Peavey EVH 5150 II User Manual

Operating Guide

Intended to alert the user to the presence of uninsulated “dangerous voltage” within the product’s
enclosure that may be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock to persons.

Intended to alert the user of the presence of important operating and maintenance (servicing)
instructions in the literature accompanying the product.

CAUTION: Risk of electrical shock — DO NOT OPEN!
CAUTION: To reduce the risk of electric shock, do not remove cover. No user serviceable parts inside. Refer

servicing to qualified service personnel.
WARNING: To prevent electrical shock or fire hazard, do not expose this appliance to rain or moisture. Before

using this appliance, read the operating guide for further warnings.

Este símbolo tiene el propósito, de alertar al usuario de la presencia de “(voltaje) peligroso” sin ais­lamiento dentro de la caja del producto y que puede tener una magnitud suficiente como para constituir
riesgo de descarga eléctrica.

Este símbolo tiene el propósito de alertar al usario de la presencia de instruccones importantes sobre la
operación y mantenimiento en la información que viene con el producto.

PRECAUCION: Riesgo de descarga eléctrica ¡NO ABRIR!
PRECAUCION: Para disminuír el riesgo de descarga eléctrica, no abra la cubierta. No hay piezas útiles dentro.

Deje todo mantenimiento en manos del personal técnico cualificado.
ADVERTENCIA: Para evitar descargas eléctricas o peligro de incendio, no deje expuesto a la lluvia o humedad

este aparato Antes de usar este aparato, Iea más advertencias en la guía de operación.

Ce symbole est utilisé dans ce manuel pour indiquer à l’utilisateur la présence d’une tension dangereuse
pouvant être d’amplitude suffisante pour constituer un risque de choc électrique.

Ce symbole est utilisé dans ce manuel pour indiquer à l’utilisateur qu’il ou qu’elle trouvera d’importantes
instructions concernant l’utilisation et l’entretien de l’appareil dans le paragraphe signalé.

ATTENTION: Risques de choc électrique — NE PAS OUVRIR!

ATTENTION: Afin de réduire le risque de choc électrique, ne pas enlever le couvercle. Il ne se trouve à l’intérieur

aucune pièce pouvant être reparée par l’utilisateur. Confiez I’entretien et la réparation de l’appareil à un réparateur
Peavey agréé.

AVERTISSEMENT: Afin de prévenir les risques de décharge électrique ou de feu, n’exposez pas cet appareil à la
pluie ou à l’humidité. Avant d’utiliser cet appareil, lisez attentivement les avertissements supplémentaires de ce
manuel.

Dieses Symbol soll den Anwender vor unisolierten gefährlichen Spannungen innerhalb des Gehäuses
warnen, die von Ausreichender Stärke sind, um einen elektrischen Schlag verursachen zu können.

Dieses Symbol soll den Benutzer auf wichtige Instruktionen in der Bedienungsanleitung aufmerksam
machen, die Handhabung und Wartung des Produkts betreffen.

VORSICHT: Risiko — Elektrischer Schlag! Nicht öffnen!
VORSICHT: Um das Risiko eines elektrischen Schlages zu vermeiden, nicht die Abdeckung enfernen. Es befinden

sich keine Teile darin, die vom Anwender repariert werden könnten. Reparaturen nur von qualifiziertem
Fachpersonal durchführen lassen.

ACHTUNG: Um einen elektrischen Schlag oder Feuergefahr zu vermeiden, sollte dieses Gerät nicht dem Regen
oder Feuchtigkeit ausgesetzt werden. Vor Inbetriebnahme unbedingt die Bedienungsanleitung lesen.

2

5150®II

Tube Guitar Amplifier

Congratulations on your purchase of the all new 5150®II. Peavey’s continuous design collaboration
with guitar icon and legend, Edward Van Halen, has produced yet another feature-packed, monster
guitar head. Like the original 5150 head, the 5150 II offers two channels. However, the 5150 II adds
separate EQ, Resonance, and Presence controls to each channel, giving you more control and
flexibility. The new footswitch provides foot control of channel selection, effects loop, and the newly
added ability to select the Crunch feature. Now you can instantly obtain that extra gain in the
Rhythm Channel with your foot and never have to take your hand off the guitar. Finally, the Clean
Channel has been added, completely redesigned to sound much cleaner, and has one 12AX7
devoted to just the Clean/Crunch.

