There is no sound difference between EL34 and 6L6 tubes. It has been debunked. The only difference would be if the amp circuitry is different. Pre-amp tubes could have a slight difference in tone, but these factors would contribute far less than the circuitry of the amp, and the amp speaker.
Wow!! I liked the 6L6 Iconic quite a bit, but this new EL34 sounds EVEN BETTER! As I'm getting older, I appreciate a warmer tone and this amp seems to deliver on that aspect. Really agressive, yet thicker, warmer, punchy, yet articulate.
EL34’s are 100% better sounding than 6L6 tubes. 6L6’s are really brittle and , quite frankly, “fake” sounding, just like the original “Peavey 5150 amp”, I owned one = shit. EL34’s are warmer and more articulate & vintage sounding, but when you crank it up, your lower strings sound like strings instead of an ear-piercing mess of hair and high-end. This Iconic Series EL34 amp sounds really good.
The EVH 5150 series of amps are really the best bang for your buck for a metal rock tube amp. So good. I want one along with a Revv Generator 120 MK3, ENGL Fireball and Diezel Herbert MK3 once I sell off some gear.
Glad to hear this one isn't legitimately painfully shrill. It sounds really good, especially considering the price. Definitely puts it closer to competing with the Bugera 6262 in price. I hope whatever tweaks they made to make it listenable make their way to a model with a better looking color scheme.
I just added this stack to my collection this past year. I'm just running an EQ with it until I get some time to experiment with a few pedals. What I can say is this amp cranks. I was a bit skeptical when I bought it but once I had it, it's been amazing.
Love the channel. Could you do a few videos about amp maintenance? For example how to clean and do you need a cover? What are signs your amp needs to go to the repair shop? Again love the channel and enjoying your reviews.
I'm here for all the green channel, overdrive mode love. To be honest when I got my 6l6 Iconic I spent a lot of time just D Standard/Drop C with an 808x into the green overdrive and was getting the best modern high gain tones. They made that green channel way too good on that Iconic and it's hard to choose between it and the red channel sometimes.
My original 5150 iconic is one of the best sounding amps I have plugged into. For the price, it’s amazing. Competing with amps that cost over double in price. Also, I was surprised to see it came with JJ 6l6 tubes.
Very tight in the mids. Sounds like what you’d expect out of a British high gain style amp. The iconics are very underrated amps. Still prefer a USA model 6505+ … nice rifffs and video Kyle 🤘🏽
Thanks Kyle for the content and playing, if I would put the Iconic EL-34 vs 6L6 which would you choose ?? Im playing with an EVH 5150 Lbx S right now and loving it but for gigging looking at the iconic but which one.....That thing sounds like a monster
Nice work, KB... I just realized i own about 16 different amps of all brand, size and wattage... And i dont own ANY EL34's... And im a fan of them... That has to change.
@@belligerentamateur I just ordered the Iconic EL34, so ill have at least one, but I feel you, Ive been considering the Super Kraken if not a nice Marshall soon... Had to come back to this video after ordering one ❤
This amp sounds incredible! Also, side note. As a guitar player, do you ever watch a players pick hand to see how different everyone holds a pick? You hold the pick vastly different than I but you can’t argue with results. Haha.
Sounds a lot like Scott Ian's Mr Bungle tone where he uses a 100 watt EVH EL34. Could this amp basically be a stripped down version of the 100 watter EL34?
Hi Kyle! Which is better? Iconic or Laboga Hector? Just because the used price of Laboga is almost the same than a brand new Iconic. And now I found a used Laboga. Which one should I go for? I have no chance to try any of them, My musical taste is similar than yours, so basically I would use it for metal.
Nice demo. But just to clarify...James Brown advised that the burn switch is used to emulate the red channel of the 5150-III. With the burn off...its supposed to be similar to the Peavey.
@@jamesbrown7468 So the Burn is really a "new/old" switch (more like EVHIII/Peavey block)! Kinda like Splawn having the "old mids" switch on their Quickrods.
