Soooo... Will the EVH 5150-III Stealth Blow My Skirt Up?

[7 Stringer]

The stealth seems like a Beast. Really really would love to check one out.

I`m checking one out right now and

For ME it comes to this:

Green=Too much gain
Blue=Too much gain
Red=Too much gain

There you have it, the Stealth.

Seriously, i`m not really digging it, i love my original more than this one. The green i knew a bit what was coming, but i didn`t think that the blue would have that much gain, it`s too much for me. It kind of kills the girth it once had.

Anyway, i`m going to get my 5153 at my other drummers place and i`ll A/B them and then decide if it`s a keeper or a gonner.

We`ll see.

Chris

 

[Mailman1971]

Yeah I know people laugh about "TOO MUCH GAIN" but with my modded recto....its Metal all the time.(not a bad thing)
Even when I go to the rock settings. But like a warmth of a good crunch as well.
Thats why I will keep the FJA recto....and also get a Diezel lil fokker......

 

[7 Stringer]

Yeah I know people laugh about "TOO MUCH GAIN" but with my modded recto....its Metal all the time.(not a bad thing)
Even when I go to the rock settings. But like a warmth of a good crunch as well.
Thats why I will keep the FJA recto....and also get a Diezel lil fokker......

Too much gain and a lot of gain is two different things. For me anyway.

I liked the idea of the blue having to be at max for higher gain applications, you have to work it to get something out of it. I, like a lot of folks, felt that it needed a tad more gain, but not this much. I would of added about 1/4 more gain than they did, maybe 3/8 max. Before i was at max for VH type tones or 80`s hair, but now i`m at like 11 o`clock, noon pushing it. Past that, it`s too much and kills it IMO. Like i mentioned, it kinda lost its guts, even if i go lower on the gain knob, it still looses it`s punch.It ruined the clean too, this gain cascading thingy works in conjunction between both the Green and Blue.

You might call this a 3 gain channel amp, as the clean breaks up even at 7 o`clock, lower than that it shuts off!!!

I promised my ivory 5153 to my other guitarist, this might change.

Waiting on a return confirmation from Musicians Friend. I have 45 days.

We`ll see...............

I wanted to love this amp

Chris

 

[mojotone]

For ME it comes to this:

Green=Too much gain
Blue=Too much gain
Red=Too much gain

There you have it, the Stealth.

Have you ever had the opposite amp? One that couldn't quite get there, maxed out on the preamp gain. Nothing is more frustrating, for sure. Too much gain for the setting that you are used too? You can always turn the gain down, but when you are on "10" you will need Nigel Tufnel to go "one higher".

 

[7 Stringer]

For ME it comes to this:

Green=Too much gain
Blue=Too much gain
Red=Too much gain

There you have it, the Stealth.

Have you ever had the opposite amp? One that couldn't quite get there, maxed out on the preamp gain. Nothing is more frustrating, for sure. Too much gain for the setting that you are used too? You can always turn the gain down, but when you are on "10" you will need Nigel Tufnel to go "one higher".

Yep, the original 5153`s blue is exactly that, and i like it. It makes you work harder. But this is too much, and backing off on the gain is not the same, it`s not on the verge of blowing up. It`s weird to explain.

Seriously, who is gonna play the red channel on full gain? Pointless to me. Even the blue on full is crazy.

Maybe it`s me, i don`t know, but too much is like not enough.

I would of wished for a middle ground on this, i guess it`s not for me.

Chris

 

[stompboxfreak72]

For ME it comes to this:

Green=Too much gain
Blue=Too much gain
Red=Too much gain

There you have it, the Stealth.

Have you ever had the opposite amp? One that couldn't quite get there, maxed out on the preamp gain. Nothing is more frustrating, for sure. Too much gain for the setting that you are used too? You can always turn the gain down, but when you are on "10" you will need Nigel Tufnel to go "one higher".

Yep, the original 5153`s blue is exactly that, and i like it. It makes you work harder. But this is too much, and backing off on the gain is not the same, it`s not on the verge of blowing up. It`s weird to explain.