The following guide explains these features and how to operate each one in order to obtain
your desired sound. We recommend that you read this manual carefully, paying close attention
to any warnings or cautions.

FEATURES:

• Two distinct tube channels with footswitch control

• LED “active” indicators for each channel

• Bright switch for Rhythm channel

• Crunch switch on Rhythm channel with footswitch control

• Separate equalizer sections for each channel

• Separate power amp controls (Resonance and Presence) for each channel

• Separate preamp controls (Pre and Post Gain) for each channel

• Standby power switch

• Bias test points on rear panel

• Effects loop with footswitch control

• 1/4" Preamp output jack

• Speaker impedance selection switch (4, 8, 16 ohm)

• Two parallel 1/4" speaker output jacks

• 120 watts output power ohm output power

• Metal three button footswitch with detachable 25' cable

ENGLISH

3

5150®is a registered trademark of Edward Van Halen.

REAR PANEL FEATURES

P

OWER

(1) LINE CORD:

This line cord provides the AC power to the unit. Connect the line cord to a properly
grounded AC supply. Damage to the equipment may occur if improper line voltage is used.
(See voltage marking on unit.) Never remove or cut the ground pin of the line cord plug.

NOTE: FOR UK ONLY

As the colors of the wires in the mains lead of this apparatus may not correspond with the
colored markings identifying the terminals in your plug, proceed as follows: (1) The wire which
is colored green and yellow must be connected to the terminal which is marked by the letter
E, or by the earth symbol, or colored green or green and yellow. (2) The wire which is colored
blue must be connected to the terminal which is marked with the letter N, or the color black.
(3) The wire which is colored brown must be connected to the terminal which is marked with
the letter L or the color red.

(2) FUSE

WARNING: THE FUSE SHOULD ONLY BE REPLACED WHEN THE POWER CORD

HAS BEEN DISCONNECTED FROM ITS POWER SOURCE. A 5 amp fuse is located within
the cap of the fuse holder. It must be replaced with the same type and value in order to avoid
damage to the equipment and to prevent voiding the warranty. If the amp repeatedly blows
fuses, it should be taken to a qualified service center for repair.

(3) GROUND SWITCH

This is a three-position, rocker type switch which, for most applications, should be operated in
the center (zero) position. If hum or noise is noticed coming from the speaker enclosure(s)
with the Ground Switch in the center position, place the Ground Switch to positive (+) or
negative (-) to minimize hum. Should a hum/noise problem continue, consult your authorized
Peavey dealer, the Peavey factory, or a qualified service technician.

NOTE: THE GROUND SWITCH IS NOT FUNCTIONAL ON 220/240 VOLT MODELS.

INs

AND OUTs

(4) SPEAKER JACKS

These jacks are provided for the connection of speaker enclosure(s). The minimum speaker
impedance is 4 ohms. The Impedance Selector Switch (5) should be set accordingly.

(5) IMPEDANCE SELECTOR SWITCH (5)

Use this switch to select the appropriate impedance of the speaker enclosure(s) connected to
the Speaker Jacks (4). If two enclosures of equal impedance are used, the switch should be
set at one half of that value (e.g., two 16 ohm enclosures: set switch to 8 ohms; two 8 ohm
enclosures: set switch to 4 ohms).

2 1

3

10

7

8

9

6

5

4

4

(6) REMOTE FOOTSWITCH JACK

This jack is provided for the connection of the supplied remote footswitch. The footswitch
cable should be plugged in before the amp is powered up. When the footswitch is plugged
into the Remote Footswitch Jack, the Channel Select switch (14) must be pressed to the “in”
position for remote selection of the Lead or Rhythm channel (right footswitch button). The On
and Off operation of Effects (left footswitch button) will work at all times. Remote selection of
Crunch gain boost (center footswitch button) is available only when the Crunch Switch (22) is
selected. See page 9 for detailed Footswitch diagram.

(7/8) EFFECTS SEND/EFFECTS RETURN

Signals are supplied to outboard effects or signal processing units by patching from the
Effects Send (7) output into the outboard unit(s) and back into the Effects Return (8) input
using shielded cables with 1/4" mono phone plugs. Only non-gain effects devices (chorus,
reverb, delay, etc.) should be used in the effects loop. If footswitch is used, “Effects” must be
selected (LED illuminated) for effects to work.

(9) PREAMP OUT

This output can be used to send a preamp signal from the 5150 II to a mixing console, tape
recorder, etc., using a shielded instrument cable. Patching from the PREAMP OUT does not
affect the normal operation of the amplifier.

