Peavey 5150/6065/5150II/6065+/6534+

[Dave Sloven]

Hello everyone, I'm considering getting something bigger than my current practice amp, something suitable for smallish metal and punk gigs in pubs and whatnot.

A friend of mine has a Peavey 5150 II and cabinet which I really like.  It's not for sale - I get the distinct impression he has no plans to ever part with it - but I'd like something similar.  I'm wondering what the opinions of people here are with regard to the various amps in the series.

i.e.,

5150 now 6065
5150 II now 6065+
6534+

It seems like the last of these is quite different from the other two, while the first two differ in the pre-amp stage.  I'm still tending toward the 6065+, as it seems similar in specs to the new Iommi signature Laney (which also interests me but is hard to find here and likely to be very expensive when eventually released in Australia) which is the other main amp that I'd be interested in.

There is also the question of a cabinet.  My friend seems happy with his Peavey cabinet with the Sheffields in it, and I have to admit that thing has an amazing bottom end, but a lot of people seem to prefer a cabinet with V30s to go with the 6065, perhaps because the Peavey cab is too bassy for them

[EffigyForgotten]

This is probably a quite controversial opinion, I actually prefer the 6260 (Bugera) to the 6505/+ (Peavey)

First of all, it has the abillity to use pretty much any power tubes you want which for me alone was enough to get it over a 6505. Second of all, I think its tighter sounding than the 6505 (with the E34L's I put in it) which works better with my guitar, which has a Holy Diver Set in it. Third of all, the clean channel on the 6260 is far superior to the 6505, I didn't try the 6505+ clean channel when I played it so no opinion on that.

Other than that, I like Eminence speakers so I got a custom cab by Texas Dragon cabs with front loaded Emenince Legend V12's and a closed back, its very "directional" as in you have to be sitting right in front it to get the full on sound, but compared to my old guitar teachers Peavey combo with V30's and my Ampeg VH-140c cab (with some kind of Ampeg Celestion clones I believe) the TD was very balanced sounding which I personally love, as I hate the upper mid spike of V30's, it also sounds the tightest/smoothest.

I'm sure you would be happy with a production cab but I was just throwing that out there, Mesa Recto cabs are very popular with 6505's and i'm sure would sound great.

[JimmyMoorby]

I think theyre pretty cool. Have you though about the new EVH 5150 iii though?  Got a far better clean channel and 2 separate overdrive channels. 

There are lots of great cabs out there if you like Peavey go for that.  I'd consider Orange though very good value compared to peavey or mesa boogie and imo better.  Dont pay any thing over £1000 any way whatever that is is aussie currency

[Alex]

The series is a real powerhouse of an amp. I used a 5150 Mk1 for many years and loved it; I only sold it when I relocated to England from Germany.

The strength of the series are
- awesome high gain sound
- high reliability
- sounds very good recorded
- relatively good low volume sound (you can get it to sound good at lower volumes)

Many artists used 5150s for recording, even if they claimed to endorse other products :-)  And its not just metal artists - Joe Satriani used a 5150 in the studio a lot as well.
With the Bugera my worries would be the reliability and the resale value.

Which amp of the series kind of depends on personal taste; they sound quite similar in high-gain. There isn't a difference between the 5150 and 6505 series that I can hear; I'd also wonder if any tonal differences are more down to individual tubes and parts tolerances.

[Dave Sloven]

With the Bugera my worries would be the reliability and the resale value.

