EVH 5150 III SHOOTOUT

[@BettyTheRaccoon]

The 50w version was one of the best purchases I've made. Not super hard to carry around for a gig and still packing a punch to hold on bigger venues. Lately though lunchbox version seems way more enticing for my back 🤣

[@aaron9142]

Put your purse down so you can carry more weight.

[@BettyTheRaccoon]

@@aaron9142 It's a man's bag not a purse!

[@DudeMcGuybro]

@@BettyTheRaccoon IT HAS A SHOULDER STRAP!

[@bisaillion]

Don't do it. Lunchbox amps are all hype and no tone. My 2 cents, higher watt variants will always sound better than their lower watt counterparts. The lower you go, the further from the intended tone you get

[@BettyTheRaccoon]

@@DudeMcGuybro YES IT DOES! ^^

[@jhimself7160]

I put a 12at7 in the V3 position of the red channel, and it mellowed the gain so that it’s still more than the blue, but thick and tight and a lot less fizzy

[@chrismears2312]

Would’ve been good to see if you could’ve used the resonance knob to match the beefiness of the 100w.

[@chrismarcyy]

What resonance knob? :O

[@dubster82]

@@chrismarcyy the one on the back

[@JDUBBY08]

100 watt still smokes it. I own both

[@MK-oz2lf]

@@JDUBBY08 really so with the resonance knob on ten and the 100 still sounds bigger?

[@boblong101]

@@MK-oz2lfthe 100w without a resonance knob has more than enough low end.

[@jimmybags1494]

I have a 50 watt stealth 6l6. Just got a EVH 5150 Iconic 4x12 for it. It sounds SO insane, and when you mic it up and double track, it barely even needs any eq'ing. It sounds so tight and so angry, I love it!

[@maddoxmay611]

How do you like the iconic 4x12 compared to some other cabs out there? The price makes it enticing but I’m wondering if I’d be better off with the standard 6l6 2x12 that EVH makes

[@jimmybags1494]

@@maddoxmay611 I absolutely love it. I had a Mesa 4x12 with v30’s and it was just not able to play well with the evh. This iconic cab turned it into a completely different beast. Super super focused sounding but not harsh and hits all the sweet frequencies just right. Super punchy, super mean!

[@maddoxmay611]

@@jimmybags1494 I tried it out with the 50w stealth and I dug the sound but I think it needed a boost because it didn’t feel tight enough, but I’m interested in either the 50w 6l6 in white or the iconic

[@jimmybags1494]

@@maddoxmay611 yeah with a boost it’s absolutely insane. Buy the stealth, it’s worth it and the clean channel on the stealth is to die for. I have a fractal ax8 and have a boost pedal I built in it that mimics the frequency hump of the fortin 33 and it’s absolutely the sickest of shits

[@maddoxmay611]

@@jimmybags1494 do you think it’s worth the extra $200?

[@nenadfilipovic7652]

Adding the resonance on 50w would bring it closer to 100w. That's why I bought 50w Stealth and I couldn't be more happier with the choice.

[@davidbeauvais1364]

It’s on the back of the head

[@thomasstankiewicz9730]

Hahaha

[@justinlonghofer]

He meant “adding (some more) resonance”

[@mattz1686]

I’m not a fan of the high mids of the stealth 50 watt

[@tomfoolery2082]

I think the 100watt version is the best sounding amp iv played thru .

[@DaltPlaysGuitar]

Surprised how much of a difference there is between these two. I definitely prefer the 100w over the KZbin airwaves but they’re both sick!!

[@SuperGuitar38]

FYI= the Green and Blue channels on the 50w 6L6 were redesigned but Eddie insisted the Red channel be carried over exactly. Love mine!

[@mikelovesguitars402]

I have to admit that I'm a little surprised by the tonal differences in these 2 amps. I agree that the 100 watt just sounds bigger and you get more of that bludgeoning someone in the face feel with it. Having said that, I lucked out when I bought my 50 watt and got it for $230, so I'm still happy with it. :)

[@amirtak9886]

Woah, whats the story behind the $230 steal?

[@mikelovesguitars402]

@@amirtak9886 Just got crazy lucky at a pawn shop. It apparently had been sitting there for a few months and no one had picked it up. I had even been in that same pawn shop at least twice in the previous month and missed it myself some how. It was kind of stuck in a corner with stuff on top of it. It had been discounted multiple times when I finally saw it. Bought it immediately.

