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EVH Eddie Van Halen 5150 III Guitar Amplifier Head

The legendary sounds of Edward Van Halen are just the beginning! It's easy to dial in the best modern and vintage tones with the 5150 III amplifier head.

Overall User Ratings (based on 34 ratings)
  • Overall:
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Sound:
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Features:
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Ease of Use:
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Quality:
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Value:
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Manufacturer Support:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
  • The Wow Factor:
    5 out of 5 stars
Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
(34) (see rating details)
Submitted June 14, 2011 by a customer from cox.net

"EVHiii head is awsome!"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
I'm pretty happy with it and not looking to sell it any time soon. It dosen't do the death metal sound I like to play someimes when I feel like conjuring up the dead. I didin't buy it for that sound so I'd like to get another head for doing that sound, maybe the Dime amp head and then split up the two 4X12 cabs.
Sound
I've been jumpin around from amp to amp trying to find the right tone. No one amp dose it all but this amp is actually a multi asking amp. It does do the clean and plexi sound pretty darn good on the first channel alone by cranking the gain almost all the way up. The second channel is all about rythem chunk. It gives you that Marshall JCM tone with a little more dirt depending how much you push the gain and the volume. The third channel is sustain heaven...I sold my Soldano before buying this head and this channel mimics the lead channel of a Soldano cranked up. Same type of sustain hands down but it's a little noisey compaired to the Soldano. The gain on any of these channels blows the other amps I've owned out of the water. I own a bunch of decent dirt pedals and tried them in front of the amp, they aren't needed with this amp. This amp is a stand alone amp that only needs a reverb and echo ran through the loop, thats it. I have also tried several guitars through it and I found that active ENG pick ups don't sound as good as pasive humbers through it. I think it's because it's a high gain amp and the active pick ups are just to much for it...To much uncontrolled distortion. I save that guitar for my 20 year old Marshall, he he.
Features
It comes with a foot switch. Pretty cool that it allows you to turn on and off the effects loop. Great feature other amps should consider doing.
Ease of Use
As for getting sounds from this amp it sounds better cranked. It sounds even better if you don't use any pedals except a reverb of a delay or both like I do. I am using this head in a ful stack loaded with both Greenbacks and G12-75T split up in both cabs. I can do ACDC to Iron Maiden by just cranking the gain...I tried an external 6 band EQ through it but it dosen't need it. The contrls work great with out using a bunch of other gain puching effects. The pedals that work great with this amp are anything that dosen't have any sort of gain. Reverb, delay echo, flannge, phase90, chorus all work flawlessly...
Quality
Well I've owned it for a few month and so far it's been working great. I don't gig with it and pretty much play it an hour at the most when I turn it on. At this rate the tubes should last a long time. I ordered three ReD chicken head knobs for the three differant volume channels. I am changing them so I know which knob is volume. There are 18 knobs of bliss and three are volume but they are all so close together it's hard to see which one is volume. I want to know which one is volume and doing this will help.
Value
For what I paid used, it's worth every penny. I look at making a purchase like this, you get what you pay for. This amp isn't a gimic it's the real deal and not cheap.
Manufacturer Support
I bought the amp head used and I hope it dosen't get sick. If it does I will be handling the repairs on my own.
The Wow Factor
The metal grill on the front and back of this amp looks like the same as the metal grill on the Soldano hot rod 50 plus I just sold. The same style chicken head knobs are also used on it. The added differance is the EVH stripping over the front and 5150iii emblem are obviously Eddy's trade mark. I also like the side pull handles.

Musical Background:

studio musician

Musical Style:

Rock/Metal
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Submitted May 3, 2008 by a customer from hotmail.com

"The seach for that awesome sound from a head is over!!!!"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Im sold Ive always played Marshall and I was always trying to find a better sound and now Ive got what I needed with the EVH 5150 III.
Sound
Super great sound!! Its actually more than perfect for me playing rock-metal. When I started playing I was caught by suprize I could not believe the quality The clean is better then my Marshall Jcm 800 and the 2nd channel is better then my Jcm800 Jcm 900 and mt TSL 100. Then you go to 3rd channel and WOW!!!!!!!!!!
Features
Its simple and easy to use. When switching between channels you hear no click or seperation just flows to the other channel. All channels sound great!!
Ease of Use
Simple a 5 year old could set it up and use.
Quality
It seems to be well manufactured but time will tell. I have not had the EVH 5150 III to long. I have 4 Marshalls as backups if needed and I hope I never have to go back to the Marshall. The EVH 5150 III Has spoiled me. Im in love!!!
Value
I wish it were a little cheaper, but If you have to money its better than the "MESA Roadster" for me, so I would buy it again if need be.
Manufacturer Support
I can answer that becuase I have not had a problem with it .
The Wow Factor
It looks great BUT!!!! White gets dirty so take care of your investment and have cleaner around.

