# Marshall Class 5



## faracaster (Mar 9, 2006)

I used mine in rehearsal tonight.
Well it exceeded my expectations.
I have a gig coming up Saturday night that will be extremely low volume, with our drummer playing Djembe and Cajon box instead of a kit. 
So onstage volume is greatly reduced but, those drums were miced and going through the PA tonight. So it’s not quiet by any means.
I started off the night at about 12 O’clock on the volume figuring I’d need that much juice to get over everything. But I soon found myself turning the amp down to about 9:30-10 o’clock on the dial. Sounded rich and full with my Les Paul. I was able to play with the guitar up full and still retain a clean sound (very nice). I play almost all my rhythm parts clean in this band and then juice it (with a Lovepedal or a Rat) for solos. Lots of good sparkly clean tones that are definitively MARSHALL. Dry and with lots of presence. But compresses very musically for soloing. I played my LP for the first 90 minutes of practice then turned to a Tele. I think I liked it even more. REALLY great solo tones. The compression made the Tele on the rear pickup sound like a great LP. Then for the last couple of tunes I strayed to Strat territory. It was also impressive and again very musical.
As you know these amps come with a 10” Celestion on board but, if you want to hear a huge difference, plug in a 12” extension cab.........holy mother of God.......tremendous !!!!
Guilty pleasure.........I bought two of them. I bought both of them that were at the 12th Fret. I couldn’t decide and they sounded different from each other. And I thought it might be cool to run two of them. (Joe Bonamassa uses six of them) Attached is a pic of the amps I bought.
At any rate maybe I’m the only one so impressed by these little, highly portable 5 watt amps that cost under $500 new but.........impressed I am. Now I don’t think it will be replacing my Teixiera Bernie but, at home and in these relatively quiet rehearsals ...perfect.


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## jimihendrix (Jun 27, 2009)

hey there...they both sound different...???...i've got two of the limited edition green ones...i popped one open while i test it out...the other is still in the factory sealed box...

it's very LOUD...especially between 9 and 12 o'clock...i'm taking things slow to break in the speaker...got any tips...???...

i was hoping for a crunchy ac/dc type sound at a fairly low volume...i guess i've gotta crank 'em up...i got rid of all my pedals...i'm trying to get a good sound "au natural"...


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## GuitarsCanada (Dec 30, 2005)

When did these come out. This is something that I would like to look into. Just the right size for home and lugging over to the buds to jam


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## jimihendrix (Jun 27, 2009)

[YOUTUBE]<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/o2mYsD0y1aE&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/o2mYsD0y1aE&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>[/YOUTUBE]


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## faracaster (Mar 9, 2006)

jimihendrix said:


> [YOUTUBE]<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/o2mYsD0y1aE&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/o2mYsD0y1aE&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>[/YOUTUBE]


I've seen that before. I've got to say.......that sounds terrible.....IMO anyway. If I was making a decision on buying one of these based on that clip, I never would have. I can't believe Marshall has that demo on their site. 
This one is better. A more accurate representation of what is sounds like up loud anyway. Have a look at this.
[YOUTUBE]<object width="580" height="360"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ce1fiU31MFU&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ce1fiU31MFU&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="580" height="360"></embed></object>[/YOUTUBE]


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## zurn (Oct 21, 2009)

Wow I've never heard of that model either, looks like more and more manufacturers are getting back in the low wattage tube amp market, thats good news for us!


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## bobb (Jan 4, 2007)

So far I haven't seen the Class5 on the West Coast. Are they being shipped across the country by dog sled?


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## tapestrymusic (Mar 10, 2009)

The Canadian distributor is shipping this month. We have a couple on order.


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

The OP should be submitted as a review.


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

I've been waiting to hear more on these amps for a while. Sounds like I should give them a go. Thanks Pete!


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## faracaster (Mar 9, 2006)

Diablo said:


> The OP should be submitted as a review.


I will as soon as I've played an actual gig with it. That will be Saturday


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

I was with my son at the new L&M South Edm the other day, they had a green one there so we plugged into it with a Les Paul. Might have been because it was up off the floor on a shelf a shoulder level, but neither my son nor I liked it much. Could also be the brand new speaker, but it just wasn't very smooth even when cranked up and compressing. Was tempted anyways, just for the pretty green tolex + basketweave, they sure got the cosmetics right on it!

