5150 II or Triple XXX?

[MSGfan]

Had both (XXX and 5150 II) and sold them, kept going back to my old Dual Recto's.
Even bought a 5150 recently. Had it for about three days and got a refund. Just couldn't get a sound I was completely satisfied with. I can see why a lot of people get these modded by VooDoo amps. They're suppose to sound Killer after their mod but I just couldn't justifiy spending almost $500. more
(after shipping cost) on the 5150 to make it sound better.
My vintage Ampeg V2's into Marshall cabs with the Tonebone Hot british distortion pedal sounded better than the 5150.

[Twisteramps]

I've owned 5150s and Rectifiers, including two rackmount rectos and a very early blackface dual. I think my JSX kills em. Then again, I can't stand XXXs either. I know there are many things in common with the JSX and XXX, but I really think the JSX is a superior amp.

Just my opinion, nobody get excited.

Pete

[jgcable]

Had both (XXX and 5150 II) and sold them, kept going back to my old Dual Recto's.
Even bought a 5150 recently. Had it for about three days and got a refund. Just couldn't get a sound I was completely satisfied with. I can see why a lot of people get these modded by VooDoo amps. They're suppose to sound Killer after their mod but I just couldn't justifiy spending almost $500. more
(after shipping cost) on the 5150 to make it sound better.
My vintage Ampeg V2's into Marshall cabs with the Tonebone Hot british distortion pedal sounded better than the 5150.

Not my 5150's. I have an original block letter EVH head and a fairly new 5150II head. They both kill and sound better than ANY amp with a distortion pedal in front of it. I can't see any reason in the world to mod a 5150.
Live.. there is no comparison between a 5150 and a Rectifier. Especially if the 2 amps are in the same band. The 5150 shits all over a Single and Dual Rectifier in regards to punch, and clarity in a live and loud metal setting. A Triple is a different story. I don't think any amp is louder and more ballsy than a Triple Rectifier.

I am not pointing anybody out here BUT... there are a fair amount of JCF'rs who only play at home who have very strong opinions on topics like this. You need to keep that in mind when you read threads like this.
I have one of the first Dual Rectifier heads and I will tell you with 100% certainty::
The Dual Rectifier is a fantastic amp. Great at everything. Probably one of the most versatile amps that can handle anything from jazz to metal. Built like a tank too and really cool looking!!!
The 5150 is also a fantastic amp. It doesn't have a great clean channel but thats not what you buy one for. You buy a 5150 for the sizzle and the searing tone that cuts through a mix unfairly. It also has a great tight bottom end that gets better as you turn it up. Its also pedal and cabinet friendly.
The reason sound engineers like the 5150 so much is because its so easy to dial in and get a great live sound.
With that said... if I had to choose 1 of these amps to gig with in my metal band I would choose the 5150 because it has a more consistant metal tone night after night.. room after room.
The Rectifiers are more tempermental and require tweaking from room to room and night after night.

Ask Rectifier owners this question:
Does your Rectifier always sound great?
The answer is no. For some unexplained reason, Rectifiers sometimes sound just a little better than canned ass. I have no idea why. Same room, same band, same cabinet, same everything.. but sometimes it sounds like wet farts.

5150 owners NEVER have that problem. A 5150 sounds great ALL the time.
That is why I would choose a 5150 over a better built and better designed and more versatile Rectifier.

With that said.. all of my 5150's and Rectifiers and my newly purchased Mig 60 all reside in my amplifier closet because the 2 amps I use home, in the studio, at rehearsal and live are my Vettas.

[jgcable]

I've owned 5150s and Rectifiers, including two rackmount rectos and a very early blackface dual. I think my JSX kills em. Then again, I can't stand XXXs either. I know there are many things in common with the JSX and XXX, but I really think the JSX is a superior amp.

Just my opinion, nobody get excited.

Pete

Pete, you really need an endorsement from Peavey.
I say they change the amp to a PTX
(your last name starts with a T.. right??)

JG

[Twisteramps]

Pete, you really need an endorsement from Peavey.
I say they change the amp to a PTX
(your last name starts with a T.. right??)

JG

After owning or playing at length most of the amps that get everyone's blood pumping here and on Harmony Central, I found what I like.

Are they going to change the name of the Vetta to the JGCable model?

Pete

[charvelguy]

JSX is probably a hands down superior amp. After the 5150, came the Ultra, and before the JSX, you had the XXX. Satch, Lynch, Hoey, they all used the XXX. They aren't known to be slouches for tone but they are no longer endorsing it either.

I have a good friend who mixes national acts PT. The guy is a bass player, so no prejudice here. He ran sound for Jackal about 4-5 years back at a gig here and absolutely raved about the sound of the 5150 in the mix.

[Endrik]

"btw, Vernon Reid is another who likes using jazz chords in metal songs. Hamers & EMGs into Mesas. He's been using them since the 80s."

I saw him with his experimental jazz/fusion band on tv, even there he used rectos.


