Need some input..........5150 / SLO talk..........

[Mailman1971]

Ok,
I know the original 5150 has been named the "Poor mans SLO"
and I have a Block letter 5150 that KILLS in pretty much all departments.....especially the Heavier stuff.


Now............

Can the SLO get as "Heavy" as the 5150 can? Low end.....all that jazz.
I know the Slo will sound superior to the 5150 without a doubt.
But how Heavy does the SLO Get compared to the 5150?

Thanks in advance for any info!

Dan

 

[Ancient Alien]

Hate the 5150 I owned and the 3 SLO's I had.
But in a word.
NO
The SLO does not have nearly the saturation and gain of a 5150 in any way shape or form.
SLO is more of a hot rodded Marshall that NEEDS to be cranked to get the goods.
YMMV

 

[skoora]

Haven't owned an SLO but have played a few extensively. Everything about the SLO is richer in sound than the 5150. The mid range kerang and top end...but I found for metal with a tight palm mute the gain can't get very high before the Low E string flubs out. The 5150 will own an SLO for tight, saturated palm mutes on the low E. It's the one thing that stops me from getting an SLO. FWIW this is playing Gibson's with medium output humbuckers.

 

[gbsmusic]

It wont do the death metal chunk the 5150 will do but for an amp to play leads on NOTHING can touch a SLO IMO

 

[Mailman1971]

Haven't owned an SLO but have played a few extensively. Everything about the SLO is richer in sound than the 5150. The mid range kerang and top end...but I found for metal with a tight palm mute the gain can't get very high before the Low E string flubs out. The 5150 will own an SLO for tight, saturated palm mutes on the low E. It's the one thing that stops me from getting an SLO. FWIW this is playing Gibson's with medium output humbuckers.

Thats what I thought from reading up on them and the clips.
So the SLO sounds RICHER....but not Heavier.
I never played or heard the Slo.....really wanted one but needed to know if it can get down and HEAVY like the 510.
Keep the details coming!!

It wont do the death metal chunk the 5150 will do but for an amp to play leads on NOTHING can touch a SLO IMO

I am looking for some ripping chugging riffage.........
sounds like the 5150 has the SLO beat so far.

 

[Sixtonoize]

For heavy, chunky, raunchy, high-gain tones, there aren't many amps at any price that can hang with a 5150.

 

[JakeAC5253]

For heavy, chunky, raunchy, high-gain tones, there aren't many amps at any price that can hang with a 5150.

+1 What I was thinking.

I consider what I've heard of the ENGL Savage to be up there though. Really an over the top kind of amp and unique in its voice and features. Worth a try I'd say.

 

[ericsabbath]

they sound so different in every way to my ears
the SLO sounds a lot more open in the mids
the 5150 is a lot more dense in the mids (that's the main part of Peavey's signature sound) and has a lot more saturation
the picking response is completely different, so is the amps reaction to volume settings
I'd never call a 5150 a poor's man SLO or compare it to any other amp, since it sounds pretty unique
there may be heavier, louder, clearer and better amps, but nothing else sounds like a 5150

 

[fek]

I really want an SLO and have owned a 5150. The SLO has, and still is, on tour with just about every player that I have admired. The key for getting almost any gainy type of tone out of an amp that I have owned was to clean boost it. I will own one someday and that will tell the rest of tale. I would like it to have the Warren Haynes and depth mod though. YMMV but I say go with the SLO.

 

[IntenseJim]

I have both of these amps.

The 5150 low end is far more prodigous but less tight than a stock SLO.
SLO with Depth mod will rupture your thorax.

I got my 5150 combo used for about $700. Awesome fun. It's great at home but live I just or at rehearsal it does not work for me the way the SLO does...not even close.

 

[diagrammatiks]

I played an evh 5150 III this weekend. I was pretty surprised by it. I was expecting it to be not much better then the cheaper peavey 6505 but it sounded pretty good. I don't really know if I would call it a poor man's slo though. There's a voicing to the slo that the 5150 does not get.

I do think that it's a bit heavier then a stock slo though. I've still got to run my modded slo through it's paces since I just got it back. In stock form...it's not a terrific heavy down tuning or baritone amp. I think the depth knob I just got should change that a little bit though.

My pitbull ultralead is far heavier then the slo for certain things. If the 5150 is heavy like that then it will be heavier then a stock slo.

 

[sled]

Can the SLO get as "Heavy" as the 5150 can? Low end.....all that jazz.

Owning both, IMO the my 5150 has a lower mid grind the SLO just won't quite do.

I know the Slo will sound superior to the 5150 without a doubt.

Both can sound excellent, the 5150 just takes it further.

But how Heavy does the SLO Get compared to the 5150?

How does one answer this? Both can product very thick and heavy distortion and with excellent clarity and bite. The 5150 just has this lower mid Grind thing that is awesome.

 

[Lord Toneking]

Another vote for the SLO. Great freakin' amp!!

a lot more 'open' sounding than a 5150...less fizzy and definatley richer sounding

I never understood the 5150 being the "poor man's SLO"...totally different sounding amps imo

 

[droptrd]

Here a clip showing the more dimentional tones of the SLO vs the low middy/boxy 5150 tone. But they also dont seem to be opening the amps up either.

 

[Mailman1971]

That demo was really great! Thanks for sharing.
The Peavey just sounded a tad darker in the clips.
Both sounded good from that example though.

 

[droptrd]

I really like the SLO, but I have never seen one sell for $350-$450. I HAVE seen 5150's sell for $350-$450. I passed on a $350 (kicking myself) and bought one for $450 two months ago. So to me, the SLO doesn’t sound 5+ times better than the 5150… yet the SLO costs 5+ times more... You do the math...

+1 well said

 

[Mailman1971]

I really like the SLO, but I have never seen one sell for $350-$450. I HAVE seen 5150's sell for $350-$450. I passed on a $350 (kicking myself) and bought one for $450 two months ago. So to me, the SLO doesn’t sound 5+ times better than the 5150… yet the SLO costs 5+ times more... You do the math...

I guess that is the whole point i was getting too.......

 

[jasonP]

The SLO is tighter (has more filtering) more open sound. The top end is not as smooth sounding and more grainy. It doesn't have a cocked wah mid-range. Not as saturated. The 5150 has active resonance so it can really beef up the bottom end. The SLO with the depth mod can get pretty beefy sounding not as much as the 5150. I like both amps.
Just my findings and opinion.

 

[stratotone]

For heavy, chunky, raunchy, high-gain tones, there aren't many amps at any price that can hang with a 5150.

VHT UL w/KT88s hangs easily IMHO

Pete

 

[Ancient Alien]

For heavy, chunky, raunchy, high-gain tones, there aren't many amps at any price that can hang with a 5150.

VHT UL w/KT88s hangs easily IMHO

Pete