Peavey 6505 Plus Head

120 watts, i'd say 3 channels but really only two. Bought mine in late 2006. Has just about everything an amp head should have. No reverb but that doesn't bother me at all.

I play mostly heavier type stuff. I tried several amps before i bought this one(Cavin legacy,Mesa Dual rec, Marshall Tsl, Dsl, and a few others) This is a really great sounding amp with it's own sound. I know I love the Marshall sound. I had owned a Jcm 900 in the past and Love the jcm 2000 dsl 50. However i wanted something different. I was dissappointed until i heard the 6505. The cabinet has a lot to do with the sound. I didn't really like the 6505 cabs. At the time I owned two older peavey cabs with sheffield speakers, a marshall 1960A cab and two mesa rectifier cabs with V30's. The marshall cabs sounds really nice. A bit piercing though. The Peavey cabs sounded even better. More bottom end. Pretty close to the Mesa cabs without as much speaker breakup. I decided the Mesa cabs sounded best. With two of them hooked up......WoW! Another Great sound is with one peavey cab and one mashall cab running together. I'd say that might have been the best. But since most of the time i plan on running through one cab, the Mesa was best for me. I get a nice tight bottom end, some mids and smooth highs. If i want really bright highs i can turn up the presence past 7. Typically I run the settings as follows....
Pre. 3.5 - 4 (Jackson picup with smooth cover removed is hotter than the emg 81)
bass. 7
mid. 2.5
high 7.5
Post. with band 3-4
resonance 7
Presence 7
Running the pre at 3.5 to 4 is damn heavy. I don't ever see a need to increase this. At rehearshal levels if i let go of the strings there is an awful moan type feed back. A noise suppresser should handle that.

no problems yet

not had to deal with them yet

I have been playing for over 20 years. I really like the tone of this amp. Maybe different tubes might make it sound better maybe not. I satisfied with the sound for now. Well, except for that noise. I run a Charvel model 88 most of the time. I removed the smooth jackson cover on the pick up and it really came alive. About the best picup i've heard. I use a Jackson dinky with emg 81 for back up. I have to turn the pre up from 3.5 to 4 with this guitar. Sometimes i run into a wah,flanger and delay(in that order) then into the amp.

Very simple front pannel, the standby confused the hell out of me because i thought when the standby light was on that the amp was on standby! Apart from me being a dumbass this is amp is a very simple easy amp to configure and use efficiently. I don't like amps with big flashy bits and complicated front panels.
Don't be fooled by the simplicity of the amp this thing absolutely slays!!!!!

Sound quality was simply amazing, both the lead and the crunch sound is incredible (Especially the lead sound.....it simply is so brutal but still retains clarity and a sustain which is more you can state about most of the other amplifiers on the market!) as other people have stated however the clean does sound pretty bland, adding chorus to it and delay does make it sound better but remember who actually does buy this amp for its clean sound?!
Back onto the distortion:
Crunch sounds very nice indeed, think of a sort of old school metal with more balls to it, how ever the crunch sounds brilliant with the gain turned down to play blues and old rock music like ac dc and sabbath.
Lead channle is probably one of the best distortion sounds that I have EVER heard before. It is absolutley brutal!!!! I have only recieved this amp about 2 weeks ago but believe me I have put it through its paces already, when cranked up the distortion still is as searing and remains clear as ever. Perfect for death metal/thrash metal which is what I love to play (think through the eyes of the dead/carcass stuff!)
I'll definiatly give this amp a 10 because despite the clean channel being bland it deserves a ten for the distortion tones that it can pump out!!!

Heres the thing I got this amp out of the box and it was brand new, plugged it into my 4x12 marshall cab and proceeded to dick around with all of the channels to see what sound I got get from this amp then all of a sudden whilst I was blissfully shredding away on the lead channel it decided to basically screw up and remove all of the gain away from the channel while i was still playing through it.
I was not amused after 10 minutes of adctually playing it so i phoned up the shop and gave them quite alot of grief down the phone.
Mustve just been some dick on the depo who threw it in the back of the van or something.

They came the next day with a brand new one to my house and removed the old one free of charge so I was happy again.
Also gave me three years of warrenty with it so I was even more happy.

The first one broke which sucked but the look on my friends face when I blew his mesa of the stage with this beast was priceless. Buy this amp and you will not be dissapointed (unless it breaks on you like it did for me!)

