Peavey 5150 / Line 6 HD147 ?
Peavey 5150 / Line 6 HD147 ?
Personally I think the right tool for the right job is what's important. However you cannot deny the fact that a Pod WILL get you thru the gig becuz you can go direct into the board, or carry 1 of those Crate Powerblocks around with you(along with a basic 4 channel footswitch for the POD) and you are essentially covered & prepared for anything unless the power goes out. Honestly, I prefer tube amps. They sound more real to me while playing. But SS/Digital modeling has come SOOOOOOOOOOO far it's rediculous.
And to my ears the only real difference is this:
1) At low volumes tube amps sound meh and I have to wonder if it was worth firing it up at all. But the controls are so easy to navigate you'd have to ride the short bus, and be deaf) to not be able to figure it out.
2)Meanwhile ss/digital amps(line6 specifically) sound like a recorded amp with awesome production values applied overall & especially this bit-sooo many fx at your fingertips without having a sea of pedals at your feet. That's a very good thing.
As was said, when listening to a recorded sample its hard to tell the difference. Hell, I've seen/heard Lacuna Coil on 2 different tours & they used the oldass Flextone III heads(the 300 watt guys) and it sounded superb to me. It's all about choice & line6 amps offer people tons of that by giving you very passable, and usable, tones. Plus, they are great amps to figure out what type of music you'd like to play for the longterm & if you'd like to invest the coin in getting the real deal someday.. just like video games that let you drive cars,, I'd love to own an RX-8,, but driving it in GT5 is good enough for now because the experience, while still virtual, is very close to the real "vision". Likewise Line6 amps are very close to the real "sound" of the actual product.
/my 2ยข
peace
Just tried the HD147, its much easier to use than the Vetta (obviously) and as its about half the price its pretty good, still very digital but you can get this saturated wall of sound really easy like a Rob/White Zombie sounds which ive always liked.
Think ill just wait until i can afford a mesa thou
Seeing as we are on the topic of Line 6. I just played a gig sunday night in London, I did not wanna carry 2 Randall stacks up 2 flights up stairs, plus all my other gear. So I was gonna use their Line 6 Vetta II line 6 cab, I just plugged and and it had the sound I wanted calif crunch or something, it worked great used all my own pedals deleay chorus etc. I was impressed by the Vetta, I was orig gonna buy one but bought a Randall V 2 intsead which is the best head I play through now. I own Line 6 live floor Pod and Duoverb both work for me, I only use the combo for small gigs. I played Peavey 5150s and I never got the sound I wanted. The bottom line different amps work for different people follow your ear and know what you want. Alot of people dont know their own sound or how to tweak an amp. Line 6 is good.
Man, I'd never choose my HD147 over my 6505, personally. The big difference in the trade IMO was that the 5150 was a combo version which a.) sounds a little different from the 5150 head and b.) is a heavy beast
Had this been a head swap, I would never trade a 5150 head for an HD147, even with the right amount of cash with the 147.
After owning both an extensive amount of time, in pure high gain tone terms, I feel the HD147 falls waaaay short on all the models. It is flexible, but IMO at the expense of tone. I like the Vetta better than the HD147, though.
And IMO the Criminal model on the HD147 doesn't sound too much like a 5150. It sounds OK, but it's a little thin IMO.
I find it ironic that dudes who clown the 5150 end with comments like "if you know how to EQ an amp, the 147 is awesome".
Also, I've read before that while the tones from the 147 are taken from the Vetta, the power amp design is different...When I got mine the first week they came out (back in '03 I think), a lot of guys were worried because the power section of their 147's made a high pitched noise, kinda like when you turn on a TV and you can hear that high pitched sound. I could hear it on mine, but it wasn't bad...I know a lot of guys on the ION forums were taking theirs back and then Line 6 confirmed the noise was there, but said it was due to the power amp section being new and said the noise was caused by a "switching" power supply. I don't know what it means, but what I'm getting at is the difference in power amp design could/can explain why the Vetta and 147 may sound a little different live/miked. Through the direct outs, I'd think they'd sound the same, though...Well, if the 147 could be upgraded like the Vetta, anyway.
Mine never had such high pitched noise, maybe it was the older ones then?
Nate hates me for loving my HD147, and I hate Nate for hating me.:lol
Seriously though, Nate and I have always been polar opposites on that. I really dislike the 6505/6505+. To me, its one of the worst amps I have ever played, I just don't like the tone. As far as the criminal mode goes, I would say it has peavey characteristics, but its not nailed down to a specific amp. I have played on it and had people tell me it sounded like a Peavey without me telling them what model it is.
I am with Mike in a respect. There were times when I was like, damn those splawn Nitros sound good, or that Engl sounds good. The desire to have an alternate tone and something new arose. I would go play my HD147 and such thoughts would disappear. On top of that, I would have to sell my 147 to afford any other amp right now. Its not worth it to me. I get so much use and enjoyment from that amp, and its so versatile, its just not worth it to me. Someday, I would like to collect amps, have a few around. If so, there will be some tubes in the equation.
Interestingly enough, since the Axe-Fx was mention in this thread, at least one of the dudes in Meshuggah is using one now. They were seen with Vettas, POD X3 Pros, and Axe FX units in their rigs at recent shows.
Mine never had such high pitched noise, maybe it was the older ones then?
Nate hates me for loving my HD147, and I hate Nate for hating me.:lol
Seriously though, Nate and I have always been polar opposites on that. I really dislike the 6505/6505+. To me, its one of the worst amps I have ever played, I just don't like the tone. As far as the criminal mode goes, I would say it has peavey characteristics, but its not nailed down to a specific amp. I have played on it and had people tell me it sounded like a Peavey without me telling them what model it is.
