Marshall JCM-2000 DSL 401

Clean/Overdrive/Overdrive 2 (with 20db more gain)
Treble/Mid/Base for clean and one for bother OD1 and OD2
Reverb - 1 for all channels
Effects loop

I have a SG with EMG-81 in Bridge and EMG85 in the neck.
EMG-81 is same as Slayer, Ozzy Osbourne, Matelica, Fear Factory etc etc its a metal pickup.

Clean channell sounds great. If you listen to My Jackel Cant Hide from Ozzmoses (ozzy Osbourne) the intro sounds Identical to my setup!

Overdrive sounds good. I set the Gain on 5 and I get a great Black Sabbath tone. (This is only agfter puting the EMG-81 in!)

OD2 has more distortion. its bad because you cant adjust how much it just adds 20db ontop of the Gain level for OD1 also there is no seperate Tone/Mid/Base for it or Reverb.

I dont like how there is only 1 reverb for all 3 channels.

I can almost get the tone I am after but I think I would need a Quad box to get it!

When friends bring round there fenders or other guitars they always coment on how much they love the Clean Channell!

This is why I am writing this review. I currently dont have it. Had to take it in for an operation yesterday. I was playing it and it sounded like somone gently turned the volume down to 0. It was dead as a door nail. After it was switched off for a while It would work again but only for a short time. I usualy play this AMP around 2 - 3 on the volume. It sits in my bedrooom and has never been moved and its 6 months old. Also the front gold panel get TOO HOT!!!! If you play it for a hour or two try resting the back of your fingers on the Panel above the Volume/Reverb Controll. You wont be able to leave it there for more then 1 second withouth pulling away!

Things do break down but as it seems to be every second person that has left a review has had a problem this is UNECCEPTABLE!!! This is a production falut and should have been fixed when all the amps started coming back for repair.

I bet its bad! especialy when they hear JCM2000 DSL40

Its a great amp if you want a good sound but dont want to spend much money on it.

Quality tarnishes this product

This is just a reply to the writer below. I live in England and i brought my DSL401 in England. Today I have just arranged for it to be collected for repair. And when i got it I didnt really have an ear for tone but now i realise it is a pretty bad sounding amp, especially when u crank it, which is meant to be the opposite with a valve amp. I think Marshall just cocked it up with this amp, cos the DSL heads are meant to be pretty good and are used by pro's.

I would just like to say that as most/all the reviews are from america the reviews may not good. This may be because the amps, made in England, are designed for use in England, we have different voltage, and shipping the amps may have caused them to become damaged etc. The amps have scored lowly on reliability which is Not a problem in england. Also saying marshalls are crap is insane surely seeing how widely used they are can show you this.

Bought it new in 2000 - Versatile, Yes! 3 channels essentially, clean, Overdrive, and a 20DB boost (for leads, etc) 2 Button footswitch is included. Speaker emulated DI is useful and actually sounds great. Don't use effects or reverb, so won't comment. I feel the ratings are meant to reflect on the equipment itself, not compared to other gear, so I give a 10 for features because it has what it says, and they all work as promised!

I use this (and a DSL 201) with several Strats and Les Pauls of all ages (real guitars :>) those of you with other models need to consider whether your lack of appreciation for certain sounds might be due to your choice of axe? And/or lack of playing experience? Sorry, but 5-6 years (the average playing experience) is not really very experienced. You may be able to tear up the fretboard, but nothing counts for experience except for time.(nothing personal!) I play mainly blues rock originals, semi crunchy tones, these amps deliver them all. Metal enthusiasts probably should look past this amp, try the TSl's. Dozens of tones available, I think its very versatile, don't change the speaker or tubes, I tried because of other reviews and was disappointed. The Vintage 30 is way too warm/dark for this amp, tube changes were also a waste of $$ and time, I changed back to original equipment for that clean Marshall crunch! I think they know what they're doing by this time. Frankly if you don't like the tone, don't buy the amp! Never seen such a bunch of whiners as on these posts! Geez...

It has worked great for 2 years under normal conditions, and I would not hesitate to gig without a back-up. Either I'm extremely 'lucky' or Marshall is still makin' them like they used to.... I've owned 8 of them since 1970 and never a problem

N/A never had to!

Playing since 1967 as a kid, Gawd I'm old! Have owned or played through virtually everything. If it were stolen, I'd try one of the tsl 602's maybe, or another one of these. Great portability, sound, incredibily loud!!! I've had Marshall stacks not as loud! The only thing I'd change would be the addition of a prescense control. Played through everything, nuthin' else gets that Marshall sound! If ya gotta have it, you know what I mean. If you don't get it, get something else!

Contrary to some other reviews here, this is a one-channel amp. If you want to know why, read further.

I was looking for a small two-channel combo. I checked out the Marshall website and saw the DSL 401 model. After reading statements such as ?thight, punchy tones, mightiest minis that Marshall has ever made, sparkling tones and fat grind as you turn up the gain, throaty lead sound, dial in anything from pert overdrive to perpetual sustain and beyond and finally winner of Guitar Player Magazine?s Editors Pick Award? I thought WOW, THIS MUST BE ONE HELL OF AN AMP.
I grabbed the phone and found a store that had one in stock. I went there, left a deposit on the amount of the amp and took the amp to my practice room. When I arrived, I let it warm up and then plugged in my guitar.
CLEAN CHANNEL ? not bad, crisp but rather thin sound with very little headroom. If this is 40 watts then I?m Donald Duck. Compared to a Fender Blues Deluxe that was in the practice room, this amp feels more like 10 watts or something. If you want to play clean and reasonably loud forget about it.
OVERDRIVE CHANNEL ? OD1 and gain and tone controls at half and played some notes. Hmmmm...
sounds like a bunch of bees flying around the practice room. Turned the gain to the max with the result of hearing a few bees more but no usable sound.
Now I pushed the OD1-OD2 know to see how OD2 sounds like. Even more bees, A SWARM, mixed with a dark, compressed and annoying buzz.
I thought that something?s wrong, checked the tubes, but they seemed to be allright. I fiddled around with the knobs ? didn?t help.
Since I thought that the overdrive channel was broken I quit and brought the amp back to the store. A few days later, I found another store that had a 401 in stock, decided to give it one more try and went there. After letting the amp warm up a bit I switched directly to the overdrive channel. Bottom-line. It sounded excactly like the first model. I asked the sales guy if he thinks that this amp sounds normal and he told me that that?s the way they sound. Bummer...end of the story.
OK. This is the worst sounding overdrive channel I heard in my whole life. Pert overdrive to perpetual sustain? Yeah, right. Maybe they should call this amp DSC 401. Dual SuperCrap. I really don?t get how some people can rate this amp at 10, how a magazine can even rate it Amp of the Year and first and foremost how Marshall has the courage to put out such a piece of garbage.
That?s why for me this is at the utmost a one-channel amp, if any.
I?ll repeat it for you:
- this amp has no power, it?s rated 40 watts but sounds rather like 10.
- this amp has no clean headroom
- this amp has a overdrive channel that?s plain disgusting. It sounds like a swarm of bees and a buzzsaw put together.
- if you want to throw your money down the toilet buy this amp, or better, send me a check.

Don?t know - but both amps got damn hot, almost too hot for my taste. If the front panel was larger, at least you could use this amp to fry eggs in the morning.

Don't know

I?ve been playing long enough not to buy such a piece of crap. What I don?t get is how they can make good sounding amps like the TSL or the 2203 and at the same time garbage like the 401.

First of all, let me stress that I am going to rate this amp for what it is. It's a 1x12 40W amp.... that you can pick up for $600 and some change. You can't rate it on the same scale as a $2,500 Bogner Ecstasy or Matchless.

Anyway.... with that out of the way... ;-)

I really like this amp's features. Not to be repetitive considering there are over a hundred reviews here, but separate clean and overdrive channels are nice. The footswitch is a cool add-on, as well. For the money, I feel it's very well-equipped.

For the money, I think this amp had great tones. The clean tones are very suprisingly crisp and clear, and the overdrive channel has a budget-version of that "Marshall Tone" everyone talks about. Punch in the lead channel and you have gain for miles. Running my Les Paul through this thing sounds wonderful. Set the overdrive channel's gain and volume to about 4.5, treble and bass to about 8.5, middle channel to about 6.... a smidgen of reverb and volume to taste and you have some serious tone (at least for my tastes....)!

This is where it unfortunately turned bad. As the rest of this board clearly indicates, these amps are a piece of crap. I am happy for anyone that has had good experiences, but I am one of the many who have been bitten HARD by this box of bolts. The reverb unit just pulled right out of the bottom of the amp, and the transformer blew after 2 months. Oh.... and did I mention I don't even gig??? That's right.... just playin' around the house at "normal" volumes and picking it up and taking it from room to room.... junk....

Ended up having to re-drill holes and reattached the reverb unit, and since the transformer is a proprietary piece of equipment, it runs $100-$150. So I just took it apart, wrapped it in fishpaper and put it all back together.

I still give it a '5' because I think it has a lot of potential if it were more solid. I would never buy another one, but hopefully Marshall will pay a little more attention in the future.

This is a model year 2000 JCM2000 DSL401 1x12. Features 4xEL84 in the power stage and 4x12AX7, but by default they come with ECC83's in the preamp stage. Mine was used, thus didnt have a footswitch. Has 2x external speaker outs for operation in 8ohm mono/stereo and 16 ohm mono. Has a direct line out as well. The stock speaker is a Celestion (made for marshall) 16ohm 100 watt "Goldback". I'll explain why I hate this speaker in a moment. I give it a 7 only because of the lack of bells and whistles. I dont like bells & whistles, personally I prefer dead simplicity, and this amp is pretty damn simple.

