Marshall JCM-2000 DSL 401

This amp has just what you need...clean channel, two distorted channels, all-tube, spring reverb. Not too happy with the foot switch quality. It did okay until I started transporting it to gigs.

From what I have read here, I need to replace the tubes. I generally like the tone (needs bottom), but I cannot get any volume out of it. My bandmate never puts his master volume past 4; I never have mine as low as 6. I use a Fender American Standard Strat, a few Boss effects, and a Cry-Baby. Sans effects, the clean is clean, and the louder distorted channel has some nice crunch, but not a lot of bottom. Once again, I have loudness issues, so I suffer from background noise due to the high volume setting at which I usually play.

Haven't had any problems in the 6 years I have owned it. Except that time I brought the amp to the gig and left the power cord in the garage.

Had I the chance to do it again, I would probably look for a Music Man 50W tube amp for light duty/studio work. On stage, a 100W Fender tube amp, or the classic Marshall stack with a 100W head. Too much power? Never heard of it.

1999?
a nice clean channel and two other overdrive channels.
effects loop

First and foremost you have to install a vintage 30. Now with the vintage 30 you can get a nice sound from the clean channel. Use your pedals for distortion and colors. The dirty channels are no good. I always use humbuckers. The bridge humbucker works nice for clarity and crunch. For a fatter lead sound use the other. The Ibanez TS 808 is a great overdrive for this amp or any other amp for that matter. For a heavier distortion use a metal zone. Ive had good luck with pedals that are true bypass like the line 6 stomps. A good stand can help you hear this amp better on stage. I had to basically hot rod this thing to make it sound good.

Dont crank this baby past 3 or 4. Mine heated up and burned up something and I had to have it replaced at the shop. If you need this thing to be louder mic it to a PA. Plus at higher volumes the sound clarity is lost.

Another tip to put the cleanest tubes you can find in it, perhaps groove tubes #10 or sovtec cleans.

Ive been playing for 15 years. I had to hot rod this thing to make it sound good. It still lacks volume. If I had it to do over again I'd get a mesa F-50.

2001 model I think, purchased in the uk. Definitely a rock amp.

Own several guitars but mainly play a Peavey Wolfgang. Iwas very disappointed when I purchased this amp. There was no bottom end (unlike the valvestate 80) I had previously. The sound kept fading and the box got hotter than hell.
Then one day I spoke to Derek at Watford Valves in the UK. He recommended a valve transplant. Good God, what a difference. No more fading sound, a very rich warm sound. I prefer power amp distortion and even at low volumes this now sounds impressive. I also use a Keeley modified Boss sd1 and last but definitely not least, a fantastic pair of real guitar leads made by Wil Halligan of excellentleads.com based in the uk. Take my advice, revalve it, use a top notch overdrive and invest in the best leads available. With these you will have all you need to cover everything from Zepto Halen and even Metallica.

Following revalve I am much more confident in reliability.

Never used

Playing 15 years. Own shed loads of equipment but never use most of it. I love the simplicity of my current setup, ie WolfGang, boss sd1 and great leads. Bottom end absolutely sucked but has improved since revalve. Have just ordered a 1936 cab to go with it. Have also ordered a speaker lead from excellentleads.com. Dont underestimate the importance of any equipment that is to be attached. They all have an affect on the final quality of the amp.

pretty plain, just what you need no extras

Great sound. this what i bought it for

heres the problem. channel 1 sound fades out. Took it in for repair
came back with no channels working. took it in agian now the reverb
does not work. ill save you some time DONT BUY THIS AMP
WASTE OF $700.00 ,,, IT WILL BREAK ON YOU

VERY HARD TO GET A HOLD OF MARSHALL
There is a good waranty though.

Ive been playing guitar for about 10 years.
If lost or stolen i would buy somthing else.
Although the sound is great what good is that if it doesnt work
half the time.

2003
everybody has mentioned the features,so no need for another walk-thru

I play for the most part heavy rock,KISS,ozzy ,weezer and similar.this amp gives me some really good tones for the money.Now I have read the instruction booklet that i`m sure a lot of the reviewers below hasnt .Read it and learn how to get the best tones out of this amp.you know there is a simple way of reducing the buzzy quality.I think it sounds great.it aint a jcm 900 or similar,but how can it be??? full score

it gets hot,but nothing has happened as of yet.yeah i would gig with it

nope

been playing for 17 years,this is my first valve amp,as i have bought guitars instead,and played thru shitty transistor amps.this amp may not be the best ,or greatest sounding amp ever,but it still is great considering all.

Marshall JCM-2000 DSL 401 Dual Super Lead
40 W - Full Tube

3 Channels (Clean, OD1, OD2)
3 Band EQ for Clean and OD1/OD1

4x EL84 Output valves and 4x ECC83 Preamp Valves

I miss a Tone Shift & Deep Switch - but that's not a problem!

I use the DSL 401 with my Fender Custom Telecaster HH FMT and it sounds awesome!

I mostly play Rock and Metal and it's the pefect amp for my needs! I am very suprised by the clean channel - cristal clear - you can get from a nice clean tone to some jazz & blues distortion by using the gain knob clockwise.

The amp is very, very and I really mean VERY loud - you can easly gig with it!

The OD1/OD2 channels are not noisy at all and the distortion is just amazing - the OD2 channel gives 20 db extra boost.

I think it's a very reliable amp - hasn't broken down!

Didn't contact them yet!

Very good amp! If lost, stolen or damaged I'd get another one!

No frills. I like that. But that di output is very useful.

The speaker in this amplifier seems to be voiced for the clean channel. My advice to anyone sweating about this amp is to buy a vintage 30 16, install it in a seperate cabinet and don't use the stock speaker. Don't go running both because the gain channel is stilll crap no matter how much you twiddle and fiddle with the pots Don't go removing anything if you have a warrenty because these things break down every other week. Once done, the amplifier is really rather impressive. The clean channel is shite through the vintage, may as well be od 3, but the gain is worth it. The new speaker hisses like a bastard but breaks up with none of the boxy quality we all know this amp has.

Shit. Burns hotter than a frenchman's underpants.

This amp has been back and forth more times than i can remember. Marshall are great, very accomodating, but jesus it's inconvenient.

sounds great. Love the quirky little turd. Marshall have slipped up in tryin to incorporate a a good clean channel in this high gain combo. Good amp, limited by the speaker. Leaning over and switching the jacks around at the back is not conducive to a professional stage presence.

Same as below. All features are useful to me except the reverb is too loud on the od channel. Reliability sucks until it's resoldered.

The OD channel is OK for classic rock. 20db boost is cool too. Clean is great as well as the clean channel OD. The speaker compensated DI is very good but an off-axis, close sm57, is fool proof. Much more fool proof than these "hassle free" DI remedies. Friends don't let friends DI.

The amp get hot as reported which puts stress on the mass produced solder joints. I lost power to the 3 preamp tubes and found the rectifier needed re-soldered. While I was in there I repaired many cold solder joints and installed a fan on the power switch.

NA

Decent mass produced amp but it's over priced due to the well reported reliability issues. This amp should cost as much as a crate or fender or traynor. Much better quality and value found in MESA and boutiques.

my dsl-401 was made in 2001. i bought it "used" from a sam ash in philadelphia. pa.

it is a pretty basic amplifier. it fires 40 all-tube watts into a single 12" speaker. it is part of the dual super lead line of tube amps. it had reverb that can be controlled via a foot pedel. it also carries a fairly useless effects loop. however, this amp has something special: a "third" channel between the clean and the heavy overdrive channels. this channel offers what i believe to be a great distortion, especially for classic rock or when you just need more bite in your playing than the clean channel can provide. the amplifer has enough wattage to play small gigs (it can drown a drumset) but i would recommend an additional cabinet for a larger club.

it is a pretty basic amplifer with great warm, thick sound. it doesn't have any digital effects or anything like that, but who needs those? it is great for what it is. those that want extras should get a line6.

i play a lot of avant-garde/ambient post-rock/punk and alternative music.

fender stratocaster (w/ stacked bridge humbucker)>dunlop mr. crybaby>EH big muff pi (russian)>eh small stone>signal flex delay>boss flanger>scores of crazy effects

i also use this amp with my mircokorg keyboard. it rumbles beautifully. it can capture highs through lows with sweet marshall charm. it also makes a tolerable bass amp with the gain down and the volume up.

i can use this amp in conjunction with effects to emulate artists or create entirely new sounds. depending on my mood, i can dial in great classic rock sounds, as well as more moderm settings. the amp is basic, yes, but it still offers a lot of versatility.
*sigur ros also uses jcm-2000 series amps, as well as scores of other musicians from all over the sonic sphere.

this amp has changed with my varying styles. it barked for heavier things, and now it shimmers for post-rock. it also hums and beeps when told to.

the reverb in this amp is nice. however, it can sometimes be a bit hissy. if the hiss is a problem, just use a holy grail or something.

the clean channel breaks at a low volume, and there is no clean volume knob. this makes it hard to have sparklingly clean sounds at high levels, but if you wanted that you would have a fender amp, right?

with the gain and volume entirely cranked on the OD2 channel i can create amazing barking distortion. it is almost sinister. the amp can be a little noisy at times, but that is all well and good for me. if anything, i wish it were a little more noisy.

the bottom line is thus: i use this amp for certain sounds. if i want to do something this amp cannot, i reach for my fender twin reverb.

i used to live in philadelphia. i purchased this amplifier after my used peavey bandit exploded for no reason. fearing that i may have a repeat incident, i took out a one year warranty (thanks sam ash). as luck would have it, there was no problem. this amp has been used at full volume for countless practices, gigs and general screwing around. the amp has survived being hit, knocked around and generally abused with no damage or complaints.

last year, i had to pack up my bags and head back home (in western canada). i threw the amp in the back of my sunfire and covered it in all my worldly possessions. it was a bump ride and at times i thought i was going to destroy the amp at some point during the 3500 km trip. but alas, not a problem.

it has been almost three years now, and this amp has not given me a lick of trouble. even though i bought it used the amp still runs like new. i, like many of you, am worried about the heat problem. i have burned myself many times after using the amp for hours and then touching the faceplate. nothing has happened yet, and it doesn't seem to be a problem. i am still using all of the original tubes.

i bought this amp used in philadelphia three years ago. i am back home here in western canada. i am sure sam ash wants nothing to do with me.
if something did go wrong, i would just take it to my local amp repair shop. they did wonders for my '62 fender tremolux.

i have been playing seriously guitar for close to five years now. in addition to this amp i own a '62 fender tremolux, a '65 fender twin reverb RI and a peavey bandit 112 (repaired, of course). each amp has a purpose (besides the awful bandit). and each amp does this purpose well. this amp and i have been friends for close to three years now. it was my first tube and and it helped usher me into the beatiful world of analog circuitry.
if it were stolen i would probably hunt the thief with such ample precision that he would wish that he had not made the earlier mistake. seeing as how this is both impossible and improbably, i would probably either buy another or spend the extra cash to get a dsl-100 half-stack.

this amp does what it should, and that is why it deserves a high rating.

i see this a good existence. while most other amp makers are going ahead and replacing all of their combo amps (and even some of their higher end heads) with digital components and transistor circuits, marshall is conitinuing to make quality tube amplifiers. the sound can't be beat. this amp is the next best thing to a dsl-100 and i love it dearly.

Ordered this new from musicians friend. By now if you don't know the features, read some other reviews.

