Class 5 Resurrection

[drpietrzak]

As the other Class 5 thread, which was started off nicely by the OP, was derailed I thought I would start one over here. Maybe it will go nowhere.

I have now played the class 5 with a number of cabs. In the Marshall board the Class 5 designer indicated the amp can handle an 8 ohm cab. I have tried it with these with no issues. I think it lowers the headroom slightly. But you are on your own should you go there - experimenter beware. It has done very well with the 1x12 and 2x12 open and closed cabs I have tried. I tried it with the following:

1x12 open with C12N (newer style with a lot of hours on speaker)
2x12 closed V30s Avatar vintage style cab (a fair bit of time on the speaker)
2x12 closed Crate cab with a Swamp Thang and Texas Heat (played each separately as it is a stereo cab)
1x12 with 100w Weber Blue Dog (about 40 hours on the speaker)
2x12 closed lopo with Emi v12's (about 40 hours on the speakers)
1x12 semi closed solid pine with a C-Rex (a lot of hours on speaker)

The amp sounds very nice with a 12" speaker. More classic greenback with the stock speaker (still breaking it in). The others sounded like a hybrid BLuesbreaker-plexi into each of these set ups. Each a differing voice, but much as you would expect such a hybrid to sound. It is way louder than I can typically play at home with these when it is into the driven Marshall sound. There is a lot more bass, especially with the Swamp Thang. In most cases I had to lower the bass a lot over the 1x10 stock speaker.

It is not the Tweaker. It is very definitely a Marshall voiced amp with the basically one trick that such a Marshall does. The Tweaker cleans are better to me. The drive in the Tweaker is very good, but not as gritty Marshall as the Class 5. These 2 amps compliment each other well.

There is also some sort of .25 watt mod that can be done to these. I have not tried to figure it out.

[SirJackdeFuzz]

Re: Class 5 Resurrection

GREAT info man . . . thank you very much for posting.

How did the character change from the stock speaker to when you pluged it the Swamp Thang ?

And with all your experience, what do you think a 25W Greenback will bring to the tonal character ?

Again, thank you for your insight.

[drpietrzak]

Re: Class 5 Resurrection

GREAT info man . . . thank you very much for posting.

How did the character change from the stock speaker to when you pluged it the Swamp Thang ?

And with all your experience, what do you think a 25W Greenback will bring to the tonal character ?

Again, thank you for your insight.

The stock speaker and a greenback would, to me seem pretty much the same -with the 12" being fuller sounding.

The ST is a very articulate speaker that has a lot of low end. More fender than British in voice. The amp has a lot more bass with a 12" and the ST really pushed that aspect. It is a tight low element though and not real loose like my 5e3. The ST deals well withe 5e3 bass, and just required me to dial it back a bit more and push the mids a bit more. I really like that speaker for the cleans. But it adds a bit of the fender touch to the amp.

[SirJackdeFuzz]

Re: Class 5 Resurrection

The stock speaker and a greenback would, to me seem pretty much the same -with the 12" being fuller sounding.

The ST is a very articulate speaker that has a lot of low end. More fender than British in voice. The amp has a lot more bass with a 12" and the ST really pushed that aspect. It is a tight low element though and not real loose like my 5e3. The ST deals well withe 5e3 bass, and just required me to dial it back a bit more and push the mids a bit more. I really like that speaker for the cleans. But it adds a bit of the fender touch to the amp.

W O W . . . i never thought i'd ever hear that a stock speaker is so "good" that is almost make the allmighty 25W Greenback unnessesary.

Again, thank you very much for the info.
Much appreciated.


After though :

I take it the stock amp with a 1X12 ext cab, loaded w a Swamp Thang will sound fanastic.

[drpietrzak]

Re: Class 5 Resurrection

If the ST is voiced like you like here it will be fantastic. I tend more towards the Emi V12's or V30's for driven and the C-Rex or Blue Dog for cleans. But that is just my preference. The Texas Heat has a nice feel to it for the just breaking tones as well.

[Ayrton]

Re: Class 5 Resurrection

Several owners on the Marshall board have gone back to the stock speaker saying it works best.

I would be tempted to try a 10" greenback, but I am sure there will be several "class 5" amps shown at NAMM.

[DankStar]

Re: Class 5 Resurrection

Several owners on the Marshall board have gone back to the stock speaker saying it works best.

