6505+ vs 5150 III

[ZachMN]

What did Eddie and or Fender do different to this design from what he was using? ( I know is was still the 5150 so if there was a profound change to the 6505 and then the 6505+) Perhaps this has been dealt with in the past if so can someone link me to a thread dealing with this? Thank You!

 

[HilltopExplosion]

Are you looking for technical/electronic reasons, or tonal? The Peavey 5150 and 5150II ( same as 6505 & 6505+) are different. IMO the 6505+ is more versatile than the 6505, however I prefer the 6505 tone. I think it has more grunt, and more crunch than the +. The Fender/EVH 5150III is completely different from the other two in tone. I think it has a higher mid emphasis, more of a hot rodded Marshall-y tone, compared to the lower mids in the 6505/+. The resonance feature helps define the tone of the Peavey also. As far as design differences, I can't help, but I'm sure there are plenty here that can help explain that.

 

[shreder75]

The evh is tighter and has more usable gain than the 6505, too. That's been my experience, anyway. Can't comment on the +. Never played one

 

[f550maranello2]

I have both, and will tell you the Fender version is a lot better.. better clean and better red channel, much more defined is the word im looking for. The peavey is not a bad amp and although it does sound similar I like the fender better.

 

[DAMIAN The MAN]

EVH 5153 is like a tactical swiss knife: sharp, refined, elegant, select and yet full of strength & force.
PV 5150 is brute force. But it's HUGE ! The headroom and bottom end is mind blowing!
Tweaking a lot you can do one to resemble the other in general tone character. And yet remain different ...
Personally, I'm glad I own them both, I would not be able anymore to choose only one.

 

[HilltopExplosion]

The evh is tighter and has more usable gain than the 6505, too. That's been my experience, anyway. Can't comment on the +. Never played one

I have both, and will tell you the Fender version is a lot better.. better clean and better red channel, much more defined is the word im looking for. The peavey is not a bad amp and although it does sound similar I like the fender better.

Will agree here! Had a 5150, sold a long time ago, still have the 6505+ and EVH 5150III... Love the EVH.

 

[jc986]

My favorite of the series is the original 5150/6505. I have owned all three iterations (5150, 6505+, and EVH 5153). My least favorite of the three was the EVH. It is tighter, but also considerably thinner and fizzier. I also didn't care for the cleans at all on the EVH.

Of the three I thought the 6505+ had the best cleans and was overall most versatile. It is a bit tighter than the regular 5150, and shifts to focus more in the high mids.

 

[ElectricVoodoo]

Love my 5153 50 watt. Have it now about 2 years, great amp in its stock form still. Everyone says how tight it is, I don't thnk its all that tight.

Compared to a Splawn QR, its no contest, that amp is the tightest I've ever heard imo.

 

[fusedbrain]

Are you looking for technical/electronic reasons, or tonal? The Peavey 5150 and 5150II ( same as 6505 & 6505+) are different. IMO the 6505+ is more versatile than the 6505, however I prefer the 6505 tone. I think it has more grunt, and more crunch than the +. The Fender/EVH 5150III is completely different from the other two in tone. I think it has a higher mid emphasis, more of a hot rodded Marshall-y tone, compared to the lower mids in the 6505/+. The resonance feature helps define the tone of the Peavey also. As far as design differences, I can't help, but I'm sure there are plenty here that can help explain that.

I've never played a + model, but I own a block letter 5150, a 6505 and a 5150III stealth, and this description nails it!
The modded Marshally goodness of the Stealth blue channel is killer. The Peavey's just can't go there.
Still cool amps for what they do, but more of a one trick pony vs the EVH models. It's a cool trick to have around though, that's why I still have the Peavey's

 

[shreder75]

Love my 5153 50 watt. Have it now about 2 years, great amp in its stock form still. Everyone says how tight it is, I don't thnk its all that tight.

Compared to a Splawn QR, its no contest, that amp is the tightest I've ever heard imo.

