EVH 5150 III

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Bruno Petrucci

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Hi everyone!

I would like to know more things about this head. From where I am, I have no chances to try one easily, so I hope you can help me.
I believe my Roadster will be gone soon, so I need to replace it. I've been searching a lot last weeks (if not months) and I'm still not sure. I'm sure of one thing: I don't want another "loose" amp. I need TIGHTNESS.
To give you an idea, I liked a LOT the Diezel VH4 I tried once, but it is very expensive. The same goes for Mesa's Mark series as it is in the same price range here in Portugal.

So I've been reading a lot about EVH 5150 III and hearing several clips. However, I'm not sure yet. Is it as tight as the Mark series? (I believe so, from what I've heard).
What about its ability to do metal? I've heard divergent opinions on this. Some say it has enough gain and saturation (a lot more than the Mesa's) with no need of overdrives but it's not designed for metal (maybe they never had played one and judge by the "EVH" and what it represents.

Anyway, I hope this thread will be fun and interesting and can provide good information for all

Thanks to you all ;)
 
Reallyyyyy nice!

However, it's hard to believe those settings... 50% Gain? 15% lows? Doesn't it has post EQ? I know that he says the chain it's only the guitar and amp through a cab, but I can hear a delay in the solo...

But it really seems beautiful for recoring. But the lack of mids (as in the video) won't be hard to overcome and cut through the mix in a live setting?

Thanks
 
C'mon guys!

It's really hard to try amps around here. I need more opinions on this one.

If everything goes well I will deliver my Roadster to his new owner next Tuesday. I'm not in a rush to buy a new amp, but I want to have all my rig set as soon as possible.

Thanks in advance guys ;)
 
There are a bunch of guys on Rig Talk with 5153's. You can probaly find all the ifo youre looking for there.
 
It is a great amp bud. CH3 is as tight or tighter then my MV for metal. It is just flat out brutal. I sold my Roadster to get it because like you I found the Roadster to loose and flubby. The other issue I had with the Roadster is that you had to CRANK it to get a good solid palm mutting metal tone out of it.

The 5150III is incredibly tight and sounds decent at lower volumes. The best way I can describe how it sounds (CH3) is the tightness of a high gain solid state amp but with the warmth and harmonics of a tube amp.

Hope that helps you out :)
 
Thanks

It helps a lot!

That's exactly what I'm looking for, specially the kind of distortion that you mentioned. I just need to go in a different direction from the Rectifiers.

And I've been looking for someone here to compare the 5150 III to the Mark series, but in a Mesa Boogie's forum sometimes it's hard to admit that other amps are as good as Mesas.

I'm in a solo project and starting a progressive rock/metal band. Can the 5150 III handle the two??
Oh, and I'm the only guitar player in the band, so I have to do rythm and lead work

thanks ;)
 
heres a recent one

http://www.rig-talk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=79130
 
Thanks droptrd

I've seen it already. It's just that I'm lookink for opinios from people that actually plays/played the amp. In this threads there are allways 2 or 3 guys that actually have "touched" the thing and all the rest are just "internet readers" (as I am right now).

I'll try one in November. Right now I'm focused in finishing my master, so I can have more time for music. After that I'll try some amps and will see how it'll go ;)

Thanks again
 
I have one, combo, 212. it's the 6505, pretty much the same as the 5150 III.
If you have a Roadster, keep it! You'll miss it if you get the Peavey... If you're from around Lisboa I can give you the tour of the amp. I have a Rec cab 212 and it sounds so much better than the Sheffields of the combo...
I'm trying to sell it...
Abraço!!!!
 
Hi Rkorn

Thanks for your invitation. I will accept, sure.
I believe that there are similarities between the EVH 5150 III and the 6505 but at the end I believe that it's 2 different amps.

I already sold my Roadster. Great amp, but not what I'm looking for.

When I finish my master (in two weeks, hopefully) I'll contact you for the "tour"

Nice to know that there are portuguese musicians around ;)

Abraço
 
No problem.
Good luck with it, mine took place last year... all ended up well!!!
Give me a call then!
 
6506 and 5150III are NOT the same amp.

clean is a sparkly chimey, and can get nice breakup.

ch2. is very marshally, thick crunch... similar to a modern - old van halen (more girth and gain available than a dimed plexi.. but same bass tone) ... i think this is more akin to recto type of distortion...

ch.3 is a lead tone, very gained like the lead of 6505. high gain soldano type. works well for modern metal. i'd say its tight... but not in the same what that a mark amp would be.


ive only played it in stores at approx 1 on the volumes thogh (its really really loud, very early on the dial.) But i do own the 5150ii and have many years of use with that.

edit... i was just trying to point out that there is a difference between the two amps, not offend anyone, as ive seen arguments on these forums.
 
Ok yes, this is all true!
I thought the 5150II was the amp in question... my mistake!!
I don't know why but I keep forgetting there are EVH amps...
 
“It is a great amp bud. CH3 is as tight or tighter then my MV for metal.”

“ch.3 is a lead tone, very gained like the lead of 6505. high gain soldano type. works well for modern metal. i'd say its tight... but not in the same what that a mark amp would be.”

Well… is it or it is not??? Ahah

I am the first to argue that tone is subjective. But the “components” of the tone, such as tightness, must not be. They must be objective like “this one is tighter than this!”. Over.