BIAS

ADJUST SYSTEM

(10) BIAS TEST TERMINALS

These terminals, along with the adjustment knob behind the grill are provided to measure
and adjust the power amp tubes’ bias. The bias adjustment should only be done by a
qualified technician.

FRONT PANEL FEATURES

ON ST

ANDBY

(11) POWER SWITCH/LED

This switch supplies power to the unit. Depressed to the “ON” position, the red Power LED
indicator will illuminate above the Power Switch when power is being supplied to the unit.

(12) STANDBY SWITCH/LED

This switch allows the 5150 II to be placed in a non-operational standby mode. When the
Standby Switch is activated, the tubes remain hot and ready for instantaneous operation,
eliminating warm-up time. The Standby LED indicator above the switch will illuminate when
the amp is in the operational mode.

16

22 20 17 18 19 23 2414

5

12

11

1513 2115

PREAMP

(13) INPUT

The 5150 II input jack is designed to accommodate a variety of guitar output levels,
regardless of pickup configuration. Due to the extreme high gain capabilities of the 5150 II, it
is imperative that you use a premium shielded instrument cable in order to minimize noise.

(14) CHANNEL SELECT SWITCH

This switch allows selection of the Rhythm or Lead Channel. Depressing the switch to the “in”
position activates the Lead Channel. The red LED next to the Lead Pre control will illuminate
to indicate that the Lead Channel is active. In the “out” position, the Rhythm channel is
activated and the green LED illuminates next to the Rhythm Pre control to indicate that the
Rhythm Channel is active. Channels may be remotely selected using the 5150 II’s footswitch.
If remote selection is desired, the Channel Select Switch must be set to the “in” position
(Lead Channel). See page 9.

(15) CHANNEL SELECT LED

Both the Rhythm Channel and Lead Channel have these LEDs to indicate which channel is
active. The two Channel Select LEDs are never on at the same time. The channel with its
indicator illuminated is the active channel.

(16/20) PRE and POST GAIN

The channel Pre (16) and Post (20) Gain controls operate in the same manner for both
channels. However, the Lead channel does have more pregain than the Rhythm Channel. In
most applications, the Rhythm channel should be set up with the Pre Gain at the lower
“cleaner” settings (0-4) and the Post Gain should be set for overall volume. The Rhythm
channel can be converted to a medium distortion channel by activating the Crunch switch
(22). This will more closely match the pre gain of the two channels. The Lead channel should
be set up with the Pre Gain at the mid to upper settings (5-10) and the Post Gain should be
set for overall volume.

(17/18/19) EQUALIZATION

The 5150 II’s equalization block features passive low, mid, and high EQ that is custom
tailored for each channel to Edward Van Halen’s specifications. Adjusting the control(s)
counterclockwise will result in an attenuation of the signal within the frequency band.

(21) BRIGHT SWITCH

Activates a preset boost in the treble frequencies (6 dB at 2 kHz) and affects only the Rhythm
Channel.

(22) CRUNCH SELECT SWITCH

Boosts the gain of the Rhythm channel to create a medium distortion or in between tone.
Depress to the “in” position to activate.

(23/24) RESONANCE / PRESENCE

Unique to Peavey instrument amplifiers, the Resonance control (23) can be set to boost the
gain of the power amp in the low frequencies at the resonance/attenuation point of the
speaker cabinet. In simple terms, the Resonance control works like a low EQ to offset low­end frequency drop out. The Presence control (24) works in the same manner, boosting the
high frequencies. Experimentation using your particular speaker cabinet, along with personal
taste, will determine your setting for these important controls.

6

POWER AMPLIFICATION
SECTION

RATED POWER AND LOAD:

120 W RMS into 16, 8, or 4 ohms

POWER @ CLIPPING:

(Typically @ 5% THD, 1 kHz, 120 V AC
line)
130 W RMS into 16, 8, or 4 ohms
(Bias must be reduced to measure.)

