!!! I can't stress how much this improved the overall sound of an already great amp. This amp is easily a 10 with new tubes and the mod, less without it, but since I got the mod I give it a 10.

Peavey builds very dependable stuff. This amp can take a beating, as a friend of mine showed me when he dropped it down a flight of stairs.If you have it serviced and biased properly like you should, and take decent care of it, there should be no reason this amp should break, and it won't. I've never had a problem or known anyone who has had a problem with theirs.

Peavey has a great website with lots of info including instruction manuals and very friendly customer service.

I've been playing everyday for 8 years now and have tried a lot of equipment through trial and error, being dissappointed with much of it. I currently own a Custom Shop Jackson Dinky, a USA Jackson Soloist, a USA Jackson Dinky, a USA Jackson DR2, A flamed koa Warmoth Dinky, and a Neal Moser Custom (you guessed it) Dinky. If you play metal and are looking for an amp, look no further. GET NEW TUBES AND THE FUCKING BIAS MOD!!!!!

The amp was made in 1998 I think, 120W 2 channels, clean (not too much) & dirrty, simply to use with not too much controls. The rest you know

I use with a Gibson Les Paul Gothic & a Gibson Explorer with original pick-ups. I think the amp was create for Hard Rock, but sounds well for Heavy Metal too (my genre). For me it's too much noisy in dist. channel even at 6-7 of gain, and too much high freq (in italian we say "zanzaroso"). The clean channel is crunch-oriented with high outout P.U., but I buied for the dist, the power point of the amp, if you play Death Metal, stop here, tons & tons of gain, but I'm searching a more "clear" distortion, like the "ENGL" amps.

I've played with it for 4 years and I ever had a problem, reharsal & live performance, only I've change the tube after 3 years (too much I know).

Nothing to say

I've been playing for over 10 years, only HEAVY METAL, this is the best amp I've ever play, for now. Now I trade it with a "ENGL FIREBALL". The 5150 is a great amp, but a want a more clear dist & 120w are too much, the final stage don't work too well.
See you soon my dear 5150

Older block letter head. Two channels yada yada. You know the features. I wish it had built in reverb for the clean channel but other than that I'm happy. I play hard rock covers and this is perfect for my tastes. I get alot of compliments on my tone.
This is a good amp with no mods. With JJ tubes and the bias mod this amp is stellar.

I play mostly with my PRS ce24 with the stock pickups. I play through a Genz Benz George Lynch signature cabinet (the best cab I've ever played through). My only effects are a crybaby, an Ibanez sc10 chorus and a DOD 585 performer analog delay pedal. Now in stock form this amp is a really good amp. The clean isn't good, but the distortion is what you buy this for anyway. But for $100 worth of JJ's tubes and a $75 bias trim pot mod, this amp is the SHIT. The clean improves alot (still no fender, but useable) and the distortion is awesome. Plugged into the normal gain input with the pre gain on five I get an cranked, hot rodded marshall ala Jake E. Lee or George Lynch with a added kick and crunch. Plugged into the high gain I can nail Zakk Wylde to older Metallica with shit loads of crunch and gain from hell. I get the cranked amp tone at any volume. I got the idea for the tubes and the mod from this forum, and beleive me it is well worth the little bit of money. And go to eutotubes.com for the JJ's tubes. Bob will take care of you. Not only did he get me a full set of tubes cheap, he e-mailed me the instructions for the bias mod for nothing. I live in Montana so finding someone who knows all the newer mods is tough.
The amp is a little noisy, but not enough to complain about.
Like someone else on this forum said, without the mod 7. But with the tubes and mod an easy 10

I have'nt had any problems yet. It is a Peavey so it has to be well built.

I needed a wiring schematic for my amp guy. I called Peavey's parts department and they were very helpful and sent me a schematic free of charge.

I've been playing for years. I've been searching for the perfect tone for me and I think I've found it. I play through a jcm2000 at my bass players house at practice twice a week and my 5150 kills it, and he even agrees. If it were lost or stolen I would replace it right away. I mean, tell me another amp you can be in for under $800 that sounds like this? You might find something alot more expensive that might have an advantage but who wants to spend $2500 for a guitar amp when you can have killer tone for $800? I can only give it a nine though because of no reverb. I don't like reverb on lead, but it can be nice on the clean channel.

1998 model, 120 watt grindin' tube amp. a monster

setup: Dean european custom Korina flying V with dimarzio Evolution in bridge pos, tuned down to C. Boss tu-2, BBE 862 in effects loop. Engl 240 watt 4x12 straight cabinet. I only use the lead channel, pregain is on 6
low on 7, mid full, no treble, postgain on 4, resonance on 2.5 and presence on 4. BBE: high and low both just past 12 o'clock.
To me, this is a brilliant deathmetal setup.

Blown one tube once, replaced them all, no problems since.

n/a

Also own a Ibanez RG 550 special edition, great guitar with low pro edge trem. and Emg 81 in bridge. but was too harsh for 5150 and the evolution has more low end anyway. Used it with marshall cabinet before, didn't like the sound, it didn't have the pressure of the engl, nor the looks. I had a sovtek mig 100 before the peavey.I also have a Hughes and Kettner attax 80 for home use.

120 watt head, 2 channels rhythm and lead, effects loop footswitchable as eq button, channel switchable as well, 5 preamp tubes, 4 poweramp tubes 6l6s. Shared Eq. This head has what it needs for the type of music it was designed for, so because of this i give it a sure solid 7. It can do light rock to full blown metal in the lead channel, the rythm channel is useable for cleans or a slight bluesy crunch to even a marshall crunch.

