Marshall Class 5 & Vox AC4: face to face

[PsychedelicRoadshow]

oh -and by far, one of the best comparison demos on YT...thanks, man.

[PsychedelicRoadshow]

Is that an original tune at about 1:25 ???

[realdocloco]

@PsychedelicRoadshow : yes it is :-)

[PsychedelicRoadshow]

@realdocloco - Thanks for the reply.

I have been a professional musician for over 26 years and I sincerely enjoyed the tune. (Just thought you would like to know.)

[iroshi73]

bravo

[saulatfive]

Salut Doc, je trouve que les deux amplis ensembles donnent un son pas degueu du tout... j'attends la commande de la cv 50 qui devrait arriver prochainement ^^ merci pour tes vidéos et tes interventions sur les forums !

[HeemNHuggie]

They mesh really good together I think. The Vox has substantially better highs than the Marshall. Perfect for a clean blues tones, and than the Marshall with the thick deeper rock sound.

[Blues6346]

Well, I love them both, so I bought both! I use a Morley ABC switching device to switch between these amps and my Vox AC15TV1H. What a great palette of tones!

[cfnunes]

Great Video!!!

Good comparison for someone who is deciding on one of those...

But..you shouldn't have played then together, now I have to get both and play it together too!!! hehehe

Tnx

[SmithersJones87]

Vox sounds noticable clearer, more sparkly. Especially when played cleanly. Turn the flith up and though they both have their own character, they're both good. Marshall is somewhat more saturated and thicker, while the Vox seems more textured, brighter, edgier, etc etc.

.Really its down to personal taste. I prefer the Vox , but I certainly wouldn't chuck the Marshall back in one's face if it were given to me. The latter does have a headphone jack, which is useful in the middle of the night!

[scobzm8]

such a great demo of both of them!! thanks I've made my mind up ill be getting the vox :)

[audiotrax2000]

I can barely tell the difference. Nice Tele though.

[Rocknweb]

The Vox Vintage Sound !!!

Je pense que le Marshall s'exprime mieux à plus forte puisssance

Bad News pour le porte monaie, les deux ensemble sonne superbement bien !

[DBAmichael]

Great vid and comparison, thanks!

[SwornToMutilate]

WOW! The vox is incredibly good!

[MegaSupyo]

very helpful, thanks

[AdibousGuitar]

Salut! Je voulais savoir, quels sont les réglages du Class 5 dans la vidéo?

Au passage.. Très bonne vidéo :)

[realdocloco]

@AdibousGuitar : difficile de dire, cette vidéo à au moins un an ;-)

[121anz]

marshall is damn warm and classy, vox has much more definition to me...

The winner is playing both as you do in the end!!!

by the way, I love the video and your playing. To use the switch pedal is just perfect for comparison!

[DylanBStringer91]

Vox Hands Down!!!

[reissue]

Interesting how both amps performed in ways typical of the brands signature sounds. For gear in that price range quite an accomplishment. I'll take one of each. Though considering the price difference a better comparison would have been the C5 vs lil Train, IMO of course.

[loukask6]

I believe that saying one more time how great you play etc will not add anything to what others already said.

I own both amps and I can assure everybody that is watching (like I was) and consider to buy one that, the tone differences shown in this video are very accurate. The Vox cannot become darker (OK maybe through tone of guitar) and the Class 5 cannot become brighter (maybe through a EQ pedal).

Anyway it is the most educational video.

Thanks man!

[Elefantenklo23]

Class 5 wins driven, AC4 wins Clean and semi clean in my opinion. Hard to decide which one to buy...I would go for the Class 5 probably.

[SkeletinProductions]

both is best

[5Harring]

I like the vox. IMO the marshall is too muddy sounding

[JacobHilbrich]

how are you switching amps like that? I'd like something like that for live use.

[realdocloco]

@JacobHilbrich : A/B box like the Boss LS-2 used here

[bondman00794]

you should try both with a les paul with p90s

[Dendog]

I thought the Vox sounded slightly better clean but the more you turn up the guitar volume the better the Marshall sounds and the Vox sounds worse. Plus it's kinda ugly. At 1/2 the price, I really wanted to like the Vox.

