the "well cheap" 5150

[iekobrid]

Heard back from the tech today:

"My diagnosis is bad relays. I recommend replacing all four. I also recommend replacing the power tubes for best performance. The ones in there look pretty new, but are not matched. The total if you do all of this is approx $210; if you want to hold off on the tubes it wil be approx $132."


I'm leaning towards returning the amp for store credit. I already have the XSr™, so it's not like there's a Peavey shaped hole in my life or anything.

What say ye?

I bought a beat up 5150 this week my own self, well cheap. It has an intermittent problem or two that might be serious or might go away with a simple tube swap. I've got 30 days to decide if I want to take a chance on repairs or return it and pay more for a less buggy one who knows how far in the future.

That sounds like shit powertubes. 99% of problems in a tube amp are from the tubes themselves.

Just take it to a tech. It's worth it especially if you got it for "well cheap"

 

[Mr. Brokenamp]

I'm a tech too.
What's the problem with it? Not switching? All the relays are bad? sounds weird that multiple relays are bad at the same time.
You should have atleast 2 matched tubes, 1 on each side of the quad.

 

[iekobrid]

I'm a tech too.
What's the problem with it?

"The head worked fine at the store the two days I tried it, but was priced so low I assumed it had problems.

First time I powered it up at home, no sound came out either channel unless I cranked both Pre and Post to 10, and even then it was no louder than leakage from a pair of headphones across the room.

Cycled it off and back on again. Full, normal volume for about a minute, but then it faded to about 1/3 of its initial volume.

Off and back on again. The volume stayed steady for 10+ minutes and the sound quality seemed okay on single notes, but chords sounded woofy and indistinct regardless of Pre Gain or eq settings, as if I had switched from the bridge pickup to the neck without realizing it. (Yes, I checked. )"

 

[iekobrid]

XSr™
Whats that?

 

[Jaymz]

If I go for the JSX im gonna have to do that Looks so much better!

 

[Mr. Brokenamp]

You should hear clicking inside the 5150 when you turn it on and off, that's the relays. Sounds plausible that it is the them. If they aren't making good contact the signal could be severely hampered.

 

[Radd]

"The head worked fine at the store the two days I tried it, but was priced so low I assumed it had problems.

First time I powered it up at home, no sound came out either channel unless I cranked both Pre and Post to 10, and even then it was no louder than leakage from a pair of headphones across the room.

Cycled it off and back on again. Full, normal volume for about a minute, but then it faded to about 1/3 of its initial volume.

Off and back on again. The volume stayed steady for 10+ minutes and the sound quality seemed okay on single notes, but chords sounded woofy and indistinct regardless of Pre Gain or eq settings, as if I had switched from the bridge pickup to the neck without realizing it. (Yes, I checked. )"

I had the exact same problem with my Ampeg SS-150 (solid state).
Turned out it was just the wiring gone bad from age. Works great now.

 

[iekobrid]

http://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/equipment/291458-tried-jsx-today.html

 

[JeffTD]

How much was it? If the 5150 + repairs comes out to less than 600 or so, definitely keep it, even just to sell it for a profit.

 

[iekobrid]

Yeah, that's the thing. It was $300 plus a traded-in solid state Randall combo (which had been gathering dust in my garage anyway, so I don't consider it payment so much as them doing me a favor ) So even after $30 for a bench diagnostic and $210 for new relays and power tubes (brand unknown, I haven't asked yet) my total cash outlay would still be about the same as the average opening bid for a 5150 head on Ebay in supposed good working condition. It would be like getting free shipping and new tubes -- provided the repairs actually solve the problem/s.

I would be much less hesitant about getting the work done if relay replacement was considered a fairly common necessity for 5150s of a certain age, like, "Yeah, most of them need that eventually, you're better off getting it out of the way now." But googling 'peavey 5150 "bad relay"' only gets four hits, one of which is an anecdote from Jerry @ FJA about another tech who replaced a 5150 relay that didn't need replacing.