[@amirtak9886]

@@mikelovesguitars402 Thats a keeper, you can always resell it for more if you find something better.

[@mikelovesguitars402]

@@amirtak9886 nah, I'm a gear hoarder. I try not to ever sell anything! That's how I ended up with 20 guitars and 11 amps. :)

[@amirtak9886]

@@mikelovesguitars402 damn, I wish I had pawn shops like that in my area.

[@luca4352]

100W has way more lower mids, 50W has more top end fizzyness, for me the 100W sounds thicker and would definetely be the pick for me.

[@BruceWayne-vs4mz]

Sounds like the resonance knob on the back of the 50 watt isn’t turned up at all. The 50 watt gets thicker than the 100. I have both heads also.

[@scottchamley181]

Today we shoot out a couple of 5150s and I give an instant thumbs up! Okay back to the video!

[@nicosonic]

I think with the resonance maxed on the 50w it may have been more similar. that's how I set my EL34 5150 50w.

[@benbubear8046]

Great video! I'm picking a 5150iii 100w 6L6 up next week... stoked

[@caseywilson7768]

Man that 50 watt...imo....one of the all time great amps

[@Spacemonster2024]

I LOVE the craziness of the 50w version. Although, I only have the gain on 3-4 on the Red Channel. 😈😁

[@Kevin.Kelly.]

Love the shootouts!

[@chriscalvert4625]

Ah the blue channel is just an amazing tone on both

[@Wasteoftime10]

I currently own three 50 watt 6L6 head, and two 100 watt OG heads. My experience is that they vary greatly even when compared to the same model. My two OG 100 watt heads couldnt sound and feel more different, like they are an entire different model. Im not sure if its a quality control issue, or their parts they use have wide ranging variations, but I suggest anyone that really likes the sound and style of the EVH heads, to try a few of them at the same time. Which one sound 'the best' to you will be subjective.

[@jeffunrau3958]

I got super stoned before watching this video. Laying on my couch the video passed by in what seemed like 30 seconds. I'm not sure what happened lol.

[@thehoppo]

Fluff: This is just for funsies. Queue the internet hate comments from experts that once walked past an EVH head at Guitar Centre

[@paweposzaj6784]

I bought the 100w version 11 years ago, this amp is fantastic, I think it is definitely better than the 50w version

[@LykaonMetalMusic]

Love the 50 Watt Version! EVH Sound shocked the World!

[@ZackSeifMusic]

The 50W Stealth is probably the best amp for the price in terms of features. I’m a Mesa player through and through but before I could afford my JP-2C the EVH is where it was at.

[@turbinexman]

The red channel is noisy as hell!! Is there any way to dial out some of that hiss, or does a noise gate have to be used? By the way great demo of the two amps!! I liked the blue channel on the 50 watt version the best, as it's great for "Power Chording" and "Low End Riffs"!! Great demo!!

[@jeremiahmcgowan]

Thank you for the great video man!

[@KaijuAlert]

The 50 sounds like it has more snap and bite here, but it would have been good to actually use the resonance control to see if it could match the heft of the 100. It seems like the 50 had one arm tied behind its back in this flawed test.

[@Dustinchugs]

Every 50w evh I've owned I had the res maxed! That's how it sounds the best IMO

[@StayClassy635]

He did way more tweaking on the 100w. Seems like an unfair comparison. Both sounded good though.

[@moisttowelette5353]

Also, the resonance knob on the 50 is a feature and should be used. You could definitely make it sound more beefy like the 100 by bumping up the resonance.

[@strings2wood]

Great presentation and comparison. Made it very easy to know what was what. Good job sir.👍

[@lodougherty]

You should do this with a Rockerverb III 50/100.

[@dylanjosephguitar]

Great video!

[@xXpapercutsXx]

You gotta do the same with the Mesa Badlander 50 and 100! I have a 50 watt on order, can’t wait for it!!

[@ChiAeNima]

Both super awesome. I will be more than happy to own whichever of them.

[@andrewbarock]

5150 is life

[@BlvckjvckRecordings]

The 50w version is perfect every way for me

[@Snakebyte3301]

The 50 watt sounds more compressed and bright, the 100 watt sounds thicker and more open. Both amps are great, it just comes down to price, weight, and personal preference

[@jake13b]

thanks for doing this and showing that watts is not about volume. they sound different. pick which ever one is best for you, but they ARE different.

