Together with a quartet of EL34s, Eddie Van Halen started a revolution. Today, that revolution continues with the 5150III 50W EL34 top — not only impressive to look at, but also with a wild EL34 sound.
The three channels (Clean, Crunch and Lead) ring in a wide tonal landscape reminiscent of the early Van Halen records, with their typical harmonic overtones and a dynamic compression and saturation that evokes a more modern "British" sound.
Channel one offers unparalleled shimmering clean tones and compressed tone. Channel two delivers ragged overdrive and a darker, spongier sound, while channel three pushes the gain to max for howling solos.
Separate volume and gain controls for all three channels have been introduced with the 5150III top. Channels 1 and 2 have dual concentric gain/volume controls, with a common EQ (low, mid, high), while channel 3 has its own EQ. In addition to that, the rear has a resonance control that allows you to tailor the bass response of all channels, and a global presence control.
The package is wrapped in an elegant EVH motif in black and gold, and is also equipped with an effect loop, headphone output, pre-amp out, and midi input.