I was interested to read the positive comments on the Bugera as I have only heard bad things about them.  I have no idea what their reliability is like, I guess that varies from unit to unit, but Peavey have a great reputation for reliability (besides the new 60W 6505+ 112 combo, which is made in China - unlike the rest of the series - and seems to have a fuse problem, leading a local retailer to have them on sale now for the price of a Laney Iommi 15W practice amp!) and subsequently (combined with their studio reputation) an excellent resale value.  Even twenty year old 5150s sell for $1000 here in good condition, although the 5150 II seems to be more sought after due to it being apparently more versatile.  You can buy a 6505 for $1300 new, a 6505+ for $1600 new, and a 6534+ for $1800 new here in Australia on the internet/ebay at the moment, but the exchange rate is worsening as the US economy improves and the prospect of an austerity regime being elected in September looms.  It is the end of the financial year here at the end of this month and I plan to get my tax return in as early as possible so that I can use part of my tax refund to at least buy a head.  You can get the cabinets on ebay etc under $1000, but I could also get a cr@ppier cab for home use and use the cab at the local pub (which is 5150 cab) or my mate's cab if I needed it for a gig.  I'm not in a band at  the moment so it doesn't matter too much.  I see the head as a bit of investment as I hope to get something together over the next year or so and by then I might not be able to afford it if the exchange rates go back to those of the late 1990s.

Cheers for all the responses, I figured that given that these are a popular amp a lot of people would have tried them.  I'm especially interested to hear from people who have tried both the 5150/6065 and the 5150 II/6065+ and can explain why they prefer one over the other.  Obviously a 6065 saves me a couple of hundred dollars over a 6065+ but really for such a small difference (I guess it is a couple of months worth of coffees, but still not that much compared to some other stuff) I'd rather make sure I have a keeper.

From the videos online the 6534+ seems a bit more mellow and vintage by comparison, is that fair?

P.S. On the EVH amps they are a bit of an unknown quantity here as they have been quite hard to get in my area (Adelaide).  From what I heard though they seem very different to the Peavey ones.  Maybe EVH has changed his requirements in terms of amps?  Interestingly the EVH 5150III seems more like the 6534+ than either of the 5150s released by Peavey. Oh and Orange are way overpriced here, usually $1400+ for a cab and it has that ugly orange tolex that rips easily.  If I were to get a V30 cab it would probably be a Marshall 1960a, which you can get for around $800 second hand.

[JimmyMoorby]

I had a Marshall 1960ac which was a very cool cab but in fairness it had greenbacks.  I prefer my Orange PPC412 to it and in England the price gap isnt that silly at at all.... the orange is only a little more expensive.  Of course sound is relative but the Orange is built like a tank and like no other cab i could find.  Not sure about the tolex but i would have thought all cabs got roughed up if you used them often, besides you could always nickname it agent orange!

I'm can see you're into proper 80's thrash as am I and Peavey's 5150's didn't really fit in with that genre per se as you'll know (Other than Testament).  A lot of great thrash and heavy guitarists such as Aborted, Testament, Havok, Fear Factory, Annihilator, In Flames, The Haunted and Forbidden have made the switch from Peavey 5150's etc to the new EVH 5150 iii as well as guitarists who have used other brands. 
If people believe the older 5150's were better then fine it's all subjective but obviously guitarists such as Eric Peterson and Dino Cazares feel the 5150 iii is an improvement oh and im a massive Van Halen fanboy so ill just blindly take what he says as gospel!

If I had the cash i'd only consider swapping my orange rockerverb for a evh 5150 iii but to be honest more for practical reasons like the extra overdrive channel and a switchable fx loop which the rockerverb doesnt have.  The 5150 iii reminds me of my rockerverb but is probably just better tbf.

[Dave Sloven]

That's interesting.  Yeah the 5150 does seem to be associated with the '90s stuff.  I'm wondering if the 6534+ might be the more flexible amp.  Certainly the 6505+ (5150 II) seems to be less of a 'one trick pony' than the 6505 (5150).  The 6505+ and the 6534+ seem to have a similar preamp with a different power amp (or at least different tubes) - I'm wondering how big a difference that makes in sound?  I'm having trouble locating relevant comparison videos online.  The only semi-useful one I found was all RATM riffs, which is not that helpful, but it did seem like the 6534+ has a more 'open' sound.  Personally I don't feel that a guitar shop is a great setting for trying anything out, and when you get home your ideas on whatever it was you thought would be okay based on a brief blast in the shop inevitably change.  That's why I value the opinions of others and combine them with those partial impressions from the shop.