I finally finished my master, so now I have time to try some amps. I don’t know if I’ll be able to find this one here in Portugal, that’s why I’m so interested in opinions

Thanks a lot and keep this thread alive!
 
I believe Castanheira in Lisboa still has a Mark V... it sounds really good.
When I think of tone i think of fullness... the 6505 doesn't have it as much as the Mesa. It sounds a bit compressed, it is great for the chunga chunga kind of sound, but if your playing without always having the strings muted with your picking hand than... the Mesa is a lot better... thats my opinion. I also believe the Mesa is better with fx pedals! But that is the 6505... I don't know any store who has a 5150 in Portugal for you to try...
 
Musifex sells them, but I don't know if they have one at the store to try. The Mark V was one oh the amps I would consider, but its price goes beyond what I want to spend right now. People say the EVH is great for recording and its 3 channels seems to be what I need. I'm also considering the Laney VH100r. Maybe I'll try that Mark V just for comparison.
 
Hi everyone

Let me do just an update.

Well, I've tried some amps recently, namely the Mesa Boogie Mark V, the EVH 5150 III and the Engl Invader 100 in this order. I'll do a brief review of each one. I tried the Mesa Boogie and the Engl at moderate levels. The EVH I had to try it with lower levels.

First the Mark V. It was in a red tolex and its matching 4x12 cab. Overall, I am disapointed with this amp, specially regarding the channels 2 and 3. It was nothing that I was expecting. Very similar in sound to my Ex-Roadster and doesn't have the tightness I was expecting. But it's still a great amp. The cleans are really good and the modes in this channel really make a difference. I tried all possible combinations with the modes, gain, master volume and output as with the EQ knobs. So, in the first channel this amp is everything I expected and not behind the Roadster clean sounds.
Second channel is good, not great. There are some crunch tones in it and the Mark I mode I found it very usable. The other two modes are very similar, despite the differences in gain and volume that you can achive by tweaking the knobs of an amp without the modes feature. Given that the modes are not footswitchable, this ends to be not a great feature.
The third channel was THE disapointment. Not the kind of tightness I tought it would have. Not the looseness of a Recto but I supposed that the difference would be more pronounced. And I tried everything on the amp. However, despite the disapointment, I must say that it has great tones, specially when using the EQ sliders. For me the big plus is the clean channel.

The I tried the EVH 5150 III. I had to keep it in lower levels because the store didn't have a special room to try the amps. However, I liked very much the sounds I coulg get from this head.
The clean channel is way better than people keep writing on the internet. I really liked this one as much as the Mark V clean channel, no doubts about it. Full sound and very clean with the gain at 9.00. No matter how I was turning the knobs the cleans were always great. MAybe not as versatil as the Mark V but who cares... 5 stars! With the gain maxed you can easily do AC/DC tones. Easily!
Second channel stars where channel one leaves it and goes to hi-gain. And I mean it! I would say that it has almost as gain as the Roadster in channels 3 and 4 in vintage/modern modes. I know some will say that I'm crazy, but I only accept opinions from who had tried the two amps I'm comparing right now. However, I didn't find this channel great for soloing. Found it somehow loose.
The third channel is what every hi-gain channel should be. Much more gain than the Mesa amps.. Period. More tight than the Mark V. Great lead sounds and I kept soloing and riffing in this channel. The best hi-gain channel of the three amps by far.
Overall, the one that I liked the most. Maybe not as versatil as the MArk V for some, but for me I think that the 3 channels can do everything that I need.

The Invader is a great amp. The clean channel is as good or even better than the other two amps. The crunch (channel 2) is good but its voicing is different than the usual. Not that british sound you want to find in such a channel. The channels 3 and 4 are pure metal and have their differences. The channel 4 being smoother than 3, just a little (I would want a little more smoothness in this one).
The buttons on this amp really make a difference (more than some modes on the Mark V) and it has a noise gate. Everything can be MIDI controled. The one with more usable features, in my opinion.
However, you have to like the Engl voicing, which was a little concern to me. Not the processed feeling as the Powerball but has the Engl sound than some may not like.

So, in summary, I liked the EVH the most. I was affraid to get in love with the Mark V and I really thought that it would be the case. I would get really great sounds out of the MArk V and would get one for myself with praise but I was hoping it would be different than it is. The Engl is different from the other two and should be considered. The EVH wins because its almost a plug-n-play amp, sounds really good, its channels are very wide and I had much fun playing through it.

My decision is not made yet. I'll try some more amps (maybe the Diezel VH4 and Blackstar series one) just to be sure of my choice. Use my review just as it is, subjective although the most unbiased as I tried it to be. Three great amps... just different. I can understand different opinions easilly

Thanks and sorry for the big post ;)
 
I know this is an old topic.

I sold my Mark III and kept my Mark V, mostly do to the versatility of the Mark V.

I have only been playing Boogies since 2005 and need a change. I had a Triaxis / 2:90, Mark III, Mark IV and have a Mark V

I saw a deal for a new EVH 5150 III 50 watt. I ordered it and I got to play it this past weekend. It sounded amazing from the first note. I was able to get a great sound right away. Within 5 or ten minutes I dialed in a sound that was perfect. I only wish the amp had a better clean sound. It is good, but channel 1 and 2 share the same controls. The 100 watt version has separate controls, but no MIDI. The 50 watt version has MIDI
 

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