I run a Jackson DXMG and a Gibson SG Special into this amp. The reverb is kind of crappy and the effects loops sucks, i think. I replaced the stock speaker with a vintage 30 and the reverb "hiss" has gone away. You really have to add a little reverb to make this thing sound really good. I wish marshall would have added a Deep switch to tighten up the bottom end on this amp cuz it sucks. They should have done that instead of adding a third channel. you either have to play the clean channel or the +20Db of gain channel, because the other one just sucks. I tried the TSL 122 at guitar center and that amp's lead channel distortion beat the fuck out of this amp. reverb was also a lot better

i had this amp for no more than 3 months when it crapped out on me. 3 tubes in all were failing, but i don't know if that was marshall's fault.

never delt with them

I've been playing for 5 years. if this was stolen, i would probably save up and buy either a TSL 122 combo, or like a DSL 50 halfstack.

new JCM2000 DSL401. 2 channels w/ a footswitchable, 20 decibal boost on the overdrive channel. Reverb, emulated out, basic e.q. package. I would have liked to have seen a presence control, at least on the overdrive channel, and a solo feature like that on Boogies would have been extremely helpful. Overall, it has the basic features you need, but doesn't really go that extra mile.

Using my guitar, which was once a traditional strat copy, but now has been altered heavily to have a VERY basic setup (one volume pot wired straight to a dimebucker in the bridge position), at first the sound seemed a little harsh. I have been playing around on a few different amp models and for as reputed as Marshall is for being plug-and-play, I wasnt really satisfied upon my first attempt to play through it. However, as time went on, and I played it a little bit more, the sound grew on me a bit and i was ultimately satisfied with it. The overdrive, anyway. Sonically, the 20 decibal boost seems to do very little for a noticable VOLUME difference, but there is a noticable addition of some low end and even seemingly a little more drive. However, the boost has an almost buzzy quality to the sound of it-theres just something not too pleasing about it. Although, in its defense, I have not played the amp in a full band situation, where the sound may redeem itself. The clean leaves much to be desired. I have read that this particular model has quite possibly the best clean ever on a marshall, and I would have to say that if that statement is true, it says very little for other marshalls. THe clean just isnt dynamic in any way. Very straightforward, empty sounding. But who buys a Marshall for the cleans?? The drive channel alone, without the boost, has a great traditional marshall overdrive sound-very mid-heavy overdrive. It took me a little getting used to, but the drive grew on me pretty quickly. I know some guys who play 900 halfstacks and its really their sound that got me interested in marshalls in the first place, and i have to say it could sound better or worse depending on your personal preference, but it is definitely comparable. Overall, the clean doesnt do much for me, and the boost is seemingly useless as a true VOLUME boost and seems to have a buzzy quality to it, but the drive channel is great and mostly makes up for the rest of the amps flaws.

didnt have it for too long, only about a month, and it never left my house. Seems pretty sturdy, but I wouldnt throw it around or anything. I cant much say anything regarding this topic, although Ive heard that many people have had trouble in the past with how hot it gets (and it gets HOT!)

had no dealings with the company

overall, if you bought a marshall, you should know what youre getting yourself into. Cleans arent great, and the boost feature, which i believe is unique to the 2000 dsl and tsl line, doesnt seem useful really. However, the beauty lies in the overdrive and this amp delivers. Great tone for AC/DC style rock, and even NOFX/Anti-Flag punk (which is more closely related to what i play). In the end i would be satisfied with this amp, and with the addition of a boss ds-1 as a boost pedal, i would be more than happy.

This was made in 2001 and was purchased new off the floor at guitar center for $650.00. It is all tube 40watts with a1x12 Marshall Goldback speaker, two seperate channels with extra gain boost + reverb and effects loop and Master volume. It also has jacks on the rear pannel for extention speakers and recording out. It comes with a 2 button footswitch. I think that this amp is pretty versatile as it can be used for blues , surf, jazz, rock, and metal. I love the fact that it is easy to use and is easily transportable. It has plenty of power for practice and small club gigs etc. The only two problems i have noticed are that there is no bias prongs and adjustment on the back panel although the higher priced Models do have this, I think that this was dumb of marshall not to include the bias features on the back. The other problem that I had was when changing the El84 tubes I noticed that the Electro Harmonix tubes I purchased to replace the factory Ei tubes did not fit as they are just a little wider and wont fit as the tube sockets are recessed. I think that this is also a stupid flaw in the designing as it limits your choices in tube brands. The 3rd flaw is that the amp gets really hot although I have never had it overheat yet and have owned it for over 1 year. I have heard that this model should have a fan installed to keep the tubes cool but I dont think that I should have to modify an amp after spending that much money. If anyone else knows what other brand el84 tube will fit other then the stock Ei brand please let me know via email.

I use Gibson Les pauls and Sg models with p-90s and humbuckers. I have a Sg 61 RI, a Les paul Goldtop 56RI, and a Les Paul Custom 57RI. I play Rock with a fairly high distorted tone. As far as sound and tone, I love this amp and It is one of the best sounding amps I have played bar none and I have owned and played almost everything out there including Fender hotrod deluxe, Traynor Reverb, Marshall TSL601, Marshall vs265, Mesa Rectoverb ,etc. I love the fact that this amp gives you the choice to have a clean bluesy breakup distortion due to the gain knob included on the clean channel, The OD1 channel covers everything from bluesy breakup to CLassic rock to JCM 800 Crunch and The OD2 gain boost feature kicks the distortion up 20db for searing leads but the OD2 button shares the same eq and volume controls as the OD1. You can get great distortion sounds out of this amp at any volume due to the fact that it is 40 watts but it still is plenty loud for any club gig.

So far I have had no problem although I have noticed that this amp runs extremely hot. I have heard of problems of overheating but I have not experianced this yet and have never smelled anything burning. I did however notice the paint on the tubes to burn off due to the high heat but then again this happens on a lot of tube amps.

I have not had to deal with them yet with this amp although I emailed them once a while ago concerning another Marshall Amp I owned and they never emailed me back which was pretty lousy of them if they got the email.

Due to the tremendous tone and versatility of this amp I would definatly get another one as this is the best sounding Amp bar none so far but I am always looking to top it. The only things I hate are the skinny recessed tube sockets which limit choices for tube brand replacements other then the stock EI brand. I also dislike the cheapness of Marshall to include the bias prong testers and bias adjustment screw on the rear panel as they do with the other More $$ JCM 2000 series models so why not put it on this one. Also, it runs pretty hot and maybe they should have designed it with a small fan to keep the tubes cool to prevent failure. But then again this is the best sounding amp and sounds better then even the more expensive Marshalls and it simply blows away the others(Fender,Mesa,Crate,LINE 6, etc. If anyone else knows what other brand El84 tubes will fit without widening the recessed sockets please let me know via email.

plenty of scope for different sounds,this amp will relay cover any style whatsoever and the overdrive sounds i love, the guitar i use is an Ernie Ball Musicman Van Halen guitar which is extremely lovely tone anyway, i think for the money this amp is ideal for nearly any gigging guitarist i do as well have the issue of the fx loop, i use a boss chorus on clean sounds so thats ok going right into the front end with my Boss sd-1, but i do use delay on clean and overdrive sounds, however i have solved the problem of the lower level of the fx loop by putting the delay between the amp and the pa(because im using the speaker emulated output into the pa as well as coming thru the amp too so at least i get a delayed sound thru the pa on solos etc(which is what the audience will be hearing more than the amp speaker wont they???!!!

the sounds are wonderful, people are complaining a little that they have to wind it up a bit, to get a lot of volume,i was a little surpised the volume i turned up to for a valve amp but Hello???!!! this is a 40 watt EL84 amp theyre supposed to be like that so you can wind em up a bit!!!!!! i have no complaints about the sound of this amp whatsoever, my friend has the dsl 50 head and that is an amp he really likes too Marshall are such a big name for a reason, they sound fantastic covers any style from claen to all out metal i like many styles of music but mainly hard rock Ozzy, Van halen etc, but my band plays a large variation from stand by me to cant get enough, and it sounds really nice and makes you play better!!!!!

ive not had this amp long but as another reviewer commented once its worn in and been played for 24 hours or so they are generally gonna be ok, i always take my sansamp to gigs but i would do this even if it was a solid state, and im gonna buy some spare tubes anyway just in case i get any Spinal tap situations!!! look after your gear and care for it and it wont let you down i always find!!!!

marshall are always very quick to reply and the spares department is second to none in customer service

ive been playing nearly 14 years and had various Marshall stuff but the great size and versatility of this amp is ideal for the band ive played in for years

Brand new 2003, all features previously explained. Has no presence control, and no way to punch up the volume for leads. Parallel effects loop is worthless on an amp like this.

Les Pauls and hollowbody electrics. Sounds great. The amp covers a lot of territory from Jazz to Metal. Gain tones are voiced with the same relaxed midrange as most modern Marshalls, and like most of them, there's a buzzy high end in the upper frequency range of the Mid control (turn the treble all the way down and listen to the mid control as you turn it from 0 to 10- you'll hear the treble frequency in there). Every JCM2000 Marshall model I've tried has it (DSL 50, 100, TSL60, 100), and it's annoying. I'd rather have the controls split into 4 dedicated tonal ranges for Bass, Middle, Treble, and Presence. The amp's not very noisey, maybe a tad when the reverb is cranked high, or the clean channel's gain is low with the master high. Overall this amp sounds excellent, and is plenty loud enough for bars and clubs, and with any extension cabinet it will easily cover large stage territory.

The speaker has a buzz in it as well when cranking the clean channel a bit. I plugged the amp into another speaker and the buzz was not there, so it's the stock speaker. I tried following several documents for biasing this amp, one of them directly from Marshall. It will not reach the mV spec of 1.3-1.4mV. The highest it can be adjusted to is 1.01. The result was even lower when I tried a completely different set of tubes. Lastly, upon opening the amp to do this, I was extremely pissed off to find that the cabinet had been built too narrow so that the chassis was too tight to come out. All of the tolex on both sides of the interior were severely torn when I removed the chassis. Each time I took the chassis out of the cabinet, the tears became worse. I tried to epoxy the tolex tightly in place. I let it dry for 24 hrs. and then I had an even more difficult time getting the chassis back into the cab, because the thin amount of glue made it fit even tighter. If I ever have to remove the chassis again it's going to be a complete and total nightmare, because the tolex just bunches up with nowhere to go, and it becomes extremely difficult to simply get the chassis out at all.

A comment on the overheating issues: mine hasn't failed in the short amount of time I've had it so far, but those tubes get so hot that it almost seems surprising that the glass doesn't melt off of them. I'm not installing a fan on mine. I think that's rediculous that anyone has to do that on a $700. amp. It seems ironic that the MG series of solid state Marshalls has a fan built in, but the hot tube amp models do not. The first time my amp breaks down from overheating, I'm going to sell it.

Like the TSL100 with it's infamous footswitch problems, the DSL401 could be such a better amp with a few design modifications: give it a series effects loop instead of parallel (or at least install a switch to switch between the two types), it has a nice 20dB gain boost, but then they went and screwed up its usefulness by not including a volume control for solo levels. It needs a master volume control on the clean channel as well. Overall it's a great sounding amp with a handful of features, but what I dislike is the high price, quality issues, and the fact that Marshall amplifier designs and features always head down the right path, but never fully take you "there".

very simple 3 channels

Sounds best played with a Gibson. Amp would be great for someone who played like blues or classic rock. In other words using the clean channel to chunk on rythm then using OD2 for leads. OD1 and OD2 are not useable for rythm. The OD2 really does sing for a rockin lead sound. For a tube amp its not very loud.

Something has happened to mine recently it stopped working while sitting in my room. It could have been the amp shop's fault. Im skeptical about its reliability and not too fond of the heat it produces.

Ive been playing for many years. If you are looking at this amp think about getting a fender or check out a mesa F50 combo. I think you would be better off.

