Same I bought my 05+ in 2009 and I keep unlocking new levels of amazing tone with it. I recently started using a different Marshall cabinet (I’ve been playing out of an ampeg guitar cabinet) and it completely changed the tone. I heard a couple metal producers on here say that speakers are the number one thing to change your tone, then amp, then guitar
I was more of a prog/death metal kid so was never really into Trivium but I've always respected the hell out of them for their playing, personalities and what they did for guitar playing. People forget but Trivium were one of the bands that made guitar solos cool again, they instantly raised the baseline of what was required to be a competent metal guitarist in the 2000's
Their music mostly got better over time, too! If you like melodic death/prog, I highly recommend their most recent 2 albums, What the Dead Men Say, and In the Court of the Dragon. A couple of their older albums also have heavy prog influence, Shogun, and The Crusade.
Kick ass comparison. I've got a 6505+ head that I bought back in 2012. Love it. Has more mids than a 5150/6505 which helps in a mix/jam session. Electronics theory time... The control pots on these amps have a tolerance of up to 20%. The value is measured in resistance (ohms). To make the numbers easy, lets use the Low pot. It has a value of 1 million ohms (1 Mega Ohm). The 20% tolerance could be more, or less than the indicated value on the control pot. So one amp could have a pot that is actually 1.2M ohms and another could have a value of 0.8M ohms. This way you can actually get a 40% sway in tone for the low end if both amps are maxed out at 10 on the low control. The low pot is also a log taper pot, not linear. So the math involved to get the exact same value on the two amps based on where they are pointed would be a nightmare. Hence why the EQs can be dialed in differently to get the amps sounding similar. This is also only taking the one low control into consideration. There is a lot more at play than just that. It also sort of explains why the TC pedals all sound quite a bit different. Electronics tolerances ;) I'll say it before anyone else does... NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERD!!!!
@Noiseless Sounds Yeah that could be a lot depending on your location. I have a 5150 II that I got a few years ago here in Canada, but it was only $800. So about maybe $650 USD
@Noiseless Sounds Grab one if you can! I know the 6505 series isn't going anywhere, but reckon it's just a matter of time before the actual 5150 line becomes a sought after relic!
Love how you do a comparison between the amps, they all have great mighty Heafy tone! It is really nice seeing you rock the MXR EQ. Great stuff! Keep on rocking and Thank You for showing this.
The Metal Zone sounds pretty good if its used as a preamp into the return jack of an amp with a loop. It also sounds good as a clean boost; Kirk Windstein uses one as such to great effect.
Love the shootout!!! Thanks, Matt! I've always wondered what all of these sounded like side by side! My first amp was a Peavey Rage and after 19 years I still have it! Love the Peavey sound + quality :)
5150 has the best clarity to my ear. My daughter was so excited to see you guys here in Idaho. Next summer she won’t be able to see the show. She is really bummed out. Now I’ve got to get my wife into the show.
My 5150 has been with me since September 93 manufactured in June 93. I am the original owner. It will stay with me. It was $450. The salesman asked me why I wanted to buy that junk. 😉
I bought my 5150 stack for $850 when it about 2 years old from a used gear shop. The guy said the same to me. Said, it's a one trick pony that is bad at tricks. Lol. I have used it recording from pop, country to metal. Lol. Love those tricks.
Honestly these all sound so similar that once you put them in a full band mix it wouldn’t even matter. The most different is definitely the 6534 but that’s to be expected since it has a different set of tubes.
I'd prefer the 34 if it were a bit brighter. It sounded very solid, but darker. Otherwise, the original 5150 won imo. Of course, none of these are a 5150III, which is the king of chugs.
I don't know what he's using to record them with (Mic's software etc) but they all sound like they're a transistor radio. And it's NOT the amp's fault. It's the recording set up.
Always loved the original 5150s. I had 2 of them. Didn’t like my 5150ii now I use the 6l6 50 watt which I love and have the 50 watt el34 which the red channel reminds me of the original 5150
The EVH? I heard the red channels are really similar to the og 5150, it sounds similar to my old 6505+ but more refined and less gritty. Would not mind having both
Thank you so much Matthew! Great video, great comparison… Just one thing to keep in mind, Preamp Tubes have a big big massive part of an amplifier’s tone, for instance, if you had some good old (late 80s, early 90s) Chinese Beijing 12AX7’s in one amp and JJ’s in another, You’re going to hear a huge difference in gain, tightness, clarity etc. etc.
