Voodoo Amps Peavey 5150 II Head Mod

Same as the 5150 II has always been, but now with a lot more EQ movement available. A bad feature is the random blowing of the stand-by fuse due to Voodoo not correctly replacing the powertubes' screen grid resistors. Other than that, its been great.

The clean channel is useable but not great. Way better than before, though(It is ridiculousy clean. I hate to say it, but its "Spanky clean"!) Once you've moved to the crunch channel, you're starting to get into what this mod does best. POUND!!! It can really give an -umph- to your guitar. The low end is tight while the gain is still a little dirty. Now, to the mods bread and butter. This is the lead channel Alex VanHalen probably dreamed about, but Peavey could'nt deliver so he just settled because the money was right. This channel is outright brutal in everyway possible. Depending on your pick-ups this guitar can be sweet, sour, and/or all of the above. If you want black metal- It's got it! If you want intricate riffage- It's got it! If you want Nue Metal- go f**k yourself! ;P (Although you guys would probably love it!"

Read the features section. Bad resistors and alot of blown fuses. I suggest getting a Radioshack credit card.

I called up Voodoo and it sounded like I was the first to have this problem with the fuses. If so, Then f**k peavey for selling me an inadequate amp. "I need a real amp to keep me warm at night!"

Ive been playing for 13 yrs and I am probably the greatest thing to ever happen to metal music. haha:P But seriously. The sound of this amp is really good with the right tubes. Do yourself a favor and buy from Eurotubes.com. The JJ tubes have an EQ range that just seems to fit perfect with this mod. Just let them know that you have a 5150II with the voodoo mod.

I paid $650 for a used 5150II. I paid $450 for the modification and all new tubes.

The clean channel is now usable. The crunch channel has now a great rock sound. The lead channel no longer has a upper mid range buzz and sounds exceptionally better when playing rythm or lead. The Low end of all three channels has tightened up a considerable amount, getting rid of that annoying/sagging woof when palm muting. The amp has lost some gain(where I normally played at gain setting 6, I now play at 6 1/2 - 7( note that I use a yamaha AES620 which Seymour Duncan JB pickups. Ihave heard this amp through a EMG H-4 and it was even better ))but it does not effect the quality of the amp. Only a moron would use a 5150 II at gain setting 10. All channels have an actual midrange now and tons of headroom has been added two each EQ section including the presence and resonance knobs. Plus a bias mod is standard so now you can run the tubes like they were meant to be run. The articulation of single notes in chords has improved drastically. The only down side of this mod is that it sounds like complete ass when used with single coil pickups. This amp is now in my opinion, the single best amp on the market for all types of metal and hard rock. Its as if you took the top qualities of a "Krank revolution" and a "Framus Dragon" and incorporated them into a stock 5150II. P.S. Dont get the Ruby tubes that Voodoo sells. There just cheap ass sovtek 5881's. Opt for some JJ 6L6 GC powertubes and some JJ ecc83s balanced and matched tubes from Bob at WWW.EUROTUBES.COM

The one problem Ive had with it is that when I turn the volume past 8, I blow a fuse. Even that doesnt matter because, when in the hell are you gonna need your amp at volume level 8. 4 max.

I phoned peavey for the original schematics and specs of the 5150II and they emailed them to me for free. Twice.

Rock On!

After several E-mail exchanges and phone calls to Trace Allen at Voodoo Amps, I decided to ship him a brand new Peavey 5150 II head. Trace was recomended to me by several trusted musicians and "amp gurus" in the Hollywood area, apparently he has exstensive experience with the 5150 (he has designed a "standard mod" for this particular amp, along with several others) and seems to specialize in modifing high-gain amplifiers. I have always loved the outright aggression and ripping, over the top feel of the 5150, unfortunately there are some qualities inherant to the amp's tonality that just do not feel good to my ears. I won't waste your time discussing all of this amp's features, as I'm sure most of you are farmiliar with them to some degree. While the VHT Pittbull and the Engl Powerball come close to the sounds produced by the 5150 series amps, I have found that only a 5150 sounds like a 5150...period. They seem to posses some specific sonic qualities that no other amp can fully duplicate...either you love them, or you hate them. I play in an original metal/hard rock band in Los Angeles, CA that has been described as a cross between Machine Head/Alice in Chains and Tool(???). I am primarily a riff oriented player and while I like to think I have a good ear, I am not a highly advanced player by any means. Technically speaking I would rate myself a 7 out of 10 on a good day. Same goes for the stock Peavey 5150 prior the the mods...about a 6 or 7 out of a possible 10. Other amps I own(ed) or have used include the Bogner Uberschall, Engl Powerball, original seies Peavey 5150, VHT Pittbull, Mesa Boogie Triple Rectifier and various Marshalls. The Deizel Herbert is the only real contender I have yet to put through the paces.

my main guitars are various ESP and Schecter extended scale (baritone) models all loaded with EMG 81 active pick-ups. I supplement these with several stock Gibsons and a Hamer semi-hollow body. I tested this amp through a Mesa oversized rectifier cab with celestion vintage 30 speakers.