2003 model. It's got a lot of versatility for a combo this size, but then it should have a lot of features for its price tag. All the features have been covered before. My comments on them are that I wouldn't want a headphone jack so I'm glad it doesn't have one, I wish the parallel FX loop was a series loop instead, and I'd prefer a master volume control on the clean channel. Lots of power- very loud for 40 watts. It definately seems loud enough to gig with, and it's even bigger sounding with my 4x12 cab. Would also have been better to have a volume control for the boost.

I bought the amp mainly for home use. I wanted a nice amp that I could play all my guitars through, depending on the style of music I'm in the mood for. I play pretty clean stuff, Jazz, Rock, Metal, etc. I use it to write songs for my band, but not for recording yet.

The first thing you notice about the amp is that it packs one hell of a punch. The volume controls, especially the Master, don't begin to really open the amp up until maybe 6 or 7.

The Clean channel was the first thing I was impressed with, because with the gain up around 4 or 5 it just produces a nice warm, round, balanced tone for my ES175 hollowbody Jazz. Lower the gain for brighter tones, and max it out for a really nice old-style Bluesy Marshall rhythm tone. (A built-in capacitor accross the gain control emphasises brightness when you turn the gain down, de-emphasises it when you turn the gain up).

The OD1 channel is very nice, and very "classic" Marshall. It goes from Blues gains all the way up to late 70's hard Rock gains. Nice midrangey Marshall growl and punch.

The OD2, with it's 20 dB boost, really punches the gain up. As Marshall like to say, "OD2 picks up where OD1 leaves off". There's so much gain here it can get fizzy very quickly. With low gain settings, you can get great 80's Metal tones, and when the gain is set higher it goes into Modern Metal territory.

It's a great amp for practically any tone.

Well, I haven't had a Marshall break on me in the 15 years I've used them, but I do think the quality could be better on the newer ones. There's no excuse for foot switches breaking down and amps overheating.

I've had this one for a week. Too early to rate it.

I hate customer support in general, and they hate consumers with problems. Has a 5 year warranty. I hope I never need it.

I've had quite a few combos in the 1x12 style, some tube and some solid state. C30, C50, Blues Junior, Fender solid states, Marshall solid states, etc. This amp sounds much better than all of them to me. I don't like the parallel FX loop. I wish there was a separate volume control for the boost for lead solos, and I wish there was a Master Volume control for the clean channel, because when you max out the clean channel, the gain channel won't go any louder than the clean. Overall, it's a smokin' little amp, and I can overlook the things I dislike.

This is a pretty versatile amp. Two very different channels and the boost adds an extra dimension. One really nice feature is the gain pot on the clean chan. This is one aspect that you don?t normally see. It provides a nice blues break up tone or can cut a bit with a cleaner lead. Nice compliment to another player?s ultra clean sound. The effect loop is also a nice touch. I don?t love the reverb, but it does have a spatial quality despite the short throw. Not a ton of options, but that?s what you?d expect here.

This is where you have to decide if you like the classic EL84 tone. If you?re looking for the fat less responsive classic Marshall Tone with much sustain, look elsewhere. As we know, the 84 tone is one in it?s self and I?m sure many folks looking for that Marshall sound will be disappointed. That being said, this amp certainly delivers a unique very in-your-face punch. It has a clear articulate tone, as long as you don?t push the gain. The distortion sounds are aggressive and jump out of the speakers with authority. I personally wanted more of a less defined color, so that?s going to affect my rating

The clean channel is a very nice thing. I never expected the clear complex sound that this guy speaks. As I stated earlier, the gain control really opens up your options. A great Marshall clean

One issue that I have with this one is the headroom. Not that you should expect to blast over a huge room with a huge drummer blinding the crowd with his sweat, but a 40 W EL84 amp should have more room to go. I pretty much find many of the tones that I want, but if there are other competing instruments in the area, you might get lost. I?ve found myself with the vol pegged, in certain situations, which I never like to do.

I?ve read a bunch of complaints about the heat thing. Sure it might have been better with fan, but EL84?s get hot. I never experienced any issues. I had my highly regarded certified Marshall tech look it over and he told me that I shouldn?t even bother. The circuit board, apparently, will not be adversely affected by normal use. Hey, it?s a Marshall and they inherently are built with a lower quality standard than a VHT, Demeter or Soldano, but you get what you pay for. No problems here

They never come thru for anyone, but I've no experience

Like I said, you have to love the EL84 tone. Granted, it?s not a Vox or even a Classic 30, but it still has that aggressive, no-forgiveness vibe. The rounded undefined Marshall sound that we all know and love (or hate) is not here. This amp does do some very cool things that other Marshall?s will never find. To each his/her own. If it had more headroom and sustain, I would rate it higher, but 7.466666 (rounded up to 8) is all I can do from here.

Bought it second hand. I think mine is a 2002 model. It looks new anyway.
2 channels plus a gain boost on the second channel. footswitchable channels and reverb, although the reverb footswitch is not included, which seems a bit tight. Parallel fx loop which is all but useless, and only one control for reverb for all channels, so the level needs to be a compromise. Not a majot issue though.

I play an american fat strat with a seymour duncan custom 5 in the bridge. My music style ranges from Red Hot Chili Peppers, to Guns n Roses type rock to Metallica thrash. This amp covers this pretty well but in standard form its lacking in bottom end and any real 'balls'. The solution? Change the speaker. The stock one is crap and has a weedy little magnet, so this was quickly changed for a Vintage 30. Imprved the sound no end - much warmer and bigger sounding. I reccomend this mod to anyone. it only takes 5 minutes.
After an output tube blew i changed them for a matched set of electro harmonix tubes. another improvement in tone. i biased them on the hot side for a better sound. Strangeley this was WAY more awkward than swapping the speaker. Ill explain later.
Clean sound is nice, much fuller with the new speaker, and the dirt is cool on the other channels, but at low volumes sounds a little fuzzy and muffled. This amp needs cranked to sound at its best like any all valve amp - its not a practice amp. Also, the fx loop is rubbish - even on full it seems to be putting only about half of the signal through the loop so fx are almost inaudible. I may have this modded to sort this out. Reverb isnt very smooth either and on clean there isnt enough, but marshalls are meant for dirt, and its not needed there, so i wont complain too much.
This amp makes very little noise.
Before the speaker upgrade id give this amp a 6. With the new speaker it deserves a 9.

This amp has one key issue - heat. You could cook an egg on the front panel when its been left on for a while. Cannot be good for it. I will investigate cooling because the heat may cause solder joints to fail.
Also, after 3 months of getting the amp an output tube went squeally and died. It was a second hand amp so i cannot really complain, but the output tubes were Ei, which seem to be the standard output tube on this amp. These are well known to be crap tubes which go microphonic in the blink of an eye, and I certainly wouldnt have kept them in if i was gigging even if they hadnt blown. This was just the first problem though. I ordered a replacement set of electro harmonix el84s, and to my horror they did not fit! The glass was to big to fit through the hole in the chassis. This was corrected after 20 minutes with a dremel, but i dont think the owner should have to grind away at the chassis just to change the tubes. Well done marshall.
Other than that the amp is solid. Nice strong metal grille to protect the speaker and the tubes, tough amp chassis.

Iv never dealt with marshall myself

Iv been playing for over 10 years now. My last amp was a Marshall AVT275 and this sounds both louder and has a way better tone than the AVT. If it were stolen id hunt the bastard down and gleefully break his thumbs. I dont know if id buy another - i would probably buy a marshall silver jubilee combo, but this amp is too good to get rid of now, although i may have the effects loop modified to make it usable and change the reverb driver chip to smooth out the 'verb.
I would like to see marshall fit a proper speaker as standard like a vintage 30, rather than the asthmatic thing they currently use, make proper sizes holes for the power tubes and sort the fx loop. These things would cost hardly anything for marshall to alter but would make it a much better amp. After the mods itd be almost perfect.

Now up to 159 reviews. I think there enough tech details on features below now! Generally I love the features on this amp. I run 2 Epiphone semi-acoustics both with humbuckers through it, and use it regualrly for practice and club gigs. It it a whole heap better than my last amp (Peavey Triumph 60), however...

The only two gripes I have about the features (for the way I play) are:

1. The parallel effects loop mix only has a maximum of about 50% effect when on full. Which means for a dry sound no problems, but a heavily effected sound (I run an Alesis Quadraverb in parallel)is not possible, even when setting the Quadraverb to 100% effect with no dry signal.

2. I run the clean channel at a fairly high gain (4-5/10) for rhythm and the distortion at a relatively low gain (2/10). Though the distortion channel has a channel volume I cannot get a large enough sound difference from the clean to distorted channel (even with 20db boost) to have a nice jump in volume for a solo.

The reason I bought this amp (despite going in with my eyes open about the apparent reliability problems) was the sound. I play indie guitar rock/pop (apparently somewhat like the Magnetic Fields) and the warm sound of the slightly driven clean channel sold me. The distortion gets periodic use though it seems to be a little thin when the distortion gain is cranked a long way up. The reverb too has a little extra noise when turned up a long way.

I have had this amp now for 9 months and have not had any problems despite weekly to twice weekly travel to practice and gigs. I just let it warm up (and yes it gets hot, but it has been winter down here recently and that has been a good thing!), take care to to bang it around too much and so far no dud tubes and no reverb tanks dropping out.

So for me - no problems at all. I just hope I can say that in 3 years time.

No problems. No idea. Though the warranty I have is 1 year.

I love this amp (despite it's few faults) and one day I'll get a tech to fix the Fx mix and put a master volume on the clean channel. In the meantime I would be most annoyed if it got stolen, and would try to replace it if I could.

My DSL is a 2000 model which I bought new about 1 1/2 years ago. I agree with the last reviewer re the amount of reviews this amp has received. But to me it stands alone and so is deserved of the widespread commentary its received. The features have been covered extensively already and little more thats totally original could really be added to them. However, as with the last reviewer I have found that the jack for recording is a brilliant feature almost enhancing the amp's clean. As other reviewers have also said, the clean on this amp is not of the Fender variety but it is still sweet enough and I've not been disappointed with it. People I've jammed with have commented on the clean channel's clarity and when coupled with the overdrive channels, which I feel outdo Fenders in a similar weight division, the amp is a well rounded and versatile package. I have used the amp jamming and live and have not been disappointed with its punch. I was looking for clean saturation in overdrive and this amp produces it with either single coils or humbuckers, no mud or gritty, dirty tone, the amp's overdrives provide contained, cutting distortion provided the gain is adjusted accordingly. Of course, some players may want distortion mayhem and this amp could do that too if pushed. Being 40 watts, its too small I should think for a full on metal player but, while I can go a heavy sound, thats not purely my thing so its not an issue for me at the moment.

I'm running a standard 2001 US strat and more recently a Gibson Les Paul Junior Special Plus 2002 through the DSL. My style is influenced by Dean DeLeo and Frusciante principally...though there are loads of great players out there who I listen too and try to learn from. Going back some, Mick Taylor is a influence and, as with so many others, so is the immortal James Marshall.
The amp suits my style well, I find it probably crosses best with the Fender although I haven't had much of a hit with the Gibson on it yet. I haven't found the amp to be noisy and as I said above the clean is quite nice, but I also find for harder passages that it puts out by comparison to amps I've owned in the past or compared it with. Needless to say, I haven't ever really owned any monsters or the classic names that get dropped preferring to mike up 40-60 affordably priced and respected watts than to get heavier and priceyer, but I can see how opinion can change or differ on that score. The tone of the amp is variable but really all I wanted was an amp that could be clean and then provide overdrive through which I could hear the subtleties of playing when I wanted it; this amp does those things, so I'm pleased. Then again, I don't ever really wind the gain up past 4-5 as I find thats all I really need. The OD2 setting could be considered brutal, but such things are personal.

