finally joining the tube family... 5150 content

[Thor Von Clemson]

I was originally planning on going with the Randall MTS stuff but it seems some unexpected bills had other plans for me....

So I snagged a used 5150 from a music go round. I think it is a block letter (it has EVH in black letters on the front instead of a signature). Everything is stock and in great working condition.

Are there any things I should know of or be aware of when it comes to tubes or this particular amp? I am sure I will want to replace the stock tubes, and I am thinking one of the eurotube 5150 kits will do nicely.

Any advice is greatly appreciated. This is my first tube amp and I am pretty excited. I will be posting pics next week when I get the amp along with a USA Jackson I recently aquired....

[Inearthed]

As far as Tubes for the 5150 go, there are a lot of different combinations and everyone has different preferences. I've heard people speak very positively on 9th Gen Chinese tubes (sorry Ron!) in the pre section. Many folks either like or dislike the JJ tubes (I hear complaints about them being too harsh or dark), but some JJ's 6L6's in the power section should do you well.

I don't buy into the whole "mixed quads" that Eurotubes is selling, especially after chatting with some of the amp techs on the HCAF.

Another suggestion could be to drop Doug at Doug's Tubes an e-mail and tell him what you're going for in terms of tones and see what he recommends tube wise for your 5150.

[kmanick]

I retubed my 5150 with an entire set of JJ's and put 2 low gain pre amp tubes in V3,V4. Really killed the hiss on the lead channel and makes the rhythm channel actually usable as a clean channel. His 5150 low gain kit is what I bought.
Get either an MXr10 EQ or a BBe sonic stomp to throw in the loop , makes a huge difference when playing at lower volumes.

[horns666]

BBE 422 in the loop..period!!

[Inearthed]

He's asking about TUBES.

[RacerX]

Really, Towelie!

[Thrust]

Another suggestion could be to drop Doug at Doug's Tubes an e-mail and tell him what you're going for in terms of tones and see what he recommends tube wise for your 5150.

+1

I've purchased from both Eurotubes and Dougstubes and highly recommend the latter. Also, there is a lot of good feedback on the Tung Sol preamp tubes so I'd ask about those as well. I've heard JJ's in the pre-amp do a nice job of taming the brittle highs that some amps have, but in a 5150 I don't think you have that problem.

Congrats on a killer purchase!!

[sworn_enemy]

I would go with Ruby 6L6's and a mix of Tungsols and C9's in the preamp. Those are currently my favorite. I personally feel running all JJ's in the preamp sound a little dark and dull. Doug is a great choice for ordering tubes.

[yabba]

'nother vote for Doug; great guy, great service, great prices. He really knows his stuff.

[Thor Von Clemson]

Here is what Doug suggested.

"I would go with JJ 6L6GC's and a set of 2 maybe 3 different preamp tube types.
Usually a Tung Sol reissue in the first spot, a Sovtek LPS in the second spot
and 9th gen Shuguangs the rest of the way. JJ ECC83S in every preamp spot is a
ticket to muddy tone.

RUBY 6L6GCMSTR's are another excellent alternative to the JJ 6L6's, very linear
and smooth with lots of tight low end.

I'm not sure I see the point in wasting the $$ by putting KT88's with a 35 watt
plate dissipation, in an amp built for 6L6GC's. No matter what you do, you will
still have a 100 watt amp. I'm also not a big fan of the JJ KT88's, there are
much better and less expensive alternative anyway.
I would go with JJ 6L6GC's and a set of 2 maybe 3 different preamp tube types.
Usually a Tung Sol reissue in the first spot, a Sovtek LPS in the second spot
and 9th gen Shuguangs the rest of the way. JJ ECC83S in every preamp spot is a
ticket to muddy tone.

RUBY 6L6GCMSTR's are another excellent alternative to the JJ 6L6's, very linear
and smooth with lots of tight low end.

I'm not sure I see the point in wasting the $$ by putting KT88's with a 35 watt
plate dissipation, in an amp built for 6L6GC's. No matter what you do, you will
still have a 100 watt amp. I'm also not a big fan of the JJ KT88's, there are
much better and less expensive alternative anyway."

