Which one of the three sounded the best to you? Let me know down in the comments! Also IR used is cab 1 from my Queensroad Pack: www.drumsandtones.com/product/the-queensroad-ir-pack/
Hey Mendelian! This is so far the best EVH 5150 comparison. Great riffs, video edition, sound and you covered everything! Thank you for putting this together! Great work!
I've own all of these and the EL34 blue channel is the most toneful, chewy, articulate, amazing sounding blue channel of the 3. In my opinion. Great comparison.
I played years and years (and again !) with a US made Peavey 6505+, and I found the same character in the Ivory EVH : mids forward, 1KHz presence, perfect for soloing in a mix. Also, I have an EVH5150III 50W Stealth 6L6 and I absolutely enjoy this amp with any channel. Cleans are beautiful, very easy to dial with, the blue channel is extremely tight (I use this channel for all my rhythm reampings) and the red channel is perfect for very aggressive Metal riffs on stage or rehearsals. One thing that is not often discussed : the effects loops of these amps are extremely useful, way more user friendly than any Rectifier or Marshall. It's almost plug and play (and believe me, I have a Dual Rectifier and a TSL100 !). FInally with this excellent video, if I would want my "perfect" version of the EVH5150III, it would be a 4 channels : clean one from the Stealth 6L6 (which can be very clean or easy to break up), the blue channel of the Stealth EL34 which is a killer, the red channel of the Stealth 6L6 for pure aggressive scooped tones and finally the red channel of the Ivory for pleasant and mix-piercing leads...
I had a 50 watt but it was SO BRIGHT; I always had issues controlling the high end. I now have the 100 watt and it's much fatter in the low end, more of a wider sound
I know how you feel. I went from an MT15, which is a much darker amp to my 50 watt Stealth. Talk about tone shock......But I worked with dialing the Stealth in, and I'm pretty damn happy with it. I can see how someone would shy away from it though.
The amp designer clarified this somewhere in a UA-cam comment: 50w versions are noticeable brighter than their 100w counterparts because the presence control of the 50w at noon is equivalent to the presence control of the 100w in a way higher position (can’t remember exactly atm)
@jackbootshamangaming4541 , the 50 is awesome. When I took mine out of the box, I set all the controls how I normally would for a 5150 and boom....It was fantastic. I had to do very little adjusting beyond my tried and true setting.
I love my 50w 6L6 Ivory. The tones I get out of it are insane. Absolutely crushing amp with so little effort. I prefer to use a boost so the Ivory is perfect with less gain. When I switch between active and passive guitars I just adjust the level on the boost pedal. I even like the reverb a lot and find it really usable. Edit: back 8 months later. Still a great video. Just want to add that the EQs are very forgiving. Hard to make it sound bad. It's also very easy to mix.
Agree 100%. All sound great.. I prefer the 6L6 Stealth..But depends on the player..can't go wrong with either Stealth. Get the 50W..has all of the great sounds PLUS it's midi. Nice job!
Great video. I've owned every incarnation of the EVH line, and some I've owned multiples of the same version at the same time. I would just add to your video, that my experience in person and thru real speaker cabinets, the differences in these models are more drastic than what I hear thru this video and your Load Box, as I also owned these 3 amps at the same time. Also, with owning multiple amps of the same version at the same time, the EVH line is very inconsistent within the same model. Two of the EVH amps I currently own are two of the original (your white ones). They couldn't sound more different. In fact, they sound more different than your model comparison of different models. Thanks for the great video.
Cool video. I liked the 6L6 black stealth version the best in this video. But it can completely different when u actually play it. In plugin versions I always liked the original Peavey 5150 best, the stealths felt always too noisy to me.
Can confirm lol. I’m in a hardcore band, I play the “ivory” 5150 through a Mesa 4x12 cab and often record with a SM57 paired with an E609 when tracking. I’m a walking metal cliché. 😢
Great, extremely thorough demo. All 3 are great amps, but the EL34 is definitely my favorite of the bunch. The EL34 and 6L6 Stealth definitely are similarly voiced on the blue and red channels, but I can definitely hear a bit of a classic modded Marshall voicing on the EL34’s blue channel, but with a lot more gain. I also like the green channel the best on the EL34.
Great video, professional comparison. I've had the first 100w version for 12 years and have never had to think about changing the amplifier. Very universal and good sounding equipment. I love it in combination with the dedicated EVH 4x12" speaker cab. Have a nice day.
Thank you so much for this - I've been leaning towards the EL34 as it feels overall the most balanced sound between the clean and the gain (i'm mostly a clean / rock /hard rock player leaning into some classic metal). But your video confirmed my thoughts!
My main rig is built around a 50 watt Stealth head. I won't say it's a perfect amp. But it is really good. Honestly, I could take any of the three varients and be perfectly happy. Especially with an EQ pedal in the loop.
@donniejean , it can be a tough amp to love if you don't like how the mids are voiced. It was definitely a thing with me when I first got the Stealth. I had to step back and let the amp give me what it could rather than trying to force it into a different tonal niche. Beyond that, I think an EQ pedal in the loop can really ease the way.