Good afternoon rockers, i just purchased a 50 watt stealth and need some cab advice , im running it through a 212 ENGL.slant v30 and sounds great but just wondering if practicing with a drummer how much diff tonally will a 412 cab make and what are some good suggestions for a.412 , i jave a 112 cab with my lbx stealth and like the g12s but hard to beat v30s but ive never used a 412 type cab with my 50 watt to.compare speaker types , does any one have any suggestions on going from.a 212 to a 412 and tyoes of 412 that play happy with the stealth 50 thanks and Kyle great job brother
hard to answer all those questions, I would just try to find a place where you can try your amp through a few cabs and decide for yourself, everyone is different
The only bad wraps the iconic has received, is while using it with the iconic cab. I run it through a marshall mode four cab and a marshall AV cab and it slays.
Agreed. I have noticed that the iconic speakers tend to vary in sound though. I’ve played through 3-4 of the 4x12’s and the last one I played through sounded legit good, very “4x12 with greenbacks”.
Meet the new boss...same as the old boss. Every 5150/6505 is essentially indistinguishable (aside from EVH's III series) and all subtleties could be compensated for with EQ tweaks.
I put EL34s in a Bugera 6262 and lost a lot of bottom end. I tried the EL34 EVH (not the Iconic) and didn’t really notice the difference. I’ve played other amps and in my experience it seems EL34s are brighter/fizzier with less bottom end than the 6L6 amps. That being said, this EVH Iconic sounds great and I really like the gold and black colors, even though it’s obviously a nod to Marshall. Another amp I don’t need but really want to pick up.
Sounds sick for sure. Ring a happy owner of the el34 100 watt 5153, it’s not surprising I do like this better than the OG Iconic. It seems to gain that low end punch of the 5153 100el34. Also I did like the original Iconic boosted green best but they both sounded really good here. Doubtful I’m in the market, but never know. Like you I’ve owned and played 5150s for a long time. 1995 to be exact. I think I’ve owned em all except a few combos. The el34 100 watt is my perfect amp Altho at times the mids can be a bit too snarly but I always comes back to it. Just one of those things where maybe the air in the room has changed! Or simply our fickle hearing. But yeah… Ota the one for me. This one would sounds like it has some of those attributes tho. For $1500 less…. Kinda hard to not choose if I was starting over again
Sounds good, not sure if I need to buy another Iconic head or not, but I do like my amps that have EL34's in them. They seem to have a nice "growl" in the mids.
I appreciate you including the weak loser music examples as I love that genre as well as the e standard thrash/drop C hardcore stuff. The amp sounds great! Thanks for the demo.
Just curious, how does this compare in feel and sound to something like a Jose mod style Marshall that has the Diodes? Do you notice any similarities in tone or feel?
Is there a big difference between the 6L6 and the EL-34? If so, what is the difference in tone and sound? I have the 6L6 but am thinking about purchasing the EL-34. Thoughts? Is it worth having both?
I dont get that hate for these man. I played a 6l5 half stack with the 80w 4x12 with evh 20w celetions recently. Sounds so good, kinda reminded me of a marshall with the burn on. Great amp for $899!
I would still probably just buy a used 6505 combo and convert it to a head tbh. At least it's all tube and easier to work on compared to hybrid stuff and it's cheaper. I love both tube and solid state amps but when mixed there can issues like in Blackstar amps for example and when things break they're more complicated to fix if they can be fixed at all as there's often a lack of schematics.
Hello Kyle, I purchased your Lichtlaerm Prometheus Quad Cortex capture pack on July 6 and to date I have not received anything or any news. am I the only one in this situation ?
The beloved brown sound was solid state with diodes adding gain stages to the tubes. Every time you boost the front end with an overdrive pedal it is solid state circuitry being added to the gain stages. Use your ears, fingers and use whatever gets you the tone you want. Who cares what gets you there as long as you get there?
the original brown sound was produced by eddie van halen and it was the sound of a dimed marshall super lead with a variac bringing the voltage down signifcantly. No diodes were involved. Diodes came later with jose mods.