Oh, and VERY impressive bottom end on the amp, we mostly played with the bass at 0...quite surprising for a 10" speaker.


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## wintle (Mar 25, 2008)

faracaster said:


> I will as soon as I've played an actual gig with it. That will be Saturday


Pete, Where are you playing - checked the band lounge and nuthin'!

Saw these at 12th fret while I was in there buying Christmas presents, but didn't have the time to do more than pick one up. Would like to hear one live - love the concept. Just picked up an old Lead 12 for one of my kids for Christmas.

Oh, and Joe B is no dumba** when it comes to tone. Not back in Canada for the foreseeable future, unfortunately.

Cheers


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## parkhead (Aug 14, 2009)

jimihendrix said:


> hey there...they both sound different...???...i've got two of the limited edition green ones...i popped one open while i test it out...the other is still in the factory sealed box...
> 
> it's very LOUD...especially between 9 and 12 o'clock...i'm taking things slow to break in the speaker...got any tips...???...
> 
> i was hoping for a crunchy ac/dc type sound at a fairly low volume...i guess i've gotta crank 'em up...i got rid of all my pedals...i'm trying to get a good sound "au natural"...


Hey the AC/DC sound is in the guitar as much as the amp... 
I discovered this 2 years ago when a friend bought a 61 sg les paul 
it just dripped AC/DC plugged into anything ... anything 

Not saying you need 1961 mystery mojo wood but, wow 
I became a believer 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VS0ef5BDPyo


p


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## nonreverb (Sep 19, 2006)

parkhead said:


> Hey the AC/DC sound is in the guitar as much as the amp...
> I discovered this 2 years ago when a friend bought a 61 sg les paul
> it just dripped AC/DC plugged into anything ... anything
> 
> ...


The "AC/DC sound" is the player first and foremost. A great player can make any rig sound good:smile:


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## parkhead (Aug 14, 2009)

nonreverb said:


> The "AC/DC sound" is the player first and foremost. A great player can make any rig sound good:smile:



I would have agreed with you till I played this guitar ... the thing just drips that slinky sassy sustain and mid-range bloom you hear on the recordings 

Other guitar players walk into the room stop dead and ask "what the heck is that?" 

Yes you have to know how to play but Gibson wound some wild vintage pickups 
and dropped them into light resonant wood...

of the THOUSANDS of guitar I have played, repaired and evaluated, new used and big dollar vintage 

this particular SG is "THE QUEEN" 

exhibit A Brand new PAF's 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xzr_GBa8qk

exhibit b late version t tops with gibson logo 1972?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdyvPg0c6bI



p


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## Alex (Feb 11, 2006)

Pete, i can't really tell from the clips - is the amp closer to the 2061x (20W) or the 18 watter? tks


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Crappy videos are lousy sales pitches, but the amp sure *LOOKS* great. Don't know when I've seen a cooling looking rig.

Peace, Mooh.


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

I wish they made a head version with an 8 ohm out.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Robert1950 said:


> I wish they made a head version with an 8 ohm out.


Same here...I wish more new models of amps were offered in a head version in general. 

Personaaly, I also think companies are missing a significant selling feature when they don't offer 4, 8 and 16 ohms out.

Cheers

Dave


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

greco said:


> Same here...I wish more new models of amps were offered in a head version in general.
> 
> Personally, I also think companies are missing a significant selling feature when they don't offer 4, 8 and 16 ohms out.


I agree, which is why I will most likely be picking up a Blackheart Little Giant after Christmas.


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## faracaster (Mar 9, 2006)

Played a gig with mine last night. 
It was a very small pub. But I was un-miced. 
I brought both of my amps and used a A/B/Y pedal to kick in the second one when I needed a little more coverage and spread for songs with dominate cleaner sounds. Which was about 7-10% of the night. Other than that, one un-miced Class 5 did the trick. 
I had the volume around 10-11 o'clock so it was relatively clean. Had the treble at 3 o'clock, mid at noon, bass at 10 o'clock. I used a Strat and a small pedal board. For that room, it was perfect. The club owner and manager (who is a guitarist) were delighted with our overall volume and loved the guitar tones. Many people commented on the visual of two baby bluesbreaker combos onstage and how cool that was.
I guess most importantly, I was happy. I mean not the best, hands down, sweetest, in the zone, tone I've ever had live but......it was very good and I didn't battle the amp for one second all night. 