I’m leaning towards buying the Stealth 6L6 and this video has me leaning even harder! Good job on the comparison riffage, very easy to hear the differences
Loved Aborted, stumbled on your channel because I’m looking to pick up a higher gain amp, crazy you used to play w/ them. Good information, great playing, subbed.
First of all, thank you very much for all the effort that went into this! Much appreciated!! Now, I’ve listened very carefully to your hard work and as a 50 6L6/50S 6L6 owner I hear the same differences. E, D# and drop D are my main tunings and for leads as well as rhythm I like the regular better. Overall. The mids sound way more pleasant to the ears, more open. The Stealth 6L6 sounds held back, I don’t know… It’s a great backup for now. Thinking of trading it for an EL34, but the Stealth 6L6 came in the day before Ed left us, so there’s that….
Having played all three of these back to back in person, my favorite is the EL34. It’s not by much, I just love the saggy chewy response versus the drier and punchier response of 6L6 amps. And I’m not saying the EL34 is “loose” or anything, it’s still tight af, it’s just a bit wetter and more saturated.
Nice playing and great tones brother. Appreciate the video. I got the 50 watt ivory 6l6 original version and got a dv77 and v30 in the matching 2x12 . Really diggin the tones I'm getting. Really brutal chugaliciousness.
Where's your gain? I think mine is about 2 or 3 oclock and I'm using an OD808 with level around the same. 4x12 recto IR. Sounds unreal to me. Barely have to do any EQ or processing. Just 2 guitars panned.
@@jows7595 I'm usually on the blue channel with gain at about 2 o'clock at lower volumes but turn it down to about 1 o'clock when turned up more and I'm using the ts9 out front. I have the precision drive and the dirty tree but I'm liking the ts9 best with the blue channel on the evh . Saving the dirty tree for when I get me a boogie recto . The evh is already really tight so the DT just makes it too tight . Lol
This review being extremely fair and thorough, makes it even more difficult to chose 1 out of the 3. If I get one, it's definitely going to be which one I can get for the best price.
3rd... with e34 s is a truly the beast..hands down but honestly think so 2nd. And 3rd. R the best combination ( 2x 50W) together...the cab, pickups, gauge of strings , an gouge of pic...that s another level of alchemy... but 9ne global solution ...u can t go wrong with these amps...❤
Right from the opening riff, I think I like the 6L6. The Stealth is supposed to have tighter more clear midrange but in the mix it kinda disappeared. The EL34 was right in between the two. We'll see if my opinion changes as the video progresses.
I ❤ my EVH Amps!!!! I play a lot through the 5150 ICONIC. My favorite is my White JCM800 Anniversary 50 watter Reinhold Bogner built for Eddie before the Peavey 5150 came out. That amp is magical!!!
I’ve always liked all 3 , but like the 6L6 amps best. The OG maybe has the best blue channel imo. But I use that and the stealth and sold the EL34, but it was good too . Just wanted to get a Friedman so I traded for it
Thank you for nice comparison. I like the clean sound of 6L6 stealth :) I feel like EL34 is better for two or more strings riffing where you do not need so much clarity and want bigger wall of sound. For single string riffs 6L6 stands out. Maybe it is more genre dependent feeling :)
In some instances the gain structure of the stealth 6L6 is a bit too compressed/over saturated, but then again they are completely different amps that need to be dialed in differently to get the best out of each amp. I think my favorite overall is the EL34 because it's just so tight, but not overly harsh in the highs.
EL34S for me 100%. I used to own the ivory 100w 6L6 it was a good amp but my concern was with having to dime the blue channel gain almost competely. They sure fixed this in later models. Love the tones!
Okay I did tons of research before I purchased my el34 but I wish I had a video like this available at the time. I still would have picked the el34 but this video would have made the decision much more easy.
What a great video Mendel! Like all your videos, not only does it sound SO GOOD, but the visuals are so pleasing on the eye too. You can really tell you put a lot of time into it. Loved the panning shots of the stacked amps at 6:45 Thanks so much for all your videos. I just came across your channel a couple of months ago and have been listening to your solo album Equilibrium a lot. Love Hades Dethroned and of course Returnal is just stunning!
White= more lower mids and cleaner. Black Stealth= Most presence, more gain than white but less compressed than el34. El34 Stealth=tighter lows, more gain and complex upper mids. It's exactly what you would expect from putting el34s in the stealth. Great video!!!
yes I've experienced what your talking about something with the phase or shape of the low end on palm mutes on the 6l6 . love the way the el34 ver records
mmm Funny but I think that's not only in your head because I had exactly the same thought before you comment it at the end of the video. For my ears, there is something delightful in the attack of the 6L6 however I prefer the general tone of the EL34. Good test anyway. Thank you very much for that :)
Thank you so much Mendel for this content, fantastic as always...they are all good with there own flavours but for me the Stealth is like a magic amp it sounds so good....did you make Tonex pack for these 3 amps ?
