Matthew Kiichi Heafy | 5150 vs 6505 vs 5150 II vs 6534+ | Which one is the best?

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[@wmxx2000]

Tracking 6505 - 2:24 5150 - 3:23 5150 ii - 4:17 6534+ - 5:18 Playback 6505 - 6:27 5150 - 6:47 5150 ii - 7:17 6534+ - 7:48 6534+ - 13:17 5150 - 15:17 6505 - 22:32

[@mazklassa9338]

Dude brilliant job listing those. 6534+ for me personally.

[@TVoltG]

@@mazklassa9338 6534+ is my favorite

[@bakerXderek]

I got the USA built 6505+ and it's my favorite metal amp ever. The tone never gets old.

[@wrenchhead4378]

Yes sir.. i think 2012 was the last year of the mississippi amps.. thats what year mine is

[@chasebroughton7373]

@@Endlessnameless803 question. Did Peavey ever make a white 6505 +? I found one I’m interested in buying from someone soon.

[@Endlessnameless803]

@@chasebroughton7373 You could custom order white tolex when they were USA made

[@norwardradtke1361]

Same I bought my 05+ in 2009 and I keep unlocking new levels of amazing tone with it. I recently started using a different Marshall cabinet (I’ve been playing out of an ampeg guitar cabinet) and it completely changed the tone. I heard a couple metal producers on here say that speakers are the number one thing to change your tone, then amp, then guitar

[@kimseniorb]

it's way too tight, cant use it with a boost without loosing all of the low end

[@SyzygyEmbrace]

When you look back at your ex girlfriends and begin to notice a pattern

[@JonMurray]

Hahahahahahaha!!! Superb mate 😂

[@timperry2375]

Just have to try and block it out

[@Jackthestripper]

I was more of a prog/death metal kid so was never really into Trivium but I've always respected the hell out of them for their playing, personalities and what they did for guitar playing. People forget but Trivium were one of the bands that made guitar solos cool again, they instantly raised the baseline of what was required to be a competent metal guitarist in the 2000's

[@IllusionaryFuneral]

Their music mostly got better over time, too! If you like melodic death/prog, I highly recommend their most recent 2 albums, What the Dead Men Say, and In the Court of the Dragon. A couple of their older albums also have heavy prog influence, Shogun, and The Crusade.

[@dixonrooster5954]

Same with A7X, turbo gay names and emo thing, but syns solos rip

[@joshuakraft6344]

Love it, dude! I'm the guy on Reverb you bought the 5150 block logo from. Sounds incredible 👍👍

[@jdbrisebois8732]

Plot twist, every tone was generated by a single Boss Metalzone 😂 (kidding.. but it would’ve been hilarious). P.S. 5150 sounded great 👍

[@louistorres]

Hahahahahaha!!!! I just fucking laughed out loud!! MT2!!!!

[@user-ox5kh3fy8g]

Plot twist, your mother drank while you were in the womb.

[@jdbrisebois8732]

C if insulting strangers online is how you spend your time, i feel sorry for you. Hope things get better. Best wishes.

[@user-ox5kh3fy8g]

jd brisebois Hey, fetal alcohol syndrome is no joke

[@bucknasty69]

The Metal Zone sounds pretty good if its used as a preamp into the return jack of an amp with a loop. It also sounds good as a clean boost; Kirk Windstein uses one as such to great effect.

[@soad11dude]

Kick ass comparison. I've got a 6505+ head that I bought back in 2012. Love it. Has more mids than a 5150/6505 which helps in a mix/jam session. Electronics theory time... The control pots on these amps have a tolerance of up to 20%. The value is measured in resistance (ohms). To make the numbers easy, lets use the Low pot. It has a value of 1 million ohms (1 Mega Ohm). The 20% tolerance could be more, or less than the indicated value on the control pot. So one amp could have a pot that is actually 1.2M ohms and another could have a value of 0.8M ohms. This way you can actually get a 40% sway in tone for the low end if both amps are maxed out at 10 on the low control. The low pot is also a log taper pot, not linear. So the math involved to get the exact same value on the two amps based on where they are pointed would be a nightmare. Hence why the EQs can be dialed in differently to get the amps sounding similar. This is also only taking the one low control into consideration. There is a lot more at play than just that. It also sort of explains why the TC pedals all sound quite a bit different. Electronics tolerances ;) I'll say it before anyone else does... NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERD!!!!

