# Peavey 5150 II and Modern metal tone



## Hyacinth (Jun 7, 2012)

So I recently bought a 5150 II half stack with a Basson B412bk cab. It sounds great and is a huge step up from my old amp (Peavey Valveking 212 combo, NOT METAL) While the tones I've been dialing in on the 5150 II sound great and are worlds beyond what the Valveking could do, I haven't found a good modern metal setting for it. 

I don't have much experience or knowledge about dialing in a modern metal tone (think Corelia, Periphery, The Human Abstract, Keith Merrow, etc. Mainly Corelia and Periphery, though.) 

So I was wondering if you guys could give me some pointers in dialing in a good tone for this type of music. I've seen a couple threads like this floating around the internet but none of them had a very good answer. Thanks in advance.


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## Leuchty (Jun 7, 2012)

Lead Channel:

GAIN: 3
BASS: 5
MID: 7
TREB: 6

Get a tubescreamer. 
Drive: 0/off
Level: 10/full
Tone: 5/half


That is the general. Now...

What Guitar? Pickups? Speakers?


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## Deliverowned (Jun 7, 2012)

Cut your bass by half, then remove 10 or so more.


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## Hyacinth (Jun 7, 2012)

Guitar: Carvin DC800 stock pickups
Speakers: Eminence Legends

I have an eminence man o war, and the governor, but they're 16ohm and it's an 8 ohm cabinet. I'm not sure if that means that I can't use them, but I didn't want to go fucking stuff up two days after I got it.


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## MaxSwagger (Jun 7, 2012)

I run a 6505+ through a Basson cab and I run it as follows.

PRE:3.5
LOW:6
MID:6.5
HIGH:6
POST:3.5
RESONANCE:5
PRESENCE: 4.75

I also use some pedals. I run 2 noise gates, one in the loop and one up front. Helps with the bite and is insanely quiet when not playing. I use a TS9 or Fulltone OCD as as a boost.


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## xCaptainx (Jun 7, 2012)

Gain on 4
bass on 9 
everything else on 7

Maxon OD808 out front
Gain on like .5 or 1
Tone on 4
Level on 8 or 9

These settings are used by Unearth, Parkway Drive, basically every band that records with Adam D. Works much better with v30 speakers e.g. mesa cabs.


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## Hyacinth (Jun 7, 2012)

Thanks for all the help guys. How important of a role do tubes play in this issue? I was looking around on Eurotubes and saw that the gold pin option for the 5150 II says it reduces grit and fuzz, which also seems to be an issue.


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## xCaptainx (Jun 7, 2012)

I retubed my 51510s (I've had 3) with JJ's each time. Sounded great. 

That being said, get the 'must haves' down first e.g. noise gate, ovedrive pedal etc. If it's a brand new head, you shouldnt really need a retube just yet. It would be quite a lot of money for only a slightly difference change in tone.


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## Hyacinth (Jun 7, 2012)

Well I bought the head used, and I'm not sure how long these tubes have been in there. They're ruby tubes though, and I've never liked Ruby tubes. I have a maxon OD808, and the head came with an MXR smartgate, but it has since crapped out and doesn't work any more. I'm probably going to pick up a new noise gate and a compressor pedal, probably the Boss NS-2 and MXR dyna comp. I just want that super tight tone, ya know?


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## xCaptainx (Jun 7, 2012)

yup you're already going about it all the right ways. I used a boss ns-2 for a decade with no problems or faults at all. I've toured/played with Parkway/Unearth a number of times and boss ns-2, maxon od808 and the settings above would get you a killer tone. In fact I got them from Parkway from sharing backline for two weeks haha. 

Probably not a 'djent' tone but a great modern tone nonetheless.


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## Hyacinth (Jun 7, 2012)

That is really awesome that you toured with Parkway and Unearth. Super jelly over here. I dunno if there's something wrong with my amp or if I just don't have the volume up high enough, but it seems a bit fizzy, which is why I wanted to go with new tubes.


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## budda (Jun 7, 2012)

It's probably those stock carvin pickups.


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## xCaptainx (Jun 7, 2012)

ah yes,l forgot to mention. EMG 81 pickup all the way.


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## TheEntheogenEgoKiller (Jun 7, 2012)

No one on here can give you definite modern metal tones. It's up to you and your equipment and the room you are in. The 5150 II is a great amp but your guitar, cab, pedals affect your tone greatly. The only piece of advice I can give you is to EQ your amp while it's at gig volume and you want an even spectrum of frequencies coming from your speakers with a mid bump to sit your guitar nicely within a band.