Would be cool to compare all 3 to their 50w counterparts, they all sound different. My 50w 6l6 still hasn't been dethroned IMO, it's my favourite amp of all time. It's ruined all others for me, and even in the studio with quite a lot of different choices I always end up preferring it. It's so tight and clear yet with enough body and grit, just the perfect sweet spot it always sits really well in the mix and is really forgiving when I have to use other people's cabs on some shows, it always shines. The size, weight, midi switching are all big advantages compared to the 100w but I actually think it sounds better so it's a win win
I think I prefer the EL34 as well. If it’s more like a hotroded Marshall than the others especially the treble response in the clean and blue channel then I’m definitely considering that head. But you are right there’s a certain surgical attack with the 6L6 model. The other guitarist in my band uses a 6505 so I think the EL34 might be a good balance in tone if I play one.
You're the only one who's compared all three. There isn't even a comparison between the 100 watt OG and Stealth anywhere on here lol. Thank you. This confirmed my decision to sell the OG and to buy the Stealth. I love the hell out of my EL34 tho too the red channel sounds like it'll rip your head off and the green channel sounds like angels giving me a bj
@@HA-tb2fv oh yes and use the walrus audio deep six v3 compressor with it and some sort of delay and/or reverb. I like the Catalinbread soft focus or Keeley halo
Great review and great playing dude! I've owned a few versions of this amp also.... The original 100w 5153, that limited Edition 100w colored front, then the 50w and then the 100w Stealth, and my thoughts are close to yours between the two 100 watters... I had an issue with the Special Edition so I returned it. When I sold my 100w original to switch to the 50w, I noticed that the blue channel was tighter and had more gain/saturation versus it's 100w version. And that same gain/saturation on the 50w was on the Stealth... I haven't played the 100w EL34 but I did the 50w and I didn't like that one.
I got a better one...non circulated EVH 5150 III 100S Proto...not a Stealth. It's a 5150 III 100S that Howard Kaplan built for Ed. Basically a 5150 III with Resonance knobs on the back. Thank you for the comparison great vid!
On the EL34 and the Stealth if you are finding the red channel too gained out, you can lower the gain knob on the blue channel and it actually has an impact on the gain of the red channel (this is quite well known now) I can't remember if it does the same on the Ivory even though I had an Ivory for a time , I think it doesn't. I have both the 100w Stealth and EL34 still and I love them both.
Jup 100% correct! And indeed not the case on the Ivory. That’s also the reason I made sure all settings on the blue channel where the same on both stealth amps when reamping the red channel.
Have extensively compared the Stealth 100 and the el34 100 and I found them the sounded incredibly similar. The main difference by a large margin was on the green channel. On the 6l6 stealth, it breaks up almost instantly. The el34 has a lot more headroom. For the blue, I think the 6l6 is brighter, clearer, and a bit more scooped in the mids. The red channels are almost identical.
The ivory benefits more from speakers that scoop mids like the Eminence CV75s. The other 2 benefit more from speakers that produce more mids to compensate their scooped voicing. I liked the ivory the best ironically because then you can tailor it more to your likings with pedals and EQs vs the Stealths that have too much gain and less tweakable voicing.
I've owned all 3, the EL-34 version is, without a doubt, the best overall. Has all the gain and sound of the 6L6 models but more balanced and much more versatile. Best clean channel of the bunch as well. The 6L6 models are almost too aggressive and less responsive to EQ changes, more one-trick pony's whereas the EL-34 can pull off any style of music you want to play on it from extreme metal to country to pop to anything in between.
great comparison! I think the mids on the white one give it a generally smoother sound compared to the other two which both have more attack, with the black stealth having a bit more body to the tone. The black stealth seems the most intense in a high gain setting but the clean leaves a lot to be desired. So I think I'd use the black 6L6 for purely death metal stuff and the white one for prog and solos The first two channels of the EL34 sound like they'd be great for more general rock. Its red channel sounds a bit thinner than the 6L6 stealth but it has a tiny bit more attack I think, which I'd prefer for something more black metal. I think the EL34 seems like it would be the most versatile also. All three have positives to them but I think I'll go with the EL34 in the end. But for a purely metal context where I don't really need cleans I'd go with the 6L6 stealth.
I think for me, coming from more of a rock producer, I like the Ivory the most. I hear that being the most versatile just because of how the gain is on that as a whole. I know with Archetype Gojira, the blue and red channel are modeled after one of these 5150 III's, but I don't know which one. Just hearing these amps makes me want to buy one for my home studio.
Good Video, Excellent comparison. I had the Early 6l6 50 Watt Non Concentric pot amp that I really liked but hated the Volume drop for the shared Green/Blue channels, sold it for the 50 Watt Stealth, I did not personally care for that amp, sold it for the 100 Watt EL34, it's one of my Favorite amps I own now. I want the 100 Watt 6l6 Stealth but I don't think it would be a big enough difference to get it for 2k + just my .02
To be honest, I have only tried the plugin from mercuriall and it is very similar to what I hear in mine. The nature of stealth is more biting and sharp, ivory is more balanced and fits well into the mix. I didn't know you were in Aborted, great band.
