Is this the best small Marshall amp? Marshall Class 5 Demo and Review

How do you get that classic cranked Marshall sound without destroying the foundations of your house? Get a small amp! The Marshall Class 5 is a 5-watt amplifier that was dubbed as the ‘Mini Bluesbreaker’ when it was released. Does it achieve that classic tone? Let’s find out …
#guitar #marshall #bluesbreaker #guitartone

[@larryholmes1833]

For $250 used, it’s a no brainer. First of all, put a 5751 in V1. For speaker, you’ll want a Greenback. Keep bass low (like 1 or 2), middle at 50-75%, and turn treble all the way up. You’re welcome

[@ashleyguitarandpedals]

Thanks! I’ll give it a try 🙌🏻👍

[@sirreal6271]

That amp is worth millions! Jimmy Hendrix once pissed on it.

[@ashleyguitarandpedals]

I’ll be sure to put that in the description if ever I sell it! 👍😂🙌🏻

[@weaselsuit]

He’s clever enough to quote “The Young Ones”. Well played…

[@FRCMoto]

Nice review man. Great coverage of the various sounds. I bought a Class 5 head a couple of months ago. Running through a Laney 2x12, this this thing is sweet Marshall tones through and through. I anticipate them getting more popular again with fewer people opting for 100 watt ear bleeders. I'm hanging onto mine and playing it every day!

[@ashleyguitarandpedals]

Thanks! I’ve been toying with the idea of trying it through some different speaker cabs. What speakers are in your Laney cab? I agree - I think small amps are making a comeback! 🙌🏻

[@FRCMoto]

​@@ashleyguitarandpedalsThey are Laney speakers. They call them Custom HH. I think they sound good across many types of music.

[@ashleyguitarandpedals]

Great! Thanks 👍

[@PainterDans]

I just bought one because of your video. And that thing will give me tone like I never had, it’s a $400 5 watt plexi Things magic

[@ashleyguitarandpedals]

Fantastic! 🙌🏻 Where’s the ‘sweet spot’ when turning the volume knob for you?

[@PainterDans]

@@ashleyguitarandpedals Bass 1, Mids 7, Treble 10, Volume 7. EVH 4x12 20 Watt greenbacks.

[@yaniv-nos-tubes]

hi. sounds great. i had one of those ,i upgraded the speaker to a greenback 10" and swapped the stock v1 tube for an old mullard. big improvement.

[@ashleyguitarandpedals]

Thanks! It seems like those upgrades are very popular - I’ll give it a go! 👍

[@RoyVandevender]

I run mine thru a Marshall 4×12 with greenback. Turn it up to 4 o'clock. Run a pedalboard with ODs etc . Volume pedal keeps it regulated. Perfect onstage volume n tone .

[@ashleyguitarandpedals]

I think I’ll do the same - the tone was sweet at 4 o’clock - it became a bit too fuzzy and was limiting any further up than that. I also found that it has a shrill top end when pushed beyond 4 o’clock, especially with my strat - do you find the same thing or is it just showing up the cheap pickups on my strat? 😬

[@justinainsworth6264]

@@ashleyguitarandpedals Marshalls in general really like the guitar volume to be backed off in that 8-9 range to tame the harshness, my old 70s 4 holer included. Don't be afraid to dime the treble and middle knobs and control the top end/gain from the guitar volume(no treble bleed). Great hairy cleans through crunchy rhythms to leads just from the guitar volume. The classic Marshall circuits were voiced around no treble bleeds on guitars and players controlling stage volume with the guitar volume. Which can indeed sound quite harsh with the guitar on 10.

[@rumy6871]

@@ashleyguitarandpedals EQ pedal to sculpt the sound helps with the amp. It is a nice one to own.

[@ashleyguitarandpedals]

The thanks for the tips! I’ll try the volume control with my guitar 🙌🏻

[@BigJohnDeere100]

​@rumy6871 an MXR EQ or Boss eq would really bring out the Marshally tonez for sure! Also, try the classic SD-1 Yellow overdrive 🍻🕶🤘

[@CharlieMoney77]

Irony. The same people bashing the quality of this amp probably think Epiphone is better than Gibson. 😂

[@z3pp9]

Grea review! I'm lucky owner of one and I won't let it go. This amp is very underrated!