Another consideration is that while a $200 repair would still keep in me the Good Deal zone for a 5150 head, that same $200 plus the store credit I'd get for returning the amp would get me 3/4 of the way to a used Recto, which, really, I'd probably have more use for than a 5150, considering I already have a JSX.


I dunno, I just don't want to get hit with another repair bill six months from now and wish I'd gotten out when I had the chance.

 

[JeffTD]

Maybe contact Jerry at FJA and see what he thinks? He does amazing work, and knows 5150's like the back of his hand!


*EDIT* Although, if they have a used Recto (what kind?) at a good price, I'd probably just return the 5150 for store credit.

 

[Mr. Brokenamp]

I got my 5150 for $450 USD works great so do what you gotta do

 

[Loren Littlejohn]

After looking at FJA's website (Fucking Jerry Aproved ) it seems he works on 5150's probably the most. Voodoo doesn't do half the mods he does on that head.

 

[iekobrid]

if they have a used Recto (what kind?) at a good price, I'd probably just return the 5150 for store credit.

Oh, no specific one. I was just saying that $500 of store credit + $200 that would have otherwise been spent on 5150 repairs = most of the way to what used Mesas seem to go for around here.

Like, this one store I was at last weekend (different from the one I bought the 5150 from, so I wouldn't have credit there) had a Single Solo 50, a 2ch Dual, and a 3ch Dual, all used heads for $1093 each. It was wierd, as if their computer is only capable of printing out one price tag for all Mesa amplifiers.

 

[cobhc]

You could post on Lee Jackson's chat/forum if you want another opinion. He replies a fair bit and usually doesn't mind answering questions about amps from other manufacturers. Lee also really knows his stuff, he's been modding/making amps for longer than I've been alive. I'd say just ask a few different tech's if you decide you want to keep it. Although a XSr™ is basically a 5150 with EL34's and a better clean, so you're not gaining anything by getting a 5150 to be honest, so maybe a recto would be better for you. I've heard that combination is killer. Sorry to not offer a solid solution, but it's up to you as to what amp you want to keep dude.

 

[Mr. Brokenamp]

I think cobhc is onto something if the XSR is like a 5150 might as well get a recto to compliment it. If you did decide to mod it, atleast the FJA mod would be a selling point.

 

[iekobrid]

No word back from Jerry @ FJA yet about the relay issue, but here's my local tech's response to me asking which brand of power tubes he had in mind when he quoted prices, and if he would be able to install an adjustable bias control:


"Of course....I can do that if you like. It would probably be better to have it on the inside of the amp, but maybe we can make it external. As far as power tube brand, I would use Electro Harmonix (if it were my amp I had one of these heads and they sounded awsome in it....and they might not requir any bias change!!**) but that is your choice. Let me know what you decide.


** The 5150 comes out of the factory well overbiased. The Electro Harmonix tend to be hotter tubes and make up for this. (remember that the bias voltage pushes the tube into an "off" state, so the higher the bias voltage the "colder" the tube runs) Also they are in my experience the best sounding 6L6s on the market today."

 

[elmuchoescadawg]

Although a XSr™ is basically a 5150 with EL34's and a better clean.

No theyre not. Unless the xSr is that different to the Jsx. The Jsx is based on the triple xxx and sounds totally different to the 5150. It can also be run with EL34s or 6l6s.

 

[cobhc]

No theyre not. Unless the xSr is that different to the Jsx. The Jsx is based on the triple xxx and sounds totally different to the 5150. It can also be run with EL34s or 6l6s.

First off, the xsr is a jsx with an upside down logo, exactly the same amp. And you're probably right, I was always told that the jsx sounded pretty much like a 5150, with a good clean and stock with EL34's, but I've never compared the two, so I'm sorry if I got that wrong.

 

[Jaymz]

First off, the xsr is a jsx with an upside down logo.

Hahaha I was wondering..."hold on isnt a Xsr exactly the same amp with the logo upsidedown".

Nobody ever suggests the 3X for metal on this forum. They say its awesome with EL34's. Not keen on the 5150 myself. Surely the 3X is as much of a breeze to record as the 5150.