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wwhhhaatt « workhorse »
Published on 07/21/11 at 08:30The Peavey 5150 is a 120 watt high gain tube amp. It runs off four 6l6 power tubes and has five 12ax7 preamp tubes. There are 1/4' inputs for high gain and low gain, two speaker outputs, 4/8/16 ohm selector, pre-amp out, and post EQ effects loop.. This is a two channel amp with a shared EQ of bass, middle, and treble. Each channel has it's own pre-gain and post-gain knobs and the clean channel has a crunch and bright switch. The channels can be selected on the front panel or with an external footswitch which can also turn the effects loop on and off. There are also controls for power amp resonance and presence.
UTILIZATION
There are not too many frill with this amp and it laid out very straight forward. Setting it up is easy and getting it to sound good is just as simple. I love amps that can sound good with the EQ controls at noon and this is one of those amps. A basic understanding of amp heads will get you through this no problem. I did not receive a manual nor did I need one to know what to do.
SOUNDS
When playing this amp I am more than likely in metal mode. The clean channel is there but it does not sound very good. It is flat and uninspiring but can be livened up with some delay or reverb. I usually run this amp with the controls set around noon with the bass being slightly lower and the mids up a bit. The amp has so much gain that I usually leave that dial below 4. Even with the gain up higher it it surprisingly detailed sounding. Of course you can get into buzz saw territory by running the gain high and cutting the mids but I have never been a fan of that sound. This amp is also loud very loud. The post gain dial is so sensitive that little adjustments make it go from bedroom level to ear splitting very quickly. That added headroom is great to have as the amp sounds better when you turn it up. At stage volumes this thing just hits you in the gut. Palm mutes sound ridiculously heavy and power chords cut with authority.
OVERALL OPINION
These amps can be found cheap and are great to have around even for a backup. They are also built tough to withstand constant abuse and volume.This amp has fallen from the top of a full stack and still works. I have had the same tubes in this amp for probably close to five years and it still sounds good. My other amps sound better overall but I find myself re-tubbing them about once a year.
If you need a no frills metal amp it is tough to beat the 5150 at any price range. There are other high gain amps with more features and a more refined sound but the raw tone of this amp is great for that style. This amp is on tons of records and criminally underrated by gear snobs.
UTILIZATION
There are not too many frill with this amp and it laid out very straight forward. Setting it up is easy and getting it to sound good is just as simple. I love amps that can sound good with the EQ controls at noon and this is one of those amps. A basic understanding of amp heads will get you through this no problem. I did not receive a manual nor did I need one to know what to do.
SOUNDS
When playing this amp I am more than likely in metal mode. The clean channel is there but it does not sound very good. It is flat and uninspiring but can be livened up with some delay or reverb. I usually run this amp with the controls set around noon with the bass being slightly lower and the mids up a bit. The amp has so much gain that I usually leave that dial below 4. Even with the gain up higher it it surprisingly detailed sounding. Of course you can get into buzz saw territory by running the gain high and cutting the mids but I have never been a fan of that sound. This amp is also loud very loud. The post gain dial is so sensitive that little adjustments make it go from bedroom level to ear splitting very quickly. That added headroom is great to have as the amp sounds better when you turn it up. At stage volumes this thing just hits you in the gut. Palm mutes sound ridiculously heavy and power chords cut with authority.
OVERALL OPINION
These amps can be found cheap and are great to have around even for a backup. They are also built tough to withstand constant abuse and volume.This amp has fallen from the top of a full stack and still works. I have had the same tubes in this amp for probably close to five years and it still sounds good. My other amps sound better overall but I find myself re-tubbing them about once a year.
If you need a no frills metal amp it is tough to beat the 5150 at any price range. There are other high gain amps with more features and a more refined sound but the raw tone of this amp is great for that style. This amp is on tons of records and criminally underrated by gear snobs.