So I was noodling this morning and it sounded really good so I videoed a few minutes and this came out. This is my JD Strat with Seymour Duncan APS2's into the amazing Mojo Hand FX Zephyr, into my EVH LBX with the Visual Sound H2O in the loop for Delay. Hope you enjoy.
Showing posts with label EVH 5150. Show all posts
Showing posts with label EVH 5150. Show all posts
Sunday, August 20, 2017
Monday, March 13, 2017
EVH 5150 LBX Review
Eddie Van Halen! The name is synonymous with great rock tone. Other than maybe David Gilmour and Jimi Hendrix, Eddies tone has been talked about and studied probably more than any other guitarist in history. It's a huge massive guitar sound that is larger than life and the EVH 5150 amps are currently some of the most popular amps in the world. Eighties shredders love these amps of course, but a lot of modern high gain users love them and I've been noticing them on a lot of country players stages as well.
A friend of mine has the 50w EVH 5150 and its a shockingly versatile amp. So when I saw a great deal on a new LBX popup I couldn't resit. This too has also proven to be a surprisingly versatile piece of gear. While there are two channels, you don't have separate volume control over them and so there can be a volume mismatch. Really while being very versatile you are looking at setting up a single sound to play through but it's a damn nice sound. The Blue channel will be more than enough gain for most people but Red channel is like liquid molten lava gain and can be addictive. It is a favorite of modern shredders everywhere.
So lets answer some common questions
Is it loud enough to gig with? YES! Gig volume is the subject of some debate. But wattage is pretty simple. 10% is half the volume, so to get half of the volume of 100 watts you have jump down to 10 watts, for 50 watts you have to go down to 5 watts. There is also the question of speaker cabinets a 4x12 is louder than a 1x12 since your moving more air. At 15 watts into a 4x12 It won't be as loud as a 100 watt but it can get plenty loud enough on a 4x12 making it great for fly dates and small club gigs.
What about clean headroom? Headroom for those who don't know is how long the amp stays clean before it breaks up. I don't think you buy this amp for clean sounds, that being said if you want to play clean at low volumes this amp has a nice clean sound to use with pedals. But WHEN it breaks up is very dependent on the pickups. My Duncan APS2's break up before my EMG-SA's and a JB is obviously going to breakup before a vintage sounding PAF. If you need a dedicated clean tone check out the new LBXII which has a separate clean and dirty channels.
How does it sound at bedroom levels? Perfect, my place is not huge and is close to my neighbors. My wife can take a nap while I'm playing through a 2x12. It does sound better when turned up but you can practice quietly.
How close does this get to the "brown sound"? A lot of Eddie's sound is in his hands, his pick attack and swing in his note placement. If you've got the chops you can use a lot of different equipment. Some people think of the "brown sound" as the first Van Halen album while others point to 1984. But to answer that question look at Pete Thorn's Eruption series on youtube. Damn that's close. Also if you throw in some delay and chorus in the loop it can easily cop the the tone from For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge.
Does it Djent? Seriously? Are you asking me that? haha Well Misha Mansoor seems to think so. I do have one 6 string strung down to low B and the Red channel on the LBX handles modern down tuned riffage with ease.
If you need a clean pedal platform to gig with this really isn't your amp. If your main sound is 80's or beyond high gain and you'd like something for lower volume and the occasional pick up jam you can't go wrong with the EVH LBX. And for the price of these a lot of people will pick one up just to have laying around.
A little history on the 5150 amps for those that don't know. We all have heard the story about Eddie's famous Marshall and using the variac. In the mid 80's Eddie started using a Soldano SLO100 live and in the studio. He really like the sound of both the Soldano and the Marshall. No one really knows what happened behind the scenes but Eddie struck a deal with Peavey to build his new signature amp the 5150. It was so close to the Soldano design that Mike Soldano started to sue Peavey and Eddie but Peavey is a huge corporation with loads of cash and lawyers and Mikes lawyers told him to drop it or be buried in debt. Eddie and Peavey then revised the amp for the 5150 ii. When Peavey's quality control left something to be desired Eddie left and struck a deal with Fender and the EVH brand was born. The EVH 5150 III has already gone through quite a few tweaks since it's introduction. There is a 100 watt USA built three channel version, the stealth version (which adds the resonance knob) the new el34 version, an extremely successful 50 watt "mini" head and combo (which adds power scaling) and now two LBX versions.
