Marshall JCM-2000 DSL 100

I bought this rig used off of ebay for $764 which included the jcm 900 `1960 slant cab.
I thought it was a good price, but not sure have seen the head used for well under $700.
The cab shows serious road wear which I think looks cool cause it works like a champ. I will have to replace the screen at some point.

Yeah, it's got it all. Two channels with boosts on each.
Two separate reverbs for each channel.
Eq is for both with deep, and inverse bottons.

Effects loop with a what seems to be a push button volume. (I only use the loop for delay.)

Footswitches for both the reverb and channel.

It is my first marshall of any kind stack, combo or otherwise. So when I pulled the trigger it felt like a cannon when off.

My first half stack was a Crate (gscl somethin-or-other with reverb and chorus) I bought in the eighties. It Stayed in the 80s.

I had the original 5150 for quite a while but never really like it because of only one eq for both channels. Which is funny cause I am a huge evh fan.

Other than that I have had a plethora of combo amps.

I have played blues, rock, metal, swing horn band stuff, and country.
I have found that this amp adapts to all of it.
It has a twang up the ying-yang for my tele and it does metal from seymour duncans nicely.

When I first got it it was a little unforgiving. There is a lot of power and I think if you don't get to know the amp it can take of on you.

However the sound is very much infront of the speaker with it giving the richest sound when it is above 4.

I know because it is a marshall I should have all kinds of detailed comments about the sound, but I don't .

I will say that I have played a lot of different size amps. Including the very high end boutique amps.

It provides a consistant memorable sound that no matter who try's to rebrand it, is forever marshall.

It is a tube amp so I am leary of it though it has not failed me yet so I will give it the benefit of the doubt. It does get hot from time to time

I have been playing in bands constantly fro 20 years.
Will I replace it if it is stolen?
Probably.
Will I ever find a better amp?
It is entirely possible.

I simply do not forsee any reason to change my tone other than to tweek it with Marshall.

This one is a 2009 model with the cheaper "platform" speaker cab that everyone has been selling for 1299.00
(price match...hint...hint) I used to have a old super lead 100 watt and sold it. Been kicking myself ever since. Always said if I could find another one at a good price I would jump on it. I jumped.

Its set up with an Ultra gain mode (lead mode) and a classic mode(rhythm mode). In the manual it pretty much lays it out what they were going for, Classic mode its set up to sound like a JCM 800, or a plexi in the crunch mode. On this channel, I have it set to 2 and 8, and get a pretty good clean, with a little growl, rhythm channel. On the ultra gain mode, I have it set to the lead 2 setting and volumes set to 2or 3 and then 9 to get a howling lead channnel! It dosen't get much better than this.... I bet the boutique boys are freaking out!!!

I pretty much play classic rock with this amp and most of the songs we play sound dead on with this amp. Way more than enough CRUNCH!

When you first switch on the amp there is a noticeable hum of the amp firing up.... when you switch off the standby, its not the most quiet amp, it a freaking 100 watt Marshall and it delivers the power....whose gonna notice that measley hum?

Just got the amp. I think if you run the correct ohm settings (which is confusing in the manual I am running it at 4 ohms) and let the rig warm up properly it should be pretty reliable, I know my other one was but I have been know to take good care of my gear. I do have a Hot Rod Deluxe as a back up.

Just got the amp. I have no experience with this yet.
Hope I only call them to say how much I love their stuff.

This amp at this price is pretty much a no-brainer. Yep, its got a cab with the rocket 50s and might not be made as well as a 1960a but the head is the exact the same DSL 100 except for the black piping....for the money, you can't go wrong. Vintage 30s I am sure will be replacing the rockets....but maybe not. The sound,the quality, the look is all MARSHALL! GREAT BANG FOR THE BUCK ! DO IT!

My amp is made in arround 2001/2002, I don't really know, I really don't care either. When I got the amp I noticed it was really well maintained and wasn't used on the road which really fasten up the relic look.

Since other reviews describe the reviews perfect, I will not give any extra info about it.

This amp is almost perfect, however, there are 2 things missing, a Shared EQ and you can't switch between Clean/Crunch and Lead1/Lead2.

I use Lead 1 + the Crunch channel, but I am considering using a tubescreamer, for both solo boosts + crunch.

Since changing between Clean/Crunch isn't possible, the volume boost you get by using this switch is a non-issue.

I play in a punk-rock band, which is influenced by bands such as the Ramones and Screeching Weasel. When I'm not playing with my band I'll try to enhance my guitar skills to play covers by bands and artists such as AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Rory Gallagher, Cream and some metal like Iron Maiden, WASP and Megadeth.