Ok, for starters; I am using a Jackson Ke3 straight into the head playing through a marshall 4x12 with g12-75 speakers. It sounds KILLER! This amp definately suits hard rock and metal styles perfectly, espcially the lead channel. I usually use the lead channel for both rythm crunch & leads. I run a boss ge7 in the loop and boost the level, that way i can use the eq footswitch on/off to change and boost my lead channel up to the desired volume boost to be heard in the mix for leads.

Time and time again i hear about how bad the rythm channel is for cleans and constantly about people bitching and moaning about the lack of good clean sounds in the rythm channel. Many people complain that the clean doesn't even have a somewhat good sound but i'd like to say to these people. . . "why the hell did you buy the 5150 for a clean channel that is amazing???? go buy a fender moron!"
Plain and simple, if you want GOOD a great balance of gain and tone possibilities then get this amp! If you prefer to play clean more than dirt or crunch then dont get it. I give this amp a 9 because it is amazingly similar in sound to boutique amps i've tried. including soldano and bogner.

Very reliable so far, no problems at all and it was bought used.

Been playing for 6 years, i also own a mesa rocket44 combo, the 5150 has a totally different distinct sound. It is a ballsy, modern hi gain sounding amp whereas the mesa is a punchy mid crunchy sound. Each i love to dear and because both are so different in sound i can appreciate one another when switching.

Had this since what, 96-97? Shit I can't remember. I got it running as I half-stack using the 5150 Slant cab. Versatile? Hell No

Here's the scoop. I dont know about you people, but the first time I plugged into the 5150, I was NOT impressed. This amp is loud, yes, but also VERY NOISY!!! You got humm, buzz, and ear-piercing feedback with the volume anywhere above 3!!! What guitar was I using back then you ask? A Peavey Wolfgang. So how is it that all the reviews were, and still are, wonderfull about the 5150, and yet I'm not crazy about it like everyone else? My style is VAN HALEN and RUSH. So, if anyone is a fan of anything "5150" it's me. This amp HATES effects. I've tried hundreds of set-ups with different effects, processors, stomp boxes, and whatever else I could afford. Now, don't get me wrong, I love LOUD, but you shouldn't have ear-piercing squeel feedback the second your hand stops strummin a chord!!! At one point, I had an Alesis compressor/limiter/noise gate one one side and a Boss noise supressor at the other!!! I've tried in vain to get anything close to a VH sound and failed. I swear the only thing that saved me from selling this amp is my band-mates telling me it sounds great and one effect which brought this thing magically back to life.....The BBE Sonic Maximizer. I slapped this in the loop, and FINALLY, I found a cleaned-up / tighter tone that kicks ass. Try a BBE on your 5150 and see what I mean.

Hell no I can't depend on it. This thing HATES effects and will give you the most obnoxious feedback problems ever. I've had the tubes replaced and a sound tech spend a whole day analyzing my 5150 to see if it had any electrical problems. Now as far as integrity, the amp is tough and in all the years I've played in the studio and live, it has never "broken down" It's alwyas been loud and consistant.

For all of you who have not needed Peavy support, trust me, you ain;t missing a thing. My band and I have a motto for Peavey. It goes like this, "Peavey...worlds best guitars, worlds worst customer service!" Oh, yeah, the WOLFGANG is by far the BEST guitar I have ever owned and played... but if you need support or update order info from Peavey for anything than you are up SHITS CREEK without a paddle, my friend. Forget it, you're better off dealing with a seller than contacting Peavey directly. I'm not about to list any problems, rather, I'll let the readers of this posting form their own opinions.

I've been playing guitar about 12 years now on and off. Past equip includes and Ibanez cheapy, Kramer cheapy, an ole Crate combo I wish I still had, a Digitech 2101, a 2101 Artist, a 2112, 6 or so Boss pedals, Line 6 POD, Line6 rack unit, and a Crate rackmount amp. Guitar -wise, I now play a Wolfgang and Kramer Stryker through a Line6 Flextone II half-stack(which gives me that "Poundcake" VH sound without all the feedback hoopla and refrigerator effect rack. Also, the Line6 gives me better clean-channel, a friendlier low-volume sound for thoses late night studio jam sessions, AND is recording friendly with balanced outputs as well. I sold every other damn thing after I bought the Line6 Flex head. I still have the 5150 stack, painted-up like the F.U.C.K. tour era Frankenstrat style, but if my 5150 was lost or stolen, I'd only be upset about the monetary loss. I probably wont sell it, since it does have VH sentimental value to me.
So to sum up, here's how I see it: good point, powerful rugged, one good sound using multi-point noise suppresion (sounds like a car feature) and BBE. Definatly BBE on EVERYTHING I USE. Bad points, feedback from hell, hates effects, non-gig freindly, heavey, good tone only present at balls-to-the-wall loud.
If anyone has a tip on how to get that "For Unlawful" sound from the 5150, let me know!!!

Mine is a early Model with EVH stamped on the front. 2 channels, resonance and presence control , etc. 5 12ax7 preamp and 4 6l6GC power tubes. This amp has plenty of power for any gig! It has what I have been looking for in an amp for years and years.I used to play Marshall JMP's, JCM 800's and JCM 900's and this amp blows them all away- NO stomp boxes needed!!! It sounds like a Rock/Metal amp should with a great lead channel that boosts you solos or whatever... right in you face, like they should.

