Nice demo! I thought I'd chime in and answer questions that came up, since I designed both amps. The Presence control on the OG 5150 was kind of a mistake, where I used a taper that didn't do anything until about 6, and when I came to work for EVH I saw they'd changed that on the EVH 50W 5150 III to a Rev Audio that comes up faster and spreads the change across the dial....and I was told people preferred that. So Yes, you'd have to turn it below noon to get what you're used to on the Block letter up to about 7. Some prefer it spread, others prefer the noon to sound darker, but the max range is the same. The Burn switch gives the Ch2 a thicker attack, which is more like the Block letter....while designing the 90's 5150 Combo, Ed wanted me to tweak the red channel tighter, and all the 5150's since have been tighter....because Ed liked that much better. So the Burn WITH an OD pedal sounds more like the typical Block Letter with OD, but it also goes a little heavier. The XLR output is always speaker-simulated, but the Preamp Out jack has the same signal with no Speaker sim....so you can use that to go into your IR's. And lastly, although I've done amps with very hard noise gates, Ed was not a fan of that sound so I purposely made this one just get rid of a lot of residual noise, but not really make it as hard stopping as the gate you used. I understand the difference, having done a hard gate in my Amptweaker TightMetal pedal designs, but in this case we didn't want the decay sound to be affected so much. Lastly, the footswitch jack has a footswitchable boost that you may have enjoyed, which kicks in an automatic fixed 8dB or so of input boost, and activates the master volume Boost knob for solos. It also kicks up over the gate some, so you don't lose the decay as much for your solo, while your gating can be harder for the rhythms. As for telling which is which on the back and forth..... damn it's close, and I'm scared to risk my reputation, but I'll go ahead and guess, just on my first instincts. Since you said there's no overdrive, and knowing that the OG is a bit thicker on the attack, I think it starts with Iconic and changes to OG at 24:15, then the first solo section at 24:21 is the Iconic, and I think it changes to the OG at 24:28, because it's a little less punchy on the attacks. My gut tells me the OG is at 24:35 chunky rhythm part, but changes at 24:41 to Iconic, including the ascending run. Then I'm guessing the outro riffing at 24:48 and out is the OG. If I got half of them right, I'd call that a win, because they sound really close!
That's really cool that the footswitch has a boost on it. I had an OG 5150 back in the late 90's and I loved it. I got rid of it in 2000 (I'm primarily a Drummer who just happens to play guitar too) and I kick myself every day for ever getting rid of that amp.
A few questions if you don't mind; when ed switched over to EVH did the circuit go through any major design changes, to your knowledge? And over on Peavey's end, is the 6505 the same as the 5150 was when Ed left?
@@deathsquadrec as far as I know, they haven’t changed the designs at Peavey…I left in ‘04 before he did. On the first 5150 III, they made some changes, but also kept a lot the 5150 II design intact. Just like when I was first working with him, he was always continuing to evolve, and that continued on all of the models afterwards.
@@StrumVogel I hope so. If it can be proven this is truly James himself. Given how detailed this is, there's a possibility but ultimately I'm not sure. The account was created quite recently (2021) but yet I wouldn't see why someone would want to impersonate James. If this is really you James, I apologize.
I have a 6505+ and I want to buy the Iconic 5150 as backup/roadamp. I've seen other reviews from the "üblichen Verdächtigen" (the other illustrous reviewers like Ola, Fluff etc.) and you Glenn confirmed my choice.
Nice deal! Wow. You still have it? I once bought a Peavey 5150 combo for $450. Sadly I sold it years ago. It still is the best sounding amp I've ever played through. Loudest, best response, most air pushed. Right out of the box. I call it my unicorn. I'll have it again one day.
Dude, I appreciate you STILL wearing our merch in videos even to this day. My other band would love to send some stuff to you if you’re down! I’ll mail to Canada! Edit to add something on topic: I’m kinda surprised at the sound of this! I expected something different I guess, but I’m impressed how thick it sounded without losing the tight palm mutes, especially the red channel.
Great video. I’ve had one since the spring and have done about 10 gigs with it. It’s a solid amp at a decent price point. It’s gets all the tones that I could want out of it. I could not tell the difference in amps from this video. Great job glen. Cheers
You and/or your editor have been killing it lately with the video and audio edits. I laughed at loud at the crash and cat sound when you threw the manual! Now to watch the rest of the vid...
GLENNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN! Holy fuck I was NOT expecting you to bust out Master so cleanly with all down picks. Definitely giving the Papa Het vibe! I think this video really showcases how far your playing has come!
As a translator for Roland / BOSS manuals, it's my duty to remind everyone here that reading the manual of whatever you get is the best way to understand most of its features and avoid frying it (or yourself) stupidly. Of course, Glenn does not need to, amps are like truss rods to him ^^ The reason cleans are important on a metal amp is not everyone has a studioload of other amps to get good cleans when it's time to make the ladies melt with a ballad, you know, dynamics, changing things up, caring for the everyman, and all that ;)
you have been reminding everyone to only use Boss PSA power supplies for so long, you've forgotten its not your duty to remind anyone of anything.... ohhhh burrrrrnnnn! 😛
@@CyberChrist Not really, again nobody buys a 5150 or 6505 for cleans, and Glenn did play through the clean channel, it was tested, its not worth talking about its the clean tone of a 5150, did you watch the video?
