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.

I believe that mine was made in 1997? This is the all tube, 100 watt Marshall Duel Super Lead Head.
I play in a hard rock band, with two guitar players. We play hard rock, early heavy metal (Not that screamo, mid scoop crap), and blues styles. We are active and working musicians, and play at medium sized venues at least every two weeks. I think anyone reading this already knows what features that this amp has. The deep switch is just too much low end, and the tone shift makes the amp sound dry and hollow. I don't like the fact that this amp only has one eq setup for both channels, and the amp defiantly does not have enough mid range. I wish that this amp had a fuller range of tone, but what do you expect for a new Marshall.

I play a 67 reissue Gibson Flying V with Seymour Duncan SH-4 (Bridge), and SH-1 (Neck) pickups; a Gibson SG with Dimarzio Super Distortion (Bridge) and a Gibson 498R ceramic (Neck); A Fender American Standard Stratocaster with Dimarzio Super Distortion (Bridge), stock Fender noiseless single coil (Middle), and Dimarzio PAF Pro (Neck). My other amp is a Laney AOR 100 watt head, from 1986. The Laney is a duel preamp setup, and is basically Laney's answer to the JCM800, but with more gain, more versatile, and more balls. I use an analog pedal board: Guitar-> Boss TU-2 Chromatic tuner -> Dunlop Crybaby-> Ibanez Tube Screamer-> Boss Stereo Chorus-> Ibanez Phaser-> Front of amp. I also use a linear power boost through my FX loop to provide a lead volume boost. The tone I go for is reminiscent of eighties Heavy Metal (i.e.: Iron Maiden, Metallica, Danzig, Dio, Judas Priest). Don???t confuse it with scooped mid's metal of today. I hate scooping the mids, it sounds like your amp wants to crap itself or maybe vomit. For a while, I thought that I could use a two-channel amp, to make things easier during live performance. Either switch between clean/brutal distortion, or have a good distortion, use the guitars volume knob to clean it up, and use the other channel as a lead boost. The DSL played by itself, on the clean/crunch channel sounds pretty good. Marshall obviously put a substantial amount of effort into replicating the tones of their prior and past production. This is where the shortcomings of this amp come into play: The Ultra channel SUX!!!! No sustain, no character, not at all useful to me. In concept it's great, but when you switch from crunch to ultra, you have to re-tweek your eq settings to remedy the problem, as the tone seems to become thin and brittle with too much clipping. So basically, the only solution that I could conceive, was to put an Ibanez tube screamer in front of the amp, on the crunch channel, set the gain at about half on the amp, on the pedal: drive on 1, tone at about 8, and volume at about 8 for unity. IT SOUNDS AWSOME! This is the tone I was looking for, although this renders the other channel basically useless. The other lacking feature of this amp is the non-exhistant lead boost option. Yeah... There is Lead 1/Lead 2 on the ultra channel.. And yes you might think: why don???t I just set the volume on the Ultra channel slightly higher with the gain a little lower, use the tube screamer through both channels, and bam.. I have a lead boost channel. Well.... To answer that, I have done such and not only does the tone on the Ultra channel sound thinner, nasty, and unsatisfying, it also feeds back uncontrollably, and still has absolutely no sustain. HORRIBLE!! If you have to have the Marshall sound, than think simple, eat the cost (Because it's worth it), and buy a Marshall JMP Master Model or Super Lead from the 70's or a vintage JCM800, and put the Tube Screamer in front of it. It's a one-channel amp, it has six knobs, but that???s all I need. That???s how all of the greats did it, and that???s just how it's done. Personally I am happier with my Laney.

I bought this amp about 4 months ago. I have used it for live performance, studio practice with my band, and some recording. I have had to take this amp to service three times. Once it just stopped working, with no signal; it ended up being a bad tube socket. Another time, it started making really annoying noises while I was playing, feeding back and squealing; for some reason the amp threw itself out of bias (how does that work?). On the third occasion I was playing live and my volume dropped dramatically; my repair tech told me that the V1 preamp section had fried itself. Comparing this track record to My 20+ year old Laney AOR head: I have had to take this amp in for service every six months to a year for scheduled maintenance, to have it retubed and biased and nothing more in the three years that I have owned it. I have never needed a backup amp for my ???Vintage??? ???Obsolete??? Laney.

Why bother? I have attempted contact before regarding other Marshall products and the experience is much like talking to the Great Wall of China. Every time I need service I go to the same guy. He is certified as a repair tech and works out of a local reputable music store.

I have been playing for about 15 years. I've owned and operated many different types of amps, and played in numerous bands. I have had other Marshall???s, and played many more. As for picking an amp for it's Brand Name, I think it's a marketing scam. Once upon a time Marshall was the one to buy, but now days you can go to Guitar Center and pick out all of the useless, made in China/assembled in England Garbage you want. If it were stolen I would only be unhappy since I would rather get the money from selling it. I chose this amp because I read a lot of good reviews on it and was confident in the purchase. I'm extremely disappointed. I wish it had a useful Ultra gain channel, since that is my main sound.

I bought this amp used, though based on the serial number, I think it was built in 2002.

Features have been covered over and over again, and frankly, the feature set is a bit disappointing. Everyone wants separate eqs per channel, foot switchable sub-modes, etc... And yeah, these would be great things and it is annoying that these things don't exist and of course weird decisions like footwitchable reverb but not fx loop, the tone shift button, those sorts of things. Nevertheless, its best feature is the sound, and really thats all that matters.

