NAD!! - 5150 III 50 watt

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NinjaRaf

NinjaRaf

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Well, first let me post this picture. I had this amp out of the box for about 15 minutes before I packed it up and returned it. Didn't like the way the low end responded at all haha...so I didn't post a NAD for it.



This one, though, is fucking sweet!!

[box]https://app.box.com/embed/preview/88f3fotkbccqo7zq8ucuymr9dnmpfkii?[/box]



5150 III 50 watter. It sounds great! Much better than the 100 watt or the Stealth. The feel is really similar to my 5150 combo (which my other guitar player is borrowing right now, while his ENGL PBII is in the shop). The tone is somewhat similar, but the gain feels and sounds more put together than the Peavey. Maybe cleaner, maybe smoother...I don't really know how to describe it, but its fucking awesome. Anyway...we'll see what happens, because we all know I am not prone to keeping stuff, but this thing sounds really good, so I hope I keep it haha. It sort of sits between the Mark IV and the 5150 combo, in a way. The gain structure is definitely more 5150 line, the feel is sort of in the middle, but closer to the 5150, and the tone is smoother than the 5150, more in the direction of the Mark IV...if that makes any fucking sense.
 
Congrats man!

I didn't get on with either 50 or 100 w EVH I owned but that was just my taste.
Nice Kiesel!
 
Yeah, everyone seems to love different stuff! Spice of life! I like having options, and this is just another for me that I like.

I am guessing there my old SCB6 picture is still in my avatar? haha. I bought 2 Kiesels last year...the SCB6 and a DC600, both really similar in look, but different body woods. Ended up not really digging them over time...traded one for a Gibson Gothic V, and the other for a custom AR pistol build haha. They look and play better than almost anything else I've played, but they both sounded really dead to me...no sustain, very dark sounding guitars that just didn't seem to respond as well as other guitars that I have.
 
Right on. Yep, some will definitely sound more lively than others suppose. I have an ST300c that sounds great to my ears and plays great. I've got an Aries 6 on its way; hopefully its a keeper.
 
Just noticed your Avatar cab :thumbsup:
I was torn between Avatar and Whitebox when I bought my 2x12 back in 2007 but wound up with the Whitebox. Really, really happy with it. More than likely go Avatar on the next one if there still in business.
 
Yeah, I have a suspicion that it might be due to the neck through. I want to get close with one of their set necks and bolt ons and see if they have the same issues. I remember my LTD Elite Horizon-IIIs having a similar sort of issue.

I just got this Avatar cab a few months ago. Its their Signature 212. Sounds great! I wanted something wide enough to put my 5150 212 combo (thats been converted to a head) on top of without it sticking out (its about 30" wide haha), and this was the only 212 I could find that would do it haha. Great price, solid build, I love it. Sounds awesome, easy to move around, records great. Its my 3rd Avatar, the other 2 being 412s. They make awesome cabs.
 
congrats! I have the 50 watt, (two of them), the stealth, and the el34 stealth... I found my home with those amps. even my band mates, wife, and friends all seem to say that I sound better on those amps than any of the others I own or have owned...

I would like to take the original 5150 III and get it modded by the guys at http://www.krusekontrol.com... I have heard some clips and they actually sound really good... for some reason the 100 watt heads sell pretty religiously on craigslist for under a thousand so maybe, when I get all my medical bills caught up, I will do this.

I run a boss super overdrive on the blue channel on my 50 watt and it sounds phenom bro...
 
rbasaria":1pecva0s said:
Yeah, I have a suspicion that it might be due to the neck through. I want to get close with one of their set necks and bolt ons and see if they have the same issues. I remember my LTD Elite Horizon-IIIs having a similar sort of issue.