3 channels, lots of basic EQ versatility, and one input. it has a pre amp out, so you can run it into either a mixer, or another clean power amp. FANTASTIC. one head should do it all.

BUT!

this is NOT a JSX, TSL, or FENDER!!!!!

noone buys this amp for multi channel versatility.

THIS IS A DISTORTION AMPLIFIER!!!!!!!!

holy lord...ive been wanting one of these for 6 years...well, a 5150.

i got a JSX, carvin V3, and have had a voodoo modded JCM800 2204, and a stock 2205.

why have i been neglecting myself from this amp!?

IT IS AMAZING!!!

i play metal. megadeth metal. iron maiden metal.

NOT hardcore, emo, or any of that other stupid shit people play this with.

REAL METAL!

this is definitely the ONE to own. maybe not the last one, but definitely the ONE. super distinct sound, and WONDERFUL chord clarity, and sustain.

i have to say...this will end my search for years to come. this is THE amp. i have the gain on the lead channel set around 6, and use a tube screamer for a bit of low cut. i dont like AMP lows...too flabby, most often. the lows are around 3, mids around 2, and highs around 3. sounds like it would be dull, but it PENETRATES the weak, and DESTROYS the speakers with power and beauty.

i just got it today. my JSX haS HAD one PROBLEM SO FAR, and that is that the first power tube section has gone out, and so it needs to be repaired. but after playing EVERY day for a year, at volumes of 5 and above, isnt it EXPECTED?

i havent contacted them yet, and dont really plan to.

i have urged my rhythm guitarist to buy one. its just fantastic. i have been playing for 10 years, and if it were lost or stolen...well...who cares?!

i love everything about this amp. WISH IT HAD A LEAD BOOST!

but i solved that by putting a ZVEX SHO in the loop, and boost it with that.

i cannot believe the sheer power of this amp. its nearly rediculous.

i suggest ANY metal head to try it out, before you even THINK about a mesa.

In stock form, everyone knows the specs to this beast by now.

After the deluxe mod and Ruby matched power tubes and preamps($810.00), a MAJOR loss in gain and crunch in the lead channel. I do not care for Ruby tubes at all. Before the mod, I usually would have the pre-amp gain around 6 and half and Master 3 when playing with my band. Plenty of distortion there. Now after the mods with the preamp gain on 10 and Master volume on 3, it sounds like the preamp distortion is set to 5-6. Big change of the worst kind for me. Changed to Matched power and high gain preamp JJ's from Eurotubes and sounded way better. Some crunch started coming back. Actually, every tube I have tried in this amp sounds better than Ruby tubes. This is the best rock sound I have ever heard.Does not feedback anymore when turned up loud. I do not reccomend Voodoo Amps for metal players though. Not enough gain and the crunch is definetly softenend. The clean channel and rythym cahnnel sound way better though. Before the mod, I would give the stock amp a respectable 7. After the mod, I would have to say I would give it a 6. It does not do what I want it to do. I play major metal and this amp does not cut it. I use ESP Deluxes with JB's and some with EMG81's. Not enough gain anymore. The clarity is greatly improved with the mod and has a great rock sound. Not for the highest gain metal players though. I reccomend talking to Jerry at fjamods.com if you love the 5150 series and want high gain metal guitar modification options. He is the man. I can get that classic Maiden and Priest souped up Marshall tone with ease, but that is about as high as the distortion will get. AC/DC songs sound amazing also.

Seems to work perfect after about a month of having it modded. I purchsed it new in January, and is built very well from Peavey. I haven't had it long enough to give an honest evaluation of reliability. It is up for sale if anyone wants to make offers. E-mail me at mixmastermark_2001@hotmail.com. I can provide any documentation and pictures you need. I would like to put the money from this amp toward another amp asap since I am going into the studio soon to record with my metal band.

Trace and the guys at Voodoo Amps are super nice. The Voodoo Amp mods just did not turn out the way I wanted. This is a rock amp, not a metal one now. 48 hrs try-out return policy is kind of ridiculous considering Musicians Friend gives you a month.

I have been playing for 14 years and play a little of everything. The amp sounds really good don't get me wrong, it just is not for metal(Unless it is very early Marshall Amp 80's metal). Metal is my favorite, and when I talked to Voodoo Amps about modification, this was definetly made known. I play Pantera, Fear Factory, And Justice For All and Puppets Metallica, Nile, etc. etc. I would not go to Voodoo Amps for modification again. It is not for me. I HIGHLY reccomend talking to Jerry at fjamods.com if you want a high gain amp modded for metal. He will charge you a more reasonable price and not so much a loss in gain in the lead channel. I feel I wasted my money for these mods, considering it can't do what I want it to do. Great rock sound, sounds more like a Marshall now than a Peavey 6505+, which I do not like.

