Peavey 5150 II or 6505+

[Eric O'Reilly]

I was rippin one of these at GC yesterday , the 6505+ and it was sick, i really want the old 5150 though, im an EVH nut, and I know they are the same essentially, but should i track down an old one, or would I be better off with a new one, because its brand new, but i like the evh nostalgia part of an older one, what would you do?

 

[joe web]

i'm with you on this thoughts. for me it would be an original 5150 II, but the 5150 II is kinda hard to find and the price is a bit higher as for a used 6505+
in the end, it's the same amp....if you can find a nice one, go for it.

 

[Tollywood]

Hi Eric,

Well, I've had a 5150 II and the big numbers really look awesome. I am a HUGE evh fan, so I know it's cool to look over at your amp and see the 5150. That being said, the 5150's are getting old, and they are more money than a 6505. So, I would recommend that you get a 6505. Less money and fewer hours on the amp. Same sound!

Good luck, bro!

 

[Tim O'Sullivan]

My rule of thumb with amps - 'Never buy old electrical goods'!

 

[t_rod]

Are you talking about the combo? The 6505+ 112 combos are made in china where as the 5150 would be American built. Even used, I'd put my faith on an American made amp. If you comparing heads then ignore me lol.

 

[Eric O'Reilly]

Yeah it was the head, but I would really like an old 5150 combo, that way I would not have to buy the matching cab,( i dont own a cab) but the old peavey 5150 cabs are going used for about $199 to $250. Thats pretty good for a usa made cabinet! But i would probably want a head and cab, but those old 2 12 combos are really cool, and some say have better tone than the heads.

 

[Eric O'Reilly]

The sustain was unreal, its got crazy amounts of gain, almost too much, but it has a real sweet spot with the gain on 6 or so, that thing was LOUD!!!!!!!

 

[Tim O'Sullivan]

I hear the 5150 combos are heavier than the sun!

 

[joe web]

5150s/6505s are LOUD! yes! and that´s the only way they really sound!

 

[nick_in_STL]

Honestly if high volume is not a problem, the 5150III is badass. That thing absolutely screams, but there is no dialing it down...the volume is loud, Louder, and LOUDEST.

 

[Stratty316]

Yes the 5150 combo was a tank! I think it was 80-90 Lbs if memory serves me right. I sold mine mainly because I had no use for an amp that loud and in an apartment. I've played the 6505 combo and it holds up to the 5150... Now a days I like something with a nice clean channel that I can build my sound from with a pedal or two. I loved my Princeton Reverb Reissue... But even that at 15W was too much for the baby. Currently it's headphones to an effects processor for me but at least I can play at any time of the day again.

Bottom line- get the 6505 head and call it a day. If you need the 5150 logo you can always buy it and slap it on there.

 

[Tollywood]

...but the old peavey 5150 cabs are going used for about $199 to $250. Thats pretty good for a usa made cabinet!

I believe the Peavey 5150 cabinets are made out of crappy wood, some type of particle board, if memory serves me. When I had my 5150 head I ran it through a (purple!) Soldano cabinet, which I believe was made out of birch plywood, which is furniture grade plywood. Cabinet wood matters. You could go with a 2x12, which would be lighter. PRS makes cabinets out of good wood, too.

 

[just007]

I have the 5150 block letter combo its made out of baltic birch ply apparently all I know is if you can get past the weight of it its like having 4 amps in one box I only would stray away from mine for a slo

 

[Eric O'Reilly]

I really like the peavey 5150 combos! If I bite, i will go for that.

 

[t_rod]

I have a 6505 2x12 combo, same thing as the 5150 combo. It is f'ing loud and sounds so good. I've played the 5150 head through a Badcat 4x12 and the 6505 combo is definitely on par. So if your not to concerned about the badge then thats one to go for also. As a side note, be prepared to replace the tubes on a used amp.
Only issue I have is it has a shared eq for rhythm and lead channels, but its not a big deal for me.

 

[uOpt]

Particle board is not bad per se for cabinets. It sounds different because it dampens. And it is heavier. But it doesn't sound clearly worse than plywood which has more life to it, which some interpret as not enough dampening.

 

[just007]

You cant go wrong with the 5150/6505 2x12 combos I wasnt to keen on the 6505+ I tried though just seemed to be left wanting to my ears, I think when I got my 5150 I'd read so many posts about how poor the clean channel was that I was pleasantly surprised when I actually heard it!

 

[just007]

The 1x12 combo I was referring to