5150 speakers

[catzodellamarina]

If I remember right , the speakers in 5150 cabs are EVH voiced Peavey Sheffields. Are they close to specs to any known Celestions? As a cost saving measure, I'm planning on using them in a 2x12 cab and I may try to pair a 5150 speaker with a Celestion, like the English-made H series to get a fuller sound. Comments? Suggestions?

[horns666]

they're voiced similair to celestion 75s. But they are tighter, warmer, smoother with matching cab. I'ved had five 5150s and tried about every type of celestion 4/12" cabs..mainly Marshalls. Although they do sound pretty good with celestions. I was able to push the gain (a smidge passed 6) and resonance slightly higher with the sheffields with MUCH less speaker flub. Something I was never able to do with any celestion..even with several types of quality rack EQs. In fact, I discovered ANY EQ in the loop of a 5150 completely compromised it's organic tone. The most I could push the gain with celestions was a hair passed 5. Doesn't sound like much, but it is ..especially to make solos "sing" much more while having the tightest rythm tone possible.

I preached this for years here (chech the search) . IMO, the optimal 5150 / 6505 tone is the matching cab and a BBE 422 in the loop. THAT particulair BBE unit works better in that amp than all the amps I've owned and tried. In fact, every person in the last couple decades that heard/played it..immediately went with that combination. Some amps such as Bogner and Mesa sound terrible with it. But it really wakes up the Peavey..big time!

If I were to get another 5150..that will always be my requirement.

Cool thing is you can score the BBE 422 and Matching cab cheaper than screwing around with most other combinations, that don't sound nearly as good.

That amp is tuned'designed to that cab/speakers..I HATE, farting, flatulent, flabby, "flub" . Celestions are my favorite speaker..period. But NOT with that amp!

[VoiceX3]

I 99% agree with Bill here. There is 1 celestian speaker that does the same job and offer even less flub. I always used my old peavey cabs that came with 85 watt celestians that have since been re rated to 100watts. Tight and lively without unwanted breakup. Still use these cabs with my Bugera 333XL and they perform great with it as well.

[rattlehead74]

I had a 5150 combo with original sheffields and a 5150 head with celestion recto cab. I think the combo and head are voiced different or maybe the tubes were different but the head sounded killer with the recto cab. Goofing off one day I hooked it up to the combo and wasn't impressed but with recto cab it would put a smile on my face. The combo alone would give you a kick in the teeth too.

[catzodellamarina]

I don't own the 5150 head but I've owned this cab for about 16 years. It's held together with double-side tape, caulk, deckscrews, and spilled Jager. It was time to retire it. The speakers have always been good to me so I wanted to keep them. The 5150 speakers could handle pushing the upper limits of brutal VHT 2902 power. My other cab, a 90's 1960 Marshall slant, starts to fart, crackle, and die at the same level.

I purchased a studio clean set of old ADA split 2X12's. These look like they came out of ADA factory and into a sealed time capsule. I installed the 5150 Sheffield's and I'm amazed at the difference in tone. The voicing is not as dark as the 5150 cab and I feel my tone is more authentic on a wider varity of music. The ADA's still pack a good natural bass punch but without the occasional boomy low-freq cab feedback. Much easier to carry too. BTW - the ADA guys really built a nice cab. The construction shows real attention to craftmanship where the 5150 was always falling apart on me (on the 3rd set of casters). The ADA has real wood back. The 5150 is particle board.

The 5150 cab has been good to me after I learned it's weak spots. It sounds huge but it was time for a change and to replace it with a couple mint pieces of 80's history, isn't all that bad.

[hunter1970]

Are the different series of cabs built the same,5150,5150II.
And what speakers are in the 6505,6505+.

[Cygnus X1]

I think the Sheffields are voiced closer to V30's when driven.
Compared to my G1270M's, mind you.

But then I have never played EVH's.

Hunter, I have seen written that newer cabs are weaker, I can't say first hand.
My series II block slant is solid and competes with Marshall 1960A from personal experience.
Only weak spot is the center post which is easily fixed with felt and a deck screw.

[hunter1970]

I had the first series 5150 4x12 but at that time was just getting a rig back together and all I had was a Line 6 spider 3 head, but the cab sounded really good.Well I got rid of it in hopes of getting a better cab and head.I ended up with a a solid state head and a Kustom
Quad 4x12 cab loaded with Celestion Super 65's, traded that head for a Marshall AVT,Got rid of that and ended up now with the 6505+,now the 6505+ sounds really good with it but now I'm wanting an original 5150 cab.

[Cygnus X1]

Well.
Go figure.

At least 4x12's go cheap, no one wants to ship them.
Just wait, it will show up.

[Kage]

I had a 5150 cab with those EVH Sheffields, played a Marshall JCM 600 and a Carvin MTS3200 through it. I found that it was pretty boomy and dark, sounded okay by itself but never really blended with the band that well. I finally picked up a Marshall 1936 2x12 cab with the Celestion GT75's so I wouldn't have to lug the 4x12 around and found that it really opened up my sound. If I remember correctly, those Sheffields had a much lower resonant peak than the Celestions, here I was looking for a better amp and what I needed was a better match speaker-wise to what I was playing. I wouldn't be surprised if the Peavey amp was better matched to those speakers, I never tried one, but that was just my experience with them.

[Dreamland_Rebel]

Everyone that's responded if off track on what Celestion speakers it was modeled after.

The correct answer is the g12m 20watter (now the Heritage g12m). but Sheffield made theirs with a higher wattage rating.