If you're really into these amps, realize that after EVH and Peavey parted, Peavey renamed the 5150 to the 6505 and the 5150 II to the 6505+. *They are the exact same amps* just without the famous 5150 stamps on them.
The phase inverters are different as well as some minor circuit board changes. Doesn't the 6505+ have some oddball bias test ports on them? They're close to the same amp don't pass the sniff test for being exactly the same. But, by the time you run in a high volume through a 4x12 you'll be none the wiser as to which was which and that's all that matters unless you're a collector.
Correct. I have a 5150 II , when i go to my buddy’s house to jam He has a 6505+ . I bring my pedal board and guitars and get the same sound, even though he has the 6505+ cab. It still sounds great. People worry too much about the fucking logo. I run a 5150II 4x12(gt12 75s) and a 2x12(v30’s) at home . I use the JHS attenuator in the loop to keep all the gain and feeling without bleeding my eardrums. Wish i had the money for a 5150III. But no thanks . I bought my head and marshall cab for 800$ can’t beat it now that Eddie’s gone.
24:38 when the white instrument comes in it switches to what I believe to be the old 5150 all through the chugs until the solo. The old 5150 always had a mid "honk" and a tight pronounced bass. But it's really tough to tell.
24:06 A (bright sounding, feels bit louder) 24:13 B (dark sounding, feels bit quieter) 24:20 A 24:27 B not sure what comes after that, though. My assumption is that the A is the OG 5150 and the B being the "ICONIC". Edit : i got the timestamp wrong at first but also to denote the start of the full mix. Also to add, A sounds bit cleaner on the lows and low mids while the B got that sludge to it.
I don't believe there's a switch at 24:20. The lead guitar does a couple palm mutes before playing the solo, and I think that's what you're hearing as the added brightness.
BRUH. THAT MASTER OF PUPPETS SOUNDS TIGHT. Congratulations on your guitar progress, holy molies. Question: I am considering upgrading my bedroom amp to appeal my room tone closer to my stage tone. From you, you always say that the tone comes from the speakers, and I couldn't agree more. However, if I were to upgrade my amp (it's a F-20 Yamaha 25W amp), do you recommend changing the speaker, or just getting another amp with different speakers? Cheers from Switzerland.
Lucretia always surprises me with how fast it actually is. I always end up playing it slower when I've been away from the recording for a while. So strange.
This amp has a had a mixed reception from the audience since it's release, but every video I've seen from it makes it sound great. Loved the tones you got on this one.
Less tubes don't mean bad tone. Even without software, circuits have come a long way in the last decades. But what amazes me is how close the sound is to an original 5150, even though they have undoubtably altered the preamp stage in such a radical way.
I feel that they actually nailed the amp, certain channels in solo had a bit more of a difference between the 2, but at the same time, who cares, it sounds great and is cheaper than any other 5150
Why folks be hatin' on this amp is beyond me. I do like the burn switch because for me it warms up the sound. And it was the combo I was trying out to hear.
Love my 5150 Iconic combo. I opted for it since OG and EVH 5150 prices (even used) have skyrocketed in my country ever since Eddie's passing and honestly I love it. It was a choice between this, an Ironheart 60, and a number of Blackstar heads, and some Randalls and I personally loved it the most. Incredibly fun in standard and E flat, but then can do modern territory with an OD. Fiery little combo for sure with a shitload of gain and it gets really loud. I don't even think it's very far from the OG, but definitely has its own flavor of the 5150 sound. I will say though I'm tempted to swap out the speaker to a V30, but the stock one is more than serviceable as time goes on. I'm just so used to the v30 sound as a preference.
What I appreciate out of your reviews is you play for more than 5 or 10 seconds. You give us a chance to really listen to the piece of equipment you're reviewing.
Gleeeeennnn!! The 5150 Iconic sounds pretty decent for sure, but the real magic is the mega improvements in your playing. Those were some tasty well executed riffs, and your picking consistency is now on another level. Great stuff, man!
Disclaimer: I'm commenting halfway through the video (we'll see if this gets acknowledged in the video). So, why are people saying they're not getting good results with it: From all the videos I've watched before about the amp so far, the common denominator seems to be the matching cabinet and speakers are the culprit. They put cheaper "custom" speakers in the cabinet (those marketing words are always a bad sign with amp and speakers). Even though 99% of the time I am in a different camp of guitar than Glenn (typically go unboosted, less gain, more dependent on pickups and volume knob for tone, heavy music but less exclusively metal), I'm thankful for what he showcased here, after months and months of so many TH-camrs demoing the amp, Glenn is the first person I've seen trying the amp who bothered to use it with a different cabinet, and the results seems to confirm my theory.