The guitar is a Fender american strat w/ noiseless middle & neck pickups and a SD Hotrail Jr. in the bridge. My musical styles are incredibly diverse and mostly eclectic. Play anything from Yarbirds & Zeppelin to Tool & NIN. Now, here's the deal. Direct from the box, this amp didnt suit me at all, in any category anywhere. The clean was the only admirable channel with the stock speaker & tubes. The first thing to go HAS to be that piece of horse manure speaker. The Goldbacks & Wolverines have been mis-engineered from the get-go, and I recall them from the earliest Valvestate combos. Now...there's been alot of talk of Vintage 30's (Celestion) working miracles, but I wish to dissent. The combo versions of the DSL head are notably darker, murkier, and a little buzzier, especially so on the overdrive channel. The Vintage 30 is a MARKED improvement, it sounds worlds ahead of that stock POS speaker, however, the Vintage 30 is a little on the dark side of Celestion speakers. Its highs and Mids are good, but still not quite there for bringing this amp up to where it should be. The biggest problem is that the mid & high controls didnt seem to do much with the Vintage 30 speaker, mainly because they're voiced for that trash stock speaker. Ok, so the solution would be to get a speaker that accentuates the highs & mids alot better while still producing good thuddy lows. Solution: Celestion G12M Greenback. THIS.....is it. Already the amp sounds LEAPS & BOUNDS ahead of the Vintage 30. My theory is that since its only a 25 watt rated speaker, the amp is pushing 40 watts, so the percieved volume will be lower, BUT the speaker tends to break up earlier, so the highs and mids just come right out. No more dark, muddy, buzzy b/s. The Mid/High eq controls now are blatantly obvious, and quite sensitive. I tend to like a tight responsive low end as well, which the Greenback inherently has (although not quite as much as the Vintage 30 or G12H). As it is, this amp doesnt have that. Solution: close the back up. Found some 0.5" Baltic Birch ply that I cut to fill in most of the back of the amp where the vents used to be. There's still more than ample space at the top for heat to escape. And a fan, if you need one. Result is now the amp sounds tighter in ALL areas, not only the lows, but the mids & highs now have that distinctive "woodiness" the Greenbacks are known for. NOW this amp is starting to kick some ass. The next thing to go are the crap tubes they put in there, replaced the stock ECC83's with Svetlana 12AX7's, and the GT EL84's with matched Harma EL84's. Night & Day....this amp is now everything I could ever want in the sound of a 1x12 combo. The clean channel is IMPECABLE, not quite Vox chimey, but damn close. Slight gain on that channel yields some fine breakup for blues riffs, the OD1 channel now has a substantial thud, or you can roll the gain back, and the tone back to get a nasaly "Lemon song" type sound. I think the OD2 20DB is a little much, although its definitely acceptable, I hardly ever use it though, as that high a gain is not really suited for my style.

The biggest problems with this amp are in quality control. The most common reported problem is the volume cuts out after running the amp for a short time. Numerous possibilities I've found cause this.

1) Shoddy speaker wire lead. Replace this immediately, if the volume cuts out for no reason, this COULD be a solution. Jiggle the speaker wire in and out, back & forth, and around the jack to try to get a sound. If you notice a correlation it may either be the speaker wire lead or the actual speaker out jack, try switching.

2) Transformer problems: They no longer use high quality or high enough rated transformers on their amps. Best bet, take it to a skilled electrician who works on Marshalls and have him look at it and see if he thinks it's a problem.

3) Cold solder techniques. This is a big one, these joints tend to expand rapidly under the rabid heat this amp generates. Thus seperating crucial joints on the board. Have an electrician look at this, it may need to be re-soldered.

4) Heat. This amp generates alot of it, and there aint much out for it, the fact that the PC board is so damn close to the tubes doesnt help things. There's not much hope in cooling it down, its a design issue. But you CAN have the board re-soldered if its giving you problems.

After all this, you should be good to go. It just takes some research, ingenuity, and maybe a little extra cash.

Never dealt with Marshall directly. Usually do my own repairs or have a local electrician do it.

I've been playing now for 5 years, and have had numerous amps, from solid state crate combos to full Marshall JCM800 half stacks. Had to rid myself of the 4x12 for now (kept the head), since I'm in an apartment. The DSL401 is being used for home practice and general jam sessions. If you dont mind a few modifications and slight monetary investment, then you can really mold this amp to be absolutely killer. If you DO mind, then go ahead and look elsewhere.
The clean channel is where this amp REALLY shines, and I really look for that in an amp, but its also got a great OD to go with it.

Amp is great for the music I play (metal, mostly megadeth, iron maiden, metallica- like as well as some solo guitar stuff ala marty friedman/ vinnie moore.)
40 W doesn't sounds like much but is perfect for jamming. When playing with a band I rarely need to turn it up past 6. Also sounds great if hooked up to a cab. I played it through a 1960A cab, and it sounded amazing ( maybe because it is driving the tubes so much harder..., also it seems much louder through a cab)
In terms of versatility it I think you can get most sounds, but htis is best for rock and metal.,

You should know the specs, look them up on the website.

I use an Ibanez with EMG-81, and love the crunch I get with this little combo. Distortion is great, I put it side by side with a Mesa Nomad 45 and it is much much better.
Don;'t use the clean channel much but I find that it performs well (of course it does distort if you turn up the gain.) To make it more acoustic-sounding I like to turn down the tone control on my pickup a bit.

I am sorry to hear people are having problems with this amp, mine is working OK so far, although I haven't abused it. It's a good idea to warm up the tubes before you start playing, if you don't do that then don't complain about needing to change them often.

N/A.

If it were stolen or lost I would get a TSL601 just because it has more adjustments.
I love the sound, I wish it had a 'solo boost' like the Mesa Nomad since I use channel 3 for rhythm too (otheriwse I could do rhythm with overdrive 1, and then switch to overdrive 2 for solos which gives it a boost.)
If you are thinking about this amp and have a limited budget and would also like a small combo setup this is the way to go.

Good from what I hear.

Good from what I hear.

Horrible from what I've read.

Even worse from what Ive read.

I've read alot of things here about how good this amp sounds... until it overheats, fades in volume, changes color whatever. I've also read some really silly crap about tubes. Tubes do not need heat to work, (I swear some one down there said this), the heat is a byproduct of the tubes doing their job, much like a lightbulb, a TV tube or an over worked hooker. I've owned a number of tube amps (yes marshall is in there) and the amp should not heat up like I've been reading. The problem is plate voltages, not tubes. Wrong chassis, ground plate, whatever for the job. This is why it gets hot and this is why your volume is decreasing, the box is to hot and it's frying your components if not the PCB board they're mounted to. If you have an amp with selectable voltage is it set to the right voltage for the country that you live in? If not maybe the marshall quality cats are on vacation with their tech-support. But I'll tell you, it's not tubes, it's voltage.

Like the features. Lots of control and the speaker emulator is very nice for a pro musician.

Sounds great (when it works)

Here's my opinion on reliability and rating amps. I just bought this amp two weeks ago used. This amp looked new and sounded great and I thought would make an excellent addition to my collection which consists of Fender Deville 4X10, Mesa Boogie Studio 22, and a Fender Twin. In my first two weeks I have taken it out on 4 gigs. It is doing this weird thing after it heats up. (And yes it gets wicked hot). And for those of you insult other people on this message board for saying the amp gets hot and that's the way tubes work, might want to not be so quick to judge.

I have been playing for 11 years, have had many amps, guitars, a recording stuido, etc. THIS AMP SHOULDN'T RUN THAT HOT! Not because tubes shouldn't get hot, but because apparently the complementary electronic components (boards, solder joints, etc) are not up to the task of coexisting within the same amplifier.

Anyway, the amp's overdrive channel starts to greatly decrease in volume after the amp has been running for a while. What's weird is if I unplug the footswitch it will remedy the problem. I haven't had it long enough to really tell if that's the only issue, but I am completely suspect of this like brand new being available used at my local store. I believe that it was either returned or traded back in because of these issues.

To that end, when rating an amplifier for its reliability I think it is very important to intepret the rating scale correctly. For those that rate the Reliability at an 8 and have had to repair something, I say WHAT THE $%* are you thinking? If it has any amount of technical difficulty it should be poorly rated. $700 is alot of money to spend on a wishy washy electronic device. These things shouldn't be expected to break at all. The only disposable parts in a tube amp are supposed to be the TUBES, and that's after a sufficient duration of operation!

Not sure what I am going to do with this otherwise very sweet amp. Love the sound, weight, and features. Probably will return if I can but will attempt troubleshooting by replacing only the footswitch.

Haven't dealt with them and after reading the aforementioned posts, hope to never have to.

Like the sounds, channels, features, portability. Scared of failures. I gig out quite a bit in a very busy working band. If an amp were to fail I have quite a bit to loose.

OK, i bought this amp new in early 2002 from a local music store. it has three channels (clean, OD1, OD2) which are footswitchable. One 12" speaker, 4 el84 power tubes, 4 12ax7 pre amp tubes, and reverb. oh, and a parallel fx loop. Has enough features for me. I generally use this for small gigs and home practice.

This is this good part. This thing sings!!!!!! I love the distortion! I can get many sounds from this thing. Satriani, Vai, Muse ect. I was a little dissapointed with the clean channel AT FIRST, but it grew on me. The sounds are wide ranging and are more than usable. I get good comments about my sound at gigs, so, that tells you how good it is. Very good sounds!

The only prob i had with it was a faulty pre amp valve, which the dealer rectified free.

I would definately buy it again if it got stolen. No doubts about that. It would be hard to loose it. 'Hey, did you see my Marshall? Shit i think i lost it...'

Oh yeah, the guy further down 'anonymous'...

'This is not a good sign - the heat will damage the pre amp valves. HANG ON!! Maybe that why this amp is consistantly crap...'

Don't listen to him. He does'nt have a clue. The pre amp tubes need heat to work. All tubes do. That's also why the amp gets hot,dumbass

Basically what everyone else says.

I use a jackson dkmg guitar and the od1 and od2 sound awsome on it. The clean channel seemed louder than the other two, but instead it had a lot of hissing.

Although the sound is quite nice, the reliabilty is ridiculous. I bought it brand new from Guitar center, and after three weeks, the volume would start to decrease, until there was no more sound coming out of the speakers. Maybe the fact that it gets real hot has something to do with it.

For anyone even considering buying this amp, dont. It is a real piece of shit. Good thing i had the reciept so i was able to immediately return and get my money back. I didn't even take the damn thing out of my room and it crapped on me. God knows what would happen if i gigged with. Maybe i'll get a mesa/boogie instead.

A 40 watt all tube marshall, with 4 el84's and 4 12ax7's (ecc83 for our british friends). It's got a celestion in it, a marshall black gold or something along those lines. It has 2 channels plus a +20db boost option, and it came with a 2 button footswitch. Only one EQ for both channels, and a reverb. On the back, there are two speaker outs, a parallel effects loop, and a speaker emulated DI output to record directly into your computer. It's got everything I need and everything I don't need.

I use an Ibanez RG470FM with a JB (Trem spaced) in the bridge, and a kramer baretta with its stock quad rail pickups (I like them, they're hot and beefy). This amp covers all the bases of my type of music, doing pretty thick chugga-chugga's and a decent clean. What I love about this amp (and tube amps in general) is that you can get the clean channel to distort nicely, then roll back on the volume knob on the guitar and bring it down to playing crisp cleans.

