Long term 5153 stealth owners (or why did you flip it?)

[gybe!]

Looking for those that have or have had the 100W 5150 III Stealth; had it awhile and still love it or had it and moved it along?

I have a pretty solid stable of amps but have recently been toying with picking one of these up. I am primarily after things that sit different in a mix and there seems to be something in the midrange that sits different from typical Marshall/Mesa tone stacks….maybe I’ve been listening to too much Gojira recently. Also thinking of a Hiwatt Custom Super Hi 50 for similar reasons

 

[Beyond Black]

I had one and thought it was a nice amp, but rather cardboard/generic sounding.
For that flavor I’d much rather have a Recto, Iconic or other 5150 (120w) variant, they’ve got a much richer and juicier tone imo.
Gojira sound killer live, but for awhile now their recorded tone is very, well, cardboard and generic…

 

[Simon Dorn]

Looking for those that have or have had the 100W 5150 III Stealth; had it awhile and still love it or had it and moved it along?

I have a pretty solid stable of amps but have recently been toying with picking one of these up. I am primarily after things that sit different in a mix and there seems to be something in the midrange that sits different from typical Marshall/Mesa tone stacks….maybe I’ve been listening to too much Gojira recently. Also thinking of a Hiwatt Custom Super Hi 50 for similar reasons

I have a clip. Both Amps are gone. But that's just me.

 

[Simon Dorn]

I had one and thought it was a nice amp, but rather cardboard/generic sounding.
For that flavor I’d much rather have a Recto, Iconic or other 5150 (120w) variant, they’ve got a much richer and juicier tone imo.
Gojira sound killer live, but for awhile now their recorded tone is very, well, cardboard and generic…

Plasticy/Anemic lol With Master on 4 through the matching cab it was nice though

 

[Beyond Black]

Plasticy/Anemic lol With Master on 4 through the matching cab it was nice though

Your 800 clips smoke that.

 

[gybe!]

I had one and thought it was a nice amp, but rather cardboard/generic sounding.
For that flavor I’d much rather have a Recto, Iconic or other 5150 (120w) variant, they’ve got a much richer and juicier tone imo.
Gojira sound killer live, but for awhile now their recorded tone is very, well, cardboard and generic…

These were my underlying concerns. Generic is the last thing I’m after at this stage. If I’m going to add anything it has to be able to differentiate itself from the rest of my stable…
Hermansson 5/3GS
Hermansson 4 channel PA
Ground Zero Hellion V2
Ground Zero Recto
Cameron overhauled Bogner XTC
Uber Ultra
Steavens Poundcake mk2
Fender Prosonic
matchless Clubman
6505+ (in my sons hands currently)

 

[RaceU4her]

These were my underlying concerns. Generic is the last thing I’m after at this stage. If I’m going to add anything it has to be able to differentiate itself from the rest of my stable…
Hermansson 5/3GS
Hermansson 4 channel PA
Ground Zero Hellion V2
Ground Zero Recto
Cameron overhauled Bogner XTC
Uber Ultra
Steavens Poundcake mk2
Fender Prosonic
matchless Clubman
6505+ (in my sons hands currently)

id say a regular 5150 and a Laney GH, you'd then have every tone covered

 

[Techdeth]

I use mine live all the time . Grab one

 

[DanTravis62]

If you want that type of tone in the stable for recording, get an original one or a peavey 1992

If you want to be able to play it live or gig with it, that's the situation where a stealth would be the bees knees IMO

The blue channel sounds great recorded but imo the red channel is worthless

 

[Speeddemon]

The blue channel sounds great recorded but imo the red channel is worthless

If the 100W responds the same as the 50W, you can really improve the red channel by dropping in a few lower gain tubes (e.g. 5751, 12AU7, 12AY7) in the pre-amp slots dedicated to the red channel.

And sure, the reason I'm gigging with mine (50W 6L6 v1) is a matter of a few compromises and needs.
I've played a lot of biker bar/bike-festivals situations and where a Bogner 3534 50W or Mesa Mark VII may be a better choice for what I'm looking for tone-wise, I'd rather not schlep a $3k+ amp to that, if I can at least manage with a $1k amp, when the boozed up audience doesn't care anyway.
I played for the Hells Angels once, that was fun. Zero applause, but we were 'allowed' to finish both sets, and that was apparently extreme praise, since usually this particular chapter was known to pay bands to stop after a few songs "Here's your wage, stop playing, have some drinks...but get off the stage".

 

[DanTravis62]

If the 100W responds the same as the 50W, you can really improve the red channel by dropping in a few lower gain tubes (e.g. 5751, 12AU7, 12AY7) in the pre-amp slots dedicated to the red channel.

