I love the 5150 and 6505s but yeah... Even in my testing the iconic stands out above the old models and can do everything they could... But with more clarity somehow and definitely has more aggression and punch. Such a great amp.
I play technical death metal and I am completely amazed that other guitarists would care about ultra high gain amps. But at any rate, my playing is mostly fast technical palm muted 32nd notes and the amps attack has to be a good balance of clarity and attack so the notes I'm playing will actually come across. In fact I"ll take clarity over brutality any day but with the 5150 Blockletter I don't have to choose because it delivers both so well.
@@jamieperry3731I think it will be perfect. One of my favorite tones, Testament's Formation, was recorded with the EVH 4x12 and the 5050 III head! I think the 2x12 has similar speakers that can handle more power.
@@MichaelDespairs testament are awesome so I'll check that album out, and the speakers are preswapped with vintage 30s, I've heard the default sheffields weren't great. I have heard multiple people say they've played the 2x12 next to a full size head with a 4x12, and that the 2x12 was somehow just as loud.
The new Iconic definitely has a much more modern sound and a little more aggression to the gain. There's something a little brittle to the top end on the Iconic. The Original has a nasal tone in comparison but from experience using it A LOT back in the day...that amp rawks big time in a mix.
Thanks for commenting. I usually keep the presence at around 11 o'clock on the iconic. I had it a little higher than that in this video because I bumped it a little bit for the clean channel and forgot to bring it back down.
Awesome comparison here !! I had my 5150 signature head for about 5 months and sold it because it killed my spine lifting it..then I had to buy the Iconic back in January 2022 and its still here a year later..like you said and I feel the same way..the original is awesome but I love my Iconic even more ! And I did hear a guy at a Guitar Center say he played through the Iconic head and it had no low end..I laughed at him and showed him what to do with it and he couldn't believe it.. Great video here as always !
This was so true and correct gonna piss a lot of people off but you said it how it is and I totally agree from my experience with both. Well done again mate!
I've had a few 5150s and the new Chinese versions The original block letter amps are awesome.i think due to the GE power tubes and high quality transformers. They were amazing amps
The original is going to be more picky about pickups because of the circuit. The original has 5x12ax7 vacuum tubes to do all the heavy lifting as opposed to the Iconic which only has two. With my original, I find that it really wants EMG's which are super clean, flat, and somewhat compressed. A tube amp paired with the correct pickup becomes a serious weapon.
@@TONEWARSgearshow Have you tried James’ best creation, in my opinion, the Tight Metal pedal? I love them so much that I started collecting them. They’re just a different level of brutality.
Awesome Video...I've had the OG 5150, 6505+, and all versions of the EVH iii series heads...I love my ivory EVH 6l6 concentric pot 50 watt head and my 50w Stealth. The Iconic is the only one I've not tried out yet..I honesty just don't need it but like all of us just want to try it. The OG 5150 has a trademark low end that is just monstrous but these days these new amps can be recorded all day. My Engl's and my two 50w 5150iii's are almost all I ever need. For anything else I like to just switch up some cabs or speakers. For old school I'll turn on the Marshall Studio Vintage 20 Mkii...which does old school VH and rock better than EVH's in most cases. Cheers man.
Great job with this. Just read a long thread where James brown commented regularly. The boost function is really cool, and not just for solo volume. You can turn boost all the way down, engage the boost switch and it adds 8db of clean boost. I just played with it on the green channel and it really adds some cool tones when you also dial back the guitar volume like Eddie did. Then add the burn function on red channel with clean boost , gain around 4 and it's really special
@@TONEWARSgearshow try juicing gain up on green channel to about 7 with overdrive engaged. And boost on but at level 0. Then roll guitar volume back a lot. There's a nice pretty clean that gets to massive crunch with guitar volume back up and/or boost disengaged. The boost is what I didn't understand until tonight after a year with 2 of these bad boys ! I finally get it!
cool stufff... I think the 5150 needed less mids and more presence to be closer to the iconic sound but both sounded really good. The iconic is nice and sizzly on the top end
It's funny because that "sizzle" is also described as "fizz" or even "hiss" by some people and with the wrong speakers it can be very harsh but I dig the sizzle and that's why I use a Peavey Rockmaster tube rack pre amp designed by James Brown, combined with the Peavey 6534+ is pretty much the same concept and sound as the EVH5150iii fender amps and the new iconic so I'm very happy with the sounds of my old gear !😊
Good question. It may have helped it just a little bit but it wouldn't make it for aggressive or punchier. The iconic just has a much better overall voicing, tone and feel. It's really about the gain structure at this point as well.
Nice Demo man. I usually run my Block letter in the Green Channel with a very different settings. These settings are great but I usually run Pre at 7, Bass 8-10, Mids 2.5-3.5, Treb 6, Post 3, Res 8-9 and Pres 8-9. With a Boost it is a Holy grail tone atleast through my rig. I have some sweet captures of it on my Quad Cortex that I will make public at some stage. Iconic sounds great considering all the hate it got.
