Marshall Class 5 Valve Guitar Combo Amp

In a world where people expect Marshall to keep achieving more, sometimes great things come along in a small package. Marshall Amplification is proud to announce the newest member of the family, the Marshall Class 5 Combo.

The Marshall Class5 Combo Amp is a step back from fancy midi switching, effects loops and multi-channel amplifiers. Class5 delivers all-valve pure tone in a simple format which puts you, as a guitarist directly in contact with the amplifier's raw abilities and tone. The 5W output allows you to really drive the amplifier to a level where both the pre-amp and power amplifier stages deliver to their full potential for an unmistakeable all-valve playing experience, without traditional high volume levels. The Class5 answers the needs of both novice players and artists alike. At last, the valve sound, sensation and all-valve power of a Marshall stack, but in a more compact lower wattage amplifier.

The Marshall Class 5 is built to the highest and uncompromising standards at our UK factory. Whether it's for use at home, in the studio, rehearsal or small gig, the Class 5 is up to the job. Its simple layout and compact size makes the life of a guitarist a lot easier, enabling them to achieve a great valve tone anywhere.

Great Looks

Combining elements of classic looks, the Class5 will appeal to users who like a more traditional styling.

The Marshall Class5 'top loading' format is indicative of more traditional Marshall combo amplifiers. This format makes navigating the controls on the fly very easy without having to crouch down to find the right dials. Finished in traditional Black Levant covering and the same fret cloth as used on other traditional Marshall amplifiers and furnished with the highest cabinet components, the Class5 stands out in the crowd with its true Marshall pedigree.

The cabinet's looks and quality don't end at what you can see. Underneath the vinyl covering is a quality, hand-built, birch ply cabinet using traditional finger joints for additional strength and superior tone. Every Class5 is subject to Marshall's rigorous testing procedure and quality control, meaning that not only can it achieve fantastic tone but it also lives up to the requirements of roadworthiness that is dictated by every guitarist.

Pure Marshall Tone

The incredible thing about the Marshall Class 5 Combo Amplifier is its volume, it is 5 Watts of REAL valve power, much louder than many would expect. Also, it is impossible to mistake its true class A tone, richer in second harmonic distortion making it pleasant sounding to the ear. The simple layout of the controls for the Marshall Class 5 makes easy work of reaching great tone. On the front panel there are just four controls: Volume, Bass, Middle and Treble.

After setting your required volume, it's a simple matter of adjusting the EQ controls to suit the tone you want. Starting with the volume at a low level, you will find a bright clean sound, ideal for more lyrical moments. Winding it up to around half, you achieve the classic crunch sound associated with all Marshall valve amplifiers, and on from there, plenty of gain for solos and heavier style rhythm.

The Class5 pre-amp uses two ECC83 (12AX7) double triode valves and the power amp contains just a single EL84 pentode valve helping to provide that authentic Marshall tone.

In order to harness the tone of the Class5 Marshall worked in conjunction with speaker manufacturer Celestion to develop a speaker driver that allowed the Marshall Class 5 to reach its full potential. Housed in the combo cabinet is the 10" Celestion G10F-15, specially designed for the Class5 which enables the small combo to deliver a sound that is open enough to appreciate the fullness of harmonics in the amplifier, whilst retaining a defined edge and shape to the sound. The biggest advantage that the G10F-15 delivers to the Marshall Class 5 is amazing bottom end, which is often lacking in combos of this smaller size.

As well as the dedicated combo speaker it is also possible to connect the Class 5 to any other 16Ω Marshall Amplification cabinet for those who wish to experiment with the potential of other speaker types. Plugged into a 4x12" 1960 Marshall cabinet the Class 5 Combo takes on a whole new personality, adding the bottom end resonance of a larger cabinet.

In Practice Class5 makes perfect

Marshall Amplification understands that even the most dedicated guitarist cannot always play their amplifier cranked up. In the home environment, on the tour bus or backstage, sometimes being able to play in private is an essential part of practice. When 5W of all-valve power is simply too much, or for those late night practices, Marshall has included the added feature of a Headphone output socket on the rear of the amplifier. When you switch from speaker mode into the headphone mode you can practice in silence, meaning that you never have to go un-plugged again.