[Pianoblacks]

Sounds like your guitar needs a setup

[DavidK6633]

those are some very interesting chords there.  What kind are they?

[tombuttner]

Good review. They are not all the different, but definitely enough to make you lean either way. Especially when you raise and lower your volume knob, that really tells the tale of the two amps.

[LukeKaboom]

vox wins for me :) such a awesome amp yet to play on one though :( thats a beautiful tele btw! i would love this set up :( great playing btw :)

[audiotrax2000]

Vox AC4 all the way, although I hate the way it looks. Very well done video. Thank you for doing this.

[aw350meman69]

they both sound great, but the vox matches the tele tone to a TEE, the marshall is great i played it with a gretsch and it sounded fantastic when you push it to it's limits.

[smkonwater23]

For this comparison and setup..VOX AC4 wins all the way. If U said Marshall Class 5, go to Chinese barber to have earwax removed, please. TY. :) Maybe if a humbucker type guitar was on the comparison, the Marshall might like that better. For the Tele (and Strats too I'm sure), the VOX just performs little miracles! IMHO.

[realdocloco]

@smkonwater23 : that's funny how tone taste may differ from one to another - one thing I'm glad about is that I didn't mentionned which amp I personally prefer while recording this video

[paulydanyl]

@realdocloco Well said, de gustibus and all that. For me personally, I really preferred the sounds you got out of the AC4. I like that the clean tones seemed a bit brighter, and the overdriven tones showed a lot more clarity. I can appreciate how the Marshall is voiced though, and would definitely be more at home in a rough and raunchy style of playing, a bit warmer, dirtier, and more saturated.

Thanks for the demo, and keep up the good work.

[TonyGognitti]

@realdocloco

and which amp do you personally prefer then? :D

[sohamorrohit]

@realdocloco

Well I can see you have TWO of those mini VOXes. So.... ;)

[realdocloco]

@sohamorrohit : not really: the other one in the background is an AC15HTV ;-)

[smkonwater23]

@smkonwater23 LOL! Like I said, just on this comparison and setup. I have heard that lil Marshall at Guitar Genter live and it sounded good.

[occupiedbytim]

Vox, easily.

[mostlyrightous]

I think Marshall wins here but Im biased to the Marshall sound. Its probably a matter of taste. Both amps are cool.

[jfrizzlle]

I tried both of them, and the Vox is just better in my opinion

[Faberbr]

vox all the way....

[phoneymalony]

that descending riff near the start is reminiscent of The Stones Back Street Girl, I'm not knocking you by the way, but I love that song to death

[realdocloco]

@phoneymalony : now that you say it, there's something about the chord progression yes - love that song and the whole Between the buttons album btw

[SingleCoilVoodoo]

Fantastic playing...great tones. I would say I dig the Vox more.

[d33ferer]

well it would be better to hear in person but .. class 5 has more body nice melody your playing :D yep class 5 is the winner for me !

[viprock307]

MARSHALL!

[Gham847345]

I like em both! Great playing too,you look relaxed,like your having fun

[fishbowlfire]

Both pretty impressive. Well Done! The VOX is more my sound.

[MrBIOSkunk]

you know why you got so many hits?

well, its cos your songs are friggin awesome!

[papernicolas3]

ac4 all the way

[Rom1970]

VOX

[ksm375]

Thumbs up if Mesa needs to make a small 5 watter!

[Guitar1hero23]

ac4 all the way

[matrags]

For me the Vox wins. The tone just seems sweeter some how. I think I have made my decision. Thanks for the demo mate.

[dyingforastrat]

what song are you starting this demo with, i love it. great work on the whole thing, great sounds on both and playing is great

[realdocloco]

@dyingforastrat : it's a little acoustic piece of mine, thx :-)

[SumThenfancy]

Ted Nugent? just kidding you and him are both great players

[andrewcy17]

@realdocloco its nice does it have a name?

[andrewcy17]

@1:30 is that a real song or just improv?

