5150 + BBE Sonic Maximizer = good sound?

[tgreensl1]

I have a 5150 which i love, the only problem is that is really dry with no effects, is a BBE hooked up to it my answer for great sound, i hear it really helps, but what does a BBE do exactly?

[FSU_Seminoles]

Re: 5150 + BBE Sonic Maximizer = good sound?

can anybody explain to me what's the hype with the 5150s ? I know someone who traded a JCM 800 2204 for one of those and I personally think it pretty much sounded like crap compared to his JCM 800 but he loved it

[charvelguy]

Re: 5150 + BBE Sonic Maximizer = good sound?

it's been ranted about here for years...I'm sure there is something in the archives, provided you can get the search function to work well enough for ya.

[horns666]

Re: 5150 + BBE Sonic Maximizer = good sound?

5150s are great amps for the buck...and a BBE 422 or 422a is the one that will wake up the beast in that thing..or a single channel version of same will do...I never had a single cnannel vesrion..the newer BBEs have way too much "sizzle" and it can sound very obnoxious..like a 462 or 482...those sounds like complete crap to me.

I ran two 5150 in stereo into four 1960B cabs w / 422 in the loop..sounded pretty good..

Marshalls are nice as well ..but a Marshall such as an JCM 800 will only go up in value..it's a classic Marshall...and sounds like one...which is a good thing.

apple and oranges..two different amps for two different sounds..

the 5150 if pretty chunky , and beefy in the low end with tons of gain...more than you need..but the heads are a bit dead sounding...and the clean side sounds like crap..but for what they are , they are decent. A great Heavy Metal amp without the need for stomps..great for death metal , black metal..or any metal for that matter..

Marshalls..well..well...

why am I explaining this.. [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

5150s have been around for 15 years now...Marshall has been out since I was in Diapers...what the hell's goin' on..

BBEs..work...in the loops of SOME amps...the 5150 seems to love it more than any other amp I tried to couple with a BBE...and I tried all my amps with one.

I use a BBE in the loop of my Marshall rack...it sounds pretty good..better with than without..so it's there for good

but a BBE sounds like complete ass in the loop of my Uberschall..The Uber PUKES as soon as soon as you throw a BBE in it..

Look up BBE on the net...you'll get all the info you need about them..

BTW..also a 5150 will sound crappy thru a celestion cab...it's OK..but that head sounds MUCH better with it's own 5150 shefield loaded cab..much more tighter and much more focused and less muddy and flabby...big difference.

if I owned a 5150...the BBE 422 or 422a would be MANDATORY! [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[Cleveland Metal]

Re: 5150 + BBE Sonic Maximizer = good sound?

[img]/images/graemlins/stupid.gif[/img]

[siggy14]

Re: 5150 + BBE Sonic Maximizer = good sound?

[ QUOTE ]
5150s are great amps for the buck...and a BBE 422 or 422a is the one that will wake up the beast in that thing..or a single channel version of same will do...I never had a single cnannel vesrion..the newer BBEs have way too much "sizzle" and it can sound very obnoxious..like a 462 or 482...those sounds like complete crap to me.

I ran two 5150 in stereo into four 1960B cabs w / 422 in the loop..sounded pretty good..

Marshalls are nice as well ..but a Marshall such as an JCM 800 will only go up in value..it's a classic Marshall...and sounds like one...which is a good thing.

apple and oranges..two different amps for two different sounds..

the 5150 if pretty chunky , and beefy in the low end with tons of gain...more than you need..but the heads are a bit dead sounding...and the clean side sounds like crap..but for what they are , they are decent. A great Heavy Metal amp without the need for stomps..great for death metal , black metal..or any metal for that matter..

Marshalls..well..well...

why am I explaining this.. [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

5150s have been around for 15 years now...Marshall has been out since I was in Diapers...what the hell's goin' on..

BBEs..work...in the loops of SOME amps...the 5150 seems to love it more than any other amp I tried to couple with a BBE...and I tried all my amps with one.

I use a BBE in the loop of my Marshall rack...it sounds pretty good..better with than without..so it's there for good

but a BBE sounds like complete ass in the loop of my Uberschall..The Uber PUKES as soon as soon as you throw a BBE in it..