Wish I still had my early 90’s sig 5150. Used it for a few years and then went to a Pitbull UL. Got it for $450. Even until recently, I thought about getting another for fun, even though were 6-800. Thanks to Covid that’s long gone…lol
Your palm muting on the 5150 ll and the 6534 on the deceived riffs sound like Mario going down a pipe 😂😂😂 go listen to that sound..... lol you won’t be able to unhear it.
I own a 6534+ bought it for 900 bucks. I put a boss sd1 in front for a clean boost with either another overdrive or my airis savage boost v2 and a bbe sonic stone maximizer and boss ns2. The tone is super tight and chunky. The midrange is crazy when boosted. I favor that head over my peavey 3120 and that amp is killer too
The low end of the 5150 II is much better then I like the 6505, 5150, then 5534+ sound a little sterile to me. Then again I owned a 5150 II so maybe my ear is more trained to that and that is why I like the way it sounds better. Thanks for this test!!
I have never once used the crunch channel in 13 years of owning it. In fact i built a single switch channel switcher where the fx loop is always on, and the crunch is always off
@@leavethenight1505 Hell yeah, 5150/6505 crunch channel with the gain a little higher is the best for rhythm IMO. A little darker and thicker sounding, seems to have less of that "squeak". the +/II crunch is totally different though, never liked it.
The 65's sounded the best to me...but that's probably because that was the sound I got used to hearing when I started playing in bands... everybody in my local area was using 6505s...and I fell in love with early 2000's metalcore, killswitch, Unearth, AILD, etc... Trivium, of course
You'd love the VHT/Fryette Pitbull. I remember Corey using one at one point, and the dudes in Unearth both used them. Can't forget the Framus Dragon and Cobra if we're talking Killswitch.
Dude! I’ve been looking to buy that exact epiphone all snowed out and I just can not find it. I love everything about that thing. I just want it in a 7 string…
The real takeaway from this is that the tones of the 6L6 versions are so close that paying the huge up charge for the block letter versions aren’t worth it unless you’re a collector. Unless you’re a/b’ing these , you’ll never know the difference.
While still good, the 6505 & 5150 ii were definitely lacking in a certain bold/tightness on attack, especially with the (Kiichi?)chaos during 16th note groups The 6534+ had that same "sloppiness," although it had a gnarly mid thing happening, nice for super percussive metal Being first of the family, the block-letter still feels tight & modern, where the 'ii' & 65XX seamed to smooth the note envelopes in subtle ways
1st 6506 2nd 5150 3rd 6534 plus last 5150ll. Thought the 6505 was by far a cut above. But that is from listening through my Marshall headphones. Might think differently if I were to hear it live, but listening to it recorded count for a lot.
Did your block letter in this video have its original Sylvania/Peavey output tubes? Apparently those are the secret sauce you guys prefer for the block letter tone.
I got out of Marshalls after I got a couple of Mesa MKiii's . I have never heard one next to a 5150 type amp. You can load them with similar tubes. I bet they would be close?
Those difference can also be attributed to different brands of tubes, unless they all have same tubes and brand new tubes. Except for 6534, which has EL34 instead of 6L6.
Really enjoyed the 6534,had a nice crunch in the midrange.Classic 5150 sounded great as always...just needs a ts9 tube screamer on it to tighten it up and be ready to go!!!Thanks Matt👍🤘
the 5150 sounds a bit fuzzy and the 6505II sounds a bit squeaky in the mid , but you are great and I love to see you through the years with this passion for metal and cool guitars as well
6505 and 5150 block sound almost identical. As they should. It's the same head renamed. The Blocks shipped with different tubes originally. The small amount of difference I hear would be down to differences in the tubes, differences in playing, minor drift in components :-) The 5150ii and a 6505+ (that isn't included) are also the same head renamed. 6534+ is that latter head with the fatter EL34 tubes.
This would've been a lot easier for you if you had an ABY into two Radial Headbone VT's... you'd only have needed to swap the speaker cable after the first pair. EDIT: Better yet Ampete switcher
1)5150-bottom end is huge, more note definition 2)51502-bottom end is smoothed out a bit not as boomy 3)6505-lacks as much bottom as the 5150 II 4)6534+- a bit more growl due to the el34 tubes but lacks bottom end as its 6L6 counter parts, putting KT77 tubes usually solves this issue
The 5150 and 6505 were my favorite 2 tonally. The 5150 felt like it was hitting harder and with a fuller tone than the 6505. The 5150 II was too warm to me. And the 34+ sounded thin. I would love to see you compare the 5150 to a revv generator 120. That's my favorite metal amp right now.
