School me on 5150s

[greatmutah]

This is all excellent info. Endtime I completely agree about the OG 5150/6505 needing a boost. They have a ton of lows. When I had mine I had cabs with V30s and had the mid control low and still had ample midrange. But that amp was fucking pissed off though. Green channel with my SD-1 was just monstrously good.

Great info about the version differences between the IIIs and the 50 vs 100 watt models. I should probably go try some out and get reacquainted before I decide. I think I’m leaning towards the original, if I’m being honest. Doesn’t bother me if it’s a 5150 or 6505 on the label. But I should try the IIIs again and give em a fair shake.

Also looking forward to Raf’s thoughts. He’s used just about all of them too I think. Or close to. I knew if I asked here I’d get responses from folks that have a ton of experience with these amps.

[ninjaraf]

Not much to add, aside from my personal experience with all the 5150s.

5150 combo was awesome, and was my first real tube amp. I played one for a long time, and it was my favorite of the Peaveys for a while...until I found the RIGHT 5152 and it blew away all my other previous 5150s. I was never a fan of the original 5150. Buddy of mine had one back in the early 2000s before the 5150/6505 name change and I always thought the low end wasn't where it seemed like it should be. But that was before we learned about boosting amps. Which I don't like doing anyway.

Took me a long time to get into the 5153 series. I wasn't a fan of the lack of aggression vs the Peaveys on the original 5153. When I tried the Stealth for the first time, I felt it was too similar to the 5150 combo to justify the price increase. Obviously, I changed my mind about that down the road.

6l6 100 is for sure the least aggressive of the 5153s, but it's also probably the most accessible. I started liking this amp at some point. But the Stealth models are the pinnacle of metal tone, IMO. The EL34 and 6l6. Slightly different but equally awesome, though I think many of the EL34 guys will say it's the best. I personally prefer the 6l6 version, even though the clean isn't as clean as the EL34.

Of the 50 watts, I agree that the original 50 is the best version. Red sounds closest to the 100 watters. The clean channel on the 50 watt Stealth is by far the best clean channel I've heard on a 5150.

Anyway, they're all great! I think the best bang for buck these days it the original 50 watt without concentric pots. I've seen them for as low as $650. I got mine for $375 because it was damaged in shipping, but still works, so I took a 50% refund on it. But if you want the BEST, it absolutely is one of the 100 watt versions. It ALMOST doesn't matter which one you pick, unless you're super picky and particular about certain things, or want just the best metal tone...then either the EL34 or Stealth versions. But the 100 watt is by far a huge step up from the 50s, and well worth the cost.

I haven't tried the new versions from Peavey, but I'm sure they're great, too.

[greatmutah]

Thank you sir! You’ve all given me a lot to think about. Guess all I can do now is hit some stores and try some.

[Guitarbilly]

This thread got me thinking about getting another 5150

[ninjaraf]

lolol

Everyone should have one. They do a lot more than people think! I've had a decent amount of "nice" amps and always come back.

And yeah, best thing to do is just try some if possible and see what you like. They're all a bit different, but for sure the same family.

[greatmutah]

Yeah I think it would be good to try a few. I've been eyeing the 6L6 50 Watt for a while too. I play more rock than metal these days so that may even be a better option for me in that regard. But I played plenty of rock with my 6505+ and that thing was outstanding for harder rock too. So idk... best to just try a few out. I've got GAS and don't know what I want right now. So I'm exploring some options and I won't lie, I do miss having a 5150 style amp.

[eyeball987]

I liked the OG 5150 I had years ago. Loved the 6505+. Wasn't a fan of the 5153 EL34 50W though. Mainly due to the blue channel but I didn't know about the mod at the time and probably didn't give it enough time. The 5153 Stealth 50W was pretty cool but couldn't get the thought of the 100W EL34 version out of my head. Which I still have not owned yet.

Have been loving the Plexi Synergy module recently and decided to mix things up and put the 6505 module into the SYN-1 again over the weekend. Geezus! The Plexi is more like a modded Plexi in the gain department, but the 6505 module is nuts! Had a lot of fun with that.

[ninjaraf]

If you wanna go in blind, I'd say the 50 watt 6l6 is a fantastic option. I have one of those, and of course the 100 watt Stealth, and the 50 is what goes to band practice every week because of the size and weight.