Musical Background:

32 years playing guitar

Musical Style:

Rock-Metal
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Submitted February 4, 2017 by Jerry G in Las Cruces, NM

"DUDE. "

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
This thing is a MONSTER. Plugged my guitar straight in without any pedals and the tone is phenomenal. I own a Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier and the tone out of this EVH is far superior, in my opinion. You definitely get what you pay for with this amp head. the footswitch is great and easy to use, the head seems to be built like a tank. One tiny, minuscule downside is that the head is HUGE and I wish it at least came with a slip cover, but that's about it.

Musical Background:

Playing guitar about 13 years

Musical Style:

metal, grind, thrash, hardcore, doom, punk, death metal
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Submitted March 7, 2014 by a customer from stellarwinds.org

"best bang for the buck"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
awesome head...makes the 410 sound and look like a toy...in appearance and sound. well built ,no OD or distortion pedal needed....period. channel 3 is over the top.
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Submitted February 13, 2015 by Tim Radle in Willoughby, OH

"The best out of the box sounds I've ever heard"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
I obsessed over what amp to buy for months. In something of a fit of frustration, I reached out to zZounds and had both email and verbal conversations with Bert. I cannot say enough about him - nor the setup I ultimately bought. The head is so rich and deep through each of the channels. The clean channel is something I would say is very consistent with Fender amps that I have had in the past, and it responds to both single coil and humbuckers nicely. The second channel is crunchy goodness and honestly sounds very nice outside of rhythm sequences. The third channel is all Eddie; for my taste, I haven't gone past about 4 o'clock after my initial testing of the amp. I've not played anything with as much gain or as much volume for that matter ever in my life. As a couple others have said - with the EQ onboard, you have enough to sculpt sound to your liking. I am something of a snob when it comes to the sound the amp makes, and I could not be happier with the purchase. I paired the amp with an Orange PPC212 and the result is amazing.
Sound
Channel 1 - bright clean, with sonic depth. It's a very clear sound, and works well across multiple styles. I play blues, rock and some expressive neo-classical stuff; I was most critical of the clean channel, and I'm very happy with the sounds there. Channel 2 - think and chunky, again with sonic depth. Channel 3 - gain insanity, but with nice flexibility if you don't necessarily need a ton of gain. I keep my mids at a quarter or less, my lows and highs always above half and almost identical. In terms of presence, Channel 2 benefits the most from higher presence in my opinion; mine is set at 8, and the other two channels are at 6. That seems to sound the best for my rig; I play 7's with standard tuning.
Features
I am somewhat ignorant when it comes to the actual innards of the amp; the EQ is simple and straightforward, and the functionality of the back panel is what you expect from a top tier amp. I do not have a pedal array plugged in at this point - I haven't needed it yet.
Ease of Use
It takes a little fiddling to truly sculpt your sound, but it's not all-encompassing. I started with the suggestions in the manual and adjusted from there. You won't be disappointed.
Quality
It's a monster - very heavy. And, oddly, my standby switch is reversed in terms of operation (Off is on and On is off). I've not noticed any issue other than that, and it's something of a non-issue to me.
Value
Yes - this amp is priced as it should be due to its quality.
Manufacturer Support
Nope - no need though I may reach out on the standby item if I choose to worry about it.
The Wow Factor
She's gorgeous, and the way she talks is out of this world.

Musical Background:

I've been playing guitar for over 20 years. I play to relax, but am considering starting a band.

Musical Style:

Rock, Blues, Neo-Classical, some Heavy Metal (melodic)
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Submitted August 16, 2017 by Brian Paz in Pea Ridge, AR

"This head is the BEST on the market!"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
I've been a musician for 30 years and have been through a ton of heads. I've even toured and had endorsements and free gear but this head is 100% on top of it's tone game. You won't need anything but some effects and a good cab and you'll be set to tour the world with one or two of these! I picked one up to see if I would like it and I absolutely do! I plan on picking up another one for back up soon. The only issue I found was channel 2 and 3 have some noise.Other than that, I highly recommend this head and no other!

Musical Background:

30 years of stringed instruments. Professional.

