Mailman1971
Moderator
Yeah that sounds good if possible. I am up in the Saginaw area.t-rave":2sldfg2p said:
Where you located at?
Dan
I 'try' not to judge amps on clips. But sometimes thats all I have to go by.
Where you located at?
Dan
I 'try' not to judge amps on clips. But sometimes thats all I have to go by.
Bishop5150
Well-known member
Hi everybody, I'm a newbie here just found this forum. Great site. I'm in the group that really likes it. I played an old Marshall JCM 800 back in the early 90's when the original 5150 came out. I bought one and have been using it ever since. I recently got the 5150 III in white about 3 months ago and I love it. I run it in stereo with my original 5150 and a TC Electronics G-System. I play out just about every weekend and I have never gotten so many compliments on my sound. Several people have used the word "huge" to describe my tone which made me grin from ear to ear. I got the 5150 III and the G-System within the same month so I'm not sure which had the bigger impact on my tone. The amp sounds great and the G-system does not change your tone whatsoever. I guess it's a combination of both. The amp fits my needs perfectly but is probably not for everyone. I mostly play hard rock stuff so I don't need a lot of different tones out of it. If you need a real versatile amp for doing lots of styles of music there are much better ones out there. But if your looking for an amp with a nice, clean, rhythym and lead channel for rock music, I would reccommend this amp.
Attachments
glpg80
Well-known member
i love the amplifier.
everyone craves the 2nd channel, but i actually think the 3rd channel is where its at - its the same area im used to with a 5150 II.
being a testament fan as well this was a hard decision for me to make too - 5150 III and an ENGL powerball. i play alot heavier than hard rock/classic rock but i dont need anything super tight for downtunings below d standard.
a clean channel was a must. super clean. "ok" wont do it for me, i use the clean channel for alot of inspiration on chords/shapes/and song intros for piano as well.
but the gain sound without distortion and with clarity is what matters most - especially with the lead tones and solos.
after playing a 5150 III i was able to get some amazing tones out of it. i really want both the 5150 III and the powerball - but afterwards i chose the powerball.
the amplifier fits my style better with progressive metal/hair metal influence. and after finding out chris impelliterri endorses and uses them now - his tone is amazing.
to be completely honest, i want both. especially coming from a 5150 background (this is my 3rd one im selling) the 5150 III is WAY WAY WAY easier to play compression wise unlike a 5150 II where you fight the amp on higher volumes without a wet or boost running. the 5150 III (dry) straight into the cabinet was super easy to play at any volume and solos sounded amazing.
the only downsides that i would gripe about, is the lack of a resonance control. and the standby/on switches are on the back of the amplifer. thats really annoying to have to reach back there for both standby and power on. the amplifier seems thin to me and having no resonance control running off of negative feedback on the OT. that really disappointed me. so that was the final decision for the powerball - more refined control and tone options available and i liked trhe clean channel better - it also fit my style a little better as well with the music i write.
granted im not a huge low-end freak. i like to shape my tone though or have the ability to tune it at will depending on the location im playing. the 5150 III has presence controls for each channel and thats it.
i still want one just for the hell of it. its the best playing amplifier i've ever ran across with a dry tone. simply amazing.
but for now.. i chose ENGL.
everyone craves the 2nd channel, but i actually think the 3rd channel is where its at - its the same area im used to with a 5150 II.
being a testament fan as well this was a hard decision for me to make too - 5150 III and an ENGL powerball. i play alot heavier than hard rock/classic rock but i dont need anything super tight for downtunings below d standard.
a clean channel was a must. super clean. "ok" wont do it for me, i use the clean channel for alot of inspiration on chords/shapes/and song intros for piano as well.
but the gain sound without distortion and with clarity is what matters most - especially with the lead tones and solos.
after playing a 5150 III i was able to get some amazing tones out of it. i really want both the 5150 III and the powerball - but afterwards i chose the powerball.
the amplifier fits my style better with progressive metal/hair metal influence. and after finding out chris impelliterri endorses and uses them now - his tone is amazing.
to be completely honest, i want both. especially coming from a 5150 background (this is my 3rd one im selling) the 5150 III is WAY WAY WAY easier to play compression wise unlike a 5150 II where you fight the amp on higher volumes without a wet or boost running. the 5150 III (dry) straight into the cabinet was super easy to play at any volume and solos sounded amazing.
the only downsides that i would gripe about, is the lack of a resonance control. and the standby/on switches are on the back of the amplifer. thats really annoying to have to reach back there for both standby and power on. the amplifier seems thin to me and having no resonance control running off of negative feedback on the OT. that really disappointed me. so that was the final decision for the powerball - more refined control and tone options available and i liked trhe clean channel better - it also fit my style a little better as well with the music i write.
granted im not a huge low-end freak. i like to shape my tone though or have the ability to tune it at will depending on the location im playing. the 5150 III has presence controls for each channel and thats it.
i still want one just for the hell of it. its the best playing amplifier i've ever ran across with a dry tone. simply amazing.
but for now.. i chose ENGL.
