Short and sweet. A solid 5150! I remember when I worked at a local Music Store and a client brought in a "Block" letter 5150. At that point it was about 10-12 years old. Many bar gigs. All it needed was a few new tubes (Sovtek pre and power as they were readily availabe and cheap, but a great choice) and some Deoixt...good as new. Love it when its simple! Even if there's no soldering... small repairs, check-up's and maintenance are always good to see. I'm sure the owner will be quite happy. Thanks for this!
So nice to see a real world amp, sure we all love a cork scented, antique, single channel amp with no master volume or effects loop on the shelf in our conservatory - right next to our PRS collection.. But seeing how to keep a real world amp is so much more valuable.
I use one of those squeeze action bar clamps to very GENTLY spread the cabinets on many amps open just a tad so I do NOT peel the tolex off the amp when I pull the chassis out of the cabinet. Reverse the jaw on the clamp and make a spreader out of it. It really works a treat. If you hear a loud cracking noise, crunching or ripping noises you are using way too much force with that spreader clamp. Gently is the key word here. Little by little and less is more.
Looks to be in good shape inside for an old 5150. I bought one when they first came out. After a few years and some preamp tube rolling, I had a lot of problems with the board the preamp sockets are on. They flex a little when you take out and put in tubes. Over time that may have broken some of the solder joints and it would crackle and the sound would get weaker until I wiggled the preamp tubes and found a spot that they worked. Until I moved the amp that is.
Use whatever amp you want but Ed probably had Peavey design these and used them live so he could always buy a replacement amp whenever he needed to buy one. The Soldano he used to record with in 1990 - 91 were probably hard to find everywhere back then.
I enjoy the channel. I don't get many vintage voxes and plexis in here. I have been a repair tech for years, and am a guitar player. I enjoy your noise reduction methods and admit I learned a thing or two. Thank you. I gotta say that I hated the 5150 when it first came out. It had a buzzy/grainy quality - a really harsh sounding amp. Then in a trade deal I wound up owning one. So I tried some different preamp tubes in the front 2 or 3 positions (where they make the most tonal differences) and believe it or not the JJ ECC83S sounded best. It turns out the rolled off highs of the JJ removed some of the harsh ice pickiness of the amp. I was delighted. But it still had a terrible sounding clean to moderately dirty tone. Early on I could get some good phillips made military tubes and they sounded great (can't get them now), but they got too expensive. I used to get chinese military shuguang 6L6GCs (a version with 4-getters) and those were similar and frankly amazing tubes. Now I can't get those, so the closest I can get is a TAD or Ruby Shuguang variant (sounds good but won't last as long). I saw that the non-adjustable bias ran the tubes terribly cold. So I replaced a resistor on the board with a trimmer pot, and biased those 6L6GCs appropriately. It removed most of the remaining graininess! The whole amp was transformed into a fantastic amp. The cleaner tones sounded sweeter, and punchy. The gain tones were a bit less harsh (still has tons of gain, that does not change) and the overall amp punches like a boxer. It turned into an amazing amp. There you have my secret sauce. I did the adj. bias mod on every one I ran into since and customers were delighted. In fact I have done multiple for those that gigged with them (because they wanted a backup). I would encourage you to try it next time. I think you will like what you hear. Those amps are not built the best but they really hold up and will go through a huge amount of use.
Thanks man. I've done the bias thing to many (and added 18AWG heater wires to the octals, taking that current off the ribbon). And yes, it helps. But the owner of this one wanted things as stock as possible. Very judicious additions of snubber caps from plates to cathodes also help this amp out a lot.
Incredible that they built these quick and dirty, but still made a good product. Shame the Classic series seems to suffer from accountant driven engineering.
Only the latter Classics were poor. The 70's to 1990 classics were and still are very good quality and have no issues. I still have my 1983 classic and it is all original except valves.
Yeah, I try to be aware of every playing style and the major players in those styles, even if they don't resonate with me personally. So I know what Yngwie and Lynch and Vai do and what goes into that from the guitar/amp perspective, just as I keep up with Morello or Jack White. I really try to match/voice amps to the player/style, even when it's not my personal cup of tea. There's a huge difference between an amp operating within correct parameters and an amp that really sounds great for X player or Y style.
