5150 - opinions

[theblackpage]

i think i am gonna buy one, i really liked it.
what are your opinions about it?
is it versatile?

[badwamajama]

I've had mine for about 8 or 9 years, and I am getting ready to sell it due to money problems.......I think I'd rather be hit in the head by a falling safe, than get rid of it.

I will surely get another someday....


jc

[jay ratkowski]

Got one as my first head... thought it was cool back then... now I shudder at the thought of listening to one. *If you like it, I suppose buy it... it's not like you're losing too much money. *It's your ears that count in the end I suppose...

[Cory Bottone]

I'm with Jay on this one. I played one in a guitar store and I didn't like its clean tone one bit and the distortion channel was blah. I suppose if you threw in a graphic eq in the effects loop it would help out a lot in the gain area (if gain is what you are looking for that is). It's a bit too nasaly to me.

[big al]

For me, the 5150 was the first head that had extreme gain...I loved it. After buying a M&$a B@@gie (edited to prevent flaming from Jay) I realized that just high gain was not the answer. You may be able to get a good sound with eq and effects but I would judge an amp by the dry sound. I cannot stand to listen to my 5150 head or 5150 combo dry. It lacks "character".
Don't kid yourself, this will not be the last amp you buy. You will probably buy the 5150, play it for a few months and then find another amp you like better. It's a vicious cycle.

[Anonymous]

I went through multi pedal set-ups, and 2 amps before I settled on the 5150, for me, high gain IS the answer, actually I nver go above 6, but it's the saturation that I like, that and the extreme crispy-brown-ness.

[djrjems]

It's all about what sounds good to you. *I had a 5150 combo for a while . . . I also thought it was a bit thin, lacking character. *I too love high gain, but I think the Mesa stuff has more body to the tone. *I also think the Mesa amps are much more versatile than the 5150 . . . then again, you get what you pay for *:biggrin:

You know what they say . . . opinions are like a$$h0le$ . . . get what you like, but I'd recommend trying as many different amps as possible before dropping coin on anything. *Good luck!

[jemsite]

ditto... what most everyone has said... glen

[jono]

Quote: from theblackpage on 11:10 pm on July 13, 2001
i think i am gonna buy one, i really liked it.

That's all you really need to know - if you liked it then go buy it before someone else does

Quote: from theblackpage on 11:10 pm on July 13, 2001
what are your opinions about it?
is it versatile?

Personally I rather like them for their brash simplicity *I think that they have a great plug in and play tone but lack a lot of refinement.

The original 5150 is not at all versatile having a shared EQ for the clean and distorted channels, but the 5150 II has seperate EQs for each channel which improves the versatility no end.


I think an original JEM777 into a 5150 is a really fun combination, but it might not be the most practical of setups for a set of complex dream theater-esque tunes, but it'll do nicely to bash out a few early DLR covers I personally use my guitar controls a lot to govern my sound and so I'm not "too" bothered about a lack of amp-borne controls.

[jeff l]

My experience with it was similar to Jay's. It was my first all-tube amp and I loved it. Then after a while it wore out it's welcome. It became too buzzy on highs and boomy on low end for my changing tastes in music.

* Add to that the total lack of a clean tone and I sold and never looked back. However, if it suits you then by all means buy it and enjoy it. It would really suck if we all liked the same amps! Imagine the price hike! lol *

[Pablo]

the 5150 Looks great

Dist is too fuzzy tho IMHO

[Armitage]

I have four heads, a Soldano Decatone, a Marshall TSL, an ENGL Savage 120 and a 5150. (I just sold my Mesa Dual Rek). *My favourite amp is my 5150. *It, and I, don't do clean. Well not yet anyway, I've only been playing for 26 years.... (ouch...26?)

[Ervin Martinez]

I got a 5150 two months ago and I love it. My only complaint is that the clean channel sounds a little bit thin but that can be improved with some modulation effects on the effects loop. *The distortion this amp produces is killer. I highly recommend the amp.

[Anil Sahal]

I think it's the best affordable head out there. *It does need to be played through a 5150 cab though. *I used a Marshall cab with it initially and it sounded awfully muddy. *This doesn't count for much but if you look at guitar group CD liners you'll be amazed at who uses them somewhere on their album (from Aerosmith to Satch).

If I*had the dosh, I'd buy a Soldano or Dual Rectifier, but I don't. *The 5150 is a good runner up even if the clean channel requires a little working at (who ever uses a clean tone anyway?-they're for wusses )

Anil

[pri0531]

I played a combo for several years and made do. *If you do get one I HIGHLY recommend getting new tubes IMMEDIATELLY. *
Out,
GP