Marshall class 5...any owners?

[hayseed]

I have been looking for a small tube amp for home use and possible practice. i had my eye on a Marshall Class 5 a couple years ago but at the time they were getting terrible reviews. It seems the bugs may have been worked out and more positive things are being said about them.

So heres what i dig about them. Small and lightweight. Can use headphones for late night jamming. Can plug into a 4x12 if I want. Sounds good. LOVE the red tolex covering, would rather have the green  (not an issue). Simple 4 knob controls!

If anyone here has used one or owns one, how is the build quality? Is it loud enough plugged into a 4x12 for "normal" band practice (not trying to keep up with a wall of Sunn amps or something like that)?

Just wanted some insight before i pull the trigger. Thanks.

[I,Galactus]

No experience with the class 5, but if I were in the market for a lo-watt amp, I'd snatch up a VHT Special 6 in a heartbeat.

http://www.vhtamp.com/vht-specialseries.html



No headphone out, though.  Don't know how much of deal breaker that is.

[inductorguitars]

What I don't like about most small wattage amps is that lack normal features of the "big boy" 50 watt amps.
Like Bass, mids, high tone controls, gain knob, etc, etc.

Just because it's low wattage doesn't mean it's a toy and made for noobs.

[blackkrosses]

I cranked a Class 5 and didn't think I would be heard over a drummer, though it did break up nicely.

As far as low wattage amps with which I could imagine practicing with AND playing small shows..? Vox Night Train. Don't know if it has headphone out though.


The VHT Special 6 DOES look sweet but I haven't heard it.

[xander face]

i got the green Class 5 when they were still brand new...fixed the "buzzing" issues everybody was crying about by spending about 15 minutes with the amp and a screwdriver tightening things 

i got it because i was already used to vintage-style tube amps (been using a 68 Bassman for like 10 years now) and already had a pile of pedals to dirty it with...just wanted something small for the apartment and little jams.

it does what i wanted and then some...surprisingly loud as just a combo, plug it into a 4x12 and you'll be loud enough to be heard over the drums.  eats pedals for breakfast, sounds and looks awesome, and is a real, made-in-the-UK Marshall tube amp!

The Vox Night Train is really good too for just a head -- it was hard to decide between the two, but the Marshall won because it had the headphone out and was green.  If I didn't plan on getting the gain out of my pedals, I'd have gone with the Night Train and matching 1x12 for $750...but since I already had like $500 worth of stompboxes, I went with $400 worth of amp and it's working out great.

[clockwork green]

What I don't like about most small wattage amps is that lack normal features of the "big boy" 50 watt amps.
Like Bass, mids, high tone controls, gain knob, etc, etc.

Just because it's low wattage doesn't mean it's a toy and made for noobs.

I wish more big amps had fewer features from my experiences with playing many smaller amps.  I have a Reissue Champ 600 that was modified with the Mercury Magnetics kit and I then pulled the chassis and put it in a 1x12 combo.  That amp only has volume and it sounds so amazing.  I never feel like I need tone controls even with a wide variety of guitars and tunings and it's so touch sensitive that I can crank it and get some sweet gain and then get really nice cleans with my guitar's volume.  I also have a Vox Nighttrain and on the "thick" (high gain mode) it bypasses all of the tone controls and again the amp is super dynamic and just sings.  My '57 Fender Harvard just had tone and it's the same deal.  I want a giant Matamp style amp that only has a volume.  I'm not sure if it's just tone voodoo or it's just that many of the simple amps I've played have just been sweeter because of other design factors but I think there may be something to these featureless amps. 

[fallen]

Agreed man. Less features is the way to go.

I have one of those valve jrs with just a volume and it's awesome. Also have one of those JCM800s that they added a clean channel onto and ruined.

I would love a higher wattage amp with no effects loop and just a few knobs that you can deactivate. Like a master volume that you can switch off and a bax treble and bass eq section that you can dial to center and basically bypass.

The Matamp GT circuit is basically like this right? FAC, Drive, BAX, Master, Presence. Leave the tone knobs centered, max the master and turn the presence on 0. It's almost a 2 knob amp.

[hayseed]

I decided to get order a Class 5 today. I was lucky enough to get a red one (though I would have preferred green). After reading the reviews and what you guys had to offer I figured that it was worth a try. As for the controls, I really don't use that much in the way of controls anyway. Right now my main amp is a MArshall TSL 100 and i use 1 channel for everything! Kind of a waste but i dig the amp so...

I tried the Vox NightTrain last year. I love Vox amps but the Night Train didn't grab me like thought(and hoped) it would. I had purchased an Orange Tiny Terror instead which after a couple months of jamming , got traded for something else! I will post back up with the results when I get the Class 5. I was on a Telecaster forum earlier and those folks where raving about it(other than the first gen buzzing problem). Cant wait to hear it with my Tele Blacktop!

[dunwichamps]

fuck the Drive control, just omit it

[Hemisaurus]

The old Stage / Studio knob? It's just a combined Bright switch and Attenuator.

Wonder why nobody builds a loadbox, with a headphone out, wouldn't be rocket science.

[inductorguitars]

fuck the Drive control, just omit it

Food for thought (playing devil's advocate)
I'm all for cutting useless pots, but where do you stop? Hard wire the guitar to the jack...

[Hemisaurus]

Done that

[dunwichamps]

fuck the Drive control, just omit it

Food for thought (playing devil's advocate)
I'm all for cutting useless pots, but where do you stop? Hard wire the guitar to the jack...

all about which controls are useful and which controls are not, IMO, the drive control is not useful.

[hayseed]

Well I got it delivered today! seriously cool looking amp, very classy and well built. Sounds great, either dime it all  out or set the EQ's at half for a very AC/DC sort of rock sound. It has a volume cut switch on the back that makes it completely usable for apartment jamming, late nite sessions, or recording without really compromising any tone at all. I am trying it tonite at practice hooked up to a 4x12 1960 Lead cab to see what i get out of it. I think it will do just fine with a full band as long as no one decides to get excessively loud tonite. So far worth every penny....

Oh yeah its about the size of a carry on bag and weighs around 25 lbs....my back just bought me a beer!

[clockwork green]

Looks like lots of mini-Marshall's are coming out soon. This is from NAMM yesterday:

[hayseed]

I hooked the Class 5 up to my 1960 lead cab and my whole band stopped what they they doing. Its sounds like a Plexi! Loud enough for normal circumstances with a full band but it did get drowned out a bit when we were REALLY jamming hard. Takes the pedals well. This is a perfect amp for recording IMO. I am very pleased with my purchase thus far. In comparision to the other low wattage amps that i have tried (Tiny Terror, Dual Terror, Night Train, etc) , this little guy is superior in tone. I may try to pick up a 2x12 extension cab for live situations

[Baltar]

Congrats, my buddy got one and ran it through his '78 4x12 and loved it.  Great little amp.

[MikeyT]

                       

                      Pretty good tone here.

[FullCustom]

I fixed one a few weeks ago.  I thought the bottom end was a bit messy but over all I liked the amp.