Evh 5150 III 50 W 6L6 Head Stealth

I purchased this amp and its simply AMAZING.
I mean, seriously: WOW!!

Sadly, it gave me a hard "plop!" when I turned off the stand-by.
I really was affraid to turn it on, at one point.
With all volumes at 0, and not guitarsignal comin' in. So that's not ok.
Of course, Thomann gave me a refund.

Now, when this amp is available again in several months, Im definitely going to buy it again.
Because, again: WOW.
Oh well, you can read/see/hear for yourself how great it is.
There are a zillion reviews, YouTube clips etc.

2 things though, to keep in mind:

1 I've owned this one and 2 50w EL34's.
And ALL THREE had issues.
Volume drops, problems with the loop, this loud plops.
They're definitely NOT the most reliable amps. Hate to say it, but that's the truth (imho).

2 It's not the best amp if you want to use all kinds of stuff in the send/return.
An amp tech explained to me that on these amps, the loop is VERY loud. Very noisy.
Causing, especially in combination with long cables, a lot of extra risk of noise, plopping etc.

Granted; maybe others don't recognise this at all.
But I stopped using the loop on my EVH 50W El34 all together, and that gave me a lot more piece of mind.
Im kinda missing my delay, but that's it.

That being said:
Tone wise, both the Stealth and the EL34 are absolutely KING.
And, for performing musician like me, the weight is a plus (compared to 100w heads).

I bought the Evh stealth 50w a couple days ago,first of all i must say that Thomann customer service is very good,they help me for everything ! also super fast delivery . Now about the amp ,i must say its a really good all around amp i can find all types of sounds on that amp! from blues,rock to thrash metal,progressive metal and everything in between.The green channel is very clean ! with lots of headroom ,crystal clear!. The blue channel takes overdrives really well and with a bit of adjusting the eq and the presense and resonance controll in the back, you can create all kinds of sounds ,personally im going for more heavy/thrash/prog metal sound and the amp delivers all of that!.The thing that impress me is that i can hear every note! even with a lots of gain ,everything its very clear but also quiet !. The red channel i use it as a lead but its very good for more modern types of sounds and rhythms ,more compressed but still very clear and massive sounding! Overall im really happy with my purchase! that amp was exactly what i was looking for! and for that amount of money ..i think is the best choice !

The EVH 5150 III was always going to be a 'humdinger' of an amp, but this one honestly is quite incredible if you play rock or metal. Having said that, in fact this amp can be used in nearly all styles, but the rock/metal is well suited.

The clean channel can be pristine if you need that with lots of headroom. The blue channel (or channel 2) can go from simple break up to high gain and more than some might want... but that red channel (Channel 3) for me is what makes this THE metal amp that you have got to try. It's quality too is exceptional. I reviewed this amp inside and out and the overall design, components and though have gone in to this guitar amp.

Sounds - oh there are so many tones - its a brilliant amp for shredders!

One thing though to bear in mind is that this amp has one of the highest gains in channel 3 (the red channel) that I have seen on any amp and while that's great, you might never crank the channel gain past about three or four!

I still have this amp and it is highly recommended - Fender did a great job and I scored this in my review at an (unsurprising) 10/10.
But it!

If you are in to high gain amps and looking for something portable with great tone, this is a steal. The difference with the regular 6l6 is a change in the voicing, shifting the mids higher and adding low end, making it feel clearer and more precise.

Green channel: Amazing bell like type cleans that didn't expect. Put a strat on it and will give a fat clear sound all day.

Blue channel: Amazin, rich distortion with lots of high mids and clarity. It is as tight as it needs to be to have low end clarity but at the same time feels big with lots of body. The distortion has a dry character (not too spongy, saggy) taking od pedals in front extremely well, as it makes it more compressed and easier in the fingers. Also, try putting low output pickups with the gain below noon, to get a plexi on 10 like tone.

Red channel: Laughable amounts of gain that can get very easily over the top. I try to eq it to get as close to the Blue, while being a bit gainier and fuller sounding for lead work. Sustain for days!!!

Extra Info:

- The amp has so much gain that can sound good at very low volumes. Having said that, i feel that even when pushing the master past 1, it becomes a different beast.

- The footswitch is built like a tank and feels rock solid.

Overall, it is the best high gain amp for the market it competes in. Buy it without a second thought.