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.

I think this amp was made in 04/05 but I'm just going on the fact I bought it new in 05. This amp has a clean channel and a overdrive with an option for a more boosted overdrive. Its clean channel is fine but i'm not too bothered about that so I can't really say how good it is and the overdrive 1 is not really my style more for libertines or franz ferdinand type of music but the overdrive 2 is more my style as I play punk/emo/hardcore. The clean has .gain.treble.middle.bass knobs. the overdrive has .gain.volume.treble.middle.bass and for the master there's .fx loop.reverb.volume. It comes with a channel footswitch but doesn't have a headphone jack. I wish it sounded like all the guitarists amps that have this in a head version. I use this amp in my room and for band practise but haven't gigged it yet. At band prac. it just about has enough sound. oh and it's a tube.

I have a fender fat strat(mex) but I'm hoping to get a seymour duncan invader soon.It doesn't really suit the punk and emo thing I've heard it's good for blues and I can see why but just lacks something(like the ds-1 I added) It's not too noisy as it's only 40 watts but that is the problem. The amp was designed to sound good at low volume levels aswell as high but it seems they've forgotten about quality when you crank it up as the distortion sounds weak and as if it's being strained which it shouldn't so I'm going to add a marshall 1936 to help with that problem. Also another problem is that when you turn the volume up on the overdrive channel you also have to turn the gain up on the clean however when you turn the gain past 4 it starts to become distorted which is great for blues but not for my small pristine clean parts however the extension cabinet should solve that aswell. the second overdrive has potential but just misses the mark it's like a footballer that could be really good and just as he gets all the hype he starts smoking and loses it. However instead of the lacking overdrive that could sound good being palm muted to save its life I added my boss ds-1 to it and now it sounds v.good (the ds-1 was like the cure to stopping the footballer smoking...)

seems reliable I've bumped a few times nothing serious but it's still fine the only problem is it heating up and im hoping something inside isnt going to melt as its like a radiator.hoever I think I'm going to strap a fan to the back. I think I'd have to use this without back up as I could afford back up but if i could afford it I probably wouldn't have this amp.

...

I've been playing for 3 years and this is the first amp I've bough as I used to borrow my dads...I have a fender (mex) fat strat a Ds-1 which saves this amps od and I'm hoping to get a marshall 1936 cab and a sd invader in the near future.If it were stolen or lost I wouldn't buy it again I 'd take the insurance money and probably get a marshall head or just a tsl combo. I love bits of it but I also hate bits and you can probably guess from my ranting which bits. I wasn't sure whether to get this amp as it was only 40watts but i wanted a dsl cause Bands I liked had them(in a half stack though) But i'm not sure if the heads are way better or just people use rack mounts or pedals to make them sound good but this doesn't get too close to other bands dsl's.

my marshall JCM duel super lead was manufactured in 04 I think. it is the 40 watt combo, all tube with three way chanel switching. (clean overdrive and OD2) in my opinion it is pretty versitile. it also has the master volume with efects loop reverb and. I play metal but I also play blues, classic rock, hard rock, and minimal punk. so this amp has proved to be good for all that.(granted I have not had the amp for long but I play alot.) it dose not have a headphone jack so thats kinda a bummer. I use it as a primary source of my sound at home, to practice with my band so it dose have enough power for me.

as of now I am playing an old old epiphone ET-278 with oldschool humbuckers. I play metal (not metalica metal, real metal like from iron maiden to children of bodom metal) and the JCM has been the backbone of metal ever since Judas Prist or farther. so thats why I got it.
the clean chanal has the treb, mid, bass and,gain. it sustains it's tone with the volume. it can play a real soft traditional clean or if you turn up the gain it crunches up for a good blues tone, punk and clasice rock at a strech. the overdrive chanel is good for classic rock. the OD1 shares an EQ with the OD2 wich consists of: volume, gain, treb, mid and bass. every chourd shines and is great for what I play. although the OD1 can lack in gain. The OD2 is my favorit. what it lacks in the OD1 it makes up for in the OD2. the sound is great meaty and thick though, playing through humbuckers creats a real thick low end sound. this is good for me becaus I play rythm guitar, but is hard to play lead with. It has powerful distortion!!!!!!!
minimal feedback, I haven't had much problemess with it.( but I am used to feedback) on the overdrive chanels it dose buzz a bit but it's good then to turn it on standby.

I have not had my amp for long, but for what I have done with it, it has shined through in. I would use it on a gig without a backup because I can't aford another one. marshalls like this one were biult to last. It hasn't broken down but anual tube service is requiered

I have not delt with marshall before and I can't remember the warranty length of hand.

I have been playing only over a year and got a real lucky break to get this amp. the only other thing I have at this point is my epiphone and thats all I need. If it got stolen I would go acustic becaus I can't aford a new one. but If I could aford one I would buy a new one. I love the tone and the sheer volume of it, the tubes are that important. and I love the three chanel switching. I can't think of a thing that I hate about it exept I can't figure what guitar woould be best with it. I allos wish that it had a headphone jack, but thats not that important. I compared it to other marshall modles like the MG the AVT (solidstate) and the solidstate dose not compare to the tubes. and a few other amps but nothing compared to the JCM DSL (duel super lead) 40 watt combo.
note that I got it just befor they jacked up the price

Mine was made in 1999 I believe, the sound is just brilliant, the amp is not really intuitive at all when it comes to switching from cleaner to dirtier sounds due to the three separate channels: clean, Over-Drive 1 (normal) and 0D2 (like OD1 but with much more gain). I bought it used, and the idiots at the store provided me with a used 2-way footswitch which only lets me switch between clean and OD1; the amp actually should go with a 3-way footswitch. This amp has more than enough power for anything short of professional/celebrity-magnitude performances, the 40 watts are created by FOUR pre-amp and FOUR power amp tubes, more than on the most famous and beloved Marshall heads. The power tubes are EL-84s instead of the most popular 34's, these sound a lot warmer. Playing with the balance of the two volumes (OD vol and master vol) and the OD gain is quite an intuitive experience in perfecting your AC-DC'esque or Zeppelin-esque tone.

I'm playing a Gibson SG through this, with a Dunlop Classic Crybaby in the loop also. It sounds just great with and without the wah, warm, extremely responsive sound that just bursts with tone as long as it is not on too quietly. I have never turned this on close to the max volume settings, even when practising with my band in my drummer's basement at with him playing as loud as he can, i have not had to utilize more than 2/3 of the amp's volume potential.

I have had to replace the power-amp tubes twice and have owned it for only a year and a half. The EL-84's it is made to work with are NOT the most-common Groove Tube brand but rather the Yugoslavian EI or Marshall's own brand. This is a major inconvenience and expense in repairs (see below).

Marshall apparently charged my repairman $106 CAD (Canadian) for 4 power tubes. Not exactly cheap as far as i can see.

This amp has caused me a lot of grief, but I love it dearly and it has rewarded me with what I consider an incredibly good and warm tone. I would not part with it over a considerable amount of further aggravation or expenses of the type mentioned above, and for the budding guitarist or the pro who needs something great-sounding for practise, this seems to be the only all-tube Marshall option around.

Essentially a 3 channel amp which is nice.

I've been through several high quality amps: tube, solid state, & modeling. This is my favorite by far. Sounds great at reasonable volumes. We only play venues where the guitars are mic'ed through the PA, so this is perfect. But, it can also get plenty loud enough for band practice where we don't use a PA for the guitars. A lot of people (including me previously)just don't get the fact that a small 1x12 combo pushing fairly hard through a PA sounds way way better than a 100 watt half stack when the sound guy will only let you turn it up to 2. This won't have enough gain for some gain freaks. But if you want to sound like VanHalen, Slash, or just about any classic hard rock guy, this is the ticket.

Mine is a 2004 model with the modification discussed below, but I installed a cooling fan (from radio shack) just to make sure I don't have the problems that many people mention. The fan blows the air out from the cabinet. I can play for 4 hours and it hardly even gets warm (no where close to hot).

If you want classic Marshall sound used on countless rock and hard rock recordings this is the ticket. If you want the super modern Mesa sound then you should get a Mesa.

some of you read informative post about the revisions on the DSL 401, Here's more info I thought you'd like to know:

just spoke to marshall again.

The revised PCB with a beefier rectifier (same As but different brand, more sturdy) is in effect from week 17 of 2003

So M-200318XXXXXX onwards are revised and should be trouble free...

2003 yr of production and 18 week of production


Hope this helps!
__________________

I guess everybody knows the specs...
I'm playing since 23 years now. I have had only one Marshall 5150 (solid state) before. I own an old Fender tremolux (1964) ans a Peavey Classic 30. I'm playing mostly blues-rock and "classic rock" of the 70'.

I played this amp with my Fender deluxe powerhouse Strat, which is my main guitar. But I sometimes played it with a Gibson Les Paul Studio. Very good sound. The clear channel is not as clear and punchy as my Peavey Classic 30, but I use to play with the 2 amps and I only use the clear channel of the 401 to get a good bluesy crunch. OD channels are interresting. OD2 channel is very "singing", with a lot of compression and sustain. But I think my Peavey as more volume and more low ends... DSL401 is more noisy too, but I don't care about this !

There's the problem !!! I bought it in october 2004, And it was still repaired 3 times since. When the amp is too hot (after 1 hour of playing), volume vanishes mysteriouly every 3 minutes !!! like a slow tremolo ! This is not serious with such a fame in the world. Marshall amps should be reliable - and THEY ARE NOT ! It's unbelievable, it's a real lack of serious.
Mine is returned at the shop again. I don't want to get it again. How can you put a confidence in this king of amp for a gig ? Never had this with my old and reliable Classic 30...
Marshall has been the best... a long time ago. But now they are nothing at all !

My customer is really one of the best there is (Rockamusic - Namur - Belgium). He asked Marshall to get it replaced if something occured again when I came for my second repair. 1 mounth after... It is my third repair. But I don't want any DSL401. I'm going to pay the difference and try a TSL601... Maybe this time (other valves)! But how can I trust Marshall now ? I cross the fingers... and keep my Peavey in backing for every gig or reherseal.

