peavey 5150 still sounds bad

[torpedoted]

Hi their i talked before about my amp having not enough treble but thats not the case. I compared my amp to other 5150 mk1 amps and it sounds like mmmm tryn to think of a good analogy like theirs a thick blanket covering the amps tone. It sounds like its being choked and I talked to mercury magnetics about new transformers and they said that it will solve my problem. I did try new tube as well and it really didnt make a difference so I think it has to be the power and ot transformers. I just want your guys opinion do you think thats the problem? or could it be somthing else please help if you can. Thanks

[tedmich]

Id definitely listen to a few identical (not mkII, III etc) amps to see if it ever gives a tone you like; some NEVER warm to this amp. The "tranny upgrade" guys promise the world but at their $ you could get a whole different amp you love and IME new trannies and chokes are never a miraculous cure for tone deficiency unless the originals are burned out. Many find speaker upgrades more helpful but you need to be sure this amp can make you happy; same guitar and cable, test them out.

[torpedoted]

well I got the amp off ebay, and the guy I got it from said he let it sit for about three years. Looking at it their is rust on some of the parts of the amp including the transformers having to do with moisture that probably damaged the transformers. I did notice a difference playing it though my marshall cab with celestion g12t 75 had a nice crunch sound to it than playing it through my vader cabinet. The amp by itself without my 10 band eq still doesnt sound I guess you can say as forward as the other peavey 5150s I tried it side by side with, 2 other 5150mk1 amps. I cant think what else it could be cause I have brand new jj tubes in the preamp and power section and ive tried sovteks in the preamp section didnt even make a difference. I have a choke mod power supply which gave it more articulation to the tone but still doesnt sound as forward like I said it sounds to me like its being choked like theirs a blanket covering the amp Im trying to get it to open up and sound more clear. If new transformers wont work than Im stumped I have no idea what could be wrong with it.

[Steve Conner]

If you ask Mercury, of course they'll tell you that a transformer upgrade is the cure for all your problems.

Rust on transformers is a non-issue. It doesn't affect the operation at all.

Did you try Chinese 12AX7s in the preamp?

[guitarmike2107]

What are your amp settings?

[tedmich]

I'd swap tubes if the other 5150 owners will let you; they make the biggest difference. People like the Shuguang /Tung Sol/Mullard reissue tubes in various positions, some even go JJ or Ei...

[torpedoted]

pre gain is at 4, low is at 6, mid half way, treble is at 6, resonance is at 6, and presence is at 9 in a half...

[torpedoted]

I tried tung sol and sovteck and im just being honest it really didnt make a difference. It makes prob a 5 or 10% difference but you would think it would make all the difference in the world. I understand with mercury that your saying they dont care as long as they can make money but like I said I dont know what else it could be. Changing the transformers would only make it sound better anyway maybe not necessarly what im looking for though. It would prob cost alot more for me to send it to fja mods and have him fix it so I may just take a crap shoot with the transformers. I just dont know cause even my marshall even though its a different amp sounds present and clear my 5150 sounds like someone stuck a block of foam infront of my cabinet.

[guitarmike2107]

In my experience JJ pre amp valves can be a bit warmer(duller) compared to other pre amp valves.

Changing the OT will only help if the original has a very early high frequency roll off

Are all your tone controls working like they should? Seriously turn the bass and resonance control down, actually turn the resonance control right down to 0.
If it doesn’t start to cut through with these turned down then there is possibly something wrong.
Don’t worry about whether or not your controls match other amps control settings. You have to adjust the bass settings for the room your in anyway.

If your still not happy there are lots of ways a good amp tech can make the amp brighter without changing the OT, that would be the last resort.

[kg]

you need to find an amp tech you can trust. either that or learn how to troubleshoot electronics and fix it yourself.

if the amp sounds vastly different from otherwise identical 5150s then there's something wrong.

have you considered differences in speakers?

[torpedoted]

Ive been reading up on repairing amps myself and as far as my amp tech tim from fullcustom music is a really good amp tech I mean when I was over there he explained to me in detail how stuff worked, what was good and bad ext Idk I guess to him the amp sounds fine but yea like I said using my marshall cab with celestion g12t 75 made it sound more crunchy im just getting to the point where i either just use the dam thing or sell it get somthing else and be done maybe a brand new 6505 amp which I prob should have done to begin with. I just thought it would be so cool to have the original the real deal ya know

[torpedoted]

I seriously think this is my last resort. One other weird thing with my amp is you can only hear the presence come through at like 8 or above anything below that you cant hear it at all I just thought id mention that. maybe by pressence is screwed up Idk. I wanted to ask you what u mean by a very early high frequency roll off?

[melvin]

I, like KG, believe something is wrong with the amp. Does this amp have a pre-out you could check?

[torpedoted]

yes I think it does have a pre-out but what would I do to check it? Im srry guys Im tryin my best but I really dont know a whole lot about tube amps or electronics. I think what im going to do is try new transformers and if they dont make a difference at all than ill just tell them to put the old ones back in. I dont think theyll charge me much at all since im friends with them and Ill also keep trying new see where I end up.

[Jazz P Bass]

The pre out will go to any other amps input.
If you are happy with the tone, then you have narrowed down the issue to the power amp.
Until you or a tech identifies :where" the issue lies, throwing transformers at it is not the answer.
(unless that is what you want to do)