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Peavey 5150


les paul player

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I am looking at getting a new head and am seriously considering the Peavey 5150. My buddy Tracy who is in a band has one and the thing just screams and has tons of power with a good sound in the overdriven channels. I have heard bad things about their clean channel though, and I was wondering if there were any ways to clean up the clean channel and make it better, because that is the only downfall of the amp that I see. I am going to try to play my buddy's and see how it would sound in my guitar. I was wondering if I could get some other thoughts about this amp from people who have had first hand experience playing it or hearing it in a true live setting.

thank you

Les Paul Player

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I'm probably in a minority here,but I don't mind the clean channel..............I do like a little dirt in my cleans though.
I've actually found(this based upon jamming on a buddies & never owning one) that I liked the clean channel best setup w/ just enough gain for a nice drive yet still clean up slightly w/ the volume knob of the guitar & hitting it w/ an o/d pedal.If you require clean(clean) another option is to run a D.I. box from one side of an a/b pedal & go direct to the board( requires monitors to hear yourself though).Throw a chorus pedal on it & it is a very good clean tone.

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Get the 5150 II, but understand, you will never get a pristine / fender like clean from this amplifier (even with mods). You can, however set the pre-gain low on the "clean" chan. and roll back your guitar volume just slightly to get a very usable clean sound. I actually like a little "edge" to my clean sound. 5150 II are my favorite amps.

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yeah im getting one, the hi-gain is the most agressive ever, it just fryes in your face, but the cleans suck, but thats the case with all great hi-gain amps is that they have bad cleans, yeah what the other guy said, just pretend it never had a clean.

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Well, it isn't actually a clean channel, but a "rhythm" channel, so there is the explanation of of why it is hard to get a good clean sound. That being said, I've been happy with turning up the post high and keeping the pre at 4 or below -- there is a little dirt to it, but still useable. Playing on the neck pup and rolling the volume back helps, so does a little compression. Ultimately, I still would A/B a 5150 and another amp for its cleans before even considering only one amp to cover both sounds.

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Try a 5150 II if you use more "cleans". The rhythm channel of the 5150 II is a little more suited to cleans. Plus you get the option of the seperate EQ`s. It`s just a little more versatile.

I use a little chorus and reverb on mine and the "cleans" are pretty servicable. Not world class, but very use-able. Just keep the rhythm channel pre-amp gain low enough to keep out the dirt. I keep mine at about 3.5, but I use EMG`s in all my guitars so you may have to adjust differently.

Also, an external EQ is a must with these amps. IMHO. I use the MXR 10-band EQ and love it. I use it to tighten up the bass and fine tune the mids and high end. More control is always better.

Eric

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Originally posted by les paul player

I am looking at getting a new head and am seriously considering the Peavey 5150. My buddy Tracy who is in a band has one and the thing just screams and has tons of power with a good sound in the overdriven channels. I have heard bad things about their clean channel though, and I was wondering if there were any ways to clean up the clean channel and make it better, because that is the only downfall of the amp that I see. I am going to try to play my buddy's and see how it would sound in my guitar. I was wondering if I could get some other thoughts about this amp from people who have had first hand experience playing it or hearing it in a true live setting.

thank you

Les Paul Player

 

 

The 5150 clean can be made a little better. It will never be Fender clean. Your playing style and guitar will also contribute to how the clean sounds. Turning the guitar volume down a little helps. There's also a low input jack on the amp that's worth trying. If those things don't do it for you give me a shout FJA Mods

Jerry

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an alternative to the 5150 for a little less is the ultra plus. Has a great distortion and a better clean channel. Lots of people on this board have them/have used them and like them. The distortion channel is a little less aggressive, but it makes up for it in the rest of the amp.

However, if all u want is a high gain machine, go with the 5150 (thats what i'm doing lol)

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