[@mattz1686]

I have both. Gotta keep the presence on the 50 watt to 9 o’clock or under

[@TheRickdoggie]

The 50w sounds fizzier to me than the 100w.But they both sound really good.

[@melvinsfan]

I have the 50 watt and it flat out rocks. Speakers play a big part, and cabinets also. Also I don’t agree with the eq settings in this demo. It can sound much better.

[@steveo4253]

I've got the 50w Stealth, very happy. The midi is a plus too. I put a 6 band MXR in the loop with a slight boost at 100 and 400 and wow ! Running with a 212 vertical rectifier cab.

[@Lesspaw41]

The rectifier cab seems to be the way to go. I always see others running that cab instead of the EVH 2x12. I'm doing an MXR 10 band. What are your settings?

[@steveo4253]

@@Lesspaw41 My settings change a little depending on guitar I'm using and if I'm using a particular channel for rhythm or lead sounds. I recently added a Texas Heat in the cab with the Mesa V30 they pair well !

[@zbaby82]

They're both good.

[@metalsnake3557]

I have both those amps in my living room. The 50 watt is a good pedal platform. Not shure about my 100S though because I mainly boost the blue channel with my savage drive and call it a day.

[@pogoman246]

This was great. The only channel I liked better on the 100W was the red channel and I don’t use that ever, so thanks for helping me learn that I have no reason to shell out for the big boy lol

[@LucifdeLuther]

50W version have different, more responsive, presence taper (C-taper). So 5 (from 10) for 50W means, maybe, 8 for 100W version. According to schematics of both amps, preamp red channels almost the same.

[@chrisriffs]

I'm always up for a 5150 shootout!

[@hommedammn7132]

I would like to hear a comparison just between the preamp sections.

[@fill172]

I think an interesting video. 5150 iconic 3 comparisons 5150 and cab full IR 5150 head pre amp out along with cab or 5150 head midi out which has its own cab ir. Would love to see the sound differences

[@wakjob961]

Careful with the "O'clock" reference to the controls. There's a whole generation that doesn't know how to read a traditional clock.

[@BecomingWolves]

Lol so true

[@crispylicksguitar]

So wish you would have used the resonance knob at the end!

[@daynedamage8919]

Definitely preferred the tight bite of the 50 on the red channel.

[@MetalHeadProductions]

I feel like instead of leaving the resonance at noon you should have dialed it in to be full like the 100 watt, that would have given a better comparison.

[@TheDistortionPrinciple]

I tend to agree. But I imagine he made that choice becuase of how awkward it woudn be to reach around behind whime filming. Makes for longer edits and trying to not hit the cameras while moving lol

[@MetalHeadProductions]

@@TheDistortionPrinciple I suppose, but I would have worked out where the resonance should have been to better match the 10/ beforehand and just have made mention of it.

[@TheDistortionPrinciple]

@@MetalHeadProductions oh I fully agree. The resonance could have been set prior. I'm actually suppose to trade a orange th30 for a 100watt 5150 tomorrow. Bedroom tones be damned! Lol

[@MetalHeadProductions]

@@TheDistortionPrinciple nice enjoy, killer amp.

[@MK-oz2lf]

ok now I know I am not crazy. Thank you

[@justsomerandomguyman]

The 100w really comes alive when you give it a lot of treble and presence. Not sure why you were nearly diming the mids on it though. lol. 50w sounds good but is way, way brighter at the same settings. A little fizzy sounding in comparison even with the knobs at noon. To me, it sounds nice and aggressive, but that is really limiting the range of usability vs the 100w.

[@thomasdust955]

I would love to hear your take on a Peavey XXX vs JSX.

[@elbartolapoente]

pristine cleans!

[@rendyandrian7149]

I never play any of these amp because I play 100% using amp sim. The interesting thing is 100W version is similar to your amp roots 5034 while 50W is similar to Neural DSP Gojira.

[@leegollin4417]

Play the 100 watt twice as loud. Match the volumes at your board and you will probably hear them both sounding more similar.

[@nicosonic]

interesting, you could do a shootout with an EL34 5150 if you have one.

[@BradPham]

Two great amps. Good shootout. Tough thing about it is matching volumes. Most valve amps produce their rock n roll magic when the master volume is at 60-80%. Very loud. Neither is the case here, for obvious reasons. Having ranted, I've gotta say it's a good comparison for using these amps a practical volume levels.