I have read this column before and since buying the amp and I've been aware of the reliability issue and its worried me some, but I've had no difficulties to date(touching wood). When I first bought it, it came out of the box with a single footswitch and I was sore about that. The guys I bought it off at Venue in Sydney were completely incompetent. I remember this idiot telling me that the amp only came with a single footswitch and point blank refusing to replace it even though the amp obviously has separate channel settings. I called the Marshall dealer in Victoria personally, told them the story and they were very helpful. They sent the right switch asap and the problem was solved.
As has been said, the amp gets hot, although a friend has an old Italian amp he reckons you can fry an egg on and the Marshall don't get that hot. I gotta get myself into gear and just get a small fan as per the recommendations here.
I've lugged the amp in the back of a small 4 wheel drive for some time now and I've banged it about a little bit, but I am conscious of being careful with it; like anything you may value...
I've played it without backup, but I'm aware of the perils of that and I won't do that again if I can help it. As has been said, its dangerous to play without backup with any amp.
I'm giving the amp a 7 in this category 'cause while it hasn't let me down I'm aware that its failed on a number of other players and because of the footswitch issue.

As I said I found Marshall Australia to be friendly and helpful.

I've been playing for about 20 years now, since I was about 9 and overall, I'd give the DSL an 8 or maybe even a 9. I don't want to be too inflated about it because I'm wary of that kind of praise for anything. Of the amp's I've tried none has its versatility; although I have never played through an orange or musicman, I've tried mesa and other Marshalls and plenty of Fenders. Sure there's lots to choose from out there, but I'm no gear head and I don't have unlimited finance or time. I've owned my fair share of gear but this amp suits me well; it gets my sound across and brings some magic to it as well. I have worried that it might not have the bottom end necessary but then again I don't attempt or need to push it to extreme volumes. At the end of the day execution is really up to me. This amps got clean and its got mean, some presence or even a sweet flanger/chorus (thinking rooster) such as features on the Fender Princeton Chorus might be nice, but I can remedy that with external effects. The output jack for recording is fantastic, though i never use the reverb or the fx loop.
If the amp were lost or stolen I'd be really disappointed and I might buy another although I'd do some more shopping first.

As if 157 reviews aren't enough, I figured I needed to put my $.02 in. It is a 2 and 1/2 channel amp, and all are necessary. Clean, OD, and OD with 20db boost. The 40 watts are plenty loud for the gigs I currently play, and I really don't think I want to carry around another 100W combo. The amp has reverb which adds a nice touch, but with all the super amps out now, everybody NEEDS lots of effects, so I have some pedals just to have more options.
The direct out is a great recording tool, and I feel like it was sort of a bonus. It really sounds good.

The amp sounds terrific! I bought a line 6, and found out that my ear really likes the Marshall tone, so I traded the line 6 for my marshall. Best trade I ever made. The tone is so smooth that you can dime it on any or all settings, and your ears don't get hurt from any digital noise. I love that. I play rock and roll, so Marshall fits the bill great for me. The amp is not noisy, and the clean channel dirties up quite a bit after you go past 5 on the dial with a single-coil. I really love the way this amp sounds, and can't think of any reason to get a different amp for more distortion. I'm not sure that I want a brutal distortion.

Haven't had any problems with it, and I really don't expect to. Regular maintenance on a tube amp is to be expected.

n/a

If you don't have a marshall, why not? I've been playing for 12 years, and this little 1x12 really is cake, man. I also own a vox, and a yamaha dg100. I use the vox for clean and the marshall for drive when I do rock and roll gigs. I use the yamaha for church and praise and worship sets. I wouldn't have any problems with recommending this amp to friends, and I would hope that my enemies would get one so we would have something in common. Great, pure rock tone. If it were stolen, I would really be in a bad place, and would have to sell something to get another one. (playing in a band is not a great way to make money!) For 7 bills brand new, I can't think of a better value anywhere in the amp market.

The channels offer excellent variety in sound. I love the clean's ability to crunch up nicely. The reverb is a little weak on the clean channel - I could go for a bit deeper reverb. The drive channels are beautiful! Messing with the tone really achieves a lot with this little amp. Having the speaker output it a handy feature; though I prefer a Shure SM57, but handy nonetheless. The ext. speaker outs is a nice option. I placed this combo on a 1960A cab and it really pushed some air. Footswitchable reverb is also a nice option, though I rarely use it.

I use a Gibson Les Paul Studio. The studio does great for me. It's not as fancy and achieves wonderful sound for blues/rock. The amp works like a dream with the Les Paul. The clean can achieve some Fender-esque snap with a lot of middle and treble kicked in and backing off the bass. It's not as snappy as the Hot Rod series by Fender, but nice for a Marshall. The crunch on the clean channel really sounds awesome. The drive channels are the best on this amp. I found that this amp, with the el84's loaded in it acheived a hard drive in channel 3, but it wasn't as hard as the Tsl series. However, the vintage-esque sound you get from this amp beats the hard hit of the Tsl.

I have never had problems with anything. Some people talk about the heat of the amp. Yes, it gets hot. All tube amps do. This one might be wise to install a fan in though.

I haven't had to deal with the Marshall co. at all. The local distributors are more than helpful though.

This amplifier is amazing. Well worth the $700 new! It's much cheaper than the TSL series and has the more vintage sound the el84's have to offer. Great amp! Great investment. If size is an issue, I think a Marshall 2x12 or 4x12 cab would be a great investment cause you can put other Marshall head, etc. on it too.

This is a 40 watt, EL84 powered 2.5 channel amp. It's 2.5 becuase it has a clean and an OD channel, plus it has an OD2 channel which acts more like a gain boost. It's all tube powered, except when the effects loop and reverb are being used. It's probably closer to 32 watts, since a 2xEL84 powered amp is 18 watts. Either way, it can get up and move some air. Not as much as my TSL 100 + 1960A cab (reloaded with Vintage 30's), but quite a bit more than you would think for a 1x12 combo. If it was 3 channels, it would be great, but then it would be a TSL, and cost roughly half-again what it costs now.

I play with Gibson Les Pauls. I play hard rock to trash metal to black metal. I also play some laid back acoustic-like music as well. It does the job well, it just so happens that I can set it up to be a workable 3 channel amp. I set it next to my TSL 100 to get the voicing about right, and it can sound close. It doesn't have the girth and balls of the TSL 100 + 1960A cab, but even putting it through the 1960A cab, it will do great as a backup amp, should I ever need it.
I've had it from TV-volume, to around 6 on the master, and it sounds good. At that level it gets some good breakup; EL84's breakup real easily.
I replaced all the tubes with JJ 12AX7's and EL84's - www.eurotubes.com - I have had nothing but good experiences with Bob @ eurotubes.
This amp will cover a lot of ground, and does exactly what I want it to do - be a practice amp / backup to my TSL 100. This will save me from dragging my TSL 100 60 miles each weekend to/from practice, and keeping from having to setup the head/cab after carrying them both up two flights of stairs (shoudl have known when I got the apartment!!!)

The front panel gets hot, really, really hot. I will probably mount a fan to the back to blow over the tubes. I also noticed the AC Tranny gets very hot. I don't know if this is the tranny causing this, or the tubes, either way, it should run cooler. SO far, so good; BUT, I do need to say that this is the 3rd to go through my door. #1 had a faulty reverb, where it would turn itself on, full bore, regardless of knob position. I sent it back. #2, had a bad OD1/OD2 switch. Sent it back. It wasn't until several months later, that I decided to give it another shot. I've had it roughly 2 weeks, and no problems.

Korg-USA support is pretty good; I've had 2 TSL footswitches go out on me, and they have replaced both of them free of charge under warranty. Marshall makes good products, that sound better than any amp I have ever played, though, a Mesa comes close...

For me, this amp is for use as a practice amp to save some wear and tear on my Marshall TSL 100 due to transport. It does that, and does it well. If it wasn't for the heat issue, it would be a steal @ $700 new. It's cheap, it's all tube, it's lightweight....
What else would you want in a combo?

Awesome...Awesome...Awesome...I just got this amp a couple of weeks ago. It is a 40 watt, all-tube 1x12 combo. It includes many features that are great for guitarists of all shapes and sizes: 2 speaker inputs(so...in addition to the internal speaker alone...you can run 2 cabs, or the internal speaker and a cab, or just a cab); 16ohm - 8ohm selector switch; FX loop; Emulated speaker DI output(for recording and/or PA connection); footswitch input for channels; footswitch input for reverb; clean channel with it's own EQ and Gain; overdrive channel with it's own EQ, Gain, and Volume; and a Master section with FX mix, Reverb, and Volume controls; and a two button footswitch for channel switching(Clean, Overdrive 1, and Overdrive 2)...I think the features on this amp are perfect. But, the only thing that might please me more, would be, the inclusion of a reverb footswitch. The amp has the input for a Reverb switch, but, you have to buy the footswitch unit, seperately. This is not a big deal...I am just glad that they included the input, for one...You can buy any "universal" footswitch for this option. I plan to go ahead and get a, one-button Marshall footswitch with a lead display, pretty soon. This amp also includes a 20 db gain boost on the OD1 channel...This is actually what makes up the OD2 channel, it and the OD1 channel, share controls. This gain boost channel is very usable. I would have rated the amp a "10" here, if the Reverb switch had been included...

This amp is a monster. I love the sounds you can get out of it. I play an ESP MH-300, with DiMarzio Hum-buckers...The Air Norton(neck), and the Air Zone(bridge). With the Air Norton, I can make the amp sound pretty "dirty", even on the Clean channel...And, insanely sustained and overdriven on the Overdrive channels. With the Air Zone, I can make the amp sound amazingly balanced and warm on the Clean channel...And, powerfully tight n' focused on the Overdrive channels. The flexibility is incredible. I admit that this is praise for the pickups, as well as, the amp.
I play mostly Blues and Hard Rock...And, this amp is made for it. I am one of two guitar players in a Christian "Praise and Worship" band. Me and the other guitar player share the rhythm and lead responsibilities. His amp is a 212 solid state combo, with 60 watts per speaker...And, this little DSL 401 blows it away, without even breaking a sweat. Which, brings me to my next point...The Gold Back speaker that this amp comes with, is OK...But, replacing it with a Vintage 30(as I have), gives you endless sustain and output. The Celestion Vintage 30 burns Heavey Metal, and smolders the Blues. You can't beat it. NOTE: {I read in someone else's review, of this amp, that the Vintage 30 sounded too dark for it...I admit that it takes the, extra bright, chimey sounds out of the clean channel, thus, giving it a balanced, warm sound...But, hey...I thought that was a good thing.} Anyway, this speaker gives you more output.
The clean channel is great, and pretty versatile, because of the Gain control that is included...Go from a smooth clean to a rough Blues, on this channel. The OD1 channel is great...I have sort of adpated it into a rhythm channel, if you will...It sounds great for crunching verses and power chord progressions...It is super controllable with my bridge pickup, and mega edgy with the neck pickup. The OD2 channel is superb for lead work and transitional definition...This channel is simply, the OD1 channel, with a massive 20 db boost...It is perfect for solos...With the neck pickup, it is on the verge of uncontrollable feedback, with endless sustain and presence...And, with the bridge pickup, it creates a tight, chunky, "Heavy Metal" rhythm.
Reverb is something that I haven't really taken full advantage of in the past. I was under the impression, that Reverb was for a more pronounced, brighter sounding, Clean tone. But, this amp has changed all that, for me...The Reverb works OK for the clean channel, giving it, a very subtle, quality of longivity. But, the Reverb, on this amp, shines in the Overdrive stages. Keep in mind, that I am mainly refering to, Blues style Rock music, here...And, of course, for rhythm, the Reverb isn't much good(that's why the Reverb footswitch would be handy)...But, for lead work and solos, in the Blues genre, this reverb adds an abundance of sweet, toneful, presence...Allowing you to explore the boundaries of hammer-ons, pull-offs, bending, and whatever else your creativity leads you to do.
I just want to restate, here...The addition of the OD2, is spectacular. And, the 401, is the only one of DSL series, to sport it...Even the larger head units don't have it. It feels great to have the built in power, to go from a crunching progression to a soaring lead, without the fear of not being heard...And, all with the click of your amp's supplied footswitch.