Hey man, love your channel! I’ve gotten so incredibly much from your videos. Quick question… why is the visual in your videos jittery? Your audio is top shelf, and probably of the best of all other metal guitarist UA-camrs. Just something I’ve been curious about.
Great video Jarrod I have had my Iconic head for almost a year, man I can't complain about it one bit I have 2 Marshall 100 watt heads and honestly I use the Iconic more! Through a 4x12 it is pretty brutal ,now through a full stack I don't know ! I been having to much fun with one 4x12 to plug another speaker cable, maybe laziness is a factor lol 😀 😂 great shoot out..
Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed the video. I was really surprised at the difference between these 2 amps. The Iconic is a legit amp, especially considering the price
Solid video! I just bought a PRS Archon MK2 last week...it literally went up in smoke during a rehersal. Returning it for an Iconic. Hoping it has that low end push!!!
In case any "Tone Karen's" want to get offended by liking the new amp more. Remember, EVH himself moved on from the original 5150. And to be clear, the og Peavey is why I love these amps.
Your Local Fire Department loves the fact that you continute to Shootout Amps that won't explode in flames. Everytime you do a Mesa shootout all the Local Depts go to Alert level 5.
Hey, first up I really appreciate the content that you're putting out on this channel. It's great for what I'm into. I live in the UK, and I have a block letter. There aren't as many of these amps around as I think there are in the US. I love it, but I do see it as a one trick pony.. I'm lucky to enough to have a Mesa mkIV as well... And the Mesa is waaaaay more versatile. But it's nice to have the two high gain tones available. The 5150 block is just damn cool. Not tried the new 5150.. but here it sounds like a nice update and good value. Better cleans for sure. Be interesting to hear either of these compared to the EVH fenders. I think someone else already sad that. Keep up the good work, you deserve way more subs and views!
Why listen to a few of these shootouts, and the iconic is definitely more harsh. I wouldn't call it brutal but it's don't have the musical feel that the original does and I find that the original 5150 sounds better in most cases just to my ears. Just so you know! And the original 5150 has this growl in this grind that the iconic just don't have that feel, and it's way more brittle and harsh. Less musical. I'll have to vote for I have to vote for the early one I guess. It's just way more organic.
Fantastic stuff! I love both amps. The OG 5150 has a thick, chewy quality that will always be a great sound for slower metal. Or boosted with the right stuff it can be quite modern. The Iconic is just awesome though. Very tight, still warm and lots of good gain character and complexity. Just a damn good sounding amp. The red channel on the Iconic is a snarling beast! I have considered getting the Iconic for a while and this shootout is more proof I should jump on it! At some point can you do a compare between the Ml Soundlabs Icon and the real Iconic? I am curious about that one. Knowing ML, they still haven't managed to nail rich harmonics or grit in their gain characters. Thanks for all you do man! 🍻
Slay it brother. Haven’t been on in a while. Great shoot out btw both amps. The Iconic is much articulate, punchy, and over all better tone than the original block letter 5150. All the things you said 😂.
I see you also turn the pre gain up on the lead channel past the recommended setting of 4-5. I too do this. We are more alike than not, seeking the distortiest distorts and damn this amp pumps it out in spades.
I'd love to see a direct comparison between the Iconic and the Stealth 100 6l6 (if you haven't done it already)... I came across a live stream with those 2 amps and the 6505 I think it was... but a more simplified side by side comparison would be nice :D
Awesome video Jarrod..!!😁. The Iconic definitely has a richer, tighter and modern edge. In honesty your right with the gear you used. However to also be fair in trial to the Peavey 5150, we don't know if and when that 1992 era head was last serviced with tubes and capacitors checked or replaced. Also the Peavey 5150's sound best with mid knob set to 3ish and presence at 6+. They also sound warmer and richer with a non modern TS-9 pedal for boost. Non modern hot pickups like a Dimarzio X2N make it tighter too. Just saying...other variables can be huge. Loved the video..thanks!!
The OG is a little looser and more warm/bassy sounding. It needs active pickups, a more aggressive OD pedal, and more aggressive treble and presence settings to get the best out of it for the ultra modern rhythm stuff. On the other hand, the more loose/bassy vibe of the OG could be preferred for lead playing, where most people want a little more smoothness and a little less edge. I have both and think both are great. I do love how bright and aggressive sounding the new Iconic and also the 50w EVH 5150 III Stealth are though. I'm a fan of that extra bite in the highs. I will say the Iconic sounds noticeably noisier here. You can hear a lot more background noise in between notes.
I just got back into playing, ordered myself a jim root tele and a 5150 iconic combo to get started back on, got to looking around at more reviews and ran across the whole drama about the iconic, not surprised people are bitching, they'll find anything to cry about anymore lol... Mesa pretty much did the same thing with the original recto when they brought out the badlander. In your video comparison, to me the iconic is more forward, more defined and brighter, the block letter sounds bigger on the bottom end, but guess that's a matter if EQ as well. I'd been interested to see you dial on the iconic a little more instead of having the block letter chase the iconic, let the iconic chase the block letter. good vid, thanks man.