Hey quick question I have a block letter as well... the amp sounds amazing I love it.. but the question is... why does my sounds suddenly go away or gets really really low when I'm playing??, I can get the sound back just by flipping the standby on and off. It works again, but after a while it does it again. My sound suddenly goes away or just become too low. It's bumming me out. Don't know why it's doing that. Help!!! Great video btw, watched it all the way. Didn't know you can mix and match tubes.
I had that issue on my 5150 II. It randomly started working fine again but I finally noticed it only happens when I had one of my pedals batteries died on me and it loses volume.
As you said, the 5150 isn’t great for quick, precise notes. Those 1uF cathode bypass caps makes things so mushy. I think that Peavey honestly did a better job with the XXX line of amps overall … and especially for metal. Much more rigid amps.
i'd disagree, as i feel its extremely tactile in the right set of circumstances but these capacitors... making it mushy... do tell lol (i clip c17 // clipping c137 in those evh fender models sounds better no doubt)
It amazes me that anybody sets the drive on a 5150 lead channel much higher than 4. They have so much gain that anything above 4 is a hissy, indistinct mess.
I have a Peavey Ultra 120 Plus it sounded amazing until I plugged an EMG guitar with 18v mod pickup into it and since that day it sounds weak, thin and not musical at all... chords will not ring out and notes will not sustain... any thoughts?
![MEYOU - กอดหมอน [OFFICIAL MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/RAG4Ee8FPxA/mqdefault.jpg)
Short and sweet. A solid 5150! I remember when I worked at a local Music Store and a client brought in a "Block" letter 5150. At that point it was about 10-12 years old. Many bar gigs. All it needed was a few new tubes (Sovtek pre and power as they were readily availabe and cheap, but a great choice) and some Deoixt...good as new. Love it when its simple! Even if there's no soldering... small repairs, check-up's and maintenance are always good to see. I'm sure the owner will be quite happy. Thanks for this!
So nice to see a real world amp, sure we all love a cork scented, antique, single channel amp with no master volume or effects loop on the shelf in our conservatory - right next to our PRS collection.. But seeing how to keep a real world amp is so much more valuable.
I use one of those squeeze action bar clamps to very GENTLY spread the cabinets on many amps open just a tad so I do NOT peel the tolex off the amp when I pull the chassis out of the cabinet. Reverse the jaw on the clamp and make a spreader out of it. It really works a treat. If you hear a loud cracking noise, crunching or ripping noises you are using way too much force with that spreader clamp. Gently is the key word here. Little by little and less is more.
Sounds great!
Looks to be in good shape inside for an old 5150. I bought one when they first came out. After a few years and some preamp tube rolling, I had a lot of problems with the board the preamp sockets are on. They flex a little when you take out and put in tubes. Over time that may have broken some of the solder joints and it would crackle and the sound would get weaker until I wiggled the preamp tubes and found a spot that they worked. Until I moved the amp that is.
Always loved the 5150.. the poor mans SLO haha
Use whatever amp you want but Ed probably had Peavey design these and used them live so he could always buy a replacement amp whenever he needed to buy one. The Soldano he used to record with in 1990 - 91 were probably hard to find everywhere back then.
I enjoy the channel. I don't get many vintage voxes and plexis in here. I have been a repair tech for years, and am a guitar player. I enjoy your noise reduction methods and admit I learned a thing or two. Thank you. I gotta say that I hated the 5150 when it first came out. It had a buzzy/grainy quality - a really harsh sounding amp. Then in a trade deal I wound up owning one. So I tried some different preamp tubes in the front 2 or 3 positions (where they make the most tonal differences) and believe it or not the JJ ECC83S sounded best. It turns out the rolled off highs of the JJ removed some of the harsh ice pickiness of the amp. I was delighted. But it still had a terrible sounding clean to moderately dirty tone. Early on I could get some good phillips made military tubes and they sounded great (can't get them now), but they got too expensive. I used to get chinese military shuguang 6L6GCs (a version with 4-getters) and those were similar and frankly amazing tubes. Now I can't get those, so the closest I can get is a TAD or Ruby Shuguang variant (sounds good but won't last as long). I saw that the non-adjustable bias ran the tubes terribly cold. So I replaced a resistor on the board with a trimmer pot, and biased those 6L6GCs appropriately. It removed most of the remaining graininess! The whole amp was transformed into a fantastic amp. The cleaner tones sounded sweeter, and punchy. The gain tones were a bit less harsh (still has tons of gain, that does not change) and the overall amp punches like a boxer. It turned into an amazing amp. There you have my secret sauce. I did the adj. bias mod on every one I ran into since and customers were delighted. In fact I have done multiple for those that gigged with them (because they wanted a backup). I would encourage you to try it next time. I think you will like what you hear. Those amps are not built the best but they really hold up and will go through a huge amount of use.
