Marshall JCM-2000 DSL 401

2002 Model. Two channel Clean, Overdrive 1 & 2. Seperate tone stack for each channel. Seperate Gain control each channel. Reverb, Effects Loop, Master Volume, DI Out, Speaker Out, 1 X 12. This amp has all the features I need. Great for practice at home, and small and light enough to easily haul to the Open Mic or gig.

This amp is overpriced. I picked mine up on EBay for $450. As much as I love this amp, $1300 is outrageous. But well worth what I paid for it.

I primarily use this with a Gibson Les Paul Studio. I also have used a Fender American Strat, Fender American Tele, Danelectro 56, and Squier Standard Tele with it. But I like the LP through it best. LP's and Marshall amps are the tone.

I am a simple guy. I like a good Clean channel and a good Overdrive. The DSL401 gives me what I need. I would say it is a Rock/Blues amp. The Clean channel is warm and not too bright. When you dial up Gain on the Clean channel to around 6 you can get a nice Blues overdrive. Smooth, round and rubbery, not bad at all. I really love the Overdrive channels. I get that classic Marshall tone which is what I wanted. Not too distorted like many amps, and not harsh at all. You can get the classic AC/DC tone which is what I truly love. The Overdrive channels are what make this amp a winner in my book.

I do not care for the Reverb at all. It is weak and lame. If you want great Reverb, go Fender. Also, I found that when switching from either Overdrive back to Clean the amp makes a feedback type noise that lasts for maybe two seconds. Totally unacceptable for live use. After investigation I found this was a common problem on the early amps and has since been corrected. This is a bad problem. I ended up disconnecting the Reverb tank. This has not been a problem for me, I got this amp for a Rock tone and do not care so much for Reverb anyway. But check out Reverb first if this is important to you.

I also did not care for the Effects Loop. I don't really use any effects with this amp, but if I did, I think they sound better before the amp. Can't describe it, but something is missing.

I do like the DI Out. I have used it several times at an Open Mic run into the PA. Very quiet.

I like the seperate tone stacks for each channel. I think this is a great feature allowing you to get both a great Clean and Overdrive tone.

I am not real sure this amp could handle loud gigs, especially the Clean channel. It starts to break up around 5 which is not that loud. So, I think you would have to mic this amp to get a clean tone without breakup at gig volume levels. I use my Hot Rod Deluxe to gig, as it has the volume to handle anything. The Overdrive channels on the DSL401 are plenty loud though. The DSL401 can handle small gigs or an Open Mic easily.

These amps are known to get hot, and mine is no exception. The front plate does get really hot. But I have not had any problems. I used my DSL401 to play an outdoor gig on a very hot summer day. The amp was in the sun at all times. The amp performed flawlessly for over 6 hours straight.

As I mentioned earlier, there was a problem with the Reverb, so I gotta take some points away there.

I have owned other Marshalls and had problems, but so far this amp has held up well for a year with heavy use.

I have never had to deal with Marshall, so I can't comment on this.

It might not sound like it from my review, but I love this amp. I get a great Clean tone I like, and the Overdrive tone is awesome in my opinion. And this is what I care about, great tone. I don't care about effects and all that other junk people use to cover up lack of ability. I have been playing over 30 years, have played in many bands, currently in a 4-piece Classic Rock band. So, I think I know great tone when I hear it. If this amp were stolen, I would definitely get another. Heck, I'm gonna pick up a few more on EBay. That is the way to go on this amp. If you want a great Rock tone, pick up this amp and plug a Les Paul into it. Oh yeah.

it has all the great features -but i am amazed non ementions this: the effects loop stinks, my delay pedal would not work through it,, the reverb is lacking on the clean channel-even when pinned -loike non existent--and the overdrive channels-the reverb is too much

also, ther is a drop off in volume when switching for clean to overdrive channel--this makes vchannel changing a bitch

ius anyone else here gigging eith it-too have missed these major flaws

sounds great--i thought that the AVT have a nicer sounding clean channel

with the channels tweaked indidually or with effects it sounds great

but nothing sounds better than plugging straight into the amp--and u cannot utilize all channels by doing his. This causes a problem when giigging. the amp simply does not love effects--make sure they are true bypass.
i play a slew of guitars-but i find every guitar with diff pickups necssitate a diffent setting palette on all channels-this is opbvious

but i find that my tele (mexican crap with broadcaster bridge pickup, and brass saddles--sounds great clean, or THROUGH OD2--OD1 SIMPLY DOES NOT SUIT THAT GUITAR
WITH OD2, AND THE GAIN AT A LESS THAN MODEST SETTING, MIDS DOWN,-I GET A GREAT '60'S EARLY SYD BARRET PINK FLOYD SOUND, ALSO GREAT EARLY WHO SOUND--ALL THE SLIGHTLY DIRTY FULL CHORDS SOUND GOOD IN OD2