Ah man, I don't hate you for liking your amp - far from it. However, I do feel that the Line 6 fans on here tend to ball swing a little too much, and I find it kinda funy. I've said over and over that I played 2 different Line 6 heads (Flextone HD and HD147) for around 5-6 years...I was the uber-fanboi, always working on tones, always tweaking, etc., all over the Line 6 and ION boards, posting clips, etc...I finally switched to a 5150 and then the 6505+ after realizing that 90% of the tones I dig were from that series of amps...Might as well get the real thing, right? When I first bought the 5150, I hated it...Sounded awful, fizzy, scratchy, etc. Only when I was able to play the amp at appropriate gig/rehearsal levels did my opinion INSTANTLY change. Tube amps need volume, and despite what you say, Dave, I truly don't think you've been able to give a nice tube amp a REAL test in a band mix/live scenario with volume, and I think you exist in that space where you fight for validity in the amp because so many people are out to clown modeling...I know, I was there at one point. It's like you have to prove them wrong or something...the HD147 is like the perpetual underdog.
My whole notion of what a "real amp" was changed. Granted, it took some getting used to, but when i finally realized how everything in a band fit together and EQ'd and set up my amps to meet that goal did I realize how much the Line 6 (and any other SS amp I had owned) just did not meet my tonal objectives.
The kicker came when the band heard it and all instantly heard the improvement in my tone, where I fit in the mix, etc...And they were sold on it before I was. In a sense I was one of the noobs who tailored their tone to a full spectrum sound - much like a bedroom wanker would...In my old band, that was fine, because I was the only guitar player and our bass player sucked ass...Well, the whole band sucked, we were awful. But, the bass player was a Fieldy knock off, and pretty stuck to all super low, low end and some scratchy highs, so that tone allowed me to suck up all the other sonic space with my amps. It took quitting that band and joining a band that played the kind of music I wanted to play - and do it with musicians who were "in tune" with how a band mix should sound for me to realize that I was doig too much, and in the end making my tone and the sound of the band worse.
I think the big pitfall of the 147 is the models themselves. It's always been touted as the high gain amp, but to me most of the OTHER high gain models in the Vetta sound better than most of what they kept in the 147.
I Liked Big Bottom, but every time I play a 147 now I can't stand it, it's way too scooped...Other than that amp model, looking back, I can't say I dug any of the others...And, really, I think they all sounded somewhat similar, just with different EQ boosts/cuts and gain levels...that digital/POD type sound was there. Conversely, I played a Vetta head through a B-52 cab used at GC about a month ago, and LOVED it, but I was using 2 different amp models blended (I wanna say the Criminal with a PBall)? To me, the magic and value in most anything Line 6 is the versatility...You have a lot of tonal options to choose from, ad the tones can get "somewhat" in the neighborhood of the amps it's supposed to model. So for a cover band, a recording studio, etc. I can definitely see the value of the technology. And, one of the initial things I liked about the 147 was that I could "fiddle" here at home and be interested because I could do so much. but, for a dude like me who now is content with 1 good tone (subjective, of course), I am not inclined to settle for a versatile amp with so so tone...I just don't need it. I kida thinkI've just moved on from the need to have something to play with at my house and with a band to really honing in on what tools work best for me and getting those tools...Since I'm in an active band and record and stuff, my amps stay cased up until rehearsal or shows, or recording, and are pretty much used as tools for that...So I don't wanna tweak, don't wanna fiddle, I just want MY TONE.
I hate coming off as a "tube amp snob" because I really feel like I'm not...After all, I tend to like amps that REAL tube snobs seem to put down all the time, and I'm GASsing most right now for a Randall V2. And, I've never been one to be all about the expensive amps people around here and other forums seem to blabber on about.
None of it really matters, as it truly is preference. But, when someone posts a thread like this looking for viewpoints and it seems like a lot of the viewpoints put down an amp that is probably 1 of the top if not THE top amp in metal these days in favour of an amp I owned extensively and I feel it doesn't reach the level of "greatness" of the other amp, I'll speak out on it.
As with anything, there are a lot of factors that come into play on how someone views a tone. I could listen to you play your 147 at gig levels with a band and then turn around and listen to you do the same thing with a 5150 and think it sucks...But for me, personally, I don't think there is a person on the face of the earth - regardless of how well they know tone - who would pick the 147 over my 6505+ hearing only ME play it. The idea that tone is in the fingers I think is important, and how that tone is conveyed through your amp is important...So, picking one that "favors your fingers" is important.
Sorry for the length and the thread drift...But I can summarize by saying that IF you have a 5150 combo and are looking to trade for a 147, I think it's a bad trade from a strictly tonal standpoint, IMHO.
I am with Mike in a respect. There were times when I was like, damn those splawn Nitros sound good, or that Engl sounds good. The desire to have an alternate tone and something new arose. I would go play my HD147 and such thoughts would disappear. On top of that, I would have to sell my 147 to afford any other amp right now. Its not worth it to me. I get so much use and enjoyment from that amp, and its so versatile, its just not worth it to me. Someday, I would like to collect amps, have a few around. If so, there will be some tubes in the equation.
i had an hd147 before i finally went tube. i loved my hd147 when i had it (esp. for latenight recording). but once i got my splawn, the hd147 went on the chopping block and hasn't been missed since. in the bedroom, the hd147 held its own, but turned up, there was no competition.
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I think if they make the Vetta Valve it'll lose a LOT of the appeal the first two had.