Also, I could not hear any difference on my phone, will have to put on my headphones. I suspect all I might pick up one being slightly brighter than the other, maybe, but I'm not counting on it.
Listened to the track. Loved how it sound. Didn't even try to find a difference because the track was banging. And that's all that matters. The composition, musicianship, and mixing was done with excellence. The transitions of tones were pretty seamless, but again, I didn't care to catch the swaps. I was too busy with my nasty grin to care about it.
I like the intro))) 5150, I played it few times. Thank you for the effort and for your videos - always learning something new or, at least, have some fun) Cheers from Kiev
speaking of Level-matching, i'm sure you already know about the whole Normalization thing, especially now that Reaper can Normalize your track based on loudness levels instead of peak matching.
Before i watch the video, i wanna say i fucking love this amp. Im more into the marshall plexi type tone, and sometimes switching up to a higher gain. It works perfectly for that for me. The speakers also sound fantasic, and it is the only amp ive been playing since i got it.
Been about five months since I bought mine and I'm more than pleased with it! I'm running all my time based effects and modulation through the loop with no problems, and it takes my fender treadlite wah and ts9 turbo really well.
I think this amp is great! When I switch to the Iconic after my other amps, I am always impressed with the sound and I'm inspired to play more. I could probably be happy with just this one amp.
Glenn I appreciate you telling us how terrible the noise gate is 6 minutes in on the video. That’s the main reason for me watching this video. Keep doing what you do!
I've been playing a Triple XXX for about 20 years. Whenever I would sound check in a club, practically every guitarist in the house wanted to check out my rig. Now that's tone to brag about!
I just got my EVH and love it. A very versatile amp channel one classic rock all day to hair metal, channel two progressive to Heavy doom metal tone, the clean who gives a crap lol, but it does sound good. And you can't beat the price!!! any great sounding amp is over a Grand or more all day so that being said they have done a great job giving customers like myself a great amp for the price. Thanks EVH.
I love the idea of the 5150 Iconic. Wish they would have only done 2 power tubes and made it 40 watts to bring the price down. $900 is just way too expensive in my opinion. A $700 40Watt amp would have been tempting. I love the way James Brown used opamps instead of tubes for every bit of the signal chain.
I like the way that this amp is raw and gritty and crunchy, much more like a Soldano. I actually think this sounds better than the Stealth for example, dont like high gain tones that are too round
I absolutely love the burn mode setting on this thing. It really gives leads more character I have been trying to recreate it on my quad cortex but no luck.
Agree. It's awesome. It's like.a whole different channel/amp voice. People get gobsmacked with it and don't know how to approach it because it doesn't have the vintage 5150 voice... but that's exactly why it's awesome: it's a whole different voice that you have ON TOP of the classic voice and general character. You also have the built-in Boost for solos. So just imagine Ch2 on Burn, plus Boost for solos or phrases.... crushing badass tones.
I bought an Iconic about 3 months ago. After playing through a JCM 900 and 5150 for the last few years I decided to pull the trigger. One of the absolute best purchases in a good while. I would put this amp up against just about anything.
Hey Glenn, You should do more like this. I would love to hear a comparison between old font, new font and knock off EMG pickups. I personally have had 81-85 in my Jackson and I love them!
Great video Glenn made my day seeing this ,cause I have this Amp in black the white one looks sweet too ,and My61yr young metal ears could not distinguish any difference in that demo sample. 😀 Iam happy with mine had it for 4 months now,and iam lucky I can play it loud as I want, alot of bang for the buck. 😃🤘🤘🎶🎶🎶😈🦖🤠
I'm looking for a stage amp, and i think this is the best for my budget. Paired with a high gain pickup, and a great cabinet, it will be good for death metal. This has great functions, i'd love to get a tc electronic sentry, and put the noise gate in the 5150, so even in the biggest gains won't be a problem. Yeah i want it.
I listened to the full mix twice on slightly above my regular listening level on a 2:1 Bose sound system, and I couldnt' begin to tell you where I'm hearing either amp. I own a 5153 50w Stealth, which is killer, but I would have no issue getting an Iconic. It sounds killer. Oh, and I might be the only one who cares about the clean channel on the 5150, 'cause I like to add overdrive pedals on very low gain setting to get a hint of hair on my clean tones from time to time. I gotta say, the clean channel on the 5153 Stealth beats out the clean channels on my Orange Rockerverb Mk III and my Victory Super Kraken. I'm not overly familiar with Eddie's tones, but I know enough that he's not really know for his clean tone, but he and the amp designers sure as hell got the clean channel right!
Another great and informative video! However, I came to the comments to thank you for turning me on to eargasm earplugs. I saw an ad and immediately knew, "Glenn wouldn't do an ad for these if they weren't great." And I was right! An absolute GODSEND for band practice and shows, not to mention I REALLY need to protect my hearing if I wanna get serious about mixing/producing. Thanks for saving my ears, Glenn! You fuckin rock!