[@BigJackGameplays]

Just because nobory said it; NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERD!!!!

[@NecropsY1]

Enjoy this shootout _ i feel like the difference is so minimal that you could just post eq to get what u want:

[@taylorforester4213]

I really like the tone of the 5150II it just had that excellent crunch to it

[@JosephDonofry]

I think that was my favorite too

[@aacgoudie3642]

@Noiseless Sounds What's the going prices in your area for 5150 IIs?

[@aacgoudie3642]

@Noiseless Sounds Yeah that could be a lot depending on your location. I have a 5150 II that I got a few years ago here in Canada, but it was only $800. So about maybe $650 USD

[@aacgoudie3642]

@Noiseless Sounds Grab one if you can! I know the 6505 series isn't going anywhere, but reckon it's just a matter of time before the actual 5150 line becomes a sought after relic!

[@MaestroJericho]

@@aacgoudie3642 Jesus you cursed it lol

[@MichaelMackertMusic]

Love how you do a comparison between the amps, they all have great mighty Heafy tone! It is really nice seeing you rock the MXR EQ. Great stuff! Keep on rocking and Thank You for showing this.

[@jrtme]

My 5150 has been with me since September 93 manufactured in June 93. I am the original owner. It will stay with me. It was $450. The salesman asked me why I wanted to buy that junk. 😉

[@onefare5668]

Have you change the valves right?

[@jrtme]

@@onefare5668 The Power Tubes Yes.

[@jayz6008]

That salesman must've never heard any good music

[@neobes]

So you've owned it for 27 years. How many times have you had to replace the tubes?

[@TVoltG]

I bought my 5150 stack for $850 when it about 2 years old from a used gear shop. The guy said the same to me. Said, it's a one trick pony that is bad at tricks. Lol. I have used it recording from pop, country to metal. Lol. Love those tricks.

[@joshuaowens8349]

Your palm muting on the 5150 ll and the 6534 on the deceived riffs sound like Mario going down a pipe 😂😂😂 go listen to that sound..... lol you won’t be able to unhear it.

[@aaronmeyer9698]

You ruined it for me 😂😂

[@AntagonistInPhoenix]

I knew the palm mutes had an attack I didn’t like on both of those specifically.

[@juanvaldez5422]

It does, what a weird chug sound it produces

[@dougleydorite]

It’s the fuking fluence pickups. I had that same problem with them. I’m really pissed. How do people not hear it...

[@patrickolivier1]

@@dougleydorite yea man! I had fishmans in a guitar and after two weeks took them out. T’was not working out for me at all lol

[@bigmike6030]

I'm probably in the minority that liked the 6534+ seemed the brightest of the bunch.

[@timbuk1126]

More upper mids for sure..

[@davidcotestratton]

Has a boomy bottom end of not careful

[@acexxxoasis]

I want a 6534 so bad.

[@auntjenifer7774]

​@@acexxxoasisGood luck, I've never even seen one for sale on Reverb or eBay or anywhere.

[@RobKingRC]

Love my 6505+ !!! I've had it since 2005..

[@welfiblablabla]

Me too, since 2006 I think 🤘

[@oh_heeeyyy]

2007 over here!!

[@wrenchhead4378]

2012 here... one of, if not the last, years of the Mississippi Peaveys

[@norwardradtke1361]

2009 here for my 05+

[@schwab21121]

I've played through the 5150 for the last 6 plus years..but, man that 6505 has me thinking I'd like to hear some more of it's possibilites.

[@MRRVADrums]

They actually all sounded great haha. If I had to choose, I would either go with the 5150 or 5150 ii.

[@RyanCGuitar]

Always loved the tones on Ascendancy!