Had my 5150EVH since late 92? Still my main amp. Been on 100’s of tours, 1000’s of shows. Still going strong strong. Only tubes and 1 rebias done. The only other amp that comes close is my engl powerball ll. 5150 is just a legendary amp
The Powerball is such a beauty! German amps are the best in my opinion. 5150 style amps are a classic though, and they're so versatile. Plus the price tag is hard to argue with. You probably won't find a used Powerball for $600
best sounded like 5150ii for me which is comparable to the 6505+ which is what i use. when i heard the II i instantly felt like it was right due to my personal playing. the 34+ from what ive researched was supposed to be a response to players seeking more Marshall and ENGL amp sounds which use EL34 tubes instead of 6L6GC tubes(6505+) in the power section. difference in the 5150 sounded more brighter than the 5150ii which was evidenced by Matt saying it lacked some bass in the tone.
One amp I would really like compared is the invective since it’s based on the 6505 but with a few tweaks and an actual clean channel plus a large feature set for a lot of more modern usages.
A year later lol but I read that getting the bias adjustment modded to further increase the voltage somehow makes the "clean channel" almost actually clean and increases RMS rating(read from factory 6505+ are around 75 watts instead of published 120. I still have more research to do before I get it modded but im gonna fiddle with the pot inside next to the power transformer and see if I like what it's doing.
It all sounds a bit thin for solo guitar, but the only one that sounded very different was the 6534+, and that's only because it sounded like it felt more saggy
6505 or 6534+ are best to me. A little bit duller sounding in comparison but they don't have that horrible scratchy tonality when doing the gallops on the second riff.
What the dead men say is such an awesome album! Streamed it since the release and just recently bought it digitally! Also bought a 5150 once a saw yours , I started to miss the old one I had and went and bought one =) Is there any chance to get a hold of the Impulse Responses for the guitars from What the Dead Men Say? Thanks for the awesome videos!
I like the 5150 II/6505+ more than the 5150/6505. It has less of that nasally mids going on. I think I like the sound of the EVH 5150s more than the Peaveys. But the Peaveys feel better and more organic, it’s hard to explain.
I liked the 6524+ the best personally. But it was also the loudest, which makes me wonder if volume is the perceived as better tone. In the end they are all very similar.
You really can’t go wrong with any of them. Just such a classic crunchy sound. The 6534+ really surprised me and sounded significantly better than I thought it would, not that I thought it’d sound bad but given the amps it was going up against I didn’t think it had a chance. I’d have to put the OG 5150 on top though. You just can’t go wrong with it. I’d be curious to hear a 5150 III thrown into the mix as well!
The pre amps in these amps are gritty. I should know as I own a 5150 and eneded up using another small preamp and feeding that and pedals into the return signal directly to hack the amp using only the poweramp section. Doing this I get great distortion tones and super clean tones by simply disabling my distortion I need to play clean.
I have my 6505+ plus from 2010/US made. Its so loud and beefy. You cant beat the tone. The clean channel is another story. With some pedals tho the clean can be viable.
He said he liked the original block letter the best. I asked him on the live stream before rob Flynn popped on yesterday! That would be pretty dope right! To hear a comparisons of all the 5150 models!
@@Ferniramirez_ there's even differences between the various versions of the iii. The 50 and 100 watts sound different from each other, plus the 6L6 vs EL34 tubes. It also really depends on the guitar and pickup. I was always a block letter guy. But I recently picked up a 5150iii 100 EL34, and I think I like it better with my PRS that has med output passive pickups. For active pickups, like I'd imagine Matt uses, the Block might just do better!
Man there’s just something about the 5150 when you’re comparing it to the 6505. Idk if it’s just the slight volume difference, but to me it just sounds like the 5150 is pushing just a bit harder and really cutting through more than the 6505 can. Both sound great, but I’d still take the 5150.
to me it sounds like the 6505 has its upper mids and highs a little more "disconnected" sounding in the pick attack? whereas the 5150 it sounds slightly smoother even though it sounds more aggressive. hard to describe but it sounds like it has a little more cut without being harsh
Jeremy Wolfers it’s hard to describe but I definitely understand where you’re coming from. Ultimately in the grand scheme of things if you throw any of these amps in a full mix it’d be incredibly difficult to really tell the difference unless your solely just hardcore dissecting the guitar track. Really can’t go wrong with any of the 4!
