That's a pity - IMO the only thing that brought it down was the stock speaker. I heard one driving a 2 x 12 and it was awesome. More Plexi than JCM though, so it probably wasn't br00talZ enough for most of Marshall's user base.

Hmmm, the slash AFD 5 would be sick. If the 100 is anything to go by.

Although the experience I had with the class 5 was cool. but a 5W is just not loud enough.

Donovan Banks wrote: Hmmm, the slash AFD 5 would be sick. If the 100 is anything to go by.

Although the experience I had with the class 5 was cool. but a 5W is just not loud enough.

All this talk about watts...

The 5watters are not loud enough to hang with a band or any drummer IMO, but aren't they sold as bedroom/studio amps? What are people trying to do with these things if 5W is not loud enough?

I have read reviews on these small amps and the negative reviews often complain about having no clean headroom. Yet, I bet you if this amp was a 20 watter people would say that it is too loud when it starts to properly break up.

So why do manufacturers not make all these amps 20W and install attenuators factory fitted?

Donovan Banks wrote: Although the experience I had with the class 5 was cool. but a 5W is just not loud enough.

Depends on the speaker. My blackstar HT-5 has a 95dB speaker which is kinda inefficient, I gigged with it once or twice though, worked fine for cleans and drive. The HT5 through Vintage 30s or G12H30s which is 100dB is plenty loud, much louder than you'd reasonably need at gigs, even unmic'd. If you want completely pristine cleans then you must get a bigger amp than 5Watt ja.

aja wrote:

Donovan Banks wrote: Hmmm, the slash AFD 5 would be sick. If the 100 is anything to go by.

Although the experience I had with the class 5 was cool. but a 5W is just not loud enough.

All this talk about watts...

The 5watters are not loud enough to hang with a band or any drummer IMO, but aren't they sold as bedroom/studio amps? What are people trying to do with these things if 5W is not loud enough?

I have read reviews on these small amps and the negative reviews often complain about having no clean headroom. Yet, I bet you if this amp was a 20 watter people would say that it is too loud when it starts to properly break up.

So why do manufacturers not make all these amps 20W and install attenuators factory fitted?

I had a Class 5 for about a month or three before I sold it to another forum member. I loved the look, the build quality was great and I really really wanted to love it. The problem was that I bought it because I wanted in on that famed marshall tone that all the reviewers agreed those little amps delivered in spades, but at bedroom level. No way, not possible. That little amp was loud as hell and I can honestly say that I never turned it up loud enough to drive naturally before I sold it.

For recording and jamming or maybe even small gigs they are by all acounts marvelous little amps. But as a bedroom practice amp..... unless you have a very understanding family and no close neighbours it's just not practical. Adding features to broaden the appeal of these smaller amps will make them more expensive anyway, so ja I agree. Why not just take a 15-20W combo and add the features that will make it attractive as both a smal gigging amp and as a home practice amp. It will cost you more but will be a lot more versatile.

I think the ideal would be a situation where you have a clean amp and a dirty amp that you then switch between...where the clean amp is high wattage for clean headroom and the dirty amp is a lower wattage to get the drive at a volume only a bit louder than that clean...
otherwise you need an amp which drives at just the right volume such that your guitar volume control can clean it up and its still loud enough...in other news if drummers played more quietly for the clean setting songs and louder for the dirty setting songs this would all be much easier...but they always wanna wack the crap out of their drums :/

Kalcium wrote: I think the ideal would be a situation where you have a clean amp and a dirty amp that you then switch between...

I've done that (Twin and Vox AC15 HW), but it's a major schlepp to cart around two amps.

Alan Ratcliffe wrote:

Kalcium wrote: I think the ideal would be a situation where you have a clean amp and a dirty amp that you then switch between...

I've done that (Twin and Vox AC15 HW), but it's a major schlepp to cart around two amps.

... so someone should put them into one? :?

If you want a small Marshall head then this is the one.

As a proud Class5 Owner here is the deal. I if you want a small full valve amp that you can lug around to practice and small gigs, that you can pretty much crank to the max at practice (and yes she'll compete with a drummer.), like it dirty as hell and like not to fiddle to much with the sound of your amp, this amp is perfect. This is a one trick pony, but it is one hell of a trick. If something happened to mine, I'll go right out and buy another one. Yes I had issues with my first one but then got a working one. Once the warranty expires I'll get a couple of mods though.

The class 5 can definately hang with a drummer, used mine quite a bit at practice. I also modded it a fair bit and think it sounds even better 8)

Gearhead wrote:

Alan Ratcliffe wrote:

Kalcium wrote: I think the ideal would be a situation where you have a clean amp and a dirty amp that you then switch between...

I've done that (Twin and Vox AC15 HW), but it's a major schlepp to cart around two amps.

... so someone should put them into one? :?

Done... and it costs less than those 2 amps combined!
its the Kemper ?

nick wrote: The class 5 can definately hang with a drummer, used mine quite a bit at practice. I also modded it a fair bit and think it sounds even better 8)

What mods do you have?

Jayhell wrote:

nick wrote: The class 5 can definately hang with a drummer, used mine quite a bit at practice. I also modded it a fair bit and think it sounds even better 8)

What mods do you have?

Swopped out quite a few of the caps/resistors for ones of different values to voice is slightly differently. There is a really long post on the one les paul forum explaining it, will see if I can find it again.

Norman86 wrote:

Gearhead wrote:

Alan Ratcliffe wrote:

Kalcium wrote: I think the ideal would be a situation where you have a clean amp and a dirty amp that you then switch between...

I've done that (Twin and Vox AC15 HW), but it's a major schlepp to cart around two amps.

... so someone should put them into one? :?

Done... and it costs less than those 2 amps combined!
its the Kemper ?

I was also doing it at one stage, a solid state 100watt Yamaha for my cleans, and the 4 watt Vox for overdrive. Like Alan says, a real pain to cart around.
That was what was behind my amp build and having a 15 watt clean channel and a 2 watt drive channel. I'll still post a clip to show the amp being switched between the two channels. I also have the option of using the drive channel in 15watt mode as well.

I'd like to get the mod where you route the headphones to the speaker out and it's a quarter watter. Also a standby switch would be nice. I think it's such a simple machine anything is possible.

Jayhell wrote: I'd like to get the mod where you route the headphones to the speaker out and it's a quarter watter. Also a standby switch would be nice. I think it's such a simple machine anything is possible.

The headphone wattage cut is a whole single wire and two areas to solder. Not really worth it to be honest, cuts the volume too much and it gets too grainy

Anyone got a Class5 head?

BUMMER . . . and i thought they was on a winning number with this one.

This could have been Marshall's 'Blues Jr.' Looks like it was not !

Luckily i have my combo safely in my house.

That Slash AFD combo is going to be over priced in the US, and even more so over here !