The EVH 5150III LBX II is an Evh amplifier. Close alternatives include the Blackstar S1-50 and the Friedman Pink Taco V2 Head. It pairs well with the Beetronics Buzzter Boost Preamp and the MXR Micro Amp.
EVH 5150III LBX II
Evh · amplifier
The EVH LBX II is a 15-watt lunchbox all-tube guitar amplifier head from EVH, designed to deliver the EVH high-gain character in a compact, portable format. The LBX II is the second revision of the EVH lunchbox head and features two channels — Clean and Lead — with the tight, punchy EVH voicing in a head format. At 15W it achieves natural tube saturation at small venue and studio volumes. A highly portable EVH head for players who need the 5150 tonal character without the weight and size of full-size EVH heads.
What stands out
“The LBX II is the second revision of the EVH lunchbox head and features two channels — Clean and Lead — with the tight, punchy EVH voicing in a head format”
— from the listing
“At 15W it achieves the natural tube compression and saturation of EVH tone at volumes compatible with small studios and rehearsal rooms”
— from the community notes
“The EVH LBX II is a 15-watt lunchbox all-tube guitar amplifier head from EVH, designed to deliver the EVH high-gain character in a compact, portable format”
— from the listing
“The EVH LBX II delivers the core EVH tight, punchy high-gain character in a compact 15W lunchbox head”
— from the reviews
“At 15W it achieves natural tube saturation at small venue and studio volumes”
— from the listing
- lead
- studio
- high gain
- punchy
- tube
- clean
- saturation
- tight
Good for
- Live
- Practice
- Studio
Genres the EVH 5150III LBX II is commonly used in
- Alternative Rock
- Metal
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Hard Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Heavy Metal
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Djent
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Pedals that stack with the EVH 5150III LBX II
Beetronics Buzzter Boost Preamp
Beetronics
21% matchpushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (high gain → clean boost)
Stack Beetronics Buzzter Boost Preamp on top and a high gain tone tightens toward clean boost
Goes in front of the amp
MXR Micro Amp
MXR
20% matchpushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (high gain → clean boost)
MXR Micro Amp takes that high gain character and pushes it toward clean boost
Goes in front of the amp
Z.Vex Super Hard On
Zvex
20% matchpushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (high gain → clean boost)
Stack Z.Vex Super Hard On on top and a high gain tone tightens toward clean boost
Goes in front of the amp
Caroline Guitar Company Parabola State Tremolo
Caroline Guitar Company
17% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Keep Caroline Guitar Company Parabola State Tremolo after EVH 5150III LBX II in the signal chain, clear of EVH 5150III LBX II's own gain stage
Goes in front of the amp
Crazy Tube Circuits Golden Ratio
Crazy Tube Circuits
17% matchshapes the dynamic responseShapes how the tone responds to picking dynamics rather than its frequency or gain.
What Crazy Tube Circuits Golden Ratio brings here leans toward tight — that's worth building a pairing around
Goes in front of the amp
TC Electronic Triple Flashback Delay
TC Electronic
16% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Put TC Electronic Triple Flashback Delay in EVH 5150III LBX II's effects loop, clear of EVH 5150III LBX II's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Sits in the amp's effects loop
Cusack Music Reverb SME
Cusack Music
15% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor. (high gain → ambient)
Keep EVH 5150III LBX II's high gain voice out front: Cusack Music Reverb SME goes in EVH 5150III LBX II's effects loop so its modulated voice doesn't muddy it — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Sits in the amp's effects loop
EarthQuaker Devices Swiss Things
EarthQuaker Devices
Alternativessee all similar tone character →
Blackstar S1-50
Blackstar
64% similarityShared character: two channels, attack, gig
Friedman Pink Taco V2 Head
Friedman
62% similarityShared character: aggressive playing, high gain settings, studio
Brunetti Pleximan 50/5W Head 230
Brunetti
56% similarityShared character: natural, clean, studio
Hiwatt DR20/0.5 Head
Hiwatt
54% similarityShared character: natural, clean, studio
Brunetti Singleman H 50/15/2W Head 230
Brunetti
53% similarityShared character: studio, full
Marshall JCM800 2205 50-Watt Amplifier Head
Marshall
53% similarityShared character: high gain settings, full, lead
Marshall JVM Series JVM205H
Marshall
53% similarityShared character: aggressive playing, high gain settings, clean
Hiwatt DR504H
Hiwatt
52% similarityShared character: punchy
Friedman Jerry Cantrell Signature 2 Channel 20W
Friedman
52% similarityShared character: two channels, natural, high gain settings
Friedman BE-50 Deluxe
Friedman
52% similarityShared character: natural, high gain settings, full
Hiwatt Custom DR20H
Hiwatt
52% similarityShared character: punchy, natural, studio
Hughes & Kettner TriAmp MkII Alex Lifeson
Hughes & Kettner
51% similarityShared character: two channels, aggressive playing, high gain settings
See all alternatives to the EVH 5150III LBX II (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the EVH 5150III LBX II?+
The closest matches in character are the Blackstar S1-50, the Friedman Pink Taco V2 Head, the Brunetti Pleximan 50/5W Head 230.
What pairs well with the EVH 5150III LBX II?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Beetronics Buzzter Boost Preamp, MXR Micro Amp, Z.Vex Super Hard On — Stack Beetronics Buzzter Boost Preamp on top and a high gain tone tightens toward clean boost.