When I first plugged into the amp, I was sort of impressed. It sounded very Marshally and thats never a bad thing in my book, but it wasn't "incredible". After getting it home and working with it a bit, I figured out how to get some amazing tones out of it. First off, I HIGHLY recommend what another user said here in regards to putting a sonic maximizer in the fx loop as it REALLY wakes the amp up. This is pretty true of most instruments, but even with just a VERY small amount of processing from the BBE, it brought out some great overtones. A friend who knows NOTHING about amps said it made the distorted tones sound distorted and clean at the same time, really added clarity and made each note ring well. So now then, to the kinds of tones...

Classic channel clean: Absolutely the best clean I've ever heard from a Marshall. I'm not a giant fan of solid state cleans as they just sound sterile, and I've been using a Fender Bassman for cleans (great sound BTW) and the DSL 100 can hang with it in all regards. I like to turn the gain all the way up and use the guitar volume to control the dirt as I can really dial in the sound that way.

Classic channel crunch: GREAT classic tone, but TOO much bass, especially with the deep switch set. The bass isn't bad or out of control, but for my taste its a bit heavy. It is great for trying to emulate classic Marshall tones and while it doesn't sound exactly like the old school Marshall amps, its pretty close and sounds tremendous.

Ultra channel lead 1: Pretty good tone, though at lower gain and volume settings, the deep switch makes a big difference though, with clever eqing, you can get some really great sounds from it. With the gain turned up about halfway though, it really starts to sing and break up beautifully. Good again for getting some classic tones, but more apt to get some good modern rock sounds too.

Ultra channel lead 2: Not bad, but adds too much in the way of overtones and tends to mush the sound up a bit. Its excellent, however, at low gain settings and works well in conjunction with lead 1, at least when the gain is no more than 3 or so. Above that gain, its good for getting thick lead sounds with controlled feedback, but thats sort of it. Its too rich for comping or any other general rhythm work.

The tone shift switch seems to be much maligned and well, is mostly worthless to me, but sounds interesting with clean tones. Kind of removes the "tubeyness" of the sound and gets closer to the solid state sound some people like. On dirtier settings, it just sounds like a poor mid scoop switch and sort of takes away the Marshall quality of the sound. Its a shame that Marshall felt the need to try to make a jack of all trades instead of making some better design decisions, but whatever...

The eq doesn't have a profound impact on the sound, but the sound tends to be very treble heavy. It takes some time to figure out how to balance the presence and treble but once you get it, it sounds great, but it DOES take time to get the brightness down. It'd be great to have separate channel eq as the classic channel is awfully bassy, but some tweaking gets a decent balance for all channels, well sort of.

The FX loop seems to suck some tone with certain effects processors, but not all oddly. I use a Digitech RP500 in the loop and its completely transparent. Not the case with some rack effects I had been using.

Overall the best sounding amp I've ever owned. Sounds awesome at nearly any setting, but spending time with it really yields incredible results. The sonic maximizer really unlocks the tone though, but again, thats for any amp.

It seems rock solid, though I've heard people say otherwise. Mine is a few years old and works just fine.

Biasing the amp is very easy and can be done by anyone, A+ for that.

Good web presence and well, its Marshall. They're legendary for taking care of their customers. In the UK at least. I have no idea how they in the US though, but that said, all the user groups and what not seem more than adequate with schematics available for download and some knowledgeable users who are always willing to help.

I also have a Crate Blue Voodoo and Fender Bassman ('65 black face) and I play all three amps through a Bassman 2 X 12" and a Marshall 1960 cabinet with 2 12GT75s and 2 Vintage 30s. This is hands down the best sounding and most versatile amp I've ever owned. Not so much in the wide variety of tones (it all sounds very Marshally) but in terms of each mode being quite unique and instantly good sounding. It would be nice if there were separate channel eq and if the eq had more impact, but still a super versatile tone. Plus if you need more tweaking, an eq in the loop works beautifully to dial in the tone.

Compared to the Blue Voodoo; it just has a more usable tone plain and simple. The Voodoo is decent, but doesn't really hold a candle to the DSL.

Compared to the Bassman, the clean is just about comparable, but the dirty sounds really beat the hell out of the bassman, which while good, just doesn't have the richness of the Marshall.

If it were lost or stolen, I might look at the JVM series from Marshall, but I love the DSL and if it didn't sound as good, I'd try to find another DSL 100. At used prices, they can be had pretty cheaply.

One great thing about the amp is it works well with effects. I know that may sound dumb, but some amps I've used sound poor with chorusing our other kinds of effects that just tend to muddy up the sound. This one sounds great with everything I've used.

I'd give it top marks, but the lack of separate channel eq, and the goofy design decisions (e.g. poor foot switching options) keep it from top marks. Still, sound is the ultimate measure and from that perspective, you can't beat beat it. It may not be for everyone, but for those who like the Marshall sound, its as good as it gets, particularly for the price.

I bought this amp new in Jan 2007. It is a limited run matching silver covered head and quad. It is a two channel amp with two modes per channel. It has a deep switch which is helpful to pull a good sound depending on venue and the volume you can get away with. It also has a 'tone shift' which is just plain nasty. It has a noisy effects loop. I don't want to sound uneccessarily harsh as I actually like this amp a lot. I want Marshall to make an amp that sounds like this amp but with independent eq and footswitchable modes for each channel, a quiet effects loop and no 'tone ****' (sic) switch. I would buy that amp!