15 watt "lunchbox" amps have become huge thing in our industry promising great tube tone at lower volumes for at home playing and gigs that are volume sensitive. The LBX packs a ton of features into a small package for someone who may want flexibility in an amp but not need 100 watts of power and three independent channels. The LBX features include an effects loop, switchable 4/8/16 ohms to match the cabinet, presence and resonance knobs (bright and bottom end), along with a 1/4 power switch. All at a fraction of the price.
A friend of mine has the 50w EVH 5150 and its a shockingly versatile amp. So when I saw a great deal on a new LBX popup I couldn't resit. This too has also proven to be a surprisingly versatile piece of gear. While there are two channels, you don't have separate volume control over them and so there can be a volume mismatch. Really while being very versatile you are looking at setting up a single sound to play through but it's a damn nice sound. The Blue channel will be more than enough gain for most people but Red channel is like liquid molten lava gain and can be addictive. It is a favorite of modern shredders everywhere.
So lets answer some common questions
Is it loud enough to gig with? YES! Gig volume is the subject of some debate. But wattage is pretty simple. 10% is half the volume, so to get half of the volume of 100 watts you have jump down to 10 watts, for 50 watts you have to go down to 5 watts. There is also the question of speaker cabinets a 4x12 is louder than a 1x12 since your moving more air. At 15 watts into a 4x12 It won't be as loud as a 100 watt but it can get plenty loud enough on a 4x12 making it great for fly dates and small club gigs.
What about clean headroom? Headroom for those who don't know is how long the amp stays clean before it breaks up. I don't think you buy this amp for clean sounds, that being said if you want to play clean at low volumes this amp has a nice clean sound to use with pedals. But WHEN it breaks up is very dependent on the pickups. My Duncan APS2's break up before my EMG-SA's and a JB is obviously going to breakup before a vintage sounding PAF. If you need a dedicated clean tone check out the new LBXII which has a separate clean and dirty channels.
How well does it clean up with the guitar's volume knob? Well enough, again it depends on the pickup but at 12 o'clock on the blue channel (which in this amp is still a lot of gain) it cleans up just fine when you roll down the volume
How does it sound at bedroom levels? Perfect, my place is not huge and is close to my neighbors. My wife can take a nap while I'm playing through a 2x12. It does sound better when turned up but you can practice quietly.
How close does this get to the "brown sound"? A lot of Eddie's sound is in his hands, his pick attack and swing in his note placement. If you've got the chops you can use a lot of different equipment. Some people think of the "brown sound" as the first Van Halen album while others point to 1984. But to answer that question look at Pete Thorn's Eruption series on youtube. Damn that's close. Also if you throw in some delay and chorus in the loop it can easily cop the the tone from For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge.
Does it Djent? Seriously? Are you asking me that? haha Well Misha Mansoor seems to think so. I do have one 6 string strung down to low B and the Red channel on the LBX handles modern down tuned riffage with ease.
If you need a clean pedal platform to gig with this really isn't your amp. If your main sound is 80's or beyond high gain and you'd like something for lower volume and the occasional pick up jam you can't go wrong with the EVH LBX. And for the price of these a lot of people will pick one up just to have laying around.
Friday, November 28, 2014
Mesa Boogie Stiletto Deuce Review
Around 2005 I bought a Mesa Boogie Stiletto Deuce. While I had owned a couple of different tube amps in the past this amp was different. It was loaded with features I had never used before, built better than anything I'd ever owned. Also it didn't immediately sound like I thought it would. Had I made a mistake? Were those videos of Andy Timmons sounding so amazing a lie? Sure there were mixed reviews on the internet but Mesa builds fantastic stuff... right? The truth was I had no idea what I was getting into.