[realdocloco]

@andrewcy17 : real song of mine

[gregoirenoel]

@realdocloco and can we download it in the internet ? : P

[buzzsaw63]

With that guitar...vox hands down

[isleromanolete]

which amp do you prefer overall? great video and playing btw and sound quality is top notch! You've got yourself one more subscriber.

[realdocloco]

@isleromanolete : personaly, I tend to prefer the Class 5 - it suits me better, but it's really a matter of taste, both amps are brillant.

[ceyhanb]

vox sounds good with single coils, marshall good with humbuckers. my opinion

[booradleymtl]

I find the AC4 darker than its bigger brothers. That said if people ever wonder what "chime" sounds like you can hear it in your AB test. I have to applaud your lack of effects. Too many "demos" with a TS9, EQ, Holy Grail in the chain. Thanks.

[masharms13]

niice review man. I definately prefer the vox i own it and will be buying the cabinet to add to my ac4tv combo. When i purchased i compared to a epi valve jr, marshall class5 and orange tiny terroe and the vox was the best for sure next was the orange but personal preferance may say differnet. ne ways great reviewe keep em coming.

[Lamaprd]

Vox sounds much better for me..

[CelticMandoDude]

Thanks, this is one of the better demo videos I've seen yet.

[ar48171]

I came for the review, I stayed cause of your awesome playing. Do you have a tab for the blues run from 2.00?

[p3droski]

i own an ac4 and i will upgrade it to the mercury transformer package....to give it more thump and cleaner room.

[TommyNegeal]

Thanks -- very informative video. And yeah the riff at 1:30 is sweet.

[slashsound]

What is that awesome sounding riff you play at 1:30 , what song is it from ?

[realdocloco]

@slashsound : it's a song of mine, thx

[eareffect]

What is your personal favorite?

[Rendell05]

I used to Own An AC4, definitely going to re-buy, and the Marshall is something i've only gotten to see online reviews of. regardless, do you have any other classic vibe squiers ? I was comparing the tele to some other guitars in the same range and I was shocked at how low the output was on the one I was playing, have you found this ?

[realdocloco]

@Rendell05 : the Squier CV tele has a rather higher output than many tele's. But it's still a tele, don't expect high output from such a design (and it's fine with me)

[Rendell05]

@realdocloco It must have just been the particular tele I was playing then, because I went back in and compared it with several other teles and strats that weren't CVs unfortunately, but they were all quite a bit louder, likely just some neglect from the store or something. Either way, thanks again for the video, I now have a Class 5 on hold and cannot wait to pick it up, what an amp !

[jb1563700]

In person, the Marshall sounds a lot better. The Vox is really boxy, even with a 12" cab. Could be the speaker though, I played it through a Vox cab and a Marshall cab and the Marshall cab sounded a lot better.

[GeekG]

ac4 much better sounding in the clean/crunc department. but lacking bottom when overdriven. but had a great neck pickup sound overdriven.

i guess with a treble booster or just a booster in front,the marshall would win. the booster would clean up the cleaner stuff when the guitar volume is rolled down.

[rpnnodak]

@realdocloco : I played through the AC4 Combo with a 10" Speaker, and also the AC4 Head through a 2x12 combo. I thought the Head version with the bigger speakers made this amp absolutely sing. The 1/4 watt setting was still low enough to practice in a house, but the 4 watt setting was much louder and crisper. Have you run both these combos through other extension cabs, and what is the difference you found?

[realdocloco]

@rpnnodak : yes I run it thru bigger cabs, with alnico blue speakers, and the sound was definitly good, but a bit lacking in the bottom end. Very nice though.

[starassist1977]

vox wins

[mihaiad]

VOX sounds beter for my taste, and the Tele sounds like its should sound a Tele on it. (i always think a Vox sounds better with a Les Paul, but i see, its sounds great with a Tele to).

[clement33290]

superbe!!! quelle magnifique jeu

[theoriginaldimi]

great demo, mon ami! I strongly prefer the vox for all riffs you played

[smartti1970]

did you change mics in your squier?

[realdocloco]

@smartti1970 : no, everything is stock except the strings

[smartti1970]

@realdocloco Cool it shows you dont need a pro instrument to sound good..

the fine playing helps making it sound pro

[RHCPFitz]

Wow. The Marshall sounds like a Marshall, and the Vox actually sounds like a Vox. For some reason I came into this demo not expecting that.