To me to add the earthquake pedal instead of just pushing the amp and getting all that you can out of it. Kind of defeats the purpose but to each their own
I was watching the video and was thanking I want to see you play a 7 string through this amp about that time you pull out a bad ass hybrid Schecter you da man. 🤘
Been playing Prometheus captures a lot on my Tonex. Definitely in my top 10 favorite amps. But I'm playing it through a 2x12 open-back so my mics don't burst into flames lol
I would definitely like an el34 and 6l6 comparison video
There is no sound difference between EL34 and 6L6 tubes. It has been debunked. The only difference would be if the amp circuitry is different. Pre-amp tubes could have a slight difference in tone, but these factors would contribute far less than the circuitry of the amp, and the amp speaker.
@@Grand_Alchemist so do those amps where you can switch between output tubes also change the rest of the circuit?
I respectfully disagree.
EL34’s and 6L6’s are different and have their own tone.
Hope you’re having a great day, G.A. 👍
Try a rectifier with 6L6 and EL34 then.
Prolly sounds way too similar
Would love to hear this amp compared to the original Iconic and the EVH 5150iii EL34
I played in Leeway NYC from 2010 to 2018. It was cool to hear you play some of the riffs 🙏🏻
Wow!! I liked the 6L6 Iconic quite a bit, but this new EL34 sounds EVEN BETTER! As I'm getting older, I appreciate a warmer tone and this amp seems to deliver on that aspect. Really agressive, yet thicker, warmer, punchy, yet articulate.
EL34’s are 100% better sounding than 6L6 tubes. 6L6’s are really brittle and , quite frankly, “fake” sounding, just like the original “Peavey 5150 amp”, I owned one = shit. EL34’s are warmer and more articulate & vintage sounding, but when you crank it up, your lower strings sound like strings instead of an ear-piercing mess of hair and high-end. This Iconic Series EL34 amp sounds really good.
50w Stealth vs. EL34 Iconic comparison would be cool as well to see.
yes need this, in the market for both of these right now
The EVH 5150 series of amps are really the best bang for your buck for a metal rock tube amp. So good. I want one along with a Revv Generator 120 MK3, ENGL Fireball and Diezel Herbert MK3 once I sell off some gear.
My cousin has the og 5150 iconic, which sounds a bit weird. It sounds absolutely kick ass. Blends perfectly with my Marshall JCM2000 DSL.
The OG is the best imo
I liked that lows overload man !!!!
Really appreciate kyle sticking with the 7 string in demos.
i think bro loves his job
"How could we make the Iconic even better?" daaaaamn.
Glad to hear this one isn't legitimately painfully shrill. It sounds really good, especially considering the price. Definitely puts it closer to competing with the Bugera 6262 in price. I hope whatever tweaks they made to make it listenable make their way to a model with a better looking color scheme.
I just added this stack to my collection this past year. I'm just running an EQ with it until I get some time to experiment with a few pedals. What I can say is this amp cranks. I was a bit skeptical when I bought it but once I had it, it's been amazing.
Love the channel. Could you do a few videos about amp maintenance? For example how to clean and do you need a cover? What are signs your amp needs to go to the repair shop? Again love the channel and enjoying your reviews.
6534+, 34Iconic and 5153EL34 comparison would be perfect
100% this + the original Iconic 🤘
Yep!
With the quickness
6534+ FTW
One of the best tones you've gotten so far from the 5150 series
I'm here for all the green channel, overdrive mode love.
To be honest when I got my 6l6 Iconic I spent a lot of time just D Standard/Drop C with an 808x into the green overdrive and was getting the best modern high gain tones. They made that green channel way too good on that Iconic and it's hard to choose between it and the red channel sometimes.
Great riffing. It really showcases this amp very well.
My original 5150 iconic is one of the best sounding amps I have plugged into. For the price, it’s amazing. Competing with amps that cost over double in price. Also, I was surprised to see it came with JJ 6l6 tubes.