I have a bunch of different gigs ranging from 1990 til current poprock, classic rock (Lizzy, Purple, Who) and OZ Rock. I sometimes switch to the clean mode of ch 1 and compensate the subsequent volume drop with an MI Audio Boost n Buff. I am lucky enough to play some big shows all across Australia and I specify DSL 100s as hire backline. I used to get 800s but they were too hit and miss in terms of sound. As far as Marshalls go this is a versatile machine - unfortunately not all the sounds it is capable of producing are readily available. If you switch between modes without compensating with volume and eq changes you can end up with some dud sounds. One of my favourite gigs is classic Oz Rock played exceptionally loud. I plug a 335 or LP straight in to a DSL 100 and use Ch 1 crunch mode for rhythm guitar and Ch 2 OD1 set louder for leads.

I hope I'm not going to jinx myself, but this amp has been 100% reliable. Each of the hire DSL 100s I have used have been reliable as well including on short tours (14 shows in 16 days). I have seen DSLs dropped from trucks (in flight cases, of course) fire up and run hard for hours with no problems. I my experience these are supremely reliable machines.

I haven't dealt with Marshall regarding this amp specifically but I did email them to query the claim of the store I bought it from about its limited production nature. Marshall responded very quickly (and assured me it was a legit limited run). I have dealt with Marshall in the past about an incredibly unreliable 900 and the exact specs of a 1962 Bluesbreaker combo I once owned (and stupidly sold) - they were very helpful on both occasions.

I decided I needed to get another half stack in 2006. I tried Mesas, Engls, Oranges, Fenders, Peaveys, TSLs. After initially being turned off new Marshalls because of the TSL (YUCK!), I tried the DSL and just about bought it on the spot. It has an interesting mix of classic and modernish sounds in the one amp. I have been playing for 20 years. I have a bunch of guitars of each of the popular persuasions as well as some oddball sweeties. I have a great pedal collection that changes at a whim - Carl Martin or Roland chorus, vintage SD-1 or Blackstar? I love how this amp looks and for the most part I love how it sounds. I love how it responds to the volume pots on my guitars and I love that it doesn't mask the character of the guitar being used. It could be made better so easily (see features). I have had 3 different JCM900 models, a BBreaker combo, a MESA combo (maybe a 22 cal - I can't remember), various Fenders, a JC120...If this was lost or stolen I would certainly check out other amps but not because I am unhappy with the DSL - Marshall and many other manufacturers are doing some great things. It would be silly to go and blindly buy exactly the same thing without checking that someone else hasn't made a 'DSL 100ish thing with footswitchable modes, independent eq, a quiet effects loop and no stupid tone shift switch'. I already said that is the amp I would buy.

2007 Model, 2 channels; 4 modes. 100 Watts of EL34 power, FX Loop etc etc...

I play metal, the heavier/extreme form of metal. Some call it Death Metal.

It's versatile enough but a half power switch/built in attenuator would be awesome. Also, separate EQ for both channels would be awesome. And a master volume... damn!

Many people dismiss these amps for metal, simply because they aren't BROOOOOT or they don't have enough GAHINZ for TEH SWEEEPZ, but simply put... these people are fools. I went to a guitar store to try out a guitar, the guy said to me - you've gotta use this Boogie Stiletto, its like a Marshall, but much better. Sure enough my eyebrows went very high and I tried it... it sounded like fuzzy crap; so a modern, post MKIV boogie then. I wandered over, grabbed a cable and cranked a Marshall up, the DSL 100... and WHAT AN AMP IT IS!!!
I've used ENGL, MESA, ORANGE, KRANK, PEAVEY live and I can honestly say MARSHALL are the only amps that cut it.
My live rig right now is a JCM800 through a 1960BV cab... but the DSL needs a mention, the trick is to watch the bass and treble, the presence is a wide band, high frequency pot so it controls most of the high end, the treble is quite brittle and does not need to be abused, its a narrow band pot so it only ads some real high HIGH end, so use that to fine tune.

IF YOU SCOOP YOUR MIDS, IT WILL SOUND LIKE A BAG OF BALLS. Crank those mids and get that sound cooking.

The clean is nice and usable, it's no ultra amazing clean, but like I said; live no one is going to complain, The crunch really tasteful for those classic rock moments during sound check!

OD1 is my personal favorite, its got some nice over tones, especially with the deep switch in. I don't rock the gain past halfway because thats when the definition starts to disappear.
OD2 is not where my tone lies, the gain is boosted but so is the bass; but that just swamps you out. With single coils though it sounds pretty fat.

Great metal tones, great rock tones. Completely underrated, a worthwhile shot if you're in the price bracket

the shift button is redundant if you ask me

Never broken, Marshall's are like trucks man, you can tinker and they'll snap out of it!

Got some new marshall logos for the cab etc... free, Marshall rule.

GREAT AMP

Set it up right and you'll be laughing when people ask what you're using. It's happened to me, sort yourself out; get a DSL.

Everyone pretty much has posted all the specs by now. I gave it a 6 because the features are a little weak. No footswitchable FX loop and no footswitchable modes in each channel.Those are my two complaints. Besides having the option of footswitchable reverb(WTF?!?) Later models of Marshalls have added this feature but they don't have the good raw tone that the DSL 100 has.

