[777]

Right so im lookin into one of these as my first tube amp but theur have been mixed reviews of em so what im lookin for is , your opinions on

-What its good for
-What its not good for
-Which one ?
-Videos/Clips of em

obviously the head+cab option is gna ber more expensive therefore il be longer savin but i just wana knw what the deal is about these cz they seem to be goin pretty cheep in comparison to other tube heads/combos

thanks

[7 Dying Trees]

head + cab is better as you get to mix and match what cabs you want in my opinion. Also, if you are rehearsing you can just carry the head and plug into a cab at your destination.

as for 6505 vs 6505+ I don't know, never spent much time with either so i wouldn't be able to tell the difference as well as some of the other guys.

Also with a head you can get a 4x12, 2x12 or a 1x12, whatever you want!

oh, and the 6505 is basically the rebranded 5150 amp

[777]

yeah a fair few good points made there man, some cabs r bloody expensive tho, and i have heard that for some reason the 5150>6505 tho this is my very first tube amp EVER so chances arei couldnt tell atall

[Apophis]

Separate head plus cab is better, you can always shitch to some other cab if you want tonal difference based on cap
I think 6505+ is more versatile, cause it has more chanels than 6505

[Crucified]

the 5150 2 or the 6505+ are terrible compared to the 6505/5150. i don't know what they changed but there isn't as much gain and the eq sounds different. You can still get decent sounds but if you have the option go for the 5150 or 6505

[7 Dying Trees]

6505 and 5150 are the same amp. Period. Although people will always claim the original run was better. Now, with the 5150/6505 there are a few mods you do to them to make them sound really good.

Cab wise, I know there are tons of expensive cabs, and lord knows I myself spend enough on gear, but, I've always like marshall cabs, and they aren't expensive at all. Plus, I'd always buy cabs second hand pretty much

I wouldn't worry about getting an orange/vader/etc cab, i mean, i don't!

[777]

Originally Posted by Crucified

the 5150 2 or the 6505+ are terrible compared to the 6505/5150. i don't know what they changed but there isn't as much gain and the eq sounds different.

this comes from personal experience? terrible is a very strong word :\

so the 6505+ has like one more channel or something?

i was thinkin of goin plain 6505 head

[FoxZero]

I say go with a 6505 because I hear it has a much better clean channel than the 5150 (which is known for bad cleans).

I've been dying to try one myself and I think I found a store that packs em so I'll let ya know what I think.

[Stitch]

Originally Posted by Crucified

the 5150 2 or the 6505+ are terrible compared to the 6505/5150. i don't know what they changed but there isn't as much gain and the eq sounds different. You can still get decent sounds but if you have the option go for the 5150 or 6505

Utter shite.

The 5150 and the 6505 are IDENTICAL. The 6505 name was introduced when Eddie Van Halen took his endorsement contract from Peavey to Fender, and taht included the 5150 name. (6505 comes from the anniversary of Peavey's inception - 1965-2005).

The red channel on the 5150/6505 is mind blowingly good. Sweet, huge and gainy, but with the capabilities to be hard edged or silky smooth depending on pickup choice and how you dial it in. The 'green' channel on the 5150/6505 is NOT a true clean channel - it is more apt as an orange - it will do cleans with the preamp gain down and the master up, but it isnt Fender glassy territory.

The 5150II and the 6505+ are again new and old versions of the same. They are functionally idential to a) each other (the 5150II has EXACTLY the same circuit as the 6505+) and the basic preamps are almost identical - the ONLY exceptionbeing that the 5150II/6505+ contains one extra preamp tube (for a total of six 12AX7's) that allow it to handle true cleans. While it doesn't have more channels, the 5150II/6505+ comes with a three way footswitch (as opposed to a two-way on the 5150/6505) that adds a 'crunch' boost besides the channel and fx loop switches. The crunch boost basically gives you lead 'rhythm' and cleans all at the tap of a foot. Also, the 5150II/6505+ has individual EQ's for each channel, including seperate Resonance and PResence controls.

The 5150/6505 is an incredible amp, but its partners, the 5150II/6505+ have enough extra that they are worth the extra outlay IMO. I wish I'd saved up extra for the 6505+.

FINALLY - the reason 5150's and 5150II's sound 'better' than the 6505/6505+ are for two main reasons:
i)The 5150 is over a decade old now. You won't find one with stock tubes. And non-stock tubes are much better than the stock Ruby Tubes that come with the 6505 = this is where the main discrepancy lies. Second hand 5150's are just better equipped. The stock Ruby's aren't great - they aren't awful or unusable by any means...just not great.

ii) 5150 owners are the real problem here. Second hand 5150's and 6505's traditionally have lost a fair bit of value. However, since demand for them is consistent (everyone wants one at some point) the prices are stable - but not as high as other resale values for similar amps - its a buyers market. You will NEVER have a problem selling a 5150 though. When the 6505 came out 5150 owners the world over took it upon themselves to advertise their amp as 'the original version, before they remade it as the 6505' and this has, through time, like a game of chinese whispers turned into the age old 'original=better tone' argument. Think of whining Fender/Giibson players and you see what has happened here.

Hope that helps dude!

[poisonelvis]