[@richardw1992]

Agreed my favourite Trivium album by far

[@luketaylormusic2807]

Love the shootout!!! Thanks, Matt! I've always wondered what all of these sounded like side by side! My first amp was a Peavey Rage and after 19 years I still have it! Love the Peavey sound + quality :)

[@ErikAnders]

6505 sounds best to me. It has a bit less compression and feels more open. The lack of bass wld not be a problem in a mix.

[@gibson381]

I liked the original 5150 block letter the best. Has a crisp bite.

[@WhoAmIWill]

Honestly these all sound so similar that once you put them in a full band mix it wouldn’t even matter. The most different is definitely the 6534 but that’s to be expected since it has a different set of tubes.

[@jmcsquared18]

I'd prefer the 34 if it were a bit brighter. It sounded very solid, but darker. Otherwise, the original 5150 won imo. Of course, none of these are a 5150III, which is the king of chugs.

[@Em_Dee_Aitch]

The '05 has a smoothness about it that i always found pleasing.

[@iTz_FLAwL3zZ]

You really can’t go wrong with any of them. Just such a classic crunchy sound. The 6534+ really surprised me and sounded significantly better than I thought it would, not that I thought it’d sound bad but given the amps it was going up against I didn’t think it had a chance. I’d have to put the OG 5150 on top though. You just can’t go wrong with it. I’d be curious to hear a 5150 III thrown into the mix as well!

[@tobiferreyra666]

What a good video matt! I was always curious to see the differences between these amps

[@fender4brad]

5150 has the best clarity to my ear. My daughter was so excited to see you guys here in Idaho. Next summer she won’t be able to see the show. She is really bummed out. Now I’ve got to get my wife into the show.

[@dbjames9715]

6505 sounded best to me. The 5150s are tighter but the my list would be 05 50 50ii 34+

[@hannesblomqvist8759]

yeah the 6505 sounds the tightest too in my opinion

[@thatnorwegianguy937]

5150 all the way BABYYYYY! YEEEEEAAAAAH-AH

[@ch3nz3n]

The 6505 is toight! Did that one.

[@deanmlshredder]

You and those friggen triplets. Playing trivium songs turned my forearms to boulders and ground my teeth down to nubs in my early twenties.

[@bingo90210]

Had my 5150EVH since late 92? Still my main amp. Been on 100’s of tours, 1000’s of shows. Still going strong strong. Only tubes and 1 rebias done. The only other amp that comes close is my engl powerball ll. 5150 is just a legendary amp

[@audioengineer86]

The Powerball is such a beauty! German amps are the best in my opinion. 5150 style amps are a classic though, and they're so versatile. Plus the price tag is hard to argue with. You probably won't find a used Powerball for $600

[@paigeguitarplayer]

that 6534+ is a dirty beast lol. that i cant beileve how punchy and tight sounding it is. but agree i love the 5150 i hook up a eq and overdrive and it gives a tight thrashy sound

[@loganpriest6029]

Hey Matt!! Just got my 5150 II head today and I love it so much. Personally think the earlier made heads have the punchiest rhythm tone with that dark layer with insane low end and chunkiness perfect metal amp imo, keep up the amazing work with what you do for the metal community. Been a long time fan of trivium for many years, hopefully one day you can return to nz for a show it'd be sick. Keep yourself and your family safe man

[@thegodparticleband]

Original 5150 for me, follow closely by the 6505

[@CNKCLAN2]

agreed! They sound incredible

[@alecsmith5150]

Peavy amps such as these are so perfect for metal!

[@TrickyPossum]

I really appreciate the effort you went into making this vid! I was super excited when it popped up in my search. I have a question though. These heads are high quality tube amps, and you are testing the sound/tone difference between them. The gain and saturation of these amps, mostly, come from the preamps. But you have put them all behind a TCE preamp.

[@mikescotch8894]

Thank you so much Matthew! Great video, great comparison… Just one thing to keep in mind, Preamp Tubes have a big big massive part of an amplifier’s tone, for instance, if you had some good old (late 80s, early 90s) Chinese Beijing 12AX7’s in one amp and JJ’s in another, You’re going to hear a huge difference in gain, tightness, clarity etc. etc.