A little noisy at higher levels, but a sound supressor will handle this situation with no problems. I play original Hard Rock/Metal/Alternative/Blues and it handles all of these styles with ease. The distortion is definately in your face brutal- sounds better than any Mesa Boogie that I have played through... cuz they seem to get muddy to me but that is my personal taste.
I have had a 5150 before with a Peavey 5150 cabinet and it sounded pretty good, but this time I found a 1970's Marshall cabinet and the celestions just sound better than the peavey, sorry!

No problems...

Never had to deal with them.

A great amp that has the sound that I have been looking for a long time. I have been playing for about 15 years and have played/owned the following;Marshall JMP,JCM 800, JCM 900, Carvin X100,Laney Pro Tube and the 5150 is the best bargain, has the best sound that I have ever heard.If it was stolen, I would find another one then next Day and hunt down whomever stole it.

Features were all stated, no much, but works good enough for me

I use two Schecters with duncan jb's it sounds amazing with distortion, its a little noisy, but you can hardly tell unless you listen for it. The clean is a little distorted, but i dont sue that as much. I play hard rock/indie rock and this sounds great for my type of music

Peaveys shti si built to last, i've smacked it on a good amout of walla when hauling to shows, and not once has a single tube broken

haven dealt with them

I've played alot fo amps (marshall jcm 800/900 mesa dual/triple rectifiers) and loved this much more then any of them, it doesnt have the best clean, i'm probably getting a roland ajzz chorus and switching between those two fro distortion and clean sounds. If it were stolen, all would suffer :) and then i'd buy a new one, or maybe a 5150 II if money allowed

Early 5150 head block evh letters, we all know the goodies 4 6L6 5 12ax7s ETC.this amp is on steroids,blows away any mesa ive ever played through, sounds alot different than any other 5150 and ive played hundreds of them.has too much power too much gain roll the pre gain back to 6 and rock. suits my style perfectly(progressive heavey)

I play a ibanez custom through a boss super chorus strait into the head, the head can be extra noisy if you dont know what you're doing. This amp is the most wicked sounding head i've ever heard, any sound i might need i can get.

I would use this amp any day without a backup(spare tubes ofcorse)never had any problems other than turning it down. Built like a tank

never dealt with peavey, i own 2 5150 cabs and never had any problems with anything peavey except junk casters.

I have played for 8 years and have covered alot of ground, i have gone through line6 boogie marshall all of them but this 5150 smokes em, If someone stole this head i would hunt them down smash their hands with a sledge and take back my baby, I dont know what is so special about this thing but i dont care it sounds awesome.

Simple and straight forward. Rhythm and Lead Channel, Rhythm an be switched between Clean and Crunch. It offers a switchable effect loop.

I have tried the 5150 with lots of different guitars all equipped with Hi Gain Pickups like EMG 81, Duncan Distortion, DiMarzio Mega Drive and it always pleased me with the best sound I have ever had with a head amp yet. I use standard tuning as well as drop tuning down to A. This amp needs no booster and it delivers a tight and brutal extreme sound. Much more focused than any rectifier I have tried.
It can deliver simple clean sounds, but that's not my kind of sound.
I play hardcore, thrash, punk, crossover (I like the sound of Pro Pain's Act of god). So the lead channel is the choice I use. I don't have to set the Gain higher than noon ever because then it gets muddy.
Be amazed: Even the Crunch Channel delivers a hardcore brtual sound that is way better than any Marshall.
This is by far the best amp I have ever had. And I had many: Kitty Hawk, Boogie Quad, Engl Pre, H&K Attax, Marshalls JCM 800 2 Ch. and more. I tried out Rectifiers, Engl Powerball, Peavey's Recto RipOff -not for me. Rectos have more bottom but at the expense of muddier sound. But don't get me wrong this amp is excellent for drop tuning and it's really really loud.
I use the 5150 with two Marshall 4x12 cabinets (I guess 100W Celestions). A lot better is another 2x12 cabinet I have. It has Celestion Sidewinder speakers (no longer available).
Downpoints of the amp is the heavy weight. It has lots of treble and presence reserve (don't have to turn it up) but it could have a little bit more attack bite (just like a JCM 800 with a Tube Screamer).
And most of all it's noisy possibly because of the high it delivers.
I don't care because the sound is so excellent.

I have had no problems and its build solid. Although the knobs can disappear.

As said I didn't have any problems.

I have it over a year now. And I would immediatly replace it if it was stolen. Possibly I would try out the Mk. II first.

Peavey 5150 120watt head (signature version, not sure what year). I bought it used off of ebay. Two channels, foot switchable, (4)6L6 power tubes, (5)12ax7 pre-amp tubes. Like everyone else, I wish it had seperate EQ for both channels, but I'll live. This amp has more than enough power for me, in fact I'm thinking about taking two of the power amp tubes out so that I can drive it a little harder and get a "cleaner" sound. Here is the question that I thinks is funny, "Is the amp versatile enough for you and the styles of music that you play?" Of course it isn't. No single amp does everything well. I bought this one because I wanted two channels and good distortion. I am a guitar player in a music conservatory so I play all different types of music including classical, jazz and hard rock. I would say that my main style is sort of like Alice in Chains, or Metallica or Evanescence with a little Dream Theater thrown in and before you ask, no I'm not as good as Petrucchi. My original material is hard rock with a heavy classical influence and at times a light jazz influence to it. For live stage work, this amp is works very well.