When working, it's honestly a good amp, but I personnaly prefer the Peavey Classic 30. Better sound, more volume, reliable, reliable, reliable !!!

simple little tube amp od1, 2, reverb clean

this thing...i dont know....disappointed as hell... this just doesnt have the classic marshall sound. It doesnt distort well AT ALL ...WAYYYYY TOO MUCH TONE. warm is good in tube amps but this thing sounds waaaay to warm, the only player i could see using this amp is a blues player. My valvestate 100 kicks the crap out of this junk. this amp is an all around rip off, its all i have to say about it. If your looking for a good crunch or a good versatile overdrive get youself a tsl or a jcm 900, this thing just sucks.

As many have listed here already... but the best feature for me is 40W of tube power is all i ever need.

features compared to other Marhshall amps then it's lacking in some.

Took awhile before i figured it out, but the tone is incredible delivering that Marshall sound. The trick is get the master vol past 12oclock and that's when it sings. I jam with this 50+ pure classic rock guy and he's jealous of the tone i get from this amp. Bottomline, i can get all sound I need for the music we play from classic rock, grunge, new wave, U2, etc.

The clean sound can use a bit of headroom. It does still sound great though, good thing we don't generally play that loud on the clean portions. Probably not good for squeaky clean jazz :).

Distortion is classic Marshall and that's all i need. They added this OD2 quasi-channel which i seem to never use. Instead, i have a Keely DS-1 which i use as a clean boost (0-3 gain, max level). With the OD1 gain at 5, the tubes start to harmonize those electrons and sing. Cool harmonics and musical feedbacks.

It can do classic Metallica but no scooped metals for the NuMetal types.

Since it's a combo, the overall sound is limited though but for what it is, it clearly rocks.

not sure if mine is the improved model, but i bought it last year (or late last-last year), back when prices were still good. Couple of gigs but mostly extended weekend jammings and so far the PCB hasn't fried itself yet based on the reviews below.

BUT recently my footpedal is acting up and it seems like all recent Marshalls have this problem. I'll try not to stomp on it heavily.

Stolen or lost, i would step up to a head/cab. It would still be a Marshall though, prolly a DSL50.

I love it, my bandmates love me for getting it.

A late 2003 model. All tube. Straight forward controls, clean, OD1 and OD2 channels with tone controls. Master reverb, volume and effects controls. If I had a say, I would have liked having the reverb control on each channel, otherwise I like the simplicity of the amp controls.

Excellent clean tones and OD1 distortion, great for blues, jazz and classic rock. OD2 is basically a boosted OD1.....I never use it, but I'm sure others will.

I know that there have been overheating problems with other DSL401s, but I haven't experienced any of those problems with my amp. The previous post explains the redesign Marshall has done on this amp. I don't expect any problems thanks to the Marshall updates.

Based on my experience, I give this amp a 10.

I've had good dealings with Marshall and their products for over 20 years.

I've been playing for almost 40 years. I bought this amp because the store owner has known me for a long time, he liked this amp and thought I would too, so he called me up and gave me a great deal. I love the DSL401 and the el84 tube sound for the music I play. This amp compliments the other gear I own. I wouldn't say that it's anywhere close to being the ultimate Marshall amp, but if you let it be what it's designed to be, it's a very good amp. At the price I paid for mine new, it's the best value of any amp I've owned.

Hi all,

I ve just spoken with a Marshall engineer/designer directly on the phone and she gave me the COMPLETE lowdown on DSL401 amp as well as the DSL/TSL series.

So,

The DSL 401 has been REDESIGNED on the pcb, all the solder joints have been beefed up, the overheating bridge rectifier has been replaced with a different one that runs at lower temperatures, and the amp is now biased differently after the redesign in order to run cooler than it used to be.

On the Master volume issue, the DSL401 has post PIMV as well as the TSL601/602 so they will perform better at lower volume (home practice) but according to them, the DSL401 is more suited to the task. The DSL heads dont have that master volume circuitry hence they need more cranking to perform.

The PCBs are IDENTICAL in quality throughout all the JCM2000 range.

Finally this is the FIRST company that has satisfied me COMPLETELY on the customer/technical support, in ANY commercial product i have associated with. Props to them... they deserve to be a market leader.

Yannis...

PS. DSL401 here i come!!!

Awesome!!!!!

I bought mine in '99 so it was probably made around that time. This amp does sound good with some help meaning if you change tubes and speaker. Stock it sounds too brittle compared to the marshall sound.

It does squeak out that "marshall tone" if that's what you're after. It can be noisy though a lot of noise is usually contributed to exterior sources.

As many have previously posted this amp gets too hot for it's own good. I've already had the PCB resoldered. Use a fan.

5 year warranty is good.

I've been playing >16 years. If you're after that "marshall tone" and need a combo for practice/gigging purposes this will work though I wouldn't buy new. I only purchased new 'cause of a deal from a friend that "worked the system" for me at the store.

Purchase used, get PCB looked over/resoldered, change tubes/bias, replace gold back speaker with a vintage 30, and use a fan to cool the tubes.

We all know the score... Clean/OD1/OD2. 40 watts of pure valve tone. Effects loop with level control on front panel. DI output from 1/4" output on rear panel.

The thing I found odd is that there is a seperate reverb on/off input socket... seperate from the channel foot switch socket. That means you need a second single button footswitch.

Packed full of the Marshall features you'd hope for/expect in a combo of this size.

I wouldn't ask for anything else feature-wise from this amp, so it gets a 10.

I mainly use a 2004 Les Paul Classic, sometimes using a 1996 Fender Strat. The Les Paul matches the amp perfectly, while the strat tends to sound a bit thin. By setting the clean channel's gain to just below half way, and adjusting the Les Paul's volume controls, I can get sounds ranging from warm and deep(but not thick and muddy) glassy tones to a light crunch sound.

The OD channel starts from light barely crunchy tones quite chunky distortion. The channel's not designed for extreme gain nu-metal sounds, but delivers great late 1970s classic rock tones.

OD2 shares the gain and eq with OD1. Basically it gives you a 20db boost over OD1, and therefore is great for being heard over the rest of the band while playing lead.

I play a variety of styles, from christian rock/soul/funk/heavy metal, and the amp delivers on most. For some of the heavier higher gain sounds, I got a ProCo Rat, which delivers more than enough versatility... but that's another review!

Sounds.... it gets a 10!

Haven't had any issues with the amp, and I don't expect anything to go wrong with it! This amp replaced a Marshall MG 50, which I still cart around with me... but only so I can hook its speaker up to my new amp for extra kick!

I did wonder what the hell was rattling around when I was driving it home after buying it, but i think it's the spring in the reverb tank.

Only had it a couple of weeks, but it's been fine so far, so it gets a 10!

Never had to deal with them, so I assume it's all good... but no score from me on this one!

I've been playing for about 8 years, but only spent about two years gigging on a regular basis. I'm playing at least 5 times a week (at gigs and rehersals) with my different musical endeavours, plus all the hours jamming late into the night in my room.

I own a fair collection of stompboxes: a marshall ed-1 compressor, proco rat, dod icebox chorus, dunlop cry baby

plus i also use a korg ax1500g in the studio and occasionally live.

if this amp was stolen i'd definatley get a new one, cause it rocks! it'll cover all the classic marshall rock sounds, and has a great clean channel too. stick a distortion pedal ala tubescreamer/rat/big muff etc, and you're into nu-metal as well!

I don't have a clue what year this amp was made in, but it must have been made quite recently judging by the launch dates.

I like playing Hard Rock, Blues, Rock etc. This amp fulfills all these criterias, as it is after all an all-valve Marshall.

This amp has all the basic features, reverb, master volume, clean, od1, od2. It also hasn't got a headphone jack, but it would be pointless if it did. Who buys a 40 watt amp and plays it quietly? I believe it doesn't need all the effects stuff on it as well. If you want a digital effects amp, buy an MG50.

Since this an all valve Marshall, the power of OD1 is very high. OD2 is even more powerful!

I use a Les Paul with Duncan Alnico 2's installed. This set up is perfect for my playing styles. You can also get an accurate ACDC type crunch too!

The distortion is not brutal at all, it's very round and warm. Still powerfull, but it has a very nice edge.

Haven't owned it for long, but 3 years warranty sound great!

Marshall have one of the leading customer support teams. They are always willing to help, and always have (for me anyway).

I have been playing for many years, and i have to say for this price the DSL401 is great.

If it were stolen, I'd find the git and ram a Jackson up his a@s!

The sound is that of a classic Marshall. No hybrid rubbish here.

Compared to other amps of the same price, this amp is a serious contender. No doubts.

The only fault that i can find is that it does overheat, but what the hell, it's a valve amp after all!

If you do have the #410, consider this amp. Plese don't go and buy an MG100DFX!

For the "ALL NEW PRICE" of *****$$$1079.00*****, the amp should wipe my ass!! Can you believe it?? A 40 watt amp with reverb....I'm waiting for the New Peavey JSX 120 watt combo with reverb and custom speakers designed by Satriani himself!

Hey Marshall!!! F--K YOU!! Choke on your name and price. Sell your amps to some body in a 3rd world country.

For $1079.00...I really CAN'T stand the sounds. What a RIP OFF!

My DSL-201 was an anchor...I got rid of that piece of shit...My TSL-122 had footswitch problems from Hell. I couldn't get a marshall tech within two weeks. I praised a customer service tech at Peavey and Mr. Peavey himself contacted me. Yeah! The CEO. Marshall can go pound sand.

What support?? Support?? What the hell is that. Marshall only exists to take your money. After that...they don't know you.