Seriously, who is gonna play the red channel on full gain? Pointless to me. Even the blue on full is crazy.

Maybe it`s me, i don`t know, but too much is like not enough.

I would of wished for a middle ground on this, i guess it`s not for me.

Chris

I was going to sell my 100 watt and just keep the Stealth and the 50 watt. Decided to keep the family together and sell my Splawn Rig instead.

On the Stealth I like lowering the gain and boosting with a YJM308. I have a gig saturday and looking forward to put the Stealth in a band mix. My only real dislike is the gain cascade and its effect on the clean channel.

 

[7 Stringer]

For ME it comes to this:

Green=Too much gain
Blue=Too much gain
Red=Too much gain

There you have it, the Stealth.

Have you ever had the opposite amp? One that couldn't quite get there, maxed out on the preamp gain. Nothing is more frustrating, for sure. Too much gain for the setting that you are used too? You can always turn the gain down, but when you are on "10" you will need Nigel Tufnel to go "one higher".

Yep, the original 5153`s blue is exactly that, and i like it. It makes you work harder. But this is too much, and backing off on the gain is not the same, it`s not on the verge of blowing up. It`s weird to explain.

Seriously, who is gonna play the red channel on full gain? Pointless to me. Even the blue on full is crazy.

Maybe it`s me, i don`t know, but too much is like not enough.

I would of wished for a middle ground on this, i guess it`s not for me.

Chris

I was going to sell my 100 watt and just keep the Stealth and the 50 watt. Decided to keep the family together and sell my Splawn Rig instead.

On the Stealth I like lowering the gain and boosting with a YJM308. I have a gig saturday and looking forward to put the Stealth in a band mix. My only real dislike is the gain cascade and its effect on the clean channel.

+1

This is why i`m bummed about it, they could of went middle ground on the gain addition, it would of saved the clean.

I think i`m keeping my original. Might be looking into a BE-100, again....

I also have a gig Saturday night, i`m taking my 6534+ or 5150II, were doing a full set of Parkway Drive and finishing it off with Ten Ton Hammer by Machine Head, the 5150II is more brutal though, might go with that too.

Yeah, 5150II it is, i just decided. It looks meaner too.

Chris

 

[Moshaholic]

The stealth seems like a Beast. Really really would love to check one out.

I`m checking one out right now and

For ME it comes to this:

Green=Too much gain
Blue=Too much gain
Red=Too much gain

There you have it, the Stealth.

Seriously, i`m not really digging it, i love my original more than this one. The green i knew a bit what was coming, but i didn`t think that the blue would have that much gain, it`s too much for me. It kind of kills the girth it once had.

Anyway, i`m going to get my 5153 at my other drummers place and i`ll A/B them and then decide if it`s a keeper or a gonner.

We`ll see.

Chris

Oh My...




Sorry, i'm just laughing at the way you expressed yourself on that one... "There you have it - The Stealth"...

Fricken classic, I almost fell out of my chair bro...

Like I said before it's not a bad amp by any means and many will totally dig it i'm sure, I liked it at first myself, but them the more time I spent with it and different guitars, etc. the less I liked it.

I with I had the EVH cab to go with it as I don't think my VHT cabinets are the best match up for this amp and my other amps take care of business for me to drop 2k on this amp.

After demoing this puppy, I had bigger boner dropping it back off at Fedex for it's return flight back to MF than I did picking it up...

 

[Erock]

For ME it comes to this:

Green=Too much gain
Blue=Too much gain
Red=Too much gain

There you have it, the Stealth.

Have you ever had the opposite amp? One that couldn't quite get there, maxed out on the preamp gain. Nothing is more frustrating, for sure. Too much gain for the setting that you are used too? You can always turn the gain down, but when you are on "10" you will need Nigel Tufnel to go "one higher".

Yep, the original 5153`s blue is exactly that, and i like it. It makes you work harder. But this is too much, and backing off on the gain is not the same, it`s not on the verge of blowing up. It`s weird to explain.

Seriously, who is gonna play the red channel on full gain? Pointless to me. Even the blue on full is crazy.