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## Hyacinth (Jun 7, 2012)

budda said:


> It's probably those stock carvin pickups.



Do you think it would be that over the tubes in the 5150 II?


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## Wizard of Ozz (Jun 7, 2012)

Boost it with a Maxon OD808... gain to 9:00, volume to 3:00.

Also jack up the presence to around 2-3:00, and keep the resonance at 12:00.

These two things made the most improvement for me with the 5150II/6505+.


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## Deliverowned (Jun 7, 2012)

MatthewLeisher said:


> Do you think it would be that over the tubes in the 5150 II?



You couldnt hear the difference between a 200$ jackson guitar with the emg 81 and a 3000$ custom PRS with the same pickup as the pick up is so compressed. So im saying, thats the first thing you should do, upgrade your pickups.


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## Hyacinth (Jun 7, 2012)

Deliverowned said:


> You couldnt hear the difference between a 200$ jackson guitar with the emg 81 and a 3000$ custom PRS with the same pickup as the pick up is so compressed. So im saying, thats the first thing you should do, upgrade your pickups.



Thank you very much for the info. That's what I'll get first then, thanks.


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## Deliverowned (Jun 7, 2012)

Ill add that any emg 81 user should try it in 18volts as it opens up the pick up a bit giving it a fuller tone on its own losing a bit of compression.


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## Hyacinth (Jun 8, 2012)

So now I'm torn between BKP Painkillers and Aftermaths. They both seem like they'd be good for modern metal, but the Painkillers seem like they'd be better for what I want to do. Anyone have any insight on the pickups?


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## Hyacinth (Jul 6, 2012)

Alright, I picked up a set of aftermaths and put them in my DC800. I've got an MXR Super Comp and an MXR SmartGate. I'm not sure where to put the gate, though. Right now it's DC800->Super Comp->SmartGate->Maxon OD808->5150. It's pretty noisy right now, far from what I'd call tight. I've also got another SmartGate on the way, maybe for putting in the effects loop of the amp to get things ultra tight.

Anyone have any insight on how the order of the pedals should be?


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## capoeiraesp (Jul 6, 2012)

Put your noise gate last. Having your od808 after it completely defeats thee purpose of the gate as it has no effect on it. Also be mindful of what settings you're using for the Maxon OD. Adding gain from that pedal will typically add considerable noise. Aim for no gain and volume between half and full. Shape tone to your liking.


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## Hyacinth (Jul 6, 2012)

Thanks for the tip. I have the OD set up as a boost (Gain 0 Level 10 Tone Mid). I also have a hiss issue. I can hear a slight hiss in my tone that I hate but I can't figure out how to get rid of it.


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## Hyacinth (Jul 6, 2012)

Also, should the od come before the compressor, or should the compressor come first in the chain?


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## Sdrizis89 (Jul 6, 2012)

Maxon od808 worked wonders on my marshall to give me a more modern tone. Good choice


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## WarMachine (Jul 6, 2012)

I would think your compressor comes in either at the end before your guitar or between your OD and noise gate. Experiment with those dude. As stated earlier, if you have your OD before your gate you defeat the purpose, run it after the gate and you'll be good to go


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## InsomniacFC (Jul 6, 2012)

MatthewLeisher said:


> Thanks for the tip. I have the OD set up as a boost (Gain 0 Level 10 Tone Mid). I also have a hiss issue. I can hear a slight hiss in my tone that I hate but I can't figure out how to get rid of it.



I have a 6505 and threw a noise gate in the effects loop to get rid of the hiss. I used to play mine with the volume around 3.5 and the feedback was so gnarly that I ended up putting it back in front of the amp to get rid of it, but the hiss came back.

I've seen this posted a lot in regards to the feedback/hiss issue....






Video evidence: (not my videos)




I tried doing the same thing, but did not end up with the same results. I was using some effects pedals (EHX Cathedral, Boss overdrive, etc) all wired up using a single one-spot power supply and am pretty sure the noise from the lights or electricity in the jam room was being picked up by it making it hum so you may experience better results. Good luck!


