5150 III One Day Review-GOT IT-UPDATED FIRST POST

[Steinmetzify]

Dude I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that your Recto sounded like it did to you due to the Orange cab! Orange makes one of, if not THE meanest and heaviest V30 cabs on the planet. If I wanted a cab for anything other than my Ultra Lead, it would likely be an Orange. I hope to get one possibly for my Twin Jet someday in fact. The reason I'm saying this about the Orange cab is that I found it funny you liked the low end so much on your old SingleRec. I don't find Mesas to have a very good low end in general, and if that's your "standard" for low end, I'll bet it was more because of the cab. I like Mesas, so don't get me wrong, but they have more of a good low/mid sound, and to me their very low frequencies are on the mushy side. The 5153 has 6L6 output tubes yes? If so, I would think the low end tightness should be in the general ballpark of a Mesa so long as you eq the front end correctly. At any rate......................... I would look at the cab first, but don't take too long, or you won't be able to return the 5153 if that's not the case. Good luck!

Well, as far as the Recto sounding like it did, I'm gonna say you're partly right....reason being that two of the guys that posted in this thread owned/currently own it, and as far as I know neither of them uses Orange cabs with it, and they both loved the crap out of it just like I did. But you're correct in saying that thing WAS mean and heavy...although the amp was modded by FJA and that might have had something to do with it too...thanks though...giving me some hope, yo! Hear ya on the wattage too...and I'd rather have 50 than 5!

Dang man.

I am sorry to hear you aren't digging the low end.

If it is almost there, except for that, my bet is that the 1x12 cab is the culprit. I hate 1x12's for exactly that reason.

As you know, I am considering picking one of these up too, with the matching 2x12 cab, and even that has me a bit concerned. I always seem to prefer a 4x12. Hell even the little Blackstar 5 watt amp I owned went through a 4x12!

There is just something about the thump of 4 speakers, no matter what volume you are playing that makes it feel right.

Most of my jamming is at pretty low volume, but not whisper volume....I typically jam in Madison Square Basement

If low end is the only real concern, I would definitely try out another cab before ditching the thing.

I hear ya....just rough to get hold of a good 2x12 right before Christmas, you know? This is a personal hobby, not a family thing, and I'm not gonna hurt anybody's Christmas so I can jam when no one is home.

I think you'd be fine with the 2x12, as long as you could turn it up, bro. No worries. I've put it to 3 for minute amounts of time. It's there, even with the 1x12, just not at the low volumes I'm playing at.

heres the thing with that review..volume too low...mxr 10 band..one day... all of those make for a misguided impression..also the 1x12 may be a factor..that said just keep the mesa, from my experience with both ,the evh wins on all accounts..and it has shittloads of bottom end if you need it.

I hear you man....but then again I've been doing this for 25 years. I know what works for me, and what doesn't. I haven't had this problem with other amps/cab combinations, which is why I posted it here for advice, so thanks for chiming in. As for keeping the Mesa, it's been gone since this summer; no option there.

I hear ya on the amp. I had mine for about a year. Funny you mentioned the single rec. I have a little recto verb combo, 1x12. Little beast. Red vinyl. Rectifiers are just cool.

I traded my 5153 to someone here on RT. no issue with the amp at all. It just likes power. Blue channel cranked is glorious. Just had 4 other 100W heads and didn't need it.

For a low volume application, or lower volume... The single rec covered it a bit better. But.... I like the meaner voiced amps. That may be why the Rhodes Gemini is the number 1.

If you just love it and don't want to return it, the Wampler Triple Wreck pedal will get you thick mean tone when you can't crank it and let your pant legs vibrate.

At the end of the day, to me, nothing replicates air moving. A fairly loud 4x12 is just the shit. If anything could replace that, it would stay sold out. Every forum talks about this issue. Hell, my stereo doesn't sound good unless it's cranked....

Someone needs to invent this.

Awright guys.....after hitting every shop in my area, low/high end and GC included, plus EVERY single pawnshop in the metro area, I found nothing under $450 that would be usable lol. I have sold every cab I've ever had for under that; 4x12s, 2x12s, all of them, at rock bottom prices so another guitarist could snag a deal and hopefully it'd be returned one day. Today was not that day.

I appreciate all the advice....the saga continues. I think everyone is right; it's the 1x12. I'll pick something up after Christmas, I guess. There's no way to know until I can play it thru something pushing more air, and that can't happen soon. I'll post another review if I keep it and get another Orange or Mesa Recto cab.

Thanks, guys. Been an interesting couple of days.

 

[glassjaw7]

Cabs make all the difference in the world. The III can be one really pissed off sounding amp. I'd ditch the boost and 10-band with that amp too, but that's just my opinion. The boost is probably taking away low end. Of course that all varies by each player's taste, but that's a tight amp.