My three main guitars are a Gibson Les Paul, Explorer (this is the best guitar once you get use to the shape. Great sound, easy to play), and Hawk. I'm using Duncan Invader Pickups right now, but I think that's about to change. I like high powered pickups, but the Invader is a little too much for me. It is a great pickup for its intended target. I have the stock 498T in my Paul and I actually like it better, it is a bit warmer and not quite as powerful as the Invader. Now, Here are the reasons that I decided to write this review. (1) Some reviews will say something like, I like the distortion but I wish the amp had more definition. OK, this amp really needs its master volume on about 5 or 6 before it will show any signs of note definition in chords. By the way, all high gain tube amps need to be turned up this loud to sound "right". What I'm saying is don't play with your master(post gain) on three and expect this amp to sound good. It was never meant for this. I know that 5 or 6 is ear splittingly loud on this amp and all I can say is either buy ear plugs or turn your cab towards the wall or both. No volume=No definition. Also, I get better definition out of the high gain input than I do the normal one. I'm guessing this is because that input boosts the highs and that is what gives you definition. Most want to cut their highs as the amp gets louder and actually that contributes to the muddiness. The highs are what cut through. My preamp knob never gets above 5, so you can guess how much gain this thing has, tons of it, too much actually. There is no substitute for working with your amp. It will probably not sound like what you want it to sound like with every knob on 10. I can't stress this enough, WORK WITH YOUR AMP. It sounds simple but most don't do it, I'm not sure why. The clean channel? When you're using the high gain input this channel has more of a Marshall sounding clean, which means not clean. It is passible for stage work as long as clean isn't your main sound, at that volume, in that atmosphere no one will know the difference except probably you. If you play predominantly Jazz, or country; this amp is not for you. For studio clean, get something else like an AC30. Oh yes, and buy a noise gate. This thing has way too much hiss when you're not playing. I think a prior review also said that putting in new, high quality tubes would quiet this amp a bit. I haven't tried this.

I can't really say how reliable it is, because I've only owned it for a couple of weeks. It is a tube amp so don't gig without a backup and some spare parts.

I have had some contact with Peavey, both over the phone and at the NAMM show. They seem very helpful as long as Eddie Van Halen isn't around. He seems to demand a lot of their time, but this is just my opinion, not a fact. I must stress though that I have never sent anything back for repair, so from that aspect I wouldn't know how they are to deal with.

I didn't do any numerical ratings because I think that the text says everything that I wanted to say. I like this amp and for what I paid for it, I have nothing to complain about. I have seen some reviews that say this is as good as a Soldano or a Rivera. It simply is not in that amp class. I have played a Soldano SlO and played a Rivera Knucklehead Reverb extensively and this amp simply is not in the same class. Quite honestly the Knucklehead Reverb might be the best amp that I have ever played through. I also didn't pay $3000 for it, I paid $450 for it so I don't really expect it to be in that class. At stage volume you can't really tell the difference (it is simply too loud), but in the recording studio the Rivera or the Soldano would shine much brighter. They are much cleaner sounding amps. I also own a Marshall JCM-900 (highly underated amp) and even though they are both high gain, they are tonally completely different. I'm going to try to re-tube the Marshall with 6L6S and see how it sounds, or I might just sell the 900 and get something else later. I,m not really sure. I have been playing for about eleven years and I really like this amp. It seems to be the sound that I am looking for (I like the sound of 6L6 power tubes). Yeah I'd like to have the clarity of A Rivera Knucklehead, but I can't really afford it, so I'll just stay with my EVH amp. Of the amps in this price range; Peavey XXX and 5150, Marshall TSL, and Mesa Dual Rectifier I think the two Peaveys are the best bang for the buck. You can get a new one for probably $400-500 less than the other two and I personally like the sound of the two Peaveys just as much. All of the amps that I named are quality amps. You just have to decide which you can afford and which one you like the most. I read a lot reviews before puchasing the 5150 and I am grateful to all that have posted reviews before me; but, I also played through one before I bought this one and I made my own judgement, you should too. And when you finally get your amp, WORK WITH THE CONTROLS FOR A FEW WEEKS AND WORK WITH THEM WITH EVERY GUITAR THAT YOU OWN, YOU WILL BE MUCH HAPPIER WITH YOUR CHOICE.

I am not sure what year it was made got it used for $300.For my style music which is HARDCORE(not SYSTEM OF A STATIC KORN BISCUIT)it works great.Great distortion tone that is not played out too much.Wish it had more bottom end though.it has more than enough power for you standard venues.

I play straight up HARDCORE (Throwdown Madball Hatebreed) I use a custom made sg style neck trough designed guitar made by EXTREME CUSTOM DESIGN.The same people who make Shawn Martin from HATEBREED's guitar with an EMG 81 pickup and this thing fucking screams,it is really noisy but a boss NS-2 will fix that prefectly without lossing your tone.You can get wimpy clean as you can also get a great focused distortion,almost solid state sound but it still retains that tube tone and once again I like the distortion a lot and did i say it was loud. Even at higher volumes it retains its tightness.

I could depend on this amp no problem as I have used it at every show we play and we play a lot.

I e-mailed them a couple times and next day they responded. Amazing

I have been playing for about 15 years. And the setup I have right now blows everything away. If it were stole I would definately buy another one as it is is part of my sound.I use a mesa Tiple rectifier 2channel on one side and the 5150 on the other side for a stereo guitar sound with no effect pedals and I tell you I havent heard anything that sounds better than that.If you cant afford a Mesa or VHT or any of those other high end amps dont sweat it those amps are not any better really its just a diffrent kind of tone. For the money you cant beat it.Dont even waste your money on a Marshall cause your only paying for the name.

