Marshall JCM-2000 DSL 100

Made around 2002. I bought it used. The amp fits my style very well. I play Hendrix, Clapton, Led Zep. Aggressives blues ( Gary Moore, Eric Gales, etc. ) Two channels, one E.Q. which has not been a problem for me. I only use one channel most of the time anyway. I sat in with a band for two weeks because thier guitar player hurt his back. We played Travis Tritt, S.R.V., Allman Bros., David Allen Coe, Lynard Skynard, The Black Crowes, The Animals, C.C.Revival, The Pretenders and many more and I never left channel one ( classic Gain ) Between my guitar, fingers, tube screamer and wha All sounds where covered nicely by this amp. 100 Watts plenty loud with no noise. A second E.Q. would make the amp more versatile. Effects loop I never used, Reverb I don't use. I like it straight forward and in your face. 9 Rating. no amp can do everything.

I play Ibanez guitars, rg560, rg550 ,an old blazer single coil. But I have also played Stats, Les Paul's, Paul Reed Smith, and Schecters. They all sound great. I play many styles based on blues, Deep purple, Hendrix, gov't mule, some Phish, and long aggressive jams

No problem. Knock on wood.

Never dealt with

I've been playing for about 35 years. Own various amps, all amps have thier own unique sound. I would by another if this one vanished. One day I would like to add the THD bivalve 30 to my collection.

Made in 2005. 100 Watt, all tube head. 2 channels plus 2 modes per channel, single eq, dual reverb, effects loop, tone shift and deep switch that just adds more tone versatility on top of versatility on top of versatility. My only gripe with it's features is one shared EQ for both Clean and Crunch. I'm use to separate EQ's, but I've adapted. Get an EQ pedal and your problem is solved.

The DSL100 has plenty of power and then some. My drummer actually tells me to turn down because I'm drowning him out with no effort. I love pissing off drummers.

ATTENTION ALL YOU DROP-TUNE, CHUGGA CHUGGA, RECTIFIED METALHEADS: This amp is not designed for your Korn-posing, Godsmack-imitating, Slipknot-worshipping, spank the monkey NU-Metal/Death Metal tone. This is not a Metal amp. Why in the world are you buying/playing this amp for your Nu-sytle of headbanging mania? It's no wonder you give it a bad review, you're playing the wrong amp dumb dumb.

This amp is made for pretty much everything, but Metal. The DSL100 nails classic Metal tones like Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Ozzy, etc, but it's not designed for contemporary Metal. For those of you meat, er...I mean metalheads who use this amp and are disappointed with not enough chunk (surprise surprise), do yourself a favor and trade this amp in for a Mesa Boogie or Bogner.

If you really want to keep this amp because you know in your heart it's far more versatile than a Rectifier or Uberschall and you're wondering how to get that Nu-Metal chunk, here's what you do: Run an EQ Pedal through the effects loop and then run an overdrive pedal like a BOSS SD-1 or Ibanez Tubescreamer in front of the amp on the Ultra crunch channel, not the clean channel. Turn the amp gain up to around 2 o'clock, turn the OD pedal drive knob almost all the way down, turn level knob all the way up, tone knob at 12 O'clock, set EQ to smiley and stand the fuck back. Of course, these settings work for me when I want that Metal tone, but you may need to play with the settings to find your own tone. These two pedals combined with Marshall gain will give you all the Nu-Metal you'll ever need, plus you'll still have the versatility to go from Blues, Rock, Classic Rock, Hard Rock, Country, Jazz, whatever. Mesa and Bogner can't do that, Marshall runs circles around them.

