Peavey 5150-II help!!!

[jgcable]

I have a 5150-II head. I bought it new years and years ago. I haven't fired this amp up for at least 7 years. Anyway.. I threw a bunch of tubes I had laying around in it and fired it up. Clean/crunch channel works perfectly. When I switch to the lead channel (red) the volume drops to just about whisper quiet. If I dime out the post on the channel I start to hear a clean amp signal bleeding out of the speakers along with the super high gain tone that is way in the background. Neither of these tones are loud. They are bedroom whisper quiet.

The power tubes all light up nice. They were the original ones that came with the amp. The preamp tubes are a bunch that I had laying around. 2 of them are GT's and the rest are no names. Could this problem be caused by preamp tubes?
All the pots work and are clean.

This amp probably has 50 hours playing time on it totally since it was bought new.
Any help or suggestions are appreciated.

[Twitch]

Yeah, Id swap the preamp tubes around and see what happens.

[Hellbat]

Definitely sounds like a preamp tube to me as well. I would try swapping em out with a spare/good tube one at a time, because it's probably just on part of one tube that is the issue.

[DonP]

I try to fire up my amps at least once a year. Caps dry out if you don't use them.

[Cygnus X1]

Don is right.
No telling.

Send it on if you feel like it, I'd like to help.

[jgcable]

Don is right.
No telling.

Send it on if you feel like it, I'd like to help.

Thanks alot bro. I appreciate the offer. It ended up being preamp tubes. I swapped them around and when the bad tube went into the loop circuit the loop acted up. Same thing with the reverb. 1 bad tube. I have 2 new GT's in it and I just bought 4 more Sovtek 12AX7WA's for the rest. The 5150-II doesn't seem to be bothered by preamp tube selection. It seems to sound the same no matter what I put in.. providing its not a bad tube!! I am waiting for the tubes to arrive. I just wish this amp didn't have that stupid 7 pin footswitch. I am going to have to gig using a single channel and rolling the volume for clean because I am not shelling out that much cash for a footswitch. I don't know what Peavey was thinking. My old 5150's had a standard 1/4 inch jack. This one is the same as the 6505+ which I believe is the exact same amp anyway.
I still plan on taking you up on one of your custom amps. Just have to sell some more gear. I am still killing for a Matchless Spitfire clone with reverb. I would never leave the house if I owned one.

[Twitch]

6505plus din pinouts.jpg

Heres how I solved the footswitch problem because I didnt want to spend $70 on the real thing. Get your self a 7 pin midi cable. A 20' should do. Use a MM to determine which wires correspond to pins 3,4, and 7. Next get your self a 1/4'' mono tip/sleeve tip. Solder wires 3 and 4 together to the sleeve of the TS connector. Solder wire 7 to the tip of the 1/4'' connector. Then find your self a latching A/B switch and plug it in and go.

I got lucky and had this all at my disposal already, but $25 beats $70 any day of the week. I actually had an 8 pin DIN cable from a CD changer, I ripped out the 8th middle pin and wired it up like I described and it worked great.
You could also find an old Peavey footswitch or Marshall footswitch and wire 3 and 4 to one side of one of the switches and wire 7 to the other side of the same switch. Parts will only run you about $25.

[DonP]

Thanks alot bro. I appreciate the offer. It ended up being preamp tubes. I swapped them around and when the bad tube went into the loop circuit the loop acted up. Same thing with the reverb. 1 bad tube.

Preamp tubes should rarely go bad. Instead, it might have been a bad connection that was "cleaned up" by you removing and inserting a new tube. Try those old preamp tubes again to see if they are really shot.

I can understand the use of the 7 pin cable. I used one when I made my "TSL" back in 1990, well before Marshall made theirs. Mine had a Boogie lead, Marshall crunch, and Fender clean.

[Cygnus X1]

Great tip, Twitch!

jg, a Spitfire would be in the cards, just PM me.
I have some great vintage iron for it but never built one with reverb.
To my ears it's kind of like a 5E3 Deluxe...it doesn't really need it.

[jgcable]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]3226[/ATTACH]

Heres how I solved the footswitch problem because I didnt want to spend $70 on the real thing. Get your self a 7 pin midi cable. A 20' should do. Use a MM to determine which wires correspond to pins 3,4, and 7. Next get your self a 1/4'' mono tip/sleeve tip. Solder wires 3 and 4 together to the sleeve of the TS connector. Solder wire 7 to the tip of the 1/4'' connector. Then find your self a latching A/B switch and plug it in and go.

I got lucky and had this all at my disposal already, but $25 beats $70 any day of the week. I actually had an 8 pin DIN cable from a CD changer, I ripped out the 8th middle pin and wired it up like I described and it worked great.
You could also find an old Peavey footswitch or Marshall footswitch and wire 3 and 4 to one side of one of the switches and wire 7 to the other side of the same switch. Parts will only run you about $25.

You are the man. Thanks so much for this!

[jgcable]

BTW... I retubed the amp and had a band rehearsal using it. What a monster of an amp. Its just amazing in every respect. For rock to metal this is a flamethrower of an amp. I have it sitting on the correct 5150 cab loaded with 4 sheffields. Its the matched cab for the 5150-II head. What a combination. You really couldn't ask for anything more if you are a metal player. I have a gig on Saturday night and I can't wait to use it. I have an Intellifex in the loop and a wah out in front.

[Twitch]

You are the man. Thanks so much for this!

Did you make one up? Oh, and if you plan on having the loop on, make sure you wire up pin 6 with 3 and 4. If you dont ad 6 to 3 and 4, your loop will never engage with the footswitch plugged in.

This will make the loop on all the time, if you only want loop when on the lead channel, then tie 6 to 7 on the tip.

[horns666]

Let me luv you 'till it hoits!!!

[jgcable]

Did you make one up? Oh, and if you plan on having the loop on, make sure you wire up pin 6 with 3 and 4. If you dont ad 6 to 3 and 4, your loop will never engage with the footswitch plugged in.

This will make the loop on all the time, if you only want loop when on the lead channel, then tie 6 to 7 on the tip.

I am going to make it tonight. I think I am going to set it up so the loop is on all the time.

[Twitch]

Just take your time because it can be confusing because that diagram is as if youre looking at the connector from behind. The first time I did mine I had wired pin 1 to tip and 4 and 5 together. Kind of a doh moment. I wired mine with the loop out always, had no use for it.