Didn't Lynch helped to design XXX ?
I personally didn't liked it, too harsh IMO, JSX souned better.

[charvelguy]

When Peavey announced the release.. it was annouced as a collaboration effort between Lynch and Peavey. http://namm.harmony-central.com/WNAM...R/TripleX.html

I think Lynch was using Mesa DR or Bogner in the mid 90's around the time of "One Night".
If I recall, he had the mudflap chick thing going on in the front corner of his amps.. so they must've made it over to the XXX enmasse.

He was supposed to be associated with either the Penta or the Valveking but it seems that broke off rather early on, dropped an endorsement to Peavey and he went with a collaboration design on the Randall RM100LB.

Another friend of mine whom I've known for ages used to own a XXX before his divorce took it away, now uses a Valveking w/ a BBE 422a (which I loaned out to him).
He seems to be fairly happy with it and he can be rather picky but also rather budget minded. I offered him one of my Mesa Combos (a .50 cal) to use when he had no amp and he turned me down on it.
Go figure.
Hey, whatever you want to use, if it trips your trigger, does the job and you're happy, that is all that really matters.
The only reason I'm probably more than fine with a XXX is that it is trace modded.

[kmanick]

John makes a good point here about people who don't gig and just play at home.
I would be one of those now (although I did used to gig a lot back in the 80's so I've got a good understanding about cutting thru a mix etc)
I think you need to talk to people who actually use these things live (if that's what you're doing) and get some of their opinions as well.
I love my 5150, and I love my B-52, but If I hit the lottery I would grab a Mesa Road King, a JSX, a Slo 100, a Splawn Competition and a Bogner XTC.
Why? they're all good amps. Is one better than another?
That is all personal taste, on any given day any one of these amps could be the "holy Grail tone" you're looking for. tomorrow it may be something different.

[sevser]

I use the XXX live and it IS totally different then using it at home. I don't bother usning it at home ever.

With the XXX you can get a totally different amp depending on how you use the ch volume with the master.

[Fragle]

guys...as i said, i've never used a rectifier live, nor the XXX...
BUT....i've gigged with a 5150, an engl blackmore, a framus cobra, a mesa dc5, a laney gh50l, a jcm800 2210...the list goes on and on. all in all, the cobra slays them all, but the 5150 is DEFINITELY the second on that list. as john already said, the 5150 is very popular among soundmen because it's VERY easy to get a REALLY good metal sound, even if you're using not-soo-great gear with it, like cheap guitars/cabs. it's rather forgiving - unlike the cobra.
so.....in a nutshell, i can only tell you this:
best bang for the buck: 5150
best amp i've every owned/played live: framus cobra
probably the most versatile all tube amp for nevermore-ish stuff: peavey XXX

[charvelguy]

John makes a good point here about people who don't gig and just play at home.
I would be one of those now (although I did used to gig a lot back in the 80's so I've got a good understanding about cutting thru a mix etc)
I think you need to talk to people who actually use these things live (if that's what you're doing) and get some of their opinions as well.
I love my 5150, and I love my B-52, but If I hit the lottery I would grab a Mesa Road King, a JSX, a Slo 100, a Splawn Competition and a Bogner XTC.
Why? they're all good amps. Is one better than another?
That is all personal taste, on any given day any one of these amps could be the "holy Grail tone" you're looking for. tomorrow it may be something different.

There are equal variables live also. How your amp sounds on stage thru a mix will depend on the sound man, the mix, the mains being used, the sidewash, the stage, the room, etc. I spent about two years behind a soundboard on the road-FT when on hiatus from playing to gain experience from that perspective also.
I have 5 years playing FT, and at least as many playing PT with a variety of PA's and individuals mixing it in differing types and caliber of bands over the years.

Does the many years of accumlated smoke, stale beer & piss smells coming from the basement & restrooms coupled with the seasoning of at least a couple hundred sweaty bodies on a weekely basis as well as the guy spilling his drink on your effects or the chick flashing her tits at the band enhance the tonal character of what comes out of the speakers for you? Maybe, hmm, lets have another drink. The room, (if any) the rest of the band and how that band interacts in volume also have an effect.
If this is the point, then noted.
Whether the stage and the area around it is carpet or wood or anything else (tile, cement, etc) can too.

Think about this.. most studios strive for an acoustically sound environment (flat and dead with variants depending on the desired result) as well as providing a home like atmosphere and comfort so the musicians can relax while working in an environment that is professional, yet comfortable so it enables them to get the best results.

When I play through an amp at home..I will tweak knobs and tone in the same manner as I would do at a club during the day at rehearsal w/o PA, just monitors, or at night playing live with the Mains on. I will strive to play no differently at least in caliber between the two or work to dial my sound so it is good for me as well as the guy behind the board who needs to work with what I provide in order to have his mix be balanced and sounding good. I have to work with the sound man in order for him to work with me. Lets also consider the variants in the gear being used: the guitar, the pickups, the effects chain, the cab, the player, the mics, etc.
It may even come down the battery you use for your effects.