[@pogoman246]

I’d say you’re right when it comes to old amps, but newer ones don’t have that issue in my experience. I’d even argue that the “magic” you’re referring to is just the feeling you get in the room when you’re that loud vs anything super important sonically.

[@BradPham]

@@pogoman246 You’re quite correct. Being in the room with a pushed 100w amp & a full(or half) stack is physical experience. I’ve gotta say, though, that it’s an aural one was well. The way that power makes the speakers work differently and the sweet & high headroom power tube distortion is also part of the magic. But how all that works in a pure recording environment mightn’t be apples to apples. My recording experience is limited. Thanks heaps for the reply!

[@scottyhollow7351]

It does 😂 nah just messing with you. I love my 100w

[@shredgd5]

Although it’s clear the 100W sounds thicker, I can’t understand why you kept cutting mids in the 50W and boosting them in the 100W, when the only chance to make them sound similar would have been doing the opposite…

[@eguilherme1]

The presence knobs have a different taper on the 50w models. 9:00 on the 50w is like 12:00 on the 100w version. Can’t do a true comparison with those settings being equal.

[@manicmurph]

The blue channel on the 50 sounds more comparable to the green channel on the 100 watt. If you wanted to you can make the 50 watt sound just like the 100 watt with boosters and EQ. Idk if he volume matched it right cause the 50 watt red channel sounds a lot better than the 100 watt. The 100 watt red channel sounds muddy as hell the 50 watt sounds way more clearer.

[@zombies418]

To my ears it 100w was the clear winner until you got to the red channel. Red channel on the 100w sounded muddy to my ears and the 50w was what I expected out of a 5150, however the green/blue channels on the 50w left more to be desired imo as you stated the 100w was much chunkier in tone. Maybe it has to do with the green/blue channel sharing a circuit instead of being independent like on the 100w?

[@chadwickwright2833]

It’s not muddy at all. You gotta remember, it depends on your guitar, what speakers you’re using and this thing has so much gain. I keep my gain at about 9 o’clock. It’s note definition is amazing.

[@Deadgenie]

Would love to see a comparison like this between the peavey's 5150 and 5150 II

[@hierrogm]

Cool comparison, I had 100 stealth and 50 stealth, I very much preferred the 50 blue overall, red on 100 is just too much gain but beefy as hell Abdul hard to tame lotsa Eqing, kept 50 so,d the big boy …also 100 is 30 inches and 55 lbs 😬

[@lucwilson1]

Do the Stealth 50 vs 100 next

[@Th3F0nz]

The 5150IIIS is the one with individual resonance controls.

[@HaydenMcCarry]

Love the 100w, not a fan of the 50w as much!

[@davidbeauvais1364]

Playing the 50w live tonight with my band at a large venue. It slices the mix more to my ears leaving the 100w home. To be clear though my 50w is the el34 model

[@shippybs]

100 watt has big advantage with lows and mids which is why it doesn’t need resonance control. The 50 would have been right there in the low mids if you boosted the resonance a bit. Have a heart bros she’s 1/2 the wattage and 2 less power tubes

[@jesperbc]

The tones are insane, but... I know, who buys a 5150 for the cleanz, but for a three channel amp, you'd expect the clean channel to actually reach into clean territory, and not this crunch thing, where it's barely indistinguishable from the crunch channel. 🤔

[@pogoman246]

It definitely does, you just have to play it like you want it to be clean. Granted, this is the V2 version of the 50W, but I have the V1 50W and I can get it clean pretty easily by playing lightly, even with the gain almost maxed on that channel (V1 head doesn’t have concentric gain/volume pots for the green and blue channels). It gets crystal clean with the gain at like, 2.

[@jhmusic1]

I have the 100w, it can do clean but you have to have to gain almost off, like under 1.5. Using single coils/split humbuckers helps a lot too. The gain on the green channel in this vid is at like halfway which is faaaar from being clean

[@timbuckman3995]

The clean on the 50watt is great, he just has the gain way too high.

[@howardgillingham4763]

Try the 50 watt with a KSR VERTICLE 212

[@billzade8158]

I kinda wonder how they would compare if you drove them both full out. Not volume decibel matched, but volume pot matched.