What say you to this idea? I have no clue where to start but it seems like 6L6's in the powersection would be a good idea.

[Thor Von Clemson]

Another question....

I know there are various threads about BBE's and Maxons and whatnot so I won't ask about which one to get. I will ask if they make a big difference right off the bat or do you need to retube the 5150 then add the boost to hear a significant difference.

[Inearthed]

Another question....

I know there are various threads about BBE's and Maxons and whatnot so I won't ask about which one to get. I will ask if they make a big difference right off the bat or do you need to retube the 5150 then add the boost to hear a significant difference.

Here's my input (most will disagree, though I think at least DSS3 and Fragle will agree with me).

People are huge on the 5150 + BBE 422 on this board. To me, when you use the BBE with this amp it will offer high clarity and give a bit more tightness to your tone but it also does a great job of adding this sort of processed type feel to your tone which I don't like at all. BBE can work somewhat well as a way to "remove the blanket" at low volumes, but when you start cranking the amp and dialing in some good settings it, to me, starts sounding like a heavily processed / digital modeler. I liken it to the ENGL Powerball as it'll be really beefy and heavy, but it won't be as raw or in your face as the 5150 straight up.

Easiest way to prove a point is look at the touring acts that use the 5150 and see how many of them use the BBE. Look at Andy Sneap, Fredrik Nordström, Adam D, and Devin T - how many of them use the BBE in their studio? None.

If you're looking for the raw sound / traditional feel of the 5150 then the BBE will not accomplish this. It is worth trying to see if you favor the tone, but I wouldn't drop everything and run out and pick up a BBE.

Boost wise, it is a personal preference. A lot of people like dialing back the gain and then boosting with their favorite stomp box (SD-1, Maxon OD808, others). Most of the boosting is done to tighten up the amp. All boils down (again) to personal preference. Boosts won't change your tone as much as the BBE.

What style of music are you playing? How old are the tubes? How's the amp sound right now?

Also Doug's tube suggestions sound good to me. 5150 does sound best with the 6L6's

[Thor Von Clemson]

Inearthed-

The amp should arrive today. I am not sure how old it is. As far as I know, it is a block letter 5150 completely stock. I am sure there will be some sort of identification somewhere on the amp.

I hear ya about the difference between heavily processed modelling tone and real tube tone. The distortions with my pod xtl/carvin setup are pretty good but when you really listen to it there seems to be a certain "purity" that is missing from the tone... plus my rig farts out terribly at high volumes. I actually really like the way my current rig sounds but it can not handle high volumes. My current rig is a little more versatile than my initial 5150 setup will be but I am sure the difference in tone will be huge.

I'm not sure if you are familiar with the band Aletheian, but I play music similar to them, extol, between the buried and me along with some dream theater and nevermore... Drop C and Drop A.

I hate being such a newbie to tube amps. I guess everyone has to start somewhere...I am basically just looking to get the best metal tones that a 5150 can do and any sort of useable clean tone with maybe a chorus or something. I am going to ditch my pod to get new tubes, and hopefully tuner and a noisegate if necessary. I am not sure how well the 5150 likes fx but I use a little delay and chorus and I would like to use some fx stomps if possible.

*edit- It dawned on me that I can use a GT-6 and the four cable method for fx as well as a tuner and a noisegate. It may require a little bit of tapdancing but that is ok. Plus I can still use the GT-6 for home direct recording, and quiet practice. Now I just need to sell the POD and save up for some new tubes...Does that sound like a good start on the golden tube road?

[horns666]

BBE 422 in the loop ..PERIOD!!

[Thor Von Clemson]

Bill... I get the feeling you are trying to say something....

* the amp arrived today. I will start noodling around with it tomorrow. I feel like a complete dumbass asking the following questions but I will ask anyways..

First off, do the block letter 5150's have a shared eq? At first glance it appears that they do and if so, are there any trick to get around this? I am probably going to be using a GT-6 for cleans so I am thinking if I focus on the lead channel for metal tones and mess with the rhythm channel volumes and gains I should be ok.