We all can guess that the 5150 may not be your cup of tea when it comes to amps and the tone. But the care you took to make sure you did the work cleanly, professionally and thoroughly shows that you don’t care that the amp isn’t your thing. But that you care that you do high quality work for the customer. A true pro!
@@TheCyberMantis I wouldn't say it sucks, it's a great amp that's just built to a spec that James Brown had to do for Peavey to build out affordable. Great amp but difficult for an amp tech .
I play metal, so let me explain: nobody LOVES the sounds of a 5150 by itself. It sounds so-so, a bit weird. BUT when you use it in a recording, it just sits in the mix so incredibly well. It also works GREAT for layering. It took me an afternoon recording my friend’s 6505 to decide to get one for my home studio. I know it’s not well made, but it just “does a thing”, and it’s cheap enough to accept the risk of failure.
Thanks for working on these amps too. As another commenter stated I appreciate the professionalism even though I know most on this channel hate these amps and love to take pot shots on high gain amps in general, most of which I’ll be the first to say aren’t built with service in mind. It is frustrating as a consumer, and I’m probably not about to go buy any mesas after what I’ve seen from a lot of your videos; but some of us do love these types of amps regardless. Understanding they can be a PITA to service we do still sometimes need help from techs like you as much as anyone else who may own the kind of amps people generally want to see on the channel. Thanks for putting up with us metalheads and our not-so-fun-to-service amps and doing so professionally.
While I am actively doing the work necessary to one day being ALWAYS RIGHT I'm not quite there yet. This is a case of "but why did the cat have to be skinned in the first place?" more than "which way to do it?"
I love the sound Bugeras and Peavey's, more JSX than 5150. But I hate the thought I've ever having to fix one (unless I just buy new pcbs). If it broke I might just buy another. And I can't say that about anything Marshall has made.
New subscriber sir I really enjoy the technical side of things I was wondering if you have ever had any dealings with the Peavey classic 20mh you know how it is it’s next to impossible to find an honest review from any of the amazon or Sweetwater (salesmen ) affiliates so called reviews or demos thanks again for not being afraid to call a spade a ♠️
I really love the way these sounds and have been wanting to get one but do you think it's even worth getting one with the issues you keep seeing from them? Are the newer 6505s better or worse with regards to their reliability?
@@PsionicAudio So was it the rack mounted ones or the small versions that came out later that I see are fetching ridiculous money now on eBay and other places ? I was watchva video on UA-cam here that had him in the video in his own studio and he was showing what were probably his first prototypes of the rack mounted ones he built while plugged into them playing some of his signature riffs and had mentioned that these were what he used in his studio to create that sound before the band was even put together yet and how he fooled the record company after making the demo of some of the songs then got a contract and had to scramble to actually get a band formed before they found out the actual band didn't exist lol . Anyway thanks for the reply because at one time I was thinking of buying some of those to try but got to thinking what would happen if I had problems with them and getting them fixed if needed because I think his website he had for them to be repaired by him is long gone now and for the money it's just not worth taking a chance with them and what good is it to have them just sitting on display and not being able to use them at times . I suppose a guy could probably find someone who could duplicate them using better parts and a better chassis and covers for it but I'm sure if Tom found out that was happening and it's been patented and being he seems to be a sue happy person I've read on several occasions he would try to sue you.
There are very many things about the 90's that I don't care to remember (other than meeting my wife), unless I could re-imagine and reshape them; but I can't, so....
Every time I hear 5150 I think of the original IBM PC model 5150, instead of the Peavey amp for some reason. Probably because I actually owned an IBM 5150 and never owned a Peavey 5150.
Putting together all the pieces of this puzzle-do you think the bad output jack caused a no-load situation that resulted in the demise of the output transformer ?
They are not junk, I've owned 2 5150,a signature 5150 212 combo and now the 6534+ head and both amps are solid like a tank and sounds killer ! I traded the 5150 combo to a guy for his brand new 2017 SG standard cherry burst with it's Gibson hard case but I only traded it because I initially traded my old Korean squier stratocaster with DiMarzio chopper rail in the bridge and Eric Johnson single coils that can be wired in humbucker mode for the 5150 combo, so basically I got the 5150 for $120 and traded that amp 5150 for an SG standard. So basically it got me a brand new SG standard for $120 and then later down the road bought the 6534+head for $700 cash so basically I got the Gibson SG standard and 6534+ head for $820 total which is great considering you can hardly get an SG standard used for that $820 but I got the guitar and amp for that price so I'm happy as ever with this setup same the price was great ! Sorry you don't like 5150 amps but that doesn't mean they are shit, it means you probably like fender blues Jr or something like that, right !?