Great comparion! I've got the Ivory version, but in black with the EVH 412. I tried the other amps before. The EL34 has a kind of sizzle I don't like. The Stealth has too much gain, so I am very happy with the "standard" one (with a good old TS808 in front)!
I've owned them all. I like the stealth best 100 and 50 watt versions. The 50 watt 6L6 version is pretty good too. It has more gain than the 100 watt version
I have the 100 watt Stealth and when you're playing ain't talkin about love, you can clearly hear a more open/present tone in the Stealth, where the old Ivory version seems a little bit more reserved, slightly muffled or not as open per say. The el34 sounds great as well, just a little bit different than the Stealth. However, they all sound pretty similar and there is not a huge difference, but the win goes to the 6L6 Stealth as always IMHO. I have a Marshall as well, so the el34 would be a bit redundant, although certainly not exactly the same as a Marshall.
Hey Men, thank you for this comparision! Personally i like the Blue-Channel on the 5150 III Original and the Red-Channel on the 5150 III Stealth. Both Channel sounding very simalare in my Ears, but the Blue-Channel on the Original has less gain and the Red-Channel on the Stealth is more compresst. This is very intressting for me than i have the Stealth and i prefer the Red-Channel and i don´t like the Blue-Channel on the Stealth..... i was thinking about to buy the Original, than is the better contrast to the Stealth as the EL34S, in my Opinion.
Crazy i never refer to the EL34 as a Stealth, just EL34, 6l6 and the Stealth. But it right there in the badging duh. I have the 50w 6L6S and it was very hard decision for me btw the EL34S and the Stealth 6L6. I ended up with the Stealth 6L6 because it was a killer deal and i really haven't been unhappy with it at all. I didn't know about the gain knob on the blue affecting the red and i watched what seemed like hundreds of videos here on YT. As i watched your @Mendelian vid i am pretty happy with my decision but really liked the blue channel on the EL34 and i turned away from the EL34-- which i usually prefer-- at the last second due to MANY vids claiming it was flubby and useless-- not what i heard just now! I have seen a couple live shows where the 6L6S was being used and that really sold me as well. I might just have to buy and EL34 version to see for myself. Great vid comparison whished i seen it all last year lol
At the end of the day any of them will get you in the ballpark and give you "that" sound. And the biggest thing ppl refuse to believe or understand is just how drastic part tolerances can affect the tones. From pots, to caps, resistors, transformers etc, these part tolerances can affect the tone meaning that on 1 amp a certain setting might need to go up or down a bit to match anothers side by side comparison but again, they all do the thing!
Which one of the three sounded the best to you? Let me know down in the comments! Also IR used is cab 1 from my Queensroad Pack:
www.drumsandtones.com/product/the-queensroad-ir-pack/
I liked the EL34 the most ❤
I liked the EVH one the best.
😂
Same.😜👍
Well i respect your opinion but EVH was better.
You should check out the E.V.H.’s
Youre all so wrong on this one the EVH clearly had more clarity while maintaining girth!
I've been looking for this kind of comparison for years
Hey Mendelian! This is so far the best EVH 5150 comparison. Great riffs, video edition, sound and you covered everything! Thank you for putting this together! Great work!
I've own all of these and the EL34 blue channel is the most toneful, chewy, articulate, amazing sounding blue channel of the 3. In my opinion. Great comparison.
I agree 100%
I don't have an amp, but I use NAM captures. EL34 blue channel sounds the best to me.
I played years and years (and again !) with a US made Peavey 6505+, and I found the same character in the Ivory EVH : mids forward, 1KHz presence, perfect for soloing in a mix. Also, I have an EVH5150III 50W Stealth 6L6 and I absolutely enjoy this amp with any channel. Cleans are beautiful, very easy to dial with, the blue channel is extremely tight (I use this channel for all my rhythm reampings) and the red channel is perfect for very aggressive Metal riffs on stage or rehearsals. One thing that is not often discussed : the effects loops of these amps are extremely useful, way more user friendly than any Rectifier or Marshall. It's almost plug and play (and believe me, I have a Dual Rectifier and a TSL100 !). FInally with this excellent video, if I would want my "perfect" version of the EVH5150III, it would be a 4 channels : clean one from the Stealth 6L6 (which can be very clean or easy to break up), the blue channel of the Stealth EL34 which is a killer, the red channel of the Stealth 6L6 for pure aggressive scooped tones and finally the red channel of the Ivory for pleasant and mix-piercing leads...
Awesome work, Mendel Van Halen! Beautifully shot, and wonderfully captured. You've just created the definitive EVH comparison video. Cheers!
I had a 50 watt but it was SO BRIGHT; I always had issues controlling the high end. I now have the 100 watt and it's much fatter in the low end, more of a wider sound
I know how you feel. I went from an MT15, which is a much darker amp to my 50 watt Stealth. Talk about tone shock......But I worked with dialing the Stealth in, and I'm pretty damn happy with it. I can see how someone would shy away from it though.