@@iTz_FLAwL3zZ yeh and whatever difference there is can probably be made up with a slight bit of EQ tweaking or different gear. only one with a difference that would be hard to mask in a mix might be the 6534 cus the character of the pick attack is a bit different (the transient of the attack is less loud relative to the sound of the note after)
5150, 6534+, 5150 II, 6505. But it’s close. Overall 5150 is the winner. Not only is it used in all those mentioned genres, it was a big influence in many of my favorite bands in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Plus, several of my favorite bands out now use them, particularly Blood Incantation and Spectral Voice.
Tracking
6505 - 2:24
5150 - 3:23
5150 ii - 4:17
6534+ - 5:18
Playback
6505 - 6:27
5150 - 6:47
5150 ii - 7:17
6534+ - 7:48
6534+ - 13:17
5150 - 15:17
6505 - 22:32
Dude brilliant job listing those. 6534+ for me personally.
@@mazklassa9338 6534+ is my favorite
I got the USA built 6505+ and it's my favorite metal amp ever. The tone never gets old.
Yes sir.. i think 2012 was the last year of the mississippi amps.. thats what year mine is
@@Endlessnameless803 question. Did Peavey ever make a white 6505 +? I found one I’m interested in buying from someone soon.
@@chasebroughton7373 You could custom order white tolex when they were USA made
Same I bought my 05+ in 2009 and I keep unlocking new levels of amazing tone with it. I recently started using a different Marshall cabinet (I’ve been playing out of an ampeg guitar cabinet) and it completely changed the tone. I heard a couple metal producers on here say that speakers are the number one thing to change your tone, then amp, then guitar
it's way too tight, cant use it with a boost without loosing all of the low end
When you look back at your ex girlfriends and begin to notice a pattern
Hahahahahahaha!!! Superb mate 😂
Just have to try and block it out
I was more of a prog/death metal kid so was never really into Trivium but I've always respected the hell out of them for their playing, personalities and what they did for guitar playing. People forget but Trivium were one of the bands that made guitar solos cool again, they instantly raised the baseline of what was required to be a competent metal guitarist in the 2000's
Their music mostly got better over time, too! If you like melodic death/prog, I highly recommend their most recent 2 albums, What the Dead Men Say, and In the Court of the Dragon. A couple of their older albums also have heavy prog influence, Shogun, and The Crusade.
Same with A7X, turbo gay names and emo thing, but syns solos rip
Love it, dude! I'm the guy on Reverb you bought the 5150 block logo from. Sounds incredible 👍👍
Kick ass comparison. I've got a 6505+ head that I bought back in 2012. Love it. Has more mids than a 5150/6505 which helps in a mix/jam session.
Electronics theory time...
The control pots on these amps have a tolerance of up to 20%. The value is measured in resistance (ohms).
To make the numbers easy, lets use the Low pot. It has a value of 1 million ohms (1 Mega Ohm).
The 20% tolerance could be more, or less than the indicated value on the control pot.
So one amp could have a pot that is actually 1.2M ohms and another could have a value of 0.8M ohms.
This way you can actually get a 40% sway in tone for the low end if both amps are maxed out at 10 on the low control.
The low pot is also a log taper pot, not linear. So the math involved to get the exact same value on the two amps based on where they are pointed would be a nightmare.
Hence why the EQs can be dialed in differently to get the amps sounding similar.
This is also only taking the one low control into consideration. There is a lot more at play than just that.
It also sort of explains why the TC pedals all sound quite a bit different. Electronics tolerances ;)
I'll say it before anyone else does... NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERD!!!!
Just because nobory said it;
NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERD!!!!
I really like the tone of the 5150II it just had that excellent crunch to it
I think that was my favorite too
@Noiseless Sounds What's the going prices in your area for 5150 IIs?
@Noiseless Sounds Yeah that could be a lot depending on your location. I have a 5150 II that I got a few years ago here in Canada, but it was only $800. So about maybe $650 USD
@Noiseless Sounds Grab one if you can! I know the 6505 series isn't going anywhere, but reckon it's just a matter of time before the actual 5150 line becomes a sought after relic!
