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Read the review: http://www.premierguitar.com/articles/24272-evh-5150-iii-lbx-review

Of all the guitarists who’ve ever inspired wanton tone lust, few can rival Eddie Van Halen. Ever since “Runnin’ with the Devil” blasted out of stereo speakers back in ’78, guitarists the world over have clamored to figure out how and what he plays. They rejoiced at the 1990 debut of his Ernie Ball/Music Man signature guitar, and again when he unveiled both guitars and amps from Peavey. In the early 2000s, Ed established his own EVH brand (manufactured by Fender), and since then the partnership has unleashed a steady stream of guitars and amps. The latter have included 50-watt combos, extension cabs, and 50- and 100-watt heads with matching cabs like those you see the man himself use onstage. And now Eddie has brought his meticulous design sense to the “lunchbox” format in the 5150 III LBX—a 15-watt, two-channel head with simple but flexible features.

Eddie first grabbed our ears using gear from 40 years ago—namely, vintage Marshall plexis and guitars he cobbled together out of parts from other instruments. But over the years his tastes have evolved beyond what created “the brown sound.” Of course whenever he sets fingers to strings it’s undeniably Eddie, but the evidence of his changing tonal proclivities—more gain, more low-end thump, and an almost hi-fi-like clarity—is clear in his live and recorded tones, as well as the features and specs in past and present rigs. For guitarists who get excited about new EVH gear, it can sometimes be easy to forget this—especially since his Jim Dunlop-built EVH pedals yield the nostalgic sounds we associate with early VH records, while his Wolfgang guitars and signature amps are more elaborate, fine-tuned, and high-performance than their late-’70s and early-’80s counterparts. For example, early Van Halen amp tones were generated using EL34 power sections juiced with extra voltage, but Edward’s current stage and studio amps run 6L6s. The LBX takes the change a step further with its EL84 output stage—a commonly used tube in many lunchbox heads.

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