The amp designer clarified this somewhere in a UA-cam comment: 50w versions are noticeable brighter than their 100w counterparts because the presence control of the 50w at noon is equivalent to the presence control of the 100w in a way higher position (can’t remember exactly atm)
@@BazonBladesI got the 50 watt and I'm completely happy with it. The low end is perfect, I just messed with the resonance control a little bit
@jackbootshamangaming4541 , the 50 is awesome. When I took mine out of the box, I set all the controls how I normally would for a 5150 and boom....It was fantastic. I had to do very little adjusting beyond my tried and true setting.
I love my 50w 6L6 Ivory. The tones I get out of it are insane. Absolutely crushing amp with so little effort. I prefer to use a boost so the Ivory is perfect with less gain. When I switch between active and passive guitars I just adjust the level on the boost pedal. I even like the reverb a lot and find it really usable. Edit: back 8 months later. Still a great video. Just want to add that the EQs are very forgiving. Hard to make it sound bad. It's also very easy to mix.
I have a block letter and the 6L6 stealth. This is probably the best and most transparent demo I've ever seen 🙌🏻🔥
Awesome video. Stealth 6L6 for me overall, but I think they’re all capable of cool tones!
I agree with Ed. This video was fantastic. I now have a very high opinion of the stealth 6L6
Agree 100%. All sound great.. I prefer the 6L6 Stealth..But depends on the player..can't go wrong with either Stealth. Get the 50W..has all of the great sounds PLUS it's midi. Nice job!
Great comparison! I’m happy with my stealth!
Great video. I've owned every incarnation of the EVH line, and some I've owned multiples of the same version at the same time. I would just add to your video, that my experience in person and thru real speaker cabinets, the differences in these models are more drastic than what I hear thru this video and your Load Box, as I also owned these 3 amps at the same time. Also, with owning multiple amps of the same version at the same time, the EVH line is very inconsistent within the same model. Two of the EVH amps I currently own are two of the original (your white ones). They couldn't sound more different. In fact, they sound more different than your model comparison of different models. Thanks for the great video.
Those differences could be down to the individual tubes in each amp.
@@TheMirrorify And/or +/- tolerance allowances during mfg
Cool video. I liked the 6L6 black stealth version the best in this video. But it can completely different when u actually play it. In plugin versions I always liked the original Peavey 5150 best, the stealths felt always too noisy to me.
Can confirm lol. I’m in a hardcore band, I play the “ivory” 5150 through a Mesa 4x12 cab and often record with a SM57 paired with an E609 when tracking. I’m a walking metal cliché. 😢
I play the Ivory head through Mesa 4x12 and sometimes through a Soldano 4x12. The Mesa is THICK and powerful!
HUGE Tones!!! I can't decide between them. But i very dig the Mids in the 6L6 Stealth. Wow! Thank you for the work
Great, extremely thorough demo. All 3 are great amps, but the EL34 is definitely my favorite of the bunch. The EL34 and 6L6 Stealth definitely are similarly voiced on the blue and red channels, but I can definitely hear a bit of a classic modded Marshall voicing on the EL34’s blue channel, but with a lot more gain. I also like the green channel the best on the EL34.
Great video, professional comparison. I've had the first 100w version for 12 years and have never had to think about changing the amplifier. Very universal and good sounding equipment. I love it in combination with the dedicated EVH 4x12" speaker cab. Have a nice day.
Thank you so much for this - I've been leaning towards the EL34 as it feels overall the most balanced sound between the clean and the gain (i'm mostly a clean / rock /hard rock player leaning into some classic metal). But your video confirmed my thoughts!
Been waiting for precisely this video from someone for years, sir, thank you so much!!!
Thanks for the great comparison review! SUperb playing, too! But my fave is AHM5050 (EL34 version) lol
Great video. Have been using the EL34 Stealth Kemper profiles from Cililabs for 6 years now. Just an absolutely stellar amp (and profiles)
My main rig is built around a 50 watt Stealth head. I won't say it's a perfect amp. But it is really good. Honestly, I could take any of the three varients and be perfectly happy. Especially with an EQ pedal in the loop.
I have one that I’ve only used a couple times. I’ll have to give it another try. I think it’s the cab im using.
@donniejean , it can be a tough amp to love if you don't like how the mids are voiced. It was definitely a thing with me when I first got the Stealth. I had to step back and let the amp give me what it could rather than trying to force it into a different tonal niche. Beyond that, I think an EQ pedal in the loop can really ease the way.
@@donniejean I have the 50S as well. Preferred with the EVH 412 over a Mesa 212 vertical.
@@steveo4253 I’ll have to give it a shot, I have the EVH 50s as well and have heard good things about it!
I’m leaning towards buying the Stealth 6L6 and this video has me leaning even harder! Good job on the comparison riffage, very easy to hear the differences
Thanks for the massive review! You’ve got a new subscriber 👍🏻
Very nice comparison.
Good job man.
