EVH 5150 III vs Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier
The EVH 5150 III and the Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier are both amplifiers sharing crunchy, transparent, harsh. The EVH 5150 III leans full and bright. The Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier leans mid-forward.
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Blended from circuit-archetype lineage, dynamic feel, tone-signal overlap and tone-vector distance — the tone vector itself is derived from editorial description text, not a measured acoustic signal, so this reflects how similarly the catalog copy describes the two, not a lab measurement. Shown only within a gear class, and only where there's enough evidence to be meaningful.63% — moderately similar
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Genres both listings are associated with.- Hard Rock
- Metal
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Derived from overlapping tonal signals across both listings.- crunchy
- transparent
- harsh
- dynamic
EVH 5150 III
Evh · amplifier
Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier
Mesa Boogie · amplifier
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Citation/mention fame — how often this gear is cited across artist rigs and gear discussion.$1250via Reverb
The EVH 5150 III is Eddie Van Halen's signature high-gain tube amplifier, a multi-channel head offering pristine cleans, a versatile crunch channel and a high-gain lead channel with the thick, saturated, harmonically rich voice associated with the 5150 lineage. It delivers tight, percussive low end, singing sustain and a smooth, liquid high-gain character that excels for hard rock and metal rhythm and lead. With usable cleans and a flexible mid-gain channel it is more versatile than the original 5150, and Wes Borland uses dual 5150 IIIs for his heavy Limp Bizkit tone. It pairs best with a good 4x12 and rewards being pushed.
The Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier is a 150-watt, three-channel all-tube guitar amplifier head introduced in 1992, running six 6L6 power tubes and five 12AX7 preamp tubes in a fixed-bias design. It launched as a heavier, higher-headroom sibling to the Dual Rectifier and helped define the raw, aggressive, bass-heavy sound of 1990s and 2000s rock and metal, with ties to nu metal, grunge, post-grunge, and hard rock acts including Korn, Tool, Soundgarden, Foo Fighters, and Blink-182. Each of its three channels offers multiple voicings, from a genuinely clean, sparkling tone through vintage crunch to Channel 3's cascading high-gain lead voicing built for detuned, heavy rhythm work. Its distinctive tube rectifier circuit and diamond-plate faceplate became visual and sonic signatures of the era. The amp is known for needing real volume to open up fully; played quiet, it can sound thin and fizzy rather than punchy.
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Genres this gear is documented as being used in.- Rock
- Grunge
- Blues
- Nu Metal
- Jazz
- full
- bright
- high gain
- saturated
- sustaining
- mid-forward
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Occasions this gear suits — judged per model, or derived from its wattage, connectivity and category.- Live
- Live