Thanks man. I've done the bias thing to many (and added 18AWG heater wires to the octals, taking that current off the ribbon). And yes, it helps. But the owner of this one wanted things as stock as possible.
Very judicious additions of snubber caps from plates to cathodes also help this amp out a lot.
Them Bones!
Incredible that they built these quick and dirty, but still made a good product. Shame the Classic series seems to suffer from accountant driven engineering.
Only the latter Classics were poor. The 70's to 1990 classics were and still are very good quality and have no issues. I still have my 1983 classic and it is all original except valves.
I kinda miss my early '90s Classic 50 2x12.
@@AHGrayLensman I sold a tweed 2x12 classic and regretted it. I replaced it with a 1994 classic 20 to get over the loss 🙂
Cheers
Getting late, I admire your dedication. Oh by the way did your package arrive?
Ah, so you are one and the same! Yes, thanks very much! Look for the video debut of your kind gift tomorrow!
Damn, my man mentioned Yngwie
Yeah, I try to be aware of every playing style and the major players in those styles, even if they don't resonate with me personally.
So I know what Yngwie and Lynch and Vai do and what goes into that from the guitar/amp perspective, just as I keep up with Morello or Jack White.
I really try to match/voice amps to the player/style, even when it's not my personal cup of tea. There's a huge difference between an amp operating within correct parameters and an amp that really sounds great for X player or Y style.
I had one of the original early 5150s and I hated that amp almost as my triple rec.
Hey quick question I have a block letter as well... the amp sounds amazing I love it.. but the question is... why does my sounds suddenly go away or gets really really low when I'm playing??, I can get the sound back just by flipping the standby on and off. It works again, but after a while it does it again. My sound suddenly goes away or just become too low. It's bumming me out. Don't know why it's doing that. Help!!! Great video btw, watched it all the way. Didn't know you can mix and match tubes.
I had that issue on my 5150 II. It randomly started working fine again but I finally noticed it only happens when I had one of my pedals batteries died on me and it loses volume.
What amp do you recommend that is good quality?
As you said, the 5150 isn’t great for quick, precise notes. Those 1uF cathode bypass caps makes things so mushy. I think that Peavey honestly did a better job with the XXX line of amps overall … and especially for metal. Much more rigid amps.
i'd disagree, as i feel its extremely tactile in the right set of circumstances
but these capacitors... making it mushy... do tell lol
(i clip c17 // clipping c137 in those evh fender models sounds better no doubt)
Actually not bad chops.
Metallica kicks major a$$!!!
You shouldn't insult a Peavy amp by calling it a Mesa.
Did I? They're pretty much the same amp anyway.
@@PsionicAudio 14:35
It amazes me that anybody sets the drive on a 5150 lead channel much higher than 4. They have so much gain that anything above 4 is a hissy, indistinct mess.
Hard to believe but according to James Brown the amp designer, EVH used to set the gain at 1:00.
If you back the volume knob down just a bit on the guitar it mellows out a bunch and gives you quick access to that extra gain when you call for it
Don’t use cheap china and Russian tubes military USA made 5881 /6l6 sound and last for a long time and sound great don’t buy cheap tube
I have a Peavey Ultra 120 Plus it sounded amazing until I plugged an EMG guitar with 18v mod pickup into it and since that day it sounds weak, thin and not musical at all... chords will not ring out and notes will not sustain... any thoughts?
Didn't show removal from shell. Bummer. Having a very hard time with my 5150ii