EVH 5150 50w - managing the green/blue channel volume variance

Vaiai

I am talking about the one to fix the volume jump from Green to Blue channels.

Have you had it done? How much does it cost?

And most importantly, does it make a big difference?

I have a POD HD500X so I can use this to change channel with Midi and can equalise the volumes in the patches. However, I may not always use the POD and wondered about other ways to manage the change - I experimented on my 6505+ which has a similar issue using the CS3 Compressor to manage the level.

Any other tricks?

Vaiai

Bringing this back to life as I have joined a 2nd band and need to use my clean channel a bit more than usual. POD is gone - I just have delay, reverb and a compressor pedals. What do you guys do to get the clean vol to a decent level? I'm thinking either clean boost or EQ pedal. It's a huge jump in volume so to get a decent clean volume you end up with the blue channel being way louder if you change to it.

Volume pedal doesn't really solve it as it would need to be on full on clean and then turning it down on blue channel would colour the tone surely?

Any advice appreciated! 

Drew_TNBD

Sell it. Buy a different amp. The 50-watter is a 2 channel amp. You wont get three channels out of it, no matter what Fender's marketing department claims.

John_P

It's easy enough to balance the volumes using 4cm (as you probably found with your hd500,  but I can't think of another way to do it - unless you put all your pedals in the loop and have a lower volume on the compressor, then hit it at the same time as switching to channel 2,  that's a bit messy for me though.     Could you grab a cheap multi pedal? 

MattFGBI

In operation the 50 watt is often a 2 channel amp, you just have 2 different voicing option for channel 1. If you raise the gain in the first channel it will bring the volumes much closer but you will lose the clean sound. 

I use this amp for my rock/metal band and use the green channel as clean and the red channel as my main rhythm / distortion sound. This is basically the best way to run it if you want a dedicated clean tone. 

Here's an old video of my band demonstrating: 

Drew_TNBD

Things that everyone reported with this amp that I personally never experienced:

-increasing the gain levels out the volume difference

I never experienced this. All the way through the gain range, blue channel is consistently louder than the green channel.

-using multi-fx in 4-cable method and midi to switch in an attenuator

Again I could never get this to work. Every single 4cm unit I tried, you'd get some sort of problem. Whether it was a huge burst of guitar followed by the attenuated level, because the amp switched quicker than multi-fx, or just noise problems in general.

The *only* solution I found that worked was to replace the green channel altogether, with a modeller. I did this video a while back demonstrating it:

That was the closest I got. But I found at a loud volume, the F1 pedal didn't sound as good as a dedicated clean channel, so I ditched the whole thing, sold the amp to a metal head guy who only wanted the red channel, and got myself a VHT once again.

It's a real shame, because I loved all three of the channels on the 50-watter. The cleans are beautiful and the rhythms are big and meaty, and it really does feel like 'WOW! METAL!' when you switch to the red channel.

If you want a similar amp, try the Diezel D-Moll. It's very similar in tone and features, but doesn't have this annoying issue.

Fender.. c'mon... make a fixed version. You really really REALLY will sell bucket loads! I've seen so many complaints about this very issue, and Fender USA are basically as unmoved and unresponsive as you can get. "EVH wanted it this way" - sorry... but that's bollocks!

Drew_TNBD

Oh btw, there is also a modification for the amp that is supposed to even it out somewhat, but I never did it.

MattFGBI

Drew_fx said:

Oh btw, there is also a modification for the amp that is supposed to even it out somewhat, but I never did it.

There is a spot where you can add a resistor - I tried it.  It does even out the volume a bit but all it really does is drop the gain in the blue channel and make it a bit thin. 

ChrisMusic

Drew_fx said:

The *only* solution I found that worked was to replace the green channel altogether, with a modeller. I did this video a while back demonstrating it:

Nice workaround @Drew_fx   

fretmeister

MattFGBI said:

In operation the 50 watt is often a 2 channel amp, you just have 2 different voicing option for channel 1. 

So really Fender really really need to stop calling it a 3 channel amp. It is not honest.