[1984kevingriffin]

Great playing, great demo. Realdocloco, ....if you had to pick 1, would you choose the vox or the marshall?

[realdocloco]

@1984kevingriffin : probably the Marshall, but it's a tough choice

[1984kevingriffin]

when did Neil Young start doing gear demos?

[minedarea]

@1984kevingriffin Neil Young started doing gear demos in the late '60s, but their was no internet back then, so nobody got to hear them.

[andy3033]

I say VOX is better as a pure practice amp for most people (attenuator). I'm curious where the tone controls are set on each?

But yeah, the vox is better at cleans, marshall is better at dirties.

Great Vid!

[zSgtPePPeR]

Just wondering if you could offer advice. Am in the market for a practice amp. Stuck between Ac4tvH / Super/vibro Champ/ and the Marshall Class 5. I mostly play Jimi/Zeppelin/Red Hot Chilis/Clapton stuff. I'm Starting to learn Blues (B.B and Albert King). Please help. No close neighbours :)

[bluepingu345]

@zSgtPePPeR I also recommend the Blackstar HT-5 :)

[zSgtPePPeR]

Just wondering if you could offer advice. Am in the market for a practice amp. Stuck between Ac4tvH / Super/vibro Champ/ and the Marshall Class 5. I mostly play Jimi/Zeppelin/Red Hot Chilis/Clapton stuff. I'm Starting to learn Blues (B.B and Albert King). Please help. No close neighbours :)

[butterscotchtele]

same as always - vox for clean, marshall for dirty.

[michaelgroenewald7]

ac4 almost sounds acoustic like

[goodfella514]

Nice vid dude! After hearing the tone of the telecaster im stuck in between getting a Les Paul studio , telecaster or stratocaster. What do you suggest im into Led Zep Jimmy Hendrix...

[michaelgroenewald7]

@goodfella514 get a strat man

[goodfella514]

@michaelgroenewald7 Thanks man ill keep the strat in mind gotta test them all out

rock on!

[eggmangoogoogoojoob]

@goodfella514 You can't be all that much 'into Jimmy Hendrix' if you can't even spell his name properly.

[goodfella514]

@eggmangoogoogoojoob lol my bad 

[Jeremo18]

I think the Marshall has more gain. But I prefer both the clean and dirty sounds of the vox. It just sounds more.........awesome. haha And I'm looking for something to record with and I want hi gain tones. I think if I get some good boost pedals and use my LP, I will have the most cost efficient hi gain set up without cheaping out on the nice clean tones.

[JonasSweden1]

Thanks man, excellent demo, absolutely love your guitar playing...!!! :-D

Best, Jonas - Stockholm

[fulivius]

the vox is definitely better for clean stuff, much more on the bright side, i think i like it more but both are good practice amps, it was about time they started releasing some cheaper, bedroom friendly tube amps, finally we'll be able to get a better tone without having to later have to go get ourselves new eardrums and mostly without having to spend a lot of money

[dc0077]

Vox sounds more like it's big brothers than the Marshall. Great vid and good amps the both of them

[Voxman5]

Excellent demo & lovely licks - The Vox AC4 definitely seems much brighter, more distinct & with more chime. The Marshall sounds more muffled by comparison - almost as if it had a blanket over it. And that's with a very bright single coil Fender Tele so that suggests a Les Paul would sound even darker with the Marshall.

[DrewGibsonUK]

Hi there :) love your demos. I just watched your low volume practise video on the Marshall Class 5, but of course the Vox has a 1/4 and 1 watt output - can you drive that amp at one of those settings without annoying the neighbours ??? I'd love to hear your R7 through it (just got one myself :) ).

[realdocloco]

@DrewGibsonUK : the 1/4W is still a bit loud at night - the AC4 8", with its 1/10W setting, seems to be the perfect neighbours-friendly choice.

About the R7, I think that the AC4 prefer single coils, but it still sound great with low-powered humbuckers (Gretsch, vintage Gibbies).

