Marshall Class 5 = Pure Mud

[MCAN]

Hey guys,

I bought a used Marshall Class 5 combo a couple weeks ago and to put it simply, it just ain't right. The sound can best be described as pure mud. It's just awful. I have been describing the sound to people as it being like hearing someone playing through the walls from the apartment next door or upstairs. Little to no clarity. Like there's a low-pass filter on.
Sure tone is subjective, but this is just absurd and unusable.

I researched the amp extensively, including watching just about every YouTube demo of it, and my Class 5 sounds nowhere near as good as any of the demos.

I have turned up the Treble all the way, mids up, down, midway, and Bass all the way down. Barely a difference. I am playing straight into the amp, no effects, so that variable is eliminated.

Now onto my guitars: I know about how early the amp overdrives (that's actually why I bought it), and that you really have to use the volume controls to clean up and control the sound, so I really paid attention to that. In fact, I have to be at nearly zero to get any kind of clarity out of the amp. If I had to put a number to it, it would be 0.25-0.5.
I have tried two Les Pauls, a 335, an SG doubleneck, and a Telecaster with it but I never got a decent level of clarity without turning the volume down to near-zero. Humbuckers, single coil, high output, medium output, out-of-phase, split coils - no solution.

I've also tried everything from low volume to totally cranked. No clarity anywhere.

The circumstances of buying it didn't allow too much testing so I guess it's kind of my mistake/problem for buying it, but let's not focus on my stupidity. I'm just looking for any ideas as to why I am getting such sh*t tone.

It wouldn't be the tubes would it? That doesn't make sense. What could it be?

I really appreciate any help.

 

[LSAR]

Maybe it's just a lemon?

Is it possible to return/exchange it for another?

 

[foxtrot]

Do you have standard or 50s wiring? Maybe rolling off the volume so much is adversely affecting what your amp is giving you compared to what you expect?

Might be a lemon... I tried a Class 5 out at Guitar Center when looking at amps and didn't care for it much, but who knows if other factors might have contributed to my sentiments at the time (the Haze 40 I played right after blew the Class 5 away IMO - same guitar, a strat if I remember right).

There are supposed to be some great mods for the Class 5, and I think there is a mod thread here for it. Might check that out too.

 

[corbo]

combo or head

first thing I would do is get rid of the crappy tubes , use tung sol

 

[MCAN]

Maybe it's just a lemon? Is it possible to return/exchange it for another?

I hope it's not a lemon. I bought it second-hand so there's no possibility for return.

combo or head

Combo


About the volume roll off, I should clarify that I don't only play rolled off. I have tried full on at 10, still mud. It actually does what it's supposed to and overdrives more, but the clarity is still lacking.

 

[rjwilson37]

It's probably a lemon, they do not sound like mud until the volume goes up too much. Which this is just the speaker in it only being 10", as well is on the cheap side which it just can't handle a good amount of bass at higher volumes. At lower volumes the Class 5 is a good sounding amp, it is not the cat's meow by any means, but it is also not mud.

 

[corbo]

had the head worked well after tube change, been told the combo benefits from speaker swap, also there are a ton of mods for the class 5

 

[Frogfur]

Corbo is correct and i concur that there are a few things you can do to the stock amp to make it sound better. Tubes can make a big difference! so can speaker swaps and both are so easy my dog could do it.

I have one of these little amps in British Racing Green and it is a great amp for what it is. I did change out the tubes as mentioned, and i have a vintage JBL to replace the stock speaker. I found this speaker on EBay for a great deal. If you don't expect too much from these amps they can be really fun sometimes and they are loud for five watts!

Peace

 

[MCAN]

Just tried turning the mids right down and it seems to be more useable. I am also using an attenuator I installed the other night to keep the volume from being window rattling.

Just before checking this thread I was thinking that maybe a speaker swap would do the tone some good, and now that it seems one or two of you agree, it looks like I may give it a shot. Tubes too I suppose.

I find if the attenuator is really low the tone is ok but once I open it up a little, mud returns. Since the attenuator is between the speaker and the amp output, is it safe to think that the speaker could be a dud? Or at least an accomplice to the crime of bad tone?

