EVH 5150III 4x12 Cabinet

I’ve been on the hunt for a quality 4x12 cabinet to pair with my tube heads. I considered a Mesa Standard 4x12, but couldn’t get past spending $1500+ on a new cabinet. I also wanted to use a 4x12 with my lower gain amps. I liked how the EVH 5150III 4x12 Dynacab pack from Fractal Audio sounded for both crunch and high gain, so I was open to the idea of acquiring the cabinet. The cabinet is supposed to be based on the construction of the classic Marshall 1960B 4x12 and is loaded with EVH-labeled Heritage Greenbacks.

5150III Cabinet Front View

A blem EVH 5150III 4x12 from Musician’s Friend appeared in my Google searches for 4x12 cabinets. The cabinet appeared new in the images with the exception of some scuffing on the metal corner protectors. At $500 off the new prices, I didn’t think I would see this price again.

Celestion G12-EVH speakers.

The cabinet came single boxed with no padding other than a few pieces of cardboard at the base. The cab itself was in great condition, with the original tag and plastic over the logos still intact. Some minor bumps to the edges on the rear, but nothing that would lead me to return the cabinet. I opened up the cabinet to verify that the G12-EVH speakers were all accounted for. An inspection sticker was dated 09/05/2025, so still within a month of purchase. This cabinet most likely had a rough time during shipping and the original box was worn enough that it couldn’t be sold as new. The speaker connections are soldered, so I don’t think that I will be doing any speaker rolling in this cabinet.

Celestion G12-EVH T5600B code.

My first impressions of the cab mirror the experiences of others. The cabinet is darker sounding and the big low end of the G12-EVH is somewhat loose. The darker Greenback flavor conplements bright Plexi and JCM800 sounds, both in the room and under a microphone. The cab sounds good with high gain as well. I really liked how the voicing worked with my Peavey 6505, Mesa Dual Rectifier Multi-Watt, and Crab Marcus. I thought the low end was a bit much with my Crab Benzin’s VH3 channel.

I wonder what about the combination of construction and speakers gives the cabinet such a big sound. All of the G12-EVH speakers consistently sound thicker than my G12M25 (Jet City 2x12) and G12M65 (Line 6 4x12). 

More to come.

Speaker Impedance Curves

I've been wondering about how the Suhr Reactive Load compares to my speaker cabs as an output presented to my tube amps.

Suhr Reactive Load (Green) vs V30/H75 in my Jet City 2x12 (Blue)

I used a Dayton Audio DATS V3 to take some measurements to compare the impedance curves of various speaker configurations vs the Suhr Reactive Load. The Suhr Reactive Load is meant to mimic a Marshall 4x12 with Greenbacks as a reference. I was surprised how close its impedance curve compared to my Vintage 30/Creamback H75 combination (illustrated above).

I am looking into recording my tube amps with speaker loads when my playing environment is favorable to loud noise. The Suhr Reactive Load + IRs will continue to be tools that I utilize, but there is excitement in pushing air and moving microphones. 

The accuracy of my lower gain amp DI captures should benefit from using complementary speaker loads. The Suhr’s 4x12 response adds some beef for rock tones, but it can be a bit much for some edge of breakup tones.

For those times that I cannot turn my amps up, my plan is to capture my amps in NAM with a speaker load. 

NAM Speaker Load Captures vs Suhr Reactive Load Captures

https://www.tone3000.com/tones/vox-ac15c1-normal-channel-115dbu-ttsv10-input-31553

https://www.tone3000.com/tones/vox-ac15c1-top-boost-channel-115dbu-ttsv10-input-37813

NAM Full Rigs

https://www.tone3000.com/tones/full-rig-peavey-6505-1992-original-115dbu-ttsv10-36456

Varying speaker impedance curves is something I already explore in my Fractal FM3. Adding the contribution of my speakers to my digital tones via NAM is the next logical step.

Crab Guitar Effects Marcus

I decided to buy a Marcus 50W amp head from Crab Guitar Effects. It is inspired by the Mesa Boogie Mark IIC++/III series amps and is likely the most popular Crab model. The amp took about 11 weeks to build from my order in May 2025. The lead time increased by approximately 1 month since I last ordered a Benzin head. Shipping from Ukraine to the NE USA then took 9 days.

I am not particularly educated about Mark-series amps, but am excited to explore the tones in the amp. The cleaner mode is selected with the Drive push-button off, while the most common distorted lead and rhythm tones are achieved with the Drive engaged. I had to read the Mesa Mark IIC+ reissue manual several times to understand the functions of the switches.

