EVH 5150 III 50W EL34
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2
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E
ver since the arrival of the
5150 III EL34 100-watt
head, there have been
requests for the same
design in a more
aff ordable format. EVH has
listened and responded with the
5150 III 50W EL34. Featuring the
same devastating tones and
similar fl exibility, the 50W has
three channels: channel 1 (clean)
and channel 2 (crunch) share the
same EQ but feature separate gain
and volume controls on clever,
dual concentric pots; channel 3
(lead) gets its own dedicated EQ. A
global presence control on the
front panel and a global resonance
control on the rear panel tune the
power amplifi er’s high and low
frequency response to taste. Other
features include a headphone
outlet and a series eff ects loop,
which is footswitchable using the
supplied four-button switch,
together with a separate preamp
out. The 5150 EL34 also takes MIDI
program change commands, so
you can sync it to MIDI-compatible
eff ects units and fl oor controllers.
The EL34 version of the 5150 is
important because Van Halen’s
groundbreaking early work relied
exclusively on heavily-modifi ed
Marshall Super Lead heads, which
used EL34s. Compared with 6L6s,
EL34s have a slightly compressed
frequency response and a more
aggressive clip, making this new
head the perfect weapon for
achieving authentic vintage Van
Halen sounds, as well as Eddie’s
more refi ned and defi ned modern
tone. Like all EVH products, the
50W is beautifully designed and
constructed, featuring a solid steel
chassis trimmed in black and
anodised gold with EVH’s
trademark stripes over the front
panel. Inside, most of the
components live on high-quality
printed circuit boards, with
typically clean layout and minimal
wiring for improved reliability.
Sat fi rmly in hot-rodded Plexi
territory, the 5150’s channel 1 is
capable of sparkling cleans, with
enough gain for mildly-driven
blues sounds. Channel 2’s higher
gain is perfect for crunch and
classic rock leads, while Channel 3
launches into the stratosphere
with gain levels that are cheerfully
insane, yet works a clever magic
trick by retaining most of the
dynamics that are often lost at
such extremes. This means the
5150 sounds properly cranked up,
even at quite low practice levels.
The EVH sounds good with any
guitar but a beefy PAF-type
humbucker brings the amp to life.
EVH’s 5150 III 50W EL34 is a
highly-eff ective weapon for the
modern rock and metal player that
puts tone before unnecessary
complexity. It’s also compact and
an ideal travelling amp while the
addition of MIDI gives it pro-
standard versatility. It’s not cheap,
but the features, build quality and
tone make it worth the money.
Nick Guppy
EVH 5150 III 50W EL34
Boutique EVH tones from a workhorse amplifier
1
STRIPES
The EVH stripes in
eye-catching black
and gold mark this
head out as
something special
2
MIDI
In addition to
using the four-button
footswitch to change
channels and toggle
the effects loop, it
accepts MIDI
program change
commands
3
DUAL
CONCENTRIC
KNOBS
Dual-concentric
knobs for channel 1
and 2 gains and
master volumes adds
flexibility for setting
up ideal clean/crunch/
lead sounds
TYPE: Amp head with
all-valve preamp and
power amp
OUTPUT: 50W
VALVES: 7x 12AX7, 2x
EL34
CONTROLS: Channels
1/2 gain, master
volume, shared low mid
and high. Channel 3
gain, low, mid, high,
master volume.
Global presence and
resonance, 4/8/16 ohm
speaker impedance
switch
SOCKETS: Guitar in,
effects send/return,
preamp out,
headphones out,
footswitch in, MIDI in,
speaker out x2
WEIGHT: 15.7kg
DIMENSIONS:
[HxWxD]
240x510x290mm
CONTACT: Fender
Musical Instruments
GBI 0845 305 1122
www.evhgear.com
AT A GLANCE
PERFECT FOR ACHIEVING
VINTAGE VAN HALEN SOUNDS
£1149
FEATURES
SOUND QUALITY
VALUE FOR MONEY
BUILD QUALITY
USABILITY
OVERALL RATING
SuMMarY
BEST BUY
AWARD
Photography: Neil Godwin
REVIEW
97
OCTOBER 2017 ToTal GuiTar
TGR298.gear_evh.indd 97 14/09/2017 11:25