Marshall finally did it. They drove a loyal customer out. I used marshall equipment since 1969. They will NEVER see another dime of mine. They think they can live on their name...Yeah...Right! Avatar speaker cabinets are far superior to marshall's. Avatar uses the same, or better speakers for less than 1/2 the price! I'm not kidding here. Check them out. The cabs are literal tanks and built more solid and with way more choices than marshall cabs. Jim Marshall, I'm sorry man. You just drove your company in the ground. You have to be pretty arrogant to charge boutique prices for production mediocre quality amps. I thought you would fix your customer service, amp quality, and price them fairly before the end of your life. Marshall used to be decent. I wouldn't give you the sweat off my balls for anything marshall manufactures, period. $1749.00 for a TSL-100; $2049.00 for a TSL-122; $1079.00 for a DSL-401...sounds like Bull Shit to me. Great fertilizer and anchors though!!!

I bought mine Jan 2005 but the first few characters of the serial number are M-2004-??. so maybe it was made 2004. 2001 JCM2000 DSL401. 40 watt combo, 1x12 celestion speaker. If you need more detail just go to Marshall web site. The features is pretty much standard with the other brand name amps I have tested so I will give this a 7.

I like the clean channel although I did not buy this amp for the clean channel. But of course my Fender clean channel is better. I like the distortion of DSL 401 and this is one of the reasons why I bought this amp. The reverb does not sound impressive. Marshall manual used the word ?cavernous depth ? to describe the reverb for me this is over stated. The sound of the reverb of my other amps (Vox AD60VTX, Fender HR, & Fender Deluxe 90) are a lot better considering the D90 is a solid state

The first amp I bought the reverb does not work at all. So, I went back to the store and exchange it with a new one right out of the box. If I am spending this much money for this amp, they better work the first time or you, Marshall, will flunk my review in Reliability. I expect this amp to be reliable especially when they are made in England. I heard about over heating problem but I do not play very loud so it does not draw too much current. When the room temperature is hot, I?ll use my big electric fan to blow the air at the back of the amp to cool it off.

I have no problem with this amp so far.

I think the amp is expensive for $693 + tax. I think the value of this amp should be around $500. I wish they used plywood not particle board. It comes with a pedal for clean/gain/more gain but I wish it comes with the pedal for the on/off reverb (free of charge). There is no delay, tremolo, phase or anything like that. You need to get your own and plug them in. That is Okay because that is what I would expect with a tube amp. It this were stolen or lost, I'll get a Fender made in USA or something else.

Mine was made in 2004, i play rock on it but its got enough balls to pail preist on it
Clean, OD1, OD2 channels, channel switch with footswitch, FX loop, cab output, speaker output, reverb
40W Valve

Nice little combo enough meat for large halls really if you mic this thing up nicely itll do anything up to wembley... wont sound meaty past a large hall tho...
Use it at home bt its a bit loud b4 it starts to sound good and 4 gigs

Using Ibanez 2550 with JB and Paf pro, and a RG 270 with Dimarzio IBZs i nicked from the 2550, they are dual humbuckers.

Play Guns stuff on it and some queen, offpsring it pretty much nails the offspring and tie your mother down by queen, would be great for guns but i dont have a LP with alnico 2 pros!!! gets verrry close to the tone with the 2550 tho.. you could be mine sounds good.
Set the gain on the OD2 to 6, and eqs to the same... treble boosted to about 9 and its amazing.Can be noisy at low volumes but... it blows you away with the master at 10, you can solo forever such a great marshall tone.

Only probs is if you have the channel volume up, and master down you get probs with diference in gain in all channels, eg OD2 changing to OD1 will sound very simmilar and the clean channel starts to break up after gain of bout 4, to solve this rock with 40W of raw power and the master at 10

Uh ive only had it a couple a days, but my mate has one and his is going strong for over a year now, its got tubes so... they are unreliable but only if you dont care of them

Havent dealt with them but got a 3 year warranty so im quite happy

Been playing over 5 years, had a zoom 606 thru a 20watt tranny amp!! needed something with more balls really and 4 gigs. Ive played thru marshall cabs with rack units and various other combos at the same prive this kicks everythings ass, except a vox ac30...
If it was stolen id find the bastard who knicked it and take it back from him! If not id save up 400 pounds 4 a new one
I wish the master went to 11!!

Might fire in some KT88s for the clean channel, cos slash did.

2001 JCM2000 DSL401. 40 watt combo, 1x12 celestions peaker, 3 chanels, yadda yadda yadda -- if you're at all intersted in buying one you know this already i'm sure.
The 40w size is ideal for a semi-pro musician like myself who plays medium to large rooms and clubs. Not only is 100w complete overkill for such a room, but you could never turn up past 3 or 4 with something that large and let's face it: if you know anything about marshalls you know they don't really start to open up and sing and really cook until about 6 or 7. Great, very economical little amp.

I play a few guitars for gigging including a custom built P-90 les paul, a cusotm humbucker les paul, a G&L ASAT Classic Custom, and an all-original '71 Gibson SG Deluxe. I'm a tone nut so I generally don't use too many effects at all - maybe a pickup booster with the ASAT and maybe a delay in the effects loop, but that's it. I play this marshall without the internal speaker and into a 2x12 extension cab with celestion greenbacks in it and play it in an A/B rig with a fender deluxe reverb for cleans -- great setup - does everything i need and then some.
The thing i love about this amp is you can crank it and get it to really sing without blowing out the windows or your ears, for that matter. Not only is it 40w compared to its 100w DSL brother, but it packs a quintet of EL84's as opposed to EL34's -- Difference? The EL84's break up and heat up easier than the 34's making the amp start to sound great and cook at around 5 instead of 6 or 7 like on the others. Unless you own a hotplate or a power brake, this is the best club marshall you could buy; it'll suit your needs volume-wise, nothing more, and surely nothing less as long as you're not playing stadiums.
Nice tone -- truly nice tone. I use the clean channel mainly, turning the gain up to around 8 -- its thickens up nice and is great for crunchy gritty rock - I usually set the gain to 8, trebel to 6, mids to 7, bass to 5.
The lead channel I set the knobs as follows: Volume and gain: 6, Bass: 4, Mids and Trebel: 7.
The second lead channel is just a big boost, so no settings can be changed for it - it just goes off of what you set for the first lead channel.
The reverb is good -- very good -- obviously its not gonna beat out a fender reverb tank, but its admirable - nice spring reverb sound
If you put the master volume on 5 or above you'll see how this amp really performs - below 5 it just sounds 2-dimensional and doesn't have much character, as all class A/B tube amps do - no surprise there. This little package SINGS with quite enough horsepower for any club musician and then some - trust me there.

I ran into one mishap with mine after a month or two of ownership, but not with the amplifier itself. One of the stock tubes proved faulty the verdict was from the amp tech, which in effect caused a resisitor to blow in the amp, but the fuse blew before any other damage could be done, thankfully. The amp itself is fine - i just got caught with one of those one in a million faulty tubes that gets passed through insepection i guess -- lucky me...
Would i play this amp at a gig without a backup? I never play any gig without a backup, so no, but thats the case with any tube amp. I've always got my deluxe reverb with me and i carry an OD pedal just in case somehting happens so i can have my basses covered.

I looked on the website for service centers, found one near me, went to drop the amp off (brought the originaly reciept with me of course) an they took care of it. Got a call a few days later when they got to it, discussed the repair with me, told me exactly what went wrong and how, fixed it, and i got it back under warranty without having to pay another cent.
They were nice, helpful, and efficient.

I've been playing for about 6 years now - i've gotten really into it - i build my own guitars now, am quite frankly a tone nut, and am really just strait up a music guitar geek i guess -- when you find yourself involved in an hour+ conversation about the difference in tone between orange drop, ceramic disc, and paper in oil capacitors, you'll know -- i've been there many times - this has ben a great combo amp to work with - very portable, very useful, and sounds great - $899 isn't exactly cheap, but its oen hell of a bang for your buck - and i still say the reason why this baby shines for me is because you can keep the volume at a reasonable level and have the amp screaming and cooking and really opening up for you at the same time. You think you're gonna buy a 100watt or even 50watt plexi and play clubs? You're kidding yourself. Even a 100watt DSL? No way -- Hey - i'm a musician too - the bigger it is the higher the wattage we all tend to think right off the bat that its that much cooler - well, not if you can't use it and turn it up above mouse-fart volume. Thi amp is plenty for clubs, and soemtimes i'm pressed to not even bein able to turn it above 5 or 5 1/2 wihtout getting too loud. Hey - if you're playing a huge room and need some extra coverage and volume too, heck just throw a mic on the speaker and send it through the PA -- its plenty for everything you'd ever want for a the working musician -- feel free to contact me with any questions - i'd be more than happy to respond.

Purchased in 2002. Great gigging tool. Hit the footswitch for Clean, Edge Distortion and Lead Distortion. No fuss. Ample power and it won't break your back or your pocketbook.

Sounds great with single coils and sings with humbuckers. You can tell at very low volume you're not driving the tubes. But as you do it sounds great. You don't need to wake up the neighbors either. Classic Marshall tone.

Gigging it regularly for three years with no problems. Because of the info I've read here I bought a small battery clip fan to keep the air moving in the back. Not sure if it's been necessay.

Warranty is 5 years. I bought in a store who is an authorized Marshall warranty repair shop.

Playing 25 years. Own several strats and gibsons. It is the best sound for the dollar, portable and easy to use. Can stand up to drums but in most venues you mic now anyway. Would buy it again.

This 40Watt amp has three channels, well two really the drive channel has a 20dB boost giving the third channel. I only use the clean and drive with the 20dB boost. Each channel has its own three band Eq, the clean channel has a drive, and the lead channel drive and volume. There is also a master reverb and volume. There is also a parallel Fx Loop. A footswitch is provided for channel switching. I have the three classic guitars Tele/Strat/LP. OK now some comments, first of all I wish there was a volume control on both channels to help balancing the levels. The amp sounds lovely on both channels with my single coil guitars but the humbuckers on the LP sound dull on the clean channel. Maybe a bright switch is needed? Loudness wise its great for recording and home use but can struggle a little bit in a band situation. I bought an Ibanez TS pedal which compliments the amp very well and gives me that extra bit of power I sometimes need to make myself heard against the other guitarist.