Loved Aborted, stumbled on your channel because I’m looking to pick up a higher gain amp, crazy you used to play w/ them. Good information, great playing, subbed.
First of all, thank you very much for all the effort that went into this! Much appreciated!!
Now, I’ve listened very carefully to your hard work and as a 50 6L6/50S 6L6 owner I hear the same differences. E, D# and drop D are my main tunings and for leads as well as rhythm I like the regular better. Overall. The mids sound way more pleasant to the ears, more open.
The Stealth 6L6 sounds held back, I don’t know…
It’s a great backup for now. Thinking of trading it for an EL34, but the Stealth 6L6 came in the day before Ed left us, so there’s that….
What sets the Stealth 6L6 apart for me is the blue channel. With a boost that channel is high gain perfection,
Having played all three of these back to back in person, my favorite is the EL34.
It’s not by much, I just love the saggy chewy response versus the drier and punchier response of 6L6 amps.
And I’m not saying the EL34 is “loose” or anything, it’s still tight af, it’s just a bit wetter and more saturated.
Nice playing and great tones brother. Appreciate the video. I got the 50 watt ivory 6l6 original version and got a dv77 and v30 in the matching 2x12 . Really diggin the tones I'm getting. Really brutal chugaliciousness.
Where's your gain? I think mine is about 2 or 3 oclock and I'm using an OD808 with level around the same. 4x12 recto IR. Sounds unreal to me. Barely have to do any EQ or processing. Just 2 guitars panned.
@@jows7595 I'm usually on the blue channel with gain at about 2 o'clock at lower volumes but turn it down to about 1 o'clock when turned up more and I'm using the ts9 out front. I have the precision drive and the dirty tree but I'm liking the ts9 best with the blue channel on the evh . Saving the dirty tree for when I get me a boogie recto . The evh is already really tight so the DT just makes it too tight . Lol
Fantastic video. This was informative and very well made. Thank you!
Great comparison. Thank you!
This review being extremely fair and thorough, makes it even more difficult to chose 1 out of the 3. If I get one, it's definitely going to be which one I can get for the best price.
5150 III with fender is the perfect amp. Rock solid gain structure and perfect glassy cleans
3rd... with e34 s is a truly the beast..hands down but honestly think so 2nd. And 3rd. R the best combination ( 2x 50W) together...the cab, pickups, gauge of strings , an gouge of pic...that s another level of alchemy... but 9ne global solution ...u can t go wrong with these amps...❤
Right from the opening riff, I think I like the 6L6. The Stealth is supposed to have tighter more clear midrange but in the mix it kinda disappeared. The EL34 was right in between the two. We'll see if my opinion changes as the video progresses.
I ❤ my EVH Amps!!!! I play a lot through the 5150 ICONIC. My favorite is my White JCM800 Anniversary 50 watter Reinhold Bogner built for Eddie before the Peavey 5150 came out. That amp is magical!!!
The EL34 is just a punch in the chest. Chunk monster just pushes through the mix.
I’ve always liked all 3 , but like the 6L6 amps best. The OG maybe has the best blue channel imo. But I use that and the stealth and sold the EL34, but it was good too . Just wanted to get a Friedman so I traded for it
Thank you 🙏🏽 I wanted them compared like you did 👍🏻👍🏻👋🏼👋🏼
wow best amp comparison video I've probably ever seen.
Thank you for nice comparison. I like the clean sound of 6L6 stealth :) I feel like EL34 is better for two or more strings riffing where you do not need so much clarity and want bigger wall of sound. For single string riffs 6L6 stands out. Maybe it is more genre dependent feeling :)
Je bent een topper, mendel. Leuke video
In some instances the gain structure of the stealth 6L6 is a bit too compressed/over saturated, but then again they are completely different amps that need to be dialed in differently to get the best out of each amp. I think my favorite overall is the EL34 because it's just so tight, but not overly harsh in the highs.
EL34S for me 100%. I used to own the ivory 100w 6L6 it was a good amp but my concern was with having to dime the blue channel gain almost competely. They sure fixed this in later models. Love the tones!
Okay I did tons of research before I purchased my el34 but I wish I had a video like this available at the time. I still would have picked the el34 but this video would have made the decision much more easy.
I’ve got the EL34. Great amp. But the clean channel demo on the Stealth just blew my mind. 😮
What a great video Mendel! Like all your videos, not only does it sound SO GOOD, but the visuals are so pleasing on the eye too. You can really tell you put a lot of time into it. Loved the panning shots of the stacked amps at 6:45 Thanks so much for all your videos. I just came across your channel a couple of months ago and have been listening to your solo album Equilibrium a lot. Love Hades Dethroned and of course Returnal is just stunning!
White= more lower mids and cleaner. Black Stealth= Most presence, more gain than white but less compressed than el34. El34 Stealth=tighter lows, more gain and complex upper mids. It's exactly what you would expect from putting el34s in the stealth.
