Marshall JCM 2000 TSL/DSL Heads

[headshrinker]

I though I would make this thread as I have noticed alot of people saying that these Marshall are very poor. Recently I have been looking for a new amplifier, a stack, of course I tryed most of the Marshall range. Yesterday I spent two hours in a guitar shop I tryed: Cornford MK50, Mesa Lonestar Combo, Tsl, Dsl heads.

The DSL blew me away the Crunch/ Clean was amazing took me right back to The Who, Rolling Stones sound. Pushing into overdrive and it took off, this thing had gain like a 5150 and had clean that mached any fender. Then I plugged into the TSL and now I could see why people said the JCM 200 wasnt good, the TSL was really muddy even when I crank it (sound proof booths in the shop you see) the cleans were appaling too. For two amps that are supposed to be very similat the DSL is in a diffrent league to the TSL.

I though it would bee good to have this in a thread, also im not biased about these two amps, as I went for the Cornford which is basically a handwired Marshall, but the quuality is far better sound and the way its built.

[Let's Chop Cats!]

My DSL 2000 clean's are horrible. Most Marshall cleans aren't that great.

[headshrinker]

The one I played have lovley cleans

[PrestoDone]

Ive played through one and no way and i mean NO WAY does this thing have gain like a 5150. Its a good amp for what it does. Personally i dont like the JCM line because of the gain it gives you and the high price. The gain is to AC/DC to me and really need a distortion pedal to get the thing smoking. Some of y favorite guitar players use the JCM heads but need distorion pedals along with other things to get it sounding how they want it. IMO , if you buy an amp you have to love the way it sounds without any pedals. Thats just me though.

[russky_metallik]

I have an esp ltd ex-351 and in my bridge i have a dimarzio paf pro but i just got an emg 81 active in the mail and im thinking of sticking that on the bridge and moving the dimarzio paf pro pickup in my neck do you think this is a good idea??

[headshrinker]

Ive played through one and no way and i mean NO WAY does this thing have gain like a 5150. Its a good amp for what it does. Personally i dont like the JCM line because of the gain it gives you and the high price. The gain is to AC/DC to me and really need a distortion pedal to get the thing smoking. Some of y favorite guitar players use the JCM heads but need distorion pedals along with other things to get it sounding how they want it. IMO , if you buy an amp you have to love the way it sounds without any pedals. Thats just me though.

I played both amps one after the other and the DSL was very close to the 5150. Also JCM's are very cheep compared to alot of tube amps. The point im treying to make is, that people say JCM 2000's are crap... I agree that the TSL is poor but the DSL is a very good amp, but I see in lots of threads people rubbishing them off its stupid, so I made this review for ppl to see.

[Mburton21]

The DSL is a pretty good amp, I've heard it and it has some pretty good distortion, buuut.....

5150>DSL>TSL (IMO)

[acrypticburial]

The DSL is a pretty good amp, I've heard it and it has some pretty good distortion, buuut.....

5150>DSL>TSL (IMO)

5150 for sure, gain wise, DSL seems like it would be better, ive heard better things from that amp than the TSL

[Epicurus]

Jcm 900..........

[sliver]

I can't staaaaaannndddddd the 5150... it has such a unmemorable tone in my opinion. And recorded? it never sounds good. The DSL series are alright, I think I'd rather go with a JCM 800. I don't really understand how you guys are saying it's not "heavy" enough, when a Marshall is cranked on it's overdrive channel it can get pretty heavy.

It doesn't have the insane gain of a 5150, but why would you need that? Unless you are a band like slipknot... or meshuggah you really don't need it. Listen to it in the mix through a PA system, Marshall's can get pretty heavy.

One of the guitar players in my band has a Mesa Duo Rectifier head and uses a marshall 1960's cab... all I can say is it owns :cool:

[crunchmeister]

I've played several DSLs and TSLs, and I own a 5150 212 combo. With my pre-gain on 7 or the rythm channel or 4 on my lead channel (my usual settings), I have WAY more gain that is even REMOTELY possible with any of the JCM 2000 models with everything cranked to '10'.

[headshrinker]

I dont actually own this amp guys! I have played it and played with a 5150. I made this thread to show people that the JCM2000 range isnt crap but in the guitar forum DSL and TSL are knocked for being crap amps when the DSL is actually very good.