Hi there, I watched a video from your buddy Brad on the Roland JC-77 and I am going to make some of those changes he showed in the video to my JC-77 during my next long weekend. The reason I bring that up here is because the JC-77 has plastic jacks similar to those Switchcraft plastic jacks. I am keen on the idea of replacing them with the sturdier Switchcraft jacks. Are you aware of any reason other than lower cost for manufacturers to use those plastic jacks?
Sometimes they are used to mechanically support a PCB. And they come in some normaling configurations that not all other series of jacks do. So be sure you are changing like for like, circuit wise, and that you are not weakening some other aspect of the design.
@@PsionicAudio Thanks, All five of the jacks on the rear are free standing and the two input jacks on the front are on a small PCB board separate from the main circuit board. I can duplicate the circuit of that little board with 12A jacks and a couple of resistors. Easy peasy.
Probably a dumb question or one of those you get what you pay for answers, but is there a high gain amp that’s affordable that does have a nice layout and a (we’ll say lower) low noise floor that you could recommend?
@@PsionicAudio I’m mostly playing devils advocate for the would be 5150 metal heads out there. I was just curious what you’d recommend to those guys over a 5150. I’m more of a blues rock kind of guy, playing in bars where I can’t turn up very loud. I certainly wish I had seen your videos about a year ago before I bought a new Vox AC30CH. That’s my current main amp. I basically turn my top boost preamp up and keep the master around 10 o’clock. I use an overdrive TS style pedal to boost for solos and ride the volume control on my guitar to clean up the sound. I have noticed if I turn the treble up past half way with the preamp dimed I get uncontrollable feedback if I turn the master volume up past 10 o’clock. The fix for me is to keep the treble at noon. Is this oscillation that is causing the feedback? I saw your Vox AC15CC video and I was left a little disappointed in what I had bought.
The Peavey Penta can do a hot rodded Marshall thing very well and was Peaveys attempt at a boutique amp. High component quality. Much higher than the 5150. Heyboer output transformer, ceramic tube sockets, high quality pots and switches, low noise floor. $500-600 used usually, though creeping up towards $800.
@@TheCyberMantis no because those actually suck and sound not that great on guitar, bass guitar on the other hand sounds pretty great in the jc120 ! My Peavey amps (6534+, Peavey bravo, Peavey Valve King 50 and Peavey Rockmaster all tube pre amp) have all kicked ass, worked as they should and sound killer with the exception of the diodes to the power supply crapping out on the Valve King, but I fixed it and it works again like it did before ! I think Peavey amps are great !
@@auntjenifer7774, Andy Summers played JC-120's with the Police, but his guitar style is iconoclastic and his tone idiosyncratic and I don't know that most people would try to duplicate it. There may also have been some acoustic guitarists using them back then.
The original 5150 III 100W is one of the most awful amps that I’ve head gotten to play. The footswitch circuit fails if you look at it the wrong way, and it sounds horrible.
a buddy of mine owns a music store and i was in there sniffing around and saw a 5150 combo and he told me i could have the amp for free if i could carry the bitch..... i did manage to get it about 3 inches off the ground before i recalled the hernia operation i got from an ampeg vt-22 with 2 sro speakers in it..... that amp was 135 pounds while i was 145 ....you did not mention if you get a kickback from doctors you send guys to after the amp bestows them with a nice hernia
We all can guess that the 5150 may not be your cup of tea when it comes to amps and the tone. But the care you took to make sure you did the work cleanly, professionally and thoroughly shows that you don’t care that the amp isn’t your thing. But that you care that you do high quality work for the customer. A true pro!
It's because the amp actually sucks. And he was trying to be nice and not say that. Has nothing to do with "cup of tea".
@@TheCyberMantis I wouldn't say it sucks, it's a great amp that's just built to a spec that James Brown had to do for Peavey to build out affordable. Great amp but difficult for an amp tech .
I play metal, so let me explain: nobody LOVES the sounds of a 5150 by itself. It sounds so-so, a bit weird. BUT when you use it in a recording, it just sits in the mix so incredibly well. It also works GREAT for layering. It took me an afternoon recording my friend’s 6505 to decide to get one for my home studio. I know it’s not well made, but it just “does a thing”, and it’s cheap enough to accept the risk of failure.