[Olpaj]

the marshall sounds like it had a lot of mud to it which also affects the articulation (in a negative way). the ac4 has more of a crisp and bright tone with better definition imo

[sheffieldgeek]

no amp is better than the other... they are just great both of them..... they are different in terms of the sound............ nice

[29396]

the marshall's much more midrange based; the vox has more of a high end focus...

i like the vox better for cleans, more chimey, although the marshall wins me over for overdrive. hrmmmm...

[TheWorboj]

it sounded best when they were goin at the same time

[rickyraveon]

@TheWorboj

I agree! best of both worlds.

[jinxtigr]

Thanks man- you make 'em both sound good, and I needed to hear someone work out on the Class 5 the right way. You probably just cost me a few hundred bucks ;)

[bluesclaudio056]

is this a tube amp?

[realdocloco]

@bluesclaudio056 : Both are.

[bluesclaudio056]

@realdocloco Thanx! Hmmm, which amp would you recommand to me the marshall class 5 or the fender vibro champ XD? I actually play a custom twin but it's too loud and it's driving the whole neighbourhood crazy so i'd like to have nearly the same bluesy sound with 5 watts^^

[realdocloco]

@bluesclaudio056 : for home use, I'd recommand the Superchamp XD without a doubt - the Marshall Class 5 is great but will still irritate your neighbours.

[bluesclaudio056]

@realdocloco Ok thank you very much! helped me a lot

[cihancil]

marshal sounds deep. i didnt like it. vox has more twang

[juanypei]

hi is your ac4 stock, or did you modify anything?

[realdocloco]

@juanypei : everyhting (AC4, Class 5, Squier CV) is stock, no mods.

[chris2002Rocklin]

What size speaker is in the Vox? I need to figure out which of 3 AC4s to buy.

I am building a replica of an older EF86 based AC4 and I want to buy a new one to compare. I need to choose head, AC4TV(w 10") or AC4TV8.

Thanks, please state what the differences are. I might even buy the 8" version and upgrade the speaker, or get the 8" for size but use a cab.

The compact size of the ACTV8 ideal better for all around use, but only if it is different in the circuits, if I can play w external cab 2

[realdocloco]

@chris2002Rocklin : it's the 10" here

[Arnoudtunes]

@chris2002Rocklin You definitely need the 10" version; it has a way more natural and "open" sound to it. I have one myself and I really like it a lot.

[jesse2952]

are u using the same mic?

[realdocloco]

@jesse2952

Yes, same mic for both

[KrankySourPants]

I like the way the Class 5 responded when you dug in to the strings @ 1:22. It's got more of that "honk-ey" sounding break up rather than the breaking glass sound of the Vox. But this is a video demo, so if may sound different in person.

[FreeTalkLive]

@KrankySourPants Yes, agreed.

[glaise96]

Both sounds awesome in their own way ..Great shootout , best i ve seen lately....

[theghost2987]

Can u get a punk rock kinda distortion sound from the vox?I'm a beginner and play green day,blink 182 stuff.

Thanks

[drewfasa]

Thanks for the video! One thing I'm curious about is the 1/4 watt and 1 watt power settings on the Vox. I have a small flat and I'm pretty sure that if I had it on 10 with all 4 watts I would upset my neighbours.

[realdocloco]

@drewfasa : indeed - that's when the 1/4W setting becomes handy :-)

[jenton70]

I like the Marshall for most of the crunchy tones but the Vox sounds a bit better on the clean examples. Get both and an AB box ;)

[skaterguitar4ever]

the marshall breaks up quicker i like that :)

[screamedthemouth]

Very useful, think I prefer the Marshall tone. But reckon for an all rounder I may have to get something with a heavier gain channel as play some heavier rock too...

[SSJ2Killua]

Wow, the Vox completely destroys the Marshall...I didn't expect it to be so obvious.

[realdocloco]

It's funny because this test shows obviously that there's different tones for different people - half the listeners do prefer the Marshall and the other half would choose the Vox. I'm fine with that :-)

[SSJ2Killua]

@realdocloco

Well that's just it. If that wasn't the case, everyone would be using Les Pauls through Plexi's, Strats through Twins or Ricky's through Ac30's. Just one of the more interesting facets of guitar playing.