Single Coils sound great on both channels. The Les Paul Humbuckers sound dull through the clean channel. You can get most sounds out of the amp apart from very high gain nu-metal stuff.

the amp seems reliable, however Marshall did a mod on the amp (under warranty) to correct what seems a general fault with some of the earlier DSL 401 amps whereby the generate quite a bit of heat. Since the mod, the amp works fine.

Excellent, 3 year warranty. Being UK based factory is just down the road and as mentioned they fixed the overheat problem very quickly.

I have been playing 10 years, this is the only amp I own, but I have had Line 6 and Fender gear before. I think the tones for my single coils are excellent and for the price with the 3 year warranty this amp is good value for money. Sure there are better sounding amps out there, but most of them are conisderably more expensive.

I bought this amp in 1999. It has a clean channel, and overdrive1 channel and an overdrive2 channel. As for FX loops etc., I never use them anyway. I used the reverb for a while, but then the reverb knob got a short (?) in it and the thing was stuck in full-blown reverb mode. Very annoying; I took it to the shop, and apparently the technician just disconnected the reverb (?). I don't need reverb much anyway: I can get a better sound using my echoplex. I mainly use the OD1 channel and the clean channel. The OD2 channel is a little too gainy sounding for the classic rock that I play, but I suppose it is useful for more modern metal sounds. The amp is plenty loud enough. I took it out to a friend's farm and cranked it up just past the halfway mark and it about deafened me.

I am at present, using a 1960 reissue Gibson Les Paul with the stock humbuckers. Playing through the OD1 channel, with the gain kept low in comparison to the volume, and tweaking the volume and tone knobs on the guitar itself, I can attain Jimmy Page's sound almost to the T.
The same goes for Hendrix, Zappa, Nugent, etc.: with a little tweaking of the gain, volume and tone controls almost any rock guitar sound can be attained. I am very pleased with the sound I can get out of this amplifier.

The amplifier is not noisy under most conditions, however from time to time I can hear a hum coming through that goes away when I touch the strings with my fret hand. I haven't figured out what is causing this (a neighbor with a blow dryer or a mixer perhaps ???)

The amp can go everywhere from clean to super-saturated distortion, but the whole while it still maintains that Marshall tone. I read another review that stated that the amp can only produce one sound. If you like Marshall you will like that sound. In my opinion, Marshall amps sound 1000x better than any Peavy, Mesa Boogie, or any of thos new-fangled boutique amps. But I am an old-timer, so please take that into consideration.

The clean channel does distort at high volumes by turning up the gain on the clean channel.

The distortion on the OD2 channel is utterly brutal. For my musical tastes, it is unusable, but I am sure there are those out there that play the newer styles of music that may find it useful.

Now for the bad news. No, I cannot depend on this amplifier; at least not anymore. I bought the thing in 1999, and I played through it on average about 20-30 hours per week. No problems with it for the first three years, so it was reliable to that point.

Then one day I was playing and the amp just died. I took it to the shop and I never did find out exactly what the problem was. I know it wasn't a fuse because I checked them, but the repair bill was only $30 so I didn't make a deal out of it. Shortly thereafter, the reverb got stuck in the full-blown position, as I mentioned earlier. Within a month I blew the tubes (this can be expected considering the heavy use I suppose), so I had it retubed. Now the thing is popping fuses when I crank the volume up, so it is back in the shop. I believe I paid around $720 for the amp when it was new. I already have spent an additional $300 in repairs and tubes, and the thing is in the shop right now. I love the sound of this amp, but in the past year or so, it has been in the shop three or four times. Not cool!

I never dealt with Marshall. All of my repairs have been done by an amp tech in a local music store.

I have been playing off and on for about 25 years, but heavily for about the past 7 years (due to finally being able to afford decent gear). I own the Gibson Les Paul 1960 reissue, an Epiphone Les Paul, a Fender Stratocaster, two Fender Champ 12's, the Marshall DSL401, a 1974 Marshall JMP SuperLead 100W head, a 1993 Marshall SLP1959 reissue 100W head, and 1960A cabinet. Effects I use occasionally: Vox wah, Echoplex, SmallStone phase, MXR phase, Fuzz-Face(reissue).

If this amp were stolen or lost, I would probably want another one due to the portability of the thing. It is fairly easy to carry around and it does have a hell of a good tone. It can also be played at fairly low volumes and still get a decent sound. I just hate the fact that the amp keeps breaking down on me here lately.

I did compare it to a Mesa-Boogie combo. The Mesa sounded somehow phony and sterile, almost like a solid-state amp would sound, and the overdrive was muddy sounding. But again, I just prefer Marshall sounds because I prefer to play rock music, and I love the live sound.

I wish this amplifier was built like my Marshall 100W heads. They are built like tanks: I have had zero problems with those other than an occasional fuse needing to be replaced.

I would like to say this: If I by another one of these, I would not pay more than $400-$500 dollars for it. I do not feel that the amplifier is worth the $720 I paid for it, and it DAMN sure isn't worth any $1000!!! If someone is going to spend that much money, go ahead and buy a 50 watt head and a 2X12 cabinet or something. One has to consider that the DSL401 is a relatively new amp, and so it is built with cheapo parts.

This is an update on the limited edition review. You already know the features. However build quality is an issue. The amp is made from a pressboard wood fibre like substance that makes it heavier than it needs to be and weaker too.If a korean manufacturer did that we'd jump all over them. Why is it OK for Marshall? It is not.

I use teles and a les paul studio. There is no real clean channel. You set it clean and wait for the tone. What you get is the sonic equivalent of somebody singing with mothballs in their mouth. It is not there. After a few months you just give up. The reverb is also non existant. It is the weakest I have ever heard. I used to owne a JCM800 2205 that had great reverb. How does a company forget how to do things that they were once good at?
The distortion channels are the only redeeming features. But heck for what you boys paid for this piece of cra., you might just want to plug a tubescreamer into the house PA. at least you'd get more than one sound and it would set you back $50.00 I see it like this, you need clean, you can always add gain. Kinda like the Canadian saying, " beer if food - but food is not beer". Figure that out. Back to the amp. It is a statement of arrogance from a manufacturer who has not kept pace. It is a neighborhood bully with a short guy complex who promises if you don't like his sound then his big brothers will be around to see you.

Don't use it live. Can't get more than one sound out of it. Not a players amplifier. one for the bedroom heroes. Rock on yeah, one for the headphone jack crowd.

Who cares? This amp is in the same league as a solid state traynor I bought in the 80's. Forgettable.

35 years. Use good tube amps under $1000.00 to gig with . This is not one.

Probably made in 2003. Clean, crunch and even more crunch channel. Some said 2.5 channels. Lacks headphone jack though. However, versatile enough for most people. 4 pre ECC83 or 12AX7 and 4 power EL84 valve or vaccuum tubes. Stating this as it will be elaborated more below.

Guitar used Japanese Fender EC Strat with Lace Gold and 24db boost, Gibson Classic with '57 Classic humbee. Music style are mainly blues and 70s rocks with some 70's/80's hard rock.

The amplifier out of the box sounds okay. Slightly harsh sound and lack the 3D sound. However, the tone has improved dramatically after some improvement done on the amp.

Reverb is very lacking as compared with some other amp like Laney LC15R. I tried changing the Reverb tank from the Laney (model : 1BB3C1B) to the Marshall (model : 4 BB3C10) and the reverb effect is like heaven and earth. The Laney Reverb is only a 2 spring while the Marshall is a 4 spring. Perhaps this explains the difference but I felt the 2 spring worked better. Another issue with the Reverb tanks is that according to Accutronics specs, the 4BB3C10 unit is supposed to be mounted on a vertical surface. Marshall mount the reverb on a horizontal surface??? Tried mounting the tank on the vertical surface at the back and the effect of reverb had improved. Marshall manufacturer - any comments here???

Valves tubes - as mentioned above, used 4 pre and 4 power tubes. Some comments from other writers have been made on improving the sound by changing to better tube. I definitely can confirm this improvement. Original tubes used has the Marshall marking on the tube itself. To understand more on the importance of tubes affecting the amp tone itself, suggest reader go to "www.guitaramplifierblueprinting.com". Changed the 1st and 4th pre tube to Mullard ECC83 and 3rd & 4th tube to JJ/Tesla. The tone is fantastic. I know, the Mullard tubes are expensive but it's gonna last a much longer time and it's worth the money. As for the power tubes, JJ/Tesla EL84 works very well. One last thing on tubes is that not all tubes are exactly the same even for Mullard and not to mention that cheaper tubes. Tried the 1.5ma/1.8mav, didn't like it, the 1.1ma/1.7mav works much better. You've got to try different tube and that's where the fun of owning a tube amp is.

Speaker wires - one other reader mentioned this already and it's true, not a difficult thing to do, worth changing the wire.

Heat - install a fan, doesn't matter if it 220V AC or 12V DC, helps to cool down the heat if mounted an the base and angle it towards the tubes. Even in tropical weather, never had any proplem with overheating.

Pops and click - had some problem here if the master volume is max. However, it is not very frequent and found that effects like TS9 tube screamer contributed to this noise.

After changing and experimenting, the tone of the amp is just fabulous. It is cleaner yet has more sustain and bloom (3D sound) in comparision to the Laney LC15R on the Clean channel.

As for the crunch channel, it is tight and has more bottom oomph. The distortion can be brutal, just dail up the gain to about 7.

Amp is quiet if the gain is not dail all the way up. In fact, I prefer to have a lower pre gain at about 3-5 and max the master volume 8-10, sweet sounding whether on clean or crunch channel.

Last thing, using a patch cable and jacking into the FX send and received does have an effect on the sound, try it, you may like it.