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## refusetofall87 (Jul 6, 2012)

Tubes will play a HUGE part in your tone. I have a 5150 signature head and I use jj power tubes and tungsul (I think the spelling is wrong, sorry) preamp tubes. To better help you get to your ideal metal tone, what kind of guitar are you using, what tuning are you in and what kind of effects (either rack or pedals).


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## Hyacinth (Jul 6, 2012)

WarMachine said:


> I would think your compressor comes in either at the end before your guitar or between your OD and noise gate. Experiment with those dude. As stated earlier, if you have your OD before your gate you defeat the purpose, run it after the gate and you'll be good to go


The other guy said having the OD after the gate is defeating the purpose. Typo maybe?


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## Hyacinth (Jul 6, 2012)

Right now, this is my rig. DC800 in Drop E tuning. I'm going for that percussive metal sound similar to Periphery's tone. The signal chain is: 

DC800 with BKP Aftermaths->Maxon OD 808 (As a boost)->MXR Super Comp->MXR SmartGate->Peavey 5150 with another MXR SmartGate in the FX Loop)->Basson B412bk cab with Eminence Legends.

I'm not sure about the Basson Cab, but from what I've read the cab can make a huge difference in tone, too. 

I have an Eminence Governor and Eminenece Man O War lying around, maybe I could buy a closed-back 2x12 speaker enclosure. Anyone have an other suggestions?


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## refusetofall87 (Jul 6, 2012)

MatthewLeisher said:


> Right now, this is my rig. DC800 in Drop E tuning. I'm going for that percussive metal sound similar to Periphery's tone. The signal chain is:
> 
> DC800 with BKP Aftermaths->Maxon OD 808 (As a boost)->MXR Super Comp->MXR SmartGate->Peavey 5150 with another MXR SmartGate in the FX Loop)->Basson B412bk cab with Eminence Legends.
> 
> ...


If you want to get that clear, heavy distortion sound, my suggestion is to try:

Pre gain: between 5 or 6
Low: 10
Mid: 8
High: 6
Resonance: 5 1/2
Presence: 5

The biggest part of getting that clear, heavy tone for lower tunings is getting your midrange right and making sure that your resonance doesn't exceed 6 because it takes away from the clarity of the distortion. Also, try an overdrive pedal, it will add depth to your distortion tone. If that doesnt work, i would check your power and preamp tubes.


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## Hyacinth (Jul 6, 2012)

Also, there's a fizz that I can't seem to get rid of. I've tried a slew of settings on my Smart Gate in the FX loop of my 5150 and it still can't seem to tame the fizz that's there, robbing me of clarity and it's really frustrating.


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## refusetofall87 (Jul 6, 2012)

Fizz? If its not your effects loop, it could quite possibly be your tubes.


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## Philligan (Jul 6, 2012)

I've owned 8 strings and own a 5150.

For a djenty Periphery tone, your boost and everything is great; I got a good tone for that with just a boost and gate.

The trick is to turn your gain down. Way down. Like 1 or 1.5 on the lead channel.

Try;

Gain: 1-1.5
Bass: 3-4
Mids; 6-7
Treble: 5-6
Depth and Presence to taste; I like them more or less around noon.

Give that a go and see if it works for you 

If you like Tesseract's tone, they use 5150IIs on the crunch channel. I'm not sure what their settings are, but it can't hurt to try messing around on there, too 

If your Presence is kinda high, turning that down could help with the fizz, but it's probably the fact that the poweramp isn't working hard enough. Most 5150s I've played/heard don't really sound "good" until the Post Gain's around 3, which is hella loud. My suggestion is turn it as loud as you reasonably can where you are and see if that seems to help at all. If not, it could be the tubes, or you might just not dig the 5150 sound; everyone's different


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## Hyacinth (Jul 6, 2012)

Philligan said:


> I've owned 8 strings and own a 5150.
> 
> For a djenty Periphery tone, your boost and everything is great; I got a good tone for that with just a boost and gate.
> 
> ...


When I turned it up to around 3-3.5 the fizz started to be less noticeable, but it was pretty damn loud, and the tone sounded harsh. The harshness could have just been my proximity to the amp, though. I was less than two feet away. What's another amp I could look into in my price range that would get a better "djenty" tone? That word sucks, but it's the easiest way to describe it. My price range is pretty much what I could sell the 5150 for which is probably like $500-$600


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## refusetofall87 (Jul 6, 2012)

I would agree with philligan, you could try to turn to your pre gain down to 1-1.5 and use your gain booster. The only thing i found to be a set back with turning your pre gain down is that your amp wont be as loud as it should be. Try everything, im sure you'll find something that works for you.