The Mesa Boogie Stiletto is a two channel amp based around the EL34 platform. Each channel features three voice settings, and independent 100w/50w swiches. You can choose between tube rectified, for a spongier more dynamic feel or solid state rectified for tighter tracking. On the back there is a built in variac switch that knocks about 20 percent off the power. There is also master volume and boost switch for solos. Like all Mesa Boogie gear it was built like a tank, and almost as heavy.
A lot of people thought that the Stiletto was an EL34 based Dual Rectifier. It's not. There are a lot of reviews on the internet that state that it is bright and fizzy, and admittedly it can be. You can spend an hours with this amp and never find a good sound out of this amp. The knobs don't change the sound as much as changing guitars. It's bright in your face sound can sound thin and if you rely on the preamp gain for your distortion it can sound fizzy. But I called up an older friend of mine who had been in the game a long time, and was a huge Mesa Boogie fan. He laughed and told me Mesa's are hard to dial in sometimes because they are so versatile and to bring it by his place.
When I got there he set it on top of his 4x12 cab and played a few licks, then he handed me the guitar told me to play some chords. He cranked the amp up and it immediately it opened up and sounded full. Then he spent a few minutes fiddling with the knobs. After about five minutes he told me to play some leads, there was no fizzy sounds as most of the distrtion was coming from the EL34's and then we added a little with the preamp gain. While it didn't have the roar of a Dual Rectifier or JCM800 it sounded great. One of the things I learned very quickly is that it responded to my playing more than any other amp I'd ever owned. If I used a different guitar pick it sounded like I was using a different guitar. If I used a different guitar it almost sounded like a different amp. I also learned I was sloppy! I'd never noticed that before but it quickly forced me to clean up my playing because it had amplified my mistakes like no other amp.
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| A close up of Andy Timmons settings |
Next I added it to band practice, no more getting lost on stage the amp cut through the mix. Everyone had to adjust, but everyone liked it. It reminded me of an old plexi I had once played and, as I found out, with good reason. Channel 1 is a clone of Andy Timmons 68 superlead! Channel 2 is one of Mr. Timmons early 70 JMP amps! Then the guys at Mesa Boogie added the extra switches and options to tweak the sound. These switches don't do much until you crank the amp up even then they can be subtle. But in a band setting or in a recording studio this amp excels. At loud volumes it opens up and sounds full and with the rest of the band it just seems to find a nice home.
But this is not an amp to play at home, you have to crank it up. Even on the 50w settings and with the variac on and running though a 2x12 this amp is insanely loud, and if you turn it down... it starts sounding thin. But it takes pedals extremely well for such an in your face sound and so at home I would often use a marshally sounding pedal for practice.
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| Andy's Stiletto's and Lonestars in the studio |
So who is this amp for and who shouldn't use it. If your looking for lush fendery clean tones this isn't it, it's bright and takes pedals well but more like a Hiwatt. If your looking to primarily play at home this isn't it, there are a lot of great amps out there that can sound good at lower volumes, a lot of the new lunchbox amps like the Egnator Tweaker and also gig ready amps like the new EVH 5150 III sound just fine at low volumes. There is a difference between preamp gain and power amp gain. It's hard to describe, but the preamp gain on this amp is fine for adding a little extra gain but not great at being the main distortion sound, the power amp gain however is fantastic. In a band mix this amp excels at 70's and early 80's Marshall type tones for obvious reasons and recording with this amp is amazing. If you want to play better and use your guitars volume and tone knobs to find different sounds this is an excellent amp. To learn more about Andy Timmons Gear check out the Andy Timmons Gear Guide.
When my kids were born I stopped playing in bands for now and this amp found itself not being used. I started playing at home regularly and with friends on occasion, so I sold it to fund other gear. Sometimes I miss it, even though it's not practical for me at the moment. In the Mesa line it has been replaced by the Royal Atlantic which I have yet to try. The Stiletto is probably the most misunderstood amp that Mesa has ever put out, but if your considering finding a used one it really is fantastic at what it is.
This review was completely unsolicited and any opinion is my own.
This review was completely unsolicited and any opinion is my own.
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