Kinda apples and oranges. Played a qr for ten years, have had a 50 watt evh for three. The evh is more compressed and definitely more saturated. Not saying one is better than the other, but they're pretty different amps.

 

[shreder75]

The evh is tighter and has more usable gain than the 6505, too. That's been my experience, anyway. Can't comment on the +. Never played one

I have both, and will tell you the Fender version is a lot better.. better clean and better red channel, much more defined is the word im looking for. The peavey is not a bad amp and although it does sound similar I like the fender better.

Will agree here! Had a 5150, sold a long time ago, still have the 6505+ and EVH 5150III... Love the EVH.

The evh is a pretty badass amp. Tough to beat it's features and sounds at its price point...if those sounds are your bag, that is. And I don't really give a shit if it's considered a"poor man's amp" here or anywhere else. I dig it because it's a mean mother fucker and does exactly what I want.

 

[ZachMN]

Yeah I should have been a bit more precise in my question as I have no idea about the technical stuff other than if someone told me they were a different design/circuit etc. so I should have asked if the tonality was markedly different because there are a couple of 6505+ heads near me used that I was considering picking up for fun and really wondered if the difference was so huge I couldn't dial in a sound that was close between the two.... and it sounds like there is a voicing difference going on (more saturation an smoothness and something with the mids in the Fender version).
I did do a search of the forum an found one thread that was somewhat helpful but the problem there lies in what are people using them for and what gear are they feeding it with? All variables that have to be sifted through when soliciting this kind of advice. In other words Eddie had a say in its design yet it ends up being the metal amp of the last two decades- not a tone he's known for to say the least so I was wondering if they did some tweaking to the design he started with back in 91 or whatever...and it sounds like they did tweak some stuff which is only natural...

Thanks for the responses. I appreciate the banter here a lot and even though I don't post much but I do follow a lot of the threads and try to keep abreast of what is happening with certain types of gear etc.

 

[the4thlast1]

Ive owned them all... Peavey , Fender ... Plus , non Plus, Stealth.

The 6505+ and the EVH 100 watt are so very similar , they sound like the same amp with slight differences ... Seriously I had the Fender original version, Stealth version and a Peavey 6505+ all here at the same time recently. Compared them extensively. The overall tone especially the high gain is so very similar. The original 5150/6505 non plus version is actually the one that sounds the most different....That original peavey non plus version is thicker , looser and more aggressive, bigger lowend/low mids, not as smooth as the plus peavey version or the fender version.

Keep in mind I also spent lots of time trying different preamp and power tubes as well as different bias settings in all versions which will make a noticeable difference. A lot of times guys make assumptions and decisions based on trying one of these amps that have not been "tuned" to perfection. Sometimes they even benefit from a "tune up" new out of the box so keep that in mind also.

When it was all said and done I kept the Peavey 6505+ .. The differences I found were that the Peavey had a bit more clarity , punch and openness. The EVH is a bit smoother, darker, more compressed, a little bit blurry in comparison. I found the EVH to be a little better for leads and the 6505+ a bit better for rhythm. I wouldnt mind having both amps around, they are both such great amps especially for the price. Cant go wrong with either, I would actually give them a tie as final decision , one is not better than the other.

As far as cleans go the 6505+ cleans are fine, not bad actually. I do not find the Fender version cleans to be better, not as bright yes but I like the bit of sparkle on the 6505+ cleans... The 5150/ 6505 non plus version does not do cleans really so thats not a fair comparison if someone says " The Peavey Cleans suck" They are talking about the non plus version.

 

[charvelstrat81]

I prefer the 5150II to the 5153's
I just sold my 50 watt 5153 and also the LBX i bought.
Just don't like the voice of the gain, there is something in it i cant dial out.
kept my 5150II.