@@aacgoudie3642 Jesus you cursed it lol
Enjoy this shootout _ i feel like the difference is so minimal that you could just post eq to get what u want:
Love how you do a comparison between the amps, they all have great mighty Heafy tone! It is really nice seeing you rock the MXR EQ. Great stuff! Keep on rocking and Thank You for showing this.
Love my 6505+ !!! I've had it since 2005..
Me too, since 2006 I think 🤘
2007 over here!!
2012 here... one of, if not the last, years of the Mississippi Peaveys
2009 here for my 05+
Plot twist, every tone was generated by a single Boss Metalzone 😂 (kidding.. but it would’ve been hilarious). P.S. 5150 sounded great 👍
Hahahahahaha!!!! I just fucking laughed out loud!! MT2!!!!
Plot twist, your mother drank while you were in the womb.
C if insulting strangers online is how you spend your time, i feel sorry for you. Hope things get better. Best wishes.
jd brisebois Hey, fetal alcohol syndrome is no joke
The Metal Zone sounds pretty good if its used as a preamp into the return jack of an amp with a loop. It also sounds good as a clean boost; Kirk Windstein uses one as such to great effect.
Always loved the tones on Ascendancy!
Agreed my favourite Trivium album by far
I'm probably in the minority that liked the 6534+ seemed the brightest of the bunch.
More upper mids for sure..
Has a boomy bottom end of not careful
I want a 6534 so bad.
@@acexxxoasisGood luck, I've never even seen one for sale on Reverb or eBay or anywhere.
I liked the original 5150 block letter the best. Has a crisp bite.
6505 sounds best to me. It has a bit less compression and feels more open. The lack of bass wld not be a problem in a mix.
They actually all sounded great haha. If I had to choose, I would either go with the 5150 or 5150 ii.
The 6505 is toight! Did that one.
Love the shootout!!! Thanks, Matt! I've always wondered what all of these sounded like side by side! My first amp was a Peavey Rage and after 19 years I still have it! Love the Peavey sound + quality :)
5150 all the way BABYYYYY! YEEEEEAAAAAH-AH
The '05 has a smoothness about it that i always found pleasing.
5150 has the best clarity to my ear. My daughter was so excited to see you guys here in Idaho. Next summer she won’t be able to see the show. She is really bummed out. Now I’ve got to get my wife into the show.
My 5150 has been with me since September 93 manufactured in June 93. I am the original owner. It will stay with me. It was $450. The salesman asked me why I wanted to buy that junk. 😉
Have you change the valves right?
@@onefare5668 The Power Tubes Yes.
That salesman must've never heard any good music
So you've owned it for 27 years. How many times have you had to replace the tubes?
I bought my 5150 stack for $850 when it about 2 years old from a used gear shop. The guy said the same to me. Said, it's a one trick pony that is bad at tricks. Lol. I have used it recording from pop, country to metal. Lol. Love those tricks.
Honestly these all sound so similar that once you put them in a full band mix it wouldn’t even matter. The most different is definitely the 6534 but that’s to be expected since it has a different set of tubes.
I'd prefer the 34 if it were a bit brighter. It sounded very solid, but darker. Otherwise, the original 5150 won imo.
Of course, none of these are a 5150III, which is the king of chugs.
I don't know what he's using to record them with (Mic's software etc) but they all sound like they're a transistor radio. And it's NOT the amp's fault. It's the recording set up.
I've played through the 5150 for the last 6 plus years..but, man that 6505 has me thinking I'd like to hear some more of it's possibilites.
You could use the 34+ on one side and the 5150 on the other and get a nice stereo spread
Always loved the original 5150s. I had 2 of them. Didn’t like my 5150ii now I use the 6l6 50 watt which I love and have the 50 watt el34 which the red channel reminds me of the original 5150
The EVH? I heard the red channels are really similar to the og 5150, it sounds similar to my old 6505+ but more refined and less gritty. Would not mind having both
5150 seemed like it had the most mid range which I liked. Less compressed sounding.
Thank you so much Matthew! Great video, great comparison… Just one thing to keep in mind, Preamp Tubes have a big big massive part of an amplifier’s tone, for instance, if you had some good old (late 80s, early 90s) Chinese Beijing 12AX7’s in one amp and JJ’s in another, You’re going to hear a huge difference in gain, tightness, clarity etc. etc.
Peavy amps such as these are so perfect for metal!
