Peavey 5150

Last updated
Eddie van Halen playing in front of a wall of EVH 5150 amps and cabs, 2012. Eddie van Halen on stage in front of EVH 5150 amps (vertical crop).jpg
Eddie van Halen playing in front of a wall of EVH 5150 amps and cabs, 2012.

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 in celebration of Peavey's 40th anniversary (1965–2005). The 5150 name was used again by Van Halen in partnership with Fender under the EVH brand in 2007 and 2011. [1]

Contents

Design of the amplifier began 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. Peavey has since released several other versions of this amplifier. [3] [4]

The 5150 has been widely used in metal and is renowned for its high gain distortion and character.

Conception

The 5150 was inspired by the cranked Marshall plexi tones of Eddie Van Halen and designed to provide high gain saturation as well as a clean channel. [5]

While the product was designed around a centered printed circuit board (PCB), 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 Tubes; this was later changed to Ruby Tube 6L6 Power Tubes, when Peavey's Sylvania supply was exhausted (per James Brown, "Tone-Talk", Ep. 17), [6] 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 ]

Use

Both the 5150 and the 6505 are well known for their high gain overdrive channel, and have 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". [7] Other notable artists and producers to use the 5150/6505 include Jason Suecof, Matt Tuck and Dino Cazares. [7] Dave Hunter describes the 5150 lead channel as having "a harmonic bloom and juicy harmonic saturation". [5]

Used in conjunction with an overdrive pedal (such as the Tube Screamer) to tighten the low end, the 5150 has been widely used in metal music. [8] The 5150 has gained popularity with extended range guitars (7, 8 or 9 strings guitars) because it retains clarity even with low tunings. [8]

Versions

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 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. [9] [10]

5150 / 6505

Peavey 6505 head and cab. Peavey 6505 amp (cropped).jpg
Peavey 6505 head and cab.

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 inputs 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. [11]

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. This combo also comes with a built in spring reverb unit that the head model does not have, controllable via the footswitch and indicated by a green LED when active. (Pg 3, button #9 in the manual) [12]

5150II / 6505 Plus

Peavey 6505+112 combo. My amp is awesome!.jpg
Peavey 6505+112 combo.

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. [13]

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. [14]

6534+ Plus

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 [15]

6505 II

This version comes with a new output transformer, which corrects some of the variation in midrange response. It also adds separate EQ, Resonance, and Presence controls to each channel. [16]

EVH 5150III

EVH 5150III. EVH 5150III details.jpg
EVH 5150III.

In 2007, Fender released, in collaboration with Eddie Van Halen, the EVH 5150 III. [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vox (company)</span> Musical equipment manufacturer

Vox is a British musical equipment manufacturer founded in 1957 by Thomas Walter Jennings in Dartford, Kent, England. The company is most famous for making the Vox AC30 guitar amplifier, used by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, The Yardbirds, Queen, Dire Straits, U2, and Radiohead; the Vox Continental electric organ, the Vox wah-wah pedal used by Jimi Hendrix, and a series of innovative electric guitars and bass guitars. Since 1992, Vox has been owned by the Japanese electronics firm Korg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peavey Electronics</span> American audio equipment manufacturer

Peavey Electronics Corporation is an American company which designs, develops, manufactures and markets professional audio equipment. It is one of the largest audio equipment manufacturers in the world, and is headquartered in Meridian, Mississippi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marshall Amplification</span> British company

Marshall Amplification is a Swedish company that designs and manufactures music amplifiers and speaker cabinets. It was founded in London by drum shop owner and drummer, Jim Marshall, and is based in Bletchley, Milton Keynes, England. Since March 2023, Marshall Amplification is a division of the Marshall Group, a Swedish company based in Stockholm. The group has other divisions that use the Marshall brand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vox AC30</span> Guitar amplifier

The Vox AC30 is a guitar amplifier manufactured by Vox. It was introduced in 1958 to meet the growing demand for louder amplifiers. Characterised by its "jangly" high-end sound it has become widely recognized by British musicians and others, such as George Harrison and John Lennon of the Beatles, Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones, Brian May of Queen, Dave Davies of the Kinks and Hank Marvin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bass amplifier</span> Electronic amplifier for musical instruments

A bass amplifier is a musical instrument electronic device that uses electrical power to make lower-pitched instruments such as the bass guitar or double bass loud enough to be heard by the performers and audience. Bass amps typically consist of a preamplifier, tone controls, a power amplifier and one or more loudspeakers ("drivers") in a cabinet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fender Twin</span> Guitar amplifier

