Searcy Posted December 30, 2011 Posted December 30, 2011 I'm thinking of trading my Epi Valve Jr stack against one of these. Revision 2 of this amp has a headphone output and a low 1/2 watt setting and it comes in GREEN!!
Riffster Posted December 30, 2011 Posted December 30, 2011 I would love to do the same thing, where do you think you can get a trade like that? the Epi Valve Jr. Head does not have a great resale vaue and the cab doesn't either, I rarely use mine but don't want to sell it for a low price.
dbreslauer Posted December 30, 2011 Posted December 30, 2011 you could convert your valve junior into a "Baby Will." i've heard GREAT things about this, and the board is not very expensive either... seems like it might be a fun project too! guitaramplifierpcbs.com
Searcy Posted December 30, 2011 Author Posted December 30, 2011 I figure I can get $100 for my little Epi stack which is what I gave for it . Guitar Center has the Class 5 used for $299. So I can get out the door at about $220 total. I'm good with that.
Riffster Posted December 30, 2011 Posted December 30, 2011 Oh yea, you are golden, I bought my Epi stack new and changed the output transformer so I am in it for full price. I saw two Marshall class 5 at GC last week, did not check whether it was the 2011 model or not.
thejay Posted December 30, 2011 Posted December 30, 2011 I just got a head for Christmas, it's an awesome amp
Rocky4 Posted December 30, 2011 Posted December 30, 2011 I love mine. Not much head room, and there is a honky midrange to it, but it's a perfect low watt amp. I can crank it, and not rattle the windows on the low output setting
badbluesplayer Posted December 30, 2011 Posted December 30, 2011 Great amp. Low power mode is pretty quiet. Sounds great when you crank it up. It can get a little flabby at really high volumes - past 12:00 - depending on the hardness of the power tube you use. Better for humbuckers out of the box, but with a couple of easy mods it sounds much better with the strat type single coils too. I like the 1x10 speaker. The cab is supposed to be 16 ohms but according to the guy who designed it, Steve D on Marshall Vintage Modern Forum, you can run it thru anything that's 4 to 16 ohms.
Searcy Posted January 1, 2012 Author Posted January 1, 2012 I like it but I'm already looking at doing some mods.
lagerfanny Posted January 1, 2012 Posted January 1, 2012 Oh well done, Congrats, she's a great looker! what mods do you have in mind?
bluesguitar65 Posted January 1, 2012 Posted January 1, 2012 Nice white Marshall class 5. Did you compare the tone with the regular black class 5? Rumors has it that Marshall slightly tweaked the white class 5 with a bit more gain.
Searcy Posted January 1, 2012 Author Posted January 1, 2012 Hmmmm... I'm gonna guess that the rumor is BS. I played a black one at GC for a good white then I bought the white one as it was used and a lot less expensive. I don't think there's a lot of difference in tone. One foolish mistake I did make was that the amp I came home with is the older version called the MK1 Class 5. It has the cabinet rattle that some have reported on them and it does not have the "Bed Room" mod from the factory as the new MK2 versions do. It seems Marshall really listened to the early Class 5 users and added in the most popular mods as factory items. I like that. I'm kind of a handy guy though so I'll tackle those myself and document them here so you can all watch. There is also a cool Master Volume mod you can do to these that makes it more usable.
mayer_shabetay Posted January 1, 2012 Posted January 1, 2012 What a beeter way to start the new year!!!!!!! Congrats and ejoy it !!!!! Make it go to 11 done
pippy Posted January 1, 2012 Posted January 1, 2012 Great find! ...There is also a cool Master Volume mod you can do to these that makes it more usable. Now THAT would make it a far more tempting purchase from my point of view. I have neighbours........ P.
Rocky4 Posted January 1, 2012 Posted January 1, 2012 I'm kind of a handy guy though so I'll tackle those myself and document them here so you can all watch. There is also a cool Master Volume mod you can do to these that makes it more usable. This amp stopped my search for a low watt tube amp. I like a it a lot more than my ACTV4, which I sold. As far as low watt amps go, I don't think a normal listening level is possible with an amp. Strumming an acoustic at 2:00 A.M. is gonna cause problems in an apartment situation. So, it stands to reason that any amp would be a no-no. If you live in an apartment, you're just outta luck.. I used a plastic battery powered Fender when I lived in an apartment. I really liked the sound, but even it was too loud for late night playing.
lagerfanny Posted January 1, 2012 Posted January 1, 2012 This is a handy mod for the Mk1 combo, http://www.ratvalveamps.com/marshall-class-5-combo
Searcy Posted January 3, 2012 Author Posted January 3, 2012 Ripped her open last night and did the first mod. The "Bed Room" mod is stupidly easy to to and brings the old MK1 up the the standard of the new amps. Adding the white wire is a cool trick that, when the head phone jack is turned on, routs the signal to the internal 10" speaker if no head phone is actually plugged in. This make the amp sound like a 1/4 watt amp allowing you to turn it up all the way and still not desturb the wife when she's watching "What Not To Wear".
Searcy Posted January 3, 2012 Author Posted January 3, 2012 Any rattle issue? Yep, I'll be pinning that down next.
Guest farnsbarns Posted January 3, 2012 Posted January 3, 2012 Ripped her open last night and did the first mod. The "Bed Room" mod is stupidly easy to to and brings the old MK1 up the the standard of the new amps. Adding the white wire is a cool trick that, when the head phone jack is turned on, routs the signal to the internal 10" speaker if no head phone is actually plugged in. This make the amp sound like a 1/4 watt amp allowing you to turn it up all the way and still not desturb the wife when she's watching "What Not To Wear". Such a simple board, I'd be ripping it out and hand wiring it.
Guest farnsbarns Posted January 3, 2012 Posted January 3, 2012 Why? Seems a funny question... But here goes... It would be fun. It would be educational. You'd end up with a more robust, and therefore, reliable, amp. There is a good scope to improve signal path (some of thos tracks are quite long). One could/I would use ceramic valve sockets. Not having the sockets soldered to a board will reduce the risk of dry joints, common on board mounted valve sockets. One could/I would use shop absorbing mounts One could/I would wire the jack sockets (another common point of failure). It's going to get modded anyway, why not make it better and easier to mod as well. It would make switchable tone caps much easier. One would have a hand wired class 5 which is just cool. And last but not least, I'd want to. Now I'll ask you, with respect, why not?
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