Marshall Amps

[James Freeman]

absolutely not. It’s an OK amp, much in the way a 2210 is OK.
I’d even take a 8100 over a jubilee honestly. Has more character, more of a distinctive sound

It's very good. It can be nice and rounded or bright. Balanced amp and very versatile.

This kind of contradiction makes me even more curious.

 

[Deadpan]

This kind of contradiction makes me even more curious.

Yes, and by contrast I feel the jcm2000 isn't a great amp. It's OK but it doesn't take boost pedals like I expect.

 

[NightWalker]

the only Marshall i own was a JCM 800 2203 and i sold it sometime ago,my bad

 

[MirrorProfiles]

Yes, and by contrast I feel the jcm2000 isn't a great amp. It's OK but it doesn't take boost pedals like I expect.

The green channel takes pedals like a champ. In fact, it can sound pretty damn close to a 2203:



What I love with the DSL is the green channel can do the 2203 style stuff, red covers "hot rodded plexi", they cost bugger all, the EQ is WAY more versatile than an old Marshall (you can verge on 5150 style tones with a DSL, or go way lower gain). Also has an FX loop. I think the DSL is almost too good, and it makes the more expensive Marshalls a harder sell because the DSL covers so much ground and is more functional and useful.

 

[Deadpan]

The green channel takes pedals like a champ. In fact, it can sound pretty damn close to a 2203:



What I love with the DSL is the green channel can do the 2203 style stuff, red covers "hot rodded plexi", they cost bugger all, the EQ is WAY more versatile than an old Marshall (you can verge on 5150 style tones with a DSL, or go way lower gain). Also has an FX loop. I think the DSL is almost too good, and it makes the more expensive Marshalls a harder sell because the DSL covers so much ground and is more functional and useful.

My head is the older version.

My beef with it isn't the sound per say but more the feel.

 

[MirrorProfiles]

Red channel boosted here. Feels great to me, 1000000x better than a Jubilee which I find way too stiff and removed from 2203's and the like. Green channel unboosted can feel slightly undergained, but with a boost its great IMO.

Jubilee's feel really stiff for me unless I boost. The older version is the same circuit besides the resonance switch being a pot. I've had both side by side and they're not better or worse (I just prefer a resonance pot).

 

[megametal7]

I can get what I want pretty much from any Marshall.

I use DSL100HR for live with 6 way foot switch and it has not let me down yet.

 

[Deadpan]

Red channel boosted here. Feels great to me, 1000000x better than a Jubilee which I find way too stiff and removed from 2203's and the like. Green channel unboosted can feel slightly undergained, but with a boost its great IMO.

Jubilee's feel really stiff for me unless I boost. The older version is the same circuit besides the resonance switch being a pot. I've had both side by side and they're not better or worse (I just prefer a resonance pot).

I definitely hear that squishy tone I dislike here.

 

[SKU]

Red channel boosted here. Feels great to me, 1000000x better than a Jubilee which I find way too stiff and removed from 2203's and the like. Green channel unboosted can feel slightly undergained, but with a boost its great IMO.

Jubilee's feel really stiff for me unless I boost. The older version is the same circuit besides the resonance switch being a pot. I've had both side by side and they're not better or worse (I just prefer a resonance pot).

The palm mutes don't have that "clank" that the 2203s tbh. I think a boosted ( if tube even better ) 2555 on the clean channel is a pretty close 2203 approximation.

 

[MirrorProfiles]

each to their own I guess. I don't usually use a boost with the red channel (unless its something metalcore) - I think its best as that kind of modded plexi thing. I compared it against my BE100 and I think it sounds at least as good, arguably a bit better if you prefer some upper mid Marshall bite. Green channel sounds pretty damn close boosted to a 2203 so I totally disagree that the amp doesn't take pedals well. Tons of bands use DSL's and boost the green channel, its like an early 2000's staple.

 

[MirrorProfiles]

The palm mutes don't have that "clank" that the 2203s tbh. I think a boosted ( if tube even better ) 2555 on the clean channel is a pretty close 2203 approximation.