This features rating is for the production model before the modification. I play metal and rock mostly and this amp is known for insane gain. It is not vey articulate and is very noisy and fizzy sounding. The clean channel is pretty lame, but I use the rythym channel with low gain as a clean channel which works pretty good. The lead channel is pretty sweet though and can get insanely loud. The effects loop is pretty noisy and I try not to use it if all possible. Overall for a production all tube amp costing around $950.00 it is a pretty good deal.

After the mod, my amp really came alive. Lead work really shines now and is incredibly articulate and cuts like a knife. Mids dial in nicely now and it crunches like crazy. It is very tight in the bass department and does not feed back like crazy when it is turned up loud with lots of gain. I had the deluxe mod(New Mercury Magnetics Output Transformer, Standard Mod, and completely retubed). It sounds incredible now and I love it.

So far so good.

Trace knows what he is doing and is super nice. Best money I have ever spent on music gear.

I have been playing for 13 years and love it. I play and sing in a 2 piece insanity metal band where I need lots of volume and headroom to keep with my drummer. He has the same set as Ray from Fear Factory and is tight on the double bass. I play an ESP H-1000 Deluxe with a Seymour Duncan JB and a 59'. I also have a ESP EC- 1000 Deluxe with dual EMG-81 humbuckers. My baritone is a Schecter Scorpion with Dimarzio Super Distortion Humbuckers. I use Mogami gold cabling along with Monster studio Pro cabling for hooking up the cabinet to the head and instruments to the amp. I use a Furman Power Pro for plugging in my amp which makes a huge difference in the sound. I have a Genz-Benz cabinet which I am changing the stock speakers to Celestion. Get the mod if you love the Peavey 6505 or 5150 but want it tosound the best it can.

This amps is pretty vertatile.It as three channels only the lead and clean i use.

Sounds amazing you just have to dick around with it like anything.The sound stright is desent but i went and bought a ts9 and stuck it infront of the head.Thats when it went from night to day. very heavy think killswitch clean tight heavy metal sound.The clean channel is very butter with the extra tube.better then the reg 6505.

no probelms yet

deff get if you want to save money while obtaining a great rock/metal amp.

This is a amp right up next to marshall bogners and mesas.I was able to actully get a better sound quicker then any amp i've tryed.I think the olly amps out there better are engl,framus,or bogners.but then again you'll pay about $1000 more then this thing.

2 channels 6 preamp tubes, 4 power tubes.
I think the amp is very versatile. Tweak the gain, Res, Pres, and mids to get differnt tones.

Footswitch is cool. Effects loop. I use the amp at home through a VHT fatbottom 2x12.

Sounds Great! I am using Ibanez Prestige customs with Dimarzio Air Nortons and Steve's Specials. Suits my style very well....I like a Savatage type tone and this suits my style a bit more than the regular 5150, which is darker and sounds awesome for death metal. The big factor in sound is the speakers/cab. Many overlook this, but it is huge!!

so far so good

I had a 5150 for about 3 years and decided to get it modded from voodoo amps. Had that for about 2 years. Just wasn't happy with it. Sold that amp and bought the new 6505+ and it has been awesome! I have been playing for 18 years and I have been diggin peavey cuz the bang to buck ratio. I could pop out big money for Splawn, Engl, Framus, but why? I don't play out much and I am more than happy with my tone. Make sure whenever you get a new amp to try it on different cabs. Speakers make a big difference! For what I spent, it can't be beat!

The rythym channel seems like a total waste, exspecialy considering it has a whole power tube dedicated too it, one that on the 6505 (non plus) was on the lead channel, so basicaly they sacrificed some gain to add the rythym channel, and its decent, but most everything i've read here on it already is pretty accurate. I get alot of great metal sounds out of it and I don't use a pedal, my fav setting atm is pre-8, low-7, mid-1, high-2, resonance-7, presence-10 and it basicaly has a warm but not at all muddy distortion sound, if i turn the post past 3, i drown the other guitarist out, he plays on a crate bvh120. I get cleaner (distortion) chuck schuldiner sounds, I get sharper killswitch engage sounds, I get good ted nugent rock sounds, and they all sound GREAT!