Love my Iconic combo, don’t get the hate from some annoying TH-camrs. I changed the speaker to a Celestion Neo Creamback to make it lighter and a more refined sound. Combo speaker didn’t sound good to me. Cheers
Damn your guitar playing is sounding a hell of a lot better than it used to be. Congrats on that, also would love to see a review on the PRS MT15 or the archon in terms of amps between the 500-1000 dollar price range(USD)
Oh glenn Great video ..I'm 52 and played so many shows in the past ..I'm a Mesa mark 3 guy but ....I like that you used different guitars to test that with ...but along with my Mesa comment was ..you said people aren't buying a 5150 for its clean tone ...just like I didn't buy my Mesa for that either ( although it's crazy good )....all this leads to that you used an overdrive pedal with it ....WHY now a days ? ...I got that amp to get away from using my old RATT pedal for my heavy sound ...new amps shouldn't need overdrive pedals ANYMORE ...if the 5150 needs the pedal to be better ? then ? ....that's just my little opinion....
This is the first time I’ve heard this amp, it’s got more gain and chugging low end from what I’m hearing, now I want to go buy 1 with the matching cab, Great review man, thanks 🙏🏻
I bought the combo and it sounds amazing especially if you looking for VH tones (duh) really glad you reviewed this so other people can see how good it is! Keep up the quality content love this channel!!
This amp took such a beating on TH-cam before it was even released. I picked up a white tolex version a month after release, and the thing is an absolute beast. I’ve been letting the other guitar player in my band use it, because it was just turning into a decoration sitting at home. I myself play an ADA MP-1 into a Mesa 2:90 super chug machine, and there are moments when I’m listening to both amps at practice, and sometimes I regret not using the Iconic myself. Don’t listen to the crazy tube purists that trash this thing. It’s an absolutely incredible amp, and it’s a great price point. I’ve had an OG Block Letter, and I actually can’t tell any difference at all, and when you really turn this amp up, look the hell out!!
Great review Glen ! Now, make a review of the EVHiii 6L6 !! *Spolier alert: sounds great! but some quality issues have been pointed out and there is a weird pop noise when you change the channels.
![[TH] VALORANT Champions Seoul - Grand Final - EDG vs TH](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/WvObMc9VelI/mqdefault.jpg)
Nice demo! I thought I'd chime in and answer questions that came up, since I designed both amps. The Presence control on the OG 5150 was kind of a mistake, where I used a taper that didn't do anything until about 6, and when I came to work for EVH I saw they'd changed that on the EVH 50W 5150 III to a Rev Audio that comes up faster and spreads the change across the dial....and I was told people preferred that. So Yes, you'd have to turn it below noon to get what you're used to on the Block letter up to about 7. Some prefer it spread, others prefer the noon to sound darker, but the max range is the same. The Burn switch gives the Ch2 a thicker attack, which is more like the Block letter....while designing the 90's 5150 Combo, Ed wanted me to tweak the red channel tighter, and all the 5150's since have been tighter....because Ed liked that much better. So the Burn WITH an OD pedal sounds more like the typical Block Letter with OD, but it also goes a little heavier. The XLR output is always speaker-simulated, but the Preamp Out jack has the same signal with no Speaker sim....so you can use that to go into your IR's. And lastly, although I've done amps with very hard noise gates, Ed was not a fan of that sound so I purposely made this one just get rid of a lot of residual noise, but not really make it as hard stopping as the gate you used. I understand the difference, having done a hard gate in my Amptweaker TightMetal pedal designs, but in this case we didn't want the decay sound to be affected so much. Lastly, the footswitch jack has a footswitchable boost that you may have enjoyed, which kicks in an automatic fixed 8dB or so of input boost, and activates the master volume Boost knob for solos. It also kicks up over the gate some, so you don't lose the decay as much for your solo, while your gating can be harder for the rhythms. As for telling which is which on the back and forth..... damn it's close, and I'm scared to risk my reputation, but I'll go ahead and guess, just on my first instincts. Since you said there's no overdrive, and knowing that the OG is a bit thicker on the attack, I think it starts with Iconic and changes to OG at 24:15, then the first solo section at 24:21 is the Iconic, and I think it changes to the OG at 24:28, because it's a little less punchy on the attacks. My gut tells me the OG is at 24:35 chunky rhythm part, but changes at 24:41 to Iconic, including the ascending run. Then I'm guessing the outro riffing at 24:48 and out is the OG. If I got half of them right, I'd call that a win, because they sound really close!
That's really cool that the footswitch has a boost on it. I had an OG 5150 back in the late 90's and I loved it. I got rid of it in 2000 (I'm primarily a Drummer who just happens to play guitar too) and I kick myself every day for ever getting rid of that amp.
A few questions if you don't mind; when ed switched over to EVH did the circuit go through any major design changes, to your knowledge? And over on Peavey's end, is the 6505 the same as the 5150 was when Ed left?
@@deathsquadrec as far as I know, they haven’t changed the designs at Peavey…I left in ‘04 before he did. On the first 5150 III, they made some changes, but also kept a lot the 5150 II design intact. Just like when I was first working with him, he was always continuing to evolve, and that continued on all of the models afterwards.
This needs to be pinned.