FREQUENCY RESPONSE:

+0, -3 dB, 50 Hz to 20 kHz @ 100 W
RMS into 8 ohms

HUM AND NOISE:

Greater than 75 dB below rated power

POWER AMP EQ:

Active Presence: +10 dB @ 2 kHz
Active Resonance: +10 dB @ cabinet

resonant frequency

POWER CONSUMPTION (Domestic):

400 watts 50/60 Hz, 120 V AC
(Domestic)

TUBE COMPLEMENT:

6-12AX7 preamp tubes
(1 for clean/crunch, 3 for Lead, 1 for
EFX and 1 phase splitter
4-6L6GC

PREAMP SECTION

The following specs are measured @
1 kHz with the controls preset as follows:

Low and High EQ @ 10
Mid EQ @ 0
Bright out
Lead and Rhythm Posts @ 10
Presence and Resonance @ 0 dB
Nominal levels with Pre Gains @ 5
Minimum levels with Pre Gains @ 10

PREAMP INPUT:

Impedance: Very high Z, 470K ohms
Lead Channel (with channel select in):

Nominal Input Level: -60 dBV,

1 mV RMS

Minimum Input Level: -76 dBV,

.15 mV RMS

Clean Channel (with channel select out):

Nominal Input Level: -30 dBV,

30 mV RMS

Minimum Input Level: -34 dBV,

20 mV RMS

Maximum Input Level: 0 dBV,

1.0 V RMS

(Subtract 24 dB with Crunch switch in.)

EFFECTS SEND:

Load Impedance: 47 k ohms or greater
Nominal Output: -10 dBV, 300 mV RMS

EFFECTS RETURN:

Impedance: Very High Z, 470 k ohms
Designed Level: -10 dBV, 300 mV RMS

PREAMP OUT:

Load Impedance: 47 k ohms or greater
Nominal Output: +10 dBV, 3 V RMS

REMOTE FOOTSWITCH:

Special 3-button unit with LED indicators

(supplied)

Channel select and reverb

SYSTEM HUM AND NOISE @
NOMINAL LEVEL (clean channel):

(20 Hz to 20 kHz unweighted)
Greater than 63 dB below rated power

EQUALIZATION:

Custom Low, Mid, and High passive type EQ

Push Bright (Rhythm Channel only)

+6 dB @ 2 kHz

Push Crunch (Rhythm Channel only)

Increases gain

DIMENSIONS (H x W x D):

10" x 26.625" x 11.75"
(25.4 cm x 67.6 cm x 29.8 cm

WEIGHT:

48.3 lbs. (21.91 kg)

Features and specifications subject to change without notice.

7

5150®II

SPECIFICATIONS

5150®II

BLOCK DIAGRAM

PRE

LEAD

LOW MID HI POST

TUBE STAGES

FOOTSWITCH

INPUT

FOOTSWITCH

TUBE STAGE

RHYTHM

SWITCH

LOGIC

PRE

CHANNEL

PUSH

BRIGHT

SELECT

TUBE STAGES

PUSH
CRUNCH

FOOTSWITCH

SIGNAL FLOW BLOCK DIAGRAM

LOW MID HI POST

PREAMP
OUT

TUBE BUFFER

TUBE STAGES

RESONANCE

LEAD

TUBE
POWER
AMP

SWITCH

LOGIC

PRESENCE

SWITCH

LOGIC

IMPEDANCE
SWITCH

RESONANCE

EFFECTS

SEND

RETURN

PRESENCE

RHYTHM

SPEAKER
OUTPUTS

8

5150®II

HOOKUP DIAGRAM

From EVH® 5150 II Effects
Send Output to Input of
Rack Effects Unit

DeltaFex

EVH

16 Ohms

Set switch
to 8 Ohms

16 Ohms

™

Rack Mount Effects Unit

®

5150 II Back Panel

8 Ohms

Set switch
to 4 Ohms

8 Ohms

From Output of Rack
Effects Unit to EVH® 5150 II
Effects Return Input

®

From EVH

5150 II Effects
Send Output to Input of
Effects Pedal

Delta Stomp

®

EVH

5150 II Back Panel

™

Floor Pedal

From Output of Effects Pedal
to EVH® 5150 II Effects
Return Input

9

5150®II

RECOMMENDED SETTINGS

Southern Rock/Country

In

In

Out

Signature Setting

In

In

In

Set to proper volume

Set to proper volume

Activates
Effects Loop
when switch

is pressed

and LED

illuminates

All switches are push on/push off.

There are no momentary switches on the footswitch.

Channel select switch (14) must be pressed

to the “in” position for this switch to function.

Activates

Crunch Voicing

on Rhythm

when switch

is pressed

and LED

illuminates

*NOTE:

*Selects
(toggles)
between

Rhythm

and

Lead

channels