-Two channels, one set of e.q.'s
- All the ordinary stuff featured on a mid-level amp head plus a preamp out.
- Unbalanced outs
- No bias trim pot

-I play mostly Hard Rock from the late 70's and 80's rock. My main influences are Van Halen, Malmsteen, and E. Johnson.
-THIS Is a Hard Rock amp. No matter where you set the pre gain the overdrive on this amp is still set high. If your a S.R.V. fan this isn't the amp for you.
- This is a high gain tube amp, of course it's noisy So get yourself a good noise suppressor, Rocktron hush seems to be the preffered unit (use it if it has unbalnced ins/ outs).
-This amp is versitile as far as high gain amps are concerned. Basically, anything from Glam Rock to Death Metal.
-Just like everyone says... the clean channel sucks. But on the bright side you can add definition and tone to the clean channel with a bias mod, and warming up the tubes.

This is considered a "poor man's Soldano SLO-100". I agree, but with the right time and $$ you can make this amp sound like a true quality boutique amp with truely unique tone. What I did to my 5150 is have a bias trim pot installed, then I bought a matching set of preamp and poweramp JJ tubes for it. THen I set the tubes bias somewhere around 50mA. This warmed up the tone ALOT. THen I purchased a booster pedal (MXR micro pedal), and a good parametric eq to further shape the tone minus the noise (Raven Labs True Blue). I guarantee this amp can now compete with almost any boutique amp out there at a little under the cost of one. Only amps that have dramatically better tone are Bogner Ectasy and Blockhead Custom 50w.

* Before the additions and the mod: 7-8
*After the additions and the bias mod: 8-9

All the above plus price for making it sound awesome:
$560 for head
$351 for mod
$100 for full set of JJ tubes
$FREE MXR Micro Amp pedal
$260 for Raven Labs eq
$360 for 5150 cabinet

120 watts of pure balls. It's not versatile but who cares, it's straight balls.

I'm using a epiphone les paul w/ a seymore duncan performer humbucker in the neck, and an EMG-81 in the bridge. I play tuff guy hardcore (Until The End, Terror, Madball, Throwdown, etc...). I also play some metal (All Out War, Slayer, Unearth, etc...). If your music is hard, and you want some ballsy tone, this is your amp. It's loud as fuck too. It's really a one trick pony though.... a good ass trick. This is the amp you use to kill people, not serenade them.

Tank... that's all I have to say. It's heavey as balls, it can go through a lot... it's been tested, and stayed true.

never had to deal w/ them... so i'll give em a 10 anyway

I've been playin for about 3 years... i'm playin through a marshall 1960a right now. If it was stolen... i'd beat the fucker who did it... and buy another one... just because. This one is seriously a beast. My friend Josh highly recommends this amp too.. and he's a Tone-Whore.... If you play hard ass music and want to know a killer way to have your settings... gimme an email... peace

Eddie Van Amp circa 1996. Two channels, but only the lead is worth using. Gets one sound, and one sound only...better hope you like it. Sorely lacking reverb.

This is what companies like Line 6 are talking about when they refer to "one-trick pony" amps.

More or less the worst clean channel i've ever heard. Sounds like plugging straight into a power amp. Unusable for anything except dire emergencies.

But nobody buys this thing for clean sounds. This is the poor man's soldano, a bright but smooth high gain saturation. Like the biggest, loudest, hot-rodded marshall you've ever seen. It won't make you sound like eddie, and its not a dual rectifier, but it gets the job done. EQ voicings are a bit interesting...has a certain midrange you can't quite dial out. You'll either love it or hate it. Cuts through a bit more than most high-gain heads. Never gets muddy.

Lead channel will give you essentially one usable sound, that searing lead tone. Adjusting the gain can only make it sound thinner; don't expect any classic rock or vintage marshall tones out of this.

Noisiest amp I've ever played, at any volume. A Boss NS-2 into the front end takes care of it. Don't even think about using single-coils.

This amp hates modulation effects.

This has been used and abused...kicked and dropped, tossed down stairs, slammed by car doors, tortured by extremes in temperature and humidity, run at more than 120 VAC, run without a speaker load, etc. Caught on fire twice, and is rather beat cosmetically, but has never failed to function properly. First set of power tubes lasted an amazing 1000 hours. I'd trust it for regular use, although these things are cheap enough that you can probably afford a backup.

If it breaks, I'll fix it myself.

One sound, take it or leave it. I A/B the 5150 with a '65 twin reverb for cleans and anything short of brain-hemorrhaging, spleen-melting distortion.

Very affordable for what it is. I like the sound better than the high-gain mesas and the post-sl-x marshalls, although i'd be playing an SLO-100 if I could afford it.

made in late 90's
this amp gets the job done if tone is what you want
I wish it had some reverb. features i dont use? the clean channel. What clean channel? I use this amp in my home jammin with friends MORE than enough power, (5) 12ax7 (4)6L6

I use a warmoth strat, Jackson Rhodes, and a Kramer I made.
It suits the Rock style very well, Metal any type of distortion u wish. If you push it , it will push back and laugh at you!!
There is very little in the way of clean sounds, but the distortion is seriously insane! My friends Marshall is refined sounding like a elegant gray hound, This head is a pit bull.

The power tubes crapped out and I replaced em.. no problems since.

not dealt with em.

been playin 15 yrs. tons of gear and yes I would replace this head. I compared this head to a Marshall head and both sounded great, but like I said the 5150 was less refined and in your face.

Everybody knows the features by now, these amps are very popular..It has very good effects loop.I like the impedence switch.Very attractive box.