Had it for less than a year, no problem so far. My unit came sealed in the original packing, not a demo unit from the showroom. Having said that, I installed the fan a month after getting the amp and now the amp is just slightly warm to touch.

1 year warrant, hopefully don't have to use it. So far, not problems, finger crossed.

Tried other smaller amp but found the Marshall to be very satisfying. Amp is loud enough for now and would certainly buy it again. As mentioned, wished it had a headphone output jack.

The usual. A 2 channel all tube 1-12 combo. It has an fx loop, extension speaker output, etc. It had enough features to do anything I needed to do live. I gig once or twice a week and I needed Marshall crunch.

It sounds like a Marshall only it has more gain than the older models. It sounds closer to the AVT than the JCM800 due to the very high gain on tap. No matter how you tweak it, it still sounds like a scooped mid Marshall at heart. At the higher gain settings it gets buzzy like a 5150, maybe worse, but I use medium gain anyway. I liked it, but read on.

VERY UNRELIABLE!!! Heres where it all goes to hell in a handbasket. I bought one from Musicians Friend and it arrived in an unopened box that had obviously never been opened since sealed at the factory. I played it the first day and was getting used to the sound and learning to dial the buzzyness out of it, and on the second day it would not fire up. I got the light but it wouldn't come off standby and it smelled like burning plastic. I sent it back for a second one and guess what? It NEVER WORKED! EVER! I never got to hear it! Sent it back and got the charges removed from my MF card. I bought a 601 from my local Marshall dealer and wouldn't you know: SAME ISSUE! WHAT IS MARSHALL DOING! They used to be the most dependable amps made. NOT ANY MORE! I'm buying another Peavey, maybe an XXX. It wont sound like a Marshall but it will work forever!

MF support was very good, and so was my local dealer. It wasn't their fault the amps were crap. Did email Marshall with a nasty note, but was respectful and not vulgar, and they responded that I should have taken it to a service center. THREE NEW AMPS IN THE SERVICE CENTER AND NOT BEING PLAYED! Yeah right. Fat chance. Not even an apology!

I really wanted a Marshall but this was ridiculous. Until they get their quality back where it was I wont touch a Marshall. I should have stayed with my Peavey Triumph. It always worked no matter what I did to it and it sounded decent, if not spectacular. I'm still dumbfounded at Marshall. THREE BAD AMPS! The manager at my local store has told me to bring the 60 watt back too. He said there have been lots of probs with the new Marshall stuff and he has been talking to them about returns at his shop too. He says there are problems with no cooling on the boards and so bad solders are happening and boards are burning up all over the place. He sells Peavey. I think I will be bringing one home tonight!

- 40w, 1x12 all-valve combo

- I think it's a 2003 model

- Just about versatile enough. I like to play in the styles of Oasis, BRMC, Jeff Buckley and Radiohead, amongst others. It works for many of my styles, although my gripes with the reverb (see below) mean it isn't completely ideal for playing Jeff Buckley... but I wouldn't ever expect any Marshall to be anyway.

- 2 dedicated channels (clean & overdrive), although the overdrive channel has a +20dB gain boost switch, which gives the effect of an external overdrive pedal. Getting even volume levels between the two channels is a right pain in the arse, thanks to no post-gain on the clean channel.

- 3 band EQ for each channel, FX loop, DI output, external speaker jack with switchable impedance, channel footswitch, optional reverb footswitch

- I would prefer a more shimmery reverb with a lot more depth - Marshall could learn a thing or two from Fender about making shimmery spring reverbs. A presence control would have been nice as well, as well as an independent post-gain control for the clean channel (like on the OD channel).

- I haven't gigged with it yet; I've just been using it for bedroom practicing so far. It's plenty powerful enough for this purpose, but I'm sure it could do the business in a gig situation.

- I use this amp with an Epiphone Riviera, which has two NY mini-humbuckers. I love the pickups, and they give a fantastic bite with this amp, as I would expect from any Marshall. I can get a great Noel Gallagher-like sound with this setup - a good warm indie tone with fantastic presence and bite.

- Very quiet. Hardly any background noise. Of course, high-gain settings yield some hiss, but even then not very much.

- The master volume and independent channel volumes allow you to get some nice cranked tones at ear-friendly levels, although it sounds even better when fully cranked. The amp is great for bluesy tones but can also deliver some meaty rock and roll tones as well. Pushing up the pre-gain control on the clean channel gives a wonderfully warm, bluesy tone with a little dirt to give it a bit of edge. It does make the clean channel a lot louder than the overdrive channel, however, which is why I would very much love a post-gain control on the clean channel.

- Great distortion. Fantastic bite.

- Now for the problems... the speaker isn't exactly great. In fact, it's not great at all. There is nowhere near enough low end, and it makes the whole thing sound rather raspy. I'll probably be changing it for a Celestion Greenback or a Vintage 30. Also, for some reason bringing up the reverb gives the distortion channel an unhealthy sounding fuzziness. The reverb itself is pretty bad, and it has quite a mind of it's own when switching channels.

- This amp overheats like CRAZY. After 10 minutes, touching the front panel will burn your fingers, and you can feel the heat coming off the thing if you get too close. I don't understand how Marshall could overlook this issue. I've now been resorted to using a desk fan pointing into the back of the amp to keep it cool. It does the trick, but it seems quite a lot of unnecessary effort on my part to correct a pretty big manufacturing fault.

- Now I use a fan to keep the amp cool, I'm pretty sure I could safely gig without it overheating. But I'll use a solid-state Peavey Stereo Chorus 212 alongside my valve setup anyway, so if the valves did fail mid-gig or the amp overheated, I'd just ditch the Marshall and carry on with just the Peavey. Out of principle, I would never gig any valve amp without a backup.

- Never dealt with them

- Although I have a few problems with this amp, I do love the sound I get from it. It is the best amp I personally have ever owned, and I certainly don't see myself replacing it in the near future. Considering I got it as new (and I do mean in impeccable condition) for a great deal less than its RRP, I'm pretty damn happy with what I got.

If you have some way of keeping it cool, and you don't mind replacing the speaker or buying a cab, I would say go for this amp! It really does sound awesome, and I am very happy with it. Otherwise, you might want to consider an alternative.

I really like this amp! There have been many that I have tried and used, but for the money, I think there is no better amp on the market. Reverb could use some more depth but you get what you paid for... I never use the third channel but it's always there if I want an extra 20 dB!

It has that well acclaimed Marshall scream, but is lacking on the low end. Loud, VERY loud but at high levels, you lose a lot of clarity and sometimes there's a hiss, sometimes there isn't. Have thought of replacing the speaker with an 8 ohm instead of a 16 to get the true 40 watts out of it. If you look closely, Marshall rates the amp at 20 watts with a 16 ohm speaker, and 40 watts with an 8 ohm. So needless to say I look forward to that.

I have had NO trouble, have played loud (not cranked) at about 7 for a long time OUTSIDE DURING THE SUMMER. Play live at least once a week and have had no complaints whatsoever. Yes it does get HOT but never hot enought to damage it. But, then again tube amps do have heaters in them so, YES it does get HOT. It lives in a case all week long and is sheltered, so drops and vibrations are kept to a minimal.

Have never had to deal with them but my dealer (Carls Music of Lexington, KY) has never left me complaining!

If you are looking for Marshall scream for cheap, this has your amp! If you are looking for clean channel tube warmth go with a Fender Deluxe. But, if you're looking for a good rock accompanyment for your humbucher axe, crank it up and let the good times roll!!! Oh , and don't forget the skillet to cook your dinner on, cause as everyone has stated and I will too, it gets hot.

This amp is part of the current Marshall catalogue. Standard features.
If you want the specs. check out the marshall website www.marshallamps.com.
My one gripe witht the amp at first was that the boost channel didn't have a large enough volume increase but as time went on I began to realise that with a suitable amount of gain (which i will get on to) it works fine.

Standard but also boost. Availibility for reverb footswitch.
If you think this is just like a 3 channel amp it isn't. It's worth considering if you need 3 channels when choosing an amp.

Using it with my Tele w/Seymour Duncan humbucker in bridge, standard in neck. Played a Gibson SG with p90s in it too. I play a variety of different types of rock, also some bluesy stuff. As you would expect its brilliant for these (typical marshall).
I would also point out that to get the most from this amp you need to learn about the controls. In my opinion there is more than enough gain, and to be honest it sounds bad with the gain past 8. I think it sounds too buzzy.
You can get a nice classic rock sound, also a good metal sound, not too harsh, not too smooth. As they tell you this amp sounds better turned up loud, driving the power amp to get some different tones.

The clean channel isn't so hot. It has a gain control instead of volume which has its good and bad points and can be annoying when changing volumes. I would not recommend this amp if you were going to use it on the clean channel.
I find a much better clean tone can be achieved using the OD1 channel and rolling back the volume on your guitar.

Hmm this is difficult to say. My first one was atop a bass amp and fell off. It needed repeairing because where it had fallen on the input jack with a lead in it, it had broken the PCB board. I had that fixed.
After this the reverb annoingly kept coming on all the time. I sent it back to marshall to fix this. They replaced the reverb parts but it wasnt fixed.
After about 6 months from buying it, it packed up all together one day. (no idea why). Marshall sent me another one, which is going strong now after a year. same problem with reverb but it can be fixed if you use a footswitch for it(which I do).

I'll give it a 9 because the first one had already been damaged and the reverb is a fault rather than a reliability issue.

They were good with repairs (free), and also were very good with a friend of mine.

3 year warranty.

Been playing 3.5 years. Played various other rigs.

If it were stolen I would almost definetly buy this amp again.

Great tone on overdrive channel, not so great on clean but not awful.

I wish it had a volume control on the clean channel.

The features are well stated below. It is a versatile amp. I had to change the speaker based on what I heard and read, but more below. It has channel switching. The 40 watts is plenty loud for any club gig. I always wanted an el 84 tube amp. Sold my JCM 2205 half stack and took it as a trade.