[@rosskrause3926]

Great job Matt ! I have the 5150 EVH signature model,right after the block letter..same amp,different brand factory power tubes.. I like all the Peavey amps,so really for me all of them ! I had to subscribe..

[@if6turnedouttobe9]

U can't go wrong with any of these...They all smoke it...Some of the top amps ever made...The resonance knob is Genius...

[@WhoAmIWill]

One amp I would really like compared is the invective since it’s based on the 6505 but with a few tweaks and an actual clean channel plus a large feature set for a lot of more modern usages.

[@RobbieTayVaughan]

A year later lol but I read that getting the bias adjustment modded to further increase the voltage somehow makes the "clean channel" almost actually clean and increases RMS rating(read from factory 6505+ are around 75 watts instead of published 120. I still have more research to do before I get it modded but im gonna fiddle with the pot inside next to the power transformer and see if I like what it's doing.

[@andym28]

I was never a trivium fan but I like your attention to detail and your passion.

[@friguy4444]

I don't know what he's using to record them with (Mic's software etc) but they all sound like they're a transistor radio. And it's NOT the amp's fault. It's the recording set up.

[@javierdiazsantana]

What settings did you use on the amps, Mr. Heafy? And what settings did you put on the MXR EQ? Sounds pretty tight... Greetings from Mexico!

[@evolutisband]

5150 seemed like it had the most mid range which I liked. Less compressed sounding.

[@BrandonBames]

Man, you really are a cool fucking dude, glad you actually seem to love what you do. Thanks for the content!

[@MattW4319]

Always loved the original 5150s. I had 2 of them. Didn’t like my 5150ii now I use the 6l6 50 watt which I love and have the 50 watt el34 which the red channel reminds me of the original 5150

[@MaestroJericho]

The EVH? I heard the red channels are really similar to the og 5150, it sounds similar to my old 6505+ but more refined and less gritty. Would not mind having both

[@ultimatemetalguitartones]

Bring out the Triple XXX!

[@higler.]

YES! Ultra Plus 120 vs XXX vs JSX vs XXX II would be so rad

[@12breacher82]

Suffocation riffs please. 🤘🤘🤘

[@luca7x689]

@@higler. My band mate has the Ultra Plus 120.. It's so brutal..

[@higler.]

@@luca7x689 yeah very underrated amp!

[@quentinutter5173]

Bro I was telling my girl the same shit he recorded a lot of shit back in the way with it. It was my first Metal amp from musicians friend lol. Xxx🤘🏻

[@Skoora]

Wish I still had my early 90’s sig 5150. Used it for a few years and then went to a Pitbull UL. Got it for $450. Even until recently, I thought about getting another for fun, even though were 6-800. Thanks to Covid that’s long gone…lol

[@ValenceFlux]

I played out of a 5150 combo for about 15 years. That high gain is easy to hear. With the right setup you can get a meatier tone out of it. The 5150 II had a clearer clean channel. The 6000 series I've not played but if my ears are still good I hear more mid range already. Only 5 minutes into the video though so I will keep watching.

[@garretburrow]

The 65's sounded the best to me...but that's probably because that was the sound I got used to hearing when I started playing in bands... everybody in my local area was using 6505s...and I fell in love with early 2000's metalcore, killswitch, Unearth, AILD, etc... Trivium, of course

[@diabeticmonkey]

You'd love the VHT/Fryette Pitbull. I remember Corey using one at one point, and the dudes in Unearth both used them. Can't forget the Framus Dragon and Cobra if we're talking Killswitch.

[@victorloya1590]

You could use the 34+ on one side and the 5150 on the other and get a nice stereo spread

[@ivvevrbanovic4876]

What the dead men say is such an awesome album! Streamed it since the release and just recently bought it digitally! Also bought a 5150 once a saw yours , I started to miss the old one I had and went and bought one =) Is there any chance to get a hold of the Impulse Responses for the guitars from What the Dead Men Say? Thanks for the awesome videos!

[@AntagonistInPhoenix]

6505 > 5150 >> 6534 > 5150 II I really disliked the tonality and attack the 5150 II and 6534 got on palm mutes and high notes in chords.

