5150 settings dillema

[guitarmattms]

So, I have a problem.

I have a 5150 2x12 combo which I adore. I used to have this heavy tone that worked well with some of the single coils that I had in my strat. It just had a really nice heavy sound to it. Now, I recently acquired a new guitar which I love to play because of the feel. However, the pickups in it are those new Injector's by Dimarzio. They're great sounding pickups. You can get that classic 60's tone or some hard rock tone out of them. My problem is they're a little bright and I'm having a hard time dialing in a decent sound for them on my amp. Does anyone have any suggestions or settings that I could try. All I seem to find are van halen style settings.

Thanks for your help!

[Jeries]

i had a 5150 combo

i wasn't happy with the speakers or overall the tone i got out of it...

I just got a dimarzio AREA set in a strat- and it sounds amazing... i think the injectors sound equally good so they're prob amazing sounding pickups

i think 5150s are a little touchy and a little bit of a bitch to dial in

i also think this...

5150s were designed for a PEICE OF CRAP $180 guitar that EVH put together
so really the crappier guitar you have the better the 5150 sounds

the better the guitar... in some ways the worse it sounds...

i think the results you have are normal...

[kyle am I]

you could try a compression pedal if you think it is the pickups. As for dialing in the actual amp... I'm not sure.

[DomitianX]

5150s were designed for a PEICE OF CRAP $180 guitar that EVH put together
so really the crappier guitar you have the better the 5150 sounds

the better the guitar... in some ways the worse it sounds...

i think the results you have are normal...

Lol... the oddest logic ever. The 5150 amp was released in 1991, by that time he was already using Ernie Ball guitars. I think the first EB VH guitar came out in 1990. The new guitars and amps came out about the same time and he had been working on them for a while before they were actually released.

Even so, the last version of his 5150 frankenstrat had a PAF and a Charvel body and a Kramer neck. It wasnt the same $180 guitar he used on VH 1.

As for the amp, the injectors are "Paul Gilbert" pickups and pretty much every Paul Gilbert pickup is very bright. Try backing the presence or treble back a bit and turning up the mids.

Not very much, just a tad. Dont make drastic changes. Make a small change, play with it, leave it and come back the next day to see if you like the tone. The 5150 is a great amp with single coils or humbuckers. You just need to spend some time tweaking it.

[Bryceybhoy]

Good advice from above. I thought I'd found my favourite tone with the legacy and DS-1 through a GT-6. I left it a week or so, then decided to try Steve's Legacy and DS-1 settings and, hey presto, completely new sound which I absolutely love. It took me a while to figure out my EQ and compression settings, but if you do a bit of fiddling......tweaking....then come back to it, you might like what you hear.

[Jeries]

i should also mention the 5150 is a knockoff of an Soldano SLO-100

they're nearly identical except ones $3000 cheaper

[Big Bad Bill]

My problem is they're a little bright and I'm having a hard time dialing in a decent sound for them on my amp. Does anyone have any suggestions or settings that I could try. All I seem to find are van halen style settings.

I suppose if you are buying a signature amp, you are going to get a signature sound. Would you expect say the Legacy 3 to be able to sound like a Fender Twin, for example?

Have you tried playing around with the resonance dial? How about rolling off the volume pot on your guitar which can act as a low pass filter. If the latter works you might want to consider changing the volume pot or just the capacitor attached to it to mimic the 'rolled off' sound. Or wrap your speaker cab with a blanket! Rubbing snake oil into the speaker cones may help too.

I had the exact opposite problem with my 5150 stack: it sounded indistinct to my ears and so bought a BBE Sonic Maximizer which is just amazing at getting rid of muddiness. Using an EVH guitar also helps-if you want an EVH sound! I sound just like EVH now...well...except my playing!

[Jeries]

Lagacy 3 (and 1 and carvin x100b) have an AMAZING clean channel

better than a fender twin

[boswell]

I sound just like EVH now...well...except my playing!

Don't be so hard on yourself you sound just like EVH at Namm 2003!

[R1FSR]

I sound just like EVH now...well...except my playing!

Don't be so hard on yourself you sound just like EVH at Namm 2003!

WOW that good huh