 

[Erock]

Actually, have to admit I didn't see you were using a 1x12. That will make a big difference. If all that's missing is the low, and you love the voicing, I would try a cab first too. That amp can be plenty big and tight, even at lower vols. I heard ch2 on the 50w was a little more aggressive than the 100w too, I would have liked that on the 100w. I bet it takes a boost great.

 

[moronmountain]

Dude I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that your Recto sounded like it did to you due to the Orange cab! Orange makes one of, if not THE meanest and heaviest V30 cabs on the planet. If I wanted a cab for anything other than my Ultra Lead, it would likely be an Orange. I hope to get one possibly for my Twin Jet someday in fact. The reason I'm saying this about the Orange cab is that I found it funny you liked the low end so much on your old SingleRec. I don't find Mesas to have a very good low end in general, and if that's your "standard" for low end, I'll bet it was more because of the cab. I like Mesas, so don't get me wrong, but they have more of a good low/mid sound, and to me their very low frequencies are on the mushy side. The 5153 has 6L6 output tubes yes? If so, I would think the low end tightness should be in the general ballpark of a Mesa so long as you eq the front end correctly. At any rate......................... I would look at the cab first, but don't take too long, or you won't be able to return the 5153 if that's not the case. Good luck!

Well, as far as the Recto sounding like it did, I'm gonna say you're partly right....reason being that two of the guys that posted in this thread owned/currently own it, and as far as I know neither of them uses Orange cabs with it, and they both loved the crap out of it just like I did. But you're correct in saying that thing WAS mean and heavy...although the amp was modded by FJA and that might have had something to do with it too...thanks though...giving me some hope, yo! Hear ya on the wattage too...and I'd rather have 50 than 5!

Dang man.

I am sorry to hear you aren't digging the low end.

If it is almost there, except for that, my bet is that the 1x12 cab is the culprit. I hate 1x12's for exactly that reason.

As you know, I am considering picking one of these up too, with the matching 2x12 cab, and even that has me a bit concerned. I always seem to prefer a 4x12. Hell even the little Blackstar 5 watt amp I owned went through a 4x12!

There is just something about the thump of 4 speakers, no matter what volume you are playing that makes it feel right.

Most of my jamming is at pretty low volume, but not whisper volume....I typically jam in Madison Square Basement

If low end is the only real concern, I would definitely try out another cab before ditching the thing.

I hear ya....just rough to get hold of a good 2x12 right before Christmas, you know? This is a personal hobby, not a family thing, and I'm not gonna hurt anybody's Christmas so I can jam when no one is home.

I think you'd be fine with the 2x12, as long as you could turn it up, bro. No worries. I've put it to 3 for minute amounts of time. It's there, even with the 1x12, just not at the low volumes I'm playing at.

heres the thing with that review..volume too low...mxr 10 band..one day... all of those make for a misguided impression..also the 1x12 may be a factor..that said just keep the mesa, from my experience with both ,the evh wins on all accounts..and it has shittloads of bottom end if you need it.

I hear you man....but then again I've been doing this for 25 years. I know what works for me, and what doesn't. I haven't had this problem with other amps/cab combinations, which is why I posted it here for advice, so thanks for chiming in. As for keeping the Mesa, it's been gone since this summer; no option there.

I hear ya on the amp. I had mine for about a year. Funny you mentioned the single rec. I have a little recto verb combo, 1x12. Little beast. Red vinyl. Rectifiers are just cool.

I traded my 5153 to someone here on RT. no issue with the amp at all. It just likes power. Blue channel cranked is glorious. Just had 4 other 100W heads and didn't need it.

For a low volume application, or lower volume... The single rec covered it a bit better. But.... I like the meaner voiced amps. That may be why the Rhodes Gemini is the number 1.

If you just love it and don't want to return it, the Wampler Triple Wreck pedal will get you thick mean tone when you can't crank it and let your pant legs vibrate.

At the end of the day, to me, nothing replicates air moving. A fairly loud 4x12 is just the shit. If anything could replace that, it would stay sold out. Every forum talks about this issue. Hell, my stereo doesn't sound good unless it's cranked....

Someone needs to invent this.

Awright guys.....after hitting every shop in my area, low/high end and GC included, plus EVERY single pawnshop in the metro area, I found nothing under $450 that would be usable lol. I have sold every cab I've ever had for under that; 4x12s, 2x12s, all of them, at rock bottom prices so another guitarist could snag a deal and hopefully it'd be returned one day. Today was not that day.

I appreciate all the advice....the saga continues. I think everyone is right; it's the 1x12. I'll pick something up after Christmas, I guess. There's no way to know until I can play it thru something pushing more air, and that can't happen soon. I'll post another review if I keep it and get another Orange or Mesa Recto cab.

Thanks, guys. Been an interesting couple of days.

Take your head to a store that sells Orange cabs and tell them you'd like to hear your amp through it, then put it at the same volume you need it to work at in your apartment. It should at least give you a general idea, and you will know if you just need to return the 5153 before your refund date expires. Obviously you won't being buying the Orange on the spot if you do this, but you won't be lying to them about being in the market for one in the near future.