I have finally found a combination of pedals that make this thing incredible. By itself it's an 8 at best. The classic channel is really good with articulate highs and tight warm lows, gives a good classic rock crunch, probably the best I've heard on an amp made after 1975. The second channel is good if you don't scoop the mids, don't use the OD2 button and play it really loud. In fact I've found that the secret to this amp is to lay off on the Treble Eq, jack up the mids and use the presence for the treble. The treble frequency is really high and crispy on this amp and unmusical. If you really want a good sound out of this use a Tubescreamer or any good classic overdrive on low gain, high volume in front of the amp through the input, then use a BBE Sonic Stomp throught the FX loop with a Boss NS-2 to calm the storm.The overdrive enriches harmonics of the amp and gives it more life. The Sonic Stomp with this amp has made the rating a 10+ for me because i can quickly adjust the TWO knobs on the pedal to compensate for the tonal qualities of whatever guitar I'm using at the time. And it makes it sound like you are pulling a blanket off of your amp. No kiddin. Also make sure the next time you get it retubed and biased, have the tech increase the plate draw to the power tubes to make it run hotter. They are initially biased and set up pretty cold. You'll burn through tubes alot faster this way but, oh sweet tone city, will it sound a hell of a lot better.
I have the best distortion I've ever heard now and I'll take the pepsi challenge with this statement. It also helps that you play a good heavy piece of mahogany with good pickups too. Hamer USA Standard with EMG 81,85 and high output tone pots is my weapon of choice!

Power Transformer sucks. "nuff said. Everyone who has these amps and plays them loud for any length of time will encounter this problem with this amp. The originals are garbage. When replacing power transformers make sure that you get a different brand in there. Other than that I had a problem with the tube socket screen resistors and had it promptly fixed. This is isn't the best out of the box amp I've ever experienced but tube amps are notoriously inefficient and fickle.

haven't ever used this service.

I've been playing for 15 years and have tried many other amps but after finding the right pedal combination with the DSL100 I have been least inclined to replace it with something new. It works for me for now. The features are kind of a drag for me. It they reissued this amp with more footswitchable options (FX loop, modes on each channel) and kept the exact same preamp schematic and upgraded the power transformer, Marshall would have its best amplifier ever made. I've tried newer models from Marshall and they fail in comparison (distortion sucks, modes all sound alike, clean sucks). Overall if you find this amp available for less than $900 then buy it. If not then don't. I got mine in a trade for a Rivera era Fender 75 head and mid 80's fender champ. I got the better end of the deal.

not sure what year, possible 04. this thing Kicks a@#, its a 100 watt head that features ec83's in the pre-amp section and el34 power amp tubes, classic marshall valve setup.it has 2 channels with two switchable modes on each, 1st channel is a clean, very clean, the best clean tone on a marshall ive ever heard, then it features a classic gain channel thats similar to the old plexi's and old supers. then the other channel has two switchable lead's the 1st is your jcm 800 gain and the 2nd is a ultra gain witch is the only real beef i have with this head, its very grainy and fuzzy as metioned in previous reviews but lower the gain setting will counteract that crap for the most part. you got your typical eq , presense t. m. b. for all the channels, no idependent eq for each channel(doesnt bother me, i have eq in fx loop) this thing has 2 buttons, the deep switch which tightens the end and boosts the lows, a mid scoop button thats self explanitory. also has an fx loop which is good for us effect geeks. another beef is that you can only switch between channel A and B and not the others but its a minor beef. its really loud amp so dont use at room volumes to gauge this thing, its gotta be cranked up to get the true tone of this thing.

Killer.. everything and every style of music can be dailed up on this thing, the most impressive thing on the amp is the clean channel, as i said early its the best clean channel on a marshall ive heard, been playing for 18 yrs and have heard many a marshalls. the lead channel is just as killer, pure marshall tone. very versatile for any gig, covers ,blues, jazz(yes jazz), rock and metal. it will keep up with anything you through at it. I know because all those styles i mentioned above im doing. I have a custom tele that has S.D. pearly gates in the bridge and vintage rails in the neck and a olp mmluke that has the luke emgs in it, both guitars sound ballzy coming out of this amp, can get that old van halen/zz top ,classic rock sound to more edger tones like my man steve lukather(by no means will you play like him if you get this amp)from toto.

its a marshall, its the harley davidson of amps.

overall this thnig gets an 9 cause of flaws i mentioned above. ive had this amp for about 3 mnths know, i own many other boutique amps and effects, to many to list. this thing will sing with a good overdrive pedal like a fulltone or a klon. i really love this amp for its versatility and tone. i would cry if it were stolen and eventually replace it. always hear stff for yourself before buying.

You all know what it does. I'm writing this to share the misery I'v gon through in the last year. Read on...

Sounds Awesome! It is a Marshall that sounds like a true Marshall, actually, 3 different Marshalls. Classic gain sounds like a jtm 45 with it set right. When you push in the button it is very JMP or JCM 800, throw an sd-1 or tube screamer in front of it and hold on. Depending on your settings you get everything you heard back in the day, ZZ, Zep, SRV, AC/DC, Blackfoot, Mollyhatchet, Motorhead...
Got the ultra gain and you have a hotrodded jcm 800 and with a pedal in front you get the firs 3 Metallica albums, Anthrax, Tesla, G-n-R, again all depending on your settings. Best sounding Marshall I ever owned.
I love it! I hate it!

