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OK so i've been hunting for a new rig for a while now. I've considered everything from rackmounted preamps and power amps, pedal heads, mini heads, full-sized heads and even amp modelling rigs... But i've always found myself leaning towards high gain 'lunchbox' mini amps like the Orange Dark Terror, Carvin V3M, Mini Recto, etc. because transportation is very important for me. I know how to get the tone i want and i mainly play really fast Black/Death Metal so i need the high gain grind, growl and massive roar yet tightness and note definition that 5150s/6505s are known for; but without having to lug around a 30kg head along with my pedalboard and guitar case. A usable clean channel is definitely a bonus too.
There's already a really good thread about mini heads and at some point i was set on a Dark Terror, then more recently a V3M until i finally came across the EVH 5150 III 50W head recently. I want to know if anyone here has one, what they think and how they compare to the Peaveys (which are awesome). It's impossible for me to try one out but the samples i've heard so far sound incredible!
Here are the conclusions i've come to so far:
The Dark Terror is a straightforward design with a single channel but it's a great sounding little amp with plenty of grind and beef but it's a little loose in the low end and hairy in the highs (i don't mind the fizz too much though). I do realise that 15W is plenty loud but i'm looking for a few more dBs for good measure and a little more versatility in dialling in a sound...
The V3M has three channels and independent EQs, digital reverb and all the bells and whistles which make it more fully-featured than most full-sized heads out there. Plus the switchable power setting goes up to 50W which is a big deal for me but i doubt it would be up to the task of getting the sound i need. I've read it has a more Marshally tone because of the EL34s rather than what i'm looking for. I can't seem to find any decent samples for Metal except for this vid but i've read that it can be quite fizzy... :think:
The EVH 5150 III 50W has three channels, the first of which apparently is a nice Fender style clean, the second being a modded Plexi style tone and the third being the insane highgainballstothewallfacerippingearpulverising Peavey sound that i crave. I've also heard that it actually sounds better than the Peaveys and even the 100W version of itself.
It's not as fully-featured as the V3M but at the end of the day the sound is what's most important to me. What do you guys reckon? Help a JCF brother's GAS! Oh, and the 5150 III comes in white tolex too. 
There's already a really good thread about mini heads and at some point i was set on a Dark Terror, then more recently a V3M until i finally came across the EVH 5150 III 50W head recently. I want to know if anyone here has one, what they think and how they compare to the Peaveys (which are awesome). It's impossible for me to try one out but the samples i've heard so far sound incredible!
Here are the conclusions i've come to so far:
The Dark Terror is a straightforward design with a single channel but it's a great sounding little amp with plenty of grind and beef but it's a little loose in the low end and hairy in the highs (i don't mind the fizz too much though). I do realise that 15W is plenty loud but i'm looking for a few more dBs for good measure and a little more versatility in dialling in a sound...
The V3M has three channels and independent EQs, digital reverb and all the bells and whistles which make it more fully-featured than most full-sized heads out there. Plus the switchable power setting goes up to 50W which is a big deal for me but i doubt it would be up to the task of getting the sound i need. I've read it has a more Marshally tone because of the EL34s rather than what i'm looking for. I can't seem to find any decent samples for Metal except for this vid but i've read that it can be quite fizzy... :think:
The EVH 5150 III 50W has three channels, the first of which apparently is a nice Fender style clean, the second being a modded Plexi style tone and the third being the insane highgainballstothewallfacerippingearpulverising Peavey sound that i crave. I've also heard that it actually sounds better than the Peaveys and even the 100W version of itself.
It's not as fully-featured as the V3M but at the end of the day the sound is what's most important to me. What do you guys reckon? Help a JCF brother's GAS! Oh, and the 5150 III comes in white tolex too.
. IMO, the cleans to break up are better on the Mark 5 but the EVH owns high gain. To me this is incredible, given the Mark 5 is 2.5 times the price of the EVH. The Mark 5 has way more tone shaping controls and characteristics including Tube Reverb, so not too shocking the cleans would be better on the Mark 5. The Mark 5 is a dark amp, and even at high gain, the darkness come out. The Red Channel on the eVH is amazing, A/B the two amps it is very clear to me and others that have played my rig, that the EVH is better then the Mark 5 at high gain. The EVH 5150III 50 watt is a great amp and an incredible value! I would tell anyone playing almost any music style to buy the EVH. 
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