@25:40 Actually it is not a squirrel. For the Iconic James Brown sourced "wombats" from Australia. The Wombat has better genetic structure and is a much more aggressive animal than the squirrel. This is most likely why you felt like the ICONIC had more aggression and articulation to its tone.
I think for classic rock tones the original would perhaps be the winner. But it’s hard to really comment considering the power output sections and what they’re designed to really do, blast on a big stage alongside other instruments. Something I will probably never do. It would be interesting what a great side by side kemper profile would sound like in a live situation!
What boost pedal are you using in front of the original 5150 ? Or what would you suggest for mine to get a killer modern crunch? Please help . Thank you for your time
Awesome video as usual. You always inspire me to find that awesome sound. 2 questions: what boost do you use and what volume do you have the iconic at to dial in best sound? Thanks
Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed the video. If memory serves, I was either using the mud killer or the grid Slammer for an Overdrive. Regarding the volume, I think I had it at around 11:00?
I love that it doesn't use that many tubes I have a marshall that only has four pre amp tubes but has tons of gain ...a jvm 205 ....I think the iconic would maybe less maintenence and perhaps reliable ...less tubes to fail.....alot of people don't realize that pre amp clipping only happens in one of the tubes any way ......
Id totally buy a block letter 5150, but the prices are still too high. I have a 6505+ and EVH stealth 100w. I don’t really feel like I’m missing out. What do you think guys?
The way I see it, you know since I have the most important opinion of them all. Lmfao. No seriously though, it kinda seems like the block letter is unnecessary to own anymore unless you're a collector. Besides with collectors is probably the best place for block letters to live. They will likely be taken care of really good. The iconic delivers. Its cheaper and newer. It sounds quite modern. That being said, id love to own both. The block letter as a collector piece and the Iconic to use as my road amp so I can keep my 100 watt evh el34 safe at home. I am the type of person that wants to keep everything in as good of shape as possible. I baby my gear. I have guitars I've owned 15 years without a single ding on them and I have played the hell out of them. But if I had a cheaper amp, I would be able to carry on without worrying about nicks and dings. Sure I would take care of it but I wouldn't be a freak about it like I am with my nice amp. Right now my road amp head is a bugera. Its fine. But thats it. Its just fine. It does the job but I don't feel like it represents my tone as well as the 5150's do. Overall, I think the iconic has more to offer than some people want to give it credit for. Its definitely worth the time and money. Hell, id recommend it as a first amp to a metalhead.
“That’s just how it is so deal with it!” best quote in a demo! 😆 How much warmth is in the Iconic crunch channel? You said it was a lot of low end but is it warm and also punchy?
Glad you enjoyed the video. It's a surprisingly warm channel. Very punchy, tight and warm. It has just the right amount of aggression in it as well. I really love how responsive it is, especially when you boost it. The main key with this amplifier is do not take the presence above 11 o'clock.
Unfortunately my 5150 Iconic broke. Not sure what happened but the last time I played threw it everything was fine but the volume slowly dropped to almost nothing and I noticed one of the preamp tube was no longer glowing. Nothing looks burnt or smells funny so I replaced the preamp tube thinking that would fix it but nothing changed. I guess I'm going to see if find a tech that can fix it.
Hate to be that guy but listening to this on my laptop the Block was my choice. The Iconic sounded cheap through cheap speakers, whereas the Block still sounded full and powerfull. Sure it was a little blunt in the top end but some tweaking can solve for that.
@@TONEWARSgearshow its good when there is no right or wrong answer, it's the mindset we need to take into these discussions. My thoughts solely based upon listening through small laptop speakers got me thinking- when engineers master a track they would have to either do some listening on a bunch of different speakers or use the force to have an end mix thats going to sound just as good on a mobile phone speaker as it does in a cheap car or a high end audio system. I will try listening again at the PC with the Edifier bookshelf speakers and check back in :)
If there was no original 5150 there would be no Iconic to begin with. That one amp, and Mr. Van Halen telling James Brown "that sounds like cardboard man...." when they developed it, provided a new wave of tube amp quality in much the same way as he did with guitars. What seem like flaws in the original were features that set that new standards. Quick break up on the clean setting? That's not a flaw, that's more often than not, desirable. Some would rather not have to really spank it to get it to break up when playing clean. The Iconic sounds much faster and tighter, not compressed, just faster response to input. Better op amps by now, for one thing, that allow more input response power available. I have to agree on this point that the transients in the sound of the Iconic, maybe call it "image" if there is such a thing but I hear a continuum from beginning to end. Maybe "definition" would describe it, it is pretty subjective. I admit I'm impressed with the overall dynamics and sound of the Iconic, and I own a 5150 2 and 6505+ combos. EVH as a company, just like with the guitars, seems seriously committed to the quality of all components, the hidden ones, but they show up in things like that punchier sound. Very subjective, but the point is clear. The original 5150, again, sort've set the playing field for all of these variations and improvements that now may outstrip the original, but they cannot deny the debt they owe it, and they do owe it a huge debt. I don't want to try and make my 5150 2 into an Iconic, I want the 5150 just as it is, but now I want an iconic because it sounds like it's own individual sound source with a new palate to explore all on its own. That's quality product development, that's dedication, that's "sound chasing" at it's finest. Now what was that the Mr. Van Halen always referred to himself as? Oh yes.....a "tone chaser." Sounds like he's still chasing tones to this very days. Let each amp be what it is, nothing lacking because it doesn't sound enough like another amp, it's just sound.