THIS IS ALL TESTAMENT TO THE LACK OF CONTINUITY WHEN CHANNEL CHANGING

THIS AMP WAS SIMPLY DESIGNED WRONG. bUT YOU CAN HARNESS SOME BEAUTIFUL TONES WITH THIS AMP-i bought mine in 2002

I WANT TO BUY A CRATE PALLOMINO 32-IT IS ONLY $600--u have to try this amp out-i know it is crate-but it is simply a fluke it is soo good (30 watt IT HAS EL34'S AND SOUNDS IN BEWEEN A MATCHLESS AND A FENDER-WITH AWESOME REVERB-ALTHOUGH IT HAS ONLY ONE EQ--AND JUST GET A GOOD MARSHALLY PEDAL

ANOTHER GREAT AMP COMBO AMP IS THE DUO JET BY AMPEG WITH TREMELO .

had to repalce the tubes after 1 year

Bought new about 2 months ago, 40W 2 channel amp with an extra gain boost on channel 2. Each channel has its own EQ. Channels and lead boost are footswitchable. Reverb, extra speaker out for an extension cab. Ohm load is switchable between 16 and 8. EL84 power tubes. Celestion V30 loudspeaker.

I mainly use a Strat w/ Texas special P'ups and a Pearly Gates Humbucker in the bridge position. Also have a PRS CE22 I use for high gain lead stuff. The amp is perfect for what I bought it for, a grab and go jam/practice amp. I started out with a blues junior, which was fine, just not enough power. Took it back and swapped it out for the Marshall. I have 3203 Artist head/cab setup I use for gigs and a TSL122 combo I don't use much right now, so I was partial to the Marshall sound to begin with. The DSL401 is my favorite of the 3. I play a wide range of cover band stuff, blues, classic rock, hard rock, etc., and the Strat/Marshall match up is great for hitting a wide range of sounds. I get the most out of the amp with the clean channel gain on 7 and the overdrive gain on 4, and the overdrive volume on 8 or 9. That way when I hit the gain boost I get a volume kick too. What I end up with is a a clean sound and med overdrive sound that are about the same volume, and then a lead sound that jumps out volume wise. One key to this amp is to turn the master volume all the way up. At 40 watts this is damn near perfect for playing with a drummer, and the "clean" channel comes alive, making it just as useful as the overdrive channel for rock rhythm playing. If you want the fully saturated lead sound, just dime the overdrive gain, hit the gain boost and you're there.

Only had the amp a couple a months. My Artsit head is almost 20 years old and it still kicks *ss. The TSL had some problems out of the gate, but were fixed under warrenty. After about 2 years the footswitch crapped out. It was a pisser, but I was already aware of that patticular defect. If the DSL proves to have similar quality problems, it will be the last "new" Marshall I buy.

Customer support from KorgUSA was great when I bought the TSL.

Like I said, its my favirite of my 3 Marshalls, it's light(40 lbs) you can turn it all the way up without getting things thrown at you, and the sound is Marshall all the way.

Not sure of year, but i bought it new about 5yrs ago. The features etc have been covered in other reviews. For a small amp features are fine.
This amp has been gigged alot - prob. 100x now......however in a loud gig (ie normal gig!) it just doesnt have enough power, especially when its time for a solo. The other guitarist, with a 100w valvestate, constantly overpowers this amp.
Sounds great miked up through the Pa though!

A mixture of styles, though not much clean.
At first I thought that this amp was brilliant, but that didnt last...overall this amp is quite limited. The clean channel was just ok and the extra distortion is almost unusable for what I play. Crunch is what a marshall is good at and this is its best sound. After a while though you realise that this amp can only really sound like a half decent overdriven amp-if you took away that sound then there would be nothing left!
A decent clean amp (like an AC30) with a tubescreamer is sooooooo much better than this. Really this is just a beginners first valve amp.

Its never broken down, and as I say Ive gigged and practiced loads. Still sounds like it did when new.

Not dealt with them- but im guessing that customer service is a bit better than line 6!!!

Ive been playing 16ys and played in a few well gigged bands. Ive played mostly strats-currently a 1984 jap with fat 50's which sounds great. Been through all that effects rubbish and now only play through a wah pedal.
I like the fact its not as heavy as my old AC30 and that it sounds ok in small venues. I dont like it being just a one sound amp and for me its not really loud enough to gig with.
I had my choice of a few amps in a similar price range, and in hindsight I wish that i had got a peavy classic instead.
This amp is ok for a starter valve amp. Unfortunately when I first started gigging i played through a friends old AC30 and then later a fender twin- this now means that everything I now play through sounds a bit shit in comparison.
If you want a really pro sound then save a bit more money and buy something decent.
I wouldnt buy this amp again. I feel that it was overpriced and I should have waited until i had a bit more cash. Still saving for that fender twin!!