The Fender Twin and Twin Reverb are guitar amplifiers made by Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. The Twin was introduced in 1952, two years before Fender began selling Stratocaster electric guitars. The amps are known for their characteristically clean tone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fender Hot Rod Deluxe</span>

The Fender Hot Rod Deluxe is a guitar amplifier manufactured and sold by the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. It was introduced in 1996 as part of the "Hot Rod" line of guitar amplifiers and has been in continuous production since. The Hot Rod Deluxe is a modified version of the Fender Blues Deluxe from the earlier Blues line of amplifiers, and has a higher level of gain in its preamplification signal. This model, along with the Hot Rod Deville, were originally designated as F.A.T. amplifiers but this moniker was dropped in 2002 when production of this series of amps was moved from Corona, CA to Fender's Baja-Ensenada, Mexico manufacturing facility.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fender Bassman</span>

The Fender Bassman is a series of bass amplifiers introduced by Fender during 1952. Initially intended to amplify bass guitars, musicians used the 5B6 Bassman to amplify other instruments, including electric guitars, harmonicas, and pedal steel guitars. Besides being a popular and important amplifier in its own right, the Bassman also became the foundation on which Marshall and other companies built their high-gain tube amplifiers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fender Hot Rod DeVille</span> Guitar amplifier

The Fender Hot Rod DeVille is a combo tube guitar amplifier manufactured and sold by Fender. It was introduced in 1996 as part of Fender's Hot Rod line of amplifiers, and since then has been in continuous production. The Hot Rod DeVille is a modified version of the earlier Fender Blues DeVille from the Blues amplifier line and has a higher level of gain in its preamplification signal. The DeVille incorporates a 60 watt amplifier and has been offered in two different models: a 212, with 2, 12-inch speakers and a 410, with 4, 10-inch speakers. The 410 utilized 10" Fender Special Design speakers made by Eminence and was available for versions II and III. The 212 has been available through versions II, III and IV. The 212 has offered the following speakers: 12" Fender Special Design by Eminence for version II, 12" Celestion G12-P80 for version III, and 12" Celestion A-Type for version IV. Fender described version III as incorporating modifications to the preamp to provide the drive channels with "more modern distortion," switching to Celestion speakers for the 212, and changing the control panel from chrome to black, for better visibility on stage. Fender described version IV as incorporating modifications to the preamp to provide the drive channels with "better definition of the notes," changing the type of Celestion speaker, and modifying the reverb unit to provide "smoother" and more controllable reverb. The DeVille is the sister amplifier of the Fender Hot Rod Deluxe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fender Champ</span>

The Fender Champ was a guitar amplifier made by Fender. It was introduced in 1948 and discontinued in 1982. An updated version was introduced in 2006 as part of the "Vintage Modified" line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fender Princeton Reverb</span> Guitar amplifier combo

The Fender Princeton Reverb is a guitar amplifier combo. It is based on the Princeton and includes built-in reverb and vibrato.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mesa/Boogie Mark Series</span>

The Mesa/Boogie Mark Series is a series of guitar amplifier made by Mesa Engineering. Originally just referred to as "Boogies", the product line took on the moniker "Mark Series" as newer revisions were put into production. The Mark Series amplifier was Mesa's flagship product until the introduction of the Rectifier series, and the amplifiers are collectable.

The Fender Deluxe guitar amplifier is a range of non-reverb guitar amplifiers produced by Fender. The amplifiers were originally produced from early 1948 to 1966 and reissues are in current production. Its predecessor was the Fender Model 26 "Woodie" produced from 1946 to 1948.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fender Vibroverb</span>

The Fender Vibroverb was a 40-watt combo guitar amplifier originally manufactured in 1963 and 1964. It was the first Fender amplifier to incorporate on-board reverb and tremolo/vibrato, which became a standard feature on many high-end Fender tube amps during the 1960s and 1970s.

