Marshall JCM-2000 TSL 100

This amp is feature rich which include:
Dual FX loops - though never use because I suffer severe volume drops because it is circuiting through the preamps and not the power tubes. Run everything straight into the guitar jack. Have your Wah be first in line, then delay, tremolo, phaser etc.
Emulated line out (useful for recording late at night)
Three channels: clean, crunch, and lead.
Separate EQ for each channel: Unlike the DSL, where you had to dial in the EQ and you were stuck with it for both channels, the TSL is very versatile in this area.
Mid scoops take the mids out giving you a more metal sound.
Bass boost which will give you an added low end.
Super easy to bias, (a fourth grader could do it...Bob Pletka - Eurotubes)
Footswitch: have read numerous reviews saying it is bad, that may be the case but mine has never failed me and I play 3-4 shows a week plus practice.

ABSOLUTE MUST DO:Stock tubes on this amp suck. Depending on what style of music you play, they may or may not be sufficient. My suggestion, call Bob Pletka at Eurotubes www.eurotubes.com and he'll fit ya right for your style. For Hard Rock/Metal go with the JJ E34L's for power tubes and the ECC83S's. This is a high gain option with a bias cranked to 80-82 will blow your skirt up.

Very nice sounds. Clean is better than solid state but not quite a fender Twin reverb sound. Very good sound quality is also dependant upon what kind of speakers you use. Am running a 1960A cab with 2 Vintage 30's and 2 Weber Silver Bells. Totally Killer for hard Rock Metal Thrashing - See HateBreed -these guys use the Marshall TSL.

Also, single coil do not sound as full in these as humbuckers.

Have used it time and time again and it has never failed me.

Had questions about biasing. Initially my amp had a problem with running too cold, about 60mv. That was what it was at it's highest level. I contacted customer support and they recommended replacing the stock tubes from when I bought it which I still had. Did that and no change. Took it to a qualified Marshall Service Center in which they fixed the problem at no charge because the amp head was still under warranty. Marshall also responded within a day of my inquiry so gotta give them a 10 on that. Only thing I don't like bout their support is you have to email, there is no phone number anywhere on their website.

Been playing for 14 years, and own a Line 6 Spider II, Marshall 1936 2 X12, Marshall 1960A, Gibson Les Paul, Alvarez Yairi

Line 6 DL4, Dunlop Cry Baby Wah (fasel conductor)

Made in 2002 - Versatile amp with tons of flexibility. 5 button footswitch is good and the FX switch can be used as a volume boost if you don't mind losing your effects. Having two FX loops is a bit of overkill, I never found a way to use both FX loops at once. Easy to bias. Emulated line out is a nifty feature, but I never found a use for that as well. I'm not sure what it was designed to do, but I hit the output mute button when I'm switching guitars, which is a great feature. I wish the amp had a footswitchable volume boost and I could keep my effects on.

Great classic Marshall tone. Best clean tone on any marshall ever. I leave the mid boost on all the time and get a really deep, ringing clean sound. The mid scoops on the crunch/lead channels make it muddy through the 1960B straight cabs, but leaving them off can make the tone really dry and trebly at low volumes. The virtual power reduction is good for fixing that problem at low volume and is a great feature. Sounds awesome once you crank it up. One of the best sounding Marshalls I've ever played, although the DSL 100 sounded a little better than the TSL, but I couldn't pass up on the three channels.

The footswitches are pieces of crap. My buddy and I have each been through 3 TSL footswitches in the past 5 years and they're not cheap. Mine seems to be in perfect working order but consistently blows HT fuses as the worst possible time, about three or four times a year. My bandmate owns two TSLs and one mysteriously stopped working (transformer problems, most likely) last year. I love this amp but knowing what I know now I would have opted for a more reliable model.

Some of the footswitch problems were resolved under warranty for a while, but recently I've been having to buy new ones when they break. The authorized service centers have been more than helpful and they seem to be familiar with the problems new Marshalls are having. No experience directly with Marshall, though.