The distortion types to choose from are OD1 and OD2. OD1 is your classic rock type of sound, with plenty of crunch and distortion. OD2 adds oomph to the party and takes your leads even higher and your lows lower.

I've carried this thing, stuffed it into the backseat of a camaro (and that aint alot of room), and lugged it up and down stairs. Not a problem so far. The tubes have yet to die (and i bought it used). I have heard about Marshall's inferior customer support and about the soldering in the amp is subpar, but I don't think i'll have to worry about any of that. Ill give it an 8 for now just because of it's reputation, but it's a 10 to me.

The only amp I'll ever need, the only thing that'll compliment it is a nice 4x12.

About the guy that reviewed it beneath me, the front of the amp gets hot because of the tubes. The same way a lightbulb gets hot, so do the tubes. Thus, the amp would get hot too. It's a matter of thermal conduction, which our buddy below doesn't comprehend. Also, how can a pre-amp tube break if it's the one that's getting hot. The idiocy is mind boggling.

What a horrible amp - Clean is alright, but the other two channels - ugh. Marshall had better watch out, or a lot of their customers are gonna start looking else where. Also, the front panel gets very hot. This is not a good sign - the heat will damage the pre amp valves. HANG ON!! Maybe that why this amp is consistantly crap...
Very poor, Jim. Very poor... The 3 is for a useable clean channel. The -7 is for the pure over priced "PCB-won't install a fan, people will by this cause it's an all valve marshall" crap. which works!!!!!1

Made in 99 I think. 3 channels although I think it just has 2 with a db boost for the other. Clean, OD1 and OD2. Effects loop and reverb.

This thing is fantastic. I have owned Fenders, Crates and currently have a Marshall JCM half stack also, with this being the best small amp I have ever heard. I use a Les Paul Custom with stock buckers and a stock 70's Strat. The 3 channels are great, the crunch, distortion, feedback are great and all at low levels with the EL84's. I love this thing.

I was very warry because of several bad reviews on this amp. I do have some issues with it. It is DAMN HOT, true. I put a radio shack ac fan on the back grille blowing on the tubes, now it's fine. I do have a hum that comes and goes, probably solder joints, because a good rap on the side fixes it. So far it works good, I use it 2 hours a day and gig it weekly for 3 hours at a time. Has never quit.

This is a great sounding amp. I would buy another one if I lost it.

I'm using an american tele and a souped up epi les paul with seymour duncan humbuckers. Playing classic rock.

Sounds descent. Very quiet. Good clean channel that works well when pushed with an overdrive pedal. OD1 works well with the humbuckers but really thin with single coil. I was able to fatten up OD1 a little by pushing the preamp volume up and lowering the master. OD2 is okay for single notes and that's about it. There's so much compression and drive in OD2 that the volume knob on the guitar will not clean it up very well. I hate that.

The biggest problem I have with the amp is finding a good sound at high volumes (gigs, etc). I've used it at gigs and usually have to spend 10 minutes tweaking volumes/mids/highs to eliminate the boxy midrange sound spewing forth. It's a dark sounding amp and requires some patience to find a useable sound that will cut through the band effectively. Tried cranking mids but then comes the boxy sound again. So I usually back off the mids and bass a bit and crank the treble to cut through.

Clean channel is very bassy. Playing alone in the living room, it's great. Playing with a band, I have to run the bass at 0.

I tried replacing the speaker with a Vintage 30. Louder and sounded great on clean channel but HORRIBLE on overdrive channels. Pulled the V30 and now back to stock.

One of the stock tubes was microphonic at times. Replaced the preamp tubes with Groove Tubes. This made a considerable difference in improving the overall tone. Easier to dial in useable loud volumes. But still a pain in my ass.

The reverb on this thing is useless. In a band situation, forget about the reverb. You will get so lost in the mix. Set the 'verb at 0 or suffer the consequences.

The effects loop is okay I guess.

No problems other than the microphonic tube but I guess I can't blame that on the amp.

Been playing for 6 years. I now have a 15W Fender Blues Junior that I use for band practice and smaller gigs. For blues/classic rock, the blues jr kicks the 401's butt. The 401 has more clean headroom, but sounds like petrified crap compared to the blues jr.

When I tried out the blues jr and a peavey classic 30 at the store, I could not believe how stupid I was falling for the marshall marketing hype. The dsl 401 does not come close to either of these amps in terms of overdriven tone. NOT EVEN CLOSE! Hear me now. The DSL is okay when using the clean channel and pusing it with pedals. But what's the point in spending 700 bucks for a 40W combo that has one useable channel?

My soution is I bought the blues jr as a practice/small gig amp, then a sovtek 50w head and 2x12 cabinet for gigs. The DSL will be going bye bye very soon.

If you're not too serious... maybe practicing in the basement, or just jamming with friends occasionally, this is a descent and somewhat flexible amp. If you're a little more serious and are playing gigs, think twice. I reapeat, it is difficult to find a useable sound at high volume, especially if you are playing with another guitar player. It sounds much better running into a 2x12. But again, why bother with a questionable 55 lb combo to drive your cab? There are far better heads out there to drive a cab.

I would not buy this amp again.

1999, Came to me in 2002. This amp sounds great for its size and price, and for nearly any genre of music. It is clean and simple to operate. The parallel effects loop is the only thing that bugs me, but that's just my taste. It has EL84 tubes producing 40 watts of bad ass power, and it's plenty loud around 6 or 7, and could probably drown out your drummer at 10. I have gigged once with this amp, at a street dance, and it was louder than the P.A. system. We used the speaker emulation out to put it into the P.A. and monitors, and it sounded fine, but if you had it where everyone could hear it, that would be totally unnecessary.

I play a Les Paul Custom on bridge pickup, and this amp is hardcore enough for the most rabid death metal freaks. On the neck pickup, it also does a reasonable interpretation of jazz. The clean channel in combination with the 490T (bridge pickup) is lacking in color. It is too midrangey, and even with a compressor set to the extremes, I found I didn't like the clean sound. I could be doing something stupid, or missing something entirely, but I can't get a perfect clean out of it.


10 for distortion, 6 for clean.

I have gigged without a backup. Never had any problems with it, so I can't say much. The right side of the amp (over the power tubes) does tend to get hot when it is on for a while, especially when pushed hard.

?

I've been playing something like 2 years and this was the second amp I've had. If you want Marshall sound in a compact package, this is it. If you want versatility and Mesa Boogie sound, this amp is not it. If it were stolen, I'd go try out a TSL, because that series is far more versatile, and still maintains that tone for which I love this amp.

Standby on front panel, extension speaker jack @ rear, "3" channel operation, all tube construction, 40 watt power.

I've been playing for 30 years, so I know what I like. Until this amp it's mainly been Fenders, & I wanted something different. What I got was the huge Marshall depth the Fenders always lacked. This amp is so 3 dimensional! I play all types of Rock & Blues with a Gibson Les Paul, a '75 Fender Statocaster & a newer Stratocaster both at home & where I can crank it to over half volume. The clean channel distorts way easier than the Fenders I'm used to & the overdrive channels cover the whole range of distortion. I did need to re-adjust the pickups on the Paul to get enough treble out of this amp [lowered the pickups & raised the pole screws], but, once that was done, it screamed! Put the master volume @ 10 & lower the channel volumes & you have just what you need. You can reverse that for a more modern distortion [but I don't]. The amp covers enough sonic bases, especially if, like me, you already have a Fender. So far, this unit sounds so good I'm willing to put up with a few technical problems...

DO NOT GIG WITH THIS AMP WITHOUT A BACKUP. I've only had this thing for 3 months & had in the shop twice already. Every screw in the whole cabinet was loose when I got it. Also, a faulty EL84 power tube was creating an annoying high frequency feedback. The tech had to try 3 or 4 new tubes in it to stop the noise. Maybe it's a biasing problem, because the fault is back again. This amp operates in [or nearly in] Class A, & 40 watts is pushing the envelope for that kind of operation. The preamp side of the front control panel gets too hot to touch! A computer fan from Radio Shack completely solves that problem. If the problems with this rig get permanently solved this time I will have no buyers remorse at all. If not...

Warranty work is in process. I don't anticipate a problem.

I haven't found another amp I like this well for $700, so maybe I would buy this model again if I had it to do over. If you love the Marshall sound, you'll love this amp.

Bought 2002..Amp is fairly versitile for jazz, blues, rock etc. 2 channel amp with an boost button for overdrive channel. Plenty of power, don't get above 5 on the volume

Useing a Telecaster with S.Duncan Hot Rails in bridge. Various effect pedals..FX loop comes out as a mix, you cannot turn FX loop on/off which is dissapointing.. Amp sounds sweet, the clean is nice and warm, not like a fender, but different. Overdrive can be classic Marshall to the new age distortions.. Boost channel is more for metal, if thats your thing.

So far so good...Was a display model but everything is working fine, albeit damn hot when you play for awhile.. The faceplate becomes too hot too even touch. Give it 6 becomes of the heat thing

NA

Been playing for about 5-6 years, compared it with Fender Vibrolux..Obviously the clean sound is different to the fender, but it is way more versitile.. Sounds great and manipulate sound quite easily..Be good if it had footswitchable FX loop..