I just got this amp today. Perfect timeing actually because we had rehearsal today. Anyway, I am amazed at this amp. Saturday I went and tested it out and was sucked in from the start. I love everything about it. For me personally, this amp is a very versatile amp. I am currently involved with alot of different projects, and it is going to be a very wonderful asset to me. I know everything is reletive, but I am very happy to own this amp. It is a two channel amp; rythmn and lead, with a crunch on the clean channel. There is an effects loop, that I am currently not using. I will be using this amp for live and studio applications. I am just amazed at this product.

Tone, almost too personal to even give an opinion, so I will speak only from my perception. I have been playing guitar for fifteen years now, and only in the last five years have I learned about the wonderful world of tubes. Unbelievable huh! I honestly don't know how that happened, but I am in love with the electric guitar. When I got my first real tube amp, it was like stepping into another world. Thus my tone search began. All I can say, with complete humility, is this is the tone I was looking for. I am a music lover, and so I play alot of different styles; Blues, rock, jam band, country, and anything else I can feel. I play through a G&L Legacy with twinblades, my effects include a MXR Dyna comp, Boss DD-6 Digital Delay, Electro Harmonix Small Clone, and a Crybaby. For me, this a perfect amp. I personally love the clean channel and the lead channel. I am just impressed with the amp all around.

Looks very dependable

Overall, I love this amp. All I can say is, go to a local dealer, and see if this amp is for you.

This is a Peavey 6505+ made in 2005. I bought this amp off of Music123.com in B quality ( used ). Funny thing about it, someone must have returned it with mesa 6L6 power tubes. So keep in mind, this review is on a killer amp, made even better by tubes from Mesa. This has all the features anyone needs. Clean,Crunch and Lead. The previous review is dead on about the clean channel not being loud enough because you have to turn the gain down to get a decent clean, then when you switch on the crunch, its super loud cause you have the pre on 7. But who buys this amp for the crunch, the lead is sick and all I use. This amp turned on 2 1/2 is loud enough for practices and gigs. This amp gets an 8 only because I wish the clean was more smooth and buttery

My set-up is this: Esp Eclipse EC-1000 into the 6505+ with a Kerry king Eq in the effects loop through a crate 4x12 loaded with vintage 30's. Anyone not familiar with the kerry king EQ, should def. try it out. An Eq in general whether its before or after the amp is an awesome and useful tool. My band plays As I lay Dying, Killswitch Engage, Thrice type style of music. Without the Eq the amp is brutal on its on, the eq just soups up the gain and depending on where the sliders are you can adjust the bottom, midrange and high frequencies. These 5150's/6505's amps have been known to be very noisy due to the high gain, but Mine is not that noisey, the only thing noisy are my emg pickups ( hence the noise gate thats on my x-mas list ) Now onto the clean, for some reason my clean is very bright and glassy, Im guessing that is the mesa tubes working its mojo? I wish it was a litte warmer like a marshall. Im still trying to master my eq amp settings and eq pedal, I know nothing about settings. I know I love the scooped mids sound, but in a two guitar band, you might as well just stop playing. Boosting the mids seem to work on being heard, but its not balls to the wall. I have only played a couple handful of amps in my day from marshalls avt's, jcm 800, crate blue voodoo, peavey triple xxx, peavey supreme, this one has the best distorion for the money. I would give it a 10, but I know there are better amps out there, maybe with equal distortion but better clean or vice versa.

I have played about 10 shows and put about 200 hours at practice on it, so far it hasnt failed me. I dont have a back up, Im always nervous every show, cause I bought it used and I dont have a case for it, and how sensitive tube amps are. But this thing is a beast, so Im sure it will last me awhile. But invest in a road case!

Well this isnt a plug whatsoever, but I buy most of my gear from music123.com except my guitars. and they have a killer return policy, so I dont need peavey customer support. For any musician looking for great deals on used stuff I would check out thier outlet section.

I have been playing for 10 years and I have owned a few peavey heads and a crate blue voodoo, so far this head takes them all. If this head were stolen I would def. get another one. If you play metal, hardcore, or any other harder type rock, this head is for you. Save your money and buy a decent cabinet with celestions. The new crate voodoo cabinet was the best cabinet for the money, heavey as hell though. Same speakers as the ones in the mesa oversized cabs.
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