[@ashleyguitarandpedals]

Thanks! 🙌🏻 I agree! 👍

[@CBGypsy03]

I have a pin up version and it rocks. The option to run it threw a cab is great too. 😊

[@ashleyguitarandpedals]

I didn’t even know that was a thing! … I just googled it and now I have to have one! 🤣 Looks amazing! 👍🙌🏻

[@CBGypsy03]

@ashleyguitarandpedals Haha ya they are sweet little units. Don't find them to often. Good luck 👍🏼

[@richardsmith9615]

I was gutted a few years back to miss out on an SL5. I tried the Class 5 afterwards and it wasn't close, unfortunately. So I just went safe and bought a Fender Champ clone (Sub Zero 5w, fantastic on cleans and when pushed with a pedal) and an HT-1

[@ashleyguitarandpedals]

Do you run the Sub Zero and HT-1 in a dual amp rig?

[@richardsmith9615]

@@ashleyguitarandpedals Oh, no, sorry, I just use both separately for practice. I needed something quiet for neighbours. I have experimented running both out into an Engl 1x10 though, which is quite interesting.

[@SearchingForTone]

Sounds Great 😎🤙

[@ashleyguitarandpedals]

👍🙌🏻

[@darwinsaye]

Those clean tones sound like the amp’s sitting at the bottom of a full swimming pool. I work mainly in the clean to edge of breakup zone and I like glassy cleans, so I prefer the sound of the Origin 20.

[@ashleyguitarandpedals]

I agree! It didn’t sound quite that muddy in the room, but I’ve found that you need to crank the mids and highs at low volume to get a usable tone. I guess the EQ is set like that because when the amp starts to break up, the highs start coming through much more!

[@richardsmith9615]

It could have something to do with how it was mic'd. If the volume was set for a driven sound, then maybe there was a little too much headroom when playing at low gain, which would explain some of the muddyness imo. Just a theory, anyway.

[@ashleyguitarandpedals]

I think it’s just not designed to run at very low volumes 💁🏻‍♂️

[@chadhagene7665]

Great video!

[@ashleyguitarandpedals]

Thanks! ☺️

[@edwardcornish5086]

What specifically about the build quality are you referring to?

[@ashleyguitarandpedals]

I don’t remember mentioning the build quality - are you asking someone else who has commented? There have been a few people saying that the build quality isn’t great - I know that at some point in the run, Marshall made changes to the quality of the cabinet construction, but beyond that I am relying on the wisdom of other contributors to this comment section for insight! I hope that answers your question! 👍

[@edwardcornish5086]

Yes I was replying to another comment, I have one of these amps and it’s a great small amp take on the Marshall sound. I’ve heard the version 1 with the one piece back was prone to rattling. I have the version 2 with the valves mounted horizontally and I’ve never had issues.

[@JaimeCerrada]

It's not but... it's an underrated amplifier. It's a bit of a poorly built amp. Passed out of favour, even though it's a pretty decent/nice amp for what it can cost you nowadays second hand.

[@ashleyguitarandpedals]

A few people have said that it’s poorly built - what in particular should I look out for in terms of faults? 😬

[@JaimeCerrada]

​@@ashleyguitarandpedals The main PCB, the potentiometers, the handle, etc are made of cheap materials. Circuit design could be improved, it has some vibrations issues with the power valve... despite all this, is a nice amp for the money. I had one, sold it and I regret it.

[@ashleyguitarandpedals]

Pretty much everything has some sort of fault or build quality issue then! 😂 Well this one is in great condition, so here’s hoping it has got plenty of use left before something goes wrong! I feel your pain - there are plenty of bits of gear I have sold over the years that I regret selling! 😢

[@kix5284]

Yet no one seems to complain about any of those things failing​@@JaimeCerrada

[@BIG-NEPENTHA]

Troppo fuzz marshall class 5

[@ashleyguitarandpedals]

It does get pretty hairy!

[@mtbmadman011]

In my humble opinion it is so not anything worth mentioning. Manufacturing quality is less than shite

[@ashleyguitarandpedals]

Fair enough! By the looks of things, this one doesn’t seem to have done very many ‘miles’, so time will tell what the quality is of this particular example. What do you reckon a better alternative is to get that cranked Marshall tone from a small amp?

[@kix5284]

I disagree.

[@chadhagene7665]

These amps have been out a while and Ive not heard of any issues other than the tube rattle on the 1st versions. Maybe your thinking of the origin amps?

[@CBGypsy03]

Disagree too ! Mines killer, little head speaker combo. Rips

[@ganjaman8948]

I selled Yesterday after 10 years togheter,worst ampli

[@ashleyguitarandpedals]

👍

[@CBGypsy03]

Smoke another one 😆 🤣

[@ganjaman8948]

@@CBGypsy03 always !!!