@@StrumVogel I hope so. If it can be proven this is truly James himself. Given how detailed this is, there's a possibility but ultimately I'm not sure. The account was created quite recently (2021) but yet I wouldn't see why someone would want to impersonate James. If this is really you James, I apologize.
I have a 6505+ and I want to buy the Iconic 5150 as backup/roadamp. I've seen other reviews from the "üblichen Verdächtigen" (the other illustrous reviewers like Ola, Fluff etc.) and you Glenn confirmed my choice.
It’s killer!!
That’s a steal on a 5150 for 600 CAD. I managed to pickup a used Dual Rectifier Solo for $500 in 2014. THAT was practically robbery.
Yeah I’d say, poor kid.
Nice deal! Wow. You still have it? I once bought a Peavey 5150 combo for $450. Sadly I sold it years ago. It still is the best sounding amp I've ever played through. Loudest, best response, most air pushed. Right out of the box. I call it my unicorn. I'll have it again one day.
It is a robbery. I'm sorry I will have to confiscate it, nothing can be done about that.
600$? Daddy is getting a new half-stack....
I bought a 5150 2x12 combo in 2010 for $200. Best equipment deal I ever got.
“More useless than a Texas cop in a school shooting.” ☠️☠️☠️
Honestly, that was pretty messed up.
Dude, I appreciate you STILL wearing our merch in videos even to this day. My other band would love to send some stuff to you if you’re down! I’ll mail to Canada!
Edit to add something on topic: I’m kinda surprised at the sound of this! I expected something different I guess, but I’m impressed how thick it sounded without losing the tight palm mutes, especially the red channel.
>"Yes, it definitely chuggs."
>Fifteen Swedish lawyers have entered the chat.
I cannot tell a difference. Fantastic amp by my ears. Owned an original 5150 in the past. Great value in a metal/rock amp.
Great video. I’ve had one since the spring and have done about 10 gigs with it. It’s a solid amp at a decent price point. It’s gets all the tones that I could want out of it. I could not tell the difference in amps from this video. Great job glen. Cheers
honestly the difference is rather small in the grander scheme of things, given you already have the speaker cab that you want.
You and/or your editor have been killing it lately with the video and audio edits. I laughed at loud at the crash and cat sound when you threw the manual! Now to watch the rest of the vid...
16:22 fuck yeah Glenn!!! Shred chops leveling up with each video!
Ty!!!
@@SpectreSoundStudios I was going to say the same thing.
GLENNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN! Holy fuck I was NOT expecting you to bust out Master so cleanly with all down picks. Definitely giving the Papa Het vibe! I think this video really showcases how far your playing has come!
The Uvalde reference is both funny and sad 😔
I absolutely lost it laughing😂😂
Mostly funny
As a translator for Roland / BOSS manuals, it's my duty to remind everyone here that reading the manual of whatever you get is the best way to understand most of its features and avoid frying it (or yourself) stupidly. Of course, Glenn does not need to, amps are like truss rods to him ^^
The reason cleans are important on a metal amp is not everyone has a studioload of other amps to get good cleans when it's time to make the ladies melt with a ballad, you know, dynamics, changing things up, caring for the everyman, and all that ;)
it's a simple problem to fix, if you need super clean cleans, don't buy an amp know for not have a good clean channel.
@@blaness13 They could've improved the cleans on this version, which is why they need to be tested.
you have been reminding everyone to only use Boss PSA power supplies for so long, you've forgotten its not your duty to remind anyone of anything.... ohhhh burrrrrnnnn! 😛
@@ncnoman Haha, nice one, but you understand it's to avoid getting mixed up in unwarranted liability problems, not to be Apple, right ?
@@CyberChrist Not really, again nobody buys a 5150 or 6505 for cleans, and Glenn did play through the clean channel, it was tested, its not worth talking about its the clean tone of a 5150, did you watch the video?
I swear I'm going to sample Glenn's intro scream in one of my bands breakdowns
do what must be done🤘🏻🍻
If you're really into these amps, realize that after EVH and Peavey parted, Peavey renamed the 5150 to the 6505 and the 5150 II to the 6505+. *They are the exact same amps* just without the famous 5150 stamps on them.
Is there anyone that doesn't know this in 2022?
@@JoeJoel Guess not!
The phase inverters are different as well as some minor circuit board changes. Doesn't the 6505+ have some oddball bias test ports on them?
They're close to the same amp don't pass the sniff test for being exactly the same. But, by the time you run in a high volume through a 4x12 you'll be none the wiser as to which was which and that's all that matters unless you're a collector.
@@Swampster70 Thanks for the additional info!
Correct. I have a 5150 II , when i go to my buddy’s house to jam He has a 6505+ . I bring my pedal board and guitars and get the same sound, even though he has the 6505+ cab. It still sounds great. People worry too much about the fucking logo. I run a 5150II 4x12(gt12 75s) and a 2x12(v30’s) at home . I use the JHS attenuator in the loop to keep all the gain and feeling without bleeding my eardrums. Wish i had the money for a 5150III. But no thanks . I bought my head and marshall cab for 800$ can’t beat it now that Eddie’s gone.