I started off with the more distorted channel/mode. I turned the bass/middle off, treble/presence high, and adjusted the 5-band EQ. The graphic EQ affected the sound in a drastic way. I turned each band up/down for the most pleasing sound until I arrived at the setting shown in the photo. I arrived at the general V shape, except I preferred the 6500Hz slider around the middle. 

There are many push-button switches in place of the push-pull pots of the Mesa amps. My initial preference for lead tones is Deep-On, Bright-Off, Boost-Off, Bass Shift-Off, and Treble Shift-On or Off depending on mood. 

With the Drive off, I was able to dial in some nice clean tones.

I quickly put together a short mix using my Ibanez SZ520 into the Marcus. The speaker out was connected to my Suhr Reactive Load to get into my DAW. I used my 4x12 Vintage 30 IRs for the cab simulation.

Rear of the Marcus.

The rear panel has a C++/III switch, which I can only guess is similar to the Crunchberries amp. Otherwise, the rear panel features are the same as the other Crab amps (series effects loop, pentode/triode switch, foot switch input, 4/8/16 ohm jacks).

It is clearer on this Marcus what Crab Amps is providing on these amps for tubes. The preamp tubes are likely 6N2P, as the back panel is labeled ECC83/6N2P. The power tubes have visible 6N3C labels on them. These are apparently the Soviet-era equivalent of the 6L6GC power tube. My Crab Benzin did not have any markings to identify the tubes.

Old Crab Footswitch on the Left, New on the Right.

A 2 button foot switch is provided to access the Drive and Boost front panel functions. The new footswitch has labels to better identify the functions.

Mesa Boogie Rectifier Badlander 50 Combo

The Mesa Boogie Rectifier Badlander 50 Combo was featured as Musician’s Friend Stupid Deal of the Day at $1299. This price was better than used prices by several hundred dollars, so i had to jump on the deal. A total impulse buy, but perhaps one that is actually worth it.

The amp is said to be more on the Marshall-side of the tonal spectrum, like a Stiletto or Triple Crown rather than a Rectifier. When the Badlander was introduced in 2020, it was assumed that the amp would be voiced like the Vintage/Modern channels of the typical Rectifier series. The Creamback M65 that comes in the amp does give it a more British voice. The speaker is 8 ohms and sounds much smoother than my 16 ohm Creamback M65 that I’ve loaded in various cabs.

With some tweaking, I was able to dial in the Crunch mode to sound similar to Vintage mode on my Dual Rectifier Multi-Watt by dialing back the treble and presence. Cranking the gain on the Clean mode gets some dirt, like a different flavor of the Pushed mode of the Recto Multi-Watt’s Green Channel. 

For rock tones, I am generally happy with the Crunch channel’s gain around 2/3 of the way up. The Crunch channel can be boosted with the gain cranked for heavier tone. The Crush channel is a little more loose in the low end. The gain of the Crush channel can easily be cranked, but I prefer to back the gain off a bit if I am boosting the input.

The combo itself is compact. My Vox AC15 combo and Eminence 1x12 Extension Cab are wider than the Badlander 50. The omission of diamond plate makes this Badlander look more like a low gain boutique combo.

I posted some captures on TONE3000 of the amp. I used some synced DI and video clips to make a short video demonstrating some of the tones of the amp.

To be continued.

Guitar Pics

Just a spot to upload random guitar pics for online linking.

Dean MD24 Floyd Rose leveling attempt.

To be continued.

Crab Guitar Effects Benzin Head (Inspired by Diezel VH4)

My order of the Benzin 50W head, inspired by the Diezel VH4, is making its way from Ukraine to the US. I contacted Crab Guitar Effects through FB Messenger to put the order in. My amp was shipped a little over a month after I put my order in.

Edit - 4/8/25 - The Benzin has arrived. The amp was well packed, with styrofoam on all 6 sides and several layers of bubble wrap. The box got to me with minimal damage as it passed through multiple countries.

Here are some the features:

• 4 preamp tubes instead/ 2 power tubes
• Toroidal power and output transformers
• 50W output
• 2 sets of EQ: VH1/VH2 and VH3/VH4
• Footswitchable between VH1/VH2 and VH3/VH4
• Tone Shift to take out lower mid frequencies
• 1 serial effects loop

I wanted to get use out of all four channels of this amp.

• VH1 - I like this channel the least. I’ve been spoiled by the cleans on the Dual Rectifier Multi-Watt and Rectifier Badlander. Whereas the Recto Multi-Watt’s clean seems to be perfectly matched with V30s, the Benzin’s clean sounds a bit honky through the same speaker.
• VH2 - I was hoping to get JCM800-type tones out of this channel, and it does a great impersonation. Setting all of the tone knobs around 12:00 with the gain past 1:00 sounds very Marshall-like, especially through Greenbacks.
• VH3 - This is the sound that everyone associates with the Diezel VH4. This channel sounds like all of the clips that I’ve been hearing online. The low end is big sounding. The hope for a thick high gain voicing was main reason why I went with the Benzin over the Mesa Mark-inspired Marcus model. I came across some marked settings from Adam Jones. He apparently turns the Treble (4:00) and Mids (Maxed) up very high.
• VH4 - This is a gainer and more compressed version of VH3. The level of gain seems on pair with the 5150/6505 Lead Channel. I don’t think I would deviate from setting the gain between 9:00 and 11:00.