I use a Gibson LP Studio as my main guitar, and like people mention very often, the combination Gibson + Marshall = Amazing! Also I use a Fender Telecaster. Sounds pretty cool too! This is a combination which I will use on our upcoming album on the rhythm track.


The amp itself has it's wide-known Marshall sound, a bit JCM800-ish, as well as a bit JCM900-ish. The distortion sounds are really suitable for Rock/Punk/Classic Metal, but to my opinion you would like to search for something else when you want to play Death Metal e.g. However, you can get a great Slayer sound out of it.

I noticed from other reviewers that they didn't like this amp and rate this amp with 3's, 4's, and comments like awfull sounding amp, etc.

I personally wouldn't buy a amplifier which sounds like crap in the first place. It will happen that your musical style and taste will change over a few years, and so might your gear.

My tip when testing out an amplifier. All EQ's at 12 o clock, gain at 12 o clock, and you have an idea of how an amplifier sounds naturally.

Can't give an answer. Amp seems to be well built. Got it a few month's now.

Never dealt with them.

I amp playing for about 9 or 10 yeas by now, and owned quite a few amps before I bought this one.

If it were stolen, I would probably get another one, but prior to purchasing I would check out amps of other brands. There are some new brands or less famous brands out there, which could be worth a shot.

Made in 2009
This amp it is a monster. you can play any style with it, and being 100 watts means you can get as loud as you like. never played more than 4.
Its a two channels amp, very basic as you dont really need anything more. Any channel has a switch into a deeper one.
Also has deep button which adds bass, maybe too much, excellent for power chords, very cool, and tone button, pretty useless for me.
In studio and live in big venues this is just the amp you want.

I play a vintage epiphone and les paul, and the sound it is like the one you hear from records. Classic marshall sound. Overdrive is a bit too standard, but you can add tone and bass through the switches on amp. the "hard" distortion is not that hard..c`mon, i wounln`t suggest it for metal, i mean it can work but not brutal you might be disappointed.

Clean: absolutely clean, not noises
Crunch: Perfect for vintage rock sound

Overdrive: reasonable overdrive, but a bit flat, which i think is nice and vintage like.
Super drive: i would call it Overdrive as it has more boost, but it is not "metal", more power pop.

I bought it and failed after the third time i used it. for no reason. Marshall took it back and i had a new one in a day!!!
This one never gave a problem.

NB.
THIS AMP IS A TOP CLASS AMP EVER, NEEDS "LOVE". ALWAYS USE STANDBY, NOT PLAYING IT FOR 9 HOURS, TURN IT OFF AND ON PERIODICALLY...EVERY TWO HOURS DURING REHEARSALS..WAIT 5 MINS BEFORE USING IT, POSSIBLY REMOVE THE GRILL ON THE BACK FOR VENTILATION AND IT WILL NEVER DIE. THIS BABE GENERATE SUCH A POWER THAT YOU OWN HIM THIS TREATMENT, IT IS NOT A TRANSISTOR ONE.

I HAD ORANGE, AND THAT IS A KIND OF AMP YOU CAN TREW OUT OF THE WINDOW AND STILL PLAYS, INFACT IS TWICE EXPENSIVE HERE IN UK.

MARSHALL = 10

ALSO LONG WARRANTY.

no regrets.

i`ll give it a 8, cos it is too versatile, and it doesn`t really has a distinctive sound, which is good and bad. but if you`r a good guitarist you`ll love this amp

New 2009 MLB version. Features are the same as the original DSL 100, but with black piping and small rubber feet. Otherwise, it appears identical as far as I can tell.

Lacks a direct out for recording or direct to house. Does come with a small footswitch for the channels.

I've had it for 3 weeks and it sounds incredible through all my cabs, which are 1960A, 1960AV and 1936 - all stock. I'm sitting here with it plugged into the 1936 right now and getting the thickest, juiciest single-note feedback I've heard in a long time. It's been cooking for a couple hours today, the gain is on 5 on Lead 2 and it just sounds thick and warm, no fuzzy highs or flubby bass at all.

The stock tubes are fine, I have no inclination to change them. In fact, if all this tone were simply from these tubes, I'd pull them out and save them. But I think it's a combination of things really.

It's a very dynamic sounding amp on just about any setting. Rolling the guitar's volume down cleans up pretty nice, better than many other amps I've owned including the JVM. (The JVM is great, but not as touch sensitive for me).

As many others have said, the clean channel is bassy compared to the Ultra channel. But every setting sounds great on this amp. The clean mode does nice Jazz IMO, and the Crunch mode gets great older Blues and Rock tones.