24:38 when the white instrument comes in it switches to what I believe to be the old 5150 all through the chugs until the solo. The old 5150 always had a mid "honk" and a tight pronounced bass. But it's really tough to tell.
24:06 A (bright sounding, feels bit louder)
24:13 B (dark sounding, feels bit quieter)
24:20 A
24:27 B
not sure what comes after that, though.
My assumption is that the A is the OG 5150 and the B being the "ICONIC".
Edit : i got the timestamp wrong at first but also to denote the start of the full mix. Also to add, A sounds bit cleaner on the lows and low mids while the B got that sludge to it.
I would say back to A at 24:40.
Amp A seems meat’ier. More “Hulk smash” than B, which seems a little muffled.
But I agree with you.
I don't believe there's a switch at 24:20. The lead guitar does a couple palm mutes before playing the solo, and I think that's what you're hearing as the added brightness.
Holy shit i called it! Somehow Mr. 5150 himself got it wrong(
you are a master of your craft. I listen with my eyes closed and I cant hear a difference. your mix just and your tones are just well done.
I'm loving the strat 5150 combo! Very nice!
Best review I've seen of this amp. Awesome.
Okay yeah I now kind of want one.
BRUH. THAT MASTER OF PUPPETS SOUNDS TIGHT. Congratulations on your guitar progress, holy molies.
Question: I am considering upgrading my bedroom amp to appeal my room tone closer to my stage tone. From you, you always say that the tone comes from the speakers, and I couldn't agree more. However, if I were to upgrade my amp (it's a F-20 Yamaha 25W amp), do you recommend changing the speaker, or just getting another amp with different speakers? Cheers from Switzerland.
Get a different amp.
that scream at the intro was what i needed to start my day, thank you glenn
I've had mine for about a month now and its definitely a solid head for a good price!
This dudes energy and one liners are literally insane. The absolute state of this man is a sight to behold. Cheers!
A 5150 is gonna sound like a 5150 no matter what. It's in that ball park and that's what really matters.
Lucretia always surprises me with how fast it actually is. I always end up playing it slower when I've been away from the recording for a while. So strange.
This amp has a had a mixed reception from the audience since it's release, but every video I've seen from it makes it sound great. Loved the tones you got on this one.
That's cause EVH DEMO made it sound bad ! danleal go watch that demo you will be blown away !
Hell yeah great timing I ordered one yesterday and was looking for a review from you
Less tubes don't mean bad tone. Even without software, circuits have come a long way in the last decades. But what amazes me is how close the sound is to an original 5150, even though they have undoubtably altered the preamp stage in such a radical way.
I feel that they actually nailed the amp, certain channels in solo had a bit more of a difference between the 2, but at the same time, who cares, it sounds great and is cheaper than any other 5150
"Yes it definitely chugs" while using a Solar *Ola would like to know your location* haha. Great review Glenn, and your playing was great too.
Why folks be hatin' on this amp is beyond me. I do like the burn switch because for me it warms up the sound. And it was the combo I was trying out to hear.
I got mine back in March. It sounds killer with my whitebox cabinet with Retro 30s.
Just want to say your reviews and opinions are refreshing, and thanks for pulling out more old Priest for this one.
Love my 5150 Iconic combo. I opted for it since OG and EVH 5150 prices (even used) have skyrocketed in my country ever since Eddie's passing and honestly I love it. It was a choice between this, an Ironheart 60, and a number of Blackstar heads, and some Randalls and I personally loved it the most. Incredibly fun in standard and E flat, but then can do modern territory with an OD. Fiery little combo for sure with a shitload of gain and it gets really loud. I don't even think it's very far from the OG, but definitely has its own flavor of the 5150 sound.
I will say though I'm tempted to swap out the speaker to a V30, but the stock one is more than serviceable as time goes on. I'm just so used to the v30 sound as a preference.
Just confirmed for me that I absolutely need that Harley Benton SG.....and maybe a 5150......
What I appreciate out of your reviews is you play for more than 5 or 10 seconds. You give us a chance to really listen to the piece of equipment you're reviewing.
I love the 5150 iconic. It just sounds good, the combo rips and is surprisingly light.
Watching this as I'm making lunch, my 3 year old heard the quick Painkiller riff and came running in. "That's my song dad! That's Painkiller!"
Great video mane!
Also I could not tell any difference between the OG 5150 vs the 5150 Iconic, both are great honestly!
Keep it up Glenn!
Gleeeeennnn!! The 5150 Iconic sounds pretty decent for sure, but the real magic is the mega improvements in your playing. Those were some tasty well executed riffs, and your picking consistency is now on another level. Great stuff, man!