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## refusetofall87 (Jul 6, 2012)

MatthewLeisher said:


> When I turned it up to around 3-3.5 the fizz started to be less noticeable, but it was pretty damn loud, and the tone sounded harsh. The harshness could have just been my proximity to the amp, though. I was less than two feet away. What's another amp I could look into in my price range that would get a better "djenty" tone? That word sucks, but it's the easiest way to describe it. My price range is pretty much what I could sell the 5150 for which is probably like $500-$600



Question for you... when you play through the amp by itself (no effects pedals or rackmounts) does it still fizz?


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## Hyacinth (Jul 6, 2012)

refusetofall87 said:


> Question for you... when you play through the amp by itself (no effects pedals or rackmounts) does it still fizz?


Yeah, it still sounds fizzy when plugged directly into the amp. Without the OD808 to boost it, it sounds kind of lifeless, too.


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## refusetofall87 (Jul 6, 2012)

MatthewLeisher said:


> Yeah, it still sounds fizzy when plugged directly into the amp. Without the OD808 to boost it, it sounds kind of lifeless, too.


 When is the last time you had your tubes changed, to your knowledge?


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## Hyacinth (Jul 6, 2012)

refusetofall87 said:


> When is the last time you had your tubes changed, to your knowledge?


I traded a 5150II for it a few weeks ago. The dude said he changed them recently, within the month I think he said. There's no knowing if he was just saying that, though.


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## refusetofall87 (Jul 6, 2012)

Yeah, exactly. I dont think you should give up on the 5150 just yet. I really think its your power amp tubes or maybe your pre amp tubes... or both. I would take your head to a gear tech. 5150's and 5150 II's are excellent for lower tunings because of their mid range. Ive played many amps and I love my 5150 signature head. If you do plan on getting your tubes changed, i would recomend JJ power amp tubes and Tung-sol pre amp tubes.


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## Hyacinth (Jul 6, 2012)

I actually don't have my guitar downtuned. I put the top six strings in drop C and it sounded a little more percussive and twangy, but still not what I want, sadly. I'd rather play in Drop E. My low E is already pretty much too flubby and undefined to use, even with a .74 string on there. I have a question posted in the string tension megathread right now, though. So hopefully that issue will get cleared up for me soon.


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## Philligan (Jul 6, 2012)

MatthewLeisher said:


> What's another amp I could look into in my price range that would get a better "djenty" tone? That word sucks, but it's the easiest way to describe it. My price range is pretty much what I could sell the 5150 for which is probably like $500-$600



Honestly, the 5150's really hard to beat for the price. I'd maybe look into some of the Bugera stuff, or a used Randall T2/V2 or a used Mesa. But IMHO, if you wanna stay in that price range, the 5150's probably worth sticking with and putting some money into it over time. That or a POD. 

I spent a lot of time with an XT bean, and even though it didn't sound the most organic, the range of tones and EQ options you get with it are unrivaled. From what I read, the HD series is pretty much only better; I wanna get an HD for recording and home stuff to go with my Blackstar HT-5r. On top of that, the PODs can do anything, so you're good to go if your tastes change down the road.



refusetofall87 said:


> Yeah, exactly. I dont think you should give up on the 5150 just yet. I really think its your power amp tubes or maybe your pre amp tubes... or both. I would take your head to a gear tech. 5150's and 5150 II's are excellent for lower tunings because of their mid range. Ive played many amps and I love my 5150 signature head. If you do plan on getting your tubes changed, i would recomend JJ power amp tubes and Tung-sol pre amp tubes.



This. A retube with what you know are reputable tubes can do wonders. For more money (and more of a commitment haha) check out FJA mods. It's a guy named Jerry who does insane 5150 mods. If his prices are too high (they can get really expensive), you can find mods that do similar things pretty easily online, and a decent tech should be able to do them all.



MatthewLeisher said:


> I actually don't have my guitar downtuned. I put the top six strings in drop C and it sounded a little more percussive and twangy, but still not what I want, sadly. I'd rather play in Drop E. My low E is already pretty much too flubby and undefined to use, even with a .74 string on there. I have a question posted in the string tension megathread right now, though. So hopefully that issue will get cleared up for me soon.