 

[MCAN]

And interestingly enough, the amp sounds the best when played with my oldest guitar: a 1964 Silvertone Jupiter

 

[Valkyrie]

I'm not liking my Class 5 these days either. Its a one trick pony. Thinking of selling it. Played a Super Sonic 22 this afternoon and I really like it.

 

[corbo]

not a fan of attenuators on low wattage amps.
what worked well for me for the sound I was looking for at low volume was to run an old rat into it
where this amp sounded good for me was into a cab with10" speakers dimed with the bass rolled to half

 

[MCAN]

I just tried plugging the attenuator into the headphone output instead of the cab output. Sound is much tighter and clearer.
I may even venture to say I like it now.

For the record, my Traynor YCV20 totally destroys the Class 5.

 

[rykus]

I bought the first model class 5 with the one piece back....

I found it sounded ok but had the dreaded rattle.... took it apart tightened quite a few screws sounded about the same.

I then put in new tubes(old mullards and a telefunken el-84) and tube dampers, and it did sound way better but still rattled like a bastard.

I then got a weber blue pup alnico 20w speaker, and it wouldn't fit! so I took the bell off and crammed it in there, just got the screws to bite and cranked it down and whoalla no more rattle!

I played it like that for 2 years a bouts as my main practice amp and really liked the tone,till my dog knocked it off about a 16" drop that wrecked the speaker(?).

now I play it through a 4x12 of 65's and it sounds godly! but is way louder.I'd suggest maybe plug it into a speaker cab and see if you like the tone before mods, and maybe try a 5751 in v1 to lower the gain. also bagged old tubes are cheap especially old single power tubes, so keep an eye out they get less gain-y as they wear out I think.

 

[corbo]

agree with rykus, it sounds much better into a multi speaker cab
I ran the head into a marshall 1965a cab sounded really good.
but sounded best into a 2 x12 celestion greenbacks for my sound
brightened up the amp.

 

[studio1087]

Start with new tubes.

You can buy JJ's or something ok and cost effective and re-tube the whole thing for $40. I have the combo and the head. Something is screwy with your combo. It shouldn't sound the way you describe. I wonder if the prior owner put some odd tubes in it. Something is wrong. Keep the faith. The Class 5 is a nice amp.

 

[SirJackdeFuzz]

YUP . . . maybe a bad one ?

My 1st gen combo sounds really nice.
(even with stock speaker)

 

[Bubbletonic]

Mine sounds muddy if I use the headphone-out. If I use the headphone out it sounds like I'm using dead strings and running my signal through crap cables. If I then play it wide open it's like night and day, for me anyway. I use a bitmo 10-uator between the amp and the cab and that provides a decent middle ground because it doesn't mud it up like the headphone out. But I am using it with a 4x12 rather than the 1x10 that you get in the combo version.

 

[truckermde]

I have several low-watt single ended amps, and I am of the opinion that they are best with pedals. The Class 5 should not sound the way you describe, but it won't sound awesome fully cranked to total-overdrive through a 10" speaker in a cabinet of those dimensions and design, either.

I think it's safe to say you've got something wrong, weather it needs tubes, a speaker, or a capacitor somewhere. My little combo sounds EXACTLY like on the Marshall demo. Even better through a bigger cab.

I would start by plugging it into a different cab. Then look into the tubes. There's a thread by an amp guy who knows his stuff, and offers great mods for that amp. He complains about the amp in the same way you do, so his suggestions will probably be of help
here ya go http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/squawk-box/123816-some-mods-marshall-class-5-a.html

 

[MCAN]

I appreciate all our help guys.

But (and no disrespect)...

It seems a lot of you are telling me to plug into a cab, but I don't have a cab. If I did, I probably would have just bought the head. Maybe a lot of people have cabs but I don't.
And I'm not prepared to go out and buy a cab to make a combo work.

I'm looking at swapping in a Celestion Greenback (I have one in my beloved Traynor) and maybe changing the tubes. We'll see how that goes.
Like I said last night, with all my workarounds, I'm kind of liking the sound I'm getting.