Disclaimer: I'm commenting halfway through the video (we'll see if this gets acknowledged in the video). So, why are people saying they're not getting good results with it: From all the videos I've watched before about the amp so far, the common denominator seems to be the matching cabinet and speakers are the culprit. They put cheaper "custom" speakers in the cabinet (those marketing words are always a bad sign with amp and speakers). Even though 99% of the time I am in a different camp of guitar than Glenn (typically go unboosted, less gain, more dependent on pickups and volume knob for tone, heavy music but less exclusively metal), I'm thankful for what he showcased here, after months and months of so many TH-camrs demoing the amp, Glenn is the first person I've seen trying the amp who bothered to use it with a different cabinet, and the results seems to confirm my theory.
The cabinet is the most critical element!
Also, I could not hear any difference on my phone, will have to put on my headphones. I suspect all I might pick up one being slightly brighter than the other, maybe, but I'm not counting on it.
I am so glad that you did this review! I was waiting for this video to finally decide to purchase a new amp like this for Christmas!!
Listened to the track. Loved how it sound. Didn't even try to find a difference because the track was banging. And that's all that matters. The composition, musicianship, and mixing was done with excellence. The transitions of tones were pretty seamless, but again, I didn't care to catch the swaps. I was too busy with my nasty grin to care about it.
We were basically asking for it.
Legend has it, the first 10 seconds will increase your blood pressure.
Glen shredding now vs a few years ago, serious progress. Nice work.
Wow. This amp sounds incredible. I've seen a few other reviews, but the tones you're able to get out of it are pretty perfect.
Glenn went Super Saiyan XD
I like the intro))) 5150, I played it few times. Thank you for the effort and for your videos - always learning something new or, at least, have some fun) Cheers from Kiev
13:29 that Solar V sounds absolutely KILLER. Somehow I missed that part last year. Wow
speaking of Level-matching, i'm sure you already know about the whole Normalization thing, especially now that Reaper can Normalize your track based on loudness levels instead of peak matching.
Your guitar playing has really come a long way in the past couple of years. Good job.
Before i watch the video, i wanna say i fucking love this amp. Im more into the marshall plexi type tone, and sometimes switching up to a higher gain. It works perfectly for that for me. The speakers also sound fantasic, and it is the only amp ive been playing since i got it.
Been about five months since I bought mine and I'm more than pleased with it! I'm running all my time based effects and modulation through the loop with no problems, and it takes my fender treadlite wah and ts9 turbo really well.
Forget to mute intro: my sleeping dog gets up leaves room, wife yells form bedroom. Thanks Glenn!
Got mine when they came out before inflation 699$ absolutely am satisfied in my purchase. This amp is a monster.
I think this amp is great! When I switch to the Iconic after my other amps, I am always impressed with the sound and I'm inspired to play more. I could probably be happy with just this one amp.
Literally just bought one and the matching 4x12 with the Chinese Celstions. Even with the Chineseum speakers, I'm loving this setup.
Glenn I appreciate you telling us how terrible the noise gate is 6 minutes in on the video. That’s the main reason for me watching this video. Keep doing what you do!
One of the best...if not the best review channel...thanks so much Glen for these reviews...we appreciate them.
I've been playing a Triple XXX for about 20 years. Whenever I would sound check in a club, practically every guitarist in the house wanted to check out my rig.
Now that's tone to brag about!
I just got my EVH and love it. A very versatile amp channel one classic rock all day to hair metal, channel two progressive to Heavy doom metal tone, the clean who gives a crap lol, but it does sound good. And you can't beat the price!!! any great sounding amp is over a Grand or more all day so that being said they have done a great job giving customers like myself a great amp for the price. Thanks EVH.
I love the idea of the 5150 Iconic. Wish they would have only done 2 power tubes and made it 40 watts to bring the price down. $900 is just way too expensive in my opinion. A $700 40Watt amp would have been tempting. I love the way James Brown used opamps instead of tubes for every bit of the signal chain.
I like the way that this amp is raw and gritty and crunchy, much more like a Soldano. I actually think this sounds better than the Stealth for example, dont like high gain tones that are too round
Owned my iconic for awhile now......love it. Can't complain for the price.
I absolutely love the burn mode setting on this thing. It really gives leads more character I have been trying to recreate it on my quad cortex but no luck.
Agree. It's awesome. It's like.a whole different channel/amp voice.
People get gobsmacked with it and don't know how to approach it because it doesn't have the vintage 5150 voice... but that's exactly why it's awesome: it's a whole different voice that you have ON TOP of the classic voice and general character.
You also have the built-in Boost for solos. So just imagine Ch2 on Burn, plus Boost for solos or phrases.... crushing badass tones.
Awesome review, Glenn! Thanks for all you do in the metal community.
Yay! Been waiting for you to make this vid! Thanks Glen, your awesome as always, brother. 🙏
I own a 2 ch dual rec, mesa mark3 purple stripe and a peavey triple x. Just purchased this head and it’s great. No complaints……
Not scare the neighbors what kinda fun is that 😂😂
Aaaaaaaa .. what a intro
Here in Florida 15 or so years ago 5150 block letters were 200$ and people couldn't get rid of em. I still have mine :D
I bought an Iconic about 3 months ago. After playing through a JCM 900 and 5150 for the last few years I decided to pull the trigger. One of the absolute
best purchases in a good while. I would put this amp up against just about anything.