I Think Eddie Van Halen should get credit helping create the now modern guitar sound with the 5150, a sound that Mesa Boogie has now refined(we all know what that is).Mesa has a better quality than Peavey..But I believe Peavey did it first with the 5150.....
I`m using a Les Paul with a Rio Grande BBQ in the bridge at present, there is little need for my Fulldrive II or Barber Tone Pump to kick this monster up.It is a some what versitile amp, but mostly a vicious beast.I like what the amp DOES, not way it SOUNDS.But you can improve that..The biggest problem being, there is no way to Bias this sucker, meaning if you put some good power tubes in her, you don`t get the benefit..I have heard you can get a Bias kit for this amp, from I believe the fellow that makes JJ tubes, for about $70, it may be worth it.

Have not owned it long enough to comment, knowing Peavey however it will probably run quite a while with out problems.

Never talked to them at anytime.

I have owned Wizards, Hiwatts, Vintage Marshalls, Soldano`s, among others..the 5150 is a mass produced amp, materials are lower in quality than most the amps I`ve owned, but what they have used in materials does quite fine.It does and never will compare to a Wizard or early Hiwatt..However I would play 5150 at a gig or session, it is a very good bang for buck.

This is a 1998 model I think, 120watts all tube head blablabla...everyon know the following shit...5 12ax7's pre-amp tubes and 4 6l6's power-amps tubes. 3 band EQ and resonnance/presence shared with crunch and lead channel...Wish it had independant EQ and power amp setting for each channels, but that's why i'm going to get a 5150-II...

Well, this amp is not mine, but I rehearsed a lot with and gigged 4 times with so I know how it sounds. Fist of all the crunch channel is awesome, very overlooked, it shines at mid and "high" gain setting, I play old school hardcore in a band "ala" JUDGE, Carry On, Ten Yard Fight, In My eyes...(not to confuse with those stupid nu-metal faggets), with the crunch channel and it's not noisy at all, great channel!

The lead channels is were the big boys show their role, Fucken loud. I play hardcore such as Hatebreed,another victim,Path Of resistance...also in a band but this time, it's more loud and down tuned, I also play metal at down time such as in flames, metallica sabbath and this channel as way too much gain for anyone unless you're a "15 years old chopless shredder wanna-be learning to sweep pick always complaing on gain quality and playing cheap chainsaw sounding BOSS metalzone". The sound is a 5150 sound and won't drasticaly change even with good tweaking or tubes change but the tone is good. The mids are a lil nazal and the distorsion comes muddy when there's too much gain, but that's part of the game when using a high gain amp, but for money it's a great deal.

Then comes the clean tone, yes the clean tone sucks ass and sounds like a fart but I don't care at all cuz I only use clean tone when playing with a metronome and doing some chromatic, legato and scales running...so the clean is alright for what I need...

I run this amp with a Les Paul Custom Loaded with EMG 81-85, BOSS TU-2 and will be adding a BOSS NS-2(to use with the lead channel) and maybe a BBE 482 sonic maximiser (to add clarity and definition to my tone), I don't need effects, the only effect between my amp and my guitar is me.

If you want to hear this amp check out these bands: Hatebreed, A Death For Every Sin (Montreal's band), Throwdown...to name a few.

Built like a fucking tank! Ready to bomb all those motherfuckin' talibans

dunno yet..

Well, it's a great high gain amp for the price, you sure could get better with those boutique amps like VHT pitbull ultra lead ,Bogner Uberschall , Mesa triple recitifier or triaxis pre-amp running throught a simulclass 2:90 poweramp...but for the price it's a great deal,so if you're looking for a fucking loud amp with a "friendly price" look at a 5150.

P.S: By the way, I'm wondering if I can put some 6550's power amp tube in it without any modification...If you wanna help me on this duty, just e-mail me.

Has a good amount of features .. it has a shared EQ though so thats why I'm gonna give it a 7.

I dunno about you but back in the day when I had all my shity soild state crate amps with a distortion pedal and had every knob turn all the way up but still couldn't get enough gain.. Well well well..With this amp I set the gain at 6 and it still kicks my ass. The clean isn't all that good but shit I bought this amp for one thing only and what the amp is known for. I'm givin this a 10 cause it does what it is suppose to do and it does it so damn well.

its a tank..its heavey as all hell to

i dunno

OVER ALL IT GETS A 10 !!!! THIS AMP IS FOR SERIOUS METAL HEADS

This a very recent 5150. As for features, I gave it an 8. You can get what you need out of it but it does lack some vertility. One set of 3 band EQ can get you the sound you need, but either your clean or lead tone suffer depending on which channel you use the most. I really wish this ampp had an extra set of 3 band EQ controls, but hey thats what the 5150 II is for. The resonance is a nice feature. You can get a varity of tones with this control. The features I wish it had are separate 3 band eq for rhythm channel, a cabinet voiced line out (instead of just the pre amp), and reverb.

