Marshall Class 5

[Sweeper5]

Any good information or experiences with this little amp? I'm weary of the extreme volumes of my Marshall. I don't play in bands anymore, but can't talk myself into selling it for some reason. I thought maybe if I got one of these little 5w machines, and it sounded good...maybe...

Anyway, if any of you guys own this or have experience with them, I would appreciate your insight. Thanks!

 

[Raider08]

I like them. They don't get way too loud, but get a really nice crunch. It's really nice for around the house.. It's drowns out the wife, without making your ears bleed.

 

[Tim Plains]

They sound great and are very loud for being only 5 watts but they're notorious for rattling. I bought/returned three within a month because they all rattled. Then Marshall supposedly fixed the problem but even the "fixed" ones I've tried rattled. I know a lot of people love theirs and I really wanted to love the C5 but they're garbage if you ask me (no offence to anyone). I'd wait for the head if I were you.

 

[Sweeper5]

They sound great and are very loud for being only 5 watts but they're notorious for rattling. I bought/returned three within a month because they all rattled. Then Marshall supposedly fixed the problem but even the "fixed" ones I've tried rattled. I know a lot of people love theirs and I really wanted to love the C5 but they're garbage if you ask me (no offence to anyone). I'd wait for the head if I were you.

Thanks for the info! I've had amps that rattle, and I can't tolerate that either. Most of what I do is recording-based, so a buzz or a rattle is not something I can live with. I'll wait for the head. Also...I've tried the Vox Night Train series. The 2w is not enough volume...the 15w was too much. I thought this 5w would be just right...like mamma bear's porridge. LOL! Seriously, thanks for the info. If you've been through 3 of them, then it's not a fluke.

 

[Shai`tan]

I am planning on getting the new Class 5 Mrk II for my son, when they finally arrive in good ol Canaduh. ;p

 

[Clay]

i just got one and it is an amazing amp, especially for living with/near people.

 

[Gtarzan81]

Love mine, no rattles

 

[singlecut]

had one. kept it for a day.sold it right away.
a toneless box of crap. does 1 thing and it's not a good thing.
so many better ways to spend your money.
sure it says marshall on it,but these days is that worth anything.
if you got 1 and love it. thats great.pay no attention to me

 

[joff]

The new Class 5 Combo which has just been released in the UK has got a new design cab which is heavier built in order to apparantly get rid of the rattle problem...it also now has an attenuator switch to reduce it down to 0.1 Watts or something very low to make it more usable at home.

 

[nutsauce]

I got one of the later released cream colored models and no rattles in mine. I like it but think it could be better with a little work. Someone posted detailed info here about inexpensive mods for the Class 5. I did something similar to my Epi Valve Jr. and it totally came alive. The Class 5 , to my ear, suffers from some of that muddiness that my Epi had. I do like it better than my VOXAC4 and not sure that you could get anything better for the money. I may sell mine and get the head when it comes out though.

 

[Sweeper5]

I got one of the later released cream colored models and no rattles in mine. I like it but think it could be better with a little work. Someone posted detailed info here about inexpensive mods for the Class 5. I did something similar to my Epi Valve Jr. and it totally came alive. The Class 5 , to my ear, suffers from some of that muddiness that my Epi had. I do like it better than my VOXAC4 and not sure that you could get anything better for the money. I may sell mine and get the head when it comes out though.

Oh man, that looks awesome in the creme tolex. I know that we aren't supposed to make equipment selections on looks...but it's kind of difficult not to do so. That being said, an amp that rattles is not something that I could live with. Also, it would be difficult (if not impossible) to re-sell it if it rattled. What mods can be done on these, and where can I get a kit? Did you do the one on your epi yourself?

 

[HOT-BRIT]

good little anp and good value

 

[TyrackT71]

mine dosent rattle and i love it

 

[Tenacious T]

I'm really wanting to pick one up....& I must admit, the white looks superb!

The more I think I love high gain amps (& I do love them), the more I realize that I like "classic rock" type distortion. I've been doing some reviewing & this amp seems to like effects pedals If you need a little more break up.

Anyhoo. Seems like a great little Marshall for what it is. I gotta have a white one & I'm not sure how much longer I can hold out...lol!

 

[nutsauce]

Oh man, that looks awesome in the creme tolex. I know that we aren't supposed to make equipment selections on looks...but it's kind of difficult not to do so. That being said, an amp that rattles is not something that I could live with. Also, it would be difficult (if not impossible) to re-sell it if it rattled. What mods can be done on these, and where can I get a kit? Did you do the one on your epi yourself?

Hey Sweeper, it is difficult not to fall in love with the look of that little amp. There are some articles about how to fix the rattle, but I don't think any of the newer models suffer from that issue. I am actually looking for some mods for the Class 5 myself that aren't too expensive, but still looking right now. I did pay someone to install the Bit-Mo mod on the Valve Jr. for me. Below is a link to Lyle's thread on the Class 5 mods complete with schematic.

http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/squawk-box/123816-some-mods-marshall-class-5-a.html

 

[nutsauce]

I'm really wanting to pick one up....& I must admit, the white looks superb!

The more I think I love high gain amps (& I do love them), the more I realize that I like "classic rock" type distortion. I've been doing some reviewing & this amp seems to like effects pedals If you need a little more break up.

Anyhoo. Seems like a great little Marshall for what it is. I gotta have a white one & I'm not sure how much longer I can hold out...lol!

I use a Fulltone OCD and Fender '63 reverb pedal with it and it sounds really good. I think a good eq would help a lot also. The eq knobs on the amp aren't as responsive as I'd like.

 

[cherokee]

I am also looking at little 5w amps, the marshall, Vox, VHT, Fender...even the bugera are on my list to look at. I know it is only a few hundred $$ but I don't want to get one and say....gee I wonder what that other one sounded like.