Crab Benzin front.

Crab Benzin rear.

The Benzin is compact in relation to a typical head.

I took a look inside the chassis. The amp looks nice all around. The earlier examples of amps by Crab Guitar Effects appeared to have etched boards, but recent amps look like they are all populated with PCBs.

Benzin Guts.

Benzin preamp tube wiring.

Benzin on.

The video below is a demo of the amp that I posted on Youtube.

To be continued.

DIYRE Colour Palette

I bought a DIYRE Colour Palette MkII while it was on sale at $120, right before the price increase to $200. It is a vehicle to use up to 3 Colour modules, modular audio circuits for an already module 500-series format. I put off the build for about a year, but couldn’t justify an entire project sitting on my workbench any longer.

Each bypassable Colour module has a front panel trim/drive knob with a bypass button, with an overall master bypass button at the bottom. At the outset, I was planning on buying the Louder Than Liftoff Implode (1176 Rev F), Avenson MN-50 Smash (Fostex MN-50), and Tonecraft Audio Toneloc (Shure Level-Loc) compressor modules. At this time, I may skip the Toneloc since Shure has partnered with Korneff Audio and Black Lion Audio for the new plugin and hardware versions of the circuit. I am planning on going with the Louder Than Liftoff Pentode Mk2 module, a miniature tube saturation circuit.

Colour Palette with Louder Than Liftoff Implode.

The build came together very quickly over 2 nights because of the relatively low parts count and spacious PCB. Like the DIYRE EQP5 I previously built, PCB solder pads were generously spaced. It was easy to get the main PCB to line up with the daughter board. I had an easy time fitting and aligning the faceplate to the rest of the assembly. Without any modules, I could not test the functionality of the unit when engaged. I learned that the LEDs only light up with modules installed, and the color of the illumination is based on the module. I had to get at least 1 module to see if the Colour Palette was properly working.

Colour Palette mounted in 500 rack for initial testing.

I started off with a Louder Than Liftoff Implode compressor module. A jumper sets normal and high level of thresholds for the input section of the compressor, which doesn’t seem to be offered on earlier versions. Attack and release controls are set by trimpots, and are configured to Dr. Pepper settings at 10:00 and 2:00 respectively. 

A pair of jumpers sets ratio for either 4:1 or All Buttons In mode, although I will likely leave the module at 4:1. The Colour format does not provide visual feedback for gain reduction of the input. I fed some sine tones into the unit to get a feel for the amount of output gain reduction at different trim/drive knob settings. 

More to come.

Line 6 Spider Valve 4x12 Cabinet

I saw a Line 6 Spider Valve priced very low around $200 and took the gamble to see if it was loaded with Celestion Vintage 30s. It unfortunately was previously raided and replaced with SLM Electronics speakers. I was disappointed, but decided to keep it once I saw the plywood construction.

I decided that I could load the cab up with a bunch of my Celestion speakers, some that had been collecting dust. I could have access to all of my Celestions ready for recording.

I decided to install my Celestion G12M65 (upper left), Vintage 30 (lower left), V-Type (upper right), and G12T75 (lower right). I may eventually move the Classic Lead 80 into the cabinet over the V-Type.

It may be detrimental to the overall tone with such a drastic mix of speakers, but I am still approaching cabs with cheapness. I am primarily close micing my cabs and will put up with the phase cancellation discrepancies for now. 

Speakers mounted.

The cabinet was a little beat up, but the construction appeared to be solid. The overall enclosure is constructed from 1/2” plywood. The baffle and bracing is also plywood.

The grill cloth is rather thick, so it was a bit difficult to locate the center of the speaker to record. It took a bit of measuring to figure out exactly where the speakers were located. The centers of the speakers are horizontally 6.5” off from the inner edge of the front frame. The centers of the top and bottom speakers are 6.625” and 6.25” off the inner front frame vertically. These measurements will help me recall microphone positions and methodically shoot IRs.

The G12M65 Creamback is a new speaker addition to my small Celestion collection. It is very reminiscent of the Greenback that I have. I think my G12M25 and G12M65 would sound very similar under the same conditions.

More to come.

Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier Multi-Watt

My interest in acquiring a Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier grew as I revisited the popular rock music of the 1990s and 2000s. It was a staple in all of the rock concerts that I went to as a kid in the early 2000s: in arenas, in tiny clubs, and on the Warped Tour. After going through all of the punk, emo, nu-metal, and metal albums that were recorded with Rectifiers, I knew that I wanted to have the amp.

With the new 90s Dual Rectifier being released, there were rumblings that the Multi-Watt version would be discontinued. I had been reading up on the Multi-Watt version for some time, but wasn’t enamored with its $2700 new price. I heard about its Lonestar-inspired clean channel, and it’s improved dirty voicings through many different discussion boards and demo videos.

A used Multi-Watt came up on the Guitar Center site at a good price via a tip on a forum and I jumped on it. The amp was just labeled as a regular Dual Rectifier. The tiny details such as the “100W Head” vs the “Solo Head” logo and the wattage switches on front panel required some zooming to discern. Once I received, I saw that the chassis was dated December 2010, so it is an early example of the amp’s run. The previous user had installed STR447 EL34 tubes in the amp.

Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier Multi-Watt

Disappointingly the amp did not power on when I received it. I replaced the bad 4A fuse, but the new fuse still blew with the with a subsequent power on/standby off. This behavior hinted that the rectifier tubes were a problem. I wanted to see if I could get it working again before resorting to returning the amp. I inspected the rectifier tubes and noticed that one had a part that was rattling around. Indeed, one of the 5U4 tubes was bad and was likely causing the amp to shut down. I didn’t want to take any more chances on the tubes.

I looked at a typical 3-Channel Rectifier schematic and noticed that the rectifier tubes were still in the circuit in diode mode. The screen grid resistors were all measuring 1kohm while the amp was off. The resistors looked like they were in good shape, along with the rest of the PCB. I decided to change out all the tubes in the power section, not knowing how old the tubes were. 

Dual Rectifier with all tubes functioning.

I put in new STR441 6L6 power tubes and 5U4GB rectifier tubes along with a new fuse. The amp powered up successfully in Bold Mode with the Diode Rectifier selected for all 3 channels.

I am still learning the nuances of the tone controls of the amp. I have mainly stayed in Channel 3 Red, switching between Vintage and Modern modes. Turning on Vintage mode and palm muting a Les Paul immediately reminded me of the sound on Ocean Avenue by Yellowcard. It was fairly effortless to find a sound reminiscent of the intro of The Hell Song by Sum 41. 

Modern mode adds a large volume boost and the ubiquitous scooped nu-metal voicing of the late 90s. I needed to dial the Bass control back considerably below 11:00 to control the amp in Modern Mode. My Treble, Middle, and Presence settings have hovered around 12:00 in most cases. The EQ seems very touchy, as turns of 0:30 in o’clock settings seem to have big changes. On both channels, I prefer the amp’s Gain control to be in the 12:30 to 2:00 range on the Vintage and Modern modes.

I’ve spent some time with the Clean Mode of the Green Channel. Its relation with the Lonestar circuit is a major reason why I wanted to go with a Multi-Watt Dual Recto over a Solo Head. The Clean Mode stays clean for most of the gain range with my lower output pickups, so I tend to keep the gain control around 12:00. I like chow cleans come through my V30 speaker best. I’ve got no real amp counterpart for a Blackface clean sound, but the cleans on this Rectifier are good enough for me at this time. 

I was surprised how much I liked the Pushed mode of the Green Channel with single coils. The Pushed mode can get a crunch sound that sounds like an entirely different amp. The sounds are slightly broken up at low gain settings (<11:00) and work well with neckups. Medium settings are crunchy, and outright distorted at the top of the dial. I prefer the bridge pickup at these higher gain levels.

I made a short clip of the Red-Modern and Orange-Modes at low volumes, linked below:

More to come.

Some Old Pedal Gutshots

  

I mainly wanted to share some gut shots of my DIY pedals while I had them disconnected from my pedalboard, but it helps to document some of them so I can recall details in the future without having to open them up.

Top Row: Timmy, Green Russian Big Muff, Madbean Slow Loris

Bottom Row: Himmelstrutz Fetto, OCD, Red Llama

All were built in 2012, except the Tommy clone in 2014. Once I felt comfortable building on Madbean PCBs, I got into building overboard layouts from the Tagboard Effects blog. Most were wired with Chandler hookup wire from the defunct Mammoth Electronics. That wire was stranded, but the strands were very loose and not conducive to handling. One tiny spool did get me through all of my DIY pedal attempts and failures. The Slow Loris parts were mostly sourced from Smallbear, while the vero board builds were made with Tayda parts. All enclosures were from Mammoth Electronics, except the enclosure for the Timmy clone was from Pedal Parts Plus.