New Evh 5150 Iii Amp

[trikim]

Hi All,

I am in the process of buying a new half stack amp. Anyone has any feedback on the new EVH 5150 III made by Fender? I read mixed review but I've yet to try one. Maybe this weekend I'll have a chance.

[SonicGator]

I've played one it it was a mixed bag. Channel 2 is the early EVH tone...this is most people's favorite channel on this amp from reviews I've read and was mine as well. Channel 1 was OK, not a great clean, but workable. Channel 3 is a heavier gain, closer to the Peavey 5150 amp, but not quite as harsh.

If you're looking for that early EVH tone, then buy the amp for Channel 2. I tend to prefer single channel amps, so I don't plan to buy one, but overall, I think the amp is a hit for what is was designed to do.

[trikim]

Thanks for the feedback SonicGator. I am actually looking for something more versatile and powerful at the same time. An amp that can provide a clean acoustic type sound, Blues, Rock all the way to high gain Metal. Any ideas? I used to be a Marshall fan a while back, but after I sold all my full stacks back in the early 90's I lost touch of what they are doing now.

[kurt1981]

The bogner extacy is quite an amp, I think it'd nail what you're after, but it ain't cheap, for sure. Riveras are nice too,
Kurt

[SonicGator]

Thanks for the feedback SonicGator. I am actually looking for something more versatile and powerful at the same time. An amp that can provide a clean acoustic type sound, Blues, Rock all the way to high gain Metal. Any ideas? I used to be a Marshall fan a while back, but after I sold all my full stacks back in the early 90's I lost touch of what they are doing now.


That's a tall order for one amp...let me know if you find one! ;)

Seriously, that's why I have been into single-channel amps. I find that a channel switcher I like has one channel it does really well, then is just OK on the other 1 or 2 channels.

Best tones I ever got was a Tom Anderson Strat into a Dr. Z StangRay with a only a Keeley Compressor and Katana Boost on for lead sounds and then that same guitar through a Two Rock Custom Reverb Signature.

[robert75354]

The Rivera Knucklehead Reverb is worth checking out.

3 channels all with a boost giving you 6 different foot-switchable tones.

I played thru a 100watt 6L6 head. Clean was robust and shimmering. The drives and boosts were very real world and usable, regardless of the guitar you use. It could handle smoky organic tones or dish out pure shred and crunch.

It had a really slick floor controller. The head had an efx loop with midi control. So you can get program changes on your efx unit to switch with the channels, all from the Rivera floor controller.

Good luck!

[GaryMcT]

Check out the Egnater mod50 head. Search this forum for Egnater to see some rave reviews. If that's too expensive, check out the Randall MTS series, also designed by Bruce Egnater. (EDIT: Wow, I misspelled Egnater twice!)

[Stys]

Don't forget about the Mesa Stiletto. I love my ACE but it is an amp you have to work with.

[trikim]

Thanks for the input guys... big decision to make here. I best take my time and play around with different amps. About a year ago while shopping for a new guitar at Steve's in Toronto I was trying out a PRS Custom 24. The amp was using was a Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier Roadster (combo). I was actually more impressed with the amp than the guitar. Almost got the amp instead, but at the time I was debating between a PRS or a Tom Anderson. Anyway, am thinking of going to Guitar Center and looking into it again, and maybe play around with other amps.

[michaelomiya]

Hi All,

I am in the process of buying a new half stack amp. Anyone has any feedback on the new EVH 5150 III made by Fender? I read mixed review but I've yet to try one. Maybe this weekend I'll have a chance.

white head and white cab slated to arrive within the next week - reviews forthcoming.

[Road King]

I tried out the Roadster head through two 212 cab's while I was amp shopping a few months ago. I found it very impressive. Four very usable tones. The cleans where very fat. Nice gritty clean. Fairly articulate crunch and a crazy gain lead channel. The only reason I didn't get it was cash flow. Bought a rectoverb instead but I find it difficult to get anywhere near those roadster tones.

[trikim]

Just bought a new Marshall JVM410H 100 Watt head and a 1960 AV Vintage cabinet (280 Watt). Great sounding amp and very versityle, it pretty much covers all sounds. Those cabs are great as well. Guitar Center in Detroit gave me a great deal, those guys really go out to town for your business. Anyway, I just started playing with it so I'll be having a few long nights. Thanks for everyones feedback.

[Mister T]

For heavy tones I have 2 amps that I really like, a Mesa Stiletto Ace and a Koch Multitone.

The Stiletto using the Crunch mode on Channel 2 gets me early VH better than the 5150III that I tried out.

