6505 MH love! (should I upgrade to it's big brother?)

[Guitarjon]

Hey guys!

I've been really digging the crap out of my Peavey 6505 MH recently.
It just records so well and it sits in the mix perfectly.
I had already made a full video with this amp and my KM6 MKII and with that guitar it really allowed the bite to come through.
This time around I wanted to try a guitar with EMG's and I ended up making a short demo with my LTD Iron Cross.
Really love the guitar tones here!
Plenty of bottom, nice and full mids and an open but smooth top end...

Check that out here:


Anyway, so I've been quite a fan of 5150-style amps lately.
I also own a 5150 III EL34 50 W which is killer but I thought it would be cool to also own a big 6505.
I don't technically need it but it seems like it would be a fun amp to have.
It would also allow me to do a comparison between 3 types of 5150's and a video of the big 6505 vs a bunch of modelers.
Sonically I'm not expecting the big one to sound very different than the MH but I think I would use it.
What do you guys think?
I'm also gassing for an MT15.... can't stop gassing for one of those....

 

[KnightBrolaire]

nah, get the mt15, you've already got the 5150 sound covered

 

[Guitarjon]

nah, get the mt15, you've already got the 5150 sound covered

Dare I say both???
That would be sick...

 

[KnightBrolaire]

Dare I say both???
That would be sick...

ooh do a stereo rig with one of each hard panned

 

[diagrammatiks]

Ya definitely or the mt15 or save up and get the new suhr. The 6505mh is the worst sounding of those amps. So anything else will be awesome.

 

[budda]

Bigger iron my vote is fullsize.

 

[Guitarjon]

Ya definitely or the mt15 or save up and get the new suhr. The 6505mh is the worst sounding of those amps. So anything else will be awesome.

I think the MT15 sounds really great in YT demo's etc but not 'better' than some of my other amps per say.
Don't underestimate the 6505 MH though.
I compared to 12 other amps recently and it holds up pretty well! (look for the timecodes to skip through):

Bigger iron my vote is fullsize.

Hell yes!
Have you ever compared the 6505 to the MH by any chance?

 

[TheWarAgainstTime]

I haven't tried the MH, but I will also put in my vote for a full sized 6505. Bigger transformers, 6l6 power section, and most on the used market are made in USA. Not to mention the MH has a different preamp section

Get a 6505, then sell the MH to fund the MT15

 

[MoistTowelette]

I think the 6505 sounds considerably better than the mh but the mh is probably one of the best 20 watt metal amp heads when it comes to the price. Shameless plug but I'm selling my USA made 6505+ if you're interested.

 

[LeftOurEyes]

I have a 6505mh, 6505+, and block letter 5150. The MH sounds good for recording which you've already figured out because you're recordings sound very good, but the MH sounds thin and harsh at band volumes and is also less tight with the volume up. I would never try to use it live for metal at least unless it was mic'd or running direct somehow.

Shameless plug but I'm selling my USA made 6505+ if you're interested.

Might be a little expensive to ship to Holland lol unless you're already in Europe.

 

[MoistTowelette]

Might be a little expensive to ship to Holland lol unless you're already in Europe.

Damn I should have looked at his location lol

 

[budda]

I think the MT15 sounds really great in YT demo's etc but not 'better' than some of my other amps per say.
Don't underestimate the 6505 MH though.
I compared to 12 other amps recently and it holds up pretty well! (look for the timecodes to skip through):



Hell yes!
Have you ever compared the 6505 to the MH by any chance?

I havent, but I also generally dont end up trying amps below 50W save for the practice amps in my basement .

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

Get a 6505+/5150II and you won't regret it. I miss mine.

 

[jc986]

I’ll be in the minority here most likely but don’t rule out a newer Chinese made 6505. I have one and it’s the best sounding stock 6505/5150 I’ve ever played.

Most 5150’s and 6505’s are biased extremely cold from the factory but mine, bone stock and brand new was reading around 32.5ma and 34ma per tube. I’ve owned several 5150’s and they’ve all had a stock bias in the ballpark of 12ma - 20ma depending on tubes since it is a fixed bias. The tubes that came in my newer 6505 are middle of the range Ruby’s so I could get the bias up a bit even if I ordered some hotter tubes.

 

[KailM]

I played a 6505mh a couple months back, sounded nice. It’s a cute little amp for sure.



My 120 watt 6505 would swallow it whole.

 

[PunkBillCarson]

Get the bigger brother, THEN get the MT15. Both amps would be sick, but you're still not getting the whole Peavey experience with just the mini-head.

 

[Guitarjon]

I haven't tried the MH, but I will also put in my vote for a full sized 6505. Bigger transformers, 6l6 power section, and most on the used market are made in USA. Not to mention the MH has a different preamp section

Get a 6505, then sell the MH to fund the MT15

Different preamp section?
But yeah, good idea

I think the 6505 sounds considerably better than the mh but the mh is probably one of the best 20 watt metal amp heads when it comes to the price. Shameless plug but I'm selling my USA made 6505+ if you're interested.

I've looked into the 6505+ models as well but in the demos I prefer the sound of the regular 6505.
The difference seems small though.
I will probably only use the amp in my studio so I don't need the extra channel controls.

I havent, but I also generally dont end up trying amps below 50W save for the practice amps in my basement .

Haha! I have a bunch of sub 50w amps and I love them all but as I stated earlier, I mainly use the amps for recording through my loadbox so with that setup it's very easy to find a spot on the master volume that sounds good.
So loudness isn't a factor really...

I’ll be in the minority here most likely but don’t rule out a newer Chinese made 6505. I have one and it’s the best sounding stock 6505/5150 I’ve ever played.

Most 5150’s and 6505’s are biased extremely cold from the factory but mine, bone stock and brand new was reading around 32.5ma and 34ma per tube. I’ve owned several 5150’s and they’ve all had a stock bias in the ballpark of 12ma - 20ma depending on tubes since it is a fixed bias. The tubes that came in my newer 6505 are middle of the range Ruby’s so I could get the bias up a bit even if I ordered some hotter tubes.

I have a bunch of tube amps that were made in Asia and I don't mind them at all.
I'm not scared of Chinese amps so I'll probably get a new one from Thomann soon.
If it ends up breaking I can always send it back or get it repaired anyway.

Get the bigger brother, THEN get the MT15. Both amps would be sick, but you're still not getting the whole Peavey experience with just the mini-head.

Haha, sounds like a plan!
I also own a 5150 III EL34 50W so that definitely adds to the experience, but yeah, I need a big 6505 and I need it fast!

 

[mnemonic]

Maybe not super on topic, but have you tried mixing and matching preamps/poweramps? Like the MH preamp into the 5150iii poweramp. I imagine it’s at least a bit different from the 5150/6505 power amp, but I guess you could get a general idea how the bigger glass and iron would affect the 6505 preamp sound.

 

[MASS DEFECT]

Th 6505+ is closer in eq to the 6505mh in my experience. There's some high mids in there and the tight bass is present. The original 6505 has more of looser lows, aggressive highs, and a bit hollowed mids. It will sound scooped but bigger (and fizzy) next to a 6505+.

the 6505+ has a tighter and cleaner bass profile. Less gain. EQ is shifted to the high mids. The crunch channel is awesome. Has that nice Marshall flavor going on.

 

[budda]

6505+ crunch channel does a lot.

The wattage isnt for volume, it's for headroom. Everything sounds more full and bass stays tighter. Its why triple recs bury duals.