I think you titled the vid wrong bud, Peavey 5150 not EVH right? I've been waiting for someone that can capture tones well to do this shootout, THANKS!
Yeah, the Iconic sounds better. It's a hybrid tho. Only 2 preamp tubes, and one is maybe a phase-inverter. Some people think the "burn" button engages a TubeScreamer circuit. ( Can't confirm that tho. ) I had a Crate Stealth 50 back in the 90's. I wanted to upgrade. So I bought one of these block-letter 5150's. Got it new from a local shop for around $750. I took it home, played with it for 1 day. Took it BACK to the store, and kept using my Crate Stealth 50. The Crate sounded way better. LoL! ( More "brutal" as you say. )
@@benburnett8109 A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away... Michael Romeo used to use a Mesa Tri-Axis. He was looking for a Mesa endorsement, but they turned him down. They already had "The Trooch", and they figured one prog-metal player was enough. Just one more reason to hate Mesa. As if we needed another reason.
There’s something about the iconic’s voicing that I can’t get over. The OG sounds much better to me. But to be fair, I’m not a huge 5150 fan. I prefer the Diezel, Engl, Orange, and Victory voicings.
My God if you learn to use the presence in resonance on the Peavey you would have killed that garbage solid state amp. I noticed you didn't show any settings on the iconic, how much are they paying you lol
I’m sorry man I absolutely hate the iconic, I honestly feel it was even quite disrespectful for fender to release that under the evh name because the 5150iii far exceeds the iconic.
From my experience the Iconic makes the original 5150 / 6505 sound thin so does the 6505+, the vavleking, jsx and most other amps out there. Great amps but too bright / thin
sorry but think the original is better I owned iconic twice sent it back twice il take an amp with 6 preamp tubes any day before I take an amp with 2 preamp tubes not to mention cheaply made
The block letter is iconic and the iconic sounds legendary. No idea what people are fighting over in the comments.
I love the 5150 and 6505s but yeah... Even in my testing the iconic stands out above the old models and can do everything they could... But with more clarity somehow and definitely has more aggression and punch. Such a great amp.
lol no they can’t
If you listen closely enough, you can hear a certain Mr Torres having a stroke about this 🤣
Haha Son!!!! 😄😁😆
Louis?
Too funny. I thought same thing when I saw thumbnail.
Holy shit thats funny bro 😂
Haha yeah that guy doesn't live in reality if he thinks the iconic sucks and quote "doesn't have enough gain".
Fantastic video. Thank you for making it. Hopefully a Stealth vs Iconic will happen as well in the future.
I dig the 5150 iconic. So excited to have mine!!
I play technical death metal and I am completely amazed that other guitarists would care about ultra high gain amps. But at any rate, my playing is mostly fast technical palm muted 32nd notes and the amps attack has to be a good balance of clarity and attack so the notes I'm playing will actually come across. In fact I"ll take clarity over brutality any day but with the 5150 Blockletter I don't have to choose because it delivers both so well.
I also play tech death, can be tough to figure out what's best for it but I went with a peavey 5150 2x12 and I'm hoping it'll be great.
@@jamieperry3731I think it will be perfect. One of my favorite tones, Testament's Formation, was recorded with the EVH 4x12 and the 5050 III head! I think the 2x12 has similar speakers that can handle more power.
@@MichaelDespairs testament are awesome so I'll check that album out, and the speakers are preswapped with vintage 30s, I've heard the default sheffields weren't great. I have heard multiple people say they've played the 2x12 next to a full size head with a 4x12, and that the 2x12 was somehow just as loud.
The new Iconic definitely has a much more modern sound and a little more aggression to the gain. There's something a little brittle to the top end on the Iconic. The Original has a nasal tone in comparison but from experience using it A LOT back in the day...that amp rawks big time in a mix.
Thanks for commenting. I usually keep the presence at around 11 o'clock on the iconic.
I had it a little higher than that in this video because I bumped it a little bit for the clean channel and forgot to bring it back down.
@@TONEWARSgearshow It still sounded great. I've been a little skeptical of the Iconic from the start. For what it is it's pretty darn good.
