The 5150 II has a separate EQ section for the clean/crunch, and lead channel. Earlier ones have a shared eq. There are supposed slight tonal differences but I’ve never played a 5150 II. These amps get overlooked these days because once someone figured out how good they are for metal, they got branded a “metal” amp. Dec 30, 2007 Peavey 5150 Fender Showmaster QBT Digitech Digidelay. Using the serial number theres always a website that has them listed with the dates, if you search the web. So, just picked up an EVH 5150 III 50 watt head, and I'm really impressed. But of course, the mind wanders/wonders. I haven't had time with an original Peavey 5150 for a number of years (decades), but can't help wondering if that amp would be closer to Eddie's tone on the Right Here Right Now live album.
There is little knowledge of specifically why Eddie Van Halen teamed up with Peavey to design, model and release his first signature line of amplifiers. The reasonable guess, however is obvious. Eddie was becoming dissatisfied with both his Marshall Superlead Amplifier and then later on, his Soldano SLO 100. Both had served a purpose for the time being, yet Eddie was prepared to go one step further and teamed up with the American company, known for heavy metal sounds called Peavey.
Both Eddie Van Halen and Hartley Peavey worked together on the 5150 line of amplifiers.
Hartley Peavey’s father had begun his own small music store prior to him discovering rock and roll. However, in 1965 Hartley Peavey decided to focus on rock and roll and after playing in bands, began creating products for rock musicians. With a particular focus for amps modelled and released with appeal for hard rock and heavy metal musicians alike, it came as no surprise that one Eddie Van Halen pursued the idea of the perfect metal amplifiers with the assistance of Peavey.
So by 1991, Eddie Van Halen had approached Peavey and they had agreed to assist with creating the 5150 line of amps. As early as the For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge album, a prototype of the Peavey 5150 was used, notably on “Poundcake”. Eddie began using Peavey’s amplifiers shortly afterwards onstage. By the time 1993 came around, the Peavey 5150 line of amplifiers were commercially released.
The fact that the 5150/6505 amplifiers have been extensively used over the years by a large variety of guitar players proves the ingenious construction and design of them.
It immediately became popular amongst heavy metal players for creating a unique sound for that type of music. This was the beginning of the long relationship between EVH and Peavey that did not end very well in 2004. After this occurred, Peavey retained the rights to continue selling the amp, renamed the 6505 in commemoration of its 40th anniversary as a rock and roll company.
The amp itself is a powerful tube driven amp. Different versions of it come with slight modifications. But if you are hardcore about finding out what Eddie Van Halen wanted to experience with his amp, your best bet is to go for the traditional head and cabinet, the 6505 head and the 430B 412 Cabinet.
Eddie Van Halen used Peavey amplifiers for nearly 15 years, a remarkable length of time.
Listed below are the stats for the 6505 head, courtesy of http://www.peavey.com:
Serial Number Check
High and low gain inputs
120 watts (rms) into 16, 8 or 4 ohms (switchable)
2-channel preamp switchable on front panel or remote footswitch
Rhythm channel: pre/post gain, bright and crunch switches
Five 12AX7 preamp tubes and four 6L6GC power amp tubes
Channels share 3-band EQ
Presence and resonance controls
Switchable post-EQ effects loop
Preamp output
Footswitch included
Lead channel: pre/post gain
Weight unpacked: 48 lb (21.772 kg)
Weight packed: 54 lb (24.494 kg)
Width packed: 12.25” (31.115 cm)
Height packed: 28.5” (72.39 cm)
Depth packed: 14” (35.56 cm)
Additionally, listed below are the stats for the 430B 412 Cabinet, courtesy of http://www.peavey.com:
Four 12″ Celestion Vintage 30 Speakers
16 ohms
Heavy-duty casters
Vintage British sound
18 ply Baltic Birch cabinet construction
120 watts power handling
Stereo or mono operation
Weight Unpacked: 96.98 lb(43.99 kg)
Weight Packed: 107.25 lb(48.65 kg)
Width Packed: 32.75″(83.185 cm)
Height Packed: 35.75″(90.805 cm)
Depth Packed: 17.125″(43.4975 cm)
Despite the fact that Eddie no longer endorses or uses this particular set of amplifiers, Peavey have managed to continue to sell a legendary and historical amplifier with great success. This is largely due to its tone, being very popular amongst heavy metal and thrash metal players for its distinctive sound.
For more information, visit http://peavey.com/products/6505/
Hartley Peavey and Eddie Van Halen’s collaboration, although fruitful, did not last over time.