[@RobertSmith-rg1pu]

I used an older Fender badged 50w for a while with my old band. I had to sell it tho because I needed the money 😭

[@alexanderhanksx]

You have GOT to be related to Bert Kreischer. Your face, mannerisms, voices and build are.... scary similar. I hope you see this and know who I'm talking about. It's uncanny.

[@MK-oz2lf]

you could've increased the resonance of the 50 watt to match the hugeness of the 100 watt that you were describing

[@chrisfoster5]

You can't tweak that 50 watt to match the sound of the 100, It doesn't matter how you tweak it, The 50 watt is scopped and fizzy in comparison to the 100 watt. You can't lose that u are recording it just has way more life. the 50 watt almost has a character, Tried many times to justify the 50 watt over the 100 watt and couldn't do it. Had to stick with the 100 watt. If you are recording it just has way more life. the 50 watt almost has a character that reminds me of an amp sim that can't get past. I will say tho for live use, I have heard the 50 watt sound great. Just never been useful for me when recording, Its always got shot down by all my other amps

[@MK-oz2lf]

@@chrisfoster5 when there’s pedals now that can add resonance to an amp through fx return also it’s worth a try.

[@Wagoo]

The EVHs just always sound so fizzy to me vs the Peaveys

[@brandonbryson3317]

Interesting. I have the 50 watt stealth and the OG block letter 5150 and both me and my roommate feel like the Peavey is a lot more fizzy haha

[@jimmybags1494]

You gotta try the stealth 6L6 with an EVH cab, it sounds ridiculous. My stealth did NOT like V30's and it definitely sounded slightly fizzy moving through those, but with an EVH cab loaded with EVH custom speakers it's an animal

[@moisttowelette5353]

The peavey 6505s always sounded more wooly and fizzy to me. My 100 watt Stealth isn’t fizzy at all really.

[@RyRyTheBassGuy]

@@jimmybags1494 I agree. I don't think any version of the 5150 sounds its best going through V30s. Which makes sense since EVH didn't use em and didn't voice the amp for them.

[@musicmore5169]

what's up with your mic, or what mic are you using ?

[@papasmjordeig]

My prediction: Its gonna be pretty much the same but maybe the slllliiightest of differences

[@kopan14]

signal chain ?

[@marcreno893]

You look just like Jeremy Sheppard the guitar hunter from about 7 years in the future

[@carlosfernandocaceres552]

Great comparison! Maybe dialing the resonance on the 50w could make it sound more like the big brother

[@Locallybuiltauto]

I have the 50w in white and in my opinion it sounds tighter than the 100w

[@chadwickwright2833]

Big disagree. I owned the 50 and ended up buying the 100 and it’s not even in the same league.

[@Turbo-D]

the average 6L6 50w head is @ 1300€ right now!? WTF? paid 999 just last year but send it back and got the 50w stealth version instead, much better bang for your bucks guys..its the best of all those 50w and even 100w versions for me, most complete, balanced wothout any major drawbacks like most other versions have.. and just..evil😈 ..and the same price also and due to the ridiculous tube prices a smarter choice, too 😷

[@JC-mx8fy]

the 50w head sounds way better to me. sounds is all about preference.

[@digchevelle]

The 100W is noticeably more saturated.

[@jsullivan2112]

The 100W has more headroom, not less gain.

[@silvereisen]

100w all the way. 50w is way too harsh for me…

[@NobotyBoi]

Its on the back

[@cazd9591]

What pickups in the PRS?

[@blue_mountains28]

clean channel 🤣

[@themixmusicandmore6280]

Holy shit 100w is way more mature and focused and better lol

[@ayeapprove]

Basically confirms why the 50 Watt is my favorite: More headroom in the clean channel and a tighter lead channel eliminating the need for a Tubescreamer.

[@felipetiecher]

The 50w just sounded horrible to me. Super fizzy. 100w sounded better, but not that impressive tbh.

[@heavyvibrationstudiopl3256]

Big difference.

[@ricktheanimal9296]

When Eddie left Peavy and went to FENDER circa 2012/13.. I was lucky to find a 100watter!! It was called WOLFGANG as I recall.. Great amplifier...

[@TheJudy79]

50 watts sounds better

[@Burnt_Gerbil]

The eq is at noon. That’s why it sounds dull! The knobs are meant to be adjusted to make the amp sound better. Match the settings between the amps. They could have removed the tone stack and just used preamp and power amp gain knobs. Fail. I request a do over. 🤦‍♂️

[@whatskraken3886]

this is a pretty poor comparison