This thing craps out on me every 8-10 weeks. I play out 4-7 nights a week 4-5 hrs a night. The first time I lost the effects loop, I still made it through the gig. Next time I lost the classic channel, I couldn't switch to it, still made it through the night. Then on night,2nd set, the place is blowing up, we're in such a groove it was out oof this world, then, i'm playing air guitar. Still lit up but no output. I did wha any rockstar without a tech would do, I gave it shaken baby syndrome and turned it back on and finished the night. My repair shop said it was probably a tube, since we coundn't re create the issue. I retubed it, went to rehearsal before we were gonna open for Marshall Tucker and one of the power tube went nucular! Now I'm 2 hrs. from soundcheck and I have an amp that greenpeace would sue me for. I scrambled and borrowed my friends 5150 (Bulletproof, he hoses it out after every gig and puts it away wet)and it saved me. We went on and it sounded sweet, not Marshall sweet, but sweet in it's own way,,as a side note, it sounded nothing like any Van Halen recored I ever heard, but it sounded great with my Les Paul. I took the Marshall back to the shop and he said that the bias was floating and when it goes away the tube goes Chernobyl. I sold it AS IS and dropped the hammer and bought a brand new one, they are now discontinued by the way. So for $1271.00 out the door I got a five year warranty, YAYYY??? No BOOOO!!!! They only cover Parts, I gotta eat the labor, how do I know you may ask? 3rd gig with the new head, stock power tubes, never touched them The tube ran away again and CAUGHT FIRE! FIRE! FIRE! Kept playing though, It was so Rock n Roll, We wer killing it playing For whom the Bell Tolls and I smelled that smell, you know the one, the smell of electronic DEATH, I turned around and I couldn't tell because of the fog machine, but I could tell because the flames were flickering out from behind the head. I quickly unplugged it and another musician at tthe gig ran home a brought me his Bogner Shiva (A$$hole) Thanks for kicking me when I'm down. But it saved the gig. So tomorrow morning I am returning this 54 pound piece of fire wood to Sam Ash. I have 6 days left on their 30 day return policy. I hate it. I love the sound but I need the reliability. Iam going back to my old 5150. Everyone can rag on peavey, but, when you hit the standby switch the play and sound sweet too. Not Marshall sweet, but Peavey sweet. Great for getting Skynyrd and .38 special sounds, and on the ultra channel you get moderm Metallica, Godsmack,Lamb Of God stuff.

As a final note, I know what I do. I know my equipment, so it's not because of me wiring cabinet wrong or useing power brakes. I use 1 2x12 vintage 30 cab at 8 ohms. Marshal won, game over man, game over, I tapped out. I love it but I can't afford to keep fixing these things. I need to save up and get an old handwired ptp Marshall, maybe that will be mor reliable.
I saw Zakk wylde at Ozzfest and he had 8 halfstacks, only 3 wer mic'd... I'm guessing clean dirty and lead tone. During his 2 hr. guitar solo, to give ozzy a break, his shit cut in & out then it did it again and the stage hand moved the mic to another stack. Lesson here. Play til you can hang like Zak and afford 10 G's worth Of Marshalls. Done!

Roll the Dice, The three I went through this year were made of glass. My other 2 friends never had a problem with theirs, but they play half as much as I do.

Marshall DSL 100 with 1960 A&B cabs (full stack). I would have given this a 10 if the Marshall foot switch supplied could switch between the high low setting on each channel and not just between channels.

I play this with a PRS Single Cut Standard guitar - just amp and guitar and the sound is great. I would give sound a 10 however, the amp is very bright, the treble knob never goes over 3 and I don't use the presence knob for the same reason. If there is one improvement for the amp it would be to knock down the treble a bit so the player has some control over the high end EQ settings.

I own two DSL 100 heads (one for a back up). After a year neither amp has given me any problems. A huge improvement over the 1959HW horror story I went through prior to owning these two heads.

I have not had to deal with customer support on this line of amp so no comment.

I have been playing for roughly 40 years. This amp with a PRS guitar provides an excellent classic rock sound without the need for any stomp boxes or rack gear (key). I tried a lot of different Marshall heads before settling on this line. Some advice to new buyers: not all Marshall heads sound (or work) good. A good strategy is to free-trial as many different heads and cabinets as you can with YOUR GUITAR before you make your purchase. Finding the right guitar/amp combination that fits your style of music takes time - don't rush it and don't rush into a wrong purchase and then try to fix a bad tone with stomp boxes, rack gear or modifications to your guitar or amp because you can't fix something that's not there to begin with. Lastly, buy the best guitar/amp you can afford (make payments if you have to) as there is nothing worse than settling for a bad tone and nothing more exciting than finding and playing with a great one. This amp & guitar combination provides a great tone for what I play - Good luck in finding your tone!

I believe my amp was made in 2004, but it is not so important, it whether works or not for me... It has 4 12AX7 valves and 4 EL34,2 separate footswitchable channels with separate spring reverb, standard TMB equalization with presence pot and Scoop and Deep switches, effect loop. Basically this amp has 4 gain settings or channels however you please, as it has on first channel Clean/Crunch and on the other (Ultra Gain) Lead 1/Lead 2.

I'll start describing the sound by channels:
Clean - very very nice, gutsy, lots of bass, treble, very articulated and when cranked up does nice sweet vintage distorsion, but it is very loud so you wouldn't find that distorsion at bedroom level unless u have some killing pickups.
Crunch - think 1959 plexi distorsion, crunchy, full, proper valvy sound! Great for vintage tones - think Led Zepp, Thin Lizzy, AC/DC, Cream, Hendrix and stuff...
Lead 1 - My favorite here - sort of like a hot rodded jcm800, great distorsion for reaching that Gary Moore sound, nice harmonics. I like it when it is a bit toppy or trebly however u like. A tiny remark here.. it is a bit fuzzy, but that's all
Lead 2 - Could be very nice but this actually made me give it a 9. It is too fuzzy... It isn't noisy, it is actually very good, but just too fuzzy... maybe a new set of valves would do - thinking of getting a set of matched JJ EL34L and JJ 12AX7... If you really don't like it and have 400$ spare send it to these guys who do mods and have the fuzz removed... i haven't :)
I am using it with my Epiphone Les Paul with Seymour Duncan Antiquity humbuckers and my Fender USA Standard Strat with DigiTech Bad Monkey and Marshall Guv'nor 2... Sounds amazing with Les Paul on every setting with every pedal i've tried, but i prefer playing Strat directly without pedals - completely relying on amps distorsion as pedals add some strange noise to the Strat - anyway most of the time i use Strat on clean where it is in its element and Les Paul for muddy jazz clean and everything else.
I mostly play blues and rock, from some Dire Straits stuff, ZZ Top, Eric Clapton, Gary Moore, Thin Lizzy, AC/DC to Guns N' Roses...

Cmon, it's Marshall - My teacher who is one of the best Serbian musicians used to tell me: "Get a Marshall, but a proper 100W one! It can never let you down you will always have enough power and it is reliable as a tank!" So so far it is :) Just take care of it and it will take care that you sound great! I would use it on a gig definitely if i was good enough to gig, but i'd have a backup... People die of heart-attack out of a sudden, so could an amp - maybe not a hear attack but valves or transformers :)

I've never tried to reach Marshall, i bought it used... Shouldn't be too bad though... Anything u need call the Marshall factory - spares department and get it... No idea about the warranty as again, i've bought it used

I've been playing for a year and a half, I own also an Epiphone Valve Junior 5W practice amp and another small valve amp which i've made that runs on 12ax7 and 6V6 valves. Digitech Bad Monkey, Marshall Guv'nor, Epiphone Les Paul Standard (SD Antiquity pups), Fender USA Stratocaster Standard...
I'd be really gutted to have it lost or stolen, but it is not a needle to loose it it is a huge 20+ kilos monster. I would definitely buy it again if i am able to find such a great value again. In my opinion MUCH MUCH better than JCM2000 TSL series, and also for its original price of about ??650 much more sensible solution than a plexi or JCM800 wich cost at least ??200 more and are not nearly as versatile.
Haven't tried any of its rivals - Soldano SLO or Boogies so i can't judge.
I've wanted to get this amp cause of it versatility and a bit due to the fact that my favorite guitarist Gary Moore is using one.
I am giving it a 9 as the sound is not perfect, but pleases me and will definitely please nearly everyone who is after proper Marshall rock tone.
Try buying amps used, much better value, it is whether they work or not, it can't be worse than new one if it is in good shape, change the valves and you'll be more than glad that you have saved a lot of money. Get some nice pedals for that money!

one channel of two distortions and one channel of a clean or drive

I've tried everything from hell and back. I play in a cover band that covers everthing from CCR to Blue Rodeo (Canadians know who) to Green Day to U2, And let me tell you Im an extremist when it comes to U2. This Amp can do it all. Clean, Blues, Hard Rock,(death metal type in Mesa Boggie)). I accidently stumbled upon this amp and was floored by the versatility. If it a seperate channel switch between the clean and drive it would be absolutely perfect

Dont buy this new, buy it used and save half the money cause its built well

For the sound versatility this thing cannot be beat. Rent one and you'll find awe in every pickup configuration on all types of guitars. My Strat sound amazing on this. Goes from heavy distortion to prestine clean with the roll of you volume pot. NOT A ONE TRICK PONY BY ANY STRETCH OF THE IMAGINATION.

When I bought this amp I wanted some versatility for playing different styles of music. For a live situation I just wanted a decent two channel amp that was basic and easy to use. The amp is simple to use and with its great clean channel and incredible crunch mode I find it covers a heck of a lot of tones. I'm really happy with its features. I wish each of the modes were footswitchable but in a live situation (unless you are a cover band) I don't find this to be a problem at all.

I use a Les Paul, a Strat and an Ibanez through this amp.

The clean channel is awesome. Its kind of a blank slate. I wouldn't compare it to anything else. It has plenty of bass, is well balanced, glassy and really freaking good. The crunch mode is awesome. I can easily sound like AC/DC using my Les Paul. I love the crunch channel, its instant classic rock, you can't go wrong with this channel!!!! I would give the clean/crunch channel a 9/10, its just amazing.

The thing I disliked about this amp was its ultra channel. When I first tried the amp, I was playing at low volume and the gain was smooth, sustaining and awesome. I should have tried it at stage volume. As you open up the volume the gain changes to the classic crunchy (or brittle/bright) distortion that is typical of Marshalls and EL34s. It has plenty of gain for rhythm but if you expect to have a smooth sustaining tone for solos you will be disappointed. With the gain pegged in Lead 1 mode and using a Les Paul the note starts off distorted and then the distortion fades off as the note sustains. As far as I'm concerned this is typical of a Marshall however, after all the hype with this amp I expected more. I never use the lead 2 mode, it is too muddy and dark sounding. Even with the deep switch engaged, the bass vanishes when you switch to the ultra gain channel.

Personally, this amp, like any Marshall before it, sounds AWESOME when coupled with a decent overdrive pedal. I use my overdrives (Z.Wylde and Tube Screamer) to blend in with the distortion and get a smoother tone and lots of sustain. I'm not increasing the gain but rather changing the characteristic crunchiness of the amp.

I was really disappointed with the Ultra channel. No bass and a lack of smoothness (ala Van Halen) really kills my opinion of this amp. Using an overdrive and an EQ makes this amp sound godly. I just don't understand how anyone uses this amp stock for metal, unless they are playing like Judas Priest or Maiden. Personally, for all its hype, this amp still needs an overdrive to boost it to its full potential.