Though, I have only owned this amp for a few weeks, I have read reviews, asked questions, studied, and now, inspected the amp personally...I have read all the stories about the overheating issues...Yes, I agree...Marshall should have installed a fan. But, it is no problem to install one, yourself...Or, do as I am currently doing, and place a clip-on desk fan, on the back. Just point the fan at the tubes, turn it on Low, and your all set...
You definately need a fan of some sort(install a 115 volt fan yourself, have one installed, or just place a desk fan behind it)...But, with the tone that this amp gets, along with the options, and output, I can't believe that people make it as big of a deal, as they do...It's an easy fix...If the fan had been installed from the factory, I would have rated the amp a "10" here...

Haven't dealt with Marshall, directly...But, I love there website - www.marshallamps.com

I LOVE THIS AMP...If you want "Marshall" tone, in an all-in-one, easy to transport combo, get this amp. It's a dream come true, for the guitarist in a "local" band, that needs practicality, and authentic tone...And, wants it to fit in his back seat, and in his budget.
Although, I would like to try the JCM2000 TSL 601, I would definately want to replace this amp, if something happened to it.
If there was a "perfect" amp, for the small-time guitarist, this would be it. The only changes that I have, or would make, to this amp, are: Speaker replacement(go with the Celestion Vintage 30, it's the best speaker on the planet); Fan installation(easy addition); Add a one-button universal footswitch, for Reverb operation(get the marshall one, with the lead display, it will match better, and give you visual confirmation of the Reverb status)...
In closing, I hope that I have given you the impression that I love this amp...Because, I do. Anyone seeking the classic "Marshall" tone should get this baby, or at least try it out...You won't need those stomp boxes anymore. This amp is Overdrive and Sustain Heaven. And, don't let the 40 watts scare you off...This amp is more than loud enough for small, medium, and even large gigs. And, if you are playing stadiums, you're probably making enough money to get the Marshall heads and cabs that a stadium demands...

I bought this amp second hand so i dont know when it was made, looks like new tho. 2 channels with a gain boost on channel 2 - not a true 3 channel amp. 40w all valve.

Heres the thing. When i got it i was somewhat dissapointed. The amp was too bright with very little low end and a fairly buzzy distorted sound, and no amount of eq adjustment fully solved the problem. So i took other peoples advice and bought a new vintage 30. Problem solved! Plenty of low end wallop, nice highs and smoooooth distortion! i love it! Shame marshall keep using that celestion goldback cos its a million times better with a vintage 30.
I play mainly rock and metal - Guns n Roses, Ozzy, Metallica etc. With the new speaker it fulfills my needs almost perfectly. It wont quite get extreme metallica/pantera scoop, but it gets close, and sounds great for GnR type stuff. It seems plenty loud enough, unless u got a very heavy handed drummer. More practical then a half stack.
The jump in gain from channel 2 to channel 3 is excessive. its a shame it doesnt have some adjustment. Never mind. Also the reverb is a bit harsh - it seems to clang rather than shimmer, and the effects loop is useless - it doesnt send enough of the signal through it even when the level is on max, but i can live without it.
Sounds great cranked. Niggles aside id give it 10. With the old speaker a 6. That averages as 8.

Seems relativeley solid. I would have preferred a plywood rather than mdf cabinet, but for the price i cant complain. Wouldnt want to throw it around mind. The back is well protected by a metal grill, which is reassuring.
My main concern, however is the heat issue - it runs VERY hot. I believe this is due to the bridge rectifier and i plan to modify it with a heatsink in the near future. Other than that the amp seems fine.

Iv never dealt with marshall myself, but from the experience of my friends and family id rate it a 9.

Iv been playing for over 10 years, but this is the first all tube amp iv owned, although iv played many. so far im very happy. Iv always liked marshalls, thats the main reason why i chose this. Id be furious if it was stolen,and if i ever caught the bastard i would make him suffer for his sins. I would probably buy the same again, but given unlimited funds id buy a cornford hellcat. Cant have everything though.
I love the tone, i dont like the heat, and i also think the stock speaker is shite. Marshall take note. I wish it came stock with a vintage 30. The effects loop could be much better and the reverb smoother. But overall its a good amp, and with a V30 it sounds awesome, so i cant be too hard on it.

Year Made: 2002
I play mainly blues/rock/pop and the amp is fine for each of these. It is a 2 channel valve amp with an extra 20db boost on the lead channel making it effectively 3 channel. It has a footswitch to access each of the three channels, a parallel FX loop and a line out to external speaker if required. The power valves used are EL84's apparently the classic Marshall sound is with EL34's which have a warmer tone, but this amp sounds fine to me, even the clean channel sounds better than a fender princeton 65 that I also own. Power wise its OK, but the guy that plays in our band with me has a 50watt amp with 2 speakers and so I have a hard job competing.

I use single coil Tele/Strat and the amp is fine for clean through to blues and beyond to 70's rock. Anything beyond that i.e. screaming metal and forget it. As mentioned before the clean channel is nice, and can be fattened up nicely via the overdrive. I don't find the middle channel that useful If I need extra drive I go straight to channel 3.

This had a faulty speaker, which produced a buzz at higher volume/drive levels. I thihk this was probably because the amp had been misused at the Shop where I bought it rather than any fault of Marshall, but as with all Marshalls you get 3 years warranty (who else offers that!) I got it fixed straightaway. Other than that slight problem rock solid performer.

Absolutely superb, drove it over to the factory in Milton Keynes and it was fixed within 4 days, they even replaced all the valves and put a mod on the amp to reduce the heat output.

I have been playing seriously for the last 2 years, but first picked the guitar up over 20 years ago. If it was stolen/lost I would probably buy it again or upgrade to the TSL602 (which has the EL34's and two speakers). Before buying I compared it to Engls, Fenders, Mesa Boogie, Crate, Peavey. Whilst all these are great amps I found the price/performance and most of all 3 year warranty the deciding factor. In addition the amp is quite light (for a valve amp) and not too big, which for me who has to play at home a lot is quite convenient.

Made in 2002. This amp is your usual Marshall. The features are fairly good. Would be nice to have a volume for 3rd channel. Use it for gigs, easily loud enough for a school hall.

Its a Marshall Great for rock and blues. I love the tone. Stands up very well at high volume.

First of all the reverb had a mind of its own. Sent it in to be repaired. (see below) Now the whole thing has stopped working without warning. I got it in Januarny 2003.

When it was being repaired they took 3 weeks and then returned it without the footswitch. It took a month for the to send the right one.

I would probably get something else if it were stolen just because of the reliability and also, i'm never satisfied. Hopefully other people dont have reliabilty problems. If so it would be near perfect.

2002 JCM 2000 DSL 401, clean/OD1/OD2
Sounds great playing lead riffs and power chords on both overdrive channels when eq and gain set right - I have not been completely satisfied with just switching absent some tweaking. Then again, those knobs are made to be twisted...Not a huge array of sounds, but that awesome crunch is why this little combo amazes me. Good package for practice and sets in small, medium and even large venues. Plenty! But you may want more if you are outdoor (see powering a 4x12, below)

Using a DOT with humbuckers. Play mainly rhythm, but have a few licks perfected to pretend I'm lead guitar. There is a slight bounce on the clean channel when cranked up (with bass set midway) but overall, this thing really sounds terrific on all three channel settings and at a range of volumes.

It seems to be OK (no smoke!) I've had it 4 months - no problems. Play daily often hours on end, and it sounds consistent throughout. Have not had any cutting out or crackles regardless of time spent - although anytime it's turned up over 4, I have ear protection, so slight variations I may have missed.

Been playing for 8 years, own 3 acoustics and the 335 copy. Have an upgraded Line 6 Axsys212 w/floorboard, Fender Twin, Line 6 MM4, Boss DS-1. Switched from unplugged covers of Nirvana/Staind/Incubus etc to electric only 2 years ago after finding the Gibson and Twin at the same used gear sale. Always wanted to crank it up, but until I owned my own stuff, was afraid to admit it to friends who were starting to jam regularly. Found myself practicing their Green Day/Smashing Pumpkins-type songs and general garagepunk sound. I keep an eye out for quality products but can't afford much else - the $400 paid for the DSL 401 was the most I've spent so far on a single piece other than my acoustics years ago - the DOT/Twin purchase was a package and I got a steal on that ($600!). The MM4 I got for $35 if that gives you an idea how cheap you can find some used gear. Axsys 212 was only $100 and it had already been upgraded (the floorboard controller for it cost me that much!). But the Marshall is by far my favorite thing to plug into for rock. I have gone through the DS-1 and MM4 for certain sounds, but like the Marshall distortion so much by itself, I usually don't use any extra effects. I had read a few reviews about powering a 4x12 cab with the DSL 401 and I had the opportunity to try it last week with a friend's vintage Marshall 1960B. Holy crap! My ears are still ringing. Set off car alarms a block away. My friend was twisting the gain and volume knobs and generally playing around while I played the chorus riff from Nirvana's 'Aneurism'. Literally, the walls shook. We both should have had earplugs in when he tested for loudness - that caused some permanent damage! So I also have my eye on a Marshall 2x12 cab, but the guy who owns it won't part with it unless I have a buyer for his $400 Ampeg 50W Retrorocket head (anybody? - he just had it serviced with new tubes). The 4x12 seems a bit excessive unless a large venue or outdoor setting requires that much, but then there should be a PA to mic the amp anyway. I expect almost any 100-150 watt cabinet with 2-4 12" speakers would add that much more depth and punch, but would like it to be a Marshall because they look so nice stacked. On the lookout.

I purchased this amp brand new a little over a year ago from guitar center for $650 flat instead of $699+tax(another$42). The amp is all tube design with 4 el84 power tubes and 4 12ax7 preamp tubes. The amp is rated modestly at 40 watts. It is two channels + boost button(clean,crunch,lead) which adds 20db and is footswitch accessible which is supplied. It has 1X12 marshall Goldback speaker which is made by Celestion for Marshall. It has a gain knob on the clean channel which I found very usefull along with the master volume and master reverb. There are seperate tone controlls for the clean and overdrive. I Think that this amp has the perfect balance of usefull features without going overboard or over complicating things.There are also outlets on the rear pannel for recording or extention cabinet and effects loop. I play Rock N Roll and think this amp is the best Combo in its category and I like it better then even the more expensive Marshall Combos. It is very versatile and I have had no problems with overheating yet although I did notice it gets pretty hot after a while but then again most tube amps do.

I Play Gibson Les Pauls playing rock, punk , whatever, I dont really like categories. This amp suits my style perfectly. It is easy to get a variety of great crunch sounds on the clean and overdrive channels. I rarely use the 3rd Boost because its a very heavy distortion equal to the 3rd channel of the Marshall TSL series but it sound great for metal. The reverb sounds a lot better then past marshalls like the older jcm series. With reverb on the clean channel you can get a cool surf sound and on the overdrive the reverb can be used to get a different distortion sound. I love that they included the gain knob on the clean channel, With the gain and the master volume you can go from total clean to a classic bluesy breakup. On the crunch channel you can go from bluesy crunch to a pretty heavy distortion ala Jcm 900, But it doesnt stop there, if thats not heavy enough you still have the boost button which takes it up to full meltdown distortion.Unlike tube amps in the past, with this amp you can still get great distortion at low volumes such for bedroom playing or practice. THe advantage of using a smaller watt tube amp is that you can crank it up to get that great tube overdrive without being rediculous. I think that they rated this amp modestly at 40 watts because this amp is really loud when cranked. Perfect size for all around use like band practice , bedroom playing, but still plenty loud for the bar or small club circuit gigs. This amp is pretty versatile for a marshall but it still is a Marshall and we all know what They do best. I played several others before buying (fender hot rod deluxe, Marshall valvestates, Crate blue voodoo, but it was an easy go even with the extra cost for the Marshall. I couldnt imagine using anything other.

