EVH 5150III 100W Head

I had high hopes for this when I bought it new. THis amp is a tube powerhouse sporting three channels from clean to high gain. It sports four 6L6 power tubes and eight 12AX7s. Comes with effects loop and footswitch for all three channels and effects loop. 100 watts of raw power and it looks great. I went for the black but had a friend choose the white and both look fantastic.

UTILIZATION

Very straight forward amp to play. Each channel has the basic tone controls that you would expect and it didn't take long to get the hang of the settings. The controls are very responsive, especially the presence control but all controls do their job and do it well. The loop is very transparent and switching effects in and out is pretty flawless.

SOUNDS

Here is the run down on the sound of this beast. When you first plug it in, you are immediately struck by the raw power this thing has. It just projects out with tons of harmonic content and bass. Channel two is surprisingly Marshall and channel three is just over the top gain with a bit less bottom end. I could see this amp doing anything from classic rock to hard rock and even to metal. Just a very versatile amp with lots of options for sound. The clean channel is ok, not the best I have heard and certainly not the worst. With effects, it can be made to be excellent.

OVERALL OPINION

Overall, channel 2 is the star of the show. Just has that natural VH type Marshall grind to it with a bit more on the bottom end. Channel three is over the top and I do like it for playing the crazy metal stuff. THis channel is a beast. A few problems with this amp though in my opinion. First issue is that I went through two brand new ones and both ended up breaking within a week. Both had to be sent back and I got a new one. THe third finally stayed and seemed to be working fine. I was never comfortable from that point forward in trusting this amp completely. I have heard the quality of the newer ones is much better but this initial run I had was pretty notorius for issues. The main thing with this amp is something that is hard to put my finger on. The first ten minutes are heaven playing this, then the sound starts to grate on you. There is something abrasive in the core tone of this amp that just becomes unpleasing to the ear after a while. I can't quite put my finger on it because it is great at first. When I switch to a Marshall it seems a bit warmer to me, not sure. I did end up selling this for the reliability issue and the tone I couldn't jive with. For $1,200 it is a good amp if you aren't super picky. For what I paid brand new, there are better choices.

The EVH 5150 III is an amp that is a culmination of famed rock guitarist Edward Van Halen's many years of research and development of the historic "Brown Sound" that he popularized with Van Halen in the seventies and eighties. Over the years Ed's tone has gotten more modern and gone from being a decidedly British Marshally tone to a more high gain hybrid of American and British tones. It's built under the EVH banner by Fender Musicial Instruments Corporation, and is a three channel head. Each channel has its own separate gain, volume and EQ controls. The amp puts out 100w and is powered by a quartet of 6L6 power tubes. Here's a more complete list of specs.


EVH 5150 III Head Features

* Made to Edward Van Halens exacting specs. This is the exact amp used in the studio and on stage by one of the only true living legends of the guitar.
* Heavy duty hardware and construction, vertically-mounted preamp tubes with premium sockets. Its rugged and roadworthy!
* Custom made transformers and special biasing help achieve Edwards fabled Variable AC effect.
* Lower-noise preamp circuitry. Less hiss & hum than many ultra-high gain amplifiers.
* Preamp designed to add extremely high harmonic content. Makes notes seem to jump out of the guitar, and inspires creative, unpredictable playing.
* Step on what you want footswitch with color-coded LEDs: instantly select any of the three channels with one button push; selection is easily visible on a darkened stage; FX loop can also be selected.
Technical Info

EVH 5150 III Head Specifications

* Type: Tube Amplifier (head)
* Output: 100 Watts RMS
* Ohms: 4, 8, or 16 Ohms (selectable)
* Channels: Three channels with channel switching
* Covering: Ivory textured vinyl covering with a EVH striped metal grille
* Weight: 55 lbs. (25 kg)
* Dimensions:
* Height: 10.25 in. (26 cm)
* Width: 29.75 in. (75.5 cm)
* Depth: 11.5 in. (29.3 cm)
* Power Tubes: Four 6L6 tubes
* Preamp Tubes: Eight 12AX7 tubes
* Four-button footswitch included

