I've been wanting that stealth one for a while. I'm REALLY wanting to grab one of the 100w black ones. What is it, the stealth III ? Or 5150 III? Can't remember the model now for some reason. Or I wouldn't mind having a black and a white. But 2 of the same amps? Oh, and the cab... Or 2. .. Ben, I think you've got one of those sitting on the shelf behind you in your videos, no?? Just never gotten around to piling the trigger between all the crazy stuff I've bought..
I’ve had my Iconic for 3 days and this amp is amazing! I’m not trying to dial it in to sound like Eddie. The amp is very versatile and there no need to dial in a lot of gain to get a great lead sound on channel 2. I use a beautiful clean sound on channel 1. The boost works fabulous! I run a line out of the preamp out to a Boss ME70 into a JCM900 into Orange cabs. That way all my effects have a volume pedal so I can blend in modulation/delay effects into the Marshall while keeping the Iconic rock solid with a little bit of reverb. I love the reverb on the Iconic! Anyway, create your own sound with this amp, don’t try to make it sound predictable. The Iconic amp gives you everything you need to blaze into future guitar sounds…
Sounds much better than EVHs RU-vid channel demo. Thank goodness. That was a fizzy nightmare did anyone else see that yesterday? I had to check the calendar, nope not April 1st.
@@graemedixon6314 I definitely hear a fizz I think that's just the tonal nature of the gain stage in this, it sounds great to my ear but it's definitely not that hi-fi modern tube sound you get from the 5150 III
@@judsonruddick5240 i own a crush pro 120 and to get a tight metal tone you definitely need an overdrive or boost. But the quality of sound and dynamics is awesome. I run through an Engl Pro 4x12 v 30.
It sounds very full and "5150-ish". It has that 2000-2010s metalcore and heavy metal tone nailed. The noise gate is a great feature, wish it had a master volume and MIDI though! Overall it seems like a decent amp if you're looking for a dirty-ish clean or 2 rhythm/leads tones and more features than a 6505+ would have. But I think the latest 5153 amps are still where it's at for separate EQ/Vol and Gain over 3 channels with MIDI.
@@222Brony try a EVH 5150 iii 100w Stealth. I blows away all other amps i had before (Peavey 6505, Orange Rockerverb, Marshall Jcm800, Engl Powerball) no kidding)
To me, this amp enhances the upper mids and top end that Eddie was famous for in his tone, much more so than any of the other 5150 predecessors. I've owned the Peavey 5150, multiple EVH Fender incarnation amps from the 50w to the Stealth and tonally this seems to outshine them all. The others had a darkness that I couldn't shrug, as awesome as they were, and this seems to unveil what Eddie really wanted in an amplifier, not a lot of frills, all tone
I always thought that my 50 watt evh was a great deal at $999 but this is a great deal too. I don't see how anyone can talk trash on EVH. They've successfully made great sounding gear at affordable prices and some bells and whistles. A lot cheaper than some other amp companies for sure and they got off easy cause Eddie and his tone did most the work for these newer amp companies already...lol. I got the 50 watt head and 2x12 combo cause that was the best tube rig I could get for the money imo. I probably would've considered one of these if it was out a couple years ago.
As a bedroom shredder, I’m more interested in the 1x12 but I’m excited by this lineup. The features for the price is crazy good. Plus they’re the best looking amps I think I’ve ever seen.
Why is everyone always referring to this amp as a 'kid's amp' or a budget amp? How did that idea creep into the RU-vid world? It may be a straightforward one, with few extra's, but that doesn't make it less grown-up. I mean...how old was Eddie when he started Van Halen? This sounds and looks like a full blown amp to me. Great demo by the way Fluff, as always! I'm ordering this!
This sounds fucking crispy. Oddly enough, it also sounds very similar to any blue stripe Peavey solid state amp with the gain button pushed in 😬 not a bad move for someone that needs the extra features though. Your demo beats the balls off of the company's initial demo.
As an owner of the 40w combo…I can say with very high confidence that the combo sounds just as good as the head does! Love it love it love it! Between your demo and Rays demo…it really gave me such high hopes for this amp and god damn did it not disappoint at all! I’m actually running my Metal Muff in the front on my combo on the green channel and holy shit does it sound brutal as fuck while still being super clear and articulate. Love ya Fluff! Do a review on the 40w combo version as well! You will not be disappointed at all!
Does the noise gate actually work? I recently picked up the 2x12 combo and the noise gate only works if i keep the gain low, like how Fluff demonstrated. Not sure if I got a bad amp/tube, or if the marketing pushed hard on the noise gate....