Unfortunately, that's kinda the nature of the beast with low tunings. The .074 is slightly on the lighter end for low E, but definitely doable, and the lighter string is gonna get you a slightly more guitar-like tone (as opposed to bass-like). Try messing with your pick attack and pickup height.


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## makeitreign (Jul 6, 2012)

Try guitar-> OD-> gate-> comp-> amp.

Don't compress before you gate.


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## Hyacinth (Jul 6, 2012)

makeitreign said:


> Try guitar-> OD-> gate-> comp-> amp.
> 
> Don't compress before you gate.


Wooooah. I tried it. I think that was the missing link. The fizz is still there but hardly noticeable (Can't wait to see how new tubes sound in it). The crispness and clarity and punch that I wanted is much more evident now! Thanks a lot to everyone in this topic, I hope somewhere down the line a google search leads to this thread and helps someone like me get an awesome tone. =D


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## refusetofall87 (Jul 6, 2012)

MatthewLeisher said:


> Wooooah. I tried it. I think that was the missing link. The fizz is still there but hardly noticeable (Can't wait to see how new tubes sound in it). The crispness and clarity and punch that I wanted is much more evident now! Thanks a lot to everyone in this topic, I hope somewhere down the line a google search leads to this thread and helps someone like me get an awesome tone. =D


Glad that you figured it out, peavey 5150's are amazing amps. Hope you get as much joy out of yours that i do out of mine.


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## WarMachine (Jul 9, 2012)

MatthewLeisher said:


> The other guy said having the OD after the gate is defeating the purpose. Typo maybe?


Nope, not if you run the OD in the Send and Return of the NS-2. Done it for years and it works wonders  you still get all the greatness of the OD minus all the feedback.

EDIT: Sorry dude, got in a hurry at work with that post lol. What i meant was IIRC, i used to run my NS-2 like this: NS-2 Out - Amp, NS-2 In - Guitar. (just think of it like you're using the top half of the pedal for the amp and guitar inputs since thats basically what you are doing. Then i ran the NS-2 Return to the next pedals Out. Then just chain them like normal. When you get to the very last pedal in your chain, run from the in of that pedal, all the way back to the send of the NS-2. This KILLED all feedback, hum, buzz, etc of every pedal and still cut my guitar out when i needed it to. pretty gnarly pedal man, i LOVE mine!


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## jeffguy (Jul 23, 2013)

I'm in a metalcore band. This is my rig:

Gibson les paul with a Super D -> Boss NS-2 Noise gate -> Peavey 5150ii -> Mesa Recto 4x12 Slant Cab.
In the NS-2's loop:

Send-> TS9 (drive 0/tone 11-12 o clock/level Max) -> MXR 10 band EQ (V "ish" pattern) -> Polytune -> Return.

Amp settings for Lead Channel:

Pre @ 5.5
Low @ 9
Mid @ 5
High @ 6
Post @ 4
Resonance @ 7
Presence @ 6

Just played our biggest venue as of yet (300+ people)on saturday and got tons of compliments on my tone which made me feel pretty good!


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## r_adkins80 (Jul 23, 2013)

I got the best tone out if my old 5150II by taking the advice of the guitarist from Quo Vadis: get the meat and cut of your sound by running the presence and resonance near Max and keeping the bass and treble really low. Gain at noon-1:00 and mid depends on cab/speakers. I also ran a tungsol in V1 with gold pin JJ in the rest of the spots with EH 6L6GC and had a bias mod on the amp. Never once had to use an overdrive with that head...ever.


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## NinjaRaf (Jul 24, 2013)

Stock Carvin pickups arent as bad as people make them out to be. But yeah, EMGs would definitely step up your game a bit. And some sort of TS would probably get you closer to what youre looking for. Personally, I ran that amp with a 412 with Eminence Legends, and used all kinds of pickups...and for me, the EMGs didnt make that much of a difference. I never ran a boost, either, and I was getting solid modern metal tones easily. I wont ever really understand why any one thinks they need a boost with that amp, but hey...to each their own. Ive got a buddy that has one and he runs a boost, but I liked all of my 5150s (except the original one) without a boost WAY better.

gain 6.5
Bass 6
mids 3
his 5
presence 5
resonance 6

Done.


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## Hyacinth (Jul 26, 2013)

Necro bump haha Thanks for all the advice guys, but I bought an Axe Fx


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