5150 questions

[jdr94]

well i read that sean raf killed 4 5150's. so i was wondering is this normal? i mean are 5150's known to crap out? i found one used for $550, but i'm kinda nervous about gettin it if its just gonna catch on fire or just die. i thought the whole plus to tube amps is that if they fail they can be fixed. does that only apply to certain malfunctions?

[zeegler]

No no, his were 5150 IIIs and he didn't kill them, they committed suicide.

[jdr94]

so would a 5150 I try to kill itself too?

[zeegler]

From all accounts I've heard, they are pretty damn tough, and reliable too.

[horns666]

5150s are the best bang for the buck. Built like a rock, and they well ummmm rock!

A VERY reliable tried and true hard hard/metal workhorse. BBE 422 in the loop is a requirement for them IMO..and the matching the cab. That is the optimum 5150 setup. Simple, Reliable and Ssscweet!!!

About 25-30 members followed that advice and are extremely happy!!!..Maybe they can chime in..

[Robert Burns]

Between my brother and i... we have had 3 ..1/2 stacks.. One bullit
proof, with no problems... 2 of them had minor switch failures...(one
loosing the blue channel) and the other one loosing the Red Channel)
One was a switch, and the repair guy said.."Gee im confused...this
is a good quality switch"... (so he was surprised it went bye bye)
The other Red Channel failure was a 12AX7 pre amp tube failure..
Both of these fixed within 3 days locally.
So yes...they can be quirky...but not a pain in the ass really imo.
Now my VHT had a KT66 tube go bad, and because of backordered
Soviet tube supplies...i had to wait 7 weeks before i got my VHT
back up running.. So even the best amps can have problems..
I would NOT hesitate to get an EVH 5150 III especially if you can
snag a 1/2 stack for under $2100. They sound great !

[jdr94]

so $550 for the 5150I head is a good deal? i also have a lead on a 5150 cab for $350 which would bring me to a grand total of $900 for a 5150 halfstack.

[jgcable]

You could drop a 5150 off the back of the truck and then spill a beer into it and it will still work.
They are as close to bullet proof as an amp can get.

[horns666]

so $550 for the 5150I head is a good deal? i also have a lead on a 5150 cab for $350 which would bring me to a grand total of $900 for a 5150 halfstack.

Yep!

[horns666]

You could drop a 5150 off the back of the truck and then spill a beer into it and it will still work.
They are as close to bullet proof as an amp can get.

Yep!

[horns666]

But the 5150/6505 are a completey different animal of the Fender 5150III. I prefer the originals by far, and the 5150IIIs are plaughe with problems..ask Sean Rafferty, he went thru FOUR of them. That was four too many IMO!! They may sound pretty good, but I wouldn't take those chances.

BTW I'm partial to the Peavey JSX, and Marshall JVM but those go a little more used.

[Inearthed]

There was someone on here that got in a car wreck and his 5150 flew out the back window of his car, traveled in the air for 10 feet, hit the ground and rolled a few more feet. He went over and picked it up after the accident, brought it back home, plugged it in and it worked. Easily one of the best "bang for the buck" amps out there...

[Cleveland Metal]

Yeah... That was me and out of THIS car's rear hatch ... Actually flew around 25 or so feet onto soft earth... Amps were both fine... Transformer on the ejected one were a lil bent over tho... Worked great tho...

[nsubulysses]

You could drop a 5150 off the back of the truck and then spill a beer into it and it will still work.
They are as close to bullet proof as an amp can get.

I can attest to this as when I had a 5150 II I spilled beer on it at least 4 times. You have to rock drunk, it's just the way it is.

[bfloyd6969]

Peavey makes solid amps, period. Good stuff.