I had the 6L6 Iconic head and 1×12" 40 watt combo..that combo amp was so heavy in weight..but this sounds great too..
Very tight in the mids. Sounds like what you’d expect out of a British high gain style amp. The iconics are very underrated amps. Still prefer a USA model 6505+ … nice rifffs and video Kyle 🤘🏽
It somehow feels refreshing to see you do a demo rather than a blog ❤
75% of my videos are demos......
@@belligerentamateur algorithms 🤷♂️
Thanks Kyle for the content and playing, if I would put the Iconic EL-34 vs 6L6 which would you choose ?? Im playing with an EVH 5150 Lbx S right now and loving it but for gigging looking at the iconic but which one.....That thing sounds like a monster
sounds pretty fucking good, an ultimate comparison video of all yours 5150s would be really cool!
Hey man, I’m looking forward to your Peavey 6534+ comparison, thanks!!!!!
Nice work, KB... I just realized i own about 16 different amps of all brand, size and wattage... And i dont own ANY EL34's... And im a fan of them... That has to change.
mannnnnnnn. If you go el34, make sure to get an amp that is voiced around them like a Marshall to get the most for your money!
@@belligerentamateur I just ordered the Iconic EL34, so ill have at least one, but I feel you, Ive been considering the Super Kraken if not a nice Marshall soon... Had to come back to this video after ordering one ❤
This amp sounds incredible!
Also, side note. As a guitar player, do you ever watch a players pick hand to see how different everyone holds a pick? You hold the pick vastly different than I but you can’t argue with results. Haha.
6L6 Iconic vs. EL34 Iconic. love to see that shootout
I prefer the Green channel on my 6L6 Iconics too. Great vid Kyle, was looking forward to hearing the 34 driven one. Thanx man!
This is the first amp demo I've seen/heard in a while that got me excited about a new amp.
23'39: master of sound !!! Great vid Kyle!
3:45 mark ..Yes! Me too, brutha’!
I even bought the lunchbox 5150 from you. So yes!!
Sounds a lot like Scott Ian's Mr Bungle tone where he uses a 100 watt EVH EL34. Could this amp basically be a stripped down version of the 100 watter EL34?
Hi Kyle! Which is better? Iconic or Laboga Hector? Just because the used price of Laboga is almost the same than a brand new Iconic. And now I found a used Laboga. Which one should I go for? I have no chance to try any of them, My musical taste is similar than yours, so basically I would use it for metal.
Nice demo. But just to clarify...James Brown advised that the burn switch is used to emulate the red channel of the 5150-III. With the burn off...its supposed to be similar to the Peavey.
Opposite. The Burn makes it thicker too like the Peavey 5150….off it’s tighter like the Peavey 5150 II and EVH 5150 IIIs
@@jamesbrown7468 So the Burn is really a "new/old" switch (more like EVHIII/Peavey block)! Kinda like Splawn having the "old mids" switch on their Quickrods.
@jamesbrown7468 Oh ok, maybe you mistyped when we last talked on The Gear Page. Thank you for clarifying!
Just got my 5150 iconic EL34 and wow, your spot on, great amp!! Thanks for the content brother, keep up the great work 🤟
This sounds KILLER. Excellent tones.
Good afternoon rockers, i just purchased a 50 watt stealth and need some cab advice , im running it through a 212 ENGL.slant v30 and sounds great but just wondering if practicing with a drummer how much diff tonally will a 412 cab make and what are some good suggestions for a.412 , i jave a 112 cab with my lbx stealth and like the g12s but hard to beat v30s but ive never used a 412 type cab with my 50 watt to.compare speaker types , does any one have any suggestions on going from.a 212 to a 412 and tyoes of 412 that play happy with the stealth 50 thanks and Kyle great job brother
hard to answer all those questions, I would just try to find a place where you can try your amp through a few cabs and decide for yourself, everyone is different
@@belligerentamateur thank u
The only bad wraps the iconic has received, is while using it with the iconic cab.
