Marshall builds a Champ - the new Class 5

[eddiewagner]

Originally Posted by nielsnielsniels

too bad it only has a 10''.

i thought so too, but it sounds huge with the 10" speaker. played a small gig with it no problemo.

[olaftheholy]

Joe had a plethora of those 5 watt marshall amps....

I'll bet ten of them turned up full will sound better then one...

[eddiewagner]

^^^^^^^^^^^
please remenber that the amp sits in a really wellmade cab. fingerjoints and roomy and all. that helps to make it amazingly big sounding. i.m.h.o. all the clips don´t do any justice to the class5.

[johnreardon]

Originally Posted by Colin Johnston

True! £349 UK retail

Got mine for £299 two weeks ago

[Ben Harmless]

Based on post-video reviews, I'd be interested to hear the thing in person, and excited about it if it weren't something that I'm more interested in building for myself anyway.

The same goes for all the newer low-wattage amps. They're really fairly simple. Take a Champ and add a couple of gain stages, and you're halfway there.

[bluesfordan]

it will probably finally show up at the nashua GC in mid 2011 for 799 dollars.

[eddiewagner]

Originally Posted by Ben Harmless

if it weren't something that I'm more interested in building for myself anyway.

i am afraif you will not be able to get the looks of that beast: all the gold and shiny things.....

[Ben Harmless]

Originally Posted by eddiewagner

i am afraif you will not be able to get the looks of that beast: all the gold and shiny things.....

I'll just hot-glue fake gemstones all over it. Problem solved!

[Steve McGinnis]

I sold my Marshall Studio 15. It actually was a pretty good marshall sound at about 12 watts or so and it did have a 12" speaker. I am not saying it sounded like a proper 4 X 12, but it did deliver JCM800 sounds in a small package. I would like to get another but unfortunately Studio 15's are going for $800 and up, and frankly I didn't like it that much....

[reverbbb]

I bought a used Studio 15 to see what that was all about. I really liked the sound. However, I could not do anything to get the volume up to a stage performance level. I tried different tubes, different speakers/cabinets, etc. Nothing helped. My Blues Jr. was about 3 times louder. I tried it at a couple of live jams. The tone was awesome, but it got lost in the mix instantly. I sold it and moved on.

I am curious if the Class 5 will be loud enough. I have a Tiny Terror Combo with a 7 watt setting. I think it would get lost in the mix as well.

My Haze 40 is really pleasing me. No problem with cutting through the mix on that bad boy.

[eddiewagner]

after a couple of rehearsals and one gig the amp started to develop a weird, glassy overtone. took it to the shop and they diagnosed " very, very bad original tubes". i will pick it up the next couple of days and report how it will sound with real tubes.

Originally Posted by reverbbb

I am curious if the Class 5 will be loud enough.

i don´t think so. when you turn it up really loud it screams. i combined it with a princeton and that is one helluva sound-cocktail. i played that live in a supersmall club and it was great. for a bigger stage and a larger club you will need more watts bro.

[PraiseCaster]

Originally Posted by Ben Harmless

Based on post-video reviews, I'd be interested to hear the thing in person............

Thats all that the video did for me, make me want to try one out in person.

[eddiewagner]

just back from the shop. they replaced bad two marshall-labeled preamp tubes with a set of jj-s. can´t wait to fire the little beast up at the next rehearsal.

[gnolivos]

I've been waiting for a 5W valve marshall amp forever... but what turns me down about this one is the lack of separate Master/Gain controls.

So, it sounds like if I want to obtain sweet overdriven tones from the Class5, I need to push this thing hard, which defeats the purpose of having a 5W amp for me (I want this one for home...)

I already own a Palomino V8, all tube, with gain/volume controls among other features. I am just not happy with the VOX-ey voicing of it. :(

I am really craving for the Marshall tones for my Gibson guitars...

[vintage52]

$900.00 here in New Zealand.

Played a 51 Nocaster Relic through it and was quite impressed.

Les Paul through it was nice too.

Very interactive with the guitar.

I've normally been one to have the controls on my guitar full and control from the amp.
I've found if I do it the other way around....control from the guitar...it's a lot of fun!!

[Maradona86]

I just got to play one of these at the local guitar shop by where I work. Totally excellent amp if you're into the old school Marshall sound and don't have a bunch of money to cough up on a Bluesbreaker. That's my story. They're either too damn big or too pricey. Anyway I ran my Goldtop Epi Les Paul (with Burstbucker Pro pickups) straight into it and was LOVIN it! Real touch sensitive and had useable cleans even with a LP with buckers. I can only imagine a Strat or Tele would be even more glorious (as they usually are) Add to that it's super light. Total grab-n-go rig. Also, it really doesn't sound like other 5 watters like the Gibson GA5, Epi Valve Jr, or Champion 600 that I've played. It seems WAY louder. Seemed to be like "Blues Jr cranked". loud. I'm gettin one, no question!