I use a tele custom with noiseless pickups and the combination is good. The boost channel is more modern sounding but I like the #1 O/D best. I play country and old rock and roll. It is easy to lug around, but less so now as i changed to a heavier speaker. Sounds like the 2205 but less bottom end as it has a single 12 speaker. The clean channel is a little sterile but playing with the eq can warm up. usable. Much better than the 2205.

I have read about reliability issues but haven't had any myself, too early to judge. My main amp is no a 40 watt traynor that has a better clean channel ( it sparkles) but this has it licked for overdrive.

I hear Jim Marshall exists but cannot attest to that fact. I've used these amps for 20 years and never had an issue. That says enough i think.

I use a les paul and a tele. That is what I like to hear and this amp responds well to both of them. The les paul can get a little muddy on OD3, but some people like that. I have kept a 1960 cab loaded with 75 watt celestions and think that will solve the bottom end issue. You cannot compare a single 12 with a half stack, simple physics prohibit that. I pulled the gold label whatever and added a g12 H 100 celestion. It is a much more efficient speaker and the audible volume increased. So the amp puts out 40 watts but it sounds like more. It is a cute package, as a limited edition I see a nice grill cloth. Not sure what else is different though. It is light for a combo but build quality will be an issue ( no plywood., excuse me?). Like my 1960 cabinet with white glue sprayed all around the joints, Jim needs to up the quality for the price. I take care of my amps and this one will also be babied. It is now my number two amp behind the new traynor ( also with a g12 h 100 celestion, and better build quality and price/value index). I like it, it is cute and roars. Kinda like an old girlfriend who you've dropped.

Twin channel 40w all-valve 1X12" combo with FX loop, reverb and master volume. Switchable impedance on the external speaker outputs plus direct out for micless recording, adjusted to sound like a cab. A boost function on the overdrive channel makes it a bit like a 3-channel amp but no extra EQ for boosted sounds.
I play in pubs and use an extension 2X12" to warm it up and get a better spread of sound and I've never needed a more powerful amp.

The clean channel is actually quite dirty if you have the volume above 7. If you have the master vol high it sounds really punchy and very full. The overdrive channell has less balls but lots of filth. There isn't a way to set the amount of boost on the overdrive channel, you get 20db. If you have it running flat out and hit the boost very little happens. I find its not really suited to kicking in a higher volume sound for a solo but like all good valve amps it works fine with the volume control on the guitar.
The master volume is supposed to make it sound good at lower volumes but it sounds so much better when its cranked. Balancing the master vol with the channel volumes gets some great sounds with big ballsy round bass or raw distortion
The cabinet-modelled output is very good and hugely useful too.
I'd be interested to hear from other 401 users with regards to the difference in tone of the clean and dirty channels

I've had it for a year, no problems. I've got a Marshall that was made in 1973 and that's had no problems either!

They're good but I never had to talk about the amp, only a T-shirt!

Should have gone straight to valves instead of messing about with MG's and Valvestates. All Marshalls amps sound good to me, but this amp interacts with your playing. The next best amp I ever had was a Line 6, trying to find an amp that did everything but there's no such thing.

As far as basic amp features, this thing was good. I wish it had a serial effects loop like my other amps (preamp out - preamp in) so I could run it through my pedals with less input noise. The reverb sounds fine to me, but I wish they would have included a pedal. Now the rest of the knobs and settings are great. Not too many bells and whistles to get confused with or accidentally bump out of whack, but enough to get the sound you need.

I use a Gibson Studio Lite with '57 classic pickups and a Fender American Strat. Great sounds come from both guitars, but not the full sound you would expect out of its big brothers. Maybe it's the single 12" stock speaker. I guess I shouldn't have expected the sound of a half-stack out of this thing, it's impossible. I do like the idea that this thing is only 40 watts though because if I tried to drive a 100 watt half-stack in my studio like I drive this thing I would probably be deaf by now. This IS Marshall sound though and if I want glassy clean from my Strat it just doesn't do that - that's what a Fender amp is for.

This thing worked great for the first year or so. I have rarely taken it out of the studio though. I think I only gigged with it once. One day an hour before my former drummer showed up (I was trying to get him motivated to get back in the band) and this amp gave up the ghost. It was my only "real" amp and I had to make a decision to take it apart to fix it myself (most likely voiding the warrantee). I found that many of the solder connections had cold jointed (from the intense heat + vibration) and then it quit. I tried to resolder many of these connections, but the pins on the tube sockets were most difficult to resolder because the solder wouldn't stick no matter how much flux I put on them. The solder would just melt around them. I gave up when the other band members were getting impatient and resorted to a 10-watt Squier practice amp. This killed all our creativity and the next hour of playing was a chore. I got it fixed aftwewards and really appreciated the beautiful Marshall sound that much more, but now I don't trust this amp. I especially don't trust it because it quit once more and I had to resolder the joints and replace a fuse that was inside on the circuit board.

I haven't tried to get customer support, but since I most likely voided the warrantee on this amp anyway I'm probably on my own.

I've been playing over 20 years and this amp is definitely the best one I have ever owned, but then again the other ones weren't Marshall tube amps either. Despite the problems, this is an excellent studio amp. It's only been out of the studio once. For the most part I like the sound. You mic it and get great recordings. If I were to go back and get another Marshall amp I wouldn't get this one. I would save up and get a classic half-stack rather than a combo. Unless you know how to fix things you probably had best steer clear of this amp.

Bought in Nov. 03 for 699$ brand new, (the Guitar Center I bought it from just upped the price to 899$. Dont buy this amp for that price!) So I've owned the amp for about 10 months. It's my first tube amp and I'll try my darndest to give you an honest, unbiased review of this baby. I think you know the features so lets get on to the sound...

Here's my setup: MIM Fender Fat Strat (Great Guitar!), to a 535q wah, to Boss TU-2, to amp. I can get a pretty good, heavy, rock n' roll sound. Now before I go on, let me remind you that this is a 40 watt, all tube amp. It begs to be cranked!! So dont seriously think that your gonna have superb tone if you've got the dang thing on 2! And you've got to give the tubes time to warm up. In my experience w/ this amp, I got the best tone after it was on for at least 45 minutes. Not saying you have to wait that long to play it, you'll just start noticing slight changes in your tone (and volume). With that in mind, lets move on...

The stock speaker gave off some pretty good clean tones, but the distorsion channel reeeeallly lacked bottom end punch. It just didn't have that chunk,chunk (think palm-mutted drop-D power chords). Solution: Vintage 30. You probably wont notice a HUGE diffence at first, but once the speaker breaks in, and you crank this amp you're gonna have a smile on your fat face! Stock I give it a 6.

At first I wasnt sure If I'd like the EL84 sound. It definitly grew on me over time though, and I like it because it's different. This amp can crank out some sweeeeeet leads!

The amp hasnt failed be yet (I gig regularly), but listen... if you're going to purchase something that costs over 700$ bucks, you better do your damn homework! I knew this amp had over-heating issues before I bought it, so I wisely had a tech install a fan. No problems! However, the reverb doesnt work (not a big deal, I dont use reverb),but still... point deduction.

Never delt w/ them.

It gets the job done for me. Is your worried about it being loud enough, please, DONT!! If you do the speaker change (which IMO, is a must) It adds even MORE volume. My band mate plays a 2x12 120 watt Crate (SS) and I can easily match his volume. If it were lost or stolen I'd probably shop around for something else. I really wish it had a presence knob. As for the review below me... staight 10's!? Im sorry, and I know thats your opinion, but come on! Thats like saying there arent any amps out there that dont sound better, and I know that isnt true.

Clean channel sounds better than my Fender Bassman - Seriously. This is my first Marshall. I have always had Fenders and Peaveys. I am surprised at how wonderful the clean channel sounds. The crunch channels are fantastic, also. This speaker (Celestion Gold) is perfect - Do not change it!

I use a wide variety of guitars - Les Paul, LP Special (P90's), Strats, ASAT, Ovation, Taylor. This amp has both beautiful clean sounds and smooth distortion.

I have read the reports on overheating and am leaning towards installing a separately switched cooling fan that can be used when necessary. I do not feel that a cooling fan is always necessary. If just playing around in the bedroom the amp does not heat up any more than my Fenders. I have not pushed the amp at high volumes so maybe that is where everyone is experiencing problems. I will use a cooling fan for those special occasions.

I love this amp. As I stated earlier , I am selling my Bassman. I am also selling smoe pedals that I do not need anymore.

Check out this website...I included some of the content...Summary is these tubes soundbest when hot...Deign of amp is to run hot - I amp considering a fan but need to thermostatically control to maintain a temperature instead of just blasting air at the tubes....- Will let everyone know what I come up with...

http://www.vintageguitar.com/brands/details.asp?ID=106

?The early Vox design was very similar to a Mullard-Osram valve company published circuit design for a power amp section,? he said. ?Vox was designing circuits for organs, so they probably experimented with the Mullard design and their own preamp ideas. It was all influenced by available parts, suppliers, and vendors. An engineer might choose a part he can afford rather than the best one made, and that will affect everything else along the chain.?

He detected a construction problem in the AC-30?s plastic input jacks and saw the amp?s lack of ventilation as a serious problem regarding the component longevity.

That said, there?s a positive aspect to the heat generated by Class A amps.

?Those EL84 tubes lose power when they?re not real hot. An AC-30 will typically get a bit louder as the night goes on. Same with a Matchless. We tried a fan on some of the early amps, but it didn?t work very well. In fact, the amps lost power. It got down to about 25 watts by the end of the night. The amps without fans went up to 40 or 42 watts of clean power. We?ve been railed on by a number of our competitors about this issue, and it?s not an accident that we let the our amps run hot.

?I did a lot of homework on this issue, testing different brands of tubes with various rectifiers, plate voltages, different cabinet settings (head or combo). And every time it produced the same results. I came to the conclusion the cathode in the tube has to run at a certain temperature, and lacking the extremely expensive instrument to measure the temperature of the cathode, I accepted the fact that, because it was cooling too efficiently, it was cooling off the cathode and producing an electronic emission inside the tube and affecting the tube?s performance.?