2001 made, FUCK! this amp is the shiznat trust me, it has one clean channel, and 2 overdrive channels, this amp is the only amp in the DSL series by marshall to have 3 channels sucka, and the amp comes with a footpedal!(shIt!). i use this amp primarily at home but it is pretty fuckin loud for a 40 watt amp. this amp comes with an acoustic reverb tank for some reason and some external speaker outlets. i like the way i can have one setting for overdrive and one for clean unlike the TSL series which has a friggin setting for overdrive one AND two and you hella get confused because its like aaaaaaaargh! another thing, this amp gets hot enough to double as a furnace for my room so dont be a dumass and touch the front panel after its been on for awhile or you wont be able play guitar or basically use your hand for awile

i am currently using a highly modified fender stratocaster with this amp and i have to say during clean it sounds really great with a fender, and i have run a lespaul through this amp too and it sounds amazing in distortion. the only problem is that the bass goes out from the open back of the amp, and it is only one speaker. this amp sounds really great, the sound is well spread throught a good enough sized area for an audience to enjoy. one thing everybody should know though, TAKE OUT THAT REVERB TANK THAT IS IN THE AMP BECAUSE THEN THE REVERB KNOB WILL ACT AS A PRESENCE KNOB SO YOUR GUITAR WILL SOUND EVEN MORE FUCKIN SWEET ok. this amp can play pretty much anything and even more when you take out that reverb tank.

ok here's the bullshit about the amp, DO NOT buy this amp as a floor model, you will be crying in about a week because someone in the store probably fucked with it by leaving the amp on overnight or some shit and the pci board will go bad (it happened to me so dont make the same mistake i did) luckily it comes with a 5 year warranty so it will be fixed for free but the bad part is is that you have to wait 6-8 weeks for the amp to get fixed, and once you have heard this amp i dont think u want to go on without it for more than 5 minutes. so buy this amp out of the box and you will save yourself a lot of time. i have given this amp a 7 for reliability because it wasnt marshall's fault that it didnt work for very long, it was some fuckin guy at guitar center who probably kicked the shit out of it when his wife left him for buying a crate amp or some gay shit like that, ANYWAY going back to the amp this is a VERY reliable amp out of the box although the footswitch can kinda go bad once in awhile and that WILL have to be fixed (i know because i know someone with the same amp and his footpedal died too)

i never had to deal with marshall so i dont know if they are nice, but musicians service center was G and fixed my amp when it died (dont get me started, raaaa!!!) they knew about my 5 year warranty from my reciept i gave them. i didnt know where that place was but i asked guitar center and they said exactly where.

i have been playing for one year (im not that bad trust me) i have a crate guitar amp and this amp will destroy that one anyday. if this amp were stolen i swear i'd break a tube in the robber's ass and whip him with the power cord like a bitch. and if i never caught the guy, i probably would buy this amp again so i would feel complete once again. i love the features this amp has and once you take out the reverb tank like i said, u'll finally get that presence knob you have dreamed of. i hate the fact that the channel footswitch will die everytime someone uses it. i dont really wish it had anything but a wad of cash stuffed in the reverb tank or a better footswitch. and the last thing i guess i have to say is that you should buy this amp, it is great for its price and will serve u well. remember, take the reverb tank out (i keep stressing this because nobody else mentioned it) and buy it brand new in a box because i swear you'll be crying your ass off if u dont. this has been my review for this fantastic amp.

Nice! 3 channels, low gain, little gain and crunch. Made in 2002. All tube. Comes with a pedal to switch from low gain to mid gain. All tube, 40 watts with reverb. Effects loop. Its quiet enough to play in the house without anybody getting pissed off and cranks up quite loud. I don't know how you can't give at 10. It has most knobs and jack holes, so what the heck? I don't own this amp but spent over a whole week playing it for about four hours a day.

Ding #1 Missing a deep reverb sound. We ((brother James and I)its his amp)played a Gibson Black Beauty, a American Fender Strat and a Jackson Dinky through it and it jammed. It needs a little TLC from a Boss Metal Zone to give it serious Metal sound. The amp really is quiet with very little hiss. Another ding in the sound is, the speaker sucks! With a Boss EQ7 installed, we were trying to get the swept mid thing going, the speaker started getting in a bad way and sounded like it was going to tear and we were not cranking it! The volume knob was on about 3 on the clean channel and we messed with the gain to try to help Mr. Icanttakeit but it wasn't helping. Big deal anywho. The amp can make some really good sounds and I am no fan of Marshall let me tell you! I think it is overpriced hype but that's just a opinion and I'm quite stupid 2 boot. I play SRV to Metallica and I thought that this was a very good amp if you don't need major power. How's this for a sound check: While playing this amp it inspired me to remember how to play Eruption and with a little Metal Zone help it spanked! Just ask James Walker, the sole member of my fan club.

Another ding in the amp is that the effects loop never has worked. We messed around forever with different effects and the mix knob and it just doesn't work. So there is two jack holes on it that don't do a frickin thing. For $699.00 that sucks. I heard this series of Marshall combos gets kinda hot and smoke once and a while but since I'm not writing this on what I heard... time will tell.

If you Marshall people ever give a rip and read these reviews, start treating people better, namely James Walker my brudder-in-law, when they need a fixin'. That just could be the reason that I don't endorse Marshalls. I don't need you looking down your nose at me while you stand on your big fat MARSHALL name. Kinda sucks when a customer doesn't want to send in a $700.00 NEW amp cause he knows he's going to get treated like crap. MARSHALL YOUR SERVICE SUCKS! Go hang out with that Lars twerp, beat some drums and stand as tall as you can on your sellout bullshit.

There is a 5 year warranty on the amp. SO WHAT?

I don't own this amp and would not buy it. I AM NOT SAYING IT IS NOT A GOOD AMP, but Marshall was GREAT at one time. I have had my fingers on frets for 20 years and have played most amps. For a combo the amp sounds pretty damn good.

Here is a cool song I wrote for Marshall, with tab!

A5 strummed out of time, very fast, tremolo style.

Lyrics... screamed.

MARSHALL YOUR SERVICE SUCKS! IT SUCKS! IT SUCKS! IT REALLY, REALLY SUCKS! GO HANG OUT WITH LARS AND SUCK TOGETHER.

repeat.


p.s. Lars, you bastards were the greatest metal band ever and your stinking greed has screwed up everything.

Three channels, reverb, footswitch, 1 speaker (100 watts). This is a great practice/small club amp. You can not expect more for the money or its size. It runs very hot though ... you should let the tubes cool between sets. Marshall should have vented it better. Still, you have a great value that will fill up any small club with some great sounds.

People who complain this is not closed back should not buy open back amps. Would you buy a Twin and then say it is not good because it is open back? Not everybody wants their clean to sound muddy, or their leads to sound jumbled. This amp STILL has a great cutting hard rock tone, there is thump in there, and the leads that EL84 tubes afford are second to none. Biting, and yet greasy enough to really wail. For relatively few $$$ you get clean, crunch, and wicked lead tones.

Runs hot .. who knows? I shut off the amp to cool it down when not using it.

This is a trick question, since Marshall is in the U.K. and deals through Korg USA. In other words forget about dealing with them.

Been playing for 27 years. I own a Mesa Dual Rec and a Voodoo Modded Marshall TSL100. I play through cheap or used guitars, currently a Brian Moore i8 and a hot-rodded Fender Amer. Deluxe Strat. I needed an amp that was fairly inexpensive, easy to transport, and would serve as a small gig amp as well as a pro practice amp. This amp does all that and more. It is surprisingly loud for a small creature. The stock speaker is crap, but will hold the wattage. I recommend popping a Celestion 90 or Vintage 30 in to make the sound tighter. Also understand that this amp sings when you crank the power tubes. EL84 tubes are great when they are turned up ... but this amp does run very hot.

my amp was made in may 2001 it has two seperate ew's for the clean and od1./od2. and it also has acutronics reverb and a fx mix with a speaker d.i. output in the back. Everything you will nedd for basic rock

due to it having many openings in the back it is real hard for this amp to give a good bottom. so you should get a something solid like a exstention: 1x12 or 2x12 or 4x12 and since this amp has four power tubes it is able to run a full stack. So that is a good thing to know. If you want a really smooth sounding distortion it is kinda hard cause there is no bottom and also it is brittle without exstention. Trust me. I have turned it up sounds great it you play more modern rock though you might want to look at getting an exstension.

I have owned the amp for 8 months it has never died once. It is great umm i think that my soldering was done correct and using the standby correctly can really save the tubes. It has done band practices and a couple of talent shows. Soon to gig that is the real test

These are great for rock if you are willing to add a couple of pieces to beef this sucker up. but over al it is a nice versatile amp.

I can get a good range of sounds from the independent EQ controls for the clean and dirty channel. It has an FX loop which i dont care about at all cuz all i use is the built in overdrive. I use this when i practice with my band in a garage and its plenty loud for that. I have gigged with it, but the soundcheck people turned me too down, so im pretty sure its loud enough for small clubs (especially if its miked) but i cant say for sure. Its just a simple but classic style amp.

I play this with 2 strats - one stock and the other has humbucking seymore duncan JB jr in the bridge (awesome addition for strats). I play mostly punk and hardcore which it is good for when i use the strat with the humbucker. I mostly use the superoverdrive with the gain around 6 and the clean channel. The distortion is not quite as smooth as older marshalls, but it still puts any solid state ive heard to shame. A lot of people bash the clean channel for not being clean, but I can get sounds to imitate classic Fender Twin Reverbs when i turn the gain relatively low, have plent of bass and mid and turn up the reverb. I can play pretty much any music with this except modern metal shit which relies on overly and shittily distorted and detuned crap.

Ive had this for three years and have never had a problem. The thing is reliable if you know anything about tube amps - you have to let them warm up and cool down on the standby mode - this is true for any tube amp. I have never worried myself about its reliability and i crank this thing, but only after it is properly warmed up.

never had to

Ive been playing for 5 years and ive had this for the last three. I think this amp sounds good but not great. If this got stolen, I would be pissed but not suicidal cuz i have a JCM 800 2205 which I love. I would probably buy a similar but cheaper solid state to use when i practice.

Does it all sound wise.Needs a foot switch that can utilize the three or 2.5 channels.Love it for blues and classic rock.Not as loud as my older 30 watt Marshall combo.Or maybe my hearing is going.As usual Mars Music sales people did not know much about this amp.Still have not gotten the correct foot switch.Better amps for the same price.

Gibson or Fender both get good sounds.Weak high gain style distortion.Good blues and classic rock sounds.Not enough volume from this 40 watt amp.Like I said before my 30 watt 20 year old Marshall kills this thing.

Does not matter.It was bought at the musicians Walmart.The first one I bought would drop in volume after about 15 min.Tried to show the martain this but he just gave me another one and put the bad one back on the floor.I wonder how many times it will be returned before they replace this amp.

Do not need it.Just go get another one.Make sure it is not a display model.

Not the good old Marshall stuff.

I'm not giving this a 9 in Features because it has a lot of bells and whistles. The 9 is because it's a very versatile amp, with everything you need and nothing you don't (keep in mind this is just a matter of opinion). Tonally, this amp covers a lot of ground. It has a Master Volume, which I find very useful for bedroom volumes. I wish the footswitch came with a reverb switch as well, you have to buy that seperately (it's good when you have to nit-pick for flaws).

I'm using amp with a USA Std. Strat with single-coil pickups, and a Yamaha SG (just think of it as a Gibson Les Paul).

I'll just list it by the channels:

Clean Channel - Pretty good for a Marshall. It doesn't really match up with Fender or Vox in terms of clean tone, but it's definately not lacking in any way. This amp has Marshall's best clean tone yet.

OD1 - My favorite channel. It does classic rock very well. It's got that classic Marshall tone and beyond. I play a lot of Zeppelin, AC/DC, Hendrix, Stone Temple Pilots, Pearl Jam, etc. This channel pretty much does it all.

OD2 - Tons of gain, sometimes too much! Okay, so I can always turn the gain down, but it's addictive sometimes. I mainly use this channel for playing punk or alternative. It makes a pretty decent Metal channel as well.