Maybe it`s me, i don`t know, but too much is like not enough.

I would of wished for a middle ground on this, i guess it`s not for me.

Chris

Interesting, I think I know what you mean by too much gain too. The position where the amp's feel starts to get greasy and saturated. Sometimes there is too much OD/disto by the time it hits that point though. Can the gain be kept low enough on blue, where a boost can change the feel without sending the gain over the top? I figured that new resonance control would allow more flexibility with the lows too. I had the same feelings the original 100w like you did. Red was just too over the top, and I couldn't get it low enough where I liked a boost hitting it. Blue for me would have been perfect if it had more gain and lows, for my boosting tastes anyway. I was hoping the S was the answer, because I do love the greasy feel of that amp.

 

[Moshaholic]

For ME it comes to this:

Green=Too much gain
Blue=Too much gain
Red=Too much gain

There you have it, the Stealth.

Have you ever had the opposite amp? One that couldn't quite get there, maxed out on the preamp gain. Nothing is more frustrating, for sure. Too much gain for the setting that you are used too? You can always turn the gain down, but when you are on "10" you will need Nigel Tufnel to go "one higher".

Yep, the original 5153`s blue is exactly that, and i like it. It makes you work harder. But this is too much, and backing off on the gain is not the same, it`s not on the verge of blowing up. It`s weird to explain.

Seriously, who is gonna play the red channel on full gain? Pointless to me. Even the blue on full is crazy.

Maybe it`s me, i don`t know, but too much is like not enough.

I would of wished for a middle ground on this, i guess it`s not for me.

Chris

Interesting, I think I know what you mean by too much gain too. The position where the amp's feel starts to get greasy and saturated. Sometimes there is too much OD/disto by the time it hits that point though. Can the gain be kept low enough on blue, where a boost can change the feel without sending the gain over the top? I figured that new resonance control would allow more flexibility with the lows too. I had the same feelings the original 100w like you did. Red was just too over the top, and I couldn't get it low enough where I liked a boost hitting it. Blue for me would have been perfect if it had more gain and lows, for my boosting tastes anyway. I was hoping the S was the answer, because I do love the greasy feel of that amp.

When you open the preamp up there is a fatness that happens which is nice for me, but too much gain at the same time makes things congested. I had the gain at 10:00 on the stealth and loved the saturation level, but I liked the "fatness" of everything at 2:00, but there was too much hair/harshness going on by then for me... hard thing to really describe.

 

[nevusofota]

For ME it comes to this:

Green=Too much gain
Blue=Too much gain
Red=Too much gain

There you have it, the Stealth.

Have you ever had the opposite amp? One that couldn't quite get there, maxed out on the preamp gain. Nothing is more frustrating, for sure. Too much gain for the setting that you are used too? You can always turn the gain down, but when you are on "10" you will need Nigel Tufnel to go "one higher".

Yep, the original 5153`s blue is exactly that, and i like it. It makes you work harder. But this is too much, and backing off on the gain is not the same, it`s not on the verge of blowing up. It`s weird to explain.

Seriously, who is gonna play the red channel on full gain? Pointless to me. Even the blue on full is crazy.

Maybe it`s me, i don`t know, but too much is like not enough.

I would of wished for a middle ground on this, i guess it`s not for me.

Chris

Interesting, I think I know what you mean by too much gain too. The position where the amp's feel starts to get greasy and saturated. Sometimes there is too much OD/disto by the time it hits that point though. Can the gain be kept low enough on blue, where a boost can change the feel without sending the gain over the top? I figured that new resonance control would allow more flexibility with the lows too. I had the same feelings the original 100w like you did. Red was just too over the top, and I couldn't get it low enough where I liked a boost hitting it. Blue for me would have been perfect if it had more gain and lows, for my boosting tastes anyway. I was hoping the S was the answer, because I do love the greasy feel of that amp.

When you open the preamp up there is a fatness that happens which is nice for me, but too much gain at the same time makes things congested. I had the gain at 10:00 on the stealth and loved the saturation level, but I liked the "fatness" of everything at 2:00, but there was too much hair/harshness going on by then for me... hard thing to really describe.