 

[madrigal77]

I'm really surprised you're not digging the MXR through it. I love the hell out of mine. If you're not getting enough low end with the resonance dimed AND the EQ in the loop, something is seriously wrong...

 

[Steinmetzify]

Bump this so guys can read the top

 

[moronmountain]

With a LOT of help, it's there. Low end, low volume, gritty, gainy, sounds good with BOTH of my main guitars (where before the solid body LP with BKPs in it sounded thin!?) on all channels and it's definitely rockable...had to use some settings that I'd never have come up with on my own for an amp like this....if I took a pic you guys'd laugh your asses off. But it's working, so I'm done complaining.

Plan is to keep it and snag another Orange cab after Christmas; with where it's at now it's gonna THUMP like a motherfucker thru a 2x12. Guess I'll just keep the 1x12 as a backup after I can snag the Orange.

I'd like to thank everyone that contributed; I know it was a PITA to read all this shit over and over, but it got done thanks to the brilliant minds at RT. Much appreciated, guys.

Special thanks to GuitarGuyLP and H Golf Sport for RT duty above and beyond. Their advice was invaluable. Thank you gentlemen.

I love this forum....people can say we're 80s guys, we're old guys, we're stuck in VH guys....but at the end of the day if someone has an issue we'll spend all weekend getting it figured out and that's not common on many of the forums I frequent.

Sweet! Gratz! btw, <<<<<<<<<<never been stuck in VH lol!

 

[nevusofota]

With a LOT of help, it's there. Low end, low volume, gritty, gainy, sounds good with BOTH of my main guitars (where before the solid body LP with BKPs in it sounded thin!?) on all channels and it's definitely rockable...had to use some settings that I'd never have come up with on my own for an amp like this....if I took a pic you guys'd laugh your asses off. But it's working, so I'm done complaining.

Plan is to keep it and snag another Orange cab after Christmas; with where it's at now it's gonna THUMP like a motherfucker thru a 2x12. Guess I'll just keep the 1x12 as a backup after I can snag the Orange.

I'd like to thank everyone that contributed; I know it was a PITA to read all this shit over and over, but it got done thanks to the brilliant minds at RT. Much appreciated, guys.

Special thanks to GuitarGuyLP and H Golf Sport for RT duty above and beyond. Their advice was invaluable. Thank you gentlemen.

I love this forum....people can say we're 80s guys, we're old guys, we're stuck in VH guys....but at the end of the day if someone has an issue we'll spend all weekend getting it figured out and that's not common on many of the forums I frequent.

 

[Mailman1971]

Awesome Scott.....glad you took a little extra time with it. Sounds like it was well worth it.

 

[Steinmetzify]

Totally brother...would recommend this to you without hesitation now. It's gonna be smoother than the Recto but you could add some grit if you needed to with and OD. I'm just glad I don't have to sweat it anymore; the hassle it was gonna be to box it back up and ship it on my dime was not something I was looking forward to lol.

 

[Mailman1971]

Yeah the cab I was thinking was going to be your drawback. When I sold My Mark III....I was running it thru a 4x12....SO HUGE sounding! When I sold it....buddy of mine brang his 2x12 up and plugged it in. Same tone of course...but the girth wasnt there. So a 1x12.....for me....ehhh....
But its all good. What ever is working for ya! Still on my list. But need the 100 watter.

 

[mctallica1]

Very cool dude!


Guess this is a real case of : Dial with your ears, not your eyes!

 

[ejecta]

Glad you got it all worked out! Sorry I couldn't be much help but you go after heavier tones that I don't so I couldn't give you guidance there other than I truly thought your bottom end issue could be related to using the 1x12 and or volume.

 

[glassjaw7]

 

[crankyrayhanky]

I kind of missed how this was solved(?)
oh well; enjoy!

 

[Steinmetzify]

Glad you got it all worked out! Sorry I couldn't be much help but you go after heavier tones that I don't so I couldn't give you guidance there other than I truly thought your bottom end issue could be related to using the 1x12 and or volume.

It was, bro and you were right.....I'm using the 10 band as a MV to keep everything down so I can use the amp volume to turn up and get the low end I needed....also, the presence and highs were way out of whack....you'd laugh at my settings now, but it's working.

I kind of missed how this was solved(?)
oh well; enjoy!

10 band EQ in the loop pushing up bass freqs and using the volume slider as a MV to let the amp's bass come thru. I can turn the volume on the amp way higher while doing this, and that lets the amp hit the speaker harder. Working so far!

 

[crankyrayhanky]

interesting...

 

[GuitarGuyLP]

By turning the volume down on the EQ in the loop you are actually getting the master volume up to the point where the volume control is acting less like a high pass filter. But with a high gain amp you want the power section to stay pretty clean, so you don't need to drive it hard you just need to be able to get the master volume setting up a bit higher, and turning it down in the loop is the cheapest, and easiest way to do that.