Different soundmen, different rooms will make your amp sound .. guess what?, different.. even with the same PA being used. Thats why major acts contract a regular soundperson to be the ears for the sound they want to have regardless of who they may rent the gear from. Most take their preferred gear with them... like the main effects rack, specialized stuff and soundboard.

No offense to anyone here or their opinion. I think how some things are perceived differ from individual to situation.

My amp usually sounds, if anything.. better onstage when humping thru the mains and the full force of the band going on around and behind ya.

[siggy14]

I disagree, i have had 5150's that are the same, can sound great one night and sound like crap another. This is with all amps, just depends on alot of things, sound men, voltage and even mic's.

The recto is a great amp and honestly i cant figure out how some of you say it sounds like mud, sounds like ass, sound like this, sounds like that blah blah blah. Sounds like a bunch of you are very biased towards one amp or another.

With that being said, i have gone through so many amps and the recto i always go back too for metal tones. It is brutal, it is heavy and sounds great live and this is why so many huge artists stay with this amp and tour with it.

I think alot of people tend to lose site of there spot in a band, when playing live and even recording with two guitarists, each guitarist should be on one side of the mix and not competing with the other guitarist on his side. You should not be trying to out due the other guitarists or bury him, which alot of guitarist do. with the right sound man he should be able to equal both amps to the same volume and to the point where one guy is on the right, and the other guy is on the left.

When it comes down to it alot of what the amp sounds like depends on the player as well as the sound man, if you cant EQ a amp then there is going to be trouble, and recto's are a different beast.

This thread has really fustraited me because i have never seen so many narrowed minded people that are pulling crap out of there asses.

I have played in live situations with recto's, with 5150's and with a XXX (big mistake). I have also seen alot of acts that have used the recto and lets just say unless they have a magic jeanie in a bottle in the back adjusting there tone, well you get the picture.

Not my 5150's. I have an original block letter EVH head and a fairly new 5150II head. They both kill and sound better than ANY amp with a distortion pedal in front of it. I can't see any reason in the world to mod a 5150.
Live.. there is no comparison between a 5150 and a Rectifier. Especially if the 2 amps are in the same band. The 5150 shits all over a Single and Dual Rectifier in regards to punch, and clarity in a live and loud metal setting. A Triple is a different story. I don't think any amp is louder and more ballsy than a Triple Rectifier.

I am not pointing anybody out here BUT... there are a fair amount of JCF'rs who only play at home who have very strong opinions on topics like this. You need to keep that in mind when you read threads like this.
I have one of the first Dual Rectifier heads and I will tell you with 100% certainty::
The Dual Rectifier is a fantastic amp. Great at everything. Probably one of the most versatile amps that can handle anything from jazz to metal. Built like a tank too and really cool looking!!!
The 5150 is also a fantastic amp. It doesn't have a great clean channel but thats not what you buy one for. You buy a 5150 for the sizzle and the searing tone that cuts through a mix unfairly. It also has a great tight bottom end that gets better as you turn it up. Its also pedal and cabinet friendly.
The reason sound engineers like the 5150 so much is because its so easy to dial in and get a great live sound.
With that said... if I had to choose 1 of these amps to gig with in my metal band I would choose the 5150 because it has a more consistant metal tone night after night.. room after room.
The Rectifiers are more tempermental and require tweaking from room to room and night after night.

Ask Rectifier owners this question:
Does your Rectifier always sound great?
The answer is no. For some unexplained reason, Rectifiers sometimes sound just a little better than canned ass. I have no idea why. Same room, same band, same cabinet, same everything.. but sometimes it sounds like wet farts.

5150 owners NEVER have that problem. A 5150 sounds great ALL the time.
That is why I would choose a 5150 over a better built and better designed and more versatile Rectifier.

With that said.. all of my 5150's and Rectifiers and my newly purchased Mig 60 all reside in my amplifier closet because the 2 amps I use home, in the studio, at rehearsal and live are my Vettas.

[RacerX]

[jgcable]

Siggy, ask any sound engineer which metal amp they most prefer to set up live and you will get an overwhelming response for the 5150.
I'll stack up my 5150's against a Single or Dual Rectifier any day of the week in a live and loud metal band setting.
I actually prefer the bottom end chunk of a Recitifer over a 5150. In the real world though, you can't play with that much bottom end if you have a kicking bass player. You need MIDRANGE and the 5150 has tons of it. You also need searing highs that are enough to sail over the cymbals and the other high frequencies, especially if you are a lead player. The 5150 is perfect for that scenario.
I would hardly call my post narrow minded. I think the Rectifiers are great amps. They just aren't as consitant sounding as the 5150.
There are plenty of amps out there better than both but we are just discussing the XXX, 5150 and the Rectifier I guess.
I haven't heard a Triple X that I have liked live. I also haven't heard a JSX that I have liked live. It probably has alot to do with the way the amps were set up live.