Musical Style:

Heavy metal, rock, reggae.
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Submitted February 4, 2014 by rocky v

"Peavey 5150 MIII"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
this thing is incredible...put the 410 in the trash pile. raw tone from fender blues on the clean to GODSMACK on the dirty ..doesn't get much better than this folks.

Musical Background:

35 years

Musical Style:

metal metal metal and did I say metal ?
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Submitted June 25, 2013 by Steve Bovey

"Dream amp, built for stadiums "

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
This amp, where to begin. I was playing through another tubed amp head and honestly this one, changed me as a player. I never knew I played as well as I did when I finally played through this. I've been playing for 8 years, I plugged Into this. And suddenly I sounded better than ever. I run a schecter and a epi les Paul. With a line 6 floor pod plus, a Dunlop 535 q wah. And never sounded better. It feels great to sound like a legend when I play!

Musical Background:

I play professionally, I'm a lead guitarist in a rock band. I have been playing for 8 years

Musical Style:

Rock, country, blues, folk, bluegrass, punk, classic rock, metal, heavy rock.
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Submitted May 19, 2011 by a customer from HOTMAIL.COM

"simply the finest amplifier that you can get on the market today.. or tomorrow.."

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
this amp is a keeper... i have a peavey 5150 block letter amp head also which i run at the same time and they both sound great together.. if this product was attempted to be stolen i would open fire with my ak47 on the thief and force them to sit in front of my cabinets with the 5150iii cranked to 10 until their face melted.. in other words dont touch my amp
Sound
i just got the amp head from zzounds, opened the box, hooked it up to 2 Marshall 1960 a and b cabs and was hit with the tone i have been looking for. Absolute tonal bliss is the only way to describe this amp. I have used mesa boogie, Randall to name a few but have never experienced the tonal bliss this amp gives.
Features
accessories included a foot switch which is well built and quiet, cable connector and a 14 gauge speaker connector which was a nice addition.
Ease of Use
this product is so simple to use that a child could get it right.. its a 3 channel amp that doesn't have allot of bells and whistles. It gets the job done and rips your chest apart if you attempt to turn it above 6 and are standing too close to it.. believe me this is one loud amp.. instructions were straight forward and to the point..
Quality
this amp is a beast.. well designed like a tank.... heavy as hell but well worth the slipped disc.. as far as road worthy im sure it could take a severe beating...
Value
this product is expensive... and to many it may turn them off to it.. but if you are a tone junkie you WILL like this amp..period
Manufacturer Support
i actually called evh/fender customer service and talked to a LIVE person not a recording.. he actually gave me ideas about hooking up effects and rack mounted gear to the effects loop.. very helpful
The Wow Factor
i got the "white" model and at first i said " what did i do" "why not black?" but when i put it on top of the Marshall cabs the first thing i thought of was Randy Rhodes and his black/white combination of head vs amp cabs...so its actually grown on me.. I cant say enough about this amp, its a beautiful amp

Musical Background:

hobbyist/active recording

Musical Style:

metal, blues, rock
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Submitted October 27, 2013 by Napoleon Pararuan in Houston, TX

"EVH 5150 111 amp"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
Awesome overall top quality amp! Lots of power,limitless pallet of tone,looks great and affordable thru zzsound!

Musical Background:

Been playing for more than 50 years and gigged for many years! The guitar is my avatar.

Musical Style:

Rock,country,latin,disco,jazz and originals.
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Submitted October 27, 2013 by Napoleon Pararuan in Houston, TX

"EVH 5150 111 amp"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
Awesome overall top quality amp! Lots of power,limitless pallet of tone,looks great and affordable thru zzsound!

Musical Background:

Been playing for more than 50 years and gigged for many years! The guitar is my avatar.

Musical Style:

Rock,country,latin,disco,jazz and originals.
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Submitted November 12, 2007 by a customer from nbnet.nb.ca

"THE BEST AMP IN THE WORLD. PERIOD."