And they need to take a button off the footswitch because massive foot units where a good 25% of the size is utterly pointless is shit.

Just put a "mode" switch on the amp itself.

The amp is a glorious sounding thing. I loved mine.

But that issue pissed me off so much that I won't have another one even though is sounds so much better and is cheaper than the Mesa Mini-Rec.

The designers have put Form over Function to a point where it actively prevents sales. That's a shit idea too.

leerocker

buy the proper 100 watt one then if you want 3 independent channels. they ain't going to make a 50 watt one with 3 channels at half the price of the 100 are they? wishful thinking methinks.

Drew_TNBD

leerocker said:

buy the proper 100 watt one then if you want 3 independent channels. they ain't going to make a 50 watt one with 3 channels at half the price of the 100 are they? wishful thinking methinks.

What crack are you smoking? What a short-sighted and ignorant statement. They HAVE made a 50-watt one with 3 channels at half the price!! It just has a design flaw!!

guitarfishbay

Drew_fx said:

leerocker said:

buy the proper 100 watt one then if you want 3 independent channels. they ain't going to make a 50 watt one with 3 channels at half the price of the 100 are they? wishful thinking methinks.

What crack are you smoking? What a short-sighted and ignorant statement. They HAVE made a 50-watt one with 3 channels at half the price!! It just has a design flaw!!

He just missed out 'independent' the second time, he did say it the first time (and that is the entire flaw).

fretmeister

With the settings I used all I would have needed would be a separate Master Volume! 

The look of the amp could be maintained if a stacked knob was used.

I have no problem with the shared EQ.

leerocker

not on the crack. smoking meth

i just don't get all the moaning about the volume jump if you want three separate channels they do one its called the 100 watt. its double the price of a 50. no company is going to make something with the same feature set as their top of the line model at half the price its just not good business sense.
essentially you get evh sound cheaper just with two channels which you can choose to have a clean or crunch.

They are great sounding amps a less them a grand new you show me a three channel amp that can do what the evh can do at less than a grand new i don't think you will find one.

the only real way i found to make the volume jump more manageable was to use an mxr line driver in the front and it gives you a decent clean and boosts blue channel a touch so no big jump that way.

guitarfishbay

There's no MV on the 100 watter either.

I'm not sure what tonal difference that makes, but functionally it would be easier if it did.

Drew_TNBD

leerocker said:

you show me a three channel amp that can do what the evh can do at less than a grand new i don't think you will find one

There are plenty. Off the top of my head Laney VH100r and JVM 205h spring to mind.

leerocker

Drew_fx;615958" said:

leerocker said:

you show me a three channel amp that can do what the evh can do at less than a grand new i don't think you will find oneThere are plenty. Off the top of my head Laney VH100r and JVM 205h spring to mind.

fair point with the laney maybe everyone should buy them instead.

Drew_TNBD

leerocker said:

Drew_fx;615958" said:

leerocker said:

you show me a three channel amp that can do what the evh can do at less than a grand new i don't think you will find oneThere are plenty. Off the top of my head Laney VH100r and JVM 205h spring to mind.

fair point with the laney maybe everyone should buy them instead.

Depends on the core tone. There aren't many amps that do the whole tight-tight-tight high-gain thing, not like the 5150. That's why so many people are annoyed with the 50-watter. Because it promises so much, and just falls slightly short. Fender DID pimp it as a 3 channel amp, and that is where the problem lies.

Vaiai

I know the 100w does it but at the time I was in a straight rock band and had a POD HD (now sold) which I used for cleans in 4CM. I am now in another band (at the same time) and we do covers so clean is much more of a requirement - at the time I could not justify the cost of the 100w head, maybe after a few more paid gigs that will change!

For my Bon Jovi, Whitesnake and Van Halen stuff the 5150 is the daddy, but needs and requirements change so was just seeing if anyone had a solution that didn't involve spending a wad of cash.

Thanks for all the input

sted

Being honest, I only ever used the blue channel on mine anyway, red was waaaaay too heavy for me and for cleans I just turned down my volume on the guitar, fabulous sounding amp though, no wonder they've hiked the price.