With my setup, I can get tons of great tons, unique ones and get close to most popular artists. Just don't expect this amp to be killer straight outta the box!

Never had any problems with it. Knock on wood.

As stated early, using overdrives and an EQ to tame the Ultra channel, this amp is killer. I would definitely replace it. The not so secret, secret of Marshalls is using an overdrive pedal and this amp is no different. If you use an EQ and a good overdrive you can't go wrong. Stock, the ultra channel really sucks IMO.

Can`t tell you the year it was made - bought it in 2004. A simple two channel construction two modes each (lead1/lead2 ; clean/crunch). The problem is the lack of independent equalization for each of the channels (at least for clean/distortion, nevermind the crunch and lead1/2). Yeah, it`s easy to get some in-between equalization to fit both the cleans and distortions, but I enjoy having a full control over my tone. Also the lack of switches for crunch lead1/2 is a flow. I play some quite eclectic music which requires switching between bright sounding cleans and thick, metal sounding leads and it`s quite impossible to do. Yeah, you could try the TSL but it sounds worse than DSL.

Ok, there`s nothing to complain about the sound. Tried various guitars (some S model Ibanez with S/H/S semour-duncans, my standard Gibson Explorer with H/S/S - semour-duncan singles and a EMG81 by the bridge, some cheap stuff like epiphone LP special and others) and I always got the sound I wanted. From bright acoustics to nice, warm crunches, from a hard-rock to insane metal distortion. I also tried to plug a Digi-tech 2112 into it but it didn`t sound right, than I switched to Boss GT8 and it sound very decent. I plug the gt8 into the effect loop and use it as a footswitch (so basically no quite-shitty-sounding boss distortions). When I was looking for the amp I tested various heads like Mesa Rectifiers, the 5150, some laney heads (the tommy iommi signature one) and maybe they had (especially the 5150 and mesa) better sounding distortions (for metal, I mean) but the DSL was definitely the thing because of the wide range of possible tones - no competition. Plugged into a 4x12 AV1960 cabinet it freaking kills. It`s lound, has a thick low-end where you need it and that characteristic, "frying" Marshall sound.

No problems so far, changed the original tubes to sovetecs, got a little more middles. I still have no case for it and it played a few concerts and traveled a long way in my trunk.

Never had to use it, so no opinion.

Well, I play for like 6 years now. Currently I own my trusty Gibson Explorer, a mexican strat, some lesser guitars used as back-ups. I use a gt-8, but I`m planning to change it for a set of stomp-boxes. I sometimes use a Dunlop crybaby as I don`t like the sound of the gt8`s one. Also a Laney TF300 amp I use for practice and some bass equipment. If it were lost or stolen I`d go berserk - kill, fry, rape than kill and rape one again. I`m planing to upgrade my DSL so it would have a switch for turning the other controls on/off and the same for the effects loop since gt8 modifies the sound a bit even in the bypass mode. I tried a lot of amps and none of them was even nearly so universal as the DSL100 - I can go from jazz, blues to some grind-core riffing. Nine goes for the equalization and switching things.

Not sure what year model it is. I wanted to get Marshall and i tried and JCM 800 and there wasnt that much growl too it. I played JCM 2000 DSL 50 and i liked that. Then i saw in the same store a DSL 100. Tried it out and had to buy it. Its a pretty simple head, two channels, two lead and one clean and one crunch. Basic Bass, middle, trebel, pressence controls, reverb for both channels. It also has a Deep button which adds more bass and low end, and Tone button which when its pressed, it scoops the mids.

Its an awesome tube head, it serves the purpose i need and flys above everything ive ever played. Came with a foot switch, didnt get the manuel or anything because i bought it used but i found it on Marshall's site. Despite the basic controls theres alot you can do with it, it has very little play so any switch of the knob will change everything dramaticly.

I play death metal and jazz and it hits both dead on. I bought it when i figured i needed a tube head because my solid state Hughes & Kettner wasnt cutting it at practice so i use it for studio and home. I use the Marshall for practice, shows, studio, you name it. Its loud ass hell, doesnt muddel up anything, responds well with my GT-8, alot of low end. Dont get this head if you have a feeble cab!

No problems with the sound quality. I play death metal and i get the exact tone i want straight from the head. Lots of gain, huge amounts of low end, it makes my band room shake from the power.

I run it through two Ibanez guitars and my Gibson V-90 with an early EMG in it. The Ibanez have high end Ibanez pick up's in them, one is the new Giger RG, and the other is a RG-7420 7-String. It responds well to the low B string unlike alot of amps. When i switch tpo Lead 1 i can get a really good 80's thrash sound and up the reverb a bit and you can get a sick lead tone, Lead 2 is the setting i use because it has a massive low end boost. I keep the mids down to 3 or 0. It gets this brutal roar and great grinding sound.

It isnt noisy, doesnt have a hum like alot of heads get with alot of gain, its amazing.

I just bought it, havent had any issues

Did need to find the manual for it and Marshall's site had it so thats a plus.

I got an awesome deal on this thing. If you want a great sounding head, with a lot of natural gain and huge amount of power. Get this one!

Not sure when the amp was made but I bought it new in 2001. I tried all the Marshall models at that time and decided the DSL100 was most suited to my needs as a semi-pro player playing about 100 gigs a year. Back in 2001, our band signed to a small label and we were playing original songs, sort of in the style of Blink 182. I found the Ultra gain channel ideal for that sort of tone.

Now we play covers ranging from soft pop-rock to heavier stuff like Zeppelin and onto Metallica. The amp is very versatile and can handle all this easily at our normal gig volume (both gains and both volumes set to around 6). The FX loop (which I always use) works very well and I also like the two independent reverbs.