Thanks for working on these amps too. As another commenter stated I appreciate the professionalism even though I know most on this channel hate these amps and love to take pot shots on high gain amps in general, most of which I’ll be the first to say aren’t built with service in mind. It is frustrating as a consumer, and I’m probably not about to go buy any mesas after what I’ve seen from a lot of your videos; but some of us do love these types of amps regardless. Understanding they can be a PITA to service we do still sometimes need help from techs like you as much as anyone else who may own the kind of amps people generally want to see on the channel. Thanks for putting up with us metalheads and our not-so-fun-to-service amps and doing so professionally.
Lyle thanks for acknowledging the rivet vs solder route! Some Guy
While I am actively doing the work necessary to one day being ALWAYS RIGHT I'm not quite there yet.
This is a case of "but why did the cat have to be skinned in the first place?" more than "which way to do it?"
I love the sound Bugeras and Peavey's, more JSX than 5150. But I hate the thought I've ever having to fix one (unless I just buy new pcbs). If it broke I might just buy another. And I can't say that about anything Marshall has made.
New subscriber sir I really enjoy the technical side of things I was wondering if you have ever had any dealings with the Peavey classic 20mh you know how it is it’s next to impossible to find an honest review from any of the amazon or Sweetwater (salesmen ) affiliates so called reviews or demos thanks again for not being afraid to call a spade a ♠️
I really love the way these sounds and have been wanting to get one but do you think it's even worth getting one with the issues you keep seeing from them? Are the newer 6505s better or worse with regards to their reliability?
😎👍
an often recommended mod for the 5150 IIRC was adding an adjustable bias because these are biased cold
Have you ever worked on or looked inside any of those Tom Sholtz Rockman effects he designed years ago to get that Boston sound he created ?
Yeah. Not great quality, and the plastic bits are fragile by now. Cool for its time.
@@PsionicAudio So was it the rack mounted ones or the small versions that came out later that I see are fetching ridiculous money now on eBay and other places ? I was watchva video on UA-cam here that had him in the video in his own studio and he was showing what were probably his first prototypes of the rack mounted ones he built while plugged into them playing some of his signature riffs and had mentioned that these were what he used in his studio to create that sound before the band was even put together yet and how he fooled the record company after making the demo of some of the songs then got a contract and had to scramble to actually get a band formed before they found out the actual band didn't exist lol . Anyway thanks for the reply because at one time I was thinking of buying some of those to try but got to thinking what would happen if I had problems with them and getting them fixed if needed because I think his website he had for them to be repaired by him is long gone now and for the money it's just not worth taking a chance with them and what good is it to have them just sitting on display and not being able to use them at times . I suppose a guy could probably find someone who could duplicate them using better parts and a better chassis and covers for it but I'm sure if Tom found out that was happening and it's been patented and being he seems to be a sue happy person I've read on several occasions he would try to sue you.
Just imagine that you bought this in the 90's.
There are very many things about the 90's that I don't care to remember (other than meeting my wife), unless I could re-imagine and reshape them; but I can't, so....
I have a peavey heritage vtx is there a way to bias the output tubes?
Every time I hear 5150 I think of the original IBM PC model 5150, instead of the Peavey amp for some reason. Probably because I actually owned an IBM 5150 and never owned a Peavey 5150.
What does IBM mean !?
International Business Machines ? ? ?
Putting together all the pieces of this puzzle-do you think the bad output jack caused a no-load situation that resulted in the demise of the output transformer ?
It's hard to say. I do suspect a chain reaction, however slo-mo it might have been.
I'm glad I don't own one of these.
The're junk, I had one.
They are not junk, I've owned 2 5150,a signature 5150 212 combo and now the 6534+ head and both amps are solid like a tank and sounds killer !
I traded the 5150 combo to a guy for his brand new 2017 SG standard cherry burst with it's Gibson hard case but I only traded it because I initially traded my old Korean squier stratocaster with DiMarzio chopper rail in the bridge and Eric Johnson single coils that can be wired in humbucker mode for the 5150 combo, so basically I got the 5150 for $120 and traded that amp 5150 for an SG standard. So basically it got me a brand new SG standard for $120 and then later down the road bought the 6534+head for $700 cash so basically I got the Gibson SG standard and 6534+ head for $820 total which is great considering you can hardly get an SG standard used for that $820 but I got the guitar and amp for that price so I'm happy as ever with this setup same the price was great !
Sorry you don't like 5150 amps but that doesn't mean they are shit, it means you probably like fender blues Jr or something like that, right !?
@@auntjenifer7774 Printed Circuit Board😂😂😂😂😂
I still have my 1992 5150 original. Not a thing wrong with that amp.
@@auntjenifer7774he's just a troll.
