Did Eddie Van Halen really use 5150's?

[RUExp?]

 

Two wet cabs with Eventide detune and some delay can also do a lot to smooth out any amp fwiw.

 

 

I actually use a Boss CE-3 Chorus that smooths out distortion really well. No other chorus I've tried works as well because it doesn't boost the signal it just blends in with it.

[butterguitar]

How is an SLO "close" to a Peavey 5150? IMO they sound nothing alike.

[spawnofthesith]

 

How is an SLO "close" to a Peavey 5150? IMO they sound nothing alike.

 

 

In terms of circuitry

[shane159]

 

How is an SLO "close" to a Peavey 5150? IMO they sound nothing alike.

 

I think they sound pretty close together. My dad owns a SLO and I take my 6505+ over to his house to jam around a few times a month, and they sound very similar. The SLO is a bit more defind, but the 6505+ seems to have a bigger bottom end. Here is a pretty cool comparison video. I will try and do a video myself next time I go over there. He also owns a Hot Rod plus and we can get my 6505+ dialed in identical to the Hot Rod. The 6505+ on the lead channel around 10 oclock on volume and around 10 oclock on gain sounds allot like the SLO IMO. It is loud enough to knock pictures off the wall though!!

 

 

[MuyLoCo444]

On the Balance tour, yeah he used 5150's but I don't know he got that shimmering clean tone out of it. There's a clip showing him playing "Cathedral", and for those opening chords you'd swear it was a different amp. Sort of like Fender-like cleans. Weird.

[butterguitar]

 

I think they sound pretty close together. My dad owns a SLO and I take my 6505+ over to his house to jam around a few times a month, and they sound very similar. The SLO is a bit more defind, but the 6505+ seems to have a bigger bottom end. Here is a pretty cool comparison video. I will try and do a video myself next time I go over there. He also owns a Hot Rod plus and we can get my 6505+ dialed in identical to the Hot Rod. The 6505+ on the lead channel around 10 oclock on volume and around 10 oclock on gain sounds allot like the SLO IMO. It is loud enough to knock pictures off the wall though!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NT3vnSro458

 

 

Oh wow good vid!

[hcprimerib]

I don't care if a 5150 sounds like a SLO. It's still a great sounding amp. And a 6505 sells for about $900 new compared to a SLO. Best bang for the buck is a 5150/6505.

[peavey_impact]

The Balance tone is fucking incredible.

 

Actually, the overall production of that album is amazing

[Kev369]

 

From what I've gathered over the many Jet City threads, I think the JCA is closer to a Soldano Hot Rod vs a SLO

 

 

Yeah people say that but then if you look up Soldano Hot Rod's they're meant to be copies of the SLO with different transformer. And the JCA100 is the Hot Rod with a different transformer, hence its a SLO with a different transformer. Yeah? Obviously there are other smaller differences but it seems like Soldano has been pumping out the same general amp design for decades and just changes a few key parts based on cost and what mood his in.

[igge]

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Seems to be a good philosophy for Mike Soldano.

[Shine]

Everyone talks about EVHs tone, but his fashion sense is unrivaled.

[Flogger59]

but don't they reflect light in a cool way?

 

Sometimes yes, sometimes no.

[scolfax]

Everyone talks about EVHs tone, but his fashion sense is unrivaled.

 

QFT

 

[Sudds]

According to interviews {censored} is a 5150 head apart from 'The Dream Is Over' which is the CAE preamp and 'Top Of The World' which is the SLO.

Balance and Balance tour sound is different because it's the 5150 combo which does sound alot different to the head and has a far better clean sound. Apart from 'Aftershock' which is the 'original' Plexi head after a comprehensive refurb.

There's a pic floating round from the UK 'Balance' tour (where they opened for Bon Jovi) and you can see his rack of amps. 2 or 3 5150's and an SLO.

I see absolutely no reason to think that the 5150's weren't used live or were just an endorsement. I had one of the first issue one's from '92 until last year and it sounded spot on.

[butterguitar]

 

According to interviews {censored} is a 5150 head apart from 'The Dream Is Over' which is the CAE preamp and 'Top Of The World' which is the SLO. Balance and Balance tour sound is different because it's the 5150 combo which does sound alot different to the head and has a far better clean sound. Apart from 'Aftershock' which is the 'original' Plexi head after a comprehensive refurb. There's a pic floating round from the UK 'Balance' tour (where they opened for Bon Jovi) and you can see his rack of amps. 2 or 3 5150's and an SLO. I see absolutely no reason to think that the 5150's weren't used live or were just an endorsement. I had one of the first issue one's from '92 until last year and it sounded spot on.