I run it through a marshall mode four cab and a marshall AV cab and it slays.
Dude I love the Iconic cab. I hardly ever use my Bogner or Mesa cabs with it.
man this thing sounds pretty sweet especially with the emg 81 in the bridge of that schecter
Helps when you match it with a killer cab
Agreed. I have noticed that the iconic speakers tend to vary in sound though. I’ve played through 3-4 of the 4x12’s and the last one I played through sounded legit good, very “4x12 with greenbacks”.
I like the low tune riff tones !
Time changes absolutely nothing. True. This amp sounds great.
I really enjoyed the sounds! What an amp!
Great video!
Meet the new boss...same as the old boss. Every 5150/6505 is essentially indistinguishable (aside from EVH's III series) and all subtleties could be compensated for with EQ tweaks.
100% agree....
Hence why I always encourage people to buy the cheapest option.
@@jarrusjenkinsa used 5153
Lmao “I have a punchable face” I just screamed in my laundry mat.
That guitar is beautiful
I put EL34s in a Bugera 6262 and lost a lot of bottom end. I tried the EL34 EVH (not the Iconic) and didn’t really notice the difference. I’ve played other amps and in my experience it seems EL34s are brighter/fizzier with less bottom end than the 6L6 amps. That being said, this EVH Iconic sounds great and I really like the gold and black colors, even though it’s obviously a nod to Marshall. Another amp I don’t need but really want to pick up.
Not usually a 5150 guy, but kinda getting the itch to grab this one to pair with JCM900 SLX.
Well this or a Mesa Badlander 50
Sounds sick for sure. Ring a happy owner of the el34 100 watt 5153, it’s not surprising I do like this better than the OG Iconic. It seems to gain that low end punch of the 5153 100el34. Also I did like the original Iconic boosted green best but they both sounded really good here.
Doubtful I’m in the market, but never know. Like you I’ve owned and played 5150s for a long time. 1995 to be exact. I think I’ve owned em all except a few combos. The el34 100 watt is my perfect amp Altho at times the mids can be a bit too snarly but I always comes back to it. Just one of those things where maybe the air in the room has changed! Or simply our fickle hearing. But yeah… Ota the one for me. This one would sounds like it has some of those attributes tho. For $1500 less…. Kinda hard to not choose if I was starting over again
Been waiting for this demo to hit. Always hoped they’d do a el34 iconic and here we are! $999 poorer in pocket coming soon haha
Awesome what cab you got
Yo Kyle, did you ever try out the Iconic 412 Cab? Wondering if you like them or not. Keep up the good work, love you vids
27:15 tone was brutal asf… made me touch my inner-self n’ sht!!🔥💪🔥
I always thought you were saying east ender thrash riffs and thought I was missing out on a new genre.
I've always loved amp heads, in my 20, 30 , 40s and even now in my early 50s, after using a quad cortex I can't see the point of a amp head anymore
Sounds good, not sure if I need to buy another Iconic head or not, but I do like my amps that have EL34's in them. They seem to have a nice "growl" in the mids.
I appreciate you including the weak loser music examples as I love that genre as well as the e standard thrash/drop C hardcore stuff. The amp sounds great! Thanks for the demo.
Sounds good on my tablet. To be honest, though ,I'm not sure any amp you have had on your channel sounded bad though. Lol
Love to hear some amp and speaker comparisons too
Just curious, how does this compare in feel and sound to something like a Jose mod style Marshall that has the Diodes? Do you notice any similarities in tone or feel?
A comparison video would be awesome!
coming soon!
Is there a big difference between the 6L6 and the EL-34? If so, what is the difference in tone and sound? I have the 6L6 but am thinking about purchasing the EL-34. Thoughts? Is it worth having both?
😮I have the iconic 1x12 combo, 6l6, totally flexible , loud with great clarity. I dig it!
im just about to buy one, 50% off due to being superceded i guess..i wonder how different it will sound to my fender bassbreaker with el34s
EVH 5150 Iconic EL34 or Fireball 25 for home recording (metal stuff), opinions?