-PRIOR TO THE MOD: The 5150 II had several problems. While the amp's available gain borders on ridiculous (this is what I adore about this amp...6 gain stages compared to most other's 3 to 4) some of that gain is simply un-usable. I have found that any time I would turn the pre-amp gain past 5.5 the low end would become "mushy" and "soft". Also a messy, very non musical, over-compressed harshness would dominate the amps tone. Most importantly, any sense of articulation would be lost at these saturation/gain levels. And next, falling into the practically worthless catagory, would be the amps "clean tones" (if that's what you call them). In it's stock form, I would describe the 5150's cleans as cold, harsh, distorted and thin. In addition to all that fun, there is NO HEADROOM in the clean department whatsoever...good times. Finally, the EQ is somewhat limited. Any time the highs are set past 5 the amp became a touch thin, weak and generally unpleasent. Same goes for the mids dialed past 2-3. Again, a shrill quality would begin to creep in at these levels. Single notes seemed particularly suseptable to these negative qualities...along with a noticable loss of overall "roundness" and "girth". Despite all these complaints, I really enjoy many of the sounds that can be coaxed out of a stock 5150. I could just hear a better tone lurking behind that black metal grill...as a result of this nagging frustration, I got in touch with Trace Allen to discuss some options.

-ARTER THE MOD (Voodoo Amps "standard 5150 mod", all tubes replaced and a high quality output transformer installed):

(1) There seems to be a TINY bit of gain reduction in the lead channel...BUT MORE GAIN CAN BE APPLIED WITHOUT DEGRADING YOUR TONE. I can now turn the amp's pre-amp gain to 7 (or even 8, if your nuts) without destroying the favorable qualities of the amp. Even at flat out foolish pre-gain settings there is articulation, cut and a certain sharpness that I have not found in any other amp (even at post gain volume settings of 6!!!). The amp has a more wide open feel, and any sense of compression strikes me as natural and lively, instead of harsh and solid state-like. The low end is TIGHT!!! I tune to C and often B...and low palm mutes remain focused and sharp, while still retaining a healthy chunk...strange. WARNING: if you are looking to retain some "softness" (commonly associated with Mesa rectifier series amps for example) in the feel and attack of your amp (particularly in the low-end frequency range) then speak to Trace about this prior to having your amp modded by Voodoo Amps. I can understand how some players might feel that the amp might be too tight after the mod...but not me!!! CAUTION: When he states that the amp will be tight after the mod...HE MEANS IT!!!

(2) The clean channel is not completely clean but is GREATLY improved. after the mod I consider the 5150 II very close to a true three channel amp. The additional headroom of this channel will make the amp much more versatile and efficiant in live performance situations. Having said that, I do not believe that any modifications can be done to the 5150 that would allow for a "world class" (Fender/Roland JC)clean sound. This amp is simply not designed with that priority in mind. I have found this to be true with many high-gain amps (even the boutique, German variety).

(3) The EQ is MUCH more flexible. I can push certain frequencies harder without revealing weaknesses in the amp. Added mids (settings of 3-6) are especially welcome. The amp no longer takes on that afformentioned "shrill&

As far as the modifications are concerned, I have not had the amp long enough to submit an honest rating. I have owned a stock Peavey 5150 for several years and have not experienced any problems whatsoever. Peavey's have a reputation for durability.

Even after only limmited contact, I trust Trace. I can't really explain why, but I do. He just strikes me as honest and straight forward. In our last conversation he instructed me to contact him immediately if I had any mechanical problems with his modifications. In his line of bussiness reputation and customer service is everthing...in my experience (and believe me I checked him out), you would be hard pressed to find a guitarist that has negative commentary on Trace Allen or Voodoo Amps.

I am fastly falling in love my Voodoo Amps modded 5150 II. Keep in mind, in addition to the "standard mod", I also replaced all the tubes and the output transformer. I did all this (new 5150 II and mods) for about the same street price as a brand new Mesa Boogie Triple Rectifier. In my opinion the Voodoo Modded 5150 II will destroy any stock recto in just about any catagory...pain and simple (and I like Rectos!!!). A couple final comments: (1)In my personal experience, and in talking with some of his other clients...DON'T EXSPECT TRACE TO MAKE AN AMP THAT YOU HATE INTO ONE THAT YOU LOVE, BUT IF YOU LIKE AMP STOCK YOU WILL PROBABLY LOVE IT AFTER THE MODS ARE PERFORMED. (2) On the Voodoo Amps website Trace states that after the mods every NUANCE OF YOUR PLAYING CAN BE HEARD and that the his modded amps are VERY ARTICULATE and NOT VERY FORGIVING...HE IS SPEAKING THE TRUTH...his mods will EXSPOSE YOUR PLAYING FOR WHAT IT IS. YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO HIDE BEHIND THE GAIN, REGARDLESS OF HOW MUCH YOU USE. Now that that is out of the way, I will be sending more amps to Trace. Tone is a highly personal point of view...but I would have no hesitation recomending Voodoo Ams to any tone-obsessed, gain junky in the free world. THANKS TRACE!!!