Awesome comparison here !! I had my 5150 signature head for about 5 months and sold it because it killed my spine lifting it..then I had to buy the Iconic back in January 2022 and its still here a year later..like you said and I feel the same way..the original is awesome but I love my Iconic even more ! And I did hear a guy at a Guitar Center say he played through the Iconic head and it had no low end..I laughed at him and showed him what to do with it and he couldn't believe it.. Great video here as always !
How did you get more low end? I’m having trouble with that..
This was so true and correct gonna piss a lot of people off but you said it how it is and I totally agree from my experience with both. Well done again mate!
Thank.you!!
I've had a few 5150s and the new Chinese versions
The original block letter amps are awesome.i think due to the GE power tubes and high quality transformers.
They were amazing amps
The original is going to be more picky about pickups because of the circuit. The original has 5x12ax7 vacuum tubes to do all the heavy lifting as opposed to the Iconic which only has two. With my original, I find that it really wants EMG's which are super clean, flat, and somewhat compressed. A tube amp paired with the correct pickup becomes a serious weapon.
Nice demo….as usual!
Thank you James!! Nice amp, as usual!! Great job
@@TONEWARSgearshow Have you tried James’ best creation, in my opinion, the Tight Metal pedal? I love them so much that I started collecting them. They’re just a different level of brutality.
Awesome Video...I've had the OG 5150, 6505+, and all versions of the EVH iii series heads...I love my ivory EVH 6l6 concentric pot 50 watt head and my 50w Stealth. The Iconic is the only one I've not tried out yet..I honesty just don't need it but like all of us just want to try it. The OG 5150 has a trademark low end that is just monstrous but these days these new amps can be recorded all day. My Engl's and my two 50w 5150iii's are almost all I ever need. For anything else I like to just switch up some cabs or speakers. For old school I'll turn on the Marshall Studio Vintage 20 Mkii...which does old school VH and rock better than EVH's in most cases. Cheers man.
Great job with this. Just read a long thread where James brown commented regularly. The boost function is really cool, and not just for solo volume. You can turn boost all the way down, engage the boost switch and it adds 8db of clean boost. I just played with it on the green channel and it really adds some cool tones when you also dial back the guitar volume like Eddie did. Then add the burn function on red channel with clean boost , gain around 4 and it's really special
Thank you. I appreciate the information you shared here. Next time I fire mine up, I will try that out
@@TONEWARSgearshow try juicing gain up on green channel to about 7 with overdrive engaged. And boost on but at level 0. Then roll guitar volume back a lot. There's a nice pretty clean that gets to massive crunch with guitar volume back up and/or boost disengaged. The boost is what I didn't understand until tonight after a year with 2 of these bad boys ! I finally get it!
cool stufff... I think the 5150 needed less mids and more presence to be closer to the iconic sound but both sounded really good. The iconic is nice and sizzly on the top end
It's funny because that "sizzle" is also described as "fizz" or even "hiss" by some people and with the wrong speakers it can be very harsh but I dig the sizzle and that's why I use a Peavey Rockmaster tube rack pre amp designed by James Brown, combined with the Peavey 6534+ is pretty much the same concept and sound as the EVH5150iii fender amps and the new iconic so I'm very happy with the sounds of my old gear !😊
Would turning the presence up more on the Peavey help? I liked both but also liked the iconic more at least in this video.
Good question. It may have helped it just a little bit but it wouldn't make it for aggressive or punchier. The iconic just has a much better overall voicing, tone and feel. It's really about the gain structure at this point as well.
Nice Demo man. I usually run my Block letter in the Green Channel with a very different settings. These settings are great but I usually run Pre at 7, Bass 8-10, Mids 2.5-3.5, Treb 6, Post 3, Res 8-9 and Pres 8-9. With a Boost it is a Holy grail tone atleast through my rig. I have some sweet captures of it on my Quad Cortex that I will make public at some stage. Iconic sounds great considering all the hate it got.
The peavey sounds way better, the Iconic sounds too thin...
Hey man, love your channel! I’ve gotten so incredibly much from your videos. Quick question… why is the visual in your videos jittery? Your audio is top shelf, and probably of the best of all other metal guitarist UA-camrs. Just something I’ve been curious about.
Thank you so much for the kind words. I think there's something going on with the frames per second (FPS) settings. I'm still looking into it
Was just talking to someone that preferred the Peavey 6534 over the iconic so here's a new shootout if you care to...
Great video Jarrod I have had my Iconic head for almost a year, man I can't complain about it one bit I have 2 Marshall 100 watt heads and honestly I use the Iconic more! Through a 4x12 it is pretty brutal ,now through a full stack I don't know ! I been having to much fun with one 4x12 to plug another speaker cable, maybe laziness is a factor lol 😀 😂 great shoot out..
Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed the video. I was really surprised at the difference between these 2 amps. The Iconic is a legit amp, especially considering the price
Iconic all the way in every category
I have a Stealth 50 watt and the iconic combo. I love them both.
Solid video!
I just bought a PRS Archon MK2 last week...it literally went up in smoke during a rehersal. Returning it for an Iconic. Hoping it has that low end push!!!