The following is a review of the 40 watt DSL401 combo...Since everyone else has listed the specs, there's no reason for me to belabor the point...Just my couple of cents on the features, though.

- Features provided are adequate for most performing musicians...40 watts are great for small clubs...However, I have found in larger bars, or with a louder band, there is a feeling that you are losing a bit of headroom...But, for a 40 watt 1x12 combo, it does the best that it can...

- I've recently been experimenting with the DI out, and I must say that I am very pleased with the results...I can get a nice sound through the PA, and just use what comes out of the amp as kind of a reference monitor...

I play the following guitars
- Les Paul Classic 1960 reissue
- SG '61 Reissue
- Ibanez JPM 1000
- Ibanez RG520

Music Style: My style is hard rock/blues rock...I play in a cover band that does a pretty wide range of music, from Billy Joel to Kansas, Metallica, and Black Sabbath, with some 80's dance tunes thrown in for good measure...

Noise: For a Marshall, this amp is actually pretty quiet...Not much in the way of buzz or hums or any of those fun things.

Sounds: As far as the music that my band plays, this amp does a pretty decent job of covering the bases...Taking into account that is only a 40 watt 1x12...Some fiddling and diddling with the knobs will be required, but I have found that on the OD channel, running the pre-amp volume high and the master at about half-way is a kind of "sweet spot."

- Clean Sound: I'd give it a 7 out of 10 for clean...Pull out your mids, run the bass at 10, and the treble at around 6 or 7 for best results here...

- OD1/OD 2...OD2 doesn't really do much to the overall sound quality, other than give you a little boost for your solo work...If you want to use the OD2 as a boost, DON'T max the gain...Put the gain at around 8 (or between 2 and 3 o'clock), as there is really NO difference in sound at that level or at 10...This way you can use the OD2 as a boost...Treble at about 8 or 9, Bass up all the way, Mids at 6 or 7 should get ya that classic Marshall sound...

Is the distortion "brutal?" Well, if your definition of brutal is that earth shaking low end rumble, then your answer is "no." It's a 40 watt 1x12 combo! It would be like buying a minivan for its 0 to 60 time...For what it is, sound is definitely not bad...

Amp works well, however the footswitch leaves something to be desired...I've had some problems in the past with the FS not working correctly...Have had it serviced 1x for this problem, and am worried it may soon happen again...Other than that glitch it's always done it's job...

Marshall customer support is not very good...The people that I have experienced seem to be very short with the customers...The warranty center staffs have generally been better to deal with...BTW, if you take it in for warranty service, don't plan on seeing it for a while...

Playing Experience: 17 years now...This amp is my small ammunition...I also own what I call affectionately "Big Bertha," a Crate BV150 stack...Comparing the two is like apples and veal...

If stolen or lost, I probably would NOT replace it...Would probably go with a 2/12 combo, like the Crate VFX5212 with the effects...

Loves: The "Marshall Sound" in a tiny package that I can toss in the trunk of my car...It's not a fancy-shmancy boutique amp that does 55 things...

Hates: No switch for the reverb (that's optional)...Effects through the loop have a tendency to sound out of phase and a little funny...That might be remedied with the addition of a 2x12 cab, but if I want extra speakers I can run it through one of my own cabinets...

I bought this amp new in 2002.
It is a mainly tube 40w amp with 4 EL84s in class AB driving the output stage. The preamp valves are all ECC83(12AX7 or equivalent). The overdrive, however is largely Tranny (owing not a little to the Marshall Guvnor pedal? Nothing wrong with that if you're not a valve purist, and it does not adversely affect the overdriven tones in my opinion)
It is extremely versatile, but the lack of solid bottom end will not satisfy baritone players, I think!
I play blues, a little jazz, country, and 50s and 60s Rock, but will have a go at anything.
The 40W output makes it a perfect stage guitar for medium venues, and it can be mic'd up or DI'd in larger venues. I had a bit of bother competing with the 80 & 100 watt combos of bandmates so I replaced the Celestion Gold Speaker with an old Celestion Sidewinder (avout 5 dB louder) and the problem has gone away.
It is a 2 channel amp that thinks it has 3 channels (2 levels of Overdrive).
I would have liked an on-board tremolo, but otherwise features are fine. The Reverb is particularly good.
I use the amp both at home and in Pub and Theatre venues.

I play many different guitars through this amp, Strats & a Tele & 12 String (Squier), LPs and SGs 335 Dot, and a DeArmond M75T. It is most satisfying with Humbucking pickups in the medium output range (not too hot!), less so (though still good) with Strats and Teles.
Surprisingly, my Squier Venus 12 string sounds absolutely magnificent through the clean channel. Driving the clean channel into distortion can produce a pleasant soft crunchy tone.
The first level of overdrive is quite satisfying, but the upper level is a bit too OTT for me.
The clean channel is quite like a good 60s Vox AC30 but without so much bottom end thump (or hum!). The first overdrive channel is pure Marshall Bluesbreaker, but the tones are all available at controllable volume levels.
This amp is definitely not a one trick pony!

This has been a little less reliable than my old Fender London (Tranny, whic I used for 15 years without breakdown), but sounds more to my liking.
I don't take a spare amp with me - this has let me down only twice in 2 years. The first time was a rectifier failure - the Amp repair tech said that in his opinion the 8A fitted rectifier was underrated for high volumes. He replaced it with a 10A unit - no further probs. He also reamed out the power valve holes to take the larger Sovtek EL84s. one of the output valves failed earlier this year, and I replased the Yugo quartet with Sovteks.

The amp was out of warranty when the rectifier failed, so had the repair done by a local Amp Tech, who was excellent.
I replaced the valves myself, as EL84s do not require rebiasing.
I cannot therefore give an opinion on Marshall's after sales service.

I have been playing since 1959
If the Amp were stolen or Lost, I would wish to replace it, but have concerns about long term sustaiability, given the PCB mounted sockets, etc.
I own 3 guitar Amps, A Zoom Mesia 100W combo (22 yrs old and no longer reliable, but a great sounding super - clean amp), a Fender London Reverb Head (built into a Combo Cab, still going strong, but lacking that indefineable valve tone), and the abve mentioned Marshall DSL401, which sounds best of the bunch. The slightly lower reliability of valve amps (compared to tranny)is something we have to put up with if we want the 'tube sound'.
I have a few effects and pedals, but don't use them much now, preferring to plug straight in and go.

Two channel amp with a 20 db boost on the lead channel. Separate EQ for each channel. Reverb and Parallel EFX loop. 1x12 configuration with a Celestion G12T-100 speaker. 4 ECC83s and 4 EL84s.

Missing a presence control and resonance control. Reverb is weak (by design).

I use PRS, Les Pauls, Strats, Brian Moores, etc. This amp is definitely "Marshall" sounding. The EL84s and small cabinet keep it from having a big low end. Even in a closed back cab, the low end isn't massive, but it is tight and usable. But it does go from a JTM-45/VOXy clean on the clean channel, to a 70's "post-plexi" to modded JCM800 type lead sound. A good sound for classic rock. Probably not great for Nu-Metal due to the lack of a huge low end. I closed back cab and better speaker does help.

Both channels sound good. The Clean channel is more clean Vox than clean Fender, but it is still a good sound. Overall, this amp has that mid focused sound common to EL84 output tubes. Tube quality counts in this amp. With good tubes (GT12AX7Ms) the amp sounds better. The post phase inverter overall amp Master Volume does a pretty good job of allowing full sounds at lower volumes.

My only complaint with the amp is that the EFX loop can't be series in the stock configuration and the reverb and the amp has a ducking feature on the Reverb and FX loop. The Reverb and FX are louder on the lead channel than the clean channel (which is sort of backwards anyway).

The other complaint is that the amp gets really hot.

However I solved both these issues by reworking the FX loop so I can switch between series and parallel and I disabled the ducking features. I added the series/parallel switch because if I'm using the amp with FX in the loop, I wanted to use it parallel. This keeps the amp's audio path entirely tube. With the loop in series, you're running through a couple Op amps. The only 'problem' with the series loop is the FX mix knob becomes a simple FX loop return vol, but that's Ok. I also replaced the speker (which reminds me of a G12T-75) with a Vintage 30 and like the amp better. Not that the stock speaker is bad, I just like V30s and use them in all my gigging combos.

The stock version of this amp gets really hot, so I added a fan to the back to suck the hot air away from the chasis. This helps keep the amp reasonable, heat wise. This is much better built than the JTM-30/60 line which wasn't great at all.

This amp uses modern construction techniques so it's a good thing I can fix it if something breaks. But it looks pretty well built so I don't forsee any issues other than having to replace tubes.

With the addition of the fan I feel that this amp can be trusted.

Don't know personally, but the website is good and there's schematics and resources on the net, so I'm set.

This is a good amp for small to medium rooms. It sounds good and has a decent mix of features.

I wish the footswitch worked like every other on the planet, so I could use the same pedalboard settings as when I'm using my Rivera's but that's more a nuisance than a problem.

With a few mods, it has become very useful. I bought it to have an amp for room too small for my Rivera Fandango and it works well in that role. It isn't as good sounding overall as the Rivera but it does get a nice sound.

If you want a small version of that Marshall sound, this does it well.

i presume this amp was made in 01 as it has a pack testing sticker dated 01 on the back!
the amp itself seems very good... nice distortion channel, and the clean is well, clean!
as u know 2 channels and a 20db boost ont he second channel, reverb and fx loop...
im complacent with the reverb... theres enough there for me... im not big on reverb anyways... i'd rather be playing a staduim and getting real reverb (like thats ever happened :O)
i use this amp in my bedroom at present, only had it a few days but i feel ive had it long enough to rate it! it seems to have well enough power!