UTILIZATION

Getting a good sound out of this amp is pretty simple. The controls are laid out well and the interface is fairly intuitive and easy to use. It reminds me a lot of the Peavey 5150/6505 in how the EQ controls react and respond to changes and different settings. The EQ controls have a good wide sweep to them that allows for a whole range of tweaking the channels on the amplifier. The three channels go from clean to mean and everything in between very well. Channel one is a great classic sounding clean, channel two goes from lower gain crunch to some hot rodded British voiced textures, and channel three is the ultimate in high gain fury. It's quite versatile overall, and has that signature EVH type spongy and vintage feel that so many players covet.



SOUNDS

I've tried this amplifier with various Fender, Gibson, and Charvel guitars. It's definitely a great sounding rig that isn't just for fans of the mighty EVH. Starting with the clean channel, I was surprised to find that it was a fairly pristine and clear sounding clean tone. Complex and jazzy voicings work really well, as do country cleans. It's not quite as warm as I'd like for my cleans, but considering what it was designed to do, the clean channel being as good as it is is a bonus. Channel two is really where the classic EVH flavour begins to shine through. It's got a great upper midrange voicing that reminds me a lot of a good Marshall Plexi/JMP, but on steroids. It does everything well from Thin Lizzy/Bad Company type medium gain tones to the more high octane tones favoured by Van Halen, Ratt and Dokken. Channel three is the answer for the molten metal warriors who need the most punishing and high gain sound that they can find. There's so much gain to this channel that it doesn't NEED to be turned up past halfway or it just loses definition. That being said, when the gain is tamed, this channel is perfect for hard rock and modern metal and balances nicely with the other two channels as well.

OVERALL OPINION

All in all I think the EVH 5150 III is a great evolution of the tones that Van Halen has used from the seventies to now. It covers that great Marshall/Soldano hot rod vibe as well as the more modern fury of the Peavey 5150/6505 type amps too, plus it has a cool clean channel as well. At $2,050 new, I think these are priced somewhat high for a Mexican made amp, but they can be had for significantly less used, and regardless of price it is a great amp whether you're an EVH fan or not.

* Type: Tube Amplifier (head)
* Output: 100 Watts RMS
* Ohms: 4, 8, or 16 Ohms (selectable)
* Channels: Three channels with channel switching
* Covering: Ivory textured vinyl covering with a EVH striped metal grille
* Weight: 55 lbs. (25 kg)
* Dimensions:
* Height: 10.25 in. (26 cm)
* Width: 29.75 in. (75.5 cm)
* Depth: 11.5 in. (29.3 cm)
* Power Tubes: Four 6L6 tubes
* Preamp Tubes: Eight 12AX7 tubes
* Four-button footswitch included
* FX Loop


Each of the 3 channels have their own EQs: Gain, Low, Mid, high, volume and presence.

The footswitch is quite simple, 4 button, one for each channel and one to engage the fx loop.

UTILIZATION

Quite simply put, one of the easiest multi channel heads to use. There are so many heads out there with complex little mini toggle switches etc that do so many little things. The 5150 III simply just 3 or 4 knobs each channel, clearly marked, and they are the same knobs you've seen on every amp before. The settings are familiar and therefore easy to use for each channel.

I absolutely love the seamless footswitching that's been incorporated into this amp. I can't say enough about this, no clicks or pops when you switch it just sounds so organic and natural this way. I wish all amps were like this!!

SOUNDS

SOUNDS ARE AMAZING. I can't say enough about this amp! I tried it at the store for a little over 2 hours and eventually took it home and have been making love with it ever since!

The cleans are amazing, plenty of headroom and very nice. Not sterile compared to the older 5150s and sound good for almost all applications! Mind you, it's not a fender twang or anything of that sort but it's quite shimmery and can get into that territory if one would prefer to do so. You can also crank the gain and get dirt up the signal as much as you want to get into that sort of mild crunch territory. Sounds great, clear and strong!

