# EVH 5150 III vs. EVH 5150 III stealth



## ZERO1

Alright fellas. I was about to pull the trigger on a 5150 III while looking on the site I buy gear from I noticed that they were going to be getting 5150 III stealth. Now is the stealth worth the additional cash? Also what are the difference between em? if anyone has experience with both I would like to hear your thoughts. Thanks and I appreciate any input.


----------



## Insinfier

_Channel two features increased gain for greater sustain and is re-voiced for improved low-mid frequency definition; channel three also features increased gain and improved range for the "low" control. Further, each channel has a rear-panel resonance control knob that dials in fine-tuned low-end response. The amp boasts eight JJ ECC83 preamp tubes, four Shuguang 6L6 power tubes, switchable output impedance (4, 8 and 16 ohms) and adjustable bias control._

I haven't played it, but probably the one amp that could completely replace my 5150 III 50 watt. Closet or sold.


----------



## ZERO1

Insinfier said:


> _Channel two features increased gain for greater sustain and is re-voiced for improved low-mid frequency definition; channel three also features increased gain and improved range for the "low" control. Further, each channel has a rear-panel resonance control knob that dials in fine-tuned low-end response. The amp boasts eight JJ ECC83 preamp tubes, four Shuguang 6L6 power tubes, switchable output impedance (4, 8 and 16 ohms) and adjustable bias control._


yeah i read that. I figured some one with a more hands on experience can chime in so I could hear what they have to say. But thanks for the response bro.


----------



## ZERO1

bump...


----------



## svart

Bumping this one out of curiosity. got GAS over the top for a stealth but curious if it's worth the extra...


----------



## O00Coolzero00O

Sounds awesome to me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROQuhajvpAo


----------



## glpg80

O00Coolzero00O said:


> Sounds awesome to me.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROQuhajvpAo



Holy fuark.


----------



## jc986

I think the biggest draw for me would be the addition of the depth knobs. That's one of the reasons I chose the 50w over the regular 100w. I think the 100w and the stealth are a bit overpriced though for where they are manufactured. Fender is saving money by manufacturing in Mexico, but not passing any of those savings on down to the customer. If I'm going to spend more than 2K on an amp I would buy something made in the US or Germany. I also think MIDI should have been included on the Stealth, but all they did with the Stealth is take existing circuit boards for the regular 100's and make a few modifications. 

Quote from Howard Kaplan (Designer of the amp): "Yes. The 100S is created by hand modifying the 100W PCB assembly. The cuts (there are two) are done with a Dremel tool and there is nothing to worry about. The signal re-routing is done with coax wire. We stand behind the amp with our warranty. The chassis is also new to accommodate the resonance controls; bias test jacks and bias pots."


----------



## O00Coolzero00O

Agreed, but how often do you find a manufacturer that's willing to pass down the savings? It seems rarer than Kim Kardashian's virginity.




jc986 said:


> I think the biggest draw for me would be the addition of the depth knobs. That's one of the reasons I chose the 50w over the regular 100w. I think the 100w and the stealth are a bit overpriced though for where they are manufactured. Fender is saving money by manufacturing in Mexico, but not passing any of those savings on down to the customer. If I'm going to spend more than 2K on an amp I would buy something made in the US or Germany. I also think MIDI should have been included on the Stealth, but all they did with the Stealth is take existing circuit boards for the regular 100's and make a few modifications.
> 
> Quote from Howard Kaplan (Designer of the amp): "Yes. The 100S is created by hand modifying the 100W PCB assembly. The cuts (there are two) are done with a Dremel tool and there is nothing to worry about. The signal re-routing is done with coax wire. We stand behind the amp with our warranty. The chassis is also new to accommodate the resonance controls; bias test jacks and bias pots."


----------



## jc986

O00Coolzero00O said:


> Agreed, but how often do you find a manufacturer that's willing to pass down the savings? It seems rarer than Kim Kardashian's virginity.



Most manufacturers making amps / guitars in countries with cheap labor are pricing it significantly lower than items made in a country with more expensive labor. As an example,Mesa is able to sell a new Mark V for $2249 and the Mark V is way more complex of an amp (with better build quality IME), and made in the US. 

Don't get me wrong I do like the EVH series the markup is just a bit too high IMO. The margin on the EVH series must be pretty huge when dealers are willing to take off 15-20% on a new item without hesitating if you ask.


----------



## FILTHnFEAR

jc986 said:


> The margin on the EVH series must be pretty huge when dealers are willing to take off 15-20% on a new item without hesitating if you ask.



*Is* that pretty normal for dealers to do on the 5153?


----------



## jc986

FILTHnFEAR said:


> *Is* that pretty normal for dealers to do on the 5153?



I know Sweetwater typically doesn't like to move a lot on the price, but when I bought my EVH 50 watt I just asked if there was any room on the price and he immediately jumped down 15%. I commented that there must a pretty big markup and my sales engineer agreed. 

I've heard of other guys getting up to 20% off at more local type places that deal EVH.


----------



## O00Coolzero00O

It blows my mind that some of these places have that sort of wiggle room. 

All these years I've just been buying things at retail without really asking to work on the price. Can we get a sticky with the real prices of things lol


----------



## MaxOfMetal

O00Coolzero00O said:


> It blows my mind that some of these places have that sort of wiggle room.
> 
> All these years I've just been buying things at retail without really asking to work on the price. Can we get a sticky with the real prices of things lol



The greater majority of gear is already significantly marked up, usually by double. So that $1k piece of gear you have your eye on only cost the dealer $500. 

That $1k is also the "MAP" or Minimum Advertised Prince which is set by the manufacturer. 

ALWAYS ask for a deal. There is plenty of wiggle room, especially at bigger retailers who move tons of stuff.


----------



## O00Coolzero00O

Can you give me a few examples of these big retailers?



MaxOfMetal said:


> The greater majority of gear is already significantly marked up, usually by double. So that $1k piece of gear you have your eye on only cost the dealer $500.
> 
> That $1k is also the "MAP" or Minimum Advertised Prince which is set by the manufacturer.
> 
> ALWAYS ask for a deal. There is plenty of wiggle room, especially at bigger retailers who move tons of stuff.


----------



## jc986

Musician's Friend will pretty much always give you 10-15% off anything over $500. Sweetwater will work with you depending on the sales engineer.


----------



## MaxOfMetal

O00Coolzero00O said:


> Can you give me a few examples of these big retailers?



Pretty much all the big box retailers, most are either the same company or partly the same company anyway. 

Guitar Center, Musicians Friend, Woodwind & Brass, Bananas, zZounds, American Musical Supply, Sweetwater, etc. 

Usually the only folks not willing to cut into profits are the smaller, local mom and pop shops that are barely scrapping it by as is. The big retailers have the volume to undercut.


----------



## Municipalrestart

Well this is a pretty old thread but I just wanted to throw out there that I got my 5150 stealth from zzounds for 1800 brand new. They went down three separate times, the last two were because it shipped a couple days late (I milked the fuck out of it) but still if they went down that low they are still making a profit. Im still not entirely sure if i should have gotten the 50 watt but rhe stealth is bad ass and with the deal i got ill probably hang on to it.


----------