[crunchmeister]

Both are very good amps. They're excellent amps for jsut about any type of music. I played them in my quest for my perfect tube amp, and I didn't find they gave me the sound I was looking for. I needed something punchier, and went for the 5150 instead. But I'd highly recommend to anyone needing a good tube amp.

[RicketyMick]

Im also looking at buying a new amp in the near future. Im in a band with a similar sound to Mudvayne, Deftones, Messhugah. I was actually going to go with a TSL head and 1960 cab - but after reading this thread maybe i shoudn't. At the moment I'm using a little 100w Marshall. So what's this 5150 everyone keeps mentioning? What brand makes it? Is it suitable for the music I write & play? I also tune down drop-d and then one whole step. I wouldn't mind having a Mesa triple rectifier with a Mesa cab or Marshall cab, but the Mesa heads are quite expensive aren't they? If it helps, I use an Epiphone Les Paul. Any suggestions/help would be much appreciated. Cheers.

[thickasabrick]

I own a Marshall DSL 100 with 1960 Lead cab. It's great. I shopped around for over a year before deciding on this amp. People mentioned that the TSL has more to offer, but it doesn't.

The DSL is an amazing amp. I am sponsored by a music store, and they gave me a few Peavey amps, and I wasn't nearly as impressed as I was with the Marshall DSL. It has such versatility, plus it has the mid scoop and bass boost buttons, if you want a more metal sound.

I play mostly classic rock, and I find this amp can make me sound exactly like Elvis, Clapton, Jimmy Page, Tony Iommi, Pete Townshend, you name it. If you can imagine a rock tone, this amp can provide it. The classic gain channel far surpasses any rock tone other amps have to offer.

I've heard this amp isn't as good as the 5150 if you just want brutal distortion, this amp goes more for tone and quality than for wreckless, powerful distortion. No one actually needs that much distortion, unless you need to cover up how many bum notes you hit. When it comes to metal, as far as I go is Sabbath, Maiden, Metallica and Zak Wylde, and this amp could provide the right tone and amount of distortion for me. I don't play any of that death/black metal type stuff, so I'm not sure about that.

I just thought someone might want to hear a review from an actual owner of a JCM 2000 DSL 100

[acrypticburial]

I can't staaaaaannndddddd the 5150... it has such a unmemorable tone in my opinion. And recorded? it never sounds good. The DSL series are alright, I think I'd rather go with a JCM 800. I don't really understand how you guys are saying it's not "heavy" enough, when a Marshall is cranked on it's overdrive channel it can get pretty heavy.

It doesn't have the insane gain of a 5150, but why would you need that? Unless you are a band like slipknot... or meshuggah you really don't need it. Listen to it in the mix through a PA system, Marshall's can get pretty heavy.

One of the guitar players in my band has a Mesa Duo Rectifier head and uses a marshall 1960's cab... all I can say is it owns :cool:

The 5150, i think, has the cleanest gain out of all high gain amps, its super smooth, and yeah it does have a lot of gain, but it still sounds great no matter what

[howdoyouevendressyourself]

It's a shame that none of you seem to understand how to set up a Marshall amp. I've been playing them for years--recording, performing, and for general practice/warm-up. The current TSL 100, combined with the 1960AV is probably the purest reproduction of sound you will ever experience. It is spectacular and without comparison. There is a reason touring and recording musicians use a particular brand of equipment. Marshall has been the amp of choice longer than most of you have been alive because of the quality. I am guessing that you are probably not used to having even your distortion so clean, that it exposes your lack of technique and dependence on effects. I am also sure that your aversion to the amp has more to do with price and ignorance. Perhaps someone at your local music store can help you sound like your idols, if you are really interested. If not, then buy something else. But don't trash what you don't understand.

[The Pink Taco]

could i get an good distortion out of a marshall avt 50W head stalk or with a pedal an what kind

[milk box]

Ive played through one and no way and i mean NO WAY does this thing have gain like a 5150. Its a good amp for what it does. Personally i dont like the JCM line because of the gain it gives you and the high price. The gain is to AC/DC to me and really need an overdrive pedal to get the thing smoking. Some of y favorite guitar players use the JCM heads but need distorion pedals along with other things to get it sounding how they want it. IMO , if you buy an amp you have to love the way it sounds without any pedals. Thats just me though.

fixed :thumb: