CLASS 5 BAD RATTLES

[ilovedonna]

I'm sure that was a typing error ilovedonna, it's an EL84 in there.

Yeah right..
I installed a rubber that is made for tubes around the el84 and the rattles have been reduced by 95%..
But the tone of the amp sounds a bit different..Is that possible for the tone to change with that rubber?

[LivewireBlanco]

The microphonics produced by rattling could have been affecting the tone.

[JQRiff]

After a 3 + month wait, my Class 5 finally arrived. While waiting, I was reading about the rattle issue and was relieved when I read on one of these threads that the problem had been address after the first 40-50 had been shipped.

So I eagerly pull the Class 5 out of the box - and it is a thing of beauty. I go to plug it in - hmmmm, no power cord with it. Funny, no paperwork at all - no manual, no warranty card. The box appeared to be factory sealed. So I grab another power cord, plug in my LP and voila - rattling like mad and seemed much louder than what others had posted. What a tremendous disappointment after the long wait to get it. So it's going back for a replacement and hopefully I'll have better luck with #2.

I can tell that it's a killer amp - but i can't get beyond the rattling. I'll follow up on #2.

[slowpokerhino]

Welcome JQRiff.

That really sucks man. Where did you order it from?

[porterburst]

After a 3 + month wait, my Class 5 finally arrived. While waiting, I was reading about the rattle issue and was relieved when I read on one of these threads that the problem had been address after the first 40-50 had been shipped.

So I eagerly pull the Class 5 out of the box - and it is a thing of beauty. I go to plug it in - hmmmm, no power cord with it. Funny, no paperwork at all - no manual, no warranty card. The box appeared to be factory sealed. So I grab another power cord, plug in my LP and voila - rattling like mad and seemed much louder than what others had posted. What a tremendous disappointment after the long wait to get it. So it's going back for a replacement and hopefully I'll have better luck with #2.

I can tell that it's a killer amp - but i can't get beyond the rattling. I'll follow up on #2.

The power cord and manual is at the bottom of the box in the middle under the cardboard.


Got my green Class 5 yesterday, and played it for a few hours with my Les Pauls. No rattle at all!

[djbguitar]

Received the Class 5 earlier today from Sweetwater.com (great company), opened the box, warmed up the amp and plugged in my LP and man was I blown away. Not only is it a gorgeous looking amplifier but the tone, my God man the tone and pure rock this machine delivers is unparalleled. Sadly, the rattling was just too much to bare. So, I opened it up and tinkered. I found the metal chassis is just too flimsy and all the little metal pieces can't handle the volume of the speaker without rattling. I removed the chassis from the speaker box and found that when the chassis wasnt touching the wood, there was no rattling whatsoever. Man, it was like heaven to my ears. So, I thought well maybe if I pad the chassis and pad the inside of the box, like I've seen from other posts, it would help dampen the rattle. Well, I spent over 2 hours placing felt all over the inside of the chassis, placing it between the metal and the wood. I even removed the speaker and placed felt between where the speaker and the wood touch...... It was all for nothing guys. :'( That little b*tch still rattled. But, I tell you what, I'm so blown away by what she sounds like that I am going to ask/beg/demand for a replacement and if I get another with the same problem, I may just find some some repair shop crazy enough to help me get it fixed up regardless of the price.

I'm taking it to a buddy of mine, so I can stare at it and cry while someone else watches, maybe we'll think of someway to fix it before I send it back tomorrow.

I'll let you guys know.

First post here at MVM. You guys are great! Proud to be a member now.