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
This is an absolutely incredibly amp. I'm definately saving up for it and you should to.
Sound
I'd rate the sound 12/10 if I could! It's unbelievable! I adore Marshalls but compared to the EVH, there isn't a marshall with half the tone quality of this amp. It's also a very loud amp but sounds just as good at low volumes. I set the volume at about 1/16 and the whole music store could easily hear me and this unbelievable amp. I love how the clean channel can be dirtied up for a plexi-like sound but has an excellence clean sound with the gain down. The second channel is insanely versitile and can nail any EVH sound or eveh a Marshall JCM 800 or JCM 2000 sound. The 3rd channel goes above and beyond any other high gain channel that I have ever heard. It has a ridiculous amount of gain but every note stays very clean and dinamic. It also has plenty of sustain. This is without a doubt the best sounding amp of the past, present and almost certainly the futur!
Features
Very simple. Volume, Gain and EQ on every channel with the 3 presence knobs at the end. All the knobs are very responsive but you can still dial any tone you want. The lack of effects, tone scoop switches, etc.. makes sure that no note is muddy or harsh at all. PERFECT.
Ease of Use
It couldn't be much simpler while still being so versitile. All you have to do is basically plug in and play!
Quality
The is a truly roadworth, tough, indestructible piece of equipment. Ed himself designed it, didn't he?
Value
Ya this is a lot of dough, but for what your getting, it's a MAJOR bargain!
Manufacturer Support
Won't need it.
The Wow Factor
A huge, ruuged, full sized tube amp head with Eddies signature stipes on the grill-You tell me!

Musical Style:

Rock, Hard Rock, some Metal
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Submitted July 3, 2008

"Best of the 3!"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Versus other products, I feel it's easy to use, I can't see any flaws in this design. Looking for a 3 channel easy to use amp that sounds above other amps, this is it.
Sound
The sound is a sonic bliss... meaning all notes are clear and don't get lost in the amp while playing. It's almost like the amp takes over when your playing, hard to describe. I compare the attack to a Marshall, but the tone is way better. A refined sweet distortion unlike anything I've ever heard.
Features
The effects loop is incredible,, delays and chorus are crystal clear without having to adjust anything! The footswitch is simple layout. It seems the channels are woven together as you go from 1 to 2 to 3rd channel. No pops, or loud noises while switching, just like your shifting gears in a car, runs very smoothly. this to me was a reason to buy it alone. On other amps I would have to run back and turn the volume way down to avoid hearing loud pops on stage.
Ease of Use
It;s such a simple layout, 1 , 2, 3, then your presence knobs. How much easier can it be? unlike other amps you don't have to sit there a minute to take the tour of the control panel. Then try to figure it out after that.
Quality
Very well built. Vinyl is smooth and very easy to maintain. All knobs are solid, and the three handles makes it easy to carry around. Not very heavy to my surprise, also very balanced when you pick it up.
Value
Great value, you get what you pay for, this applies to most music equipment.
Manufacturer Support
dont' know, I haven't needed any.
The Wow Factor
I like this design the best out of all other 5150's.this amp looked just like I thought it would. Open vents for airflow through the head. keeps the tubes cooler and lets the head breath.
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Submitted August 14, 2007

"Me like this amp!!!!!"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
You don't have to like Van Halen to in order to love it. It's great for anything!!
Sound
WOW!!! This is the perfect amp for any typ of rock or metal. It doesn't have a harsh sound to it. Every note you play comrs clearly out of the speaker.
Features
Nothin fancy but will get the job done.
Ease of Use
It's just a straight forward amp. And thats how I like em!
Quality
This is a tank!!
Value
I wish it wasn't so much cash. But for the sound.... it's worth it.
Manufacturer Support
Don't have it don't need it.
The Wow Factor
Yeah I want it. It's the best amp I have tried.

Musical Background:

HOBBYIST

Musical Style:

Rock / Blues / Metal / Hard Rock
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Submitted August 13, 2007

"Good job Eddie and Fender"

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
sounds great, soft. sounds great REeEALLLlLY loud. lots of headroom and very dynamic. i need one...
Sound
its nto fender clean, but its pretty clean with lots of head room. crunch channel... very dynamic. and the channel sounds wicked. almost botique stepping into bogner territory. i play metal so id onlyuse the holy crap channel. but yes the crunch channel is niiiice
Features
with 18 knobs and 3 independent channels, 6 preamp tubes and 4 power tooooobs with presense knobs for each channel very very cool.
Ease of Use
real straight forward. a monkey could turn this thing on and make it sound good.
Quality
i work in a local music store and the first amp we sold, came back to us cause it wasnt crankin. so we took it apart and we found out that one fo the tube sockets were loose and one of the 12ax7s pins were bent. so we bent it back and yep. itw as fixed
Value
yaaaa i think its very worth it.
The Wow Factor
i am currently trying to sell my boogie for it.

Musical Background:

Active Musician and Guitar Sales man

Musical Style:

Metal, Rock, Alt
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