I can totally understand that. I haven't played the 100s yet but when I heard what change it incorporated I figured it wasn't going to be for me. I think the designers may have been targeting the br00tz crowd. The standard 100 channel 2 is great for clear, punchy, in your face crunch, especially at volume. Then add an overdrive and you are there. Click on channel 3 and you have your over-the-top gain. I never could understand why adding more gain to any channel was the answer. One thing I've noticed in all the clips is the overall "EVH tone" is basically untouched on the stealth.

 

[jlbaxe]

For ME it comes to this:

Green=Too much gain
Blue=Too much gain
Red=Too much gain

There you have it, the Stealth.

Have you ever had the opposite amp? One that couldn't quite get there, maxed out on the preamp gain. Nothing is more frustrating, for sure. Too much gain for the setting that you are used too? You can always turn the gain down, but when you are on "10" you will need Nigel Tufnel to go "one higher".

Yep, the original 5153`s blue is exactly that, and i like it. It makes you work harder. But this is too much, and backing off on the gain is not the same, it`s not on the verge of blowing up. It`s weird to explain.

Seriously, who is gonna play the red channel on full gain? Pointless to me. Even the blue on full is crazy.

Maybe it`s me, i don`t know, but too much is like not enough.

I would of wished for a middle ground on this, i guess it`s not for me.

Chris

Interesting, I think I know what you mean by too much gain too. The position where the amp's feel starts to get greasy and saturated. Sometimes there is too much OD/disto by the time it hits that point though. Can the gain be kept low enough on blue, where a boost can change the feel without sending the gain over the top? I figured that new resonance control would allow more flexibility with the lows too. I had the same feelings the original 100w like you did. Red was just too over the top, and I couldn't get it low enough where I liked a boost hitting it. Blue for me would have been perfect if it had more gain and lows, for my boosting tastes anyway. I was hoping the S was the answer, because I do love the greasy feel of that amp.

When you open the preamp up there is a fatness that happens which is nice for me, but too much gain at the same time makes things congested. I had the gain at 10:00 on the stealth and loved the saturation level, but I liked the "fatness" of everything at 2:00, but there was too much hair/harshness going on by then for me... hard thing to really describe.

I can totally understand that. I haven't played the 100s yet but when I heard what change it incorporated I figured it wasn't going to be for me. I think the designers may have been targeting the br00tz crowd. The standard 100 channel 2 is great for clear, punchy, in your face crunch, especially at volume. Then add an overdrive and you are there. Click on channel 3 and you have your over-the-top gain. I never could understand why adding more gain to any channel was the answer. One thing I've noticed in all the clips is the overall "EVH tone" is basically untouched on the stealth.

They Should have designed it so the new changes could be taken out with the flip of a switch. Much like the 20th xtc switches.



They might have less returns

 

[Erock]

For ME it comes to this:

Green=Too much gain
Blue=Too much gain
Red=Too much gain

There you have it, the Stealth.

Have you ever had the opposite amp? One that couldn't quite get there, maxed out on the preamp gain. Nothing is more frustrating, for sure. Too much gain for the setting that you are used too? You can always turn the gain down, but when you are on "10" you will need Nigel Tufnel to go "one higher".

Yep, the original 5153`s blue is exactly that, and i like it. It makes you work harder. But this is too much, and backing off on the gain is not the same, it`s not on the verge of blowing up. It`s weird to explain.

Seriously, who is gonna play the red channel on full gain? Pointless to me. Even the blue on full is crazy.

Maybe it`s me, i don`t know, but too much is like not enough.

I would of wished for a middle ground on this, i guess it`s not for me.

Chris

Interesting, I think I know what you mean by too much gain too. The position where the amp's feel starts to get greasy and saturated. Sometimes there is too much OD/disto by the time it hits that point though. Can the gain be kept low enough on blue, where a boost can change the feel without sending the gain over the top? I figured that new resonance control would allow more flexibility with the lows too. I had the same feelings the original 100w like you did. Red was just too over the top, and I couldn't get it low enough where I liked a boost hitting it. Blue for me would have been perfect if it had more gain and lows, for my boosting tastes anyway. I was hoping the S was the answer, because I do love the greasy feel of that amp.