Lead 1 is possibly my favorite for home jamming, as it's got a lot of character, but not as much sustain as I'd like. With the band I prefer the Lead 2 mode with the gain at 5, where it begins to sustain well. The amp seems to begin opening up at about 3 or 4 on the master, and the louder it goes the thicker the tone gets. By comparison, the JVM's tone doesn't seem to be much affected by volume other than speaker/eardrum compression. The DSL just gets sweeter as you turn it up.

Reverb is mediocre. I admit I like digital because springs don't sound like naturally occurring reverb.

The amp is reasonably quiet, though mine does have a slight hum from the power transformer (facing the amp from the front, it'd be the transformer to the left of the logo). There is some hiss when turning up the gain, which is normal.

There are amps you hate, amps you dig, and amps you can build a relationship with because they speak to you. I seem to be falling more in love with this thing as time passes.

Don't know yet, but I'd be surprized if it didn't break down within the 3-5 year warranty. The power transformer get too hot to touch after an hour off standby, and the tubes get hot enough to melt the plastic vent above. Each side is biased to exactly 86.4mV and there's no drift.

I hope mines a good one that sounds better and better as time goes by.

30 years, I play everything except Classical and Country.
Lost or stolen I'd get another one.
Compared to the JVM 410H, the JVM's got its good points, but the tone is lacking, it sounds week. The DSL 100 is more direct and in your face.

I gave the DSL a 9 here, because it covers all the base's you could need and then some.

It's a Marshall tube amp. It ROCKS! Mine was made in 2002. I do stoner rock, ala Black Sabbath, Bongzilla, The Sword, Fu Manchu, Kyuss, etc. Nails the sound. The details and specs have been stated below. Plenty loud with 100 watts. I play it in my living room with the volume at around 3, sometimes 4. I just replace the tubes. Put in JJ/Tesla El 34's and 12AX7's. They sound very nice in this amp. A versatile amp, nice cleans, and heavy distortion.

I play a Gibson Les Paul Studio with a Gibson 57' Classic Plus pickup in the bridge and a 496 in the neck. It rocks! I also play a Fender Custom Telecaster, all mahogony with a set neck and maple cap. It's got DiMarzio Custom Wound pickups in it and it sounds rockin through this amp. No noise at all. Very quiet tube amp. The distortion, if turned up to 8, 9, 0r 10 is brutal. Nice Zakk Wylde squeals;) It has all the distortion I need. I am playing it through a Marshall cab with G12-L35's in it. Supposed to be similar to the Greenbacks. A killer sounding halfstack!!

I have not had the amp for too long. Bought it from an amp tech. He gave it a good "going over" before letting it go. I have had no issues with the amp.

N/A

Been playing for many years. Owned a lot of gear in the past 20-plus years or so. To much to list. I currently have an Orange Tiny Terror head that I play through a Carvin 2X12" speaker cab with Eminence speakers in it. I have many pedals. I have a Carvin MTS 2X12" combo, 100 watts of tube power. The Marshall DSL is a great amp. I got it at a great deal, and I could not pass it up. This thing ROCKS!! It's got that "Marshall sound" that so many folks crave.

This amp features two channels that provide both the most powerful distortion sound I've ever heard and also the sweetest cleans ever. From a sound perspective, it has EVERYTHING I want.

I play this amp with a Gibson Les Paul Studio. I play in two different bands, one a hard rock group and the other a folk band. I can use this amp for both bands.

This is the downside of this amplifier. If you do not give it ample time to warm up, meaning turn on the power, but leave the standby off for about 5 minutes, it'll overheat itself and turn off randomly. I have had this happen at a gig...not cooL! I took this amp in for servicing, and they couldn't find anything wrong with it.

Marshall is happy to send you support via email, but often sends the same advice again when you contact them to let them know their previous advice did not work.

If it weren't for the reliability problem, which I have learned to prevent through trial and error, this would be the perfect amp. Sound wise, you cannot find a better amp.

I gave this a 9 for features because you can always have more features but really this is all i need or anyone as long as they aren't metal tech heads and don't get me wrong, i love metal and not just 80's metal but really, korn, slipknot, you guys are silly. I wish I could change the tone between the channels but for the price and tone whatever. Marshall plexi amps sound awesome and they only have one channel. I could always upgrade and get a tsl but if anyone else has played the tsl compared to the dsl you will realize that they sound very little alike and the tsl's are actually worse sounding, and i took one apart and its built like ****... I heard that some of that later dsl's were built ****** aswell but i haven't seen one but than again i dont tear everyones amp apart.