This amp does a good job on hiding hum from single coil pickups. Single Coils will always hum, but this amp just makes it less noticeable. Some people say the amp is too quiet, but I suspect that's a bad Bias job or something. This amp gets loud enough to piss off the neighbor!

I've had the amp for 2 years, and it sees action in Band practice and home practice. It's my main amp, I use it for everything. I always let it warm up for at least 5 minutes using the "Standby" switch.

I'm not giving reliability a perfect 10 for the following reasons:

1. The amp has a bad reputation, and can make you feel a little insecure at times. (I stress the fact that I never had a problem in the two years I've had it)

2. I had to change the tubes pretty quick, probably because it was a floor model. No big deal, I like to play with different tubes anyway. One thing though, the amp was biased a little cold, which results in bad tone at high volumes with a Class AB amp. It could just be an issue of the bias pot drifting a little bit, which happens quite a bit in all electronics.

Never had to deal with them.

I've been playing for 3 years now, and most people would consider that pretty inexperienced. I hope you don't take my review any less seriously because of it. I did quite a lot of research before getting this amp, and I also gave it 2 years before writing an evaluation.

I orignally was looking at a Fender Hot Rod Deville or a Marshall AVT 50, but the JCM DSL 401 blew both of them away. The Fender was probably louder, but volume should never be your main criteria for picking an amp. Most of your favorite artists mic up their amps anyway. The amp is loud enough to push air and cause controlled feedback, which is good enough for me. I picked this amp over the others because it's got the perfect Drive for me.

This amp took a little while to figure out. There's a lot of tone in this little package, but you can't expect it to sound good by randomly turning dials. BTW, the EQ dials are especially sensitive, so keep everything at about 5 and tweak everything using 0.5 intervals; that little tweak makes a huge difference. Treat the amp good, give it a chance, and I'm sure you'll like it. I never Iron-fisted the tubes, or gave them less than 5 minutes to warm up; this amp has been a workhorse for me.

Wanted a tube amp, 2 channel. Enough power for the house.

Play rock and blues. I love the sound. Play at home.

Have to comment here. My amp stopped working after 2 years. By the grace of God, I am an electronics tech, I have a friend who is an old tube guy, and my wife is a fantastic solderer. Found schematics on the internet and went over them with my friend. It took 4 hours to carefully take the amp apart and put it together. I found a cold solder joint at the rectifier that feeds the input tube heaters. My wife looked over the circuit board and decided to resolder quite a number of connections. I would have turned it in, but I hate to wait and I know I can do a better job. Haven't had any more problems (1 year later). I am sorry to read all the reviews about poor reliability. I do agree some of the parts could have been higher quality. I expect companies with great reputations to use the over-kill principal (2 amp parts in 1 watt circuits). I hope Marshall does better in the future.

Don't believe in customer support. Fixed my own television after a $100 extended warrenty wasn't honored. Don't like to wait.

I love the sound. I think my guitar through my amp sounds fantastic - almost mezmerizing. I don't expect anyone else to tear their amp apart like I did. This should never have to happen.

This amp is quite versatile, with separate Eq's for both clean and high gain channels. It has reverb, a paralell effects loop, a speaker emulated DI out and a footswichable gain boost on the high gain channel. I use this feature a lot to switch between a barley distorted overdrive to a full on crunch.

First of all, do not buy this amp for gigging unless you also intend to buy an external cabinet or replace its internal speaker, it sounds ok at low volums but when you turn it up the stock speaker is absolute crap. I use a 4X12 peavey cab with sheffield speakers, I thought it sounded clearer than the marshall 4X12's and also had tighter low end.
I am using this amp with an ESP 7-string equipped with duncan design humbuckers. I play modern hard rock and I am constantly switching between all three gain settings, I think they all sound good now that I have added the 4X12.
The distortion is great with plenty of low end and a pleasant high end as well, I scoop the mids most of the way out but leave them at about 3. I think this amp has plenty of gain, I have never turned the gain control up past 8.
The clean channel has this great sparkle and because it has a separate EQ I don't have to have a mid scooped clean channel.

This amp is not reliable. I have owned it for a year and a half and it has only worked properly for maybe 6 months of that time. It has been in the shop twice and I have had two fooswitches crap out on me.
After about 3 months of owning the amp, the half gain setting started to randomly change in volume, I thought maybe it was my cable or guitar and dismissed it, several weeks later the amp started cutting out and by the end of practice it didn't work at all, the power light even went dead. The shop took a month to fix it and said it was bad solder joints, they then told me that all my tubes were bad and needed to be replaced, it took them a week and a half to get the tubes, after all why would a marshall service center have tubes in stock?? When I got the amp back it seemed to be ok, I got about 6 more months of trouble free operation, then it started cutting out again, I sent it to the shop and they told me that all the control pots were bad and th ere were more bad solder joints, the went over the entire thing with a microscope and repaired any questionable solder joints. So far they have had my amp for a month and two weeks, there is a part on back order and it needs new power tubes which again they don't have in stock.

what a joke. Almost impossible to get in touch with, take forever to fix the problem.

Overall I would give this amp about a 3 because what good is a great sounding amp if it barely ever works the way its supposed to.

40 watt all tube combo amp celestion speaker, 3 channels clean,od1,od2. reverb seperate treb,mid,bass for each channel along with gain control for each channel.two button footswitch included. currently using as my main amp i use for practice in my house at low volume's also when i get together with my bud's (drummer & bass) at louder volume's.

i use a les paul, and a strat with hot rails in the bridge the speaker really has great sound. the clean channel shimmer's nicely and the od1 is great for classic rock (led zep,bad co etc) od2 is the boost channel it really gives awesome distortion for heavy metal (sabbath,priest,maiden etc.) also good for a boost on a solo. sounds great at low volume's i just got the amp and when i jammed with my bud's i got to turn it up to about 5-6 and it still sounded clear and crisp on all channels i cut through the bass and drums for the first time ever!! it really sounded great!

i've only had the amp for 2 weeks although i have seen other reviews and they all say how it gets to hot and had major problems with it. i played it the other day for 6 hours just about straight through and i had no problem's yes it got VERY HOT especially the front panel behind the knobs i'm thinking of getting a fan to attach to the back to keep air flow around the tubes i think that will help. i was very nervous when i got the amp because i read the reviews about it's reliability i guess time will tell i got a 45 day garuentee so if anything goes wrong i'll just bring back.

hav'nt had to contact them thank god!

i've been playing for 4 years now this is my first real powerfull amp i had a champ 110 practice amp before this. i'm glad i spent the extra $150 bucks to get tube there's just nothing else like it. i got it on the scratch and dent list i cant find a damn thing wrong with it although there were some holes in the box thats about it. i would highly recomend using the scratch and dent if you get a garuentee of some kind in case anything is wrong with it it saved me about 150 bones! i would recomend this amp to my friends but like i said i've only had it for 2 weeks but so far so good. the reviews on this amp were helpfull but when it came right down to it you get what you pay for so don't think youre gonna get a deal on a cheap amp you just can't unless you find one at a pawn shop or something.

1x12 combo, channel switching, reverb, bought in 2001, effects loop, additional ext cab output, 40w-tube.

I use strats and various gibsons. Mostly play at home right now. I play mostly rock and blues with amp settings at moderate volumes.

I don't use it enough to get a real feel for its realiability, but since I started reading some of the other comments, I have been putting it through some lengthly run times. As all of you know, it gets very hot. So I decided to install a small instrument fan on one of the back metal panels. I bought a radio shack 4"-120v fan. It is fairly quiet and it keeps the amp at what I feel is a normal operating temperature. I installed the fan with its own 120v plug to keep the amp basically unmodified. I believe a smaller fan would be just as effective. To date, I have not had any breakdowns. The reverb tank was loose, so I installed slightly larger screws. I hope this will keep the noted problems that have been previously discussed, non-existant. I also have an 87'plexi reissue head,since 1994 and only had to replace the power tubes once. I always gig with a backup handy. Any opinions about the fan, please email me.

I talked to marshall in england about the 87', when the power tubes were giving me a problem, and they were very helpful.

I have been playing for about 35 years. I have both marshall and fender amps. I love the sound of marshalls and fenders.

Features? Everything you will need for a 40 watt combo.

The clean is georgeous, overdrive is great, and that lead channel.......gain for days!!!! My opinions of this amp are based on a stock amp with no modifications. Also I am judging it against comparable amps of same size,wattage,& features to be FAIR.

I have owned this amp for a year and use it once to twice a week. I always keep a fan blowing on the power tubes to keep it cool. It has been an absolute joy to own. Remember that most common production amps in many price ranges utilize similar construction methods. Specifically, tube sockets mounted directly to pc boards. Lets keep the amp cool, don't bounce it around and we can all be happy. There can be a dud in any batch of amps from any manufacturer. Lets look past that and remember that people who have problems with something are 7-8 times more likely to speak out rather than someone who has had a good experience.

I have talked to Hugh in the New York customer service center. Very helpful guy, pleasure to talk to. I have not needed service but there are two authorized Marshall Service Centers here in Connecticut, easily within driving distance.

I have waited a year to post this review. People who post worthless reviews from what they see in a store rather than on personal experience are doing this site a dis-service. I ordered my amp new, in a box, I didn't buy a floor model. Especially when it comes to an all tube amp. In most stores I go to, combos are kept on the floor in tight quarters and are routinely kicked, tripped over, and bounced around while being tested. Not good for an all tube amp. This is probably part of the problem with recent reviews, Blown Fuse, Smoked Tubes, whatever. I bought one that was untouched and it is a great amp for the money. I compared this amp to the Fender Hot Rod Deluxe, Traynor Custom 40, Carvin Combo (I forget which one, 40-50 watt), Mesa Combo (wow expensive) and a couple others I can't remember. To my ears, the Marshall was the winner. When I was in the market for this amp, I used this site as a starting point for my research as it is very useful. In fairness to others who read this site, don't come here to blast an amp that was never given a fair shake. Worthless ratings of 1 or 2 for all catagories are just that, worthless. You can check any amp on this site and find someone blasting an amp for no reason and that is a shame. I've been playing guitar for almost 20 years. I am a big fan of the "Less is More" camp. I'm not into flashy digital stuff. For those of you who are, enjoy it. This amp sounds great, has a diverse array of sounds/tones and just thrills me to play it. Let's keep this site useful and post reasonable reviews. It just helps all of us in the future.

2002 DSL401. Loud enough to gig probably -- a little too much for home use IMHO (with OD, unlikely to be able to use volume > 1!). Features -- above average for a small combo, not over-the-top
like some little mesa boogies.

