EVH 5150 III S

[MrBeasty]

http://www.guitaraficionado.com/a-diffe ... trade.html

So, here we go again ... what, when, where, how and how much?

... For the 2012-13 tour, I modified my 5150 III amp heads because my taste had changed again a little and I wanted to continue the evolution of the amp. We’re putting out the limited-edition 5150 III S with that mod, for anyone who wants what I am currently using ...

[vanhalen5150]

The marketing department at Fender must pull their hair out at times.

[fivecoyote]

Good catch, Beasty, tx! What I gotta wonder about before learning more is how an amp with that many channels and knobs doesn't get a sound he wants??

[dirtycooter]

Well......
His tastes seem to change faster as he gets older lmao!
But I do wonder what the mod sounds like-or what ever is different. There were some parts of ADKOT I thought were "too modern" or "metal". Not at all the organic brown we want to hear.
I wouldn't get excited or get my dick in a knot until I could sit down with both and compare side by side.
Ony thing I might want different is a tad more hair on the 2nd channel or less compressed on the 3rd. But... I get along fine how it is. Makes me work a little-and thats a good thing really. Still get and find new pockets of textures whippin between channels and usin different pickups. Yet it all sounds congruent across all 3. No drastic unrelatedness like some amps with multichannels. This is one of the few amps out there that does this really well. An old TOL Egnater is one of the only other amps I got that from. Those are pretty sweet heads. Rare though.

[vanhalen5150]

I've seen some pretty good ebay deals on used ones lately. They have come down almost $500 new here since they first came out.

[rgorke]

The marketing department at Fender must pull their hair out at times.

Actually, I bet they love it. They can market something "new" and improved or better.

I would venture a guess that the mod makes it sound pretty close to his 12301 Marshall that Dave Friedman "fixed". He probably heard it the way it was in the past and said, "yeah, that's what I remember. I really like that." So, rather than ditch what he has, they mod they 5150 to sound like that.

Pure unadulterated speculation but grounded in my out psychoses.

[grockr1]

THE S STANDS FOR SUCKERS WHO BUY IT.

[Stratabuse]

So here's what the EVH website describes it as. I believe the S stands for stealth because it's all black.

"This limited edition hand-customized EVH 5150 III 100S head and 4x12 cabinet combination is identical to the setup Eddie Van Halen has recently toured with, and features the exact same custom modifications. The head and cabinet are available individually, or together as a complete half stack.

The 100-watt head features a single input and three channels (clean, crunch, lead), each with versatile controls (volume, gain, presence, low, mid, high). 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 Wing C 6L6 power tubes, switchable output impedance (4, 8 and 16 ohms) and adjustable bias control. Other features include vintage-style “chicken head” control knobs, red jewel, dual speaker jacks, effects loop, direct out and molded plastic handle.

The cabinet features rock-solid birch construction, four Celestion® EVH G-12 speakers, EVH casters and recessed metal handles.

Head and cabinet come in a special black “Stealth” aesthetic; and a seven-pin, four-button footswitch is included (controls each channel and the effects loop). Optional EVH fitted cover also available."

[guitargoalie]

I have heard from a few people that these mods on channel 2 and 3 are copies of the 50watt version. When EVH made these new amps Eddie liked it so they put it on his 100w. So it would be the original 100w clean, 50w blue, and 50w red, with 3 separate resonance knobs

[stef]

So here's what the EVH website describes it as.

"features increased gain channel three also features increased gain "

[ttowne]

So here's what the EVH website describes it as.

"features increased gain channel three also features increased gain "

LOL

[stef]

Yeah, I guess EVH now wants to play new metal and he needs even more gain
If I wanted more gain and new metal type of amp I'd go for the real thing - boogie rectumfirer

[jnew]

At some degree of risk for getting flamed here, I think the tone on the last album sucked ass. HATED IT. Wouldn't listen to the album a 3rd time. Some tones were just OK, at best but by an large, I look the other way when it comes to those amps. I know they're well built amps and can sound really good when setting them up for other classic rock and heavier stuff but for early VH, you know, the stuff that changed the world? Not thanks. We build better stuff on this forum for that. just my opinion.

[dirtycooter]

I love the old dave era and new sammy era tones-but I lean more toward the old. I guess with the 5153 I come to terms with it and am happy as hell with mine.
If you work to sound more vintage raw with the 5153 its not gonna get as close as the builds here to the OLD RECORD tones. But it puts me square in the pocket of that "in between" twilight zone of vh tone.
If one were to listen past the sammy era harmonizer glaze of Balance and FUCK-get to that core tone with its cleans and hi gain and then try to maybe push it more back to a more organic vintage sound-I get what I feel is an amazing blend of both eras. And no body here has to like it-but I dig the piss out of it. I forget about chasing tones so much and get into what I have at hand more and more as time goes on. I like the 5153's tone. I really honestly do-but I love it for what it is, and that alone.
You can pull off nicely the old era riffs and songs very good and easily hang in the new era or mix it up any way you like. Its just a bigger box of crayons to me to color with.
And now I just simply play more and feel more open to its offerings. It satisfies me and fits my needs and my playing.
Kinda like a fendermarshallsoldano triple cross breed. And I don't think I coulda imagined a better single amp that can make it through all those so decently in one box. You have to see it for what it is and I guess develop that taste on your own.

[jnew]

Totally fair. More importantly, very true and accurate. They are very pricey but it does pretty much cover it all and does it well. I do know it is a very good amp as I've seen and hear them so I shouldn't be trying to bash the amp. The latest album tone I guess is the turnoff for me. I guess it's just too quick and easy to equate that amp to that tone but it's not fair to that amp.