@@scottyknows Unsure, I tried one in guitar center (we all know how some of those guitars are set up) on red channel with burn, and the noise gate seemed to work well.
Great demo Ryan! This definitely sounds great and the features & benefits are paramount for any player looking to expand their horizons in the tube amp realm. Burn switch had girth, tight low end and a crispy presence I really liked as well. Thank you 🤘
*this amp honestly reminds me of the PV rock master rack made into a full-fledged head! The way the voicing is as you turn in the dails on the front of it to dial in your tone, it functions like a PV rockmaster.*
Finally someone talking sense about the number of A7Xs in the amp lol. It's really clear a lot of people don't understand amp design well enough to know what the reduction in tubes actually means for the circuit.
This is like the hi gain amp equivalent of a dirt bike. Perfect for those young gun slingers out there hell raising every night but tons of fun for us more seasoned rockers too 🎸🤘
Not bad at all. Very good explanation on the price point and piece of the market it will occupy. Didn't sound bad! Looking forward to seeing more and some comparisons man!
Ouch. I mean I have had the 6262 and the preamp section was nearly identical to the 6505+ I also owned. The power amp did sound a bit difference, no resonance knob on the bugera!
Honestly with the way tubes and factories are going, more good solid state tech is welcomed. Plus the man designing these is well known for his metal word contributions through schematics and designs.
I bought my 5153/50watt for a grand years ago. It is bare bones. I had no idea theyre 1300$ now. I’m 35 and bought a 6505+ for 1,200 bucks when I was 19. Damn if this thing was available when I was that age I would of loved to have it.
Just got my hands on one of these a few weeks ago, I’m personally hooked. I run it with a Boss EQ-200 and Ibanez Mini Tube Screamer in the FX loop that I “MacGyvered” onto the rear grille with zip ties, with an MXR Smart Gate and Carbon Copy delay in front. I feel the trick with this amp is to set your tone first using the front controls and Tube Screamer, then hit it with the EQ-200 by scooping a bit of the highest frequencies (12.8k HZ gets a -6 dB cut, 6.4k HZ get a -3 dB cut), and a tad bit of mid scoop in the 800 HZ range (-3 to -6 to your taste). Also cut a tad bit of the low end (30 HZ gets a -6 dB cut and 60 HZ gets a -3 dB cut). Engage the EQ and you have a chunky metal monster that doesn’t get very grating in the high end and sounds killer in the mix. I use EMG 57/66 pickups in both of my main guitars along with an AB220 boost controller for a bit of extra gain during leads, so I’ve personally fallen in love with this amp. Literal perfection in my opinion.
At the price point this will be a great rehearsal space amp for rehearsal room owners. I’d happily gig with it no problem. Once you’ve gigged a JCM800 with no boost everything else is easy 😂
@@megatop412 😂 I used to boost it with a parametric eq but some gigs it was straight it. It definitely makes you play better and really dig in. Guitar players these days are spoilt for choice. Amazing how far it’s come.
I kinda agree. I have both as well and I feel bad for thinking this same thing. May just be honeymoon phase but I LOVE the sounds coming out of this thing. And the way it feels. You can make it as tight or as saggy as you want.
I have the 5150IIS 100W and it's my go-to for metal now. After your review I'm definitely pulling the trigger on this head! This is a great step down for smaller gigs when playing off the stage. This will be the closest I'll ever get to a SS amp.
Peavey already made this amp (hybrid tube amp) in 2008 and it was called the Tube Vypyr and it was/is a great sounding amp. I still have my 120 watt 2x12 tube Vypyr combo and still works without issue. It has 4 6L6 power tubes and a 12ax7 for an inverter tube. The gain section is solid state. All I know is the bass response is excellent and it has more than enough volume and gain if needed. I tried the EVH Iconic combo about a year ago and it sounded alright but the cabinet build quality was sh*t compared to my old Peavey. To my ear the tube Vypyr sounds better and it has good onboard effects that you can use or turn off. The 6505 sound on it is pretty much identical to a 5150 and the clean sounds are great. The Marshall, Mesa, Fender and Vox presets on it also sound great. But frankly it's worth it just for the 6505 setting. People should stop obsessing over gear and brand names and learn how to actually play the guitar.
I own an EVH 5150iii el34 100watt head and completely in love with it. That being said, I really enjoy this model and the way it’s sounding. Great product to add to the collection! I may pick one up as my practice head! It may not be the same but at it’s price point it’s more than perfect as a practice solution!