Thanks for commenting. Sorry that happened to you. What a bummer! I hope you like the iconic when you get it.
@TONE WARS thanks man!
In case any "Tone Karen's" want to get offended by liking the new amp more. Remember, EVH himself moved on from the original 5150. And to be clear, the og Peavey is why I love these amps.
Your Local Fire Department loves the fact that you continute to Shootout Amps that won't explode in flames. Everytime you do a Mesa shootout all the Local Depts go to Alert level 5.
Hey, first up I really appreciate the content that you're putting out on this channel. It's great for what I'm into. I live in the UK, and I have a block letter. There aren't as many of these amps around as I think there are in the US. I love it, but I do see it as a one trick pony.. I'm lucky to enough to have a Mesa mkIV as well... And the Mesa is waaaaay more versatile. But it's nice to have the two high gain tones available. The 5150 block is just damn cool. Not tried the new 5150.. but here it sounds like a nice update and good value. Better cleans for sure. Be interesting to hear either of these compared to the EVH fenders. I think someone else already sad that. Keep up the good work, you deserve way more subs and views!
Why listen to a few of these shootouts, and the iconic is definitely more harsh. I wouldn't call it brutal but it's don't have the musical feel that the original does and I find that the original 5150 sounds better in most cases just to my ears. Just so you know! And the original 5150 has this growl in this grind that the iconic just don't have that feel, and it's way more brittle and harsh. Less musical. I'll have to vote for I have to vote for the early one I guess. It's just way more organic.
New versions have more functional features. +1 hard to beat the original in tone. The mids is king.
Fantastic stuff! I love both amps.
The OG 5150 has a thick, chewy quality that will always be a great sound for slower metal. Or boosted with the right stuff it can be quite modern.
The Iconic is just awesome though. Very tight, still warm and lots of good gain character and complexity. Just a damn good sounding amp. The red channel on the Iconic is a snarling beast!
I have considered getting the Iconic for a while and this shootout is more proof I should jump on it!
At some point can you do a compare between the Ml Soundlabs Icon and the real Iconic? I am curious about that one. Knowing ML, they still haven't managed to nail rich harmonics or grit in their gain characters.
Thanks for all you do man! 🍻
For the 5150 Crunch channel, I find it needs the bright switch ON and the presence on the 5150 doesn’t really kick in until around 8 on the knob.
Slay it brother. Haven’t been on in a while. Great shoot out btw both amps. The Iconic is much articulate, punchy, and over all better tone than the original block letter 5150. All the things you said 😂.
I see you also turn the pre gain up on the lead channel past the recommended setting of 4-5. I too do this. We are more alike than not, seeking the distortiest distorts and damn this amp pumps it out in spades.
I'd love to see a direct comparison between the Iconic and the Stealth 100 6l6 (if you haven't done it already)... I came across a live stream with those 2 amps and the 6505 I think it was... but a more simplified side by side comparison would be nice :D
I agree with the comparison. The original has a more organic tone. For live I would prefer the original
One of both was realesed +30 years ago and started a whole guitar tone era, no more to say...
Awesome video Jarrod..!!😁. The Iconic definitely has a richer, tighter and modern edge. In honesty your right with the gear you used. However to also be fair in trial to the Peavey 5150, we don't know if and when that 1992 era head was last serviced with tubes and capacitors checked or replaced. Also the Peavey 5150's sound best with mid knob set to 3ish and presence at 6+. They also sound warmer and richer with a non modern TS-9 pedal for boost. Non modern hot pickups like a Dimarzio X2N make it tighter too.
Just saying...other variables can be huge.
Loved the video..thanks!!
The OG is a little looser and more warm/bassy sounding. It needs active pickups, a more aggressive OD pedal, and more aggressive treble and presence settings to get the best out of it for the ultra modern rhythm stuff. On the other hand, the more loose/bassy vibe of the OG could be preferred for lead playing, where most people want a little more smoothness and a little less edge. I have both and think both are great. I do love how bright and aggressive sounding the new Iconic and also the 50w EVH 5150 III Stealth are though. I'm a fan of that extra bite in the highs.
I will say the Iconic sounds noticeably noisier here. You can hear a lot more background noise in between notes.
I just got back into playing, ordered myself a jim root tele and a 5150 iconic combo to get started back on, got to looking around at more reviews and ran across the whole drama about the iconic, not surprised people are bitching, they'll find anything to cry about anymore lol... Mesa pretty much did the same thing with the original recto when they brought out the badlander. In your video comparison, to me the iconic is more forward, more defined and brighter, the block letter sounds bigger on the bottom end, but guess that's a matter if EQ as well. I'd been interested to see you dial on the iconic a little more instead of having the block letter chase the iconic, let the iconic chase the block letter. good vid, thanks man.
Iconic is the modern iteration of the 5150, had to buy one myself.
Love Motor City Guitar! Just finding the channel, assuming you're local to the MCG area?
