Generic tube amp suitable for bedroom question.

[Dmoney]

when i was playing in my old hardcore band we often played bars and places that had no PA. I 15, 25 or even 30 watt would have struggled to cut it at times. You need the headroom in a high gain amp, otherwise you end up with a massively distorted preamp signal going into a massively distorting power stage. It doesn't sound good. But if you're packed in next to a drummer and bassist and only the vocals are going through a PA, then you'd be surprised at how loud you have to be to get heard. But, use your experience to figure out what tools you need.

As for tha 6505 vs the 5150, the circuit is the same and they contain pretty much the same parts. The 6505's however dont have the power valve pcb riveted to the chassis, so it's much less of an issue to repair broken screen grid resistors in a 6505. You just un screw the pcb in the 6505, but you need to drill the rivets out in an old 5150. Those resistors are mounted under the pcb. The other really noticeable thing is at some point peavey swapped the ribbon connectors for push on connectors with individual heavier gauge wires. This probably helps stop the connectors burning out and in some cases destroying huge tracks of PCB. So even though the older 5150 is cooler, I'd say the newer ones should be slightly more reliable and easier to work on.

Still, a second hand 5150/6505 seems hard to find for less than £550 these days.

[Dave Sloven]

If there's anything 'cheaper' about the newer Peavey 6505 series amps I'd say it's probably the valves, but how long do valves last anyway?  All of the old 5150s from the '90s would have either had a valve change now, or sound like shite because their tubes are bad, unless there is some amp somewhere that the guy didn't like and was rich enough not to sell on to someone else.

Seems like they have made some little changes over the years though.

I read some reports of fuse problems with the Chinese 6065+ 112, otherwise the reports have been okay.

Bandits etc I've heard of bigger differences between the USA made versions and (at least the early) Chinese versions.  I have an old teal stripe Bandit, possibly the one with the most mojo besides the 65W used on the first Entombed record, but it needs major repairs, due to years of being abused by various people, most likely junkies who have stolen it at various times and sold it to Cash Converters.

[tekbow]

def had wrong info on the 6505 then.. would still rather have an original 5150 though ;)

do they still construct the combo cab as closed back? that thing integrated with the amp sounded epic, actually preferred it to the head and 4x12.

[Toe-Knee]

If there's anything 'cheaper' about the newer Peavey 6505 series amps I'd say it's probably the valves, but how long do valves last anyway?  All of the old 5150s from the '90s would have either had a valve change now, or sound like shitee because their tubes are bad, unless there is some amp somewhere that the guy didn't like and was rich enough not to sell on to someone else.

Seems like they have made some little changes over the years though.

I read some reports of fuse problems with the Chinese 6065+ 112, otherwise the reports have been okay.

Bandits etc I've heard of bigger differences between the USA made versions and (at least the early) Chinese versions.  I have an old teal stripe Bandit, possibly the one with the most mojo besides the 65W used on the first Entombed record, but it needs major repairs, due to years of being abused by various people, most likely junkies who have stolen it at various times and sold it to Cash Converters.

From what i understand the 6505s also have poorer quality transformers. They switched manufacturers sometime around the name changing.

[Alex]

The 5150/6505 isn't suitable for at home, it needs a certain level to work properly.

I think the Orange Dark Terror would work well for black metal - it's among the most affordable but also the best of the small amps. You could probably sell all the other amps you own because it's so portable.

[Dave Sloven]

def had wrong info on the 6505 then.. would still rather have an original 5150 though ;)

do they still construct the combo cab as closed back? that thing integrated with the amp sounded epic, actually preferred it to the head and 4x12.

I think the 6505 212 combo has been discontinued, and the 6505+ 112 is intended for that market niche. You might still be able to find one in stores. It is USA made

[dave_mc]

The last option is a clean amp and get the distortion with pedals. This is probably the best option as you can still have it as a giggable amp if needs be.

I still vastly prefer a high gain tube amp for high gain tones, even at home volumes. Admittedly, as I said earlier, that does sort of depend on exactly what you mean by "home volumes". And obviously that's my own personal preference coming into play, too. EDIT: an od pedal used as a boost helps a lot, i find, in low volume situations.

[Lucifuge]

A number of amps have built-in speaker emulated DI outputs, so that might be an option for getting a cranked sound at home. The Blackstar HT have this, also the Hughes & Kettner Tubemeister.

[Heket]

I have a Hayden Lil Mofo, which is 2W and perfectly reasonable bedroom volume. The gain is pretty thick and dark, although you will need a pedal to get black metal amounts of gain, unless you have super-high output pickups. It's quite a modern sound to my ears. It comes in a combo although the speaker is only 8", if that matters to you.

I tell you what is very popular on another guitar forum I frequent, the Orange Micro Terror with the addition of a fuzz or overdrive pedal. The Micro Terror is a hybrid, but an excellent one. I have one and it's good, but it didn't suit my dark SG. It also comes in a 8" combo. It's 20W hybrid and it gets LOUD when you want it to, but is fine for bedroom use too.