 

 

I would like to see that picture!

 

How is the effects loop on the 5150/6505 series? For pedals...

[EdgeOfDarkness]

[video=youtube;IuSRGheqAjk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuSRGheqAjk

[lingoguitar]

 

But he wont get hit by a car:idk:

 

Point proven right here. I bet its also the secret to his tone. I have a set of EVH reflectors on order now!!! Only 2,500 left! Get them while they are still around

 

...

[Kardula]

i highly doubt he ever used a stock 5150, but I do hear a lot of soldano in the 5150...my friend james once told me that the story behind the 5150 is that when peavey was making a guitar for evh they asked to do his amp too and evh gave them an slo and said "make me this" and that's supposedly what they did. James also told me that the innards of the two amps are very similar. That being said, I believe he probably continued to use an slo for a while after that because I've never heard what I believe evh to be playing a 5150.

[primeholy]

 

Point proven right here. I bet its also the secret to his tone. I have a set of EVH reflectors on order now!!! Only 2,500 left! Get them while they are still around ...

 

 

I could totally be at your house in 2 hours. Go halfers?

[butterguitar]

Effects loop anybody?

[Sudds]

 

Effects loop anybody?

 

 

Loop worked fine in mine. I was running a G Major in it.

[butterguitar]

Where does everybody get the noise from? When I played this amp I had the gain up at 4.5 and didn't really hear much noise or feedback at all.

[Lord ToneKing]

i highly doubt he ever used a stock 5150, but I do hear a lot of soldano in the 5150...my friend james once told me that the story behind the 5150 is that when peavey was making a guitar for evh they asked to do his amp too and evh gave them an slo and said "make me this" and that's supposedly what they did. James also told me that the innards of the two amps are very similar. That being said, I believe he probably continued to use an slo for a while after that because I've never heard what I believe evh to be playing a 5150.

The 5150 was already out and Ed was using his sig Musicman guitars. And the design of the 5150 is nothing like an SLO. Sorry to say but your buddy James doesnt know what he's talking about. The Peavey Wolfgang didnt even come out till '96...although he used a prototype before that in '95 on some of the 'Balance' shows

[Ship]

I know this is an old thread, but I thought I'd chime in because I LOVE Ed's tone on the Balance album.

 

I just read elsewhere that, for Balance, Ed used a Soldano SLO with his famous Marshall Plexi in a bi-amp setup.  Once I read that, I listened again, and you can hear it.  There are a lot of smooth upper mids in his tone that are coming from the Plexi, and the Soldano is added on top of that for the extra gain and to add that signature "fuzziness" to the tone.

 

On the previous album, For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge, Ed used the Soldano sometimes by itself and at other times in a bi-amp setup with a clean channel-- whether it was his Plexi with the gain set much lower or another amp altogether, I'm not sure.  Listen to the intro of Runaround for a good example.

 

The original 5150's were timed by Peavey to be released at the same time as F.U.C.K., but from what I've read, Ed didn't like the tone when using some of the prototypes for that album, so he stuck with the Soldano. Why he continued to use the Soldano 4 years later when the 5150's were well established, I don't know.  He DID use the 5150 for Van Halen III and A Different Kind of Truth, and you can hear the difference in tone on those two albums compared to the previous two with Sammy.  The Soldano, to me, is brighter, crunchier, and emphases the upper mids, whereas the 5150 is darker and emphasises the lower mids.  Also, the Soldano has that signature fuzzy tone on single notes that everyone loves, whereas the 5150 seems to have more of a liquid overdrive sound on channel 3.

I'm in the market for my new main amp, and I'm caught between the Soldano SLO and 5150iii.  I really like the tone of the Soldano much better, but a new 5150iii head is $1800 (the Soldano is $4150).  Also, the 5150 has 3 channels.  The Soldano just isn't worth the extra $2,300 and change to me, but DAMN do I love it!!

[sillypuddy]

I think you have to remember that recording and playing live are different things all to gether. I don't know what he used in the studio, could be a wide range of amps mixed on different tracks and blended to one track.  I've done this myself. My favorite set up for recording is a Fender Deluxe Reverb, Ch1, Tweed Princeton, Ch2, and direct into the board Ch 3.  Then there are also different speaker and mic choices, mic placement and the accoustics of the room.  Heck he could be using SS Radio Shack amp and an FX pedal for all I know.