Yes, I'm about 15 minutes from MCG
@@TONEWARSgearshow nice, same!
@25:40 Actually it is not a squirrel. For the Iconic James Brown sourced "wombats" from Australia. The Wombat has better genetic structure and is a much more aggressive animal than the squirrel. This is most likely why you felt like the ICONIC had more aggression and articulation to its tone.
I've enjoyed the iconic everytime I've gotten to play it in my local GC. Burn mode tends to get pretty close to an OG 5150 imo.
I think for classic rock tones the original would perhaps be the winner. But it’s hard to really comment considering the power output sections and what they’re designed to really do, blast on a big stage alongside other instruments. Something I will probably never do. It would be interesting what a great side by side kemper profile would sound like in a live situation!
I have a peavey 5150 2x12..and recently bought 5150 iconic 2x12,the "iconic" wins hands down.
What boost pedal are you using in front of the original 5150 ? Or what would you suggest for mine to get a killer modern crunch? Please help . Thank you for your time
I believe I was using the mud killer. I think that's an excellent pedal for that amplifier. Hope this helps
Wow the iconic is alot of amp for the price . Man this is a good deal . Just don't see how ya could go wrong with it
Awesome video as usual. You always inspire me to find that awesome sound. 2 questions: what boost do you use and what volume do you have the iconic at to dial in best sound?
Thanks
Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed the video. If memory serves, I was either using the mud killer or the grid Slammer for an Overdrive. Regarding the volume, I think I had it at around 11:00?
@TONEWARSgearshow thanks. How does the Hera KRS compare to the mud killer?
@@patrickdolan8115 the KSR is very flexible. That's a great option as well
I love that it doesn't use that many tubes I have a marshall that only has four pre amp tubes but has tons of gain ...a jvm 205 ....I think the iconic would maybe less maintenence and perhaps reliable ...less tubes to fail.....alot of people don't realize that pre amp clipping only happens in one of the tubes any way ......
which amp has more "soul" (warmth,organic,3D-depth etc) ? I heard the Iconic sounds pretty cold
Id totally buy a block letter 5150, but the prices are still too high. I have a 6505+ and EVH stealth 100w. I don’t really feel like I’m missing out. What do you think guys?
I end up hearing the obvious brightness from the Iconic on every channel. First thing that pops out is more treble. More clarity.
Im sold to the iconic. To me it sound smore of a finished eqd product than the og ones. Hmm.... im getting one...
The way I see it, you know since I have the most important opinion of them all. Lmfao. No seriously though, it kinda seems like the block letter is unnecessary to own anymore unless you're a collector. Besides with collectors is probably the best place for block letters to live. They will likely be taken care of really good. The iconic delivers. Its cheaper and newer. It sounds quite modern. That being said, id love to own both. The block letter as a collector piece and the Iconic to use as my road amp so I can keep my 100 watt evh el34 safe at home. I am the type of person that wants to keep everything in as good of shape as possible. I baby my gear. I have guitars I've owned 15 years without a single ding on them and I have played the hell out of them. But if I had a cheaper amp, I would be able to carry on without worrying about nicks and dings. Sure I would take care of it but I wouldn't be a freak about it like I am with my nice amp. Right now my road amp head is a bugera. Its fine. But thats it. Its just fine. It does the job but I don't feel like it represents my tone as well as the 5150's do.
Overall, I think the iconic has more to offer than some people want to give it credit for. Its definitely worth the time and money. Hell, id recommend it as a first amp to a metalhead.
“That’s just how it is so deal with it!” best quote in a demo! 😆 How much warmth is in the Iconic crunch channel? You said it was a lot of low end but is it warm and also punchy?
Glad you enjoyed the video. It's a surprisingly warm channel. Very punchy, tight and warm. It has just the right amount of aggression in it as well. I really love how responsive it is, especially when you boost it.
The main key with this amplifier is do not take the presence above 11 o'clock.
what boost are you using
Enjoyed !
Unfortunately my 5150 Iconic broke. Not sure what happened but the last time I played threw it everything was fine but the volume slowly dropped to almost nothing and I noticed one of the preamp tube was no longer glowing. Nothing looks burnt or smells funny so I replaced the preamp tube thinking that would fix it but nothing changed. I guess I'm going to see if find a tech that can fix it.
Thanks for helping out. Much appreciated
Fantastic!😍
Did the 5150 still have the original Sylvania tubes
Good question. I'm not sure
Which thread is that?
Iconic just sounds way too scooped imo.
Mudkiller for the boost pedal used?
Yes
Hate to be that guy but listening to this on my laptop the Block was my choice. The Iconic sounded cheap through cheap speakers, whereas the Block still sounded full and powerfull. Sure it was a little blunt in the top end but some tweaking can solve for that.
Thanks for commenting. Always good hearing from you.
That's why I do these videos. Everybody likes different stuff and I respect everyone's opinions.