[@loleksk8]

For me 5150II was the best I like how it sounds

[@jacobgarcia2660]

I own a 6534+ bought it for 900 bucks. I put a boss sd1 in front for a clean boost with either another overdrive or my airis savage boost v2 and a bbe sonic stone maximizer and boss ns2. The tone is super tight and chunky. The midrange is crazy when boosted. I favor that head over my peavey 3120 and that amp is killer too

[@embracetheonslaught]

You are somewhat correct my man. The 5150 is king but the Soldano SLO is co-king

[@taylorwyatt333]

great video, quick question? Do you prefer the Peavey's to the EVH's?

[@odjrvfjdjr3261]

I love the 6505. I have one at our studio plus I have a 6505 profiled with a Fortin 33 in my Kemper. Sounds fantastic.

[@01left]

Hi Matt - what was your chain - mic and preamp ? Sounds so good ! Thanks

[@stolenlaptop]

Not trying to down these amps but man oh man your riffing sounded like geese honking. I was laughing picturing a goose singing trivium songs.

[@benzesp]

sounds like a cocked wah is on. but its the fluence pickups. I was a EMG user, got some fluence moderns, had that exaggerated mid honk. Switched back to the 81. Just too much for me.

[@stolenlaptop]

@@benzesp oh didn't know that about the Fluence pickups. Never got a chance to use them. Thanks for the information.

[@frankesposito2229]

The low end of the 5150 II is much better then I like the 6505, 5150, then 5534+ sound a little sterile to me. Then again I owned a 5150 II so maybe my ear is more trained to that and that is why I like the way it sounds better. Thanks for this test!!

[@leavethenight1505]

My favorite has always been the crunch channel on these amps... just my preference, but the midrange is much better IMO

[@Ottophil]

I have never once used the crunch channel in 13 years of owning it. In fact i built a single switch channel switcher where the fx loop is always on, and the crunch is always off

[@leavethenight1505]

@@Ottophil, you should give it a try man... depends on your style of music but it has more girth

[@mesiebooga]

@@leavethenight1505 Hell yeah, 5150/6505 crunch channel with the gain a little higher is the best for rhythm IMO. A little darker and thicker sounding, seems to have less of that "squeak". the +/II crunch is totally different though, never liked it.

[@nathanielwingo8211]

7:40 when you're Mario and you go down that pipe over there

[@dougleydorite]

Fishman fluence for you. I can’t believe not everyone notices this with thes crap pickups. I am pissed about my guitar making Mario noises

[@brpadington]

I like the little bit more compression that the 34 had.

[@divebomb99]

Did your block letter in this video have its original Sylvania/Peavey output tubes? Apparently those are the secret sauce you guys prefer for the block letter tone.

[@jazz7061]

The 6505 is my personal fave, the most consistently tight of the other amps.

[@JesterMasque]

While still good, the 6505 & 5150 ii were definitely lacking in a certain bold/tightness on attack, especially with the (Kiichi?)chaos during 16th note groups The 6534+ had that same "sloppiness," although it had a gnarly mid thing happening, nice for super percussive metal Being first of the family, the block-letter still feels tight & modern, where the 'ii' & 65XX seamed to smooth the note envelopes in subtle ways

[@denverrandy7143]

Really enjoyed the 6534,had a nice crunch in the midrange.Classic 5150 sounded great as always...just needs a ts9 tube screamer on it to tighten it up and be ready to go!!!Thanks Matt👍🤘

[@MofosRealReviews]

I didn’t really like any of them lol but if I had to choose def the first one (6505)

[@Xteus]

the 5150 sounds a bit fuzzy and the 6505II sounds a bit squeaky in the mid , but you are great and I love to see you through the years with this passion for metal and cool guitars as well

[@tariqsaher6224]

Forgot about the comparison lol am really enjoying my Favorite album riffs here

[@mozeby1975]

The real takeaway from this is that the tones of the 6L6 versions are so close that paying the huge up charge for the block letter versions aren’t worth it unless you’re a collector. Unless you’re a/b’ing these , you’ll never know the difference.

[@Shadowsreach1]

wow they all sound great!