Sounds pretty good. Clean, OD1 and OD2 all sound good. OD Give classic and modern crunch and distortion -- I like it, sounds great with humbuckers (esp. Les Paul). Clean is well clean -
pretty nice though (they say Marshall didn't used to do a good clean - but this sounds quite decent).

Reliable -- apparently not! :( I would not gig with this amp. I tended to discount some of the reports others have made, but I tried a DSL401 (again) in my local store last week. It seemed quieter than normal (perhaps a loud day in the store?) - I had to turn the volume upto around 4 instead of 1 or 2, but otherwise sounded good. Then intermittantly the sound would just fade out for 30 seconds, or sometimes several minutes, and then fade back in again!!!!! Argh! So though I love the Marshall sound, and love my little G15RCD practice amp -- the DSL401 does seem like it really might be a POS. Ok so it might just have a bad tube - could happen to any tube amp, but I use different amps at different and have never noticed this with other models or mesa boogies (I rarely try Fenders -- sound too clean and characterless, look dated - they suck). [By the way check out the new 10W Marshall practice amp -- $60 pocket rocket! Unbelieveable "overdrive" and LOUD -- I was stunned]

Others say difficult to contact and deal with. Their website is not helpful -- and they never respond to questions. I suspect they would stand behind their products -- if you can get hodl of them!

Tried this in the store with Les Pauls and Gibson SG. It has a tone that wonderfully compliments the Gibson humbucker (probably any humbucker). I first time I tried the smaller sibling (DSL201) with a Les Paul in another store and was totally blown away by the awesome tone (I think I was getting a little feedback due to sitting close to and in front of the amp) -- it sound...well, perfect. However, reliability and quality counts for a lot in my book (I gave up driving British and American cars long ago) - it is essential, so I am going have to mark this down badly :(.

See other reviews for that stuff.

Sounds great clean or OD, through Singles or HBs.

This is where the problem is. The first one I tried in the store didn't work. Blown fuse, no big deal. I went to the second one, turned it on, no sound. I had my heart set on buy one until I came here and read all the reviews. Blown speakers, blown tubes, overheating, loose fuse holders, yada, yada, yada, the list goes on.
I can't imagine ever owning one of these to gig with. I would have to have at least two or three backup amps. No, I never got to try one that worked until after I came here. What a shame, great sound, not reliable.

I'm giving it a one here because after offering to buy the defecive amps, the salesmen said "You don't want that pice of junk, Marshall won't fix it, we have to." Nice sales pitch. He said Peavey's were built better, What a shame...

Been playing since the 70's. Always had my heart set on a Marshall. After hearing all the bitching about reliability, I won't buy one. I just might buy a Peavey Transtube or a Fender Cyber Deluxe. What a shame... Great sound, poorly designed, poorly made, no service, overpriced..

See other reviews for exact features, but 3 channels for $600.00
pretty cool.

Heres where it gets interesting, it's such a mixed bag.
First of all I purchased this in 2000, mainly for it's direct out
for recording into a Roland 1680, and it records incredidbly well.
All channels track well, beatiful controlled feedback, very dynamic.
All my pedals sound great in front of it.

The problem was once I turned the speaker on for live gigging. It
sounded nothing like when recorded. The stock speaker sucks, I replaced it with a Vintage 30 which helped, but something was still missing. I added a 1X12 Marshall closed back cab and the thing
really came to life, but there goes the convienence of a 1X12.

So I'm rating it a 7 for sound, it;s a 9 with all the mods
but a 4 stock.

Here we all seem to agree, while I havn't had the total horror
stories of some others, it did see the shop once for bad sodier
joints on the pre-amp circut. My tech guy went through the whole
amp and resodiered everything suspect. I have had a year and the half
of trouble free gigging and recording. I have come to trust it now.

Never tried

It has become a trusted friend, records great, plenty loud for the average gig. I did have to repair it once, and swap out the piece of crap they called a speaker.
Although it is a keeper (now) I probally would not get another one if I had to replace it.

versatile amp, but it is always failing to work all the time. the circuit board in this thing is about as thick as a lays potato chip, you can guess what that means if you move this amp around to gigs,
it's the magical mystery tour, ok what part is going to fail tonight at the gig? bring plenty of tubes, soldering iron, and a spare amp.
this amp can leave you stranded.
if this amp was reliable it would be a nice gigging amp.

the amp sounds good when it is working, glassy clean, nice chimes, etc. Again, the important word is WHEN

as soon as I am finished replacing the bad power transformer that just blew out on me at my last gig, i am gettting rid of this POS
and getting a point to point amp, I have HAD IT with this amp.
so far I have had:
1) the preamp filaments go dark due to a bad full wave bridge rectifier blowing out. And who knows what else was damaged and will fail later after this problem is fixed.
2) loud crackling sounds sometimes, I only want hear snap,crackle,pop, when I am eating my breakfast cereal, not when I am at a gig. this was caused by internal arcing in the chassis. again, chassis board related.
3) oh boy, all of sudden the power switch light goes dark a month later, lo and behold there is power going into the primary power tranny, but ALL secondary outputs are DOA, no filament voltage AGAIN, no plate voltage, etc. a new power tranny is $150 and Drake tranny company is no longer supplying tranny's I hear? cant confirm this, but that's what i hear. isn't this a newer line of amps, why can't I get a new tranny?

haha, are you kidding?

a real POS, once an amp goes the circuit board route, thats it,
party's over. If it was handwired it would be a nice amp.

Save your money..LOOK ELSEWHERE....It is seductive..and when it works, well it ain't bad but..

When it works....which is not often....not too shabby..

I can only depend on it to crash...it's always only a matter of time..the Guitar Player magazine techs didn't have this junker long enough for it to show it's true colors....Again save your money and go elsewhere..

Nevermind...you're stuck

I'd thank the guy who stole this thing..it would be his karma to pick this junk up..then he'd have to deal with it...and wonder how to fix the damn thing over and over ...You would think that the Icon Marshall would have some sort of conscience and not put their name on this..Oh well, live and learn....Please, go elsewhere...

Paid $700 in 2001 new.I play rock and blues and amp is loud enough and light enough to satisfy my needs.It has two foot switchable channels with an overdrive boost on the dirty side,reverb(not much to it though),FX loop I never used,master volume,and bass/treble/mids on both channels.Also it will adapt 16 or 8 ohm speakers.This is an all tube amp with one instrument hookup,no headphone jack.

This thing sounds great.I play a gibson Blueshawk with factory single coil pickups and a gibson SG-X.I think it has a 500T pickup that wails out distortion.In fact I can use the gain at less than half.I am a 4 year player that does'nt get enough practice,(family man),but I jam for fun with some good pickers.It makes great distortion and feedback;clean channel not to shabby but only to about half volume

This amp has very few hours on it,maybe 60.After about 40 of them it quit working;pre-amp tubes would not light.I changed them to no avail.Service was needed so it was taken to a tech.He informed me it was transistors(4 of them)that came un-soldered.These things get extremly hot.At full temp you can barely hold your hand on the control panel.Anyway 20 hours later it has the same problem.A friend I jam with has the same amp and the same problems.He had it repaired(filter cap)brought it home;it played 5 seconds.Returned to tech who still has it but said it was a problem with two 24 volt leads from one of the transformers.Needless to say I am getting mine repaired and trading in on something else or sell it.I traded a fender hot rod deville for this one,and wish I had it back.I wanted a 2 twelve 60 watt marshall to start with,however thay cost about 1,100 dollars.It is the marshall sound I want,but that fender sure was depedable and loud.All and all this has got to be the most unreliable anything I have ever owned.Do not buy this product,it is a piece of CRAP!!!!!!

never used them

Like I say I am a part time player,however I have learned a lot about equipment.I also own an old Acoustic 150 head I use for pa standard guitar or whatever,it never fails.If the marshall was stolen I would hope It were from my house so I could claim it on home insurance.No way would I ever buy another one.I am going to take a loss just to get rid of this thing.I think I will look for something vintage.You know made when a buck was abuck and a coke was a coke.One other thing I will give word of mouth on this I am very displeased in the Marshall name.They need to have a re-call

This is a '00 combo, and I've owned it since it was new. The full features are covered below, but I do find it extremely versatile. I play in a band that does both covers and originals shows, and this little bugger can do ANY style at least adequately. We are a modern alternative rock band a la U2, Pearl Jam and Radiohead, and this amp has served me well with its three channels. I never use the effects loop and --here's a tip-- I discovered that once I placed a patch cable in the loop and cranked up the FX mix control, it seemed to add something that was missing, it really fills in the tone! Also, the line out (which I use all the time at small bars into my PA), at first was very brittle and awful, but over the course of a 1 and 1/2 years, it has warmed up and is much better. Go figure.

The reverb SUCKS, and basically was a major catalyst in me moving towards a no-reverb sound and throwing in echo here and there for ambient textures. It's good to remove those tonal crutches, people. My rhythm guitarist simply won't play without reverb, even on his AC15 combo where it's footswitchable, so for him that dry crunch is out of the question. Oh well. I do like that there is a footswitch option for the reverb on this model, though.

It is loud (enough for most sane folk), and since it has EL84's, it sounds great at all volumes. I usually put it on a chair and angle it a bit for low volume, small club work.

My main guitar is a Warmoth kit strat with a hard ash (think baseball bat) body, and a mohogany neck with a rosewood fretboard. It has Kinman vintage noiseless pickups. I use heavy strings (11's) for the best tone. I mainly use the neck pickup for most of my tones, and this amp does well with that philosophy.

This amp can cover sparkling clean very much like my JTM-45 head, and also match it's throaty overdrive on channel 2. I think the clean channel cranked is a very ugly, fuzzy sound though. The third channel, or boost, is awesome, with tons of gain and tones, and a great mix of sustain and clarity. Granted, when I started using my JTM-45 through a 1936 2x12 cabinet for the big stages, I realized how little low-end this little guy has, and really the bass knob on the dirty side is pretty ineffective. It adds more in the way of a subtle thickening than a real bass boost. The distortion is warm and thick, but you can pull off metal tones or basically whatever you're looking for with this one. Huge variety. Check out Blue Eyed Dog on MP3.com for some samples of my lead playing with this amp. It's all with this one.

I haven't had the horror stories with this one that some below have, but I definately agree that there are some issues with this amp concerning reliability. I mean, I've played 150 gigs or so with it so far, and it's been there for me for 99% of the time. My problems: power tube failure within the first week (These are Ei tubes, folks, sound great, cheap, but effin' unreliable!), and later, cold solder joints acting up to kill the plate voltage to the preamp tubes and kill the output! And as they've said before, it gets really, really hot when operated. Try using it for a four hour bar gig, you WILL burn yourself on the control panel!