Yeah I'm definitely into '80s stuff.  Some of the stuff I am into was recorded on rubbish gear though - e.g., Entombed, Napalm Death, Doom, etc so it's hard to know whether all of this money is worth spending!  Funny thing is that you have to almost reverse engineer stuff now to get those harder sounds as manufacturers (e.g., Gibson) are generally going for a more vintage sound or some kind of compromise sound (e.g., the Gibson 498T)

Speaking of '90s sound, I've thought that Black Sabbath have a tendency to go down that road and this makes me somewhat wary of their recent endorsed gear.  I've considered getting the new Iommi practice amp but I would want to hear one first rather than order it in on spec.  I didn't really like the sound on 'The Devil You Know'.  I haven't heard '13' properly yet, as our local stockist is still waiting for it.

These are the comparison videos I found on youtube.  Both of these are 5150 vs 6534+

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iD74jyUUz64

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGdq-INQ3jU

I also found this horrible video that compares all of the high gain Peavey valve heads except the 6505 (the last two are the 6534+ and 6505+)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWkcgRhMuwA

Based on all of these I am unfortunately leaning toward the most expensive option the 6534+  :?

[Dr.Pain]

I'd go 5150/6505 or 5150 III.  The old ones have a real thump too them that's just amazing.  The 5150 III is well worth a look at as it's new and available and it seems like a hell of a thing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W46XQ-grJEc

[Dave Sloven]

I ended up buying a 6534+ in one of the deals going at the moment on ebay for Peavey stuff here in Australia.  The current downward movement in our currency and the end of our financial year mean that we are unlikely to see these prices again any time soon, so I figure it's a decent investment.  Someone is advertising an ENGL E412V here for half new price (half current new price I should say, around a third of 'retail').  It has some scuffs on the bottom due to the fact that it's a 50kg cab that has been dragged up and down of stages a few times but that doesn't bother me much, otherwise it looks in new condition.  I had a listen to these samples comparing cabs on youtube and I'm wondering how good a guide they are in comparison.  I liked this one, the Krank, and the Marshall on this video, so I guess (together with comments in this thread on cabinets) I am leaning toward V30 cabinet of some kind.  I don't like the sound of the MESA, and the Orange sounds a bit muffled going by this video.

Guitar Cab IR Shootout

I also liked the V30 cabs in this video except for the MESA, which I didn't like again.

Guitar Cabinets IR shootout comparison / Red Wirez /

I also thought that the Peavey in the first video wasn't so great.  In the second video I didn't like the first Marshall shown much (G 12 75T), the Matchless, the Soldano, the Fender, and the MESA again.  I quite like the Orange in the second video though,even though it's the same cab.  It might be in large part the difference in guitar, amp, player, and style that made the difference between the two videos there.  In general l liked the sounds in the second video more.  Most of them sounded a bit muffled in the first one.

Listening to them again I must be partial to a chainsaw sound ... I guess that's why I went with the A-bomb too.  I wonder though if there can be too much of a good thing, and combining that pickup in an SG with an aggressive sounding cab might be too much! :?

[Dr.Pain]

I don't mind a chainsaw sound myself which is why I picked up a Boss HM-2 off ebay a while ago.  It's a good time to buy gear being end of financial year and our dollar diving.  It's why I got a Strat now rather than wait.

[Alex]

I used the Marshall 1960AV. I doesn't have a lot of low mids (doesn't sound as fat), but cuts the mix really well because of the upper mids.
It's probably my favorite 4x12 overall.

[Dave Sloven]

Cheers Alex, that is definitely one of the cabinets I liked.  Unfortunately that specific Marshall cab (the one loaded with V30s) is not common second-hand.  I will probably settle for something around the $800 mark from Gumtree (local classified ads) unless some really good deal on a Marshall appears at the end of this month.  That ENGL might be the go unless something else turns up.