Okay - im using a gibson les paul classic 03 with 490 and 500 pickups. - i play classic rock ranging to grungey rock and bits and bobs in between. some blues, some jazz, and stuff like that - (www.edison-glow.com - my band)...
it doesnt seem to hiss like my JCM 900 does... which is a good thing...
this amp can get marshall gfrowl, but only just about - and thats through an extension cab... speaking of that... the stock speaker in this thing is SHIT! PERIOD.
its voiuced for the clean channel as someone else said, and to be honest its a right royal load of dump... its tinny, metallic sounding, and it sounds very raspy on the gain channels... certainly not what it should sound like...
i know its the speaker as i run this thing thru my 4x12 and sounded uber cool,a nd again i run my 900 head through the speaker in this thing and that sounded raspy... NEVER before has my 900 sounded raspy!
i am definately replacing the speaker if i am to keep this amp... probably to a vintage 30, and just sell the other speaker or do something with it... its not worth keeping, sounds too shite...
the clean channel with the stock speaker is good... but im not all up on clean playing anyways... i like my stuff a tad gritty, afterall im a 900 user!
Sounds on distorted channel are pretty pathetic unless using external or upgraded speaker!

when i first got it the sound cut out for about 10 minutes and i was trying to find a fault... nothing happened... it came back on shortly after... i put it down to it having just been transported about 100 miles in the back of a courier van! it musta rattled me tubes :)
i would probably only gig with this in small places.. anywhere bigger and it'd be my 900 all the way, MUCH better sound overall!

never dealt with... although ive sent in a picture of both my amps and tried to get it on thier readers amps page... but still nothing :(

have been playing on and off for about 4-5 years... im not the best guitarist, but i know my tone, and this thing lacks it with the stock speaker... this is my only real niggle with this amp, is the raspy tinny speaker.... i will get it changed as soon as i can!
if it were stolen or lost i would definately not buy another... i'd go back to when jim made quality amps and get one of them, maybe an 800 combo or a 900 combo... definately not another 2000 model!
i didnt compare it to anything, i bought it online (ebay) and took a chance... the other amp i was looking at was a peavey classic tweed... they get good reviews... unlike this amp!
i wish it had a better speaker...
that is all!

This is a very versatile amp with 2 channels; Channel 2 (Lead) has a 20db boost that can be accessed from the footswitch. Of course, as with all valve (tube) Marshalls, the boost channel propel you to outerspace. The clean channel one has a very operative gain letting the muscician get from the glassy clean to crunch by turning the knob.

My guitar is a stock Gibson Les Paul Classic (with 490/500 pups). My style is classic bluesrock (70s). This amp does well for what I need. As with every Marshall amp I've had (plenty) getting loud is NO problem. This amp continues the reputation. At 40watts RMS, it can still shake the floor. My one beef is that I wanted to add the 1912 speaker cab to extend its "sonic capabilites" ; however, these cabs are no longer available in the USA. Bummer.

I can't opine here, it stays in my studio. It looks tough enought, though, to take a road beating. Insofar as trouble with the amp working--No problem!

I did email various Marshall dealers in an attempt to get my hands on one of those 1912 extention cabs (England, Australia). These businesses wrote back explaining that their agreement with Marshall would not let them ship to the USA. I could not find a direct email address to Marshall customer service on their website. I gave up.

I've been playing for thirty years. During that time, I have had the best (Marshall stacks, Fender Twins, etc.). I am content with this setup for now. If I were to start gigging our again, I would likely buy a more powerful amp (Marshall TSL 122?). But this amp could work in a gig setting.

I've been through all the phases of guitar playing, from garage band junk to lusting after ridiculous racks of gear...more gear than amps, that whole 80's shite.

I've come full circle. I play mostly blues-based hard rock . The stuff that lasts is the stuff that comes from inside and from great delivery. I like my LP straight into the amp now. Be a guitar player, not a synth player. Who needs elecronics when you have the Holy Grail of guitar set-ups--an LP into a Marshall.

I've thought about stepping up to the TSL series. Don't really need it though. The clean is just perfect with a bit of warmth going into that early Marshall crunch when pushed, and the OD2 produces a great lead sound. Learn to work the tone controls on this amp at different volume settings. It ain't a head driving a 412, so setting all the tones to 10 IS NOT going to work. Backing off the distortion settings and finding those sweet spots in the tone dials is what its all about.

Simple is often best. An 8 becuase there's not a lot of bells and whistles, but who needs it?

Okay, its got the rock thing down. 40W is realistic for opening up the amp. I see these guys with half stacks, what good are they unless you're AC/DC playing in stadiums? How many people ever turn a 100W up past 6 with any regularity?

You're a lot, lot better off getting a smaller amp that can be brought up to volume in realistic settings. Like most valve amps, its sounds okay on low settings for practice, but you only start to realize what its all about when the volume comes up and you hear the tubes start working.

I might replace the 'verb. I think its a two-spring tank, would like to get a 3 spring tank ($40) to get that a bigger sound when called on. Rhythm and lead usually just need a touch IMO, but I do have a weakness for those blues lines soaked with 'verb from time to time. I'd put it through a processor for a good plate or something, but that would defeat the "simplest is best" philosophy. Processors belong in the studio.

Might experiment with the speaker as well. I think a lot of guys get crazy about revalving stuff before they think of the obvious--the speaker choice is perhaps even more ESSENTIAL to sound. I remember the JCM800 heads didn't appeal to me, but that turned out to be because of the cabs they were mated with. Throw one through a 412 with Greenbacks and you get the best of both worlds--that vintage Celestion sound with enough modern edge to balance it all out, just like a perfect bourbon. That said, the stock speaker does the job. Might play around with others, though.

Another thing--I take and make foam stands to sit my amp on to isolate from the floor. Makes a huge difference in sound, getting it decoupled from the floor. Easy to do, improves sound quite a bit.

Mine just went back in the shop. It was in once before becuase solder joints had failed. I'm waiting for the call on status this time.

It does get hot. I've been around tubes amps long enough to know you probably get a problem a year with playing, and thats what I'm averaging now.

Marshall's website is helpful.

Playing for 15 years. I'm down to my LP and this DSL for electric guitar playing. Have a Martin acoustic, Rick bass, and a Spanish guitar. Again, simple is best. Jimmy Page, who could have had a hangar full of equipment, pretty much played through all of Zeppelin with a handful of guitars and a few amps.

For the money, its an awesome amp. Regardless of money, its a great amp. Someone might get smart some day and hack the insides, package it under a boutique name, charge three times as much, and see if gearheads don't come back with fantastic reviews, far better than what's posted here. IMO this amp sounds better than all the boutique combos I've heard, at a fraction of the price. Remember, great songs from rock history have been recorded on far less. I've stuck a mic in front of this in the studio, and after sitting the track, this baby can sit perfect in the mix. Again, its funny how people have amp-itis, where if they'd read behind their favorite artists and albums, they'd see that a LOT of the greatest stuff comes down to a great axe through a great Marshall.

I'd buy another if it were lost or stolen.

I would not pick any other amp than a Marshall. Out of all the Marshalls, this is the one that makes the most sense for

Bought new, 2 months ago. Everyone knows the features, i won't go into that. 40 watts, plenty for the classic rock act I use this for. I use all 3 channels, clean, crunch and lead... Don't know why it offers a 1/4 inch not XLR DI out. I'd prefer XLR so I marked it down for this.

Been using this with a set of gibson les pauls (1 studio, 1 standard) I'm playing anything from aerosmith to ZZ Topp with some sounthern rock in between and it does the job. I like the clean channel, seems to have a bite and thump to it. The crunch is good and I've been able to use the lead channel as well. I wish it had more bottom end. Sounds thin. I played a peavey classic 30 prior to this and for an amp that is physically smaller, it had more bottom end. Over all, for small gigs, It works for me. I've been able to tweak it to where I'm happy with the sound and fatten up the bottom end when mic'd through the PA. I like the 2 button footswitch but purchased a back-up just in case. The cable to the footswitch could have been thicker/heavy duty but only time will tell if it lasts. I've had the stock footswitch for a dsl 100 for quite awhile and it's still good to go. I don't know what the deal with the effects loop is, It's like my effects aren't even there. I'm going to look into that. For now, I'm running all my effects into the front end until I can figure out if the amp has a problem or the effects loop just stinks. I gotta agree with everyone on how hot this gets.... After a 45 minute set it was extremely hot. I'm a die hard tube guy (Don't own any solid state amps) but this worries me. Yes, tubes get hot but when I can't touch the front of the amp.... I gotta draw the line here. I read every review here before buying this and I will definitely be installing a fan. Can only help. I ran this through a 4 X 12 cab the other nite and was impressed. Definitely all Marshall. I plan on replacing the tubes with JJ teslas and replacing the speaker with a vintage 30, hopefully this will fill out the sound.

After all the scary reviews, I'm going to bring a back up amp to the gig. Still too new to tell if it will be reliable.

Just bought it. Don't know.

Been playing for 32 years and performing regularly for 20 plus... Have had plenty of Marshalls in the past. Still use a Marshall 1/2 stack for the 80's rock band that I'm in. As I said before, it seems like a good amp and I'm happy with what it does for me. But it does get hot and it needs a fan. If it was stolen, I'd probably get a TSL 1X12 combo because it had more features and the price wasn't all that much more.

Not enough reverb, lacks bottom,

Sounds great when not malfunctioning which is not very often

This is the worst amp as far as reliability that I have ever owned. It has been in the shop 4 times and I do not trust it. I finaly sold it as is for $125.00

They repaired it under warranty every time but it never lasted. I am sorry I purchased this amp. This was my first marshall and since I bought a little MG DFX 15 for a little practice amp and I like it a lot better than the DSL 401 because it never broke, has plenty of reverb and sounds great.

I have been playing off and on since 1967. I would never buy this amp again and wish I would have never bought it. I am dissapointed in The Marshall Company for allowing an amp with this design flaw to be marketed and not issuing a recall on it.