What a good video matt! I was always curious to see the differences between these amps
Wish I still had my early 90’s sig 5150. Used it for a few years and then went to a Pitbull UL. Got it for $450. Even until recently, I thought about getting another for fun, even though were 6-800. Thanks to Covid that’s long gone…lol
Your palm muting on the 5150 ll and the 6534 on the deceived riffs sound like Mario going down a pipe 😂😂😂 go listen to that sound..... lol you won’t be able to unhear it.
You ruined it for me 😂😂
I knew the palm mutes had an attack I didn’t like on both of those specifically.
It does, what a weird chug sound it produces
It’s the fuking fluence pickups. I had that same problem with them. I’m really pissed. How do people not hear it...
@@dougleydorite yea man! I had fishmans in a guitar and after two weeks took them out. T’was not working out for me at all lol
I was never a trivium fan but I like your attention to detail and your passion.
You need an ampete switcher for this kind of comparison.
For me 5150II was the best I like how it sounds
I own a 6534+ bought it for 900 bucks. I put a boss sd1 in front for a clean boost with either another overdrive or my airis savage boost v2 and a bbe sonic stone maximizer and boss ns2. The tone is super tight and chunky. The midrange is crazy when boosted. I favor that head over my peavey 3120 and that amp is killer too
Bring out the Triple XXX!
YES! Ultra Plus 120 vs XXX vs JSX vs XXX II would be so rad
Suffocation riffs please. 🤘🤘🤘
@@higler. My band mate has the Ultra Plus 120.. It's so brutal..
@@luca7x689 yeah very underrated amp!
Bro I was telling my girl the same shit he recorded a lot of shit back in the way with it. It was my first Metal amp from musicians friend lol. Xxx🤘🏻
6505 sounded best to me. The 5150s are tighter but the my list would be
05
50
50ii
34+
yeah the 6505 sounds the tightest too in my opinion
The low end of the 5150 II is much better then I like the 6505, 5150, then 5534+ sound a little sterile to me. Then again I owned a 5150 II so maybe my ear is more trained to that and that is why I like the way it sounds better. Thanks for this test!!
I like the little bit more compression that the 34 had.
Can you get the EVH 5150 iii to add to the collection! That’d be kinda cool
Peavey!
I think he actually has the stealth edition. I remember him showing it.
6505 > 5150 >> 6534 > 5150 II
I really disliked the tonality and attack the 5150 II and 6534 got on palm mutes and high notes in chords.
I didn’t really like any of them lol but if I had to choose def the first one (6505)
The 6505 is my personal fave, the most consistently tight of the other amps.
My favorite has always been the crunch channel on these amps... just my preference, but the midrange is much better IMO
I have never once used the crunch channel in 13 years of owning it. In fact i built a single switch channel switcher where the fx loop is always on, and the crunch is always off
@@Ottophil, you should give it a try man... depends on your style of music but it has more girth
@@leavethenight1505 Hell yeah, 5150/6505 crunch channel with the gain a little higher is the best for rhythm IMO. A little darker and thicker sounding, seems to have less of that "squeak". the +/II crunch is totally different though, never liked it.
I love the 6505. I have one at our studio plus I have a 6505 profiled with a Fortin 33 in my Kemper. Sounds fantastic.
Digging the 5150II and the 6534+ the most. I think though the 5150II has a little more bottom.
The 65's sounded the best to me...but that's probably because that was the sound I got used to hearing when I started playing in bands... everybody in my local area was using 6505s...and I fell in love with early 2000's metalcore, killswitch, Unearth, AILD, etc... Trivium, of course
You'd love the VHT/Fryette Pitbull. I remember Corey using one at one point, and the dudes in Unearth both used them. Can't forget the Framus Dragon and Cobra if we're talking Killswitch.
Dude! I’ve been looking to buy that exact epiphone all snowed out and I just can not find it. I love everything about that thing. I just want it in a 7 string…
You are somewhat correct my man. The 5150 is king but the Soldano SLO is co-king
The real takeaway from this is that the tones of the 6L6 versions are so close that paying the huge up charge for the block letter versions aren’t worth it unless you’re a collector. Unless you’re a/b’ing these , you’ll never know the difference.
Just scored a 5150 signature for 500$ like new.
While still good, the 6505 & 5150 ii were definitely lacking in a certain bold/tightness on attack, especially with the (Kiichi?)chaos during 16th note groups
The 6534+ had that same "sloppiness," although it had a gnarly mid thing happening, nice for super percussive metal
Being first of the family, the block-letter still feels tight & modern, where the 'ii' & 65XX seamed to smooth the note envelopes in subtle ways
wow they all sound great!