Long warranty, but I've never dealt with them.

I've been playing for seven years, and I own a Marshall JTM-45 reissue, a '64 Fender Tremolux head, a 50 watt Hiwatt, and a Valvestate combo. It is great for what it is, and for a long time, it's been an indespensable part of my sound. There is nothing out there with this kind of features that can hang with it for the price. I only wish it were a little better in the quality control department.

Pretty decent, read others

Very nice sounds, clean and distortion, like the extra gain mode.

Junk! In the shop 3 times in less than a year, 3 sets of tubes, cold solder joints, blown speaker, faulty reverb tank. All this and it never hardly left my bedroom to get played(when it wasn't being repaired, that is). Quality control on Marshall combo amps is very suspect.

Fair at best.

Sounded pretty good when it worked! If you want a Marshall, don't buy any of their new combos.

I have already previously submitted a review, but since then I have carried out some mods that you might be interested in - which in my opinion has transformed this already excellent combo, at very little cost.

I had really got to like the sound of this amp, but while it sounds great at home volumes, I always thought it sounded a bit... well sorta boxey and lacked bottom end when use on gigs. I figured that this could be improved by converting it to a separate head and closed back cab.

I took the amp section out and built a separate cab for it. I then fitted a back to the remaining cab and installed a new Celestion Vintage 30 fitted to a new full height baffle.

I used matching Tolex, grill cloth, corners, handle etc bought from Marshall, and the result is, if I may say so myself, very professional.

The advantages are:

-closed back gives more bottom end

-you can use head with other cabs

-you can include front back and top ventilation in your head design to keep things cooler

-you nom have two lighter boxes to hump around

Having successfully completed this project I have now built a larger 1x12 cab from scratch, in pine, which is even more tonefull and with even more bottom end and punch.

This is a great improvement on an already great sounding amp....I just dont know why Marshall never produced this option.

If anyone wants tips on how to do this email me denis@stratman10.freeserve.co.uk

Well you could sat I am biased, but the original combo sounded good it now sounds great!

No probs to date.

As I said before, Marshall ( UK ) are excellent. I got all the parts within 48 hours.

This is for keeps. While there may be bigger louder rigs around I dont think I will be able to get anything to match the tone and versatility of this for the money.

More or less the base essentials. No major complaints/comments

Great sound. Clean or distorted

PLEASE READ ALL THE NEGATIVE COMMENTS IN RELIABILITY! My amp died once after about 6 months. I don't gig it or turn it past 2 and yet it died anyway. After 3 more months it died again. This time the repair is over $200 and I'm dumping this thing. It is a piece of crap as far as reliability is concerned

A joke

No reason to waste time here...read other reviews.

I played a PRS custom 22 through this thing and here are my thoughts...Reverb is extremely week but what reverb there is does sound rather good. Clean channel absolutely sparkles with character. But here comes the negative...OD1 just didn't work for my ears, no bass and it was like the tone controlls barely effected the sound, and the only decent distortion i could get was with the gain turned at 11 o'clock or less. Activating OD2 presented similar results with it sounding to me like it would if you put a solid state fuzz box in front of od1. Obviously there are people that like the distortion on this and love the amp, but for my ears i decided to look elsewhere.

If I were to take it home I am sure i would find someway of making the amp work. Possibly do like a bunch of other and throw a vintage 30 in her. But stock i would say you can get a better amp for the cash. I checked out the hughes and kettner edition tube and it just blew this thing away in my opinion. Of course tone is totally opinion based so be sure to try it out for yourself. Maybe you will dig it.

I've had this amp for about 6 months. It's a fairly simple amp. The reverb is nothing like a Fender's but oh well, you can't have everything.

Like I said I've has this amp for about six months. I was only sometimes happy with it's sound. It had no bass. It wouldn't cut thru like my fender did. So I read some reviews on modifications and decided to repalce the stock speaker with a Celestion Vintage 30 and lo and behold the amp came to life!!! The stock speaker in it is worthless. Before the mod I'd give this amp a 7 in sound. Now I give it a 10+++. The EL84's and the Vintage 30 make playing thru this amp better than sex!

I had bought one new and it started making a squealing noise so I took it back and replaced it. This one's a keeper!

no probs

I've played guitar for 16 years. I have the Marshall, a new Fender Twin amp I just got last week, 2 vintage Martin acoustics, A '90 Gibson Les Paul Studio with EMG's and an airbrushed pic of Albert Einstein sticking his tongue out, and a '88 American Standard Strat with Sperzel locking tuners, LSR roller nut and Hipshot Tremsetter (also sounds like heaven). I only give this a 9 because of the cheap stock speaker it came with. If you buy this amp buy a Vintage 30 to go with it!

Brand new Marshall JCM 2OOO DSL 401. Nice 40W all valve combo, with a 12 inch speaker. 2 channels, clean and OD, and a 20db boost for the OD channel. Seperate EQ and gain for the channels reverb, FX loop. Clean->OD OD->OD2 footswitch supplied. Very versatile, can get many great sounds from the amp. Easily versatile enough to go from indoe clean picking to blues/rock OD to heavy distortion. Reverb sounds great. Easily powerful enough to drown out the rest of my band, would work well in clubs/pubs. Wish the clean channel had a volume as well as a gain. The OD2 boost, while not a seperate channel is great.

I'm using a Fenix Strat copy with single coil pickups. As a result the amp hums a fair bit on the OD channels, but with humbuckers this would be no problem. This amp was made for my styles. I play hard blues rock (Zeppelin, Rory Gallagher etc) and heavier metal (Pantera, Metallica etc). The amp can easily manage this, there is easily enough distortion to even get some Slayer out of it. I also like to play mellower indie style stuff, and the clean channel easily has the round, full sound I want. The distortion sounds great, lovely classic valve tone, but it gets really meaty when you use the OD2 boost. Tye clean channel is also lovely and rich. By tweaking with the tone controls I could easily compensate for my guitars thin pickups.

I have had no touble with it, but I have only had it a few weeks. It seems sturdy enough. I think I would be able to depend on it, but I don't know for sure. I think It's reliable enough to manage a gig without a backup.

Haven't had any problems with it.

I've been playing fot 3 years, and beofre this I had a Park 15W practice amp. This is a significant step up from that, the valves really do make a difference to the tone, and the larger amp gives it a much fuller sound. I use a Fenix Strat copy with fairly weedy pickups, but this amp hides that well. I use a Crybaby and it sounds great through the amp. If it was lost or stolen I would definitely buy another. I think this amp will last a while.

Quite basic. 40W. 1x12. All tube amp. 2 1/2 channels: clean (with gain and EQ),
SD1 and SD2 (shared volume, gain and EQ). SD2 has an additional 20db boost. Reverb. Master Volume. Parallel FX loop with FX mix button (from 100% dry signal to 50/50). Speaker emulated DI out. Two speaker exits. Reverb footswitchable. Channels footswitchable (between clean OD1 and OD2).
The only things annoy me a little are:
- you can't really do alot with the parallel FX loop, because the oringal signal is always mixed with the processed signal. (100% wet signal NOT possible). For example, when I place my wah pedal in the FX loop, the effect is barebly noticeable. (Boss says the FX loop is meant for reverb, delay etc. They have a point.)
Also, I must admit that I have changed my mind: I used the place the wah after the distortion, but now I like the effect more if I put the wah before the amp's distortion. Makes a really cool sound.
So I don't really need the FX loop right now.
- I also miss a headphone output. Not much, but it would be handy.
- Too bad OD2 doesn't have a seperate EQ. But I guess that's why it's a 2 channel amp. I don't think I should complain about that.
If you want three channels, buy a three channel amp, not this one.

This is quite a basic amp, but it's good enough for me.
I'm satisfied with it.

(BTW: What I'd really like to have extra on my amp is a neutral channel, no EQ, maybe a gain button. So you can use the amp's overdrive and clean channels, AND the neutral channel for stompboxes or smth. Would be really handy, and not really hard to realise I think.
If I use my Boss MT-2 I have to set the clean channel's EQ to neutral, and I don't have a decent clean channel left...
Although I compensated this by buying a Boss GE-7 Equaliser.
That way I can use my MT-2, or have a good clean sound thanks to the GE-7, both on the clean channel of the amp.)

I have a Gibson Explorer, and most of the time I plug it straight into the amp. I'm not the kind of guy that likes to use alot of effects and stuff. Just the amp and the guitar and me, I like to keep it basic.
I really play/like almost every kind of music, although I notice that I play rock and metal most of the time.
When I first bought this amp, I was afraid that it wouldn't be versatile enough. But now I've owned it for almost a year, and I really learned to work the amp. You have to learn how to dial in a specific tone. This amp has lots of tonal possibilities, but you have to know how to find them. It's a tube amp, so that also complicates things. For example: I'm into metal, and my guitar has a huge bass sound. So most of the time I also turned the bass knob on the amps OD2 channel to 7 or 8. But that way the sound always sounded a little muddy. In fact, the bass knob kind of drowns the high's. But after I discovered that, I just turned the bass to 5 and I got a really good sound, with as much high's as I wanted.
Also the interaction between the master-volume and the volume on the OD channel is important: when you turn the volume on the OD channels down, and you dial in the loudness you want with the master volume, you get a really strong, punchy sound. But if you set the volume on de OD high, and compensate by lowering the master-volume, you kinda lose that punch.
->> As I said, you really need to learn how to work with this amp, but once you do, you can really get some great sounds out of it.
About the overdrive: on the clean channel you can go from sparkling clean to a mild crunch.
The OD1 channel is just your basic overdrive, not really heavy.
(You might just play some Iron Maiden with it, although I would swith to OD2 for that.)
The overdrive on OD2 goes quite far. You can pretty much do everything with it, especially classic metal (early Metallica, Iron Maiden.) Although if you're a nu-metal guy: stay away. I also like to play some nu metal or trash once in a while, but I can manage with my MT-2. (If you're into nu-metal and trash and stuff -> save up for a boogie)
(In fact, when I first bought this amp, I was a little dissapointed about the overdrive. I thought it didn't go far enough. But you have to understand that before that, I only used the MT-2 for overdrive.
But now I've grown into it, and my MT-2 is getting neclected more as time passes.)
Some styles you can do with the OD2 channel: perfect for: early metallica, Iron Maiden, Slash & Iron Maiden kinda solo's.
And much, much more.
I really love the sound of this amp.

One remark: some people say Marshall amps only sound good if you crank them up real good, and I can only agree with this.
As you turn the volume up louder, the overdrive gets more brutal, the EQ seems to have more effect, you get a really good punch...
This amp really sounds way better when you crank it.

