Marshall Class 5

andyp

Hi folks.

I've been looking at possible new amps and the Marshall Class 5 looks spot on for what I'm after, but I want to go and play one before buying... A bit of googling suggests that it's discontinued. Guitar Guitar have them, but I can't get in to try one for a couple of weeks and I can't seem to see them for sale anywhere else. Are they still around in shops if I go looking or are they long gone?

Cheers,

Andy

simonk

They're long gone now. I'd look for a Cornell Plexi 7 personally - a considerably better amp.

crunchman

I was very underwhelmed when I tried one.

If you want a 5 Watt amp this one is far better:
http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/73794/fs-ft-vht-special-6-head-and-award-session-1-x-12-cab-with-g12-65#latest

Sorry for the spam but wherever you buy one from it's a better sounding amp than the Class 5.

If I was looking for a 5W amp the Marshall would be about my 20th choice at best - and probably lower given how good some of the modellers are these days.

delgwapo

I think they reissued them with limited edition finishes recently.

Had a Mk1 Class 5 a few months ago and moved it on swiftly. No gain control so you had to crank the volume far too high to get a nice level of crunch.

It's very dark sounding and the stock 10" speaker was boxy and lacking. Nicer through a 12" cab but wouldn't overall recommend. 

+1 for the VHT Special 6.

CHRISB50

They don't get great press but I quite liked mine!

You want to avoid the MK1 as they had issues with rattling noises, and no low watt mode.

The MK2's had no rattling issues and a .1W mode that made it crankable in a domestic environment.

They had a weird price hike as well. Marshall originally sold them for about 350 quid then overnight put the prices

up to somewhere around the wrong side of 600 notes.

I think I bought mine for 320 ish and after the price rise traded it in for about the same.

I got a Tone King after the Class 5 and actually regretted (lol) getting rid of the Marshall. I can't believe I just wrote that!

I seem to be in the minority with my opinion though

andyp

Thanks for all the comments guys. Interesting reading.

I was looking at the Class 5 as it has quite a versatile spec - headphone out, attenuator etc.  - which means I could use it as my only amp. Anything over 5W is likely to be too loud for me to get proper use out of, although the DSL 15 looks like a good buy too and it can be switched to half power, but without the headphone output.

I'll have to go and try some, but I'm trying to draw up a shortlist at the moment and the versatility of the Class 5 had it looking like a favourite.

What else should I be looking at?

Andy

andyp

Some lunch break googling now has me looking at the Blackstar HT5R... it has headphones, looks pretty versatile and loads of good reviews. I had kind of overlooked Blackstar to be honest.

Has anyone got one, how is it?

Andy

EricTheWeary

andyp;1140628" said:

Some lunch break googling now has me looking at the Blackstar HT5R... it has headphones, looks pretty versatile and loads of good reviews. I had kind of overlooked Blackstar to be honest.

Has anyone got one, how is it?

Andy

My memory is not what it was, I think, but @Danny1969 might be able to answer that.

Danny1969

EricTheWeary said:

andyp;1140628" said:

Some lunch break googling now has me looking at the Blackstar HT5R... it has headphones, looks pretty versatile and loads of good reviews. I had kind of overlooked Blackstar to be honest.

Has anyone got one, how is it?

Andy

My memory is not what it was, I think, but @Danny1969 might be able to answer that.

I have 2 of the HT5 non reverb heads and they are great for the way I play as to me they sound pretty much like a Marshall as long as you don't go crazy with the gain. I have gig'ed the HT5r a few times, we have white ones we use for weddings but I prefer the sound of the HT5 head with a 12" speaker in a bigger speaker cab

My tip for Blackstar HT5's is run something in the loop that increased the level, I use a GT10 ....... I don't know why it improves the tone by doing this but it does ...... to the point I forgot my GT10 once and the rest of the guys in the band complained about the tone. 

Without this in the loop the HT5 can sound fizzier and less like a Marshall 

The amps are very well built and are probably the quietest valve amps on the planet, they are ridiculously quiet in comparison to something like an HRD or AC30 

xSkarloey

andyp said:

Thanks for all the comments guys. Interesting reading.

I was looking at the Class 5 as it has quite a versatile spec - headphone out, attenuator etc.  - which means I could use it as my only amp. Anything over 5W is likely to be too loud for me to get proper use out of, although the DSL 15 looks like a good buy too and it can be switched to half power, but without the headphone output.

I'll have to go and try some, but I'm trying to draw up a shortlist at the moment and the versatility of the Class 5 had it looking like a favourite.

What else should I be looking at?

Andy

Do you mean the Class 5, or the DSL5C? They're two different amps. Never tried the Class 5 but I have a DSL5C and it certainly meets the 'versatile' description.

I would recommend you try the DSL5, but remember it's still very loud. The Slash 5 watters are good too but I don't know if they're still made. The DSL5 is still being sold AFAIK.

andyp

@Danny1969 - thanks for that. It sounds like a very good option so I'll definitely check it out and go and play one. Andertons are doing the HT5R half stack for £430 or so, which is a good deal compared to the cost of the head and cab individually. The combo is probably what I would be looking at though as I'll maybe want to move it about the house a bit.