Green channel is closer to a 2203 for sure. Check the video above (comparing green channel to a 2203), I dont think I'd ever be able to get a Jubilee that close to a 2203 - the character of the gain on a Jubilee is quite different and the EQ behaves really different too

 

[Whizzinby]

What I love with the DSL is the green channel can do the 2203 style stuff, red covers "hot rodded plexi", they cost bugger all, the EQ is WAY more versatile than an old Marshall (you can verge on 5150 style tones with a DSL, or go way lower gain). Also has an FX loop. I think the DSL is almost too good, and it makes the more expensive Marshalls a harder sell because the DSL covers so much ground and is more functional and useful.

I’ve thought about getting a DSL again from time to time since they are so affordable. They are low key underrated. I had the 40w combo and wish they made a head of that wattage rather than going from 20w to 100w.

If they parked a bougie price tag on it, it would probably get more credit. lol

 

[Life Eats Life]

The green channel takes pedals like a champ. In fact, it can sound pretty damn close to a 2203:



What I love with the DSL is the green channel can do the 2203 style stuff, red covers "hot rodded plexi", they cost bugger all, the EQ is WAY more versatile than an old Marshall (you can verge on 5150 style tones with a DSL, or go way lower gain). Also has an FX loop. I think the DSL is almost too good, and it makes the more expensive Marshalls a harder sell because the DSL covers so much ground and is more functional and useful.

I agree with you.
The DSL’s have that familiar Marshall vibe and
midrange.
They’re a staple in the back line also

 

[Deadpan]

I agree with you.
The DSL’s have that familiar Marshall vibe and
midrange.
They’re a staple in the back line also

I'm not disagreeing with anyone specifically.

I will say for my tastes, it is coated in a smear in the mids that effects the attack.

 

[EOengineer]

I don’t love the Jube. I do really like the DSL though.

Marshall needs to release a 50w DSL head again. Bonus points if they made crunch an option on both sides and dumped the highest ultra gain mode.

 

[laxu]

Marshall needs to release a 50w DSL head again. Bonus points if they made crunch an option on both sides and dumped the highest ultra gain mode.

IMO the JVM205 is already closer to what people would want out of an amp like that. I hated the JCM2000 DSL50's shared EQ because it sounded good for one channel and mode but not another.

Agree about dumping the highest gain mode though. I don't get why amp manufacturers add these modes with so ridiculous gain that anything above 2/10 on the gain knob just adds noise. "Lead" channels in general are something I don't like as they usually mean "high gain lead" and don't work that well for anything else.

 

[EOengineer]

Agree about dumping the highest gain mode though. I don't get why amp manufacturers add these modes with so ridiculous gain that anything above 2/10 on the gain knob just adds noise. "Lead" channels in general are something I don't like as they usually mean "high gain lead" and don't work that well for anything else.

I feel like those monster gain levels were an over correction from years of “Marshalls don’t have enough gain” back in the late 80s through the 90s.

I’ll never forget my buddies disappointment plugging in his brand new JCM900 dual reverb half stack and having to fish his grunge pedal out of the closet because we couldn’t get what we were expecting from the amp. I think it lasted 6 months before he sold it and bought a 5150.

 

[2112]

Swapping one of the preamp tubes for a lower gain tube like a 12AU7 can help with the highest gain mode. When I gigged my DSL I used to use the highest gain mode but with the gain around 2.

 

[MirrorProfiles]

Isn’t there a JJ that has one half of the tube as a 12ax7, and the other half as a lower gain one? Keeps the green channel in the sweet spot but takes the red down a bit

I believe it’s the ECC823, there’s quite a lot of DSL users who do that swap. I have a feeling it could be similar for the JVM205/210.

There’s also an ECC832 where the higher and lower gain halves are swapped, so it’s worth making sure you get the right one

 

[Los-D]

Red channel boosted here. Feels great to me, 1000000x better than a Jubilee which I find way too stiff and removed from 2203's and the like. Green channel unboosted can feel slightly undergained, but with a boost its great IMO.

Jubilee's feel really stiff for me unless I boost. The older version is the same circuit besides the resonance switch being a pot. I've had both side by side and they're not better or worse (I just prefer a resonance pot).

Nice tone (and better selection of songs and playing!)