[michaelgroenewald7]

great demo i was looking for something like this but i still dont have a clue haha do u guys reckon a blues junior is a better if u have the extra dough?

[MarshallAmpMan]

good demo but wish you would have tested it with a Gibson Les Paul or SG because it's harder to get clean tone out of humbuckings than it is single coils. I am guessing that the Vox is more versatile....is it? I am deciding which to buy...thank you.

[NDGOATESP]

is this the 10 in or 8 in vox?

[brimill1980]

i dunno folks at 4.47 the marshall sounds great compared to the vox, its a proper peter green type tone and is real nice

[NDGOATESP]

Hey, wants the very first tune you play?????? Its awesome!!! Thanks

[realdocloco]

It's a song of mine, thx :-)

[DrewGibsonUK]

Marshall Class 5 & Vox AC4 ?  I'm asking myself the same question :) Thankyou for the comparison !

[Gel1ebtedesregens]

that were tasty licks.

vox all the way. dont forget, it takes pedals well too so you will be able to get meatier OD of marshall

[idhindsight]

The Marshall's got a bloody blanket on it. Vox by a mile.

[KjellGibson]

Does this EL84 tubed Marshall sound different in general than a common EL34 tubed Marshall?

[SotR59]

I must say I like the VOX better here. I do own the VOX but I'm being honest with opinion. When I bought it I had planned to get the Marshall but the store didn't have any and I had traveled a long way so went ahead and got the VOX, have been happy with my choice. And hearing this test it's a safe bet I would have chosen it even if did have the both to compare.

[bvanfossen01]

2:20 sounds pretty damned good to me!

[roland17110]

i'm for the vox too, more sexy ! lol

but with a squier !! a better guitar should be a better choice

in my opinion,

roland ... congrats from Paris

[realdocloco]

I have many expensive guitars - but the Squier CV is a good choice for such a test so no one can say "it sounds this way because of the guitar only" see?

(btw those Squier CV are nice guitars, give it a try)

[roland17110]

sorry you don't understood me; i haven't said : it sounds this way because of the fuck ..; just want to listen this very interesting test with better guitars, to see the amps limits. and YES cv are good guitars for the price.

I LIKE WHAT YOU DO

CONGRATS FROM PARIS

sorry for my english

roland

[realdocloco]

Je crois que tu m'as mal compris Roland: je dis simplement qu'en essayant des amplis avec une guitare "modeste", personne ne peut alors critiquer ces amplis en disant qu'ils ne sonnent bien qu'à cause de la guitare ;-)

Ceci dit, j'ai aussi fait des vidéos des deux amplis avec une Les Paul R7, une Gibson SG junior de '64 ou d'autres Gretsch et Fender, donc on peut facilement se faire une idée de comment ils sonnent avec de "grandes" guitares.

Et merci pour les compliments! :-D

Phil

[roland17110]

merci pour tous ces tests, j'ai vu les autres videos. trés bon réglages, bon touché, et tout et tout ..;

[taygoo13]

@realdocloco Why is the tele so muddy through the class 5

[taygoo13]

@realdocloco Yea but i saw the Sweetwater demo and the tele was the muddiest of all the guitars.

[LithgowlovesBJ]

love it bought the vox it is the mega sexyness

[1958lespaul1]

The Vox cleans are lovely, much better than the Marshall cleans, but the Marshall overdrive is much meatier than the Vox one. Just buy them both! Only $650 =D

[Semach4444]

Good job not talking for 20 minutes before the demo. I hate it when people do that.

I do think these amps shouldn't be compared though. Slightly different markets.

[jakepaul1]

Thanks for the great demo - sweet playing, btw. I'm seriously considering both of these amps and I am happy to see a true A/B comparison done. I played the Vox, and while it's nice, it has a bit of a boxy sound - I figure due to the 10" speaker in a small cab. The Marshall definitely has a more ballsy sound.

[chute2thrill]

you make both those amps sing... from something that small the vox is nice.. but the marshall wins with the overdrive... whole lotta love is perfect...