[@Knoxvillemoto]

Hey matt, have you ever messed with the peavey invective? If so what do you think of it compared to the 6505

[@jbess6505]

God damn, can we be bros? I live in Orlando, hey neighbor. Dont need to bring the block letter but I'll bring the Invective and the 6505+ . I knew you used these on ascendancy.

[@davidanastacio8928]

1st 6506 2nd 5150 3rd 6534 plus last 5150ll. Thought the 6505 was by far a cut above. But that is from listening through my Marshall headphones. Might think differently if I were to hear it live, but listening to it recorded count for a lot.

[@portuguesebeer5069]

They are all very similar and very cool! Tonewise i think id go with the 6505. Cheers from Portugal 🍺🤘

[@jleote]

Digging the 5150II and the 6534+ the most. I think though the 5150II has a little more bottom.

[@thelowlifex9437]

I love the 6534 tone its just so tasty

[@JUSTSOPISSEDOFF]

As expected the 6505, and 5150 sound fucking identical to me.

[@jjs8426]

5150 sounds best. They all sound great and similar but that one was the best ro my ears.

[@layerdballoonswe]

Dude you use peavey i think im in love lol

[@bassangler73]

I think the low end on the block letter is unbeatable

[@Ferniramirez_]

Can you get the EVH 5150 iii to add to the collection! That’d be kinda cool

[@Ottophil]

Peavey!

[@kevindavid37]

I think he actually has the stealth edition. I remember him showing it.

[@juicervos]

I own and love a 6505+, but that 6534+ sounded pretty gosh dern good.

[@juicervos]

Also, 5150s are awesome, and kinda sloppy. Sorry.

[@adub1994]

Dude! I’ve been looking to buy that exact epiphone all snowed out and I just can not find it. I love everything about that thing. I just want it in a 7 string…

[@MaximumLevelAudio-BrianKnop]

6505 and 5150 block sound almost identical. As they should. It's the same head renamed. The Blocks shipped with different tubes originally. The small amount of difference I hear would be down to differences in the tubes, differences in playing, minor drift in components :-) The 5150ii and a 6505+ (that isn't included) are also the same head renamed. 6534+ is that latter head with the fatter EL34 tubes.

[@jbess6505]

That song will always remind me of ben affleck getting mowed down in smoking aces.

[@kheaudio]

great shootout Matt!

[@jesseyasaitis9036]

You need an ampete switcher for this kind of comparison.

[@johnmunder7107]

I’m gonna go in this order from best to worse. Well there really isn’t a worse but you get the idea. 5150 block letter, 6134, 6505 & 5150II.

[@jaket2549]

My personal fav is the 6505 it has my favorite tones out of them

[@leonlummis84]

5150 and the 34+. But it's all about the Randall v2 for me

[@12breacher82]

5150, 6534+, 5150 II, 6505. But it’s close. Overall 5150 is the winner. Not only is it used in all those mentioned genres, it was a big influence in many of my favorite bands in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Plus, several of my favorite bands out now use them, particularly Blood Incantation and Spectral Voice.

[@norwardradtke1361]

Why does it sound like you have a wah pedal on all of them? Is that the preamp making that sound?

[@samuelochoa9296]

best sounded like 5150ii for me which is comparable to the 6505+ which is what i use. when i heard the II i instantly felt like it was right due to my personal playing. the 34+ from what ive researched was supposed to be a response to players seeking more Marshall and ENGL amp sounds which use EL34 tubes instead of 6L6GC tubes(6505+) in the power section. difference in the 5150 sounded more brighter than the 5150ii which was evidenced by Matt saying it lacked some bass in the tone.

[@Grub370]

Fuck I love Peavey! Fav guitar amps for nearly 20 years. \m/

[@beardwn23]

6505 or 5150 would be my vote. Last 2 were a little darker to me

[@ianchamblee9599]

51s are sharper and the 65s have a little more "Grrrrrrrrrr" or throater. Love all of them for shur. 😉😁

[@baadrqaaba9529]

You are dialling the perfect tone .

[@wrenchhammer5106]

Wicked right hand, dude