All around great metal amp. Review by mesaboom
I have been playing guitar for 16 years. I currently have a JCM2000 DSL 100 head, 2 marshall 1960 cabs(A&B), Peavey Ultra 120 head, Mesa 412 Rectifier cab, a Peavey Rock Master Tube Preamp and a Marshall AVT20. I have previously owned a ValveKing 212 combo, Marshall Valvestate 100 112 combo, Peavey Butcher head, Peavey Bandit 112, and several other solid state amps and guitars. If this amp was lost or stolen I would get another one. It's definitely in the top three amps I have owned. I think this is a great deal for a $600 price point amp. (Posted on 9/21/11)
Best budget combo for metal around. Review by Will
This 1x12 combo comprises of a 60 watt Peavey 6505+ head and a 12" Sheffield speaker in the same enclosure. It's got two separate channels with two dedicated EQs, post and pre gain on each, presence and resonance on each, one shared reverb knob. And it will destroy you.
First off, I'm a budget player, I get all my gear used if I can help it. But when I saw the 6505+ 112, I saw a deal. After extensive research for an amp with tight, aggressive, crushing gain that also could lighten up on a clean channel, I found that there really was no other option in the price range. Nothing beats a 6505+ at what it does, probably because it does one thing well: HEAVY MUSIC.
But please note. It's also heavy in and of itself. It's about 70lbs, give or take, which after a while inspired me to separate the 'head' section from the 'cab' section. While I'm fairly certain this voids one's warranty, this amp will not give up on you. I've had it for two years, it's been on two tours with me all down the East Coast, and I've replaced the tubes three times. No issues. If you don't want to shell out the big money for a legitimate 6505+ head with a 3dB volume increase, this is a very viable route.
Like most people say about the entire 5150/6505/5150II/6505+ line, you will NOT be getting fender cleans. At first, not even close. But given some time and some listening, you can certainly dial in some nice ones. That being said, don't buy this amp for it's cleans. Where it shines is on the red channel. Boosted (overdrive pedal) or unboosted, it sounds absolutely amazing, even with the stock Sheffield.
I personally have not changed the speaker, but hooking it up to my (old) 4x12 Peavey cab with 2 generic Peavey speakers and 2 JBL 12s, the difference lies in the low midrange. The Sheffield is not as defined, but has plenty of low end thump and roar.
The mids on this amp are amazing. I can cut through any mix with this thing, and it just sings. I play an ESP M-1000 with SD Blackouts, and I get complemented on my tone pretty often. When I tell them it's the 6505+ combo, they're usually amazed.
So, 4 stars for features, because it really doesn't have a great deal to speak of. The dedicated MSDI microphone-simulated XLR direct interface is wonderful for direct out to the PA (which has saved my ass numerous times) and the reverb, although weak, does help thicken up the tone a bit and makes it sound quite nice.
5 stars for value because it's absolutely crushing, same build as the 5150II, absolutely slays. 5 stars for quality, because it's held it's own against everything on these past two tours. No breakdowns, nothing. Just the expected tube replacements (which I recommend, takes the amp from being great to amazing).
Bottom line: if it's in your budget and you're looking for a metal amp, spend no more. Leaves you more money for other guitar treats! (Posted on 3/16/11)