Hmm, I've read some complaints about the PC board melting and stuff, so I was quite concerned with it.
But I haven't got any problems with it yet.
(except one peculiar thing: sometimes when the amps hasn't been played for a day or more and I switch on the amp, the led's kinda freak: when I switch from OD1 to OD2, the yellow led stays on, and the red doesn't light. It should be inverse. But when I play a while, the red led slowly starts to light. Then there is a short time when both led's are on. And then the yellow led starts to flicker for a while and fades out eventually. After this (+- 15 min) the led's work normal.
This isn't really a problem, but it does worry me a bit.
If anyone knows what could be causing this, and if it is dangerous, please email me.)
The service of the shop where I bought the amp is real good, so I'm not really concerned.

Haven't dealt with it.
I trust the shop where I bought it to handle this correctly.

At first I was a little dissappointed in the amp,
but now I really love it, and it seems to get better every day.
You just have to learn how to work with it.
For it's price, I must say this is a real good amp.

At first I brought home a Line6 Flextone II, but after a day I traded it in for this amp, and I don't regret it.

Maybe later I might buy myself a boogie if I've got the money, to be able to get a more brutal sound, but I don't think I'll ever sell this amp. I love it.
If it were lost or stolen, maybe I'd try the TSL 122 or buy a Mesa if I have the money, but if I don't I'd get exactly the same amp again.

Some other things info:
I've been playing for 3 years now.
Besides this amp, my gear consists of my Gibson Explorer, a Dunlop Crybaby wah pedal, boss MT-2, boss GE-7. (And and old Rebel 30W amp and my Squier Strat, but those aren't really worth mentioning.)
I plan on buying a telecaster.
(And maybe a Boss GT-6. Just for fun, to mess around a bit with all those effects. But as I said before, I normally like to keep it basic.)

Brand new, made in 2001, all tube(preamp:4 12AX7's; 4 EL84's in the power stage) Marshall JCM 2000 DSL401. 40 watts RMS, 2 channels (Clean & Overdrive), a 20db boost for the Overdrive(billed as a 3rd channel, "OD2"). Has a nice reverb, FX loop, one 12" Marshall/Celestion speaker, a jack for extension speaker(s) with 8 or 16 ohms selector switch, direct out for recording. Simplest layout of the JCM 2000 series(along with it's lower-powered sibling, the DSL201). Both channels & boost are footswitchable(footswitch is included), as is the reverb(footswitch not included). Seperate EQ for clean & OD channels(big plus). This has everything I need(and then some)

I'm using Reverend guitars exclusively these days: a Rocco(2 humbuckers with coli-taps) & an Avenger TL(Strat-type pickups in the neck & middle positions, a Tele-style pickup in the bridge position). My band is a mix of hard rock & alternative styles, and I dabble in blues on my own. This amp is perfect for all of it.The Clean channel breaks up at high volumes, but it stays clean enough for me at rehearsal levels, so it should be alright for performances. Pickup selection(humbuckers push it harder, single coils stay much cleaner), guitar volume, and pick attack make a BIG difference with this channel. It's particularly responsive to your picking.
The Overdrive is very close to that classic Marshall tone(think AC/DC's "Back In Black" and earlier). OD2 is a bit more metallic, and I sometimes use this for boosting leads(though I usually use my Reverend Drivetrain pedal for that). The OD isn't as responsive to picking dynamics as the clean channel, but still pretty good in this respect. I tend to set the Gain knob at 4, and the Master Volume at 7, to push the power tubes(to my ears, a sweeter/more pleasing Overdrive). 40 watts RMS is more than loud enough for any application(a big venue is gonna ask you to turn down, and mike you to better control the mix anyway). The bass response is GREAT for a 1x12 combo. I don't find the sound "boxey" at all. There are better sounding amps out there, I'm sure. They're also handmade with 4 digit pricetags.

As both my amps are 1x12 combos( I have a Reverend Hellhound coming in a week or 2), I suppose I don't have any excuse for not bringing a backup to a gig(we're not gigging yet. We're gonna record first). Marshalls I've owned in the past have performed very well, and I would be confident enough in the DSL401 to bring it to a gig as my only amp(I'd pack some spare tubes, though). I've heard some nightmare stories about this model, but I've heard good things, too. The gold faceplate/control panel gets really hot after 20 or 30 minutes. I e-mailed Marshall about this, and a customer service representative got back to me the next day, assuring me this is normal for this amp. We'll have to see...

As I mentioned above, the gold faceplate/control panel gets really hot after 20 or 30 minutes. I e-mailed Marshall about this, and a customer service representative got back to me the next day, assuring me this is normal for this amp. I've e-mailed twice since then, and gotten responses just as quickly. Fantastic for a company of Marshall's size.I'll go out on a limb with my rating...

I've been playing for about 15 years. I've owned a LOT of gear. I wouldn't hesitate to replace this amp with another if I had to. I lucked into this amp(I've always wanted an all-tube Marshall with these features), so I couldn't pass up the opportunity to own it.

Perfect features. Everything you need, two channels, Bass, mid, treble, presence, and spring reverb, plus a 20db boost on the distortion channel for lead. 4 12ax7 tubes in the preamp and 4 EL-84's in the power section.
This amp has 40 watts which make it easier to achieve a better sound at lower volumes, its great for in your bedroom, as well as for gigs. It is perfect for both of these situations.

Great Sound Clean Sounds That I feel are similar to that of a clean fender amp, distortions you can get great output distortions viva la 1959SLP crancked, plus if you lower the volume and increase the gain you can get very saturated metal distortion. Distortion on this is VERY BRITISH due to its british style tubes (EL-84's) these are comperable to EL-34's but they have lower wattages, however they burn out faster than american tubes (6L6, 6V6) but its worth it, they are better. You always have to loose something to gain something.

Very realiable, you should have no problems. When you move it around you will hear a bouncing around in it, however it is normal it is just the spring inside of it for the spring reverb and it is normal, my dad heard it and thought I broke it, but then I had to assure him it was ok. However dont bang it around two much because there are glass tubes in it and they could break.

Never needed them

Its a great amp definatly worth the money, if you are looking for a small portable amp to play in your bedroom that you can also use for band practice, and gigs this is THE amp for you, no questions asked.
I bought this amp just looking for something to play in my room, while my Mesa Boogie Triple rectifier Stack stays in my studio, and this amp offers so much more than I thought it would. Excellent!

No, I'm not a major gearhead so I won't even try to go there..Actually my bro bought this because of a Guitar Player mag Editor's Pick and it didn't suit his sound so I got it at his cost and loved the sound,(my first tube amp)..and that fry smell did concern me at first..now it's just Marshall incense..My features..ON and Volume

A strat with Seymour Duncan Hot Rails bridge pickup sounds sweet thru this..I provide the variety with a Korg AX1000G thru the clean channel along with a Vox wah and a Voodoo Lab Micro Vibe..the other output from the Korg goes into a 50 watt Crate with two tens..nice contrast for me..The sound I've been listening for..

Whether or not it was Marshall's fault, the bridge rectifier went out after a year, preamp tubes don't light..Marshall sent PDF file schematics immediately after the phone call..(5 minutes)..my techie bro said it may have been due to my kid turning the amp on repeatedly without using the standby warmup process and the cigarette smoke probably didn't help anything..Marshall's authorized parts outlet, Parts is Parts were useless, a nine dollar part with eight dollar shipping never arrived after a month and a half, sent me a check and said the part for my year old amp was discontinued..local electric shop had five of em for a buck less..I'm not impressed..Removing the PC board is no minor task..this is not military grade stuff in there..it would have cost them a couple bucks more to upgrade that board..But that's how we get that sound for less..quality suffers..The schematic had major holes in it yet due to bro's engineering ability, we got the sucker fixed..I'm not going thru the warranty machine..

Above says it..Parts Is Parts sucks

We'll see how it goes..For now it's working great..I'll see how long our patch job lasts with proper warmup procedure and covering it to protect from smoke..It screams..and with todays PA systems there's no need to lug around stacks of stuff..this suits me fine..If it maintains its' present condition..I'm happy..but if their cost cutting has truly dug into the longevity, I'm on to other places for the same sound with no trouble..

I bought this amp new about a year and a half ago. You can see from other peoples reviews what the features are. However, I really with the amount of boost was adjustable - 20dB is a bit overpowering at times.

I use this with a Strat and an SG. I'm also building my own guitar. I can get good rhythm sounds with this amp, but I think OD2 is too much. The sound loses definition and simply piles on loads of gain. The clean volume is pretty good (for a Marshall), and the reverb is tasteful. I recently had the whole thing revalved (with quality valves from Watford Valves) but now I think OD2 is sounding noisier than before. I think it may be due to having the bias adjusted, but its a bit annoying. The clean channel just starts to break up when played loudly, which I find quite pleasing.

Soon after I got it something went wrong with it. I say 'something', because the sounds was cutting out and there was massive buzzing. When I got it down to the shop, whatever had been the problem had fixed itself. Bit embarassing, but there you go. Since then I've never had any problems, although it was revalved recently.

Had dealings over the phone with Marshall, and they always seemed to be friendly enough. Then again, its the original Marshall factory in England, so maybe some of that sugar sweetness gets lost in other parts of the world. Only gripe is that repairs under warranty would involve me paying to have the amp shipped to the factory. This probably comes to about the same price as getting it fixed at a shop.

Overall its pretty good, but I can't help but feel that its not quite what I'm after. When I have lots of money I will but a bigger amp, but until then this is as good an amp as any in this price range.

40 watt all tube combo amp. Three channels give it good versatility. Play with the gain on the clean channel for anything from crystal clear to bluesy crunch... switch to OD1 for classic rock... over to OD2 for the heavy stuff. The reverb sounds decent. The amp is definitely powerful enough for me, can be heard over the rest of my band in my friend's basement while he pounds on his drums. The footswitch is good. It'd be nice if it had a second input or headphone jack.

Standard strat with active single coil EMG pickups. I play blues and rock, this amp does it all. Goes from soft and clean to some wailing crunch. The clean channel stops being totally clean once the master volume gets up near five or so, but it still sounds good.

Had it for about four months now, had no problems, seems very dependable.

I was given the wrong footswitch by the store, called up Marshall and they were very helpful. They told me the model number of the correct footswitch and how to get it.

I've been playing for about a year and a half. If this amp were stolen, I'd definitely get another, or a similar Marshall. There's just no comparison to my old Fender solid-state. Tubes and Marshalls all the way, very versatile, great tones, great amp.