[trikim]

... I asked my buddy to come along because he has a big truck and is also a guitar player. When it was time for me to pay he goes to the GC sales guy... "could you please double that order" WHAT!!!! It surprised me. So we had an additional $100.00 off each :) I am not really sure but I think he slept in the dog house last night and believe he'll be out there for a while. With good company.. a Marshall JVM410 half stack.

[Tremendo]

I compared the 5150 III EVH and the JVM the other day. The EVH had a good sound to it and a great functional footswitch to switch between the clean, crunch and overdrive. I was surprised no reverb. It did seem to do a certain sound really well. If that's the sound you want.

The JVM, on the other hand, sounded more versatile. Quite complicated for my 1st time playing it and the footswitch seemed to be multi-functional. When you hit the footswitch button, a light changes up on the top right of the footswitch, seems tought to keep track while on stage. But the amp seems to allow for multi-stage overdrive in the different channels, and in this case was my favorite.

But, I went home and played through my Lonestar Special into my 1960AHW cabinet and realized I'm happier with what I've already got ;).

[trikim]

The EVH 5150 III would be my choice for a second half stack. The sound is great and unique but I believe that Fender has a few things to improve on it like adding a master volume, no reverb, no effects loop signal level control. Maybe Fender will take care of this things in the next generation of EVH's. But for the EVH fans and those guitar players in search of the "brown" sound... this is your amp.
So far no complains with my JVM 400H, I am just working on hooking it up to my FCB1010 MIDI controller. We'll see how that works.

[Rupe]

Here is a review that I did after spending a good bit of time with the 5150III back in August. I reviewed both the Franky replica and the amp:


I was back in PA last weekend to meet up with some old friends and play a reunion gig with my old band. While there, I visited a buddy who owns a guitar store in State College called Rainbow Music (I tried to get him to use a different name back when he opened the store in '98 but he's a die hard Blackmore fan and I couldn't convince him that the name was uncool) Anyway, he had both the Franky and 5150 III in stock and agreed to a test run as well as a shoot out between the Franky and my offset Bullseye to compare tone, feel, and playability.

I must say that I was completely unimpressed with the Franky as an instrument. It has a rather large neck that really feels nothing like any Charvel that I have ever played...it is much more like one of the larger pre-70's necks found on some Strats. It was comfy enough but too bulky for me to like it alot. Tonally it was about what you would expect for a guitar with a Floyd and a low output humbucker. I did like the dynamic response of the pickup (it is much different than the EVH Art series) and was able to get some cool harmonics and overtones out of it. Very light weight which was cool. I'm sure these are destined to be hung on a wall so its probably pointless to critique it as a player but thats what I am so...

When compared to my bullseye pre-pro, everyone to a man thought it came in a distant second. The Charvel sounded bigger, fatter, stronger, and just felt better to everyone who tried them (there were 5 of us). The v-trem I'm sure added to the better tone but it was more noticable than when compared to other good sounding Floyd'ed guitars.

As for the relicing, they did an incredible job. It truly looks like a guitar that hasn't been cleaned or well taken care of for years. There is a buildup of grime on the fretboard, natural looking wear and dings all over, pieces of tape still under the paint, worn edges on the pickup, rust and dirt in all the nooks and crannies, steel wool redisue stuck to the pole pieces, etc. I felt like I needed a tetanus shot after playing it.

The amp on the other hand was near perfection. The first thing that I noticed was that it was more like 3 amps than a 3 channel amp. Each had its own distinct charactaristics and tone curve. The clean channel was very good...not "Twin" good but better than any multi-channel head that I have played. Cranked it gets into SRV territory nicely.

Channel 2 is where the magic is. I have never plugged into an amp and nailed the VHII "brown sound" so easily...this is with the gain at about 10 o'clock. Cranking it up a bit more kept the basic tone and upped the sustain and compression a bit, but it was still very open sounding. I could do an entire gig on this channel alone as it is also incredibly dynamic.

Channel 3 is a higher gain channel, but still very tight and punchy. The tone would compete in the hot rodded Marshall/Soldano arena...very singing yet tight and muscular. It is a bit darker sounding than channel two, but not remotely muddy. A good choice for heavier rhythms and soaring leads.

One of my favorite features was the 3 individual presence knobs...one for each channel. They really let you dial in your sound and are very responisive. Nice.

Overall, I absolutely loved this amp and I'm considering adding one to my live rig. Franky on the other hand was not for me. If I was offered that guitar for $2K on the condition that I couldn't resell it, I would pass.

[trikim]

Good review Rupe. Yeah, I would consider the EVH 5150 III as a second amp. At the moment I am enjoying my JVM410 and working on programing it with my PODxt and FCB1010. No complaints so far.