1st 6506 2nd 5150 3rd 6534 plus last 5150ll. Thought the 6505 was by far a cut above. But that is from listening through my Marshall headphones. Might think differently if I were to hear it live, but listening to it recorded count for a lot.
Did your block letter in this video have its original Sylvania/Peavey output tubes? Apparently those are the secret sauce you guys prefer for the block letter tone.
I got out of Marshalls after I got a couple of Mesa MKiii's . I have never heard one next to a 5150 type amp. You can load them with similar tubes. I bet they would be close?
5150 sounds best. They all sound great and similar but that one was the best ro my ears.
Original 5150 for me, follow closely by the 6505
agreed! They sound incredible
I think the low end on the block letter is unbeatable
My personal fav is the 6505 it has my favorite tones out of them
Those difference can also be attributed to different brands of tubes, unless they all have same tubes and brand new tubes. Except for 6534, which has EL34 instead of 6L6.
Really enjoyed the 6534,had a nice crunch in the midrange.Classic 5150 sounded great as always...just needs a ts9 tube screamer on it to tighten it up and be ready to go!!!Thanks Matt👍🤘
the 5150 sounds a bit fuzzy and the 6505II sounds a bit squeaky in the mid , but you are great and I love to see you through the years with this passion for metal and cool guitars as well
6505 and 5150 block sound almost identical. As they should. It's the same head renamed. The Blocks shipped with different tubes originally. The small amount of difference I hear would be down to differences in the tubes, differences in playing, minor drift in components :-)
The 5150ii and a 6505+ (that isn't included) are also the same head renamed.
6534+ is that latter head with the fatter EL34 tubes.
6505 or 5150 would be my vote. Last 2 were a little darker to me
Forgot about the comparison lol am really enjoying my Favorite album riffs here
This would've been a lot easier for you if you had an ABY into two Radial Headbone VT's... you'd only have needed to swap the speaker cable after the first pair. EDIT: Better yet Ampete switcher
+1 for the Ampete
1)5150-bottom end is huge, more note definition
2)51502-bottom end is smoothed out a bit not as boomy
3)6505-lacks as much bottom as the 5150 II
4)6534+- a bit more growl due to the el34 tubes but lacks bottom end as its 6L6 counter parts, putting KT77 tubes usually solves this issue
Why does it sound like you have a wah pedal on all of them? Is that the preamp making that sound?
The 5150 and 6505 were my favorite 2 tonally. The 5150 felt like it was hitting harder and with a fuller tone than the 6505. The 5150 II was too warm to me. And the 34+ sounded thin.
I would love to see you compare the 5150 to a revv generator 120. That's my favorite metal amp right now.
Did I miss something, did you show how the amps are set at one point?
he's speaking about settings at 26:12
@@TareoO thank you very much!
You and those friggen triplets. Playing trivium songs turned my forearms to boulders and ground my teeth down to nubs in my early twenties.
Had my 5150EVH since late 92? Still my main amp. Been on 100’s of tours, 1000’s of shows. Still going strong strong. Only tubes and 1 rebias done. The only other amp that comes close is my engl powerball ll. 5150 is just a legendary amp
The Powerball is such a beauty! German amps are the best in my opinion. 5150 style amps are a classic though, and they're so versatile. Plus the price tag is hard to argue with. You probably won't find a used Powerball for $600
Hahaha nobody knows get thehell out kid
best sounded like 5150ii for me which is comparable to the 6505+ which is what i use. when i heard the II i instantly felt like it was right due to my personal playing. the 34+ from what ive researched was supposed to be a response to players seeking more Marshall and ENGL amp sounds which use EL34 tubes instead of 6L6GC tubes(6505+) in the power section.
difference in the 5150 sounded more brighter than the 5150ii which was evidenced by Matt saying it lacked some bass in the tone.
One amp I would really like compared is the invective since it’s based on the 6505 but with a few tweaks and an actual clean channel plus a large feature set for a lot of more modern usages.
A year later lol but I read that getting the bias adjustment modded to further increase the voltage somehow makes the "clean channel" almost actually clean and increases RMS rating(read from factory 6505+ are around 75 watts instead of published 120. I still have more research to do before I get it modded but im gonna fiddle with the pot inside next to the power transformer and see if I like what it's doing.