I read other comments about overheating but fortunatly I have not had this problem yet and I have owned it for over a year now. I did notice it getting kind of hot after playing for a couple hours(as do all tube amps) but it never affected the performance and I never smelled anything burning. The amp still sounds great and it gets used about 8 hours a week at high volume. It came stock with EI brand el84 power tubes which are cheaper then el34 tubes and provide an awesome sound. The preamp tubes are 12ax7 labelled marshall but I am pretty sure they are sovteks.I have never had a problem yet and I hope My good luck continues with it.

I have never had to deal with Marshall yet but I have heard that they are pretty fair. I had a friend who had an overheating problem with his JTM 60 combo. He sent it back twice and it kept braking. The 3rd time he sent it back and they gave him a Jcm 600 combo at no charge. I think that that was pretty cool But then again they should stand by their products.

I have been playing guitar for about 4 years and have owned several different amps(marshall vs 265) Marshall Tsl 602)Marshall jtm 30) Traynor master reverb) ampeg reverbrocket)Crate blue voodoo 2x12)etc. I like the marshall dsl 401 the best. It is plent loud for all around use and still is easy to carry. It it pretty versatile for a Marshall. It has an awesome overdrive crunch tone. It blows the Crate Fender and the rest away. I even like the tone better then the more expensive Marshalls such as the TSL line. If it were stolen I would definatly get another one. I would still like to try the Mesa Rectoverb 50 watt 1x12 combo because I have heard great things but then again they are $1299 and the Marshall Dsl 401 Is $699.

Here is an update to my last post (below) regarding this amp. Basically in my opinion, this amp is not usable without the fan modification. In my case, the amp would get so hot afterplaying briefly (1hour) and would smell slightly of burning components. I am convinced that this is THE MAIN problem with this model and is responsible for 90% of the breakdowns. THE GOOD NEWS is that after installing the fan mod (see earlier posts), the amp no longer gets hot at all. In fact the faceplate now becomes merely warm to the touch-as any amp would. I am fairly confident that this will result in a fairly reliable amp because the stress on the components and solder joints are greatly reduced. The rest of this amp is well constructed and strong. MARSHALL SHOULD HAVE INSTALLED A FAN ON THIS MODEL-PERIOD. There is no excuse for this. In fact I believe that the AVT models have fans. I am sure that the later model DSL will come equipped with a fan. If you dont like fan noise, then do not get this amp. This mod is a necessity in my opinion, not an option. I will update with reliability status report in future.

This is a brand new amp, so It was probably built recently.
I like the simplicity of this amp. Very easy to get the sound you need. Im not sure but for some reason I cannot get into OD2 using the footswitch. Do others have this issue? I will use this amp in jam sessions and practicing on my own. maybe in the future on a gig.
I dont lik all kinds of effects so Im happy that this amp is pretty spartan. Its got everything I need.

OMG(oh my God). This amp sounds so beautiful. Believe me I did NOT want an all tube amp-with all of the hassles that come with tubes. And this sucker has 8 tubes! I really wanted to get the AVT. But let me tell you when I heard this thing I could not resist. I did not even bargain that hard (rare for me) I was just captivated. It really adds a new dimesnsion to my playing. Dynamics are important to me and this amp is all about dynamics. Deep growls, searing highs. You can really build the sound up. this is the best amp that I tried at guitar center ( although I was only looking at Marshal and Mesas).
I am playing a Gibson SG Standard with only a Thomas Wah pedal.

I am not sure. I can tell you that based on many of the comments here I did NOT buy a used one but ponied up an extra $150 to get it new so I can have the warranty-AND the FIRST thing I am going to do is put a fan in there fast. Also I am a bit worried about moving this thing around. I think you have to be VERY careful with these amps. On the way back from the store I had it in my car and I could hear things boinging and rattling as I drove over normal roads on my way home. So I am going to really baby this thing and keep it cool and THEN let you all know in 6-9months what I think about reliablity. At least the Warranty shows that Marshall stands by their product 3/5 years.

3/5 year warranty Parts/labor

I have been playing bass for 15 years, guitar for less that 1 year. I would get this same model again if it was stolen. I LOVE the sound, I HATE how delicate it is and the HEAT. Im not sure, but I cant get into OD2 using the footswitch-anyone else?

If you are like I was and are considering the AVT. I would recommend trying the DSL to make sure that you have at least tried them both. I am someone who prefers reliabily and hassle free use of the "perfect" tone. However, when I tried the DSL I was convinced that I wanted it regardless of any future unknowns. As far as price, the DSL was less than $200.00 more for an amp that i KNOW I Will not need to upgrade. And since amps are not the most high-tech things around I will do whatever it takes to maintain it for many years to come.

Update to my earlier review. Well, even though this amp sounded fabulous, I had to get rid of this amp. Problem? No way to boost the volume for solo's. I tried using my trusty old MXR micro amp as a cleam boost, and no matter what couldn't get a boot. Tried a Zvex SHO....same problem. Tried it in front of the amp....no boost. Tried it in the effects loop.....no boost. WTF???!!! Even with the volume turned up ALL of the way the amp acts like a big compressor/limiter and knocks the volume right babck down again. Not so with my DSL 100. Next, tried to put my volume pedal in the effects loop to use it as a master volume control. In their inifinte wisdom Marshall deployed this amp with a true "parallel" effects loop. Meaning that even with the loop mix turned all of the way up, you can't decrease the volume of the amp with a pedal (one signal runs though the pedal while the second "parallel" signal runs straight. Dumb.......dumb. After spending weeks speaking with boutique pedal makers and screwing around with this amp to get a decent solo boost I finally got rid of it in frustration. Too bad....it sounds pretty damn good. By the way, neither one of the above mentioned problems exists on my DSL 100 head. Between the reliability issues others have experienced and this, I seriously don't know what the hell the Marshall designers were thinking on this one. STAY AWAY FROM THIS AMP AT ALL COST. If you are looking for a decent tube combo try the H&K Duotone, or the Blue Voodoo.

This has the clean crunch and marshall hi gain w/enough growl and punch to keep me busy. effects loop and fx mix knob a plus -- extra control in dialing in fx w/o corrupting tone of guitar. 40w sounds xtra big and lush with all tube power. hey its not a mesa road king, but it covers most of the styles that I play and my fx fill in the gaps.....

I play an LP studio and it really nails the bottom end clean or on od1/od2. Anything from George Harrison to Tool... it sounds great. Marshall sound in a convenient gigging package with good speaker emulation that is decent over a pa. wow no mics.... Some light hum clean and more distorted, but its a non botique tube amp... whaddya xpect... Loud and overdriven at acceptable/tolerable volumes (well, acceptable for a smaller gig.... not yer apartment at volume 10). The 1/2 stack for the coffeehouse/small bar/parties. And yes, the distortion is brutal.. Plus an fx pedal dialed in heavy mixed 1/2 way really sounds good too. It likes the punishment.

In a later post it mentions the fan option for cooling the tubes mentioning a radio shack fan and part number you definitely should get if you own this amp. $20 fan, 2 screws&lock nuts, lamp lead, 2 "butt" insulated crimp electrical connectors, and the overheating problem is history. The heat will fry yo stuff. Get the fan, install it or have an amp tech do it for you. It took me (and I'm a girl) about 15 minutes. Amp runs cooler than my old solid state and fan makes little noise. Mesas come standard w/fans and Marshall f'd this one up by not adding one. Really runs hot even at lower volumes. Do not gig without a fan folx... its like playing russian roulette. Mine is really relialble so far since addition of fan. no volume fading problems, cutting out, etc.

good warranty -- do not know about. heard can be awful, but im keeping fingers crossed...

I really like the sound, options, size, and how it really "colors" your playing. Before this I had a Crate that I really did dislike and is my first tube amp. I played Vox, Fender, and DualRec Tremoverbs and this really spoke to me for the sound and the cash. Yeah if I had $1500 to blow I might have really considered the used Mesa, but I could have traded in some additional gear I really do not need to get it and didn't. The Mesa overall had to been an 8.5 and this rounded up at 7.5-8. 2.5 times the price did not bridge that small gap. Plus the

See everyone elses

Using hard-tail Strat with humbucker in bridge. See review under Allparts. Not the quietest, but pretty good considering its valve.

I reviewed this before but recently changed all the valves and it sounds different. I put in Sovtek valves as they were reasonably priced and claimed to last a long time.

At first I didn't like the sound and found it really thin. However, I put the amp in to have the bias adjusted and now it sounds damn fine.

There is a little more punch to the sound now, probably due to the new valves, but the is more gain available. I don't use a lot of gain, but it is sounding good.

I should point out that the amp really needs to be cranked to get a truly satisfying sound. This is the nature of valve amps and is true for all of them.

It took about 6 weeks to get the amp back from the guitar shop, but this was due to things outside their control.

One of the reasons for this was that when it came back after 4 weeks it wouldn't work in the shop at all. It went back to the engineer who found that there was a dry joint in the amp and had broken. This would have been there since it came off the assembly line.

Other than that no real problems.

Never had dealings with Marshall.

Pretty good but not perfect. I am thinking of upgrading to a half stack in the next few months, or using an extension cab with different speakers to change the sound slightly.

this is a feature packed amp that I bought to replace my valvestate 8080 as I missed the Marshall overdrive when I changed to Laney valve amps, also the low power rating meant I could turn it up more in small venues.

I use an american series ash tele with stock pickups wich is all I need, I have to cover all sorts of styles supporting singers and choruses in shows,the overdrive is just classic with od1 giving crunch to die for and od2 giving screaming sustain,although this isnt a metal amp as it stands,it really needs a boss metalzone or similar to sharpen up the tone for that.the clean sounds are not as glassy as fender but still the best from marshall yet,the problem with the clean is it soon crunches up as the volume rises! there are three ways to sort this one mike it up,two use the D.I. to the p.a three and this is what I have done,use a fender dynatouch at the same time ,if you kick in overdrive on the Marshall the fender clean still tracks giving a very full sound plus you can use one amp for effects, I did find the sound a bit buzzy and harsh on overdrive and replaced the el84 tubes with jj teslas, the tone is now better than when it was new! another thing I have done is make an extension cab in birch ply with the same goldback 16ohm speaker, this can be used with the combo or plugged in instead of the combo speaker,that thing sounds better than the built in speaker! on its own it gives a clearer sound with a tighter bottom end and you can put it where you like.

this is where it starts to go tits up,the heat is ferocious and maximum ventilation is essential! yes mine too did the fading volume trick, sadly I forgot it has a 3 year warranty and took it to my local (brilliant) amp tech, he returned it next day fully repaired and told me that the heater wire to the preamp valves had been dry soldered. sounds familir looking at the other posts? otherwise the tubes degrading is one that can creep up on you. the dynatouch is my insurance.

any querys have had with Marshall they have been extremely helpful
but I do live in the UK so I can contact them direct

I have been playing about 20 years and have sold a lot of my gear as my tele and two amps with a boss multi effects does everything I need, I have had Les Paul standards,335"s, blueshawks,hollowbodys,pointy headstocks and I wish I had just got the tele first,and I would be a lot richer now.Leo got it right first time!If it was stolen or lost I would replace it but perhaps would also look at some modelling amps although the early line six amps I heard were not in the same league.