Ok….I finally got to plug in my new white iconic head tonight. First of all I brought my 5150 block head home the day it hit the store. It was $500 …what? 30 years ago? Now my regular rig runs a Boss GT 100 4 cable to a Laney Ironheart 120. It’s loud and really is a complete setup. Now these new iconics…it is damn loud. It doesn’t give you that weird thin sound that some hybrids have. It seems like I ran a tube screamer in my original block to get the modern metal tones the Iconic offers using BURN and gain. The noise gate makes an honest attempt … but balls out it can’t handle the gain it pumps…ALOT. If your maxing the gain and want that nerve shattering silence you will need a Decimator or something worthy. As not everyone maxes on tones of death and the backed off gain tones are beautiful. I mean catch this on the DAW clean and worthy. There will be some badass music recorded with these heads, just don’t take life so seriously…if we were that serious we wouldn’t have ended up musicians looking for the next biggest thing to make us sound like we play better. This is a great amp 🤘
Good take. I own it now myself (had to have it) and I can say this is accurate. Noise gate does help but nothing will beat an external one. I still prefer my 808 to the built in boost. Still the feature set for the money plugged straight in for simplicity's sake is hard to beat. I've used so much gear over the years, analog, digital, tube, solid state, pedals, multi fx units, emulators, miced, direct, reamped, etc etc etc to the point of exhaustion and this sounds just as good straight in with no extras and no extra pedals. It's all in one. The gear search for me is over atm because I'm so content with its sound but it kinda pisses me off. I'm just sitting here looking at this thing like "where the hell was this thing when I was 15 and first starting?" I could have saved SOOOO much time and money tone searching and gear swapping. But that's half the fun of being a musician. The discovery. It is an great value imo. But yes. It's not perfect. But for my money close. I'm definitely not searching for tone anytime soon. This has it in person and in recordings to my ears though I know alot of people don't like bright sizzly crunchy amps. What it is though is versatile and has gain for days. I love it.
this is the same type of noise gate james brown put in the peavey jsx it is not a gated noise gate it does not cut off your note it simply dials out the hiss noise. i prefer that kind but if you think this is a noise gate that will kill your sound helping on tight chugging you may be disappointed.
I'll be honest I was having a little bit of a buyers remorse after listening to the demo by EVH but you restored my faith and I'm extremely excited to get this thing
You got the damn thing before Ola!!! I’ve been mulling over buying used in the 5150 III department or save some cash with this head. Thanks for the demo!
You nailed every aspect about Eddie’s genius. I’ve always said he makes his amps and guitars affordable. This is case and point for $900 and a good cab you’re set. I mean his top end heads are in the mid 2k area…..he’s light years ahead of everyone. Thank you for this video.
As others have said, your demo absolutely shits on the one that EVH posted. Seems like this'll be a really good option for people looking to get into the 5150 world. Definitely glad this doesn't sound better than my 100w 5150 III though. It's gonna take something special for me to part ways with that amp.
Wow I should have waited. What a beast of an amp. I ended up buying the amp 1 iridium pedal cause I'm as impatient as they come. O well. I would like to hear you demo that pedal one day man.....great video of the iconic.
I got my Iconic combo last week. It's an incredible sounding amp. It's actually the sound I've always wanted in a 5150 amp. I have the original Peavey 5150 block letter and I have a few of the EVH 5150 IIIs. I love them all but this Iconic has exactly what I'm looking for. It's not a metal amp. It's a great rock amp with a really good clean channel if you need one. Think of any 70s or 80s rock song and this amp does it. Think of any VH tone and this amp does it better than the 5150 amps. It's not as compressed as the 5150 line of amps. The design of the cabinet on the combo is quite good, it sounds big and not boxy the way many 1x12s can sound. James Brown did a great job on this amp and it's the last one we'll ever have that Eddie was directly involved in. Anything else EVH puts out after this won't have Eddie's ears on it. It's a special amp for me. I have the first 5150 and now the last one. Don't get this amp if you are a chugger or a metal guy.
Hello from New England...Im New to the channel and I'm really digging it...Im a massive GOJIRA fan and I've seen various reactions of GOJIRA, and a lot of pll have commented on their hella heavy and chunky guitar tone...And they use EVH and the 5150's......you just can't; beat that tube sound when they're firering hot and are cranked to festival levels.....Great review....Peace from the Northeast....
I'm really not digging the sounds from this amp. There's a shrill fuzziness in the top end on anything higher gain than when you initially turned on the crunch channel i don't hear in any other amp and i just don't gel with it. It sounds like an old freeware VST (LePoulin Soldano or similar). The initial mix demo was actually discomforting to listen to because of this. I'm glad you like it, but it's not for me it seems
Always great content fluff, great demo and better than EVH’s. I’ll say though, I think this amp sounds terrible but would be a great starter amp for someone!