Marshall = Versatility / Metal amps = One Trick Pony

I bought this amp like two years ago (was already used, but had new original tubes). At first I was really happy with that amp (always wanted to have a Marshall behind my back), but later on I started to understand why everybody prefers the JCM 800 or JCM 900. The most annoying things about this amp are that there is just one eq(!). At least one for each channel would be nice (the TSL got one for each three channels!). Secondly, the fx loop sucks. I have a whole pedal board with a Boss DD-3, MXR ZW-44 overdrive, Boss Ch-5 chorus ensemble, Dunlop Crybaby from hell. I have to go in directly. Everything else sounds like crap (muddy, no dynamics). Although, it defenitely has enough power for my band (enough power, not enough gain!), it definitely gets killed by the Fender Deluxe combo of our other guitarist. That's pretty sad, isn't it?

I'm mainly using with a Epi Les Paul Custom Zakk Wylde with active EMGs (81/85) and a 1960A cabinet. The overdrive sounds acceptable with the MXR ovedrive (without it's very muddy and has no edge). My styles go from blues to Heavy Metal to Hardcore. The worst thing about the sound is definitely the clean channel (worst clean I've ever heard!). It's not even clean, but you can't use it for blues either. Marshall brags with the slogan "all the gain you'll ever need" (yawn!). Ever played a Diezel or Engl? I think you know what I mean. What is also very annoying is that it is very noisy (the feedback noise is bad! I can't really move on stage because of that).
With the MXR overdrive it's even worse (sounds like a damn waterfall, or something).

That's probably the best thing about this amp: it's solid, built like a tank. Never had any problems with it (hopefully never will till I buy a new amp). That amp is at the moment my main amp (can't afford anything else), but will soon be replaced by a Diezel and is then going to be my backup.

Never had to deal with them! Otherwise, I probably wouldn't contact Marshall, rather the shop where I bought it.

I've been playing now for about 5 years (you see I'm not that experienced, but I have played my share of amps (engl, diezel, peavy, vox, fender, crate)). I used to have a Peavy XXL. I know you can't compare that to a tube amp but at least this one had a decent clean channel and 3 eq's! I'm going to buy a Diezel Herbert (that amp whipes the floor with every other amp, even Engl and Mesa). So, if you are looking for a versatile high gain amp, start somewhere else. If you're looking for a reliable backup, buy a used one of these (they are not that popular, so you should be able to find one)

both the clean and the distortion channels use the same eq knobs. how are you supposed to have independent settings for each channel? if you get a decent sound by playing with the knobs while your playing clean, try kicking on distortion. 9 out of 10 times it wont sound right until you adjust the knobs again. then when you get a decent distorted sound try going back to the clean sound. 9 out of 10 times it will suck. anyone with half a brain should know better than to use a piece of $%^& like this.

clean channel is dirty at high volumes and lacks warmth and fullness. overall the clean sound is gritty and harsh. in fact, i wouldnt even call it a clean channel, even when turning the volume way up and using the gain as the volume. at high volumes sometimes i wasnt even sure whether i was on the clean channel or on the high gain channel. the distortion is weak and lifeless. the sound lacks sustain and power. its not crisp and cutting like it should be.....instead its dull and muddy.... and not muddy in a good way. if you look up the word dull in the dictionary there should be a picture of this amp. the distortion also tends to produce a lot of feedback...more than other amps even with the noise gate at its most extreme setting. the reverb is ok. it doesnt matter what kind of speakers you're playing through.... they wont save you from the so overpriced yet so worthless tone.

i plugged into 3 cabinets at once with this thing and only the cabinet from the 1st speaker out would work no matter how i switched them around. whats the deal? all of a sudden in the middle of a song i got absurd feedback. the noise gate didnt help. i had to turn the gain down below half to get rid of it, which dulled the sound even more even though it was a little clearer with less gain.

ive been playing for 11 or 12 years now and ive heard and/or played through just about every amp u can think of. put this amp up against a bogner, mesa boogie, vht, soldano, diesel, or orange....theres no comparison. even my ampeg vh-140 rips this amp to shreds. i play a blend of lots of different styles including jazz, funk, progressive, very heavy metal, egyptian music, celtic music, horror/nightmare music, sci-fi sounding riffs, dark ambient stuff, etc...
and let me tell you, this amp sucks $%^&. end of story.

Nice approach to versatility with the 2 channels and twin reverb. The tone switch buttons added to the volume and gain controls make it fun to play with this amp, you can achieve specific tones.

All that I need from the amp. ( maybe separate equalization through each channel makes it for some peopleso I'll giv it a 9)

I use a fender statocaster plus that goes through various effects (depending on the occasion) including uni-vibe, rat 2 pedal ( with lm 308 chip, a digitech whammy wha, boss CH-2 chorus, boss metal zone, Dunlop wha, arbiter fuzz face and digitech X flanger.

I had a JCM 900 witch I bought with lot?s of effort when I was still a teenager. I wanted the valve tone so much but after a while I had to accept I wasn?t achieving it with that amp. It sounded just like a valvestate.

After a period of confusion and disappointment I made the decision to invest some more money in a new amp, the problem seemed to be witch.

I?m gonna have to confess I wanted a Marshall but man I tried lot?s of them. The JCM 2000 is very versatile; it has an incredibly creamy tone and lots of power. It can really sound like the old ones. Maybe it is a little more difficult to achieve the tone at high volumes but it is possible. I recommend this amp. In 10 more years it?s going to be a legend and all those who now seem to reject it just because it?s a new model (happens a lot with equipment) are going to change minds.

Great Marshall tone, too bad I had to go trough the JCM 900 first.

Had it for just 5 months but no problem yet.

I?ve been playing for 16 years. I love Jimi's tone, Clapton's solos in the Cream era, Morello's raw sound and Gilmour's accuracy. This amp is making me feel closer to that.

I also love jazz, Scofield, Metheny, Stern. With this babe?s versatility I can achieve that too.

8 This head can satisfy any guitarist( not for classical jazz,maybe )

9 If you need a british amp with affordable price,this is the device for you.It has a very good clean sound that older Marshalls don't have I don't use the "clean" switch because it cuts a lot of mids.I like clean sound of "crunch" channel.I open a lot of master and less gain,never more of a half.Here the sound is incredibly like a Plexi.It runs VERY well with pedals,expecially clean boosters used before input(the way to self create a second channel). Second channel,used in "lead 1" mode is reminiscent of jcm 800. With plenty of master and gain max a half you'll have a high crunch.I never use this amp with the gain all the way down.I don't like in this way,even "lead 2" mode.I prefere to set gain pot til half, boosting the signal with a high fidelity clean overdrive. Delicious !"Mid scoop" is something unnecessary(for me)."Deep" button very usefull,it gives to the overall sound a great "chunk" that I like so much.I tasted this amp side by side with a vintage 1968 Plexi in A/B mode,obviously in the same conditions : dsl "crunch Channel",master cranked up and gain like volume.It was incredible:TOO MUCH SIMILAR,but dsl was more round sound!

10 Never problems

10 Idem

9 An amp VERY british sound.If you like high gain amps like Boogies 5150 etc change road,here is just Marshall sound.Dsl 100, for my opinion is a summary of Plexi,jcm 800 and 900 (the last option I don't like).You have all of this three sounds just in a head,no matter if people saids you it's cheap(comparing with vintage ones).Just turn it on and taste the sound !

Your looking at the review for a Marshall Jcm 2000 Dsl 100 which you already know. Its got two channels with four total modes. It has a shared Eq which could comprise your live sound but the clean is usable even if you eq for your distortion channel only. This head would also be better if you could switch between modes via footswitch but its not a huge deal for most people as they only switch between two channels.

This Amp has outlived its usefullness for me since Ive just purchased a Dual Rectifier(I prefer this type of sound)but this amp is a TONE MACHINE. Ive gigged and recorded with it for the past two years and it has definitely not let me down. It will cover a wide variety of styles and is not noisy(feedback). I would advise to keep the mids up and use hot pickups. Noise is no problem for this amp. You can get THE SOUND heard on many recordings like OLD SYSTEM or STAIND dead on. (before they switched to mode 4). This amp in my opinion also sounds more pleasing to the ears then the TSL. If you just play metal I would advise something different though like a Mesa or a Krank and if on a budget the peavey XXX.
OVERALL AMAZING JOB MARSHALL

I GIGGED WITH THIS AMP FOR TWO YEARS AND IT WAS USED WHEN I BOUGHT IT.
I JUST HAD IT SERVICED ONE TIME BECAUSE OF TUBE WEAR. VERY RELIABLE
JUST TREAT THIS AMP WELL.

NEVER DEALT WITH THEM

I ran this head out of a marshall 1960 B with a BBE sonic maximizer,Behringer EQ,Korg Tuner,Boss Pro Feedback exterminator,Old Zoom rack unit(recording). I would advise not to process this amp too much to try to get a heavier sound. The natural tendencies of this amp are to give you a great all around rock sound. I tried using this other gear to get closer to the sound I heard in my head but I couldn't quite achieve it so I sold it to get a Mesa.
Despite my desicion this amp is a total godsend. I would totally recommend it and the tone is equally professional as the Mesa it just doesnt suit me at this time being.

Shared EQ renders channel switching USELESS! It sounds raspy no matter what tubes used. Just about any pre 1988 Marshall will crap all over it tonally. It's sad but my valvestate 8080 combo sounds almost as good as this thousand dollar pile. It's made with the Valvestate cheapo craftsmanship too. Do not buy the HYPE, buy the tone! About half these guys are like my dad. An old Chevy man from way back when they rocked. Now refuses to even consider something else might be better! Don't give yourself to them wholesale! If you do, they'll just start pumping out JUNK in a cool package. Make them get it right or else! Like Peavey, Fender or even Harley Davidson had to do.

It never broke down because I dumped it already! Yeah, I sold it to some guy (like me) who bought it based on the reputation alone! He, like me will soon realize it's not the tone or quality one expects from Marshall. It sure looks good on the 1960a cab. It's a damn shame I can't have a matching Marshall head sitting there anymore. I can always wait for a nice looking old 2204 to come along!

I don't read 10's or 1's on reviews! I have been playing Marshall since 82. The last straw is when a peavey 5150 kicked it's ass! I want to come back, really. What guitarist doesn't want the Marshall head and cabs behind him? I just hope they feel the repercussion of the cheap, toneless, live off the name junk they make right now and get back in the game!

already stated

i like the sound but it does need to be loud enough to get the valves going, not really a practice amp

had some valves go but that was my own fault for running it on the wrong impedance (dumb mistake). not had it long enough to comment really on the long term

when i blew the valves i sent it back to marshall who replaced them free of charge, the turn around was quick too within a week i was playing it again.

been playing about 10 years, would replace it if it was stolen, not found anything even near to the sound for anything like the same price (except the 50 watt version).

2003 Stock DSl. Very please with the tone and versitilty. I like it so much I bought a TSL modded by Voodoo Amps figuring if the DSL is great the TSL would be better. Stick to the DSL, I don't know but it is a much better, stronger, sounding amp.

I am able to get a great clean and I have had it side by side next to my plexi and I can get it very very close if not almost exact. The reverb is a big plus too. I never thought I would say this but I am seriously considering selling my plexi because they are selling for too much money on ebay and it is a one sounding (albiet great) amp. I am a working musician and I would prefer to have something that sounds great but it repalcable than having one item that I am afraid to even use.

So far so good, although I have heard mixed reviews on this matter. I would send it to a local tech I know for repairs anyways rather than deal with Marshall.

Again, never delath with Marshall so I don't know

I have been playing for over $38 years and I own a ton of gear, especially fender and marshall amps. occaisonally I break down and by the boutique amps but I sually get tired of them and sell them and go back to basics. Lately I have been leening to Soldano's ampsbecuase they sound great and are built like tanks but I do love this dsl and would repace it immediatley if something happened to it. It reminds me a lot of my slo 100 but has reverb. A great amp at a great great price.