Cheers
pete


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## jimihendrix (Jun 27, 2009)

so...um...which one sounds better...the black or the green...???...


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

jimihendrix said:


> so...um...which one sounds better...the black or the green...???...


Green for sure...especially at this time of year....hwopv

Cheers

Dave


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## Emohawk (Feb 3, 2006)

Well, from those clips it sounds to me like this amp suffers from the same problem (based on personal taste mind you) that the VJ & AC4TV have (haven't heard the Blackheart in about a year so I can't say). Out of the box they all have a "honkiness" & compressed feel to the tone that I really don't like. I think the problem is twofold - the POS factory speaker & the output transformer. 

I understand why the factory speakers are voiced the way they are. It's to create the illusion of volume. More middy tone sounds "louder" to the human ear. Unfortunately that doesn't do it for me. I think these amps sound FAR better with a more "open" speaker. I can tell you that my AC4TV sounds MUCH better through one side of my Weber Thames loaded 2x12 (the AC4TV has only a 16 ohm external tap) , and even through my VJ cab with the factory Eminence "Lady Luck" it sounds better than stock. Hard to say with my VJ because the only original parts are the trannys & chassis at this point, and I have an upgrade for the OT on the way. It still has some of that honk though, thus the OT upgrade.

I will say that this Marshall demo has less of that factor than some of the other low-wattage single-ended amps (which also cost quite a lot less) but it's still there. I expect there's more meat in the output transformer in the Marshall, and that's probably part of the reason it's more expensive. Hard to be sure from that demo though.

The Joe B clip sounds much better, but you have to wonder if his are dead stock and how much the house PA's EQ is impacting that.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Thanks Pete, for the quick review. I'm not sure if I can put together the funds at the moment (wife and both kids in university, house renos, blah-blah-blah-middle-aged-guy stuff) but it sure looks and sounds like what I need, especially at home and studio.

Peace, Mooh.


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## jimihendrix (Jun 27, 2009)

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## Emohawk (Feb 3, 2006)

Very interesting. I actually like the Vox more in that clip, but in person my Vox sounds nothing like that. The magic of mics. They hear things completely different than we do!


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

Emohawk said:


> Very interesting. I actually like the Vox more in that clip, but in person my Vox sounds nothing like that. The magic of mics. They hear things completely different than we do!


Add in some youtube compression, the pickups, and the hands of the player and ....well... you know. My AC4TV actually does sound close to that, on the 1 watt setting + with the volume less than halfway up....not exactly but very close, I use a Tele mainly. I did change out the tubes though, an old Sylvania EL84 and an old RCA 12AX7.


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

Thanks for the review. I had no idea these even existed.


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## soldierscry (Jan 20, 2008)

I played one of these yesterday at L&M and I can say that when the amps if off of the floor it sound like crap but when it is on the floor it sounds amazing (increased bass resp[onse maybe or maybe my ears are shot..lol)


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## Emohawk (Feb 3, 2006)

soldierscry said:


> I played one of these yesterday at L&M and I can say that when the amps if off of the floor it sound like crap but when it is on the floor it sounds amazing (increased bass resp[onse maybe or maybe my ears are shot..lol)


Yeah - I find the same thing. Has to do with being more off-axis from the speaker too. I still wouldn't say it sounds great with the stock speaker, but again that's probably just personal taste.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Fromager Music in Owen Sound had one of the floor on Christmas Eve. I didn't try it due to time restraints and the usual small shop racket going on, but it is a light amp. Might head back and try it.

Peace, Mooh.


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## marcos (Jan 13, 2009)

In all fairness,it seems as if he(Joe Bonamassa) has 4 of those little suckers stacked on top of each other,plus that sound is being pumped out through a p.a system. Not sure that we are getting the real sound.










faracaster said:


> I've seen that before. I've got to say.......that sounds terrible.....IMO anyway. If I was making a decision on buying one of these based on that clip, I never would have. I can't believe Marshall has that demo on their site.
> This one is better. A more accurate representation of what is sounds like up loud anyway. Have a look at this.
> [YOUTUBE]<object width="580" height="360"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ce1fiU31MFU&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ce1fiU31MFU&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="580" height="360"></embed></object>[/YOUTUBE]


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