@@TONEWARSgearshow its good when there is no right or wrong answer, it's the mindset we need to take into these discussions. My thoughts solely based upon listening through small laptop speakers got me thinking- when engineers master a track they would have to either do some listening on a bunch of different speakers or use the force to have an end mix thats going to sound just as good on a mobile phone speaker as it does in a cheap car or a high end audio system. I will try listening again at the PC with the Edifier bookshelf speakers and check back in :)
If there was no original 5150 there would be no Iconic to begin with. That one amp, and Mr. Van Halen telling James Brown "that sounds like cardboard man...." when they developed it, provided a new wave of tube amp quality in much the same way as he did with guitars. What seem like flaws in the original were features that set that new standards. Quick break up on the clean setting? That's not a flaw, that's more often than not, desirable. Some would rather not have to really spank it to get it to break up when playing clean. The Iconic sounds much faster and tighter, not compressed, just faster response to input. Better op amps by now, for one thing, that allow more input response power available. I have to agree on this point that the transients in the sound of the Iconic, maybe call it "image" if there is such a thing but I hear a continuum from beginning to end. Maybe "definition" would describe it, it is pretty subjective. I admit I'm impressed with the overall dynamics and sound of the Iconic, and I own a 5150 2 and 6505+ combos. EVH as a company, just like with the guitars, seems seriously committed to the quality of all components, the hidden ones, but they show up in things like that punchier sound. Very subjective, but the point is clear. The original 5150, again, sort've set the playing field for all of these variations and improvements that now may outstrip the original, but they cannot deny the debt they owe it, and they do owe it a huge debt. I don't want to try and make my 5150 2 into an Iconic, I want the 5150 just as it is, but now I want an iconic because it sounds like it's own individual sound source with a new palate to explore all on its own. That's quality product development, that's dedication, that's "sound chasing" at it's finest. Now what was that the Mr. Van Halen always referred to himself as? Oh yes.....a "tone chaser." Sounds like he's still chasing tones to this very days. Let each amp be what it is, nothing lacking because it doesn't sound enough like another amp, it's just sound.
Definitely the iconic sounded better what do you think of the iconic versus the 6505 Plus
I think the iconic would be better than that 1 as well
@@TONEWARSgearshow well I have the iconic but also ordered the 6505 ii because it also can take el34 tubes
@@gravelrocks5588 I'll review that amp soon
Did you boost the original 5150?
Yes, the boost was on for both amps
25:45 🤣
I think you titled the vid wrong bud, Peavey 5150 not EVH right? I've been waiting for someone that can capture tones well to do this shootout, THANKS!
I mean, the block letter technically says EVH on it 😂
Oh my gosh thank you so much for the heads up. I just fixed it
Yeah, the Iconic sounds better. It's a hybrid tho. Only 2 preamp tubes, and one is maybe a phase-inverter.
Some people think the "burn" button engages a TubeScreamer circuit. ( Can't confirm that tho. )
I had a Crate Stealth 50 back in the 90's. I wanted to upgrade. So I bought one of these block-letter 5150's.
Got it new from a local shop for around $750. I took it home, played with it for 1 day.
Took it BACK to the store, and kept using my Crate Stealth 50. The Crate sounded way better. LoL!
( More "brutal" as you say. )
I loved those crate combos and heads back in the day.
I hate Mesa today and I hated Mesa back in the day. Just sayin
@@benburnett8109 A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away... Michael Romeo used to use a Mesa Tri-Axis. He was looking for a Mesa endorsement, but they turned him down. They already had "The Trooch", and they figured one prog-metal player was enough. Just one more reason to hate Mesa. As if we needed another reason.
I'm sure you can push the evh powertubes. But cmon so much is Alex Van Halen..
o Crunch do Peavey soa bem melhor, mais encorpado e limpo que o Iconic que ta sujo arenoso
There’s something about the iconic’s voicing that I can’t get over. The OG sounds much better to me. But to be fair, I’m not a huge 5150 fan. I prefer the Diezel, Engl, Orange, and Victory voicings.
My God if you learn to use the presence in resonance on the Peavey you would have killed that garbage solid state amp. I noticed you didn't show any settings on the iconic, how much are they paying you lol
I’m sorry man I absolutely hate the iconic, I honestly feel it was even quite disrespectful for fender to release that under the evh name because the 5150iii far exceeds the iconic.
From my experience the Iconic makes the original 5150 / 6505 sound thin so does the 6505+, the vavleking, jsx and most other amps out there. Great amps but too bright / thin
I never liked the original 5150 head. The Iconic destroys it!
The iconic is definitely tighter
How is anyone supposed to hear the true sound of an amp if you're putting a boost in front of it? 🙄
sorry but think the original is better I owned iconic twice sent it back twice il take an amp with 6 preamp tubes any day before I take an amp with 2 preamp tubes not to mention cheaply made
Thanks for commenting. That's what this channel is all about. Everyone sharing their opinions.
Dude the Iconic sucks for a myriad of made up BS reasons.
The 5150 is just a joke of itself anymore.....