 

[Badronald]

I actually really, really like my 6505+. I've had plenty of boutique amps and have landed on the Peavey and Splawn QR. As mentioned the cleans are very nice on the + version. Specifically with the right guitar and pickups.

I don't look for compliments on my tone. I've always received compliments on my tone. I work hard on it. I have to say I've received more compliments on my live tone with the 6505+ and Mesa 2x12 than I have ever had. Players are stunned at how clear, articulate, punchy and huge my tone is. I play in a trio so size matters.

The Peavey is just an absolutely killer, all around great rock/heavy rock/metal guitar amp. The loop is great so delays sound amazing. My rig is dead silent and bullet proof.

Now when I run a dual amp rig with the Splawn Quickrod the tone is flat out balls.

 

[Badronald]

And I don't really give a shit if it's considered a"poor man's amp" here or anywhere else. I dig it because it's a mean mother fucker and does exactly what I want.

Yup. I never cared about any of that stuff either. Either the tone rocks or it doesn't. Price is insignificant.

 

[charvelstrat81]

I actually really, really like my 6505+. I've had plenty of boutique amps and have landed on the Peavey and Splawn QR. As mentioned the cleans are very nice on the + version. Specifically with the right guitar and pickups.

I don't look for compliments on my tone. I've always received compliments on my tone. I work hard on it. I have to say I've received more compliments on my live tone with the 6505+ and Mesa 2x12 than I have ever had. Players are stunned at how clear, articulate, punchy and huge my tone is. I play in a trio so size matters.

The Peavey is just an absolutely killer, all around great rock/heavy rock/metal guitar amp. The loop is great so delays sound amazing. My rig is dead silent and bullet proof.

Now when I run a dual amp rig with the Splawn Quickrod the tone is flat out balls.

you have had the same experience i have had with the 5150II
I think it is a great "sleeper" amp.
there is a reason it is the only amp i STILL have and has not been sold.

 

[ElectricVoodoo]

And I don't really give a shit if it's considered a"poor man's amp" here or anywhere else. I dig it because it's a mean mother fucker and does exactly what I want.

Yup. I never cared about any of that stuff either. Either the tone rocks or it doesn't. Price is insignificant.

Yes indeed gentlemen.

 

[7 Stringer]

What about the 6534+?

Nobody ever mentions that amp. It is really an incredible amp. Think the 6505+ but a bit less compressed, shifted mids(el34) and an awesome clean. Quieter too. When i had mine, I could dial it very close to my BE100. If i ever sell my expensive amps, i am definately getting another one of those.

That said, I currently run an EVH100 and have my trusty 5150 II as my backup. I prefer having the blue channel available at all times on the fly. But either will do my main heavy rythm fine. Prefer the EVH a tad more for that.

Chris

 

[HilltopExplosion]

What about the 6534+?

Nobody ever mentions that amp. It is really an incredible amp. Think the 6505+ but a bit less compressed, shifted mids(el34) and an awesome clean. Quieter too. When i had mine, I could dial it very close to my BE100. If i ever sell my expensive amps, i am definately getting another one of those.

That said, I currently run an EVH100 and have my trusty 5150 II as my backup. I prefer having the blue channel available at all times on the fly. But either will do my main heavy rythm fine. Prefer the EVH a tad more for that.

Chris

He didn't ask about it, but I've played through a 6534, through a Mesa cab... Bad... Ass! Very crunchy (I like a lot of mids) and the more volume I put to it, the more I smiled. If I remember right the pre was only on 4, but we had the volume at noon and it was kicking me in the chest like a mule! Brutal amp! Like you said... very underrated. There's one here locally, floor model, USA made, but I think they want 1200 bucks.. and I'm broke!

My 6505+ and EVH 51503 sound nothing alike.. There is a crispness that's in the EVH that's not in my Peavey, even when using same guitar/cab. Maybe it's just my amp, but I've tried boxes full of pre and power tube combinations to get them where I want them.. If I try to dial that in on the 6505+.. it just gets too hissy..