Marshall 5210 solid state what to look for? NAD

[mrjones2004x]

Saw a guy selling a 5210 locally so gonna have a look tomorrow morning.
It’s the mk1 with 4 jacks on the back.
Looks good condition and I really want an amp with a clean sound and reverb. I know there’s probably better out there but it’s cheap and looks great and from videos online sounds real nice clean with loads of verb and the overdrive sounds quite cool too.

Anything to look out for except the normal like scratchy pots and jacks etc

Cheers. Pics below
Is brown cloth the normal colour back in 80s on some amps? Or is it dirty ?

 

[fitz288]

Saw a guy selling a 5210 locally so gonna have a look tomorrow morning.
It’s the mk1 with 4 jacks on the back.
Looks good condition and I really want an amp with a clean sound and reverb. I know there’s probably better out there but it’s cheap and looks great and from videos online sounds real nice clean with loads of verb and the overdrive sounds quite cool too.

Anything to look out for except the normal like scratchy pots and jacks etc

Cheers. Pics below
Is brown cloth the normal colour back in 80s on some amps? Or is it dirty ?

Nice amp - SS version of the JCM800 series 50w.
I almost bought one that someone had put a fake standby switch in.
4 jacks are headphone, loop send / return & footswitch.
"brown" cloth is not dirty, just faded - some find it a desirable relic look...

 

[Tatzmann]

Brown was black before it faded like dude
said, i would never change this back to
black, but some dudes would...

Otherwise look into your wallet, if there is
more than 150Whatevers missing you
overpaid.

These amps have nothing in common
with JCM800 amps like fizz said.

But they are usable.

 

[Neptical]

Get it while you can.

My .

 

[mrjones2004x]

It’s under 150. And primarily I want it for the clean channel with oodles of verb. Will use an a/b/y with my mk3 900 switching clean and dirty and also have a blast running them in stereo.
Not bothered if it’s based on an 800 or not. I’ve heard it is and isn’t from various searches. As long as it does what I want

 

[fitz288]

It’s under 150.

Don't come home without it.
They go for about $400 over here...

 

[mrjones2004x]

Yes sir

 

[mrjones2004x]

So I went today and got it
Knocked another tenner off as all pots are crackly but I’ll get it serviced and cleaned up in near future.

Love the clean channel. Warm and thick with p90s and the reverb is really nice too.

Had a few goes with the gain channel and wasn’t overly impressed with it. I didn’t buy it for that to be fair. It definitely sounded thicker once really loud but I never play that volume so was just for a test purpose.
Gain is also a strange one. Hardly any gain for first 3/4 of turn and really dark sounding then it kicks in last bit of pot. So maybe 7-10.
7 is ok 7.2 is nearly full whack. There is a nice AC/DC kinda crunch at 7.1 tho lol. The louder the better on this channel.
Haven’t tried the fx loop yet but have tried jumpering it to see if any difference and sounded same to me.
I gave it a scrub up and wipe over. Blew dust out of reverb tank too.

I’ll put some pics up later. Got few tiny paint specs on top I’m gonna try to remove and wanna find a product that could bring the tolex colour back a bit as looks dull.

 

[Wildeman]

I'd snag that right up, SS amps will have their revenge!!!!

 

[GregM]

Hnad ! Glad your liking it .

 

[Central Scrutinizer]

Congratulations.

Enjoy your new amp.

 

[mrjones2004x]

Here it is.
So you may ask what happened to the faded cloth…..
I got it home and it stunk real bad. I cleaned everything and was better but still some stench so I wiped down the grill cloth with a damp cloth and my cloth went brown. Cleaned it a few times and looked nicer but had an odd smell still. Also there was two marks which looked like it was maybe burnt or stained. Really stood out the more I cleaned it so I decided to change the cloth today for a piece I’ve had since my last build.
I know the faded looked better but now there’s no smell and it functions just the same.
If I can find some faded cloth I’ll change it back as only took a little while.
Cheers

 

[fitz288]

I know the faded looked better but now there’s no smell and it functions just the same.

Looks great!
I have no emotional attachment to old grill cloth, or tolex for that matter (if you haven't noticed... )
Not like it's some vintage piece of Marshall history, if it's stained and stinks, bin it...

 

[mrjones2004x]

Gonna drop it at Marshall’s headquarters in Bletchley on Friday and leave it with them for a service. Just needs new pots really. Jacks are ok just needs a bit of attention then be good for some years to come.
Surprised me how cheap service work and parts is direct from the manufacturer last time when I took my 2501

 

[mrjones2004x]

So I just learnt if you unplug the foot switch both channels are on together and you can blend them together.

Should of spotted that as there no push button on the front panel.

So I really like the clean sound and maxed out it has some slight break up say just shy of AC/DC type rhythm territory. Now being able to blend in the drive channel should add just enough drive to get in that ball park without sounding fizzy/thin like it does on its own.

What a great find I would of left it plugged in forever if I didn’t search online about sound settings to get the best out of it.

 

[Neptical]

So I just learnt if you unplug the foot switch both channels are on together and you can blend them together.

This is a massive part of the tonal equation of my 3210s. It's very unique and something none of my other amps do. Perfect for having some of that 'glass' under your tone.

Also, another reason I want an Origin. I want that old school fat, punching, glassy tone.

 

[Mitchell Pearrow]

Congrats HNAD

 

[fitz288]

So I just learnt if you unplug the foot switch both channels are on together and you can blend them together.

I too am still discovering the cool channel blend feature on my 3210.
With a 10 band in the loop, tone choices seem endless.

 

[mrjones2004x]

Had a bit more of a play today and couldn’t find a sound I liked with them blended. (I will keep trying) Tried the overdrive again and found a great setting. I’m use to keeping the mids about 4-6 on my 900 guitar depending and kinda dialled this the same but after some tweaking found gain on 8.5, volume 10, treble 6, mids on 1 and bass on 6 worked much better. Master to suit.
The middle on this amp sits in a funny place on the sound spectrum. Zero is terrible and anything over two is way to much. Took me a while to find out what I didn’t like but getting there slowly.
I also think the gain pot is working a bit better after continuous adjustments as much more range now.
It’ll still go for a service

 

[guitarplayer]

I still have mine .. purchased new in the early 80’s. I think it’s a great amp, I get some cool middy tones out of it too. I still have the foot switch too and it works!! Being the original owner since new, mine is pristine shape.

Enjoy your 5210 !!!