Fryette Amplification of North Hollywood, California is a manufacturer of hand-built electric guitar amplifiers, speaker cabinets, power amplifiers, sound effects pedals and pedalboard accessories. The company was founded as VHT Amplification in Studio City, Los Angeles, California by Steven Fryette in January 1989 and was the first to produce a true three-channel vacuum tube amplifier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marshall JTM45</span> Guitar amplifier

The Marshall JTM45 amplifier is the first guitar amplifier produced by the British company Marshall. It was initially produced in 1963, and has been ranked among the most desirable of the company's amplifiers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keyboard amplifier</span>

A keyboard amplifier is a powered electronic amplifier and loudspeaker in a wooden speaker cabinet used for the amplification of electronic keyboard instruments. Keyboard amplifiers are distinct from other types of amplification systems such as guitar amplifiers due to the particular challenges associated with making keyboards sound louder on stage; namely, to provide solid low-frequency sound reproduction for the deep basslines that keyboards can play and crisp high-frequency sound for the high-register notes. Another difference between keyboard amplifiers and guitar/bass amplifiers is that keyboard amps are usually designed with a relatively flat frequency response and low distortion. In contrast, many guitar and bass amp designers purposely make their amplifiers modify the frequency response, typically to "roll-off" very high frequencies, and most rock and blues guitar amps, and since the 1980s and 1990s, even many bass amps are designed to add distortion or overdrive to the instrument tone.

The Fender '65 Twin Custom 15 is a guitar amplifier produced by Fender. It is a tube combo amp that pairs an 85-watt reissued Fender '65 Twin chassis with an enlarged cabinet and single 15 inch speaker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peavey Classic 30 112</span> Guitar amplifier

The Peavey Classic 30 112 is a guitar amplifier produced by Peavey Electronics. It is a tube amplifier designed for Blues, Country and Rock musicians. The Classic 30 112 is a member of the Classic Series family of amplifiers. The amps are known for their durability, flexibility, and tone. Earlier models were dressed in black tolex, while more recent models are dressed in a diagonal tweed material.

The Peavey Classic 50 amplifiers are guitar amplifiers produced by Peavey Electronics. The three models include the Classic 50 212, Classic 50 410. and the classic 50 amplifier stack, which consisted of a matching amplifier head and speaker cabinet. They are tube amplifiers designed for Blues, Country and Rock musicians. The Classic 50 amplifiers are members of the Classic Series.

References

  1. ↑ "EVH/Fender 5150 III". Project EVH. 2016-09-13. Retrieved 2020-12-05.
  2. ↑ "History". Amptweaker. 16 October 2020. Retrieved 2020-12-05.
  3. ↑ Owen, Matt (2022-12-15). "Peavey celebrates 30 years of one of metal's most iconic guitar amps with two new 6505 amp heads". guitarworld. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
  4. ↑ Rob Laing (2021-07-08). "More affordable EVH 5150 amps announced with designer James Brown back onboard". MusicRadar. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
  5. 1 2 Hunter, Dave (2013-05-15). 365 Guitars, Amps & Effects You Must Play: The Most Sublime, Bizarre and Outrageous Gear Ever. Voyageur Press. p. 235. ISBN   978-0-7603-4366-1.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  6. ↑ Ep. 17 - James Brown of Amptweaker, Peavey Van Halen 5150, Satriani JSX, Synyster Gates - YouTube
  7. 1 2 "Great Timelines in Modern Metal: The Peavey 6505". Guitar Player . October 2012. pp. 32–34.
  8. 1 2 Herbst, Jan-Peter (2023-09-14). The Cambridge Companion to Metal Music. Cambridge University Press. p. 39. ISBN   978-1-108-99791-1.
  9. ↑ "6505+ bias". Seymour Duncan Forums. Seymour Duncan. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  10. ↑ "The 6L6-GC / 5881". The Tube Directory. Retrieved 2020-12-05.
  11. ↑ "6505 Metal Guitar Amp". Peavey. Retrieved 2020-12-05.
  12. ↑ "Peavey website, 6505 212 product information" . Retrieved 2014-07-01.
  13. ↑ "6505 Plus Metal Guitar Amp". Peavey. Retrieved 2020-12-05.
  14. ↑ "Peavey website, 6505+112 product information" . Retrieved 2011-12-12.
  15. ↑ "Peavey website, 6534+ product information" . Retrieved 2011-12-12.
  16. ↑ "Music Radar, Peavey officially announces the return of one of metal's most iconic high-gain guitar amps as the 6505 II head is launched" . Retrieved 2023-08-13.
  17. ↑ Parker, Matt (2023-10-27). ""He hit the strings on his guitar, laid it on the floor, had the amp cranked and left his studio – and left it on for days. That was his torture test": Eddie Van Halen's rig builder Dave Friedman discusses the guitar legend's gear testing regime". guitarworld. Retrieved 2023-11-14.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.