Bardagh
Well-known member
Can’t go wrong there. IMO the best 5150 red channel out of all the iterations on the original combo. If I had one again I’d pay someone to build me a headshell for it.
Peavey 6505 1992 original
- Thread starter BesaMoogie
- Start date
the other John Browne
Well-known member
I heard these new amps can take EL34s too
gbsmusic
Well-known member
Yeah I'm looking forward to it the only thing I would consider would be different speakers. I remembered the Sheffields to be a little on the harsh. I'm thinking about the EVH Greenbacks but they would only be 50 Watts, I know I would be fine but it would still be in the back of my head the 65 Creambacks (which I also love) are also an option.
Bardagh
Well-known member
The Sheffields aren’t awful or anything but they’re kind of a colder/harsher greenback sound. Always thought there was sort of a metallic hollow sound to them. To me there would be no value in the actual cabinet. I always ran mine out to external cabs.
Mr. Willy
Well-known member
Peavey had a reputation for ruggedly built amps? Must’ve been before my time. When I think Peavey, I think great tonal value for the dollar, but I also think of cutting corners when it comes to quality. Their stuff, for me, always sounded pretty decent to good, but it was also something that could just quit working at any moment for any reason.
japetus
Moderator
I see a whole lot of old 70's and 80's Peaveys still out there....
the4thlast1
Well-known member
I owned an Invective and thought that for 100w amp it did not have the same amount of headroom of my original 6505+. I like to crank the volume on my amps every now and then to see how well they hold up. In comparison to my other amps, I could dime the volume on the Invective and it was not as loud and starting to fall apart. This makes me wonder if the transformers they are referring to are any better or just a new cost effective design.
BesaMoogie
Well-known member
Some more stuff from the Seven String forum.
PS: I really don`t want to push these amps here cause I think, only a direct comparison will give the right answers in the end. But I guess it`s some good info to know.
Both amps will contain new transformers that are based around what the engineers at Peavey felt was "the best sounding example" of the original 5150 transformers. The transformer is actually the same one that is used in the Invective. They had multiple examples from the early runs in the shop, and based these transformers around the best sounding one, with a couple of tweaks to get it exactly where they wanted it. The new transformers will also be manufactured to a tighter tolerance, per Peavey.
Screen grid resistors have been updated to 700 ohms, as the original spec was meant to work best with the original Sylvania STR-387 power tubes that were standard for Peavey from the mid 80s until the early 5150 runns This change came with the 6534+ release years ago, though, and is not technically new to this amp. The power section layout was technically updated with all Peavey 6505, 6505+ and 6534+ models to accommodate EL34 power tubes with the proper pinout, but again, this happened with the release of the 6534+, not specific to these new amps.
Heater connections to the power tubes have been respec'd as well, as those were also prone to failure in older models. This is new to the 6505 1992 Original and 6505II
There were some other component quality upgrades made, but those details were not laid out for me.
The amps now have a detachable power chord.
The amps now have international voltage selection dials.
PS: I really don`t want to push these amps here cause I think, only a direct comparison will give the right answers in the end. But I guess it`s some good info to know.
Both amps will contain new transformers that are based around what the engineers at Peavey felt was "the best sounding example" of the original 5150 transformers. The transformer is actually the same one that is used in the Invective. They had multiple examples from the early runs in the shop, and based these transformers around the best sounding one, with a couple of tweaks to get it exactly where they wanted it. The new transformers will also be manufactured to a tighter tolerance, per Peavey.
Screen grid resistors have been updated to 700 ohms, as the original spec was meant to work best with the original Sylvania STR-387 power tubes that were standard for Peavey from the mid 80s until the early 5150 runns This change came with the 6534+ release years ago, though, and is not technically new to this amp. The power section layout was technically updated with all Peavey 6505, 6505+ and 6534+ models to accommodate EL34 power tubes with the proper pinout, but again, this happened with the release of the 6534+, not specific to these new amps.
Heater connections to the power tubes have been respec'd as well, as those were also prone to failure in older models. This is new to the 6505 1992 Original and 6505II
There were some other component quality upgrades made, but those details were not laid out for me.
The amps now have a detachable power chord.
The amps now have international voltage selection dials.
HarryCooter
Active member
In early 2020 you could get a 6505, 5150, or DSL for $400 all day long. Now, I see people reposting these over and over again for months on end at like $800+. Shit is hilarious.
Bossman415
Active member
It's nice to hear they're addressing all the shortcomings. I believe they also come with external bias test points.
japetus
Moderator
I am waiting to find one cheap locally (to avoid shipping on the tank heaviness shipping prices).
cobrahead1030
Well-known member
The first 5150 head I owned (original block letter) was missing half the knobs, had 3 of the pot shafts broken off, and looked like it'd been dragged behind a car. turned out the previous owner had knocked it off a full stack into a drum kit, mid-show.
I eventually replaced the broken pots, knobs, handle, and rubber feet. Back then you could just call them and order those parts over the phone dirt cheap. But in all the years I owned it, I never had a single reliability issue.
Bossman415
Active member
@japetus smart move. With the way the economy is going, a used one is bound to pop up at a nice enough discount.
japetus
Moderator
I have came REALLLLLLLLLY close but I keep losing out. I played one way back in the day, but the guy sold it because it was too heavy. I was using it a lot. A lot of people talk about changing them to a head form, but I actually think the combo itself sounds great. I would like to hear if anyone experimented with changing out speakers in the 2x12 and their experiences.
Bossman415
Active member
@japetus if I was dead set on buying a Peavey 5150, I'd just wait and get the new one at a discount.
The list of upgrades they're claiming sound appealing if I was planning on hanging on to it for a long time.
Plus, hasn't Peavey become a PITA to buy replacement parts for vintage (I can't believe I'm calling it that) 5150's? Not sure if that's rumor or true.
Bardagh
Well-known member
When they were still built in the US, yeah, at least among players. Anyone who would have had to open one up probably might not have agreed. But I think it was a holdover from Peavey’s reputation from the 70’s/80’s plus the fact that their amps weighed a lot. “It’s built like a tank!” was commonly said.
I’m not even hating on Peavey, really, other manufacturers also had/have issues as designs got more complicated and engineered more to take advantage of modern manufacturing and components (I’d rather have to deal with the insides of a 5150/6505 than any of the JCM 2000s for instance).
the4thlast1
Well-known member
Im assuming all these newer ones will be made in China like the rest of their products are now ? I dont want to bash either, if these newer ones sound or feel better thats cool. I wouldnt mind trying one to compare to my USA built 6505+ , its prob my favorite all around amp for Metal.