And sure, the reason I'm gigging with mine (50W 6L6 v1) is a matter of a few compromises and needs.
I've played a lot of biker bar/bike-festivals situations and where a Bogner 3534 50W or Mesa Mark VII may be a better choice for what I'm looking for tone-wise, I'd rather not schlep a $3k+ amp to that, if I can at least manage with a $1k amp, when the boozed up audience doesn't care anyway.
I played for the Hells Angels once, that was fun. Zero applause, but we were 'allowed' to finish both sets, and that was apparently extreme praise, since usually this particular chapter was known to pay bands to stop after a few songs "Here's your wage, stop playing, have some drinks...but get off the stage".

I think the EVH is a great amp for gigging (in all variations) since they are relatively inexpensive and relatively well made

If OP wants something that fits that style of tone but is going to be a "Sometimes" amp for recordings or whatever, it seems like he'd be better served going to "the source" and getting a signature/block letter or even a 1992

 

[Rick Lee]

Those amps are so damned big. They have to have twice the girth of a 50w smallbox head, and are plenty bigger than even the SLO 100. They are a good bang for the buck. But the older I get, the less gain I use, and those EVH amps are gain machines.

 

[Brandonrz]

Still have my stealth… it crushes. Great bang for your buck. Tons of usable tones. The gains can affect multiple channels so watch for that. The only problem with owning any 5150 variant is you’ll question if you need the high end shit you have. There’s a reason 5150s and rectifiers are the most used amps on recordings by engineers and live by pro musicians (not including digital there since that’s the easiest thing live anymore for big groups). Cheap, reliable, and sound killer in a mix.

 

[PBGas]

I had one a couple of years back with the EVH412. Really great amp and cab. I liked it a lot and it sounded great but I finally found the tone I was looking for in something else.

 

[S̷͖͑m̵͎͂á̵̺s̸͚̈́h̴̬̑]

If you want that type of tone in the stable for recording, get an original one or a peavey 1992

If you want to be able to play it live or gig with it, that's the situation where a stealth would be the bees knees IMO

The blue channel sounds great recorded but imo the red channel is worthless

Yeah. Red channel is pretty bad

 

[DanTravis62]

Yeah. Red channel is pretty bad

I believe @Speeddemon when he says it's possible to tame it by replacing all the ax7s with au7s/at7s low gain tubes

I have another friend who only uses the blue channel and a couple of pedals (much like people do with the blue channel on the bogner ecstasy)

And that may be a workable solution for some, but for me that's honestly the point where I would be auditioning other amps

 

[S̷͖͑m̵͎͂á̵̺s̸͚̈́h̴̬̑]

I believe @Speeddemon when he says it's possible to tame it by replacing all the ax7s with au7s/at7s low gain tubes

I have another friend who only uses the blue channel and a couple of pedals (much like people do with the blue channel on the bogner ecstasy)

And that may be a workable solution for some, but for me that's honestly the point where I would be auditioning other amps

Yes. The blue channel was something i liked when i had it. If it were a single channel amp, that is ok. The clean is good, but goes away at volume and turns into a crunch channel and having to tame down the red channel with tubes essentially makes it more gain stages not adding as much gain. That seems more like a failure of design.

With the amps the OP has, this amp is a pass. It used to be a budget amp that would give you some range. That is when it was 1100 new. Now it is an overpriced compromise

 

[S̷͖͑m̵͎͂á̵̺s̸͚̈́h̴̬̑]

The super hi 50 is an incredibly fun amp. And it has a clarity to the gain and is built like a tank (the handwired versions). I feel like it is a blank slate. It didn't have as much overwhelming character to the voicing allowing the EQ to kind of form it into what you wanted.

 

[DanTravis62]

Yes. The blue channel was something i liked when i had it. If it were a single channel amp, that is ok. The clean is good, but goes away at volume and turns into a crunch channel and having to tame down the red channel with tubes essentially makes it more gain stages not adding as much gain. That seems more like a failure of design.

With the amps the OP has, this amp is a pass. It used to be a budget amp that would give you some range. That is when it was 1100 new. Now it is an overpriced compromise

Holy shit, i just checked the new prices on a 100w stealth

WHAT THE FUCK MAN?

For 2600 dollars you could get into just about anything - Matt just sold a hellion for what, 2800? For god's sake that's nuts

I had no idea the prices had gotten jacked up that much on a stealth

 

[Rick Lee]

When I had my Stealth, even the green channel had too much gain with the stock 12AX7. A 12AU7 tamed it. I later had it modded by its designed, Howard, when he was still at Fender. But I don't know what he did. Green sounded like a Twin Reverb then.