Yeah Dr Pain the EOFY sales are sweet, I was nearly tempted to buy a Gibson SG Junior at a local shop for $800 and put a dogear Pig 90 or Supermassive into it ... I used to have a HM-2 back in the day (I think it was the Taiwan made version) but traded it to someone (in brand new nick) for something forgettable.  You never know what you'll want 20 years later!

I actually have a Peavey Bandit (teal stripe) here that I could have paired that up with for some Sunlight sound action too!  Oh well!!

[Alex]

Cheers Alex, that is definitely one of the cabinets I liked.  Unfortunately that specific Marshall cab (the one loaded with V30s) is not common second-hand.  I will probably settle for something around the $800 mark from Gumtree (local classified ads) unless some really good deal on a Marshall appears at the end of this month.  That ENGL might be the go unless something else turns up.

Yeah Dr Pain the EOFY sales are sweet, I was nearly tempted to buy a Gibson SG Junior at a local shop for $800 and put a pig-ear Pig 90 or Supermassive into it ... I used to have a HM-2 back in the day (I think it was the Taiwan made version) but traded it to someone (in brand new nick) for something forgettable.  You never know what you'll want 20 years later!

I actually have a Peavey Bandit (teal stripe) here that I could have paired that up with for some Sunlight sound action too!  Oh well!!

Three points I'll make here:
1. Some people will claim that one cab is much better than another one. I'd argue in most cases (i.e. quality cabs) they're simply different and a lot is down to personal taste. For example the ENGL is really very rigid, so it doesn't "breathe" as much, whereas Fryette/VHT and Marshalls have a lighter construction and hence "breathe" a bit more. What's better? The one you like the most.
2. The Marshall 1960 AV V30s are 16 ohm versions. The ones in the Mustaine cabs might be 8 ohms - I don't know. The ENGL and Mesa ones are 8 ohm versions. It does make a tonal difference, and I guess it's part of the the reason the Marshall sounds so aggressive and the ENGL/Mesa sound so fat and full. The 1960 AV IMO is really good to get a classic AC/DC or Michael Schenker sound with a Marshall (eventhough Angus Young doesn't use that cab!). I've actually been so lucky to have been playing for some months in a rehearsal room with my 1960AV, the 1960 A and a Mesa Rectifier cab, allowing easy comparison.
On my 7 band EQ pedal I could see that the 1960AV was pretty lean on the low mids. I can't vouch for it, but I think it was the 400 Hz band.
3. The 5150/6505s EQs are good enough to adjust them nicely to most cabs; the EQ works well and the presence and resonance allow you to trim things nicely. If things don't seem to work, try setting presence and resonance to very low values (1-3). I got the idea from Chris Ammott from Arch Enemy (saw a picture with his EQ settings).

[Dr.Pain]

My HM-2 is Japanese and I got it off ebay, $100 from some chick in Melbourne's West.  I got my Strat for $600 but I was really close to getting an American standard Strat for $1300 but I would have had to pay it off for a month or two.  But not going to worry about that as the Strat I got is really good.

I'd like to hear a 6534+ as I like that whole Peavey range.  I tried a 5150 60 watt back in 1994 and they guy told me not to turn it up as they wanted to stay in the shop.  I never forgot it as it made the best noise.  I'm still tempted to get a 5150 III 50 watt.

[Dave Sloven]

I got the 6534+ from a place in Melbourne that sells keyboards.  Charging me $40 to ship it over to SA. If you want some Peavey stuff here in Australia there's no better time than this week.  I had a choice of a couple of places over there in the $1300-1400 price range.

Cheers Alex for the advice on cabs.  The one thing I was trying to work out from the Peavey manuals was whether the power amp outputs in stereo, and thus whether I can run two leads out of the head to run the halves of a stereo cab (such as the ENGL cab or the Peavey 430A) at 16ohms?  It seems like the cabs can do this but I'm not sure that the head can.