[eddiewagner]

Originally Posted by Maradona86

Also, it really doesn't sound like other 5 watters like the Gibson GA5, Epi Valve Jr, or Champion 600 that I've played. It seems WAY louder. Seemed to be like "Blues Jr cranked". loud. I'm gettin one, no question!

absolutely right bro! i am using it for quite a while now and i really love the sound for rehearsals. i have my doubts, that you can play a larger club with it. all in all it is a very nice amp, that nails the bluesbraker sound quite good, think eric clapton with john mayall. it´s kinda "inexpensive" for the sound quality. it even got better with the jj-preamp tubes. i wanted to use it at home: useless, way to loud!!!!! got me a used microcube instead. eddie

[Maradona86]

I must also add that I did like the clean (vol set on 3) Even with a LP it was able to clean up nicely. That being said I didn't think it would be all that bad for at home use especially with a strat or tele. Hey eddiewagner, what kind of changes did having a set of JJs bring to the sound; please expound...

[HOBBSTER01]

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/search.php?s=Class5

[Jimo]

Originally Posted by Colin Johnston

Don't count me in that "everyone" - I gigged a couple of Marshalls over the years with Strats & Teles and never used any pedals. Always plenty of distortion for my needs. I've made the swap to mostly Fender amps - now I use OD & boost pedals.

I'd still like to hear a demo with single coils to get a sense of how relevant it might be to my kinda tones.

I agree-its too easy to get a good tone if you kick the crap out of the front end of an amp with a hot humbucker. It's always good to see how it handles a vintage single coil, even if you are going to play wth humbuckers. JIMO

[eddiewagner]

Originally Posted by Maradona86

Hey eddiewagner, what kind of changes did having a set of JJs bring to the sound; please expound...

hard to tell. most important, the glassy, rattly noise f the bad tubes is gone. and i dare to say, that the amp sounds a bit rounder, less harsh. but that can be my brain playing tricks. most important: i have nothing to complain. eddie

[eddiewagner]

a little reality check update:
after the amp got new preamp tubes, i rehearsed a bit with it. today i went to the rehearsal place all by myself to do some soundchecking. guess what: the marshall is rattling all over again. makes nasty noises and all that. so i brought it back to the shop where i bought it and begged the boss to take it back and sell me a pro junior instead. i can not really recommend that marshall amp, there seems to be some strenghth missing.

[superhand]

That looks like a nice amp. It's about time Marshall jumped on the small low wattage tube amp bandwagon.

[HOBBSTER01]

Played 3 different amps this past Sat.
Get an early Champ and forget the hype.

[cbucki]

Please Note:

This is a poorly designed amp from a residual noise standpoint. It is not the tubes or the speaker causing the issue. It is a design issue that Marshall has publically acknowledged in their UK forum.

It's an incredible shame because the tone truly is wonderful for a 5w/$400 USD amp! I had incredibly high hopes for this, but Marshall is trapped in a HAZE of stench these days. Maybe in 2010 the situation will be resolved, but when word of this travels, I'm not sure we're gonna have a hot commodity.

There are many-a-thread about it being limited to the first 50 production units. Absolutely false. They are ALL bad. I have had personal experience with four models from three US shops already. Guess what? THEY ALL RATTLE.

Coincidentally, Hobbster's advice is incredibly true. The same day my first C5 was delivered, I found a mint '73 Vibro Champ locally.

It's All Over Now...

[bluescube]

Guess I'll stick with GAS'n for the VOX AC4TV

[eddiewagner]

marshall company seems to know about the problem and used me as a testdriver, arghhhhh!
here is a link:
http://marshallvintagemodern.com/vie...hp?f=31&t=3825

[johnreardon]

Originally Posted by cbucki

Please Note:

..USD amp! I had incredibly high hopes for this, but Marshall is trapped in a HAZE of stench these days. Maybe in 2010 the situation will be resolved, but when word of this travels, I'm not sure we're gonna have a hot commodity.

There are many-a-thread about it being limited to the first 50 production units. Absolutely false. They are ALL bad. I have had personal experience with four models from three US shops already. Guess what? THEY ALL RATTLE.



It's All Over Now...

There may well be a problem, however not all rattle, mine doesn't. I have played quite a few small gigs with it and also practiced with the band for nearly 3 hours last night at nearly two thirds volume. No rattles at all

[cbucki]

If it's "All Crunch All the Time" you'll be fine. The problem is mainly when you try to clean-up a bit. If you have a non-rattler, you're extremely fortunate.

This amp does have extremely nice (and large) tone at a budget price.

If the "shakes" do get cleaned up QUICKLY, this will be among the best of the giant killers ala the CV Tele. This does not mean a piece of weather strip.

The initial US shipment is unplayable. It's very hard to figure when Marshall thought the problem was solved after the initial 50 production units.

There are also MANY stories of a temporary fix, only to have the "six pack back in the trunk" after a few hours...

[bluesfordan]

well, I finally got to try one today, er, yesterday. Daddy's Junky Music had one before GC, who knew? First I tried a tele (apropos for this forum, no?), road worn. but the 3 barrel needed to be set up properly, it was too frustrating to deal with. Found a CV strat that was much better intonated.

Much cleaner than I expected, even when I dimed the amp. Guitar was still a little wonky, so I didn't floor it and bore it. I mean, they're tolerant of me there and I don't want to make myself persona non grata.

I'd like to look at it again. I think they could have done without the big red 'Class 5' silkscreen and left it the classic gold panel. I moved the tone controls around some, didn't perceive a vast amount of attenuation/boosting but I had my ears full of other people playing at the same time.