Omg dude the shirtless intro was FIRE! Nice creative twist, very metal too!
Hey Glenn, You should do more like this. I would love to hear a comparison between old font, new font and knock off EMG pickups. I personally have had 81-85 in my Jackson and I love them!
Great video Glenn made my day seeing this ,cause I have this Amp in black the white one looks sweet too ,and My61yr young metal ears could not distinguish any difference in that demo sample. 😀 Iam happy with mine had it for 4 months now,and iam lucky I can play it loud as I want, alot of bang for the buck. 😃🤘🤘🎶🎶🎶😈🦖🤠
Love the tone with the white Stratocaster. That sounds rad.
the 5150 iconic sounds pretty freakin' awesome!
The waveform at the beginning hahaha 😂😂😂
I'm looking for a stage amp, and i think this is the best for my budget. Paired with a high gain pickup, and a great cabinet, it will be good for death metal. This has great functions, i'd love to get a tc electronic sentry, and put the noise gate in the 5150, so even in the biggest gains won't be a problem. Yeah i want it.
I listened to the full mix twice on slightly above my regular listening level on a 2:1 Bose sound system, and I couldnt' begin to tell you where I'm hearing either amp. I own a 5153 50w Stealth, which is killer, but I would have no issue getting an Iconic. It sounds killer. Oh, and I might be the only one who cares about the clean channel on the 5150, 'cause I like to add overdrive pedals on very low gain setting to get a hint of hair on my clean tones from time to time. I gotta say, the clean channel on the 5153 Stealth beats out the clean channels on my Orange Rockerverb Mk III and my Victory Super Kraken. I'm not overly familiar with Eddie's tones, but I know enough that he's not really know for his clean tone, but he and the amp designers sure as hell got the clean channel right!
holy full mix demo
Your riffing has definitely gotten tighter bro!!! Keep it up man!!!!!
Another great and informative video! However, I came to the comments to thank you for turning me on to eargasm earplugs. I saw an ad and immediately knew, "Glenn wouldn't do an ad for these if they weren't great." And I was right! An absolute GODSEND for band practice and shows, not to mention I REALLY need to protect my hearing if I wanna get serious about mixing/producing. Thanks for saving my ears, Glenn! You fuckin rock!
Love my Iconic combo, don’t get the hate from some annoying TH-camrs. I changed the speaker to a Celestion Neo Creamback to make it lighter and a more refined sound. Combo speaker didn’t sound good to me. Cheers
Damn your guitar playing is sounding a hell of a lot better than it used to be. Congrats on that, also would love to see a review on the PRS MT15 or the archon in terms of amps between the 500-1000 dollar price range(USD)
Oh glenn
Great video ..I'm 52 and played so many shows in the past ..I'm a Mesa mark 3 guy but ....I like that you used different guitars to test that with ...but along with my Mesa comment was ..you said people aren't buying a 5150 for its clean tone ...just like I didn't buy my Mesa for that either ( although it's crazy good )....all this leads to that you used an overdrive pedal with it ....WHY now a days ? ...I got that amp to get away from using my old RATT pedal for my heavy sound ...new amps shouldn't need overdrive pedals ANYMORE ...if the 5150 needs the pedal to be better ? then ? ....that's just my little opinion....
Duude. I haven't watch you in a while. You look amazing!! The weightloss journey did you incredibly well. Keep it up!!
I think this is a better comparison than most people do on TH-cam because they compare it to the 5150 III and completely trash the iconic.
note: hollering ends @ 0:13
This is the first time I’ve heard this amp, it’s got more gain and chugging low end from what I’m hearing, now I want to go buy 1 with the matching cab, Great review man, thanks 🙏🏻
This was a lot of fun! And the studio demo mix was one of the prettiest metal music I've heard in a while. Great job all around!
Glenn your playing has become so improved I'm wondering what your doing, it's inspired me to practice. Thank you!
I bought the combo and it sounds amazing especially if you looking for VH tones (duh) really glad you reviewed this so other people can see how good it is! Keep up the quality content love this channel!!
This amp took such a beating on TH-cam before it was even released. I picked up a white tolex version a month after release, and the thing is an absolute beast. I’ve been letting the other guitar player in my band use it, because it was just turning into a decoration sitting at home. I myself play an ADA MP-1 into a Mesa 2:90 super chug machine, and there are moments when I’m listening to both amps at practice, and sometimes I regret not using the Iconic myself. Don’t listen to the crazy tube purists that trash this thing. It’s an absolutely incredible amp, and it’s a great price point. I’ve had an OG Block Letter, and I actually can’t tell any difference at all, and when you really turn this amp up, look the hell out!!
Great review Glen ! Now, make a review of the EVHiii 6L6 !!
*Spolier alert: sounds great! but some quality issues have been pointed out and there is a weird pop noise when you change the channels.
Hey Glenn. How about a fearless gear review on the Peavey Valve King?
Or a Peavey ultra plus 120!
Second this
Love that you said "reverb, no thanks".... i used to disconnect the spring unit from my heads immediately lol
Nice!!