5150 Iconic Series 80-watt Head - Black Review

5150 returns with a vengeance

I have had a 5150 within reach since 1993. I have every version including the evh line and the 6505 and 6534 heads. This head is without a doubt an excellent metal amp... just like all of its ancestors. The gate that is on it is fantastic and the overdrive button is super helpful with thinning out those flubbery low ends from down tuning. I love the head and we just tracked our… read more rhythm guitars with it for the new VEDIC recording. so great! matt/ vedic

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Best Amp of 2022

I love the way the 5150 Iconnic Sounds it might be the Best amplifier of 2022

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YEAH DUDE!

Now maybe it's just because I've been playing through amp sims for the last few years and every once in awhile blowing the dust off of my old Peavey Bandit but, this amp sounds pretty awesome. I think the price point is really good, its plenty loud for a jam/practice amp. Also, the integrated noise gate and reverb is a really cool touch. My dogs hate it though...they're not very… read more excited about it...

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EV…Holy smokes!

I waited out the hype, yes I did. The love, the hate, the nostalgia of its mention upon arrival was too much to take but upon walking into a mom & pop shop in NM I saw this amp and curiosity got me plugging into it with various guitars. While it was just the head and not the half stack it was fairly decent given the ratty cabs available for use. Not being a tone snob due to hearing… read more loss to 8 years in the Marines I found this amp rather enjoyable and pleasant to my ears. While I'm not a bluesy, clean guitarist, it had some bite for a snappy lick or two. Clean wise, it's not "warm" to a crisp, so yeah but the break up, the crunch and the sizzle, it's there(budget wise). While it's not the 5153 100w Stealth I have, this amp holds its own in a select category in itself. The features are great and unlike the other EVH amps, I can actually power it up without reaching around the back - NICE! Channel 1 OD is sweet, while channel 2 needs articulate dialing in. The Burn switch, it takes some figuring and good if not great speakers. 1/4 power is plenty of juice, wow. Full power, 80 watts, ohh that's more than enough. While I ran a Torpedo attenuator at first, I wouldn't recommend it as you hear a subtle flub of the speakers which can get annoying but players choice. OD boost pedals, I tried all my Maxon ODs and they didn't impress me with this amp. So I tried a simple TS9 to tighten up the OD and that really helped much. I'm running this thru a 2x12 EVH cab with Celestion 75 Creambacks and it sounds great cranked. I've a Randall 212 Celestion V30 cab and I did not like the extra fizz. Scooping this with Celestion K100s in a 212 cab was golden while dropped tuned but easily ear fatiguing. Overall, I'm happy with my purchase. Mind you I've an array of heads from Blackstar, Randall, Marshall, Egnater & EVH, so it's obviously not a matter this won't work. I love amps as a musical sanctuary and the selection of this amp isn't a loss as it's great. One last item of this amp, I don't care for the noise gate and the reverb but it's nice that's included. As for the boost, I didn't bother with it nor do I expect to. For the money, it's a great amp but others may disagree. I'd highly suggest you try one somewhere before buying or criticizing it. You may just be surprised, I was.

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Iconic brand / iconic tone

I have had a 5150 on every recording I have done since 1995. I have almost every model and incarnation they have branded with the name and tone... even 6534. This amp delivers just as you should expect with the name it has. Crushing tone for metal players. The cleans are a little less than desirable but hey, who cares :) I have only been using it at rehearsals for the last 6… read more weeks but it seems rock solid. I love the noise gate and burn option

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