Mailman1971
Moderator
glpg80":2na49ujj said:i love the amplifier.
but for now.. i chose ENGL.
+10000 on that!
Les Zombie
Well-known member
I owned a 5153 and I gigged with it and I loved it. I wished I still had it actually.
I ran it with a uberkab and Mesa cab and for heavy tones I boosted it.
Engls are nice sounding amps but I had too many problems over the years with the quality and stopped playing them.
I ran it with a uberkab and Mesa cab and for heavy tones I boosted it.
Engls are nice sounding amps but I had too many problems over the years with the quality and stopped playing them.
glpg80
Well-known member
zao":1jrx4tu2 said:
thats the second post that i've read bro - what amps did you own? why were they so bad? what happened?
im still torn between the 5150 III and the engl powerball. you are swinging me away from the engl saying this because i cant have down time out on gigs or band practices or tryouts. i travel alot and time is important.
Robotechnology
Active member
Welcome to the board! Nice setup and I dig your 5153's mojo adder (Vader figurine) 
victim5150":14aoor8e said:
Les Zombie
Well-known member
glpg80":2zhk4kxk said:
I will pm you, i know alot of cool people that own engls and i dont say anything that would piss them off.
maybe im the only one that had issues, everybody else seems to love them, i even loved them for 5 yrs.
glpg80
Well-known member
thanks tom - no problem
stephen sawall
SEMI ERECT MEMBER
victim5150":2tp4wwim said:
W
elcome to the forum .... nice rig.Mailman1971":2tp4wwim said:We play alot of AC/DC and older Kiss but we also do Slayer and Metallica to Pro-pain and Testament.
I have only played on the III a few times and I liked it all right. But would not recommend it based on the little amount of time I had. As in not yes or no.
If I was playing that stuff (and I love it) I would probably use a JMP ~ 800 single channel or something like that and some pedals. But that is me. I would guess you have already been there thou.
Mailman1971
Moderator
I ended up getting a new ENGL FIREBALL 100.
IT covers EVERYTHING!!!
FN love it!
IT covers EVERYTHING!!!
FN love it!
B
bmf5150
Member
I have been playing my 5153 amp through my 1972 rola greenbacks.I think the old speakers are a little to warm and not enough upper mids for the amp,,,,I'm looking to get the correct 5153 cab,I think it will balance the tone with the amp better....
A
Anonymous
Guest
brought my 5150 III out for it's live debut last Saturday.
I can never really appreciate an amp until it's used live and this thing passed with flying colors!
I used all 3 channels and a line 6 m13 in 4 cable setup and it was such an easy rig to use .. I broke it in at a bunch of rehearsals but live is where I can really get a feel for it... nice cleans, the crunch channel can cover all rock , very touch and volume knob responsive.. and channel 3 is excellent for solos and when you need that extra to grind out.. I ran it with a mesa v30 recto cab and had no complaints! I had more than enough headroom and could hear myself fine with the band...
a really solid amp!
I can never really appreciate an amp until it's used live and this thing passed with flying colors!
I used all 3 channels and a line 6 m13 in 4 cable setup and it was such an easy rig to use .. I broke it in at a bunch of rehearsals but live is where I can really get a feel for it... nice cleans, the crunch channel can cover all rock , very touch and volume knob responsive.. and channel 3 is excellent for solos and when you need that extra to grind out.. I ran it with a mesa v30 recto cab and had no complaints! I had more than enough headroom and could hear myself fine with the band...
a really solid amp!
Bishop5150
Well-known member
Thats great! Glad your first show with it went well.
Bishop5150
Well-known member
Robotechnology":7hhh4fh6 said:Welcome to the board! Nice setup and I dig your 5153's mojo adder (Vader figurine)
victim5150":7hhh4fh6 said:
Thanks for the "mojo adder comment". Your the first person to ever comment on it in a pic or during a show. It's my "please don't break a string during a solo" and "please don't let my rig crap out on me tonight" good luck charm!
Mailman1971
Moderator
Ok,
I was leaning toward this amp when I wrote this thread. But I ended up getting the ENGL FIREBALL 100 and am VERY HAPPY with my desicion. Not taking away from the 5150 III, but the ENGL leans more toward Metal and that is the path I been following the past couple years. The Engl does more, but its STRENGTH is BRUTAL METAL!!
Love it!
I was leaning toward this amp when I wrote this thread. But I ended up getting the ENGL FIREBALL 100 and am VERY HAPPY with my desicion. Not taking away from the 5150 III, but the ENGL leans more toward Metal and that is the path I been following the past couple years. The Engl does more, but its STRENGTH is BRUTAL METAL!!
Love it!
Random Hero
Active member
yngzaklynch":3mdg5cqx said:
Can you clarify this for me?