40 Watts of EL-84 tube power. 2 discreet channels. Three channels total (channels two and three share eq, gain and volume). Parallel Effects loop with mix control. Has speaker emulator out (nice feature), no headphone jack. The speaker emulator out comes in handy for a quick conection to your PA. It's not the loudest 40 watts out there....but still plenty loud enough.

My main axe is a Gibson Les Paul Studio with stock pups. The gain on this amp is surprisingly high. No pedals needed here. Not at all as noisey as my dual recto. Has a very nice clean sound.....much more sparkle than my recto. The gain channels have a very nice cruch with plenty of bottom end. Sounds absolutely killer through my 4X12....so good in fact that if it had three discreet channels I'd probably make a head out of it to replace my recto.

HEY GUYS LISTEN UP. There is a very easy fix for the over-heating problem on this amp. The "volume cutting out" issue I've seen posted on this board over and over is definately an overheating problem. Here's what to do. Go to Radio Shack and purchase their brushless 115 volt AC cooling fan (part number 273-0241). Make sure you purchase the brushless fan......the others while cause noise) Remove the top rear grill on the amp by removing the 5 screws (1 in middle of grill, two on each side). Solder a lamp cord on to the fan leads, or if you are good with electronics you (or any electronic shop) can solder the leads to the amp transformer and on/off switch, so it turns on automatically when you power on the amp). Mount the fan (label up) such that two mounting screws (2 1/2 inch sheetrock screws work great) mount into the lip of the horizontal structural support (where the botom of the metal grill touched the amp cabinet). The fan will be pointing up, and will cool the tubes and amp chasis. If you are cheap, simply use the lamp cord lead and make sure you plug it in each time you fire up the amp. The fan spins quietly (as quietly as the fan in my old Boogie Mark III) and the amp runs as cool as a cucumber. I would invest the $15 to have your amp tech connect the fan leads to your amp switch.

Problem solved!!!

I made this mod as soon as my amp arrived and I've never had a single problem with it. These amps get HOT. Jim Marshall made a poor decision not to install factory fans in them, as the electronics and solder joints literally cook them to death without it.

Never dealt with them, but I hear they can be tough to contact in the States.

Been playing for about 20 years (man, I'm getting old). I consider myself primarily a hobbyist, although I've owned a buttload of gear and have been in my share of gigging bands during that period of time. What do I love about this amp? I love the gain on channel three as well as the sparkle on channel 1. What do I wish was better? I wish this amp had three discreet channels as well as a footswitchable effects loop. I think I'll be replacing my Boogie Dual recto with a TSL 100 head soon.

Don't need to write a full review as its been said already here.

HOWEVER............ i think the major problem of overheating is caused, in least at my experience, by an effects pedal. Without one conected my amp shows no sign of heating to a worrying temperature. With one it gets hot but it remains at a high temperature when it gets there. It has never failed on me yet and i have had it for months plus it is second hand and i have had it running for hours. so i must have got a good one!!

ok, this is an update from my earlier review. I paid over 500 quid for it, and a few months down the line it's not working. I can't speak for everyone who's had a problem with theirs, but I think there's a dodgy connection to the preamp tube heaters. took a look thru the grille at the back and the output valves were aglowing fine but the preamp ones looked as dead as doornails. if yours kinda fades out as if the volume's turned down, this could be the problem. quite frankly, the build quality of this model is so patchy there could be bad soldering all over the board. hope that helps.

2 channels, clean and "dirty". The dirty has an extra boost.
All are usable, and all sound awesome. Can switch to all channels
easily via foot switch. From clean, to light growl, to screaming
growl, it's all there. Has seperate controls for clean and dirty, so
it's easy to switch channels and maintain the same volume, however
adding the boost, "significanltly" increases the volume.

All three channels sound great. I use a Les Paul Custom, and
two strats, one vintage noisless, one Lace Sensors.
Can't beat the Paul going through a Marshall :-)
Clean is very good.
Dirty is Great, and add the boost to the dirty, and
it screams. I sampled 2 of these amps, side by side,
right out of the box, brand new, and they sounded quite
a bit different.
One was total "brown" sound, with a smoother growl.
The other had a bit more bite and scream. I took
the screamer. Can nail Zep, Santana, Cream tones
and more easily. This is an AWESOME sounding amp.

Sounds great at low levels as well

No problems. I first bought a used one, but returned
it because I "thought" the reverb didn't work. Then
I checked the reverb on the new ones, and only noticed
a slight difference on the clean channel. So reverb
isn't it's strong point. But Tone and Growl is :-)
No reliablity issues over here

Haven't dealt with them directly, but been
to there web site, and it had all the info
I needed

By far my favorite amp. Sounds great at low levels as well.
Bought it shortly after I got a Blues Junior, and don't think
I've turned on the Junior since (Junior don't do dirty that well)
If lost or stolen, it would be my top priority to replace it ASAP.
There is actually nothing that I would change on it.

I bought this amp new and immediatly returned it for another. The first one had a crackling sound while switching between channels.
If you are reading this review you already know most of the features this amp has. The two that I espeacially like are the Gain adjustment on the clean channel and the Level Adjustment on the FX loop.

I use a Gibson LesPaul Studio in stock trim. I play out about two weekends a month. I play styles rangings from Ben Harper to (oldschool) Metallica. The combo itself does not pack enough punch in a band situation. At high volume(on the clean channel)there is NO bottom end and the highs are annoyingly ear piercing even after tweaking tones and EQ's.
Then I bought a used Marshall 1966A 2X12 cabinet for $250 dollars. This instantly solved the poor low-end sound and the annoying high tones at high volumes.
Keep in mind the clean channel is no Fender but it is very effective, and the overdrive channels Crunch like a Fender wishes it could. Overall the combo itself lacked the punch to play in a band situation. But if anyone out there owns one of these amps and is looking for a better sound, buy a 2X12 cabinet. It is night and day.

I haven't had any major issues but it does get HOT! It hasn't let me down yet.

N/A

Overall this amp is very effective. It is easy to transport compared to a stack. If I had to replace it I would probably suck-it-up and get the Mesa Sigle Rectifier Solo 50 head.(but that is twice the cost)

Stellar.

This is an update to my prior submission. At that time, the amp was feeding back horribly, the repair facility having tried to square it away twice. At that point the dealer [Zone Music] stepped right up & forced Korg [the US distributor] to replace it! I've had it four or five months now & played the hell out of it with no problems whatsoever. Would I buy one again if this were stolen: absolutely [from a good dealer]. My first review began with a warning not to gig with it without a backup. I don't worry about that anymore, & no regrets at all.

As far as features go, its a little lacking. Its got 2.5 channels, a clean, and a dirty, with a 20db switch on the dirty side. Selectable speaker output, channel footswitch, optional reverb footswitch, reverb, and an effects loop. Seperate 3 band EQ for each channel. Pretty basic as far as features, but versatility is a different story. You can set this amp up to your hearts content! It has a master volume for overall, gain for the clean channel, and gain and volume for the dirty channel. These can be configured numerous different ways to get different sounds out of each channel.

I play a bunch of different guitars, but mainly a modified strat, with the stock neck pickup, a telecaster pickup in the middle, and a SD HotRails in the bridge. I've also played through it with an upscale ibinez, a gretsh, an SG, and an Explorer. You can set it up to sound good with any. I've owned it for almost 3 years, so i've explored all the possibilities. The clean is gorgeous, especially for a Marshall. It has a nice open sound, great for single coils or humbuckers, and the gain allows you to go from super clean compressed sound to open overdrive, reminiscent of early marshalls hotrodded. The tone controls are extremely sensitive, so you can morph your sound a lot. The OD has a totally different character, but you can turn up the volume and turn the gain way down to get a really nice clean sound, or you can turn the gain all the way up and cut the volume down and get a nice crunch on OD1. You can't really take the gain past 5 on OD2, or it just starts to get muddy, so i set it anywhere from 2 to 5 and i have my choise of nice classic rock overdrive on OD1 to smooth distortion on OD2. Or if i just want a really nice overdrive sound, you can leave it on OD1 and take the gain all the way to 10 if you really want. The reverb sucks. But thats okay, i didn't buy it for reverb. The DI out sounds really great! Lately i've been using the actual amp as a monitor and running the DI out to the PA. I own a recording studio, and a lot of times bands will choose to use my amp over theirs, because it mikes up great! Sounds awesome recorded! When i play gigs, i generally run it through a vintage marshall cab. It makes it sound a lot bigger, and the tone is that much better. I think i'm gonna take some peoples advice and put a Vintage 30 in there, but i'll keep the other speaker on hand cuz it records so nice. The clean stands out on this amp though. If you play really clean sparkly stuff this might not be the amp for you unless you plan on miking it cuz it breaks up pretty early. But not distortion, its a nice smooth break up. You can set the master volume to about 6 or 7, the clean gain to about 5, and you can completely control the amount of break up by how hard you hit the strings. All around a great sounding amp.

I've read all the posts, and i honestly feel sorry for them. This is a great little amp, and its too bad that their experience was tainted. I don't deny what they've experienced, i'm just thankful that i haven't had the same problems. I've worked this amp hard, probably played over 100 shows with it, and i practice at least twice a week, and its been very reliable. I always bring a back up though, cuz it does run very hot, and its a tube amp. I've actually dropped it about 6 inches and it was still fine. The reason for the 6 is this.......the grate on the back rattled when i first bought it on certain notes, but hasn't since i tightened the screws. Also recently theres been a reverb circuit problem, which doesn't really bother me cuz i don't use reverb, but all the sudden it started to sound like the reverb was turned to 10 when it was down at 0, and it kinda cut in and out. I just disconnected the reverb and it solved the problem. Besides that i've had no problems. I'm kinda crossing my fingers though.

Haven't dealt with them.....

I've been playing for 7 years, and gigging for 5. I really couldn't ask more from a smaller amp. It has big sound, especially when played through a 4x12, but it works great in practices or small clubs by itself. It mikes up nicely. I think i'll eventually pull the actual amp out and put it into its own head, and just put it onto a 4x12. That way i can vent it and modify it the way i'd like. If it suddenly disappeared i'd probably replace it, but i might upgrade to a TSL halfstack set up for the added versatility, but if i was looking for a small combo, i don't think i'd buy anything else. I've played a Mesa Nomad, and this little marshall has a lot more character. The only thing i wish it had would be footswitchable effects loop, and a switch to switch it to serial rather than parallel. That would make the amp essentially 3 full channels. Great amp though if your lucky and get one that works. Don't let the reliability stuff stop you though, talk to the salesperson and make sure you have the option of returning it within a month. Play it hard for a full month....max the volume, play for hours. If something doesn't go wrong within the first couple weeks your usually set.....that is the case with almost all electronics. If something does go wrong, you'll be within the return period and you can return or exchange it. Anyways if you have questions you can email me. I've done about everything you can do with this amp so i'm pretty knowledgable about it.

I think my DSL401 was made in 02. I started looking on Ebay for an older tube amp a few weeks ago, but didn't have much luck because people kept bidding ridiculous amounts for used tube amps (way more than what they were worth). So I started reading reviews of various amps here on Harmony. I saw several reviews that were praising the Marshall AVT50H and decided to go down to Sam Ash Music and check it out. After playing with one for a while I decided it just wasn't what I was looking for. In the same parking lot as Sam Ash is a vintage and used guitar and equipment store called CowTown Guitars. I went inside and looked at several amps. He had the DSL 401 sitting there brand new. I tried it out and really liked the sound so I picked it up for half off list ($512) New. All I was looking for in amp features was really good clean tone. The feature were exactly what I wanted, good clean and simple operation.

