What is it?
Five years ago the guitar world lost Edward Van Halen, a leading light and sonic visionary who shattered the ceilings of gear, technique and music itself. We are left with a legacy not only of his songs but also the innovative products he helped create.
Back when Ed was developing his legendary ‘brown’ sound, which can be heard on the Roth-era Van Halen albums from ’78 to ’84, high-gain amplifiers didn’t exist.
His techniques for squeezing out new levels of rich saturation without pedal assistance have influenced the guitar amplifiers that now bear his initials.
While some celebrity endorsers may be happy to lease their name simply for a kickback, Edward was not that guy. His critical perfectionism is lore among many techs and designers, such as Chip Ellis at Fender and James Brown at Peavey.
Indeed, Edward was known to leave a guitar feeding back on top of a dimed tube amp for days at a time for stress-testing purposes! As such, the EVH range is built with this ‘military-spec’ ethos at its core.
The original 5150, developed alongside amp designer James Brown, was released in 1992 and has become what is widely considered as a default ‘best-in-class’ high-gain amp head.
With a Soldano-influenced preamp achieving high levels of modern gain, the 5150 amps come in two main flavours – EL34 and 6L6 variations.
The 6L6 power valves are used to provide clean bold power, whereas the EL34-equipped models tend to produce a little more midrange growl, especially when pushed hard. It has since been released in a variety of versions, sizes and wattages while largely retaining its sonic DNA.
Construction-wise, the head has a well-made, robust feel, although there are subtle clues to its lower price point
The Iconic series came out in 2021, bringing the 5150 sound to those with more modest budgets by replacing the huge array of preamp valves with a hybrid preamp circuit composed of valves and solid-state technology. Construction-wise, the head has a well-made, robust feel, although there are subtle clues to its lower price point.
‘Speakerless recording’ and ‘direct to PA’ use on silent stages are both provided for with the speaker-emulated XLR output and power amp mute switch.
The rear panel is also graced with an effects loop, which is not only to be used as a portal for your time-based effects but also as an input for any other already preamplified signal to access the power section, footswitchable boost, reverb, resonance, presence and Power Level switch – great for modellers and pedal-based preamps.
Finally, the aforementioned Power Level switch toggles between two settings: the full 15 watts and quarter power. At this lower setting, every ounce of goodness is preserved but at levels unlikely to aggrieve those around you.
Specs
- PRICE: $659/£589/€742
- ORIGIN: Indonesia
- TYPE: 15W valve head
- VALVES: 2x ECC83S, 1x EL34
- OUTPUT: 15W to 4W via ¼-power switch
- DIMENSIONS: 508 (w) x 254 (d) x 242mm (h)
- WEIGHT (kg/lb): 10/22
- CABINET: MDF
- CHANNELS: 2 plus boost
- CONTROLS: Gain, Volume and voicing switch (Overdrive and Burn) per channel; Low, Mid, High shared EQ, Boost volume, Reverb, Resonance, Presence
- FOOTSWITCH: Supplied 2-button for channel selection and boost
- ADDITIONAL FEATURES: Speaker emulated XLR
- CONTACT: EVH Gear
Usability and sounds
Selecting Channel 1, which is signalled by a green LED, it sounds articulate and transparent enough (but admittedly, it’s not usually the main selling point of this style of amp).
While it doesn’t seem to nod to any specific historic amplifiers, it has an even response with clean, deep lows and plenty of sparkle, making it an ideal partner to the high-gain channel.
We also have a front-panel overdrive button to bring mid-gain levels of drive to this channel, providing some chunky overdrive and sustain. Reaching for the digitally derived reverb, we’re met with a heavily pre-delayed short spring-type sound. Possibly not the most inspiring reverb we’ve encountered, but it will certainly provide a halo around your notes.
Switching to the main course, Channel 2, the roaring gain hits you instantly. This amp can scream with all the power Edward’s legacy demands, but the sustain and definition also grab your ear and indeed your pick.
There’s a familiar chewiness to the notes and a slight but helpful sculpting to the midrange, eliminating any boxiness. Tight palm-muted riffs are a 5150 party piece, and this amp is every bit the generous host, just like its larger forebears.
The presence and resonance further boost the clarity and loudness without harshness or excessive whomp.
Genuinely glorious to play, this Burn function brings us a little closer to the full-tilt of the eight ECC83-loaded flagship 5150 model, allowing those legato runs and pick harmonics to fly
The gain range has a sweet spot somewhere between 4 and 6, where the percussive grab and sustain meet a good balance, pickups depending.
The architecture of this amp is worth a mention at this point, too, since we’re getting more power-section saturation here than in the higher-powered versions, both EL34 and 6L6 variants. In the preamp section, and in keeping with all the Iconic models, we find a hybrid of solid-state and valve gain. Purists, stay cool: all the classic 5150 tones are present.
The Burn button engages the additional voicing for the second channel, yielding even more full-bodied richness along with a good dash more of saturation. Genuinely glorious to play, this Burn function brings us a little closer to the full-tilt of the eight ECC83-loaded flagship 5150 model, allowing those legato runs and pick harmonics to fly.
The EQ section, used by both channels, has well-chosen ranges but has a nicely balanced tone with controls around 6 for our humbucker-equipped super-S. We enjoyed the extra focus and definition on tap via higher settings of the middle control, too.
The Resonance control dialled in that solid bottom-end often necessary for contemporary heavy styles; Presence, unsurprisingly, adds the sparkle but without any harshness or brittleness. Behind the scenes, a helpful noise gate has been cleverly integrated to tighten up the response accordingly at high levels of gain and more so when the Burn function is deployed.
Our solo flights are given wings with the level-adjustable footwitchable gain boost, placed post effects loop, which is one of the many facilities that positions this amp just as much for stage use as it does for studio and home use.
Verdict
Verdict: ★★★★½
All the grin-inducing firepower of the full-flight EVH 5150 is packed inside this stripped-down model, though with subtle differences that (while maybe appreciable only to those very familiar with the original) don’t detract from the classic tone.
Indeed, the slight extra power-section growl adds back a little warmth that may have been affected by the hybrid solid-state/valve preamp design.
Guitar World verdict: The wide-ranging features, from the footswitchable boost to the speaker emulated output, will certainly have you covered for most eventualities. If you, like many players, find 15 watts (or even the quarter-power setting) hits a sweet spot in the loudness department, then this tribute to a legend is worthy of your attention.