@Skarloey - yeah, I'd been looking at the Class 5 but also the DSL 5. Both seem pretty good on paper, but I'd seen very mixed reviews of them both and the Class 5 seemed to be more like what my "wish list spec" looked like - having the headphone out etc.

The HT5R does seem to tick all the boxes but I wasn't sure about what kind of tone they have - Marshall type tone is what I'm after and it's bedroom stuff, not gigs (as I'm just learning) so I won't be going nuts with the gain, but I do like a good crunchy sound. I've got an ID:Core 10 and a homebuilt valve amp just now. The ID sounds a bit weird (muddy?) to me but that's not really a good guide on how an HT5 will sound.

Babones

Class 5 combo is still available. They recently brought out a 'vintage' style one, available in many shops.

For example:
http://www.guitar.co.uk/marshall-class-5-vintage-combo-guitar-amp?gclid=CKjbtsSI380CFYcp0wod8wwNWA

https://www.gak.co.uk/en/marshall-class-5-combo-limited/127963?gclid=CJX_2d2I380CFSsz0wodkO4DHQ

I'd look for a 2nd hand Cornell Plexi 7 though.

andyp

Cheers! I've got a decent looking shortlist I think, so next step is to go and try them.

ToneControl

I bought a Class 5 Mk1 when they came out

it rattled like crazy

Every one they had in stock also rattled

there were posts on web sites at the time explaining how to fix this - basically adding mechanical stablisers to the chassis

At one stage I did have two Blackheart 5w amps which were better and cheaper: BH5H

One I got Andy Dokken to tweak to make the noise floor lower (it's a known trick you can do) These were so cheap new.

I had a Blackstar HT5 once. Within days I thought it sounded awful. It could only really do overdriven sounds

It couldn't do any clean tones well, it was just like having an OD pedal with a 5w amp built-in

I think they derived it from their OD pedal

andyp

Well, turns out today became New Amp Day!

I went into Guitar Guitar Glasgow at short notice this afternoon (last minute of my last day off work)... The aim was to try the Class 5, and Blackstar HT5R and buy the Blackstar. I'd pretty much written off anything else, but when I was in I asked to try the Fender Bassbreaker 007 and the Marshall DSL 5 (although something was putting me off the DSL and Class 5).

http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll62/andypople/IMG_9249_zpsdia1yaqv.jpg

I really liked the Blackstar from the off, I nearly just took it on the spot, felt very well made and sounded good. I took my Epi LP as my main guitar (SG Faded) is up at work but I could tell that the HT5R would sound great with the SG too. I was really disappointed with the Fender. It was very a very straightforward, no-nonsense amp but I thought it sounded terrible compared the Blackstar. Right, let's go for the Blackstar then? Hang on... let's just check... "Have you got a DSL 5 in mate?".

Off he goes and calls down to get one brought up. Fresh from the store by the look of it as it had to be unboxed for me to try. Glad I did! It sounded ace instantly. Much beefier than the Blackstar and seemed to make my LP come to life. I asked to try an SG the same as my own to compare, and the Marshall was the obvious choice for me, although I did spend a while swapping back and forth to be sure I had decided. The Blackstar sounded good, but it was just a bit "bland" and slightly muddy sounding. I'd happily own one but I just preferred the Marshall and it made me smile, which is what it's all about.

I thought the DSL was about £120 more than the HT5R but to me it was worth it, but it was actually only £40 more - I only found that out when I went to pay. Great value and spec. too, really happy with it. Wee play tonight with the LP but it'll be going up North with me to work tomorrow and I'll get to play it properly with the SG tomorrow night - can't wait!

It just fits in the boot of my car and no more...

http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll62/andypople/IMG_9250_zpsbaernviu.jpg

http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll62/andypople/IMG_9254_zps3ncivlio.jpg

xSkarloey

There ya go. Glad you got what you wanted in the end.

I've only ever played briefly through a Blackstar HT-5 and I thought it was a bit bland too.

Those two five watt Marshalls- the DSL 5 and the Slash- have got something about them though.

I think the DSL is a very versatile amp. My only criticism of it is that if I do high gain on the the lead channel but with the MV backed off (i.e. what you'd normally do anyway for home practice) it gets fizzy, but back the guitar tone off and it's okay.

Oh and mine's a noisy buger as well, with a pretty loud noise floor when on but when you're playing it's not a big deal.

So welcome to the club!

andyp

Cheers, it's really characterful sounding. It's kinda like with cars and bikes, some of them talk to you, others are more like "tools".

Anyway, I played it for a while last night and I was sure it was hissing a little after a while (wifi, phone bluetooth, laptop... anything could've been the issue I guess) but I've now got it plugged in with my SG and it's sounding ace. Really notice the difference from my previous amp to this, and also between the two guitars. It needs plugged directly into the wall, not through a multi plug too, that made it buzz like buggery.

Next thread... what do I do with an FX loop...!