The reason I pruchased this amp was the tone. I love the clean channel of this amp. The clean tone for me is the key to getting what I want out of an amp. If there is a good clean, than it's not hard for me to get the distortion I want out of it. While this amps built-in distortion is fine, I use a Digitech GNX1 for all my effects. I think the this amps kicks ass up to a point. Here's where I would take some time to consider what you want. If you really crank up the volume on the clean channel of this amp you will get additional distortion out of it that may be problematic if you are using pedals. I think this is an excelent amp for home and small club giging (probably with a mic on it), but if you are looking for real volume, you will probably need to look elseswhere.

This is one area of possible concern. I bought this amp prior to reading any reviews on it. That's not like me. Once I started reading reviews I started seeing over and over issues of this amp overheating.

The second night I had the amp, after playing for about an hour at a volume level of about 5, I could not touch the front faceplate of the amp (too hot). I called Mark at CowTown Guitars and he thought this was extreme. He had me bring the amp back, and after looking at it, he is having the bias settings re-configured. The amp tech seems to think this will correct the over heating problem. I will let you know as soon as I find out for myself. If this indeed corrdcts the problem, many of you that are experiencing heat issues could resolve them the same way. Keep your finger crossed!

I don't know about Marshall, but Mark at CowTown kicks ass in the customer support area.

I have been playing for about twenty years. I play a little bit of everything, blues, rock, and even a little county. Although the Fender amps are know for their clean sound, I really like the sound of this amp. However, if you start to get on it (turn up the volume) you lose the great clean tone. I wish it had a little more balls. As far as what I would do if it were stolen? I am at a point right now where I could easily get my money back.

Even though I know there have been some of you who really don't like this amp, I still do. If I can rectify the heat issues, I want to keep it.

I've got a 2001 DSL 401 - The features are great, I think. It's easy to use and does a lot of things very well. The OD is very versatile.

I used a gibson SG with this amp while I had it. And altough there are a lot of problems with this amp, the sound is not one of them. It really does sound good.

This is the PROBLEM! Mine just quit one day. It's been in the shop of a very good technician for over four months. It Sucks! I also had a microphonic tube. The heat is excessive, we're sure that it is the cause of all the problems.

Send it to Marshall?

Been playing for a long time and I got smoozed into this one with it's great sound at a local store. I thought it would be the perfect little jam amp, it's just that I haven't seen it in 5 months!Sounds great for a couple of months, don't buy this amp.

I think everyone else has done a good job listing all the features.

I'm playing my Epiphone Dot into the amp and it does a great job at producing the Oasis sound I'm looking for. The only problem with this amp (and its not much of a problem) is that it is meant to be played loud. Its an all tube amp and to get the true Marshall sound you really have to crank the volume and saturate the tubes. The clean channel sounds fine at all volume levels but the OD channels tend to buzz and sound generally bad at low volumes. As you turn up the volume, the better it sounds. This amp is not meant to be your everyday nice and quiet practice amp. If that's what you're looking for then I suggest Marshall's AVT 50, it even has a head phone jack for those of you who don't like to annoy others. So if you like the true Marshall sound and like to play really loud this amp is for you. If you want better sound at low levels, save some money and get a solid state or hybrid.

I've had this amp for a few months now and I love it. I haven't had any problems with it except that it runs very hot. But that should be expected, the heat from the tubes has to go somewhere. The amp is built like a tank and is very sturdy. I'm not looking forward to the day when I have to replace the tubes since there are 8 of them. But tubes wear out so that's not really an issue.

I think it might have a warranty. Not really sure. Even if it does, dealing with them overseas might be an issue. I hope I never have to use their customer support.

I love this amp. It produces all the sounds I'm looking for from massive crunch to incredibly clean...cleans. If it were lost or stolen I'm not sure what I'd do. I'd probably try out some other all tube amps but eventually come back to this model. The other amps I use are a Vox Cambridge 30 and some cheap Peavy practice amp. The Marshall is just in a completely different catagory than these other amps and comparison is hard to make. The vox has a nice sound to it but just can't produce the amount of sound the marshall can. The marshall just sounds much richer. Of course the marshall costs twice as much as the vox. That being said, the Marshall is a bit pricey. But for an all tube amp I feel it was worth it. I was originally going to buy an AVT50 but saw this one was only 200 dollars more. So I dropped some extra cash and have yet to regret it. If you want something better than plan on dropping a few grand on a stack or a Vox AC30. The price to performance ratio of this amp is great and is (in my opinion) very hard to beat.

I purchased this amp in 2001 so I would assume it was made in 2000.
I find the OD1 channel is the only usable sound with the mids knob at 0.
What features do you wish it had? I wish the OD2 worked without buzzing and sounded like an overdriven Marshall. Maybe that is wishful thinking for a combo.

I play a Fender Telecaster and a Gibson Les Paul Standard for my guitars and I have been playing for about 10 years. I bought this amp to get Marshall tones similar to The Sex Pistols "EMI", Lenny Karavitz, Slash, Jimmy Page etc. Alot to ask of a combo when those guys use 100 watt heads and stacks I know but I figured for the price it souud be reasonably close.
Od1 is the only usable channel and that is if you turn the mids down to 0. I have to agree with the other reviewers that found the OD2 channel to have a buzzing or bee hive sound trailing the distortion. This is not a classic Marshall sound or a usable sound period. A cheap Fender solid state amp with a cheesy overdrive button sounds more like a Marshall than this does. The clean sound is ok but why not use a Fender if you have one.
I play a DSL 201 in a store at low volumes and chose the 401. Although I like the OD1 channel it would be nice if the OD2 did what it says it can do.

This amp heats up a little more than expected. I would bring a back up to a gig. I don't trust it.

Customer support is useless in North America for a Brit amp.

It's a 1x12" full tubed combo, it's got your standard 2 channel amp features, EQ on both channels, reverb, paralel fx loop etc., my only moans are that it would be nice to have a seperate reverb control for each channel, footswitchable fx loop, and a channel volume control for the clean channel, as when using poweramp OD at lower volumes, its impossible to get a nice clean at the right volume.

I'm using an Epiphone G310, Digitech XP100 whammy/wah, EH Big Muff NYC RI, Boss PH2 superphaser, EH worm and a boost.

I'm after Adam Jones style huge crunch, with utterly obscene amounts of bass and low end, and considering the stock speaker is an openbacked 1x12" it does this very well. I can't wait to hear how much better it does it with a closed back 2x12" or 4x12".

I'm rating this bearing in mind the price range, of course it won't compare to a Diezel or a Bogner, but for the price, it can't be beaten.

The cleans are great, altho with the poweramp cranked to get my od sounds, i lose nice cleans, particually at lower volumes.

For OD, and a monster crunch, I advise cranking mids to 10, a fair dollop off bass (at least 6 or 7) and roll the treble back a bit, not much gain, max the master and control volume with the channel volume control.

My amp is noisy, but that's only because of my fx, straight into the amp, there is very little sound.

Reliability issues have been bought up in previous reviews, I've only had the amp around a month, so can't commment, all I can say is that the amp does get very hot, if you crank it, the front panel can get to hot to touch.

Don't know, haven't needed them yet.

If you're looking for a versatile amp, capable of delivering Tool/ACDC/Zepplin type crunch, anything with plenty of lows and mids, for under #500, your search ends here.

Drive channels are easy to control the tone throughout the volume range; tone stays consistent. IMHO, you have to fiddle more with the clean channel to reign in the tone.

I play G&L ASAT guitars, and they all sound outstanding through this amp. I traded my Fender Hot Rod Deluxe, which has similar specs, and I actually prefer this amp for straight blues. It just seems more sophisticated than the Fender. Like other reviewers, I have noted that the reverb is almost non-existent on the clean channel, but it comes on like spacey Hendrix on the drive channels. Odd. Anyway, the way I would describe the distortion is, well, "controlled creamy." It just seems to me that this distortion is consistent up and down the volume range. The Fender Hot Rod just seems more ragged. BTW, I have found that this amp sounds much, much better if you set it on an amp stand. Setting it on the floor or, worse yet, on top of your bass player's rig, makes it sound like mud. Do yourself a favor and get an amp stand for this li'l guy!

I've had the amp for about two years now, and I have no complaints. The tubes are probably about 3 years old and will need to be rolled in about a year or so.

Never had to deal with.

I like this amp for the consistent tone. It provides enough volume for blues gigs--as long as you play at a "sane" volume. I'm an old jazz cat, and I'm used to playing at volumes where sterilization is never an issue . . . Metal Heads will want to go for the 100 watt head option.

Prob made in 2000, but only bought it in august 2001. Does everything I want it to - sparkly clean, gritty crunch, warm overdrive. Twin channels are brilliant, as is the OD1/OD2 boost thing. The lack of presence control is my only gripe, since I like to use loads of treble. It's certainly loud enough, but I may use a 4x12 cab as well when I get round to gigging.

Usually, I play a '77 ibanez artist (with humbucker pickups), thru a Boss CE-3 chorus and an electro-harmonix big muff pi nyc reissue. Chorus sounds amazing, but there's not quite enough mid range in the clean channel (not much of a problem as long as the bass is kept around midway). This is especially noticeable when using the big muff, which needs a more compressed tone to give the smashing pumpkins-type fuzz that I want. The power tube distortion is a bit buzzy and the reverb isn't as evident in the clean channel as the overdrive one, however. Apart from that, the sounds are fantastic - warm distortion and crystal clean that marshalls are renowned for despite only having used it at home, but there's just one major flaw...(see below)

Ok, I've read some of the other reviews, and this is really quite worrying. A few weeks ago, the sound one mine faded out, as if the standby had switched off. There was no sound at all for a couple of hellish minutes, but it seemed to fix itself. A few days later it did it again. For a company that makes (in my opinion and personal experience) the best sounding amps, thais shouldn't happen! And yeah, it does get very hot on the front panel after an hour or so. But hey, there's eight tubes in there! But I am a born worrier.

Since I live in the UK, I should be fine if this sound problem gets any worse. For you guys in the States, I'm not so sure!

I've been playing for nearly five years now, and this is the best-sounding amp I've ever had. For only 40 watts, it makes a wondrous noise, but the operating temperature and scare stories are starting to worry me. By all means, try one out but check the warranty first!

I bought this amp a few weeks ago and so far I have been impressed by its sparkling clean channel and its classic overdrive bite. However, this amp can't cover every genre of music without a little help from pedals. There is not enough saturation and gain in the overdrive channels to play modern rock or metal. I knew that before I bought the amp, so I am not dissapointed. If you want to get a "new rock" or "metal" sound with this amp, I recommend you try using the Boss MD-2 Mega Distortion pedal. It sounds absolutely wicked! (wicked means good) This amp is equipped with speaker emulation output; which is good for home recording, parallel effects loop, and 40w of power delivered to a single 12 inch speaker. My only complaint is that the reverb is almost unoticable. But hey, this isn't a vintage Fender amp.

I am currently playing a 2002 Gibson Les Paul Special with it right now. This guitar is a perfect fit for this amp. The amp is absolutely amazing for classic rock tunes from artists like Skynyrd, CCR, Hendrix, and Zeppelin. I would not recommend this amp for someone looking for any type of high gain rock sound you hear on today's radio, unless you are prepared to use a pedal. Pedals sound incredible through this thing.

I haven't had any kind of noise problems with this amp. Just gets shaky at super-high volumes due to the large amount of bass this amp puts out. I have yet to have any problems with the clean channel distorting at high volumes either. My only gripe is that the overdrive channel doesn't have enough balls for today's music, and even at its highest gain it can seem extremely distant at times.

I don't know if I'd gig with this thing. I mean, come on. This thing only puts out 40watts. You would have a hard time powering a cab with it. I haven't had this amp long, and so far it has been operating just fine.

Haven't had to contact them.

I have been playing for six years and this is obviously the best amp I've ever owned. If was stolen, I would buy it again but not for a higher price. I love the clean channel more than anything. Pedals sound so awesome through this amp, and the effects loop works great. I just wish it had a more versatile overdrive.