“Virtually indistinguishable from the all-tube original”: EVH signals the start of a brave new era with its first digital combo – which promises authentic Eddie Van Halen tube amp tones

EVH has expanded its guitar amp line with the 5150III Hypersonic 6L6 – a 1x12 combo that marks the start of a brave new era for the company.

On paper, the latest addition to the Hypersonic range leverages new digital modeling tech to channel Eddie Van Halen tube amp-style tones in a more player-friendly package.

It is, in essence, EVH’s first fully fledged digital amp, and continues a trend set by the company earlier this year, when its intentions towards entertaining the digital amp and modeler markets were made clear with the launch of Hypersonic FRFR cabs.

At the time of writing, it is the only digital amp EVH has on offer. For a company whose heritage and history is so closely tied to cranked tube amp heads and ear-crushing stacks, it’s a major evolution.

As EVH puts it, “This digital innovation honors Eddie Van Halen’s spirit of experimentation and boundary pushing creativity.”

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What’s more, the process of digitizing Van Halen’s tone has long been a topic of conversation. Last year, for example, Fender’s Justin Norvell told Guitar World of the rigorous process the firm went through to create an EVH-approved amp model for the Tone Master Pro floor unit.

Now it appears that digital emulation has fed into the development of a dedicated digital combo, taking a similar approach to that of Fender’s Tone Master amps.

As such, it boasts the form factor of a usual 1x12” with three channels, two sets of EQ controls, independent channel noise gates, onboard reverb and an effects loop to boot, as well as a Celestion speaker.

“This represents the next evolution in EVH amplification, delivering Eddie's iconic tone through innovative digital technology," explains Jon Romanowski, VP of Product of EVH Guitars.

“The Hypersonic 6L6 1x12 breaks down the barriers that have kept players from accessing authentic EVH sound, making it more portable and versatile than ever before.

“Whether players are recording at home or performing on stage, this amp delivers that unmistakable EVH tone that made Eddie’s sound iconic.”

According to EVH, the Hypersonic offers “EVH tone, volume and dynamics virtually indistinguishable from the all-tube original”, thanks its use of “massive digital processing power” to channel a faithful EVH tone.

Given it’s a digital amp that also prioritises convenience and usability, there are some notable additions to the spec sheet. The rear panel has power scaling with five attenuated settings – from one watt all the way up to 50 – a balanced XLR line out with IRs, and a silent switch for recording.

There’s also a headphones jack, MIDI in, a USB-C for updates, and a cabinet sim switch for moving between IRs.

And, thanks to the fact it doesn’t actually have 6L6 tubes, this thing is a lot lighter than your regular ol’ EVH combo. Coming in at 39lbs, it’s around 40% lighter than the Iconic Series 5150III 50W combo (62lbs). That’s an impressive weight off the scales.

The 5150II Hypersonic 6L6 is available now in Black and Ivory finishes for $1,699.99.

Visit EVH for more.