I would be tempted to try a 10" greenback, but I am sure there will be several "class 5" amps shown at NAMM.

do you have the white beast by now?

[Ayrton]

Re: Class 5 Resurrection

do you have the white beast by now?

Why I have no idea what you are referring to sir (wink wink).

[DankStar]

Re: Class 5 Resurrection

Why I have no idea what you are referring to sir (wink wink).

hopefully these walls don't have ears.

[Ayrton]

Re: Class 5 Resurrection

Well if there were such an amp, and I am not saying there is, but if there were... It would be coming home tomorrow.

[DankStar]

Re: Class 5 Resurrection

Well if there were such an amp, and I am not saying there is, but if there were... It would be coming home tomorrow.

a hypothetical "yay"!

[Empty Pockets]

Re: Class 5 Resurrection

Mine is still awesome since the last thread...


Makes my wang look huge by comparison

[drpietrzak]

Re: Class 5 Resurrection

W O W . . . i never thought i'd ever hear that a stock speaker is so "good" that is almost make the almighty 25W Greenback unnecessary.

Again, thank you very much for the info. Much appreciated.

After though :

I take it the stock amp with a 1X12 ext cab, loaded w a Swamp Thang will sound fantastic.

Here is what someone on another board had to say when they compared the stock speaker to a greenback directly. I play the greenback now and then but it is not one of my favorites.

"The Celestion G10 Greenback is in and I am digging it although it less efficient at 95db which may bring it to just below where I need it to be volume wise with the band, not sure yet.

But tonally, its all greenback and the amp leans toward a more plexi vibe now of course with accentuated mids and top beyond the stock G10F-15 speaker but I have to say, the stock speaker is a winner too, well suited to give this 5 watt some versatility. Marshall and Celestion did their homework there and I can see the value in it especially when you consider the cost of the amp.

The stock speaker is slightly heavier which means a larger magnet, more efficient and has later onset of breakup so the cleans are cleaner in this 5 watt amp and overall the amp is louder with the G10F-15 than with the G10M-30 Greenback. In OD it does a good job of giving up some greenback like growl although slightly darker but in a good way.

Would hope to see the specs on the stock speaker someday, to my ears its like a 10" version of the G12H in some ways and I know from experience for the last 2 months, it allows this 5watt amp to hang with the band which is unbelievable for a 5 watt amp.

My hats off to the G10F-15 so if you do some speaker swapping, hang onto it for reference or to go back to, its a sure thing wink wink!

The 10" Greenback I threw in this weekend has more crunch of course and is somewhat brighter and more aggressive, great sounding speaker for solo's and I have found it gives it up sooner to where I am just using the les paul with a pearly gates, cord into amp and there is more OD with everything dimed compared to the G10F, characteristic of more speaker breakup with some nice midrange overtones on sustained chords.

It really seems to push the amps to more toward plexi and tends to mask he fact that your playing an el84. The el84 sweetness, which imo kind of gave this amp a slight voxy vibe with warmer rounder mids, is countered with the G10M-30's early onset of speaker breakup which is crunchy and responsive, more focused mids and trebles.

The idea of this amp was just for home practice but since it hangs with the band and is easier to grab and go, I now have to have it at these practice sessions for old school simplicity and we do classic rock, blues country, some modern stuff so with a few pedals it cover it all.

If I find myself not hearing the amp, I will put the G10M-30 in a 1x12 for a recording cab or stage ext cab and may try the Scumback SA10H-75 which has 98db sensitivity, may give me the greenback tone but at the volume level the stock speaker delivers which has me wondering what it really is, it is a sleeper speaker.

But bottom line, tonally loving the new G10M-30, great speaker, would be the real deal in a 2x10 or 4x10." (http://www.thegearpage.net/board/sho...=656090&page=6)

[SirJackdeFuzz]

Re: Class 5 Resurrection

. . . ^^^ thank you very much for posting !

Can't wait to get mine.
9 more days to go !



EDIT : now i really want to experiment with various speakers.

12" Swamp Thang
12" Greenback
10" Emi Delta Demon
12" WGS Reaper (55hz model)
Various 10" & 12 " Jensens

[SirJackdeFuzz]

Re: Class 5 Resurrection

Makes me wonder . . .

. . . will this Class 5 be to Marshall, what the Blues Jr is to Fender ?

The next low wattage modern Classic ?