[Lowdown]

Welcome to the(sadly for you) C5 (rattle) Club. :cuss

[porterburst]

Received the Class 5 earlier today from Sweetwater.com (great company), opened the box, warmed up the amp and plugged in my LP and man was I blown away. Not only is it a gorgeous looking amplifier but the tone, my God man the tone and pure rock this machine delivers is unparalleled. Sadly, the rattling was just too much to bare. So, I opened it up and tinkered. I found the metal chassis is just too flimsy and all the little metal pieces can't handle the volume of the speaker without rattling. I removed the chassis from the speaker box and found that when the chassis wasnt touching the wood, there was no rattling whatsoever. Man, it was like heaven to my ears. So, I thought well maybe if I pad the chassis and pad the inside of the box, like I've seen from other posts, it would help dampen the rattle. Well, I spent over 2 hours placing felt all over the inside of the chassis, placing it between the metal and the wood. I even removed the speaker and placed felt between where the speaker and the wood touch...... It was all for nothing guys. :'( That little b*tch still rattled. But, I tell you what, I'm so blown away by what she sounds like that I am going to ask/beg/demand for a replacement and if I get another with the same problem, I may just find some some repair shop crazy enough to help me get it fixed up regardless of the price.

I'm taking it to a buddy of mine, so I can stare at it and cry while someone else watches, maybe we'll think of someway to fix it before I send it back tomorrow.

I'll let you guys know.

First post here at MVM. You guys are great! Proud to be a member now.

If you padded the cab, the problem is the tube ratainer vibrating or just bad
tubes. I bet it's microphonic tubes.

[surfnorthwest]

djbguitar welcom to the forum! I have to admire your determination to get the rattle to go away. You are correct that Sweetwater is #1, When you send the amp back as your sales engineer to personally take the new one out of the box and crank it to verify no issues before they forward it to you.

I am still sitting on the sideline with this amp, before I buy one I want to be confident the "fix" is in the pipeline. Don't need a Class 5 but at it's price I want to take it to our cabin and leave it there.

[Lowdown]

Why are we even STILL discussing this!?

Unbelievable...

[surfnorthwest]

Why are we even STILL discussing this!?

Unbelievable...

Because there seems to be Class 5 amps still being sold that have the issue. I would have hoped that all the amps that have this issue would have been off the market. If guys are buying this amp and need to find some answers then this forum is as good as anywhere to get it. Having said that I honestly do not know what is/has taken place with the issue but I do know Marshall is fully aware and will get it right, When that is I do not know

[djbguitar]

djbguitar welcom to the forum! I have to admire your determination to get the rattle to go away. You are correct that Sweetwater is #1, When you send the amp back as your sales engineer to personally take the new one out of the box and crank it to verify no issues before they forward it to you.

I am still sitting on the sideline with this amp, before I buy one I want to be confident the "fix" is in the pipeline. Don't need a Class 5 but at it's price I want to take it to our cabin and leave it there.

Sent the class 5 back today. Spoke with my sweetwater engineer and he said they're expecting a new batch next week. Suppose I should shoot him an email and ask for them to test drive the amp before they mail it out. Good thinking surfnorthwest.

[JQRiff]

I got mine from Sweetwater as well. They promised me they would check out the one they send as a replacement and they have been really great to work with in the past.

I really hope this can be resolved - this is very much the amp I've been waiting for in terms of size, sound and power. I love how it gets into crunch mode when I have it up only around 9-10 o'clock - just perfect.

I'll keep you posted. This is a really great forum - great information and support!

[Lowdown]

Why are we even STILL discussing this!?

Unbelievable...

Because there seems to be Class 5 amps still being sold that have the issue. I would have hoped that all the amps that have this issue would have been off the market. If guys are buying this amp and need to find some answers then this forum is as good as anywhere to get it. Having said that I honestly do not know what is/has taken place with the issue but I do know Marshall is fully aware and will get it right, When that is I do not know

surf,
you took me wrong mate...what you wrote is exactly what I was alluding to.
I cannot believe that this problem STILL exists after...god,I've lost count...going on a year maybe?
Totally unacceptable!

[BenjiJuanKenobi]

I have to admit that I want one of these amps, but the rattle issue has put me off. I wish I knew that the rate of failure was. You hear so much about the bad ones that it makes you wonder how bad the problem really is. I also wonder whether online retailers bother with sending the defective ones back to Marshall or just ship them to the next customer who orders one.