It all sounds a bit thin for solo guitar, but the only one that sounded very different was the 6534+, and that's only because it sounded like it felt more saggy
6505 or 6534+ are best to me. A little bit duller sounding in comparison but they don't have that horrible scratchy tonality when doing the gallops on the second riff.
What the dead men say is such an awesome album! Streamed it since the release and just recently bought it digitally! Also bought a 5150 once a saw yours , I started to miss the old one I had and went and bought one =)
Is there any chance to get a hold of the Impulse Responses for the guitars from What the Dead Men Say?
Thanks for the awesome videos!
I like the 5150 II/6505+ more than the 5150/6505. It has less of that nasally mids going on. I think I like the sound of the EVH 5150s more than the Peaveys. But the Peaveys feel better and more organic, it’s hard to explain.
They all sound like the cab and mic combination used to record them. The head makes minimal difference.
I liked the 6524+ the best personally. But it was also the loudest, which makes me wonder if volume is the perceived as better tone. In the end they are all very similar.
I own and love a 6505+, but that 6534+ sounded pretty gosh dern good.
Also, 5150s are awesome, and kinda sloppy. Sorry.
You really can’t go wrong with any of them. Just such a classic crunchy sound. The 6534+ really surprised me and sounded significantly better than I thought it would, not that I thought it’d sound bad but given the amps it was going up against I didn’t think it had a chance. I’d have to put the OG 5150 on top though. You just can’t go wrong with it. I’d be curious to hear a 5150 III thrown into the mix as well!
The 6534+ is my favorite Peavy amp
Personally I liked the 5150, 6534, 6505, 5150ii
The pre amps in these amps are gritty. I should know as I own a 5150 and eneded up using another small preamp and feeding that and pedals into the return signal directly to hack the amp using only the poweramp section. Doing this I get great distortion tones and super clean tones by simply disabling my distortion I need to play clean.
I have my 6505+ plus from 2010/US made. Its so loud and beefy. You cant beat the tone. The clean channel is another story. With some pedals tho the clean can be viable.
They are all very similar and very cool!
Tonewise i think id go with the 6505.
Cheers from Portugal 🍺🤘
Hey Matt, why don't you have the 5150 III?
He said he liked the original block letter the best. I asked him on the live stream before rob Flynn popped on yesterday! That would be pretty dope right! To hear a comparisons of all the 5150 models!
@@Ferniramirez_ there's even differences between the various versions of the iii. The 50 and 100 watts sound different from each other, plus the 6L6 vs EL34 tubes.
It also really depends on the guitar and pickup. I was always a block letter guy. But I recently picked up a 5150iii 100 EL34, and I think I like it better with my PRS that has med output passive pickups. For active pickups, like I'd imagine Matt uses, the Block might just do better!
He already got one
I love the 6534 tone its just so tasty
Man there’s just something about the 5150 when you’re comparing it to the 6505. Idk if it’s just the slight volume difference, but to me it just sounds like the 5150 is pushing just a bit harder and really cutting through more than the 6505 can. Both sound great, but I’d still take the 5150.
to me it sounds like the 6505 has its upper mids and highs a little more "disconnected" sounding in the pick attack? whereas the 5150 it sounds slightly smoother even though it sounds more aggressive. hard to describe but it sounds like it has a little more cut without being harsh
Jeremy Wolfers it’s hard to describe but I definitely understand where you’re coming from. Ultimately in the grand scheme of things if you throw any of these amps in a full mix it’d be incredibly difficult to really tell the difference unless your solely just hardcore dissecting the guitar track. Really can’t go wrong with any of the 4!
@@iTz_FLAwL3zZ yeh and whatever difference there is can probably be made up with a slight bit of EQ tweaking or different gear. only one with a difference that would be hard to mask in a mix might be the 6534 cus the character of the pick attack is a bit different (the transient of the attack is less loud relative to the sound of the note after)
great shootout Matt!
I’m gonna go in this order from best to worse. Well there really isn’t a worse but you get the idea. 5150 block letter, 6134, 6505 & 5150II.
Hi Matt - what was your chain - mic and preamp ? Sounds so good ! Thanks
5150, 6534+, 5150 II, 6505. But it’s close. Overall 5150 is the winner. Not only is it used in all those mentioned genres, it was a big influence in many of my favorite bands in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Plus, several of my favorite bands out now use them, particularly Blood Incantation and Spectral Voice.
Thoughts on TC Electronic Booster/Line Driver vs the Integrated Pre?
opinion on the iconics?
What’s the guitar tuning ?