NEW PEAVEY 6505 Model: 6534+ (EL34 based)

[Leuchty]

Wow, sounds cool.

 

[sami]

This is pretty cool, but is EL34 the only change?

 

[Andii]

Re: the switch idea

There's a possibility that the amp is optimized for the el34s and not simply biased for them.

 

[JoshuaLogan]

Peavey.com :: Winter NAMM: Peavey Launches PXD Vicious Guitars With Devin Townsend Signature Model
EMG 7-string single coil!!!

Very cool that emg has finally made a 7 string single coil, but that guitar has some very weird specs... 28" scale maple neckthrough 7 string with emg 81-7 and emg single coil... That has got to be one of the brightest sounding guitars on the planet.

 

[DrakkarTyrannis]

I know I bitch about this like, every damn year but WHY can't they upgrade their amps for all sorts of tube options? All the other amp companies are trying to give their fans more options to keep them satisfied with their amp purchases, yet Peavey is still stuck in "EL34 OR 6L6" land. I understand that they make user friendly stuff and less options make it more fool proof, but c'mon. I'd love to have a 3120 and JSX I can put anything from EL34s to KT100s in. They did this with their Windsor studio why not their other amps?

 

[Galius]

Found this about the Butcher so far
http://http://rockhousemethod.blogspot.com/2010/01/namm-2010-peavey-butcher-delivers-100.html

 

[Andii]

I know I bitch about this like, every damn year but WHY can't they upgrade their amps for all sorts of tube options? All the other amp companies are trying to give their fans more options to keep them satisfied with their amp purchases, yet Peavey is still stuck in "EL34 OR 6L6" land. I understand that they make user friendly stuff and less options make it more fool proof, but c'mon. I'd love to have a 3120 and JSX I can put anything from EL34s to KT100s in. They did this with their Windsor studio why not their other amps?

Maybe their circuits are specifically tuned for the characteristics of the tube type they are built around. And if they made more models covering a wider range of tubes it would be a special niche market and they wouldn't sell enough.

 

[JoshuaLogan]

Maybe their circuits are specifically tuned for the characteristics of the tube type they are built around. And if they made more models covering a wider range of tubes it would be a special niche market and they wouldn't sell enough.

Yup, pretty much. The vast majority of guitar players (including most top producers) don't fiddle around with changing various tubes in their amps, and most amp manufacturers design their amps to be used with certain tubes. It's definitely the minority of people that see that as necessary... The preamp sound itself makes a much larger difference than changing the type of power tubes...

 

[DrakkarTyrannis]

Maybe their circuits are specifically tuned for the characteristics of the tube type they are built around. And if they made more models covering a wider range of tubes it would be a special niche market and they wouldn't sell enough.

Well the XXX SHOULD have come with EL34s and they recognized the mistake, the JSX most argue sound better with alternate tube types, 6550s in Peaveys kill everything, and KT77s are known to be badass in these amps. The may have been designed with a certain tube in mind but tinkering has shown they sound much better with alternate tubes. Why not give us the option?

And it wouldn't be a special niche market because the amps would be more flexible or ANY market. Anyone who wanted a 6505, Windsor, 3120, etc would still get one, only they'd have the option of any type of tube they choose should they want to experiment with sounds. If you don't do tube tinkering, fine, stick with what comes stock. For amp modders to your plug'n'plays the amps would fit in just as they have before, if not better.

The preamp sound itself makes a much larger difference than changing the type of power tubes...

You didn't see my KT77 Vs. 6550 DTX thread did you? Oh it was a definite difference and it's even more obvious in the room. The power section is certainly nothing to look over when working on the tone of your amp. Actually I find it's the combination of what you do to BOTH the preamp and power amp sections that make the difference.

 

[Necky379]

hmmm very interesting

how did the old butcher sound? they described it as "brutal" hahaha i wonder how brutal it really is.

ive got an original butcher and its FAR from brutal. its an amazing amp and super cheap but not brutal. it reacts very well with dist/od pedals though. maybe they're adding another gain stage or something?
the sounds like a really open jcm800 with 6l6's. almost plexi-ish. not compressed at all. its hard to describe without hearing it.
peavey ftw with this reissue. cant wait to see how it comes out.

just read this on their site:

The Butcher is a two-channel amplifier with five 12AX7 preamp tubes and four EL34 power amp tubes. Both the Clean and Crunch channels feature independent three-band EQ,


completely different amp than the original.

 

[Zehailiu]

Seriously, if Bugera can include the ability to switch between EL34s and 6L6s you'd think Peavey could. Not to mention adjustable bias.

And I agree with the KT88 comments. Do want!

I talked to an amp builder about that and he said something to the effect of an amp's OT should be impedance matched to the power tube it's going to take, and since you can't vary that, it's best to stick to one type of power tube for the most ideal sound. Basically, more options for power tubes is not necessarily a good thing.

 

[TMM]

hmmm very interesting

how did the old butcher sound? they described it as "brutal" hahaha i wonder how brutal it really is.

Without a boost, it was a lot like a JCM800, but with a boost, definitely gets you into hi-gain brutality.

Sounds like this new one is nothing like the old though. Hopefully the amp will live up to it's name.

 

[eaeolian]

From what I remember, they were actually really good "extreme metal" amps. I'm curious whether this is the same Butcher, or simply a renaming.

I had one. They were basically a JCM800 with 6L6s. Loud as hell, too.

 

[eaeolian]

Oh, and the "new" Butcher is EL34 and multi-channel, so it's not the old one.

 

[Abstract_Logic]

Sorry for n00b question but what are the main tonal differences between 6l6 and EL84

 

[eaeolian]

EL34s are more mid-range-y, while 6L6s are more scooped. Search around a bit - this is a topic that's widely discussed in guitar forums of all types.

 

[DrakkarTyrannis]

Wait a damn minute, the new Butcher is the JSX 50!

 

[Tawlks]

Careful, that's some dangerous thinking you're doing there..........

Hehe. Works for Mesa.

 

[Despised_0515]

It's actually not that hard to mod a 6505/5150 to take EL34's. But it's nice they're offering it as a stock option, so as not to void any warrantys Now if they could make one with a 6L6/EL34 switch...

It's been done.

FJA for the win.

 

[LordOVchaoS]

Also from FJA...

FJA Mods • View topic - 5150 FAQ

Can I put 6550's, KT88's, EL34's, etc. in my 5150?
NO! The amp wasn't designed to run any tube but a 6L6 period, end, I don't care what you read on a tube salesman's website. The amp can be modded to us those tubes, but it's quite involved and the end result is not worth the effort.
EL34's require the bias circuit be modded, screen grid resistors upgraded, and one of the power tube sockets re-wired to use them. They sound like a muddy mess. The 5150 gets it's tone from the preamp and has a ton of gain, adding any distortion in the power amp section sounds bad. The amp needs a clean, powerful power amp if you want a tight, big bottom end tone.
6550's/KT88's require a bias mod and screen grid resistors. They also sound a bit loose and muddy, but not as bad as the EL34's.
Integrated quads can't be used either without mods. You will damage the amp. The screen grid resistors on the 5150 are way too small to run anything but a 6L6. They fail quite often even with the 6L6's. Why in the world would you spend big money on a KT88 and then run it cold? That's a total waste of your hard earned money.

Sounds like a bad idea to feed the tube type swap hype! I doubt anybody knows 5150's better than Jerry. If he says they sound like muddy shit with EL34's I believe him.