Hi there, I watched a video from your buddy Brad on the Roland JC-77 and I am going to make some of those changes he showed in the video to my JC-77 during my next long weekend. The reason I bring that up here is because the JC-77 has plastic jacks similar to those Switchcraft plastic jacks. I am keen on the idea of replacing them with the sturdier Switchcraft jacks. Are you aware of any reason other than lower cost for manufacturers to use those plastic jacks?
Sometimes they are used to mechanically support a PCB. And they come in some normaling configurations that not all other series of jacks do. So be sure you are changing like for like, circuit wise, and that you are not weakening some other aspect of the design.
@@PsionicAudio Thanks, All five of the jacks on the rear are free standing and the two input jacks on the front are on a small PCB board separate from the main circuit board. I can duplicate the circuit of that little board with 12A jacks and a couple of resistors. Easy peasy.
I feel so bad for 5150 owners.
A fool and his money are soon parted.
@@TheCyberMantis pity too the guys who bought these for $500 and had them triple in value...;)
@@tedmich See my original statement.
@@tedmich My YBA was $200. Plexi’s and Bassman’s are $2,000 at least. And there’s no crappy PCB in my amp.
Not everyone has $4k to drop on a Soldano SLO-100.
Right at 5:16, the hiss takes a sudden jump as you're turning things up. That's not a concern?
No, that's where I quickly raised the master volume to full. It's a noisy circuit but that noise is normal.
Probably a dumb question or one of those you get what you pay for answers, but is there a high gain amp that’s affordable that does have a nice layout and a (we’ll say lower) low noise floor that you could recommend?
Not a dumb question. What's your budget and how many watts do you need/think you need?
@@PsionicAudio I’m mostly playing devils advocate for the would be 5150 metal heads out there. I was just curious what you’d recommend to those guys over a 5150. I’m more of a blues rock kind of guy, playing in bars where I can’t turn up very loud. I certainly wish I had seen your videos about a year ago before I bought a new Vox AC30CH. That’s my current main amp. I basically turn my top boost preamp up and keep the master around 10 o’clock. I use an overdrive TS style pedal to boost for solos and ride the volume control on my guitar to clean up the sound. I have noticed if I turn the treble up past half way with the preamp dimed I get uncontrollable feedback if I turn the master volume up past 10 o’clock. The fix for me is to keep the treble at noon. Is this oscillation that is causing the feedback? I saw your Vox AC15CC video and I was left a little disappointed in what I had bought.
The Peavey Penta can do a hot rodded Marshall thing very well and was Peaveys attempt at a boutique amp. High component quality. Much higher than the 5150. Heyboer output transformer, ceramic tube sockets, high quality pots and switches, low noise floor. $500-600 used usually, though creeping up towards $800.
So wait... is that why I'm getting strange looks using this 5150 with my 335 for jazz gigs?
Shouldn't you be playing a Roland JC120? 😑
@@TheCyberMantis no because those actually suck and sound not that great on guitar, bass guitar on the other hand sounds pretty great in the jc120 !
My Peavey amps (6534+, Peavey bravo, Peavey Valve King 50 and Peavey Rockmaster all tube pre amp) have all kicked ass, worked as they should and sound killer with the exception of the diodes to the power supply crapping out on the Valve King, but I fixed it and it works again like it did before !
I think Peavey amps are great !
@@auntjenifer7774, Andy Summers played JC-120's with the Police, but his guitar style is iconoclastic and his tone idiosyncratic and I don't know that most people would try to duplicate it. There may also have been some acoustic guitarists using them back then.
Wondering about your thoughts on the Fender 5150 III.
Even worse quality.
@@PsionicAudio Thanks for the quick reply!
They suck.
The original 5150 III 100W is one of the most awful amps that I’ve head gotten to play. The footswitch circuit fails if you look at it the wrong way, and it sounds horrible.
@@lordgraga The 100w Stealth sounds killer. But I would never buy one. Poor design/build quality.
I had one of the first 6160 amps. Tonally the amp was horrible.
Yep. Those old box jacks are definitely replace on sight material in anything you find them in. Utter junk.
The fender output jack is not completely foolproof, an idiot user can still blow the OT by inserting a speaker cable that isnt connected to a cab....
I can only do so much.
@@PsionicAudio :D
a buddy of mine owns a music store and i was in there sniffing around and saw a 5150 combo and he told me i could have the amp for free if i could carry the bitch..... i did manage to get it about 3 inches off the ground before i recalled the hernia operation i got from an ampeg vt-22 with 2 sro speakers in it..... that amp was 135 pounds while i was 145 ....you did not mention if you get a kickback from doctors you send guys to after the amp bestows them with a nice hernia
caster wheels