2015. Peavey. 6505 – Forging the sound of aggression.http://peavey.com/products/6505/
The Peavey 5150 is a vacuum tube based guitar amplifier made by Peavey Electronics from 1992 on. The amplifier was initially created as a signature model for Eddie Van Halen. After Van Halen and Peavey parted ways in 2004, the name was changed to Peavey 6505. The 5150 name was used again by Van Halen in partnership with Fender under the EVH brand.[1] Peavey's amplifier was renamed to 6505 in celebration of Peavey's 40th anniversary (1965–2005).
Design of the amplifier begun in 1990 and it became a flagship project for Peavey and for then lead engineer James Brown (who has since founded Amptweaker[2]), lasting for about 13 years, comprising the 5150 and 5150 II, until 2004.
While the product was designed around a centered printed circuit board (PCB), an aspect sometimes considered 'impure' among audiophiles, its cascading five preamps (actually four preamplifiers and one phase inverter) and four gain stages were implemented in a very simple manner. This design and implementation allowed the individual components to carry themselves (such as by placing the transformer so as to ensure acoustical integrity by minimizing transconductance), in addition to commonizing the system's ground by way of a multilayer PCB, thereby avoiding a large source of unwanted nuances in most poorly grounded musical applications.
Initially, the Peavey 5150 I shipped with four Sylvania 6L6 Power Tube, this was later changed to Ruby Tube 6L6 Power Tubes, when Peavey's Sylvania supply was exhausted (per James Brown, 'Tone-Talk', Ep. 17),[3] and five 12AX7 Tubes in the preamplifier staging (with one as a phase inverter).
A defining attribute largely responsible for the 5150 sound is the fixed bias. Commonly described as an analog to a car engine and its respective idle, the 5150 bias was set to a lower value (lower engine 'idle') which resulted in the Power Tubes running at a lower energy commonly known as 'cold-biased.' This configuration supposedly resulted in a more controllable gain setting (i.e. having a more forgiving sonic range than similarly 'hot-biased' configurations[citation needed].
While able to stand among modern technology as a relatively 'simple' design, especially in comparison to boutique 'hand-wired' variants, the reliability and era its inception welcomed helped verify its cultural significance in Hard Rock, later Metal, as a unique product with a unique tone.
Both the 5150 and the 6505 are well known for its high gain overdrive channel, and has seen widespread use by rock, hardcore and metal guitarists. An early breakthrough was its use by Colin Richardson and Andy Sneap, two 'seminal' British producers of heavy metal; especially Machine Head's Burn My Eyes (1994) helped the 5150 gain a reputation for its sound, which 'defined a generation of guitar tone'.[4] Other notable artists and producers to use the 5150/6505 include Jason Suecof, Matt Tuck and Dino Cazares.[4]
Versions[edit]
Although some players believe that the 5150 (particularly the 'block letter 5150') to be better-sounding than the 6505, the only difference is that the original 5150s shipped with a different brand of power tubes. Since vacuum tubes are consumable items, it is likely that the original power tubes fitted at the point of manufacture, have been since been replaced. It has also been rumored that the bias potentiometer on the 6505 does not sweep wide enough to provide optimal plate amperage to provide the full 35 milliamp 6L6GC plate current, thereby increasing crossover distortion.[5][6]
5150 / 6505[edit]
The 6505 is the base model of the series, and is identical to the 5150, with exception of the phase inverter and its name. It has five 12AX7 tubes in the preamplifier. The power amplifier uses four 6L6GC tubes in the power section in class AB. It has 120 watts RMS output power, into 16, 8 or 4 Ohms. The effects loop can be bypassed with a footswitch. It features separate input for both high and low gain.
The amplifier has two channels, rhythm and lead. Each channel provides the user with separate pre-/postgain control, and the rhythm has an extra crunch and bright switch. The channels share a 3-Band EQ and presence and resonance controls. Switching channels can be done both via the front panel of the amp, or with the remote footswitch.[7]
It is also available in a 60 watt 2×12 combo. The 2×12 combo features 60 watts of RMS output power into 16 or 8ohms. It also features five 12AX7 preamps tubes and two 6L6GC power amp tubes.[8]
5150II / 6505 Plus[edit]
The 6505+ is a second version of the 6505 and is identical to the 5150II. It features an extra 12AX7 tube in the preampstage, to prevent breakup in the clean channel. It features separate 3-band EQ, presence and resonance controls for the 2 channels. It also features only one input, unlike the 6505, which had two. There are bias testpoints on the back, making changes to the tubes easier.[9]
It is available in a 60 watt 1x12 combo (Called 6505+112), of which the internal circuitry is identical to that of the head, with exception of using 2 instead of 4 6L6GC powertubes an additional 3-spring reverb. It is made in China to cut costs.[10]
6534+ Plus[edit]
This version is identical to the 6505+, but uses EL34 tubes instead of 6L6GC tubes in the power section. It was created as a response to the growing demand of high-gain EL34 amplifiers, previously found almost solely in Marshall and ENGL amplifiers, both European brands[11]