Now, my 5150 sounds different than a stock trim 5150. It has been setup by Eurotubes.com. They boost the per tube bias to bring out of crossover distortion which cleans and fattens up the rhythm channel and boosts the tone in the Lead channel. Its like the gain of a Soldano mixed with the punch and tone of a Marshall.
I mainly use my Gibson Les Paul Studio Gothic with Seymour Duncan JB and '59 pickups and my Gibson Les Paul Studio Lite with Seymour Duncan Distortion and '59 pickup through my 5150. With these I can go anywhere from jazz to rauntchy blues to classic rock and all the way up to metal. My setting is usually:

Input: Normal Gain
Rhythm Gain: 5
Bright: On
Crunch: Off
Lead Gain: 5
Bass: 6
Mid: 5
Treb: 8
Resonance: 5
Presence: 0-2

With the bias mod on my 5150, I can get the clean channel loud (around 7) with out it breaking up, as long as I am on my neck pickup. The amp is noisy, but it is not to the point where it is annoying.
On the Rhythm channel, I can get any where from a jazz sound to a slight breakup (a little less than Zeppelin) just by changing from my neck to bridge pickup. With the gain cranked with out the crunch mode, I can get an authentic AC/DC tones. With the crunch on, it can get some mutation of a JCM 800 sound.
On the Lead channel, I can get any where from the classic big Marshall tone (i.e. Rush, Black Crowes) to the great Soldano tone (i.e. Silverchair ('Freak Show' album), Alice in Chains) and all the way up to a heavly overdriven metal tone (i.e. Pantera, Anthrax).
With the bias mod, this a very versatile beast.
For speakers to run this through, I have found that Eminence V12's work the best with it. I have tried this amp trough every widely know speaker, and this was the best. It cleans up very well and it gets just the right amount of breakup when distortion is on.

I have had 2 of these and have never had any problems. I take very good care of my amps. I have looked this thing over, inside and out, and I can say that this amp is built very well. I would gig without a backup, but not with out a backup set of burned in tubes. I haven't gigged very much. But when I do, I will be sure to get a backup. I am only giving it a 9 because I have not had this one for very long.

I have never had to deal with Peavey, so I wouldn't know.

I have been playing for 3 years and have run through many amps (Crate, Carvin, Marshall, Peavey) and this has been best one yet. The only one that got as close as this one to the tone in my head is the Marshall JCM2000 TSL 60 and this 5150 blows it right out of the water. Marshall was never really my thing. I don't like sounding like every other rock guitarist out there, so I try to look for alternatives. This is a great amp as long as you know how to tweak amps. It is worth it to spend some time to see what a piece of gear can handle. If this thing were stolen, I would sit and cry and end up getting a p.o.s. amp because I couldn't affor to replace it.

read the others for features.

the switchable effects loop is nice.
just missing reverb!

good clean tones, great lead distortion tones. actually, if you use the normal gain input instead of the high gain input, the cleans are much more prestine but you lose some of the gain in lead mode which is where I chunk it out mostly.
even though it says Peavey on it, it's a great amp. I've sold my single rectifier because these amps are that good (and the latency/delay in the rectifiers channel switching makes it useless live)

no problems yet. time will tell

never tried PV support

been playing for ages, just about owned everything. these are very good amps for the money.

1992 model. Very versitile with the right tubes. 2 channels. has clean with bright switch, crunch and lead gain(my favorite!) It would be nice with some reverb built in but that is what the combo is for. Too much power if anything, 120 all tube watts.

This amp sounds so amazing with every guitar I have played through it, including single coil strats! Suprisingly it isnt very noisy for being high gain. The clean channel is very usuable dispite many reviews. Distortion is very tight, beats out mesa boogie, that is for sure.

built very strong. nothing can break this head.never broken down.. Serviced with new power tubes yearly. JJ's of course!

the guys on the peavey support forum are some of the nicest,intelligent people when it comes to amps.. They rock!

ive been playing 4 years, owned many amps and guitars. this amp, so far, is my favorite. Very versitile. Beats out many marshalls, fenders, and boogies.

This head is a 1998 model which I purchased new in '99. Features are well described in the previous 170-somthing reviews (is this thing popular or what??) so check them out if you don't know. At first glance, this appears to have been denied the attributes normally associated with current era amps, but really, it's wasn't. It is perfect as is...those people who pass by this amp because it's
"missing stuff" are unfortunate. They'll never enjoy the sonic bliss this 5150 box is capable of. This amp was designed to rock and, as such, all the features necessary for rocking are readily available (and then some) so this amp gets a 10.

I have been playing for nearly 12 years and, like most, have played everything from Fender Squire guitars and 15 watt solid state practice amps to pro gear including PRS custom 22's and Mesa Dual Rectifiers. I play all styles of music ranging from sixties surf to eighties glam rock and shred to modern hi-gain metal like Godsmack and Limp Bizkit. My favorite sound is an STP style gain with a bluesy edge. My band plays originals but also a number of covers including Stevie Ray, Ozzy, and all the new (or more recent anyway) bands like Blink, Lit, Weezer, Creed, Staind, the list goes on and on. This amp delightfully accepts all challenges.......and delivers each time.

The clean channel can be very deep and bluesy, it can be high and twangy, or it can be right in middle with the perfect blend of bass, mid, and treble. Add some pre-gain and lower the post and you have a great crunch sound (use a strat in the neck position for killer blues or a Les Paul on the neck p/u for sweet jazz). Using the crunch switch, you have everything from classic crunch to moderate distortion at your disposal. Unlike others, I find the 5150's clean channel to be very versatile and sweet sounding. But we all agree that the lead channel is what makes this amp. This channel takes you to a realm of distortion unmatched in the world of amplifiers (and yes, this world includes Mesas, Marshalls, Fenders, Soldanos, Bogners, Randalls, Crates, etc.). There are other amps that sound incredible (I love Marshalls and Dual Rectos) but few, if any, can even come close the beatiful tone and singing sustain that this amp can deliver. From low volumes to deafening levels this thing roars like nothing else. The distortion brewing in the depths of this head is simply awesome. Peavey and EVH worked some magic here, for sure. You want 80's? Ok. You want to drop your axe down to C or B and throw mega-mud super distortion at your audience? No problem. How about classic Brit gain? Why not? It's there; might as well use it, right? How about some shredding? Now your talking!! Hook some delay, reverb, and chorus into the effects loop and go f-ing nuts. You'll die exploring what this amp is capable of before this amp has even broken a sweat. This is no exageration. This head is really that good.

