View other reviews for this product:
moosers
Published on 01/24/10 at 12:05
The Peavey 5150 Head is a tube based guitar amplifier head designed by Eddie Van Halen. The amp delivers 120 watts of power and has both rhythm and lead channels. The head has 1/4 inch connections in the front for your instrument inputs, with both high and normal gain options. It also has a 1/4 inch speaker output to send this to a speaker cabinet.
UTILIZATION
The Peavey 5150 Head definitely has a lot to work with in terms of parameters. The rhythm channels is very simple, consisting of both pre and post gain knobs as well as buttons for bright and crunch. The lead channel has the same pre and post gain knobs, and in general it has a three band EQ including knobs for low, mid, and high. There is also a 'power amp' section with parameters for resonance and presence. Getting a great sound from both the lead and rhythm channels isn't too difficult, and if you don't get it right off the bat there are a lot of options to work with here.
SOUNDS
The Peavey 5150 Head can really rip in terms of its tone quality. I do like the lead sound over the rhythm, but both channels sound pretty great overall. I've only used the head a few times for a recording session, in tandem with a Peavey cabinet and a Fender Stratocaster guitar. I found that I was able to get most of the sounds that I wanted inside of this amp, so I didn't use it in tandem with an external effects. The rhythm tone is crunchy and thick, while the lead sound really cuts through and has a good deal of sustain. The 5150 Head gives you a lot of raw power in general, as this amp can get incredibly loud.
OVERALL OPINION
For an amp head of this caliber, the Peavey 5150 Head has been set a pretty reasonable price. Of course you need a speaker cabinet to go along with it, but Peavey speaker cabinets aren't too expensive either depending on which one that you choose. I'd recommend this head for lead guitarists over rhythm ones, as this amp really seems to cater to lead sounds over rhythm. The rhythm channel will definitely get the job done most of the time, but it isn't like the lead channel. If you're looking for a great sounding amp head without a huge price tag, I'd encourage you to try out the Peavey 5150 Head.
UTILIZATION
The Peavey 5150 Head definitely has a lot to work with in terms of parameters. The rhythm channels is very simple, consisting of both pre and post gain knobs as well as buttons for bright and crunch. The lead channel has the same pre and post gain knobs, and in general it has a three band EQ including knobs for low, mid, and high. There is also a 'power amp' section with parameters for resonance and presence. Getting a great sound from both the lead and rhythm channels isn't too difficult, and if you don't get it right off the bat there are a lot of options to work with here.
SOUNDS
The Peavey 5150 Head can really rip in terms of its tone quality. I do like the lead sound over the rhythm, but both channels sound pretty great overall. I've only used the head a few times for a recording session, in tandem with a Peavey cabinet and a Fender Stratocaster guitar. I found that I was able to get most of the sounds that I wanted inside of this amp, so I didn't use it in tandem with an external effects. The rhythm tone is crunchy and thick, while the lead sound really cuts through and has a good deal of sustain. The 5150 Head gives you a lot of raw power in general, as this amp can get incredibly loud.
OVERALL OPINION
For an amp head of this caliber, the Peavey 5150 Head has been set a pretty reasonable price. Of course you need a speaker cabinet to go along with it, but Peavey speaker cabinets aren't too expensive either depending on which one that you choose. I'd recommend this head for lead guitarists over rhythm ones, as this amp really seems to cater to lead sounds over rhythm. The rhythm channel will definitely get the job done most of the time, but it isn't like the lead channel. If you're looking for a great sounding amp head without a huge price tag, I'd encourage you to try out the Peavey 5150 Head.