The rhythm channel is amazing also! Tight and loads of gain I don't even know why would need the lead channel. I probably spend most of my time on this channel as it's near perfect and not noisy compared to the lead channel but still has enough gain to get wherever you want.


The lead channel is over the top and noisy! Hella perfect for super shreddy passages or to create strange noises etc. I think both generally sound the same, or at least you can EQ them to sound the same as each other. You don't need to overdrive this amp with any external pedals there is plenty of gain on tap and all of it sounds GREAT!

What I love about the sounds is that all these channels clean up very well AND sound good at low volumes!


OVERALL OPINION

Overall awesome amp. 3 channels all totally usable, sounds great a low volumes and cleans up well with the volume rolled down, seamless footswitching, with a super transparent FX Loop. Though I haven't actually used it, I go straight through. What else does any guitar player need? This is one of the best amps out there today!

Eddie Van Halen has easily made more money of his line of products that he has with albums sales. One of the biggest bands in rock and roll history and probably one of the most if not the most influential guitar player in history. SO many young players as well as the old dudes worship this guys technique and ability to play the guitar. Eddie Van Halan was never an endorsement guy when the fab for started back in the 70's but late the saw the value and potential to make millions of amps, guitars, cables, straps, picks, pedals, clothing, cables, speakers, etc.

This amp has the same exact everything as the white ivory color 5153 but just in a nice black tolex color. Great solid amp for the money and extremely versatile.


EVH 5150 III Head Features

* Made to Edward Van Halen's exacting specs. This is the exact amp used in the studio and on stage by one of the only true living legends of the guitar.
* Heavy duty hardware and construction, vertically-mounted preamp tubes with premium sockets. It's rugged and roadworthy!
* Custom made transformers and special biasing help achieve Edward's fabled Variable AC effect.
* Lower-noise preamp circuitry. Less hiss & hum than many ultra-high gain amplifiers.
* Preamp designed to add extremely high harmonic content. Makes notes seem to jump out of the guitar, and inspires creative, unpredictable playing.
* Step on what you want footswitch with color-coded LEDs: instantly select any of the three channels with one button push; selection is easily visible on a darkened stage; FX loop can also be selected.

UTILIZATION

* Output: 100 Watts RMS
* Ohms: 4, 8, or 16 Ohms (selectable)
* Channels: Three channels with channel switching
* Covering: Black textured vinyl covering with a EVH striped metal grille
* Weight: 55 lbs. (25 kg)
* Dimensions:
* Height: 10.25 in. (26 cm)
* Width: 29.75 in. (75.5 cm)
* Depth: 11.5 in. (29.3 cm)
* Power Tubes: Four 6L6 tubes
* Preamp Tubes: Eight 12AX7 tubes
* Four-button footswitch included

SOUNDS

This amp is only cosmetic to the white ivory color. No tonal changes at all with the black version. This is the third edition of the 5150 Eddie Van Halen amplifiers. His first two were with Peavey and those were simply named 5150 and 5150 11. People nickname this amp the 5153 for simplicity sake.

This amp has three channels of operation. The first one being a very good and usable clean channel that can actually get a little overdrive to the tone. The next one being a rhythm channel which is a very high gain channel used for Eddie rhythm tone and basic plexi type settings. The third channel and this is the fire breather of them all is a no holds barred super high gain channel. It sounds nothing like the early VH1 or Vh11 days but more of what he has evolved into as a player. This channel is the lead for obvious reasons but the most explosive channel that any of his previous amps ever could match. The original amps were great too and still used by many players and even professionals, but there is a great versatility to this amp that the 5150 or 5150 11 could never achieve.

OVERALL OPINION

At new these amps come in right at around $2000. A good price for a great versatile amp. I have also seen them new for around $1799 at some online retailers. The used market is another ball game. I have seen them used other places for around $1200. So they drop about 40% on the used market. Great amps and I highly recommend them.