Look up BBE on the net...you'll get all the info you need about them..

BTW..also a 5150 will sound crappy thru a celestion cab...it's OK..but that head sounds MUCH better with it's own 5150 shefield loaded cab..much more tighter and much more focused and less muddy and flabby...big difference.

if I owned a 5150...the BBE 422 or 422a would be MANDATORY! [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

I have the 482 and i dont find it bad at all, but then again i have never tried the ones bill are talking about. I never set my BBE to high if i use it, i put all controls right in the middle, anything above that is too much.

[horns666]

Re: 5150 + BBE Sonic Maximizer = good sound?

Siggs I had a 462 and a 482 when they both just came out..

the 422s are much warmer , and "musical"..

pleasant sounding...the newer ones such as those are very harsh and have a ton of "sizzle" to them...

not just to my ears...Barcus Barry concurs as well...too bad they don't "re-issue" those.

[tgreensl1]

Re: 5150 + BBE Sonic Maximizer = good sound?

I have played the Marshalls, Mesa's and other amps and I personally prefer the 5150, not for the amount of gain but the type. I put the gain about 6 and the volume at 4 or 5 on channel 2 and on the clean channel i turn up the gain to give me a really nice clean that is breaking up when i hit the strings hard, i use a solid state for my Super Clean sound (2x12 Crate) when i rarely use it. Also i have a Beahringer 4x12 Cab that really sounds good but it does sound bad at low volumes, but put me in a big room with good reverb and the thing just screams, it is tonal heaven to me. The important thing is how an amp sounds to you not anyone else in my opinion.

[SeventhSon]

Re: 5150 + BBE Sonic Maximizer = good sound?

Sorry, I'm lazy...instead of reading the PDFs for both models on their website, can someone tell me the diff between the 422 and 422a? Thanks!!!

[horns666]

Re: 5150 + BBE Sonic Maximizer = good sound?

nothing really...they are sonically identical...I had both.

[metallicarocks]

Re: 5150 + BBE Sonic Maximizer = good sound?

tgreensl1, I quite highly recommend that you try out some more of the Mesa clean channels, F series specifially. The single recto was good, but I thought the F series was much warmer. Also, you might try some Fenders. Even some of the solid state ones are great! My clean sound is very bright and sparkly, bassy when I play by myself, but with a band I roll off on the bass. I try to use a little chorus in there too when possible. Think Shadows Fall on the Art of Balance record without so much reverb, and a little brighter still with less mids.

[rjohnstone]

Re: 5150 + BBE Sonic Maximizer = good sound?

I had to use a friends 5150 when my amp craped out... I hated it. To "fuzzy" for my taste.
As for the BBE, I have a 462NR that I use with my GNX-1.
I like the tone I get out of it, but I agree.. I wish they still made the 422. I struggled a bit with my 462 to get the right tone, but once I got it, I glued the knobs in place with a hot glue gun.

[atomic charvel guy]

Re: 5150 + BBE Sonic Maximizer = good sound?

bbe 482's are ridiculous. overkill in my book. it's just too much, it's outta control. the older ones sound better.

[horns666]

Re: 5150 + BBE Sonic Maximizer = good sound?

yeah the 462 and 482 and whatever else they came out with new...all have that very high end "sizzle" to them no matter where they are set to ...and a lot of white noise that goes with that....nature of the beast I suppose..

Yes the older ones are much more warm and musical sounding...apples and oranges really...unfortuanely..

I don't know why they ruined them to be honest...Most guitar amps already have plenty of sizzle and high end and presence as it is...these thing just make it obnoxious even with the "defintion" or "process" knob all they way down...or all the way to the left..

Also my only gripe of ANY BBE is that I wish it had a variable control so you can dial or tweak how much processed or original signal you can have...but that is asking for too much I guess..


Hunt down a nice 422 or 422a if you like what a BBE does to your amp...you will notice an immiediate difference...and see what I mean...I been down that road so many times ...and the conclusions are alway blatant and consistant..

[tgreensl1]

Re: 5150 + BBE Sonic Maximizer = good sound?

Sure i will try them out, i only played the recs and just didn't like them. they seem to be very complicated to get a nice tone out of them, 5150 is just simplicity at its best for me.