First i would like to say that everyone wants something different so these reviews are just to give you an idea, try things out before you buy them. This sounds great, i would replace it or fix it if i lost it or it was broken... I own alot of marshalls and alot of other amps. Im kinda an amp retard. To get the sound i want out of this amp i have to turn my bass up louder than most amps and i use my presence more as a treble and my treble kinda as a back up treble... play with it and you will see what im saying. Anyways, this amp is mean and ****ing beautiful sounding at the same time. I put groove tubes in it rated at 6(if you know how groove tubes rates you know what im talking about)and they sound rad,i tried many other tubes out aswell, svetlanas and so on. I suggest always replacing your tubes and upgrading them when buying a head. Also, finding a matching cab to what you like, dont cheap out of the ****ing cab guys! I hate how many people hate there heads because they have ****** cabs... I put 2 celestian t-75's and vintage 30's in my birch closed back cab, alot of you people will think thats wierd but i get good comments on it every show hands down. I do like my plexi better but i can't afford to replace that and i had to mod it...

I bought this thing several years used. Looks like no one else has really looked inside but me... I am naturally a cautious person because my amps (and car) are some of my most prized materials. (I drive a kia rio so obviously my amps come first). Anyhow, it has never gone out and im always waiting for it to. Not that it gives me clues, just that i would be sad and everything good that comes goes... But while im constantly pulling my car out of the ditch (whichever one) my head is still in the backseat rock'n it as usual. Haha, when i imagine it in my head i like to think its wearing sunglasses and is smoking a cigarette.

dont know, bought used, had it a long time and i take care of it. Even on the road. Marshall is usually pretty cool though, except when it comes to older amps, but you will get that with most anything. Giving them an 8 on past experience...

Giving it a 9, i love it, you can get them on craigslist for like 600 bones sometimes! Why not buy one, better than the tsl, and if you try out some of the other marshalls out there these days you will be disappointed your paying that much... When you could always buy a jcm 800 for way cheaper. Those are fun amps aswell, i like them with the standard 1960a cabs.

The amount of features on this amp is not overwhelming, but as a basic amp it pretty much covers my needs. The most negative thing is that both channels have the same EQ. And as a metal-guitarist, I have to compromise the clean sound to a certain extent, to fit it to the gain channels EQ.
On the positive side, I really like the deep- and tone shift switches, which gives a lot of choices And the fact that there is enough gain on this amp. And every gig I've done, the soundman has told me to turn it down. Which I of refuse to do. So there's plenty of "wattage" here

I use Jackson guitars with Seymour Duncan's. Mainly the Invader humbucker. I think the top end is a bit to noisy, and the low end should have slightly meatier. But I use GT75 speakers, and probably should have used vintage 30's instead. The clean channel distorts a bit at high volumes (not much), but I like that. As I saide, there's plenty of gain here

It has failed me a couple of times, but that was more of a tube error, I think.

Never contacted Marshall...

I've been playing for almost 20 years, semi pro the last couple of years,so I've tried a lot of stuff. A fried of mine has got an Engl, and in all honesty, I think that one sounds better. But with Marshall, you get the classic rock sound

Split channel, 100watt, dual reverb.
Channel switching with various on amp tone shaping switches.

Using it with my wilkinson loaded strat.
I've had mine revalved with E/H golds for a slightly more hi-fi sound.
Clean:- The clean channel is alright really, it breaks up very early with humbuckers, but can remain very clean when using low output single coils. Its a passable clean sound for live use, but for recorded use it doesnt quite go clean enough. Takes dealy and flange really well though. Bringing the gain up on this channel gives some pretty good crunchy rock sounds, further enhanced by having the crunch switch engaged.
Drive :- OD1: Great for classic rock and indie stuff, you can also get some awesome hardcore sounds with the gain wound round a bit, its a really open and loud sound drive sound. Not very smooth but it'll definately get you heard!
:- OD2: Smoother higher gain than the first OD, can get a bit mushyif the gain is pushed to hard and you really have to crank the mids to be heard on this setting.

The deep switch remains permanently engaged on mine, it just adds a lot of body and warmth to the sound. The tone shift isnt so useful, it basically works by sucking out the character of your guitar and sterilising your sound.

Its always been very quiet for me, but i dont use huge amounts of gain, its a pretty versatile amp that gets overlooked alot just because its a marshall. I still prefer the sound of these amps to the TSL's and JVM's.

This is my third DSL, never had any problems at all, they're built to last and as long as theyre are maintained well they will survive life on the road.

Marshall is only a few miles down the road from me and theyve always been very good to me.

Its a great amp, worth trying through lots of different cabs because it works so well with so many different cabs. Its ofetn overlooked, but i'd take one of these over a mesa, engl or any of the more expensive brands.