Great video!!!
yes I've experienced what your talking about something with the phase or shape of the low end on palm mutes on the 6l6 . love the way the el34 ver records
mmm Funny but I think that's not only in your head because I had exactly the same thought before you comment it at the end of the video. For my ears, there is something delightful in the attack of the 6L6 however I prefer the general tone of the EL34. Good test anyway. Thank you very much for that :)
Thank you so much Mendel for this content, fantastic as always...they are all good with there own flavours but for me the Stealth is like a magic amp it sounds so good....did you make Tonex pack for these 3 amps ?
All three amps are in my ToneX pack :)!
Great review bro, very detailed and covers a lot, thank you
Would be cool to compare all 3 to their 50w counterparts, they all sound different. My 50w 6l6 still hasn't been dethroned IMO, it's my favourite amp of all time. It's ruined all others for me, and even in the studio with quite a lot of different choices I always end up preferring it. It's so tight and clear yet with enough body and grit, just the perfect sweet spot it always sits really well in the mix and is really forgiving when I have to use other people's cabs on some shows, it always shines. The size, weight, midi switching are all big advantages compared to the 100w but I actually think it sounds better so it's a win win
I think I prefer the EL34 as well. If it’s more like a hotroded Marshall than the others especially the treble response in the clean and blue channel then I’m definitely considering that head. But you are right there’s a certain surgical attack with the 6L6 model. The other guitarist in my band uses a 6505 so I think the EL34 might be a good balance in tone if I play one.
You're the only one who's compared all three. There isn't even a comparison between the 100 watt OG and Stealth anywhere on here lol. Thank you. This confirmed my decision to sell the OG and to buy the Stealth. I love the hell out of my EL34 tho too the red channel sounds like it'll rip your head off and the green channel sounds like angels giving me a bj
I would like to meet these angels you speak of. I think I'll order the el34 now. thank you
@@HA-tb2fv oh yes and use the walrus audio deep six v3 compressor with it and some sort of delay and/or reverb. I like the Catalinbread soft focus or Keeley halo
Amazing comparison. Thanks for this video
Great review and great playing dude! I've owned a few versions of this amp also.... The original 100w 5153, that limited Edition 100w colored front, then the 50w and then the 100w Stealth, and my thoughts are close to yours between the two 100 watters... I had an issue with the Special Edition so I returned it. When I sold my 100w original to switch to the 50w, I noticed that the blue channel was tighter and had more gain/saturation versus it's 100w version. And that same gain/saturation on the 50w was on the Stealth... I haven't played the 100w EL34 but I did the 50w and I didn't like that one.
It's nuts that after all this time there isn't a good video comparison of them online
Until now
Sick that you rplayed for Aborted, great band and just saw them a few months back
Love them all.But i think the stealth is a little fuzzy when the gain gets up there.
I watched this whole thing, awesome! Video!thanks!
I got a better one...non circulated EVH 5150 III 100S Proto...not a Stealth. It's a 5150 III 100S that Howard Kaplan built for Ed. Basically a 5150 III with Resonance knobs on the back. Thank you for the comparison great vid!
Great vid. Now I just have to figure out how to get my hands on that EL34 Stealth model.
On the EL34 and the Stealth if you are finding the red channel too gained out, you can lower the gain knob on the blue channel and it actually has an impact on the gain of the red channel (this is quite well known now) I can't remember if it does the same on the Ivory even though I had an Ivory for a time , I think it doesn't. I have both the 100w Stealth and EL34 still and I love them both.
Jup 100% correct! And indeed not the case on the Ivory. That’s also the reason I made sure all settings on the blue channel where the same on both stealth amps when reamping the red channel.
Have extensively compared the Stealth 100 and the el34 100 and I found them the sounded incredibly similar. The main difference by a large margin was on the green channel. On the 6l6 stealth, it breaks up almost instantly. The el34 has a lot more headroom. For the blue, I think the 6l6 is brighter, clearer, and a bit more scooped in the mids. The red channels are almost identical.
That's pretty much in line what I'm hearing in this video.
I prefer the Ivory in this comparison, the Stealth and EL34 sounded a bit fizzy. Ivory on the blue channel with a OD808 in front is badass.
Awesome video man. Much I can learn from it!
The ivory benefits more from speakers that scoop mids like the Eminence CV75s. The other 2 benefit more from speakers that produce more mids to compensate their scooped voicing. I liked the ivory the best ironically because then you can tailor it more to your likings with pedals and EQs vs the Stealths that have too much gain and less tweakable voicing.
Love the el34 the best especially in the low tuned demos!
I've had the OG 6L6 and the EL34. Loved the EL34 so much that I sold the OG but I really want to try a Stealth too.
The EL34 Stealth is the most versatile. I'm probably going to buy the 50-watt el34.
Toujours aussi parfait et technique, bravo
Great video and thanks. After watching I definitely prefer the Peaveys over any of these !!!
Aborted is a sick band! Glad to see another lefty out there! Fantastic video.