The amp has two channels but it can be better to think of it almost as being two amps in one head as the channels are voiced very differently. I use the amp in small to medium venues i.e. up to 300 people, sometimes mic'ing up a cab. The amp has three speaker outputs, one dedicated 16ohm output for using just one cab, and another pair which can be set to 8 or 4 ohms for use with a full stack.

I usually run the head into one Marshall 4x12 cab but I have a pair of cabs which I use in bigger gigs for the extra spread. I've fitted both cabs with Celestion Vintage 30's.

The Deep switch is useful on the Ultra-gain channel but can be overwhelming on the Classic gain channel. However, speaker choice has such an impact on this that it really will depend on what's in your cab/s. Before I changed my speakers to V30's the Deep switch had less of an effect. The Tone shift button can be fun when playing alone but it seems to remove those frequenices which are most needed when you're playing in a band - so I don't use it live at all.

One great feature for me is the ability to bias the power valves myself. This means I don't have the hassle of taking it somewhere and paying someone to do it, plus I'm not without my amp for days whilst I wait for some guy to eventually get around to doing it. As a gigging musician with little money (and amp techs living 30 miles away) this feature was and is important to me. I raise it here because it doesn't seem to get mentioned much.

My three main guitars are a '99 PRS, a '74 Les Paul Custom and a '77 hardtail Strat.

I run floor-based effects in the loop as follows: Korg tuner, Boss Chorus, Electro Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man, Vestafire digital delay and an MXR micro-amp which I use as a clean volume boost for solos.

Starting with the Classic gain or green channel, I find I can get very rich clean tones by fully opening the volume and adjusting the gain to get the volume I need. Removing some mids and adding bass produces a beautifully clean sound with all my guitars with plenty of headroom.

Another way I like to use this channel is to fully crank the gain (with the crunch off) and adjust the volume to where its needed. This way the tone starts to break up beautifully in a very clean 'plexi' sort of way. Another great tone is to set this channel to crunch with volume and gain both about halfway. With the Les Paul, this is a great classic rock, AC/DC sort of tone which gets heard through any mix. With the Strat and a hint of delay and vibrato from the Memory Man, I can even get close to U2 style sounds, quite amazing really for a big Marshall feeding closed-back cabs.

Moving to the Ultra-gain or red channel, I normally run this in Lead 1 mode with the volume about 5 or 6 and the gain about 4. To me, this sounds like my old JCM800, although to make it just right I have to add some bass when compared to the green channel. However, I find that the shared EQ doesn't present a problem if I run the green channel with the gain quite low, about 2 or 3 with the crunch in. The sounds I can get from the red channel range from early 80's rock such as Maiden, Scorpions, Judas Priest etc through to early Metallica. It's such a great all round tone I find I rarely need to do anything else with this channel. But hey, rock n roll shouldn't be complicated.

I don't use the Lead 2 setting to get my usual tone, but sometimes it's fun to play about with in the house.

As for background hum and noise I find this is not a problem. Any hiss I get generally comes from the leads or the guitar rather than the amp.

I do depend on this amp for all my gigs, although I rehearse with a DSL401 combo.

I've had a speaker output fail on me which I had to get fixed by a tech. Otherwise no problems. I change the power valves every 12 months and the pre-amp valves every 24 months. I always get a matched quad but have tried different brands. For power valves I find the Harma STR's are good as are JJ Tesla's.

I once visited the Marshall factory with an old JCM900 head I had which sounded awful. This was a 300 mile round trip for me and when the guys found out they gave me a cup of tea and a look around the workshop. Turned out all it needed was new pre and power valves and a re-bias. They did this work for free and didn't charge for the valves (they even gave me the old valves back). Can't really ask for more than that.

Playing 25 years and yes I would get one again. I love the way its so easy to use and maintain.

Marshall JCM-2000 DSL 100. I look at this amp as an updated version of the last full sized Marshall that I owned and gigged with in the 80's. That one was a JCM 800 100 watt cannel switching #2210. The new amp is all that plus some added tonal features/choices which sound great and are actaully useful. All of which are well documented in the previous reviews. Guessing by the serial # my amp was made in 2005.

I play a mid 1990's Fender Tex Mex strat through the amp. For those unfamiliar with this guitar it is sort of a hot rodded strat with pretty strong single coil pickups in it. With this guitar I get everthing from really clean to crunchy clean with the classic gain channel and when using the ultra gain channel there is plenty (to too much) of real Marshall distortion to be had. Shared EQ, no problem. This rig gets every sound needed for Sabbath, AC/DC, KISS and all the other related songs that we play **with the Strat**.


I've read on here a lot of people bashing this amp in favour of the JCM 800's. It amazes me that this crap never stops as it was going on back then also. Yes, the 800's were/are great amps. I have a load of tape from back then with me, my Les Paul and the 2210, live and studio. Yes ,it sounded great. My ears tell me and my opinion is this: The DSL is not 'less than' the 800's were. I'd say the new amp is equal plus to the JCM 800's. I owned 3 of 'em from '85 thru the early 90's.

I've owned it for a month. I've owned Marshalls straight through for the last 20 years without ever a problem so my expectation is more of the same. I'm not rating the DSL because I have not owned it that long.

Never needed.

30 plus years of playing. I own the guitar as stated above and a Marshall model 8040 Valvestate. I'll only gig with a Marshall so I would definately get another. I don't hate anything about it. I love the 'real' rock sound that you get out of it.