Would love to see this compared to the original and the 5150 III EL34
How do the iconic compare to a engl fireball 25?
I dont get that hate for these man. I played a 6l5 half stack with the 80w 4x12 with evh 20w celetions recently. Sounds so good, kinda reminded me of a marshall with the burn on. Great amp for $899!
Plz compare EL34/6l6. Very interested in the difference. Great vids as always Kyle!
the price is right, sounds tight
is that Coheed and Cambria's Feathers at 14:36 or am I mistaken?
Kyle as always informative. I have a Peavey 5150 combo and was wondering if you ever did a video of how to dial one for heavy metal/ drop D tones.
Gain= 5.25
Low =6.5
Mid= 4.5
High=6.25
Resonance =8.9
Presense=8
Man I really would love if they made a 40w head in the iconic series. Might have to buy a used combo and make an enclosure for it
would def be sick!
Great sounding amp!
I would still probably just buy a used 6505 combo and convert it to a head tbh. At least it's all tube and easier to work on compared to hybrid stuff and it's cheaper. I love both tube and solid state amps but when mixed there can issues like in Blackstar amps for example and when things break they're more complicated to fix if they can be fixed at all as there's often a lack of schematics.
One Among the Fence!!! Just trying to sneak some "Feathers" in there!
Awesome review you are the Matt Damon of high gain amp guitar Kyle.
Hello Kyle, I purchased your Lichtlaerm Prometheus Quad Cortex capture pack on July 6 and to date I have not received anything or any news. am I the only one in this situation ?
That is a great sounding amplifier
Another great demo! Good shit.
Wasn’t a fan of the 5150 series; huge fan of the Peavey XXX though!! Killer amp there!!
Thx for the review, awesome video as allways 🤘
Sounds absolutely destructionous!
Hey brother please tell me I made a great choice? I just pushed the button on this amp. Should be here tomorrow or Saturday.
Great vid Kyle!! Hopefully I’ll get one eventually… bought the dsl thanks to you actually… best decision ever
Was Coheed snuck in there?!😉
The beloved brown sound was solid state with diodes adding gain stages to the tubes. Every time you boost the front end with an overdrive pedal it is solid state circuitry being added to the gain stages. Use your ears, fingers and use whatever gets you the tone you want. Who cares what gets you there as long as you get there?
the original brown sound was produced by eddie van halen and it was the sound of a dimed marshall super lead with a variac bringing the voltage down signifcantly. No diodes were involved. Diodes came later with jose mods.
Diodes don't add gain stages. In fact, they reduce gain by dropping signal to ground (hard clipping).
Excited for the comparison video vs 6l6 iconic 😎 would be nice to see the el34 5153 thrown in the comparison as well
To me to add the earthquake pedal instead of just pushing the amp and getting all that you can out of it. Kind of defeats the purpose but to each their own
Sound awesome, kind of like a boosted Ampeg VL head 😊
It sounds pretty good, but I do like the original iconic more
Please 6L6 vs EL34 🙏
Was hoping for a little Flee Bird, Kyle 😂
Could you review the Randall rt 100 or the line 6 hd 147?
Awesome video, Kyle. To my ears, I’m hearing a little bit more lower mids than the original iconic.
I can't tell if its the mic flubbing out or the amp just sounds like that.
Me neither, wayyy too much low end, but I think that’s just this situation, the amp still sounds great I’m sure
Nevermind. He explained it in the video 😂
Sounds amazing. The review would be even better with more Slayer.
I would also love to see a comparison video
I was watching the video and was thanking I want to see you play a 7 string through this amp about that time you pull out a bad ass hybrid Schecter you da man. 🤘
Been playing Prometheus captures a lot on my Tonex. Definitely in my top 10 favorite amps. But I'm playing it through a 2x12 open-back so my mics don't burst into flames lol
Sounds killer my dude! Hope all is well Kyle ✌🏼
This 100% my next amp thanks Kyle
Okay I don’t need another amp but this ROCKS