Bought it new in early 2002 or so. I love having a gain on the clean channel, and two OD options on the dirty channel. Mine will get downright sparkly on the clean channel.

A great clean side and good OD controls on the dirty side. My biggest complaint is the NOISE on the dirty side, even with no input for crying out loud. There's far too much white noise to use for close miking or recording. It will certainly do a nice creamy distortion at a low volume, but like I said, don't get a mic too close.

The OD1 channel started acting up within a year of buying it. I'd get the OD set like I want it, and then intermittantly the distortion level would fall off. Other channels were not affected. The retailer suggested retubing, which I did, but after a little time I found it wasn't fixed. The retailer said it would be really expensive to debug it, so I opted for a stompbox instead. Other channels have been flawless. I've also had to rewire one foot pedal and buy a second for backup because the wiring just didn't hold up for me. Also, the reverb did not work when I got it home. I took it back to the store and they found a broken wire in the spring chamber. The Quality Control stinketh.

I have exchanged emails with a Marshall rep on it. They've been helpful with advise.

I loved this amp for the first year, but now that I've had it for about 3 years I can only use it at home. It's let me down on stage.

Just a footnote to the gent below who says the distortion is 10x's better than an F-50. Well that is subjective, and for an extra $200 you could have had an F-50. I beleive you must tell yourself that it is better because you paid, WAAY too much for the amp. I have had a 401, and it sounds nice but sold it. I saw one in a local music store in great shape for $595 ...Canadian dollars!!!

I now own a Mesa F-50 and think its the dogs balls, and distortion, ??dont even talk to me about it. I paid $1440 brand new CANADIAN.. and its the best amp i have owned so far. The DSL 401 is a great little amp, but ,,,please, dont say its 10 x's better than an F-50, because we are talking DIFFERENT TUBES, THAT HAVE DIFFERENT TONE. HELLO..MCFLY?? You paid a bit too much for it, and again, if you had the extra bucks you would have picked up the F-50, simply because the F-50 will be around much longer than the marshall. Its build quality, and tone, and simple to use, but great tone. nuff said.

This amp is perfect for classic rock. It also gives you better distortion than a mesa/boogie f5o which is around the same price (10$ more to be exact)and the f50 also sounds like its just a good solid state amp. Go listen for yourself im sure you will know what i mean.

I play through an american deluxe stratocaster and it works like magic with this amp.The amp is not to noisy just right. This amp can get you alot of sounds if you use it right.

Not sure but ive heard people on this site say marshalls are not reliable anymore? I find that hard to believe considering how many artists still use marshall today.

Overall I would have to say this is worth the money compared to other amps in the price range at guitar center. It would be nice if it was $700 like most people say they payed for it on this site. I dont see how I could have payed $500 more than almost every single person on this site. Ive looked around and found it impossible to find one that price. o well. Once again if classic rock is your thing pick one up you will not be dissapointed.

This all-valve amp has three channels (clean, overdrive 1 and overdrive 2), but there's not a ton of difference between the two overdrives. The second adds a little more gain, but don't expect to get any ultra metal sounds from this amp without some help from a pedal. There's an effects loop and reverb, neither of which I use. You can also plug the amp into a speaker cabinet. There's switch to choose 8 or 16 Ohm speakers.

I'm a basic straight-forward heavy rock, blues punk who just wants to plug a guitar into an amp, turn it up and go. No effects, no pedals, no racks. So, while this amp doesn't have a lot of features, it has more than I'll use. There's something to be said for simplicity.

I use mostly a Les Paul and this amp suits my musical taste just fine. It has 'THAT' Marshall sound you hear on so many classic rock tracks. Sounds great if you're looking for an Aerosmith tone or AC-DC, and even punk music like the Ramones or Sex Pistols. The amp sounds great at bedroom volume but gets better as you turn up the dial. With everything cranked and the Master Volume at about 1 o'clock, I was easily able to get some wonderful harmonic sustain while bending notes or holding out open chords. It's pretty by-God loud, too. I haven't played with it with a band, so I can't say how it keeps up with a drummer, but I would bet it would do OK.

Keep in mind that this amp is somewhat limited. It doesn' stay real clean (a Roland Jazz Chorus it ain't) and it can't get ultra heavy (no Nu Metal for you, kids). But it has a fantastic classic Marshall overdrive that so many of us crave. I think most of the negative reviews are coming from people who expect this amp to be something it's not. I've been playing for 20 years and used to work at a music store that carried a lot of vintage gear, and I say if you want a classic hard rock Marshall sound, then this is an amp you should consider.

I mostly play on Overdrive 1, because despite adding some nice extra gain, Overdrive 2 is a little noisy.

I haven't had it very long, so it wouldn't be fair to comment here. I would never play a show without a backup amp, though.

Same as above.

I love this amp. It sounds great for what I need it to do, but I can see its limitations and how others may be disappointed, especially players into really heavy metal.

good enough to play all areas of guitar work in songs........rythm
clean or crunchy.......lead guitar duties channel 2,great fer fill
graceing thru songs and nice overdrive for heavier rythm......channel
3.......nice guitar solos........to.....heavy all around stuff.

srat or gibson or ibanez semi.......all sound better than ever before.
all have been fitted with "earvana.com " NUTTS.nice sounding amp in
all channells...........it did get real dam hot.....2004 model too,...
so i took it to Ho s electronics in vancouver b.c.,......added a quiet
fan ,wired right in........JJ TESLA POWER TUBES and one JJ TESLA 12ax7
in the phase converter behind the power tubes. Mr ho also adjusted the
...too high......bias , by adding a resister across the bias circuit.
it now runs nicely at a warm temp.....not hot hot anymore.
also ..you can use a POWER ATTENUATOR built by mr ho to increase your output wattage to 80watts from the 40 original. his little box costs 300 canada bucks.....cool dude

i believe i can depend on it now that it runs 25 degrees cooler,very
quiet fan ,i will gig with it without a back up cause i hate lugging my TWIN AMP fender tank around.

after 38 years of playing i know there is no one brand that is always
perfect for all styles ,or always building reliable tone gems.but
fer 899 used plus 80 fer tubes and 60 fer fan and bias.........it
cost me 1050 for a very nice sounding liquidy smooth warm and cutting
amplifier.......light too at 45 lbs.....now add 300 more bucks and
ive doubled the wattage to 80 tube watts..variable from the attenuator
from 1 to 80 watts..........cool.............SO AFTER THE SIMPLE FEW
MODES........I RATE THIS AMP TOPS...........inspires ya to play and
play and create and play and play

See the Marshall website.

I am using this amp with a bone stock OLP MMI (axis) with the bridge pickup pretty close to the strings but not so close as to be muddy. Let me first state that the sound I was looking for was the early Van Halen and George Lynch Marshally sound (think Back for the Attack) which I think are the best tones ever recorded. I've searched high and low for 10 years now and have been through a slew of gear-- Early Marshall JMP's, JCM 800's, Soldano Astroverb and HR50, Mesa Boogie Subway, Peavey Triple X, Etc. Why I never considered picking up a new Marshall until recently I don't know. After all, those sounds were recorded with Marshalls and the new ones are the closest to capturing the raw tone as well as the gain present on those recordings. I've had the amp now for 6 months as to give a more accurate review because I've bought gear that sounded great only to get tired of it after a few months. In short, this amp is awesome. I don't have the space or the inclination to buy a big rig and was looking for the above sounds in a smaller package. This amp does it all. It has "that sound" that I wasn't able to get with the other brands (although I got very close with some of it). It goes from JCM800 on OD1 to hot rodded JCM800. OD2 is where I get that Lynchy high end crunch. I only have the gain on 2 1/4 or so and the rest at about 3 O'Clock. It's all here. For early VH I go to 3 on the gain. For reverb and delay I use a Digitech DSP-16 and that's it. I was reading an article about the designers of the JCM2000 line and they stated that the purpose of the line was to retain that trademark Marshall sound and provide a tone like a good overdrive pedal into a good older plexi. I don't even need any pedals for this thing. The sound is already in the amp itself.
I did hear the high end buzzing that some posters have complained about and decided to try some tube swapping. I found that the problem was solved completely by installing a JJ 12AX7 in the "phase inverter" slot. This is the 12AX7 tucked behind the power tubes. One more thing, as an earlier poster stated, the heat problems ended after Marshall went to a different recifier so serial number M-200318XXXXXX and forward should be trouble free. By the way I love the stock speaker after making the 12AX7 switch- no more buzzy high end and it sounds fat, round and organic.
Finally, this amp will do much more than what I wanted it for. The clean channel will do a nice Chris Isaak or country type of clean with a lot of reverb added. OD1 will do the 70's classic rock type of stuff and you can do the Nu-metal detuned thing by dumping the mids and boosting the gain on OD2. In all, this is the best and most versatile amp I have ever owned.

Has been very relaible so far.

Have not tried customer support.

I would definately buy this again.