I just got this Avatar cab a few months ago. Its their Signature 212. Sounds great! I wanted something wide enough to put my 5150 212 combo (thats been converted to a head) on top of without it sticking out (its about 30" wide haha), and this was the only 212 I could find that would do it haha. Great price, solid build, I love it. Sounds awesome, easy to move around, records great. Its my 3rd Avatar, the other 2 being 412s. They make awesome cabs.
Click to expand...

IDK my St300 is a neck though, and I think its got decent sustain and is definitely not dark sounding. Who knows right? So many variables. The Aries I have coming will be my first bolt on so I'll see how I get on with that.

Yeah I went to their website hear a bit agao and it looks like they're also making a couple amps. The 45w head they have clips of sounded pretty nice.
 
Welcome to tha family! :rock:

By the way, I really recommend putting in some slightly lower gain tubes in V2, V3 (and/or V4) to tame the red channel and to tame the brightness a bit, by using NOS tubes with a darker character.
Stock, to me the red channel reached 'insane gain' around noon on the Gain knob. Now it's more around 2 o' clock ish. So you still have gain to spare, but it makes the '8 o' clock to 12 'o clock range much more useable for med-high gain tones.
 
I will consider lower gain tubes, but...I don't play anything other than metal, and I LOVE gain haha.
 
rbasaria":2vzldc64 said:
Yeah, I have a suspicion that it might be due to the neck through. I want to get close with one of their set necks and bolt ons and see if they have the same issues. I remember my LTD Elite Horizon-IIIs having a similar sort of issue.
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All maple neck through guitars seem kind of bright and not as resonant to me.

I still want to order a DC600, but I will probably go with mahogany neck through. They say neckthrough guitars mostly get their tone from the neck wood, so a maple neck sounds like an all maple guitar. I am thinking about doing all mahogany to give it some chunk.
 
Oh, another thing, I find that if I have the action too low on guitars, they seem to not have any resonance or sustain. Many times if I just raise the action a little, they start sounding a million times better. That Gothic V was the same way. I think since Kiesel's have the action so low, people dont think to raise it some.
 
Welcome to the club yo :rock:

I love gain too, but that red channel just did not work for me in a live loud band setting- too much of everything!
V2: JJ 12au7 is magic; try it out! Still brings the brootz but so much more clarity

Here's my Kruse EVH:


 
imo one of the best amps out there for the $, dont worry about the vol. bs between ch1 and 2 leave it on 2 and use your guitar vol......if anybody is looking for a really sick tiger maple headshell for one of these Im selling one for a great price pm me ....
 
crankyrayhanky":ln33rful said:
Welcome to the club yo :rock:

I love gain too, but that red channel just did not work for me in a live loud band setting- too much of everything!
V2: JJ 12au7 is magic; try it out! Still brings the brootz but so much more clarity

Here's my Kruse EVH:


Click to expand...

Love those lights!
 
^ Thanks!

I disagree on the shared ch1/2 gain/volume-Getting that mod done is a must have IMO. I love the Blue on everything from 10 oclock to max. The green is typically set around 10 for slight breakup. It depends on material, but I love having those dual concentric knobs.

I actually met a few of the people at Fender when I jammed at their company gig. They were curious as to why I would mod their work and I told them the same thing- separate dual controls yo. :rock:
 
Man, i love those lights! Haha

S3p what all did the kruse mod do, and what did it cost? I would be interested in these concentric pots and the lights, but so far, im really digging the tone as-is. Having 3 channels would make it even better, even though its not a huge deal for me. Those lights are getting, me haha!!
 
I got the Kruse works:
  • lights
    Stealth mod
    Supersonic (it's like another type of hi end presence)
    ch1/2 dual pots
    Power scaling: 50 25 15 7 3

I can't remember the cost of each one, but at the time he gave discounts the more you bought. Probably best to contact him directly anyway, he gets back lightning fast
Those ch1/2 dual pots are easily the most important mod on the list
If you live in CA for pickup he would put lights on the cab too :rock:
 
Haha thats awesome. Thanks for the info. Im gonna email him now.
 
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