Wow those are awesome amps! So tell me, did you consider the 5150 III (50 or 100 watt) or just get this on a deal you couldn't pass up? Reason I ask is I just pulled the trigger on a 5150 III 50 watt but almost went with the 6505+. I love both amps but decided based on im a bedroom player now days and am trying to down size. Great monster you have there CONGRATS!!

I would love a 5150 III but this one was like new condition and I couldn't pass it up. I don't play out and would have preferred 2 6L6 over 4 however I also have a dedicated studio in a separate building from my house so volume isn't a deal breaker. I would like the smaller size but considering I went from the 2x12 combo I guess this will do.
Do you use the loop? What's your preference there? Do you run anything in front of it?

I'd love to grab one some day - maybe the 6534+!

Nice score!

Yea I love them all 6505/6505+/5150's/6534 but went with the smaller 50watt. It's out for delivery TODAY!!! I am so pumped!! I plan on using my GSP1101 4cm for effects only and to control the volume drop switching on channel 1/2. I found this guy using a GSP1101 4CM on his 6505+ and it sounds awesome!. I forgot another reason I went with the EVH was because it can do MIDI channel switching.

I own a 6505+ head. In the past I have owned several original 5150's in signature and block models and the 5150-II. I have heard the EVH 5150-III. Its more refined. What I mean is it sounds more like EVH and its cleaner all around. With that said... the 6505+ is brutalz. More gain than any human could ever need. You could play heavy bad ass metal with the lead channel gain 1/2 up. You could use the rhythm channel with the crunch mode engaged for heavy metal. The clean channel is great and it has a very user friendly effects loop. Even the 3 button footswitch is laid out so that its perfect for live use.

Its a monster of an amp. All the 5150/6505 series are. They are in a class by themselves. One word of caution... they don't play well with other guitar amps in a 2 guitar band. If you want to compete with one live you need to bring heavy artillery and it better be Marshall based because there is no Mesa Boogie amp on the planet that can hang with one live. I know. I have owned every Mesa amp on the planet (except for the Mark V).

I run time based effects thru the loop and A digitech bad monkey thru the front. Great amp.

Congrats! I've had 3 of these over the years, great amps.
Throw an MXR 10 band EQ in the loop and you can get a much wider range of tones out of this thing
than you'd ever expect to.

+1 on the eq in the loop. I used to use a Boss in mine and they work great if you are looking for an alternate lead or rhythm tone in the loop. Its like adding a another channel.

Great advice Firebird and Kmanic. I'm going to try that.

Great advice Firebird and Kmanic. I'm going to try that.