The 5150III 100S Head represents Eddie’s most recent touring rig — radiating with high-gain intensity, snarling leads and robust rhythms. This amp has a heavier edge that can handle the extremes of any genre.
Not just dressed in a seductively dark finish, this 100-watt Stealth head roars with its own unique voice — tweaked with added features specifically to meet Eddie Van Halen’s touring requirements. The three channels (Clean, Crunch and Lead) deliver signature melodic overtones with increased saturation, gain and improved low-mid frequency definition on channel two, all with the boundless sustain and versatility expected from an amp bearing his name. Channel one soars with pristine and sparkling cleans; channel two features increased gain for greater sustain and is re-voiced for improved low-mid frequency definition; channel three also features increased gain and improved range for the “low” control. Each channel has its own versatile controls (volume, gain, presence, low, mid, high), as well as a rear-panel resonance control knob that dials in fine-tuned low-end response.
A whopping eight JJ ECC83S (12AX7) preamp tubes erupt with colossal overdriven tone when pushed to the max, while four premium Shuguang 6L6 power tubes up the ante with plenty of saturated, high-gain crunchy attitude synonymous with Van Halen.
Eddie added a bias port with an adjustable trim pot, which allows you to easily set the voltage of the tubes to ensure you get the absolute best tone. Without this unique feature, you would have to remove the chassis from the cabinet to access the circuit board.
Specs
Category |
Head |
Type |
Vacuum Tube |
Colour |
Stealth Black |
Wattage |
100W (4, 8, or 16 ohms) |
Input |
1 x 1/4″ |
Outputs |
1 x 1/4″ (Line Out), 2 x 1/4″ Parallel (Speaker Jack) |
Effects Loop |
Yes |
Controls |
Gain, Low, Mid, High, Volume, Channel Select, Presence and Resonance for Each Channel |
Preamp Tubes |
8 x JJ ECC83S (12AX7) |
Power Tubes |
4 x Shuguang 6L6 Matched |
Cabinet Construction |
White Birch with Black Textured Vinyl covering |
Handle |
Molded Plastic Strap with Nickel-Plated Caps (1 Top & 2 Sides) |
Height |
275cm |
Depth |
295cm |
Width |
750cm |
Weight |
24.95kg |