As for my personal gear, I play a 99 Gibson Les Paul, a 98 Fender Strat Plus Deluxe, a 2001 PRS Custom 22, and use an Ibanez RG 320 Custom w/ Seymour Duncans for the occasional shredfest. For live playing, I trust only Boss stomp boxes in the effects dept in which I use digital delay and reverb, super chorus, super shifter, phasers, flange, blues driver, and a TU-2 chromatic tuner. For recording have found that the boss pedals work well, but I mainly use product from Line 6, Digitech, Rocktron, and Carvin. The amps I put away in favor of this are a '99 Marshall JCM 900 w/EL34's which is my back-uo just in case and, oh yeah..... I sold the Boogie.

As I said before, I bought this amp 4 years ago and play daily, gig weekly, and have even accidentally left in on for a day or more at a time. The 5150 has not let me down even once. I did change the tubes to Sovteks which only made a great thing better. I do bring a back-up amp but that's just for good measure. I doubt I'll ever need it.

Being a 5150 fanatic, I have had several correspondences with Peavey techs and each time they have been helpful, responsive, and pleasant. I see no reason to rate them lower than a ten.

This amp is truly amazing and has obviously taken its place on the list of great amps. I find it to be number one, myself, but to each his own. I do realize that many pass by this one because it says Peavey on it in favor of one that has a Mesa Plaque or Marshall emblem. This amp is the best value on the market and I truly believe that it has a sound better than amps four times as much money. Is there something better? Probably..........but I haven't heard it yet.

I won't waste my/your time listing the features, you can go to the homepage or read one of 150 reviews below that give all the features. Bottom line, it's pretty straight forward, no crappy built in effects, just a tone engine with a good effects loop for any effects you do use. It's bloody loud, I am pushing a full marshall stack (1960 A/B) and if I go over 3 on the post gain (i.e. Volume) on the lead channel I have to stand in the next room.

I play Jackson Rhoads V's with EMG's, I have a few because they are all in different tunings. Needless to say, the guitars all sound more or less the same because the only difference from guitar to guitar is the guage of strings. I play metal and I like to shred, I'm not a meathead who just flails away 100 miles per hour on one string. This amp is made for the high gain crowd, it'll rip your head off if you aren't careful. I need an amp that oozes gain but maintains clarity for those nasty licks that tend to get smeared together with a lesser amp. I was thinking that I was going to have to get a boogie to do this, but the 5150 fits the bill at half the price. It took me a few days to get it all tweaked the way I wanted, but once I did I was a happy camper and my neighbors wanted me evicted!! If you are looking for a massive, end of the world metal sound, run this through a full stack with a BBE Sonic Maximizer through the loop and be careful where you spew your goo!!!! If you play metal and you can't get good tone out of this amp, there is something wrong with you or your guitar. My only complaint is that the amp is very noisy when you are not playing if you are on the lead channel with any kind of significant gain. I've seen other people complain about the clean channel, all I can say is that those people are either morons who don't know how to tweak, or there was something wrong with their amp (possibly the bias). It's no Fender, but the clean channel is a great start by itself and is very nice with effects through the loop. Keep in mind, with a shared EQ, you won't get both channels to sound the way you want, it's more of an either or. I use this for distortion and A/B to a GK Microlead for my clean sound. One point of interest for the 5150 is that if you plug into the high gain input, the gain is very fuzzy, which isn't what I was looking for. Once I plugged into the normal gain input, the gain tightened up and the clean channel sounded much better. If you are into the swarm of angry bees tone, use the high gain input. If you want a sound with nice definition between notes use the normal gain. In my opinion, there isn't any more gain with the high gain input, the gain is just fuzzier. Fuzzy tones are for people with bad chops. If you can play with any degree of skill, you will want to use the normal gain input. Whoever says this thing doesn't have enough gain is either smoking crack or doesn't know good tone. I play brutal metal (Sepultura, Slayer, Old Metallica, Pantera, etc) and I don't go past 5-6 on the gain knob, and this is through the normal gain input. Kids these days think that you just put the distortion on 10 to get a heavy sound, brainless punks.

I have not had a single problem with it, and I play almost every day and plenty loud. I would never gig with a tube driven amp without a backup because I'm one to plan for worst case, but you could realistically gig without a backup because the amp is solid as a rock.

Haven't had to deal with them, but I've heard good things about Peavey's customer support.

After years of using solid state amps I got into tube amps a few years ago. In that time, I have owned a Mesa (not a rec), Fenders, Marshalls, Line 6, etc, so while I am not a tube amp guru I know my way around a good amp. I got a deal on this amp because it had been sitting in the store for a few years, but I couldn't be happier with the amp. It might not be the most versatile amp, but if you are looking for a good high gain amp that smacks you in the face/chest, this is the best buy for your $$$$. The amp is made to deliver pure tone, so you won't need many add ons unless you are an effect addict who needs to have 20 pieces of gear in their chain. I run a Hughes and Kettner Tube Factor on the front end (allows greater flexibility and dynamics) and a BBE 411 through the loop. I am looking for a good noise gate to shut it up when I am not playing, but beyond that I am in high gain heaven.