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11K views 26 replies 13 participants last post by  honky_tonk 
#1 ·
Seeing as how there's tons of 5150 users here, i thought this would be a good place to ask this!
I'm still in the market for a new amp... the 5150 is looking mighty nice. Out other guitarist in our band uses a 5150 combo. He plays mostly rhythm, and i play rhythm and lead in our prog metal band. He also uses an MXR eq, and his tone is brutal! It really doesn't sound like other bands that use the 5150, though {i.e. Van Halen, Arch Enemy, In Flames, etc}. His tone has insane compression and lots of bite. It's also a bit on the fizzy side. But i still like it lot! So, with those examples in mind, i know that the 5150 can score some great rhythm tone. But for lead....
I find the amp to be too thin-sounding for lead work. Lead sounds that i like include Paul Gilbert, John Petrucci, Steve Vai, and Mattias Eklundh. I like a lot of really hot, smooth, responsive gain that will really sing for my leads. The 5150 doesn't really sound smooth enough to do these kinds of leads on its own. But how would it be if i put a boost pedal in front of it? All of my faves tend to favor the Boss DS-1, how would it sound with this amp for lead work? Like i said, my two biggest problems with the 5150 lead's sound is that it is thin and unsmooth. Would the DS-1 {or similar pedal, Tubescreamer, whatever} remedy these problems? Maybe i could have the lead channel as my rhythm tone, rhtyhm tone as my clean, and rhythm+boost pedal be my lead. How would that be?
However, if i bought a 5150, i'd also get an MXR dual 15 band EQ, some kind of rackmount multi FX {probably a Rocktron Intellefx} for delays, chorus, etc. and eventually a BBE. Having some delay on my leads always sounds nice. Would i be happy with this kind of setup? Please help!
 
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#2 ·
you might be better (if you do need one at all!) with a boss SD-1 super overdrive... to thicken/smooth your sound out.... or the DS-1 with the tone rolled back quite a bit... but the 5150 is a killer amp... you can tweak it for a smoother tone if you want to cut over the rhythm player's extreme distortion... or get him to punch out his EQ when you're playing lead, many many possibilities there :)
 
#3 ·
i just simplified my live rig from rack gear to some pedals, a 5150 head and a custom 2x12 cab Peavey made for me. i LOVE the 5150 and the tone is VERY adjustable. i am now doing the classic/southern rock thing with a little modern rock mixed in and it works GREAT! i had used it in an original HEAVY ROCK band with the rack gear and it was swell except for there was too much stuff to lug around and set-up and trouble shoot if something went wrong.
the "simplified" pedal set-up i'm using with the clean channel on the 5150 is as follows: DS-1 (smoooth), TS-9 (boost & sustain), DD-20, Digitech Synth Wah (gets a great "talk box" type effect ala "Rocky Mt. Way"), Sabine pedal tuner and an MXR Phase 90. i sold my Cry Baby and am adding a PW-10 Boss Wah (awesome pedal for the $!).
you can use the 5150 gain to really open things up if you need to get some serious gain - i don't need to, i'm doing mostly classic rock.
i would recommend trying the Carvin Legacy - i would purchase that amp if my 5150 was stolen and will probably still buy the combo version this year anyway.
my 2 cents.
Todd
 
#4 ·
Although the Legacy seems like it's an amazing-sounding amp, i don't think it has enough gain for the kind of stuff my band does. I've never played one, but the general consensus seems to be that it doesn't do metal.
So what kind of lead sounds can you get using the DS-1 with your 5150? I'm really looking for something like a cross between Petrucci {Dream Theater}, Gilbert, and Vai.
 
#5 ·
hum

Just buy a mesa and get that nice warm sound. The 5150 are fizzy sounding just like you said and the way the bands using them get them to sound good is cranking them on stage. Michael Amoot even said at their show out here the reason they sound good with theirs are the different components inthe european ones make the tone a lot different. I'm not th eelectrician but I guess it basically runs the amp hotter if you have it how they do over there.
 
#6 ·
the DS-1 seems to smooth out a nice distortion for what i'm doing. if you turn the gain down to around 4 or 5, and the presence down to 5 or 6, you can dial in some nice tones.
i think you could try the Legacy or the 5150 (the Mesa is great- just expensive) running a MT-2 or other high gain distortion to get the thick sounding gain you are looking for.
 
#8 ·
5150s are only fizzy when scooped, you'll get lost in the mix scooping the mids anyways...... dial up a nice middy sound with a lot of gain and KILL! :D

I find its the opposite that mesas are fizzy (the recto series i mean, Mks seem to be creamier) and unpleasant.... :? maybe its how theyre done in the UK, ya never know :)
 
#9 ·
yea

I use mids and always give my friends hell cause they scoop them out and wonder why they can't be heard on leads. The 5150's are really fuzzy and the mesa is a lot smoother, but if you put too much gain on a recto it's going to get a little grit. Still nowhere as bad as a 5150 they sound thin on every channel the clean sounds like a lifeless fender.
 
#13 ·
yea

Yea cause the combo's over here are the worst of the batch. They feedback like no other and are extremely fizzy sounding. The one guitarist in a band out here had one it lasted about 2 week he traded it back and got a marshall 4 and those things sound like crap but it was a big improvement.
 
#14 ·
The_Grindfiend said:
I'd recommend, before anything else, going to JerryP's page and giving those samples a listen. I do not like the sound of 5150s. However, I liked the sound of Jerry's 5150s. He also has some killer sounding wah mods.
Thanks! I'm glad you liked them. The 5150 gets a bad rap. It's much more versitile than people give it credit for. I hated the first one I played. I'm a Marshall man but I'm really diggin the 5150 now too.
Jerry
 
#16 ·
5150 Combo

Where can I check out these sound samples???? Someone said JerryP....I'm confused can I plz get a link.

I've been following the 5150 Combo for quite awhile now. I can't decide if I should buy it new or used.....or if I should even buy it. Can anyone recommend throwing out the $940 for the 212 Combo? Or is a purchase only warrated if the amp is used.......

thx
 
#21 ·
Laneys blow the 5150 out of the water. There's more than enough gain and it's a lot more controlled.....and u can find a GH100L head around for MUCH cheaper.

and guys like Andy Timmons, Mattias IA Eklundh, Paul Gilbert, Jon Finn, and Kiko Loureiro has gotten some good tones out their Laneys 8)
 
#22 ·
I don't wanna get to gretty, but sound samples really help.

I've tried to test out amps locally, but their aren't any real flagship amps where I live. I've been impressed with every 5150 sound sample I've heard. I play mostly metal, not nu-metal either, kinda 80's style.
 
#23 ·
Laney's are nice but they hardly blow away a 5150 IMO. I guess it really depends on the type of music your playing. Laney's have a modified Marshall type tone, the 5150 will do that and beyond. Laney's eat output transformers bigtime! 5150's are rock solid and can be modded into a 3 channel amp.
Jerry
 
#25 ·
metal

All the "non nu-metal bands" using the 51050's almost always have a Rectifier as well. Most shows I've been too the bands have one guitarist with each, or they both play the same. More people have the 5150 II anymore, but all have said they sound better over in europe where the resistors are differen't and that you really have to crank it to make it start to sound good. Plus who wants to spend cashing trying to make the amp something it isn't right from the factory (ie the channels) just buy a rectifier and have the channels, or a Brunetti, or a krank. :wink:
 
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