The EL34 sounds tight! 👊🏽😎
I legit couldn’t hear a difference at first. Long live EVH! 🤘
I've owned all 3, the EL-34 version is, without a doubt, the best overall. Has all the gain and sound of the 6L6 models but more balanced and much more versatile. Best clean channel of the bunch as well. The 6L6 models are almost too aggressive and less responsive to EQ changes, more one-trick pony's whereas the EL-34 can pull off any style of music you want to play on it from extreme metal to country to pop to anything in between.
great comparison! I think the mids on the white one give it a generally smoother sound compared to the other two which both have more attack, with the black stealth having a bit more body to the tone. The black stealth seems the most intense in a high gain setting but the clean leaves a lot to be desired. So I think I'd use the black 6L6 for purely death metal stuff and the white one for prog and solos
The first two channels of the EL34 sound like they'd be great for more general rock. Its red channel sounds a bit thinner than the 6L6 stealth but it has a tiny bit more attack I think, which I'd prefer for something more black metal. I think the EL34 seems like it would be the most versatile also.
All three have positives to them but I think I'll go with the EL34 in the end. But for a purely metal context where I don't really need cleans I'd go with the 6L6 stealth.
I think for me, coming from more of a rock producer, I like the Ivory the most. I hear that being the most versatile just because of how the gain is on that as a whole. I know with Archetype Gojira, the blue and red channel are modeled after one of these 5150 III's, but I don't know which one. Just hearing these amps makes me want to buy one for my home studio.
Good Video, Excellent comparison. I had the Early 6l6 50 Watt Non Concentric pot amp that I really liked but hated the Volume drop for the shared Green/Blue channels, sold it for the 50 Watt Stealth, I did not personally care for that amp, sold it for the 100 Watt EL34, it's one of my Favorite amps I own now. I want the 100 Watt 6l6 Stealth but I don't think it would be a big enough difference to get it for 2k + just my .02
6L6 Stealth for me.
They all sound great wish I had one
Dude you are an awesome player
Great video man. New sub!
Stealth Fur sure !
Honestly I personally love the stealth ;)
To be honest, I have only tried the plugin from mercuriall and it is very similar to what I hear in mine. The nature of stealth is more biting and sharp, ivory is more balanced and fits well into the mix. I didn't know you were in Aborted, great band.
Great comparion! I've got the Ivory version, but in black with the EVH 412. I tried the other amps before. The EL34 has a kind of sizzle I don't like. The Stealth has too much gain, so I am very happy with the "standard" one (with a good old TS808 in front)!
I've owned them all. I like the stealth best 100 and 50 watt versions. The 50 watt 6L6 version is pretty good too. It has more gain than the 100 watt version
No gain No pain 🤘 The Steath it shall be 🥷
Stealth 6L6 FTW👍
Stealth overall wins. Best clean best blue channel to me.
I have the 100 watt Stealth and when you're playing ain't talkin about love, you can clearly hear a more open/present tone in the Stealth, where the old Ivory version seems a little bit more reserved, slightly muffled or not as open per say. The el34 sounds great as well, just a little bit different than the Stealth. However, they all sound pretty similar and there is not a huge difference, but the win goes to the 6L6 Stealth as always IMHO. I have a Marshall as well, so the el34 would be a bit redundant, although certainly not exactly the same as a Marshall.
Hey Men, thank you for this comparision! Personally i like the Blue-Channel on the 5150 III Original and the Red-Channel on the 5150 III Stealth. Both Channel sounding very simalare in my Ears, but the Blue-Channel on the Original has less gain and the Red-Channel on the Stealth is more compresst. This is very intressting for me than i have the Stealth and i prefer the Red-Channel and i don´t like the Blue-Channel on the Stealth..... i was thinking about to buy the Original, than is the better contrast to the Stealth as the EL34S, in my Opinion.
Crazy i never refer to the EL34 as a Stealth, just EL34, 6l6 and the Stealth. But it right there in the badging duh. I have the 50w 6L6S and it was very hard decision for me btw the EL34S and the Stealth 6L6. I ended up with the Stealth 6L6 because it was a killer deal and i really haven't been unhappy with it at all. I didn't know about the gain knob on the blue affecting the red and i watched what seemed like hundreds of videos here on YT. As i watched your @Mendelian vid i am pretty happy with my decision but really liked the blue channel on the EL34 and i turned away from the EL34-- which i usually prefer-- at the last second due to MANY vids claiming it was flubby and useless-- not what i heard just now! I have seen a couple live shows where the 6L6S was being used and that really sold me as well. I might just have to buy and EL34 version to see for myself. Great vid comparison whished i seen it all last year lol
At the end of the day any of them will get you in the ballpark and give you "that" sound. And the biggest thing ppl refuse to believe or understand is just how drastic part tolerances can affect the tones. From pots, to caps, resistors, transformers etc, these part tolerances can affect the tone meaning that on 1 amp a certain setting might need to go up or down a bit to match anothers side by side comparison but again, they all do the thing!
Awesome shootout! Stealth definitely works best for huge trash riffs! All sound great nonetheless!
EL34 100S SLAYS!!
Unreal tone!!! Holy $#@&!!!