When you open the preamp up there is a fatness that happens which is nice for me, but too much gain at the same time makes things congested. I had the gain at 10:00 on the stealth and loved the saturation level, but I liked the "fatness" of everything at 2:00, but there was too much hair/harshness going on by then for me... hard thing to really describe.

I think you described it better than me, that's exactly what I'm talking about. That congestion or smear of too much gain that kind of kills the clarity once it gets thicker.

 

[WizardSouth-JP]

Just buy a Wizard MC100
wicked gain and clarity

 

[7 Stringer]

For ME it comes to this:

Green=Too much gain
Blue=Too much gain
Red=Too much gain

There you have it, the Stealth.

Have you ever had the opposite amp? One that couldn't quite get there, maxed out on the preamp gain. Nothing is more frustrating, for sure. Too much gain for the setting that you are used too? You can always turn the gain down, but when you are on "10" you will need Nigel Tufnel to go "one higher".

Yep, the original 5153`s blue is exactly that, and i like it. It makes you work harder. But this is too much, and backing off on the gain is not the same, it`s not on the verge of blowing up. It`s weird to explain.

Seriously, who is gonna play the red channel on full gain? Pointless to me. Even the blue on full is crazy.

Maybe it`s me, i don`t know, but too much is like not enough.

I would of wished for a middle ground on this, i guess it`s not for me.

Chris

Interesting, I think I know what you mean by too much gain too. The position where the amp's feel starts to get greasy and saturated. Sometimes there is too much OD/disto by the time it hits that point though. Can the gain be kept low enough on blue, where a boost can change the feel without sending the gain over the top? I figured that new resonance control would allow more flexibility with the lows too. I had the same feelings the original 100w like you did. Red was just too over the top, and I couldn't get it low enough where I liked a boost hitting it. Blue for me would have been perfect if it had more gain and lows, for my boosting tastes anyway. I was hoping the S was the answer, because I do love the greasy feel of that amp.

When you open the preamp up there is a fatness that happens which is nice for me, but too much gain at the same time makes things congested. I had the gain at 10:00 on the stealth and loved the saturation level, but I liked the "fatness" of everything at 2:00, but there was too much hair/harshness going on by then for me... hard thing to really describe.

I think you described it better than me, that's exactly what I'm talking about. That congestion or smear of too much gain that kind of kills the clarity once it gets thicker.

That`s exactly it, smear, congestion, compressed, saturated, terms i really don`t like when describing a guitar tone. That`s exactly what the Stealth has become, of course, this is all subjective. Might be perfect for somebody else, but not me.

I just got confirmation for a return, i can keep it for another 40 days if i wish. I will keep it and A/B it with my original one. But i`m 99% sure it`s going back to MF. Might check out another BE-100, My 5150II,5153(Original),6534+,VHT UL and Peters FSM i think covers my high gain brootal tone spectrum. I should settle down with a nice Marshally amp tone generator and call it a day.

Watcha all think about that

Chris

 

[Moshaholic]

I just got confirmation for a return

Watcha all think about that

Chris

lol...

It's all part of the "insanity"...

 

[nevusofota]

I'm betting that if you weren't that impressed with the overall tone of the standard 100 than you're not going to be blown away by the 100s. Adding a bit of gain and resonance isn't going to all of a sudden make it the amp of your dreams. I think hype is once again fogging purchasing decisions. However, I do agree with taking advantage of online retailer's 'send it back at no cost' feature. Why not try it out in the privacy of your own home with your own gear?

 

[johnpace2]

I got a Stealth the other day and haven't had a ton of time with it, but so far, I really dig it.

 

[Shiny_Surface]

Watcha all think about that

Chris

The Stealth bubble burst at Rig Talk 2014 grand event

 

[7 Stringer]

I just got confirmation for a return

Watcha all think about that

Chris

lol...

It's all part of the "insanity"...

I`m officially in the "Insanity" club now.....

And your not helping my cause

Mr. Multiwatt