Californiaman Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 Had a chance to play through a 5150 the other day. Anybody own one? I think it was a second version. It didn't really get me where I wanted sonically. I wasn't impressed at all with it. I think it was craptotell you the truth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AXE® Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 Did you get to push it past the 40% mark? And what cabinet was it running? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfpup Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 A good friend of mine owned one of the first ones - god awful! He went back to his 100 watt Marshalls quick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaleb Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 The 5150s aren't bad amps. One of the best metal amps around IMHO if you're looking for that modern "chugga chugga" thing (better than Rectal Fryers IMHO....). The only problems I have with them is their noise issues. The reason you guys might not like them is that the old ones were biased very cool. A friend had one (I think it was a 5150 II), and he installed a bias pot on the back. Helped a ton! Modded 5150s=AWESOME! The 6505 series are a HUGE upgrade from the old 5150s IMHO. They come stock with a bias pot! I've heard people get great tones out of them. All you have to do is keep the gain under control. Running the gain too high will get you into fuzzy mush territory....... And for metal, instead of turning the gain up, boost it with a Tube Screamer type pedal (Maxon OD-808 as it keeps the low end intact!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVOL! Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 Not speaking from experience, only hearsay, but I heard you have to really crank these amps to hit the sweet spot. They aren't for quiet, polite rock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaleb Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 Not speaking from experience, only hearsay, but I heard you have to really crank these amps to hit the sweet spot. They aren't for quiet, polite rock. Not really. Or at least not like Marshalls. Contrary to some people, these amps aren't just metal amps. They are great for 80s metal (that shouldn't be too hard to understand considering it was EVH's signature amp, and it was loosely based upon the Soldano SLO circuit) and modern rock as well (Pat from Foo Fighters uses one). Like I said before, you gotta know how to dial in the gain control in order for these to sound their best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twiz Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 I've got one of the early versions (the 2 channel) that came out. I think I get a pretty good tone with mine, but I could definitely see how someone could get a not-so desirable tone. They're gainy amps, and you can get into nu-metal territory really fast if you're not careful. I never turn my pre-amp above 4 on the lead channel. The rhythm (clean) sounds crappy if you try to get an actual clean tone with it, but if you crank the pre-amp knob to 9 or 10 and then use the post to control your volume level, you can get a decent classic rock type tone. I usually just use the lead channel set like this: Pre - 4, Low - 6, Mid - 4 or 5 (depending on the room), High - 6, Post - 5 or 6, Resonance - 5, Presence - 6 or 7 (depending on the room). It's true about these, they sound better turned up really loud. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaleb Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 I've got one of the early versions (the 2 channel) that came out. I think I get a pretty good tone with mine, but I could definitely see how someone could get a not-so desirable tone. They're gainy amps, and you can get into nu-metal territory really fast if you're not careful. I never turn my pre-amp above 4 on the lead channel. The rhythm (clean) sounds crappy if you try to get an actual clean tone with it, but if you crank the pre-amp knob to 9 or 10 and then use the post to control your volume level, you can get a decent classic rock type tone. I usually just use the lead channel set like this: Pre - 4, Low - 6, Mid - 4 or 5 (depending on the room), High - 6, Post - 5 or 6, Resonance - 5, Presence - 6 or 7 (depending on the room). It's true about these, they sound better turned up really loud. Exactly. You have to know how to control the gain. And for modern metal, it's not a good idea to turn up the gain. Keep the gain at around noon', and boost it. It's tighter and ballsier instead of mushy and unfocused. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AXE® Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 Did you get the answer you were looking for? Just wondering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketman Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 I liked 1984 better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaleb Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 I liked 1984 better. Lord, STRIKE THAT POOR BOY DOWN! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AXE® Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 Well? What's up Cali? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cabba2203 Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 A good friend of mine owned one of the first ones - god awful! He went back to his 100 watt Marshalls quick. I had an original one myself, new. First night at practice it actually smoked and fried! Took it back and later got a JCM900 SL-X (pre-5881 version, still EL34). If I was going to go the 5150 route again, I would get the 6534. That amp sounds killer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Californiaman Posted June 23, 2012 Author Share Posted June 23, 2012 Sorry for the delay in getting back to ya' all. Maybe I didn't get to play the amp as much as I should. The cabinet I played through was a home made jobber. Sealed back with I'm told two jensens and a pair of celestions. One thing I did notice was the cleans weren't what I was looking for. Sure, two channels would be nice, rhythm and lead duh, but I'm a single channel amp guy. I know this amp is good for heavy stuff too. Maybe I need to spend a little more time with one before I can make a judgment call. We'll see what happens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVOL! Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 I liked 1984 better. Preach on, brother! Down with VanHagar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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