Dunlop EVH 5150 Overdrive

The Dunlop EVH 5150 Overdrive is a signature overdrive pedal from Dunlop's MXR line, designed in close collaboration with Eddie Van Halen¹². Dunlop describes it as a pedal that "infuses any rig with legendary EVH tones"¹, and it joins hand-adjusted multi-stage MOSFETs with a full complement of controls: a 3-band EQ, a Boost switch and a built-in noise gate¹³².

What sets it apart from most overdrives is that gate. Where a typical high-gain pedal leaves you hunting for a separate noise gate to tame hum and hiss, the 5150 Overdrive has one on board, powered by MXR's Smart Gate circuitry³. MusicRadar reported that the pedal promises versatile valve-like tones through all kinds of amps and speaker cabs, including the "whole spectrum" of EVH tones, from "Eruption" to A Different Kind of Truth⁴.

What it does: EVH tones with a built-in noise gate

The pedal is built around hand-adjusted multi-stage MOSFETs, a transistor type MXR also uses in its boost/overdrive designs, and the manual lists a preamp gain of +6 dB¹². In Pete Thorn's demo video for the pedal, he highlights the noise gate as "a really really handy Noise Gate which really helps to keep things tight and quiet" at higher gain settings, and shows how a few tweaks of the EQ and gain knobs move the pedal through different EVH-era tones⁵.

The manual's spec sheet lists a noise floor of -76 dBV with the gate open, A-Weighted, all controls at mid position¹. Delicious Audio's reviewer called the gate "polite"⁶, and the Gate control is powered by MXR's Smart Gate circuit, which tames unwanted noise at higher gain settings⁶³⁷.

The controls

The front panel gives you gain, output, a 3-band EQ, a Boost switch and the Gate control. The EQ is a passive section, per Delicious Audio's product page, with bass and mid bands each offering ±5 dB of cut or boost⁸.

The Boost switch

The Boost switch increases the amount of gain and compression¹. On Premier Guitar's demo video, Bryan Kehoe explained that "the boost on the original overdrive was just an input boost, so it would slam it into before the gain stage and give you" more compression and a volume boost⁹. MusicRadar's review team found the boost button gives "a small increase in saturation and compression"⁷.

Guitar World's reviewer Paul Riario put it to work in a Van Halen context:

The Boost switch adds a hotter, more saturated character on top of the pedal's base overdrive setting, and the EVH 5150 Overdrive's output section is built to push an amp hard when it is engaged: the pedal's maximum output level is 0 dBV, against a nominal output level of -22 dBV with all controls at their mid positions¹⁰⁶.

The Gate control

The Gate control engages the noise gate and sets its threshold. Fully counterclockwise, the gate is off; turning it clockwise engages the gate and raises the threshold until the hiss from your pickups and high-gain settings disappears when you stop playing¹. MusicRadar's review notes the gate is powered by MXR's Smart Gate circuitry and simply dials out unwanted noise caused by your pickups⁷. Guitar World's reviewer found the gate "works wonders for taming hum when boost is engaged"¹⁰.

Power and connections

Setup is standard: run a cable from your guitar to the pedal's INPUT jack, and from its output to your amp¹. Input impedance is 740 kΩ and output impedance is 1 kΩ¹. Nominal output level is -22 dBV with all controls at mid position, and maximum output level is 0 dBV¹.

Designed with Eddie Van Halen

The pedal was designed in close collaboration with Eddie Van Halen, working with the MXR design team at Dunlop¹². It sits in Dunlop's EVH signature line alongside pedals like the MXR EVH 5150 Chorus, and Eddie Van Halen was closely involved in the development of all EVH products¹¹. Gearnews noted at launch that Eddie Van Halen and MXR had teamed up again for the signature overdrive, following earlier EVH-branded pedals¹².

Pete Thorn's demo video walks through the pedal's range, from lower-gain drive to full high-gain EVH territory, and shows the gate and EQ in action⁵:

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What reviewers said

Guitar World's Paul Riario called it "a phenomenally dynamic, super-charged overdrive pedal" and highlighted the boost switch as "key for transitioning into harmonically rich hi-gain tones with a dose of compression"¹⁰. MusicRadar's review team found the gate control simple to use and effective at dialing out pickup noise⁷. Delicious Audio's reviewer found the gate polite rather than heavy-handed⁶.

Videos

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Questions