Been playing 10 years, had this for 5. I play it with a Les Paul classic and an American strat. This is the only pro amp I own, and if I needed another I would probably go for the DSL and figure out a way to make two channels work, they seem to be more reliable and have slightly better tone. I've also been thinking about Mesas lately but I definitely need that Marshall sound. I love this amp but the footswitch problems and the HT fuse dilemma ruin it for me. If I had no problems with it, it would be invaluable.

made 2003 or 2004?

lets start with the clean channel. one of the best sounding clean channels the only other that has a great sounding clean channel that compares to the TSL is the Framus cobra. the crunch goes from plexi to JCM800.The lead is an all out Marshall sound.I play Metal, and some classical.this amp will go from super clean to a hi gain marshall
roar.

I have had no problems with it.

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I have been playing for 15 years. I own a JTM60,Mesa Stilleto,Line 6
HD 300, Framus cobra, Guitar that I use are 50th aniversary fender strat, PRS custom 22, Ibanes destroyer, Charvel Model 2, Homemade
soloist and 2 Les paul copies. all sound great thru this amp. My favorite of my amps ( FRamus very close ). Power reduction from 100 to i believe 38 Watts. I also have used the direct line out for late night recording into my computer. I tried the Mesa triple Rec before
buying this amp and this marshall won hands down. No regrets with this amp.

if your reading this you probably already know the features . It has all i need . If you need more that 3 channels and 2 effects loops your a premadonna effect junkie and should learn how to play without all that crap.

this is a 2 parter . the first part is for the stock amp and how it sounds straight out of the box .The second part is how it sounds after a slight modification that anyone can do .
Let me add that I have been playing for 33 years and have owned 8 marshall heads
part 1 . the amp sounds week and pissy like a marshall wanna be the distorsion is fizzy sounding . To much treble no mid and not enough bottom .
part 2 . change the pre amp tubes to groove tube 12ax7r . this takes care of the treble problem and adds some mid and bottom. it also gives the amp a little more gain . crank the bias up to about 90 and this takes the pissy fizzy sound away and makes the amp sound like a marshall should. After these simple mods the amp is one of the best sounding marshalls I've owned .

so far it been dependable. all my marshalls have always been rock solid

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I love this amp . I own a couple of mesa boogies also and there is no use trying to compare them . A mesa is good for the mesa sound and a marshall is good for the brit sound.

You've already heard below reviews.

Would like the pentode/triode switch that Genz-Benz and Mesa offer on some models (Road King).

Would also like the rectifier tubes and option of rectifier tubes or solid-state rectification.

Sounds pretty brutal with my ESP EC-1000 with dual EMG's. I play mostly hard rock and blues with this setup. Sounds good with my American Strat as well.

Best clean of any Marshall I've played (which includes JCM800, 900, valvestate).

The crunch channel is not exactly like the JCM800's but it's great for hard rock or classic rock. Lead channel sounds very similar to crunch, more gain and compression possibly. I used as solo boost.

With a 1960a 4x12, it's loud enough to compete with cranked 1200 watt Ampeg SVT-4 and multiple speaker cabs.

Doesn't make popping sound when you switch channels like Mesa footswitches do.

I submitted a lengthy write up that never got posted.

Footswitch is unreliable. The FX loop switch died on me so I bought 2 NOS footswitches.

More importantly, the output transformers are poor quality on these and apparently the JCM 900's as well. If you plan on running gain=10 and vol=10 in clean, be forewarned. My amp tech said a customer of his had a TSL 100 who would use the amp like this and blew a few output transformers and one in the JCM900 as well.

Quality/reliability on Marshalls plummetted after the 1980's. And they're not cheap dollar-wise either.

If you play speed metal forget about this head. It doesn't respond quick enough like JCM 800's for shredding. Amp is good for sounds and features but think about this:

On marshallamps.com, why is there no artist list like other amp makers? What pro do you know who uses a JCM2000? And why hasn't Marshall released another all tube amp (or revisions/upgrades like Mesa does) since the JCM2000's in the late nineties?

It's loud as hell, never turned it past 7 on gain channels with active EMG's. Haven't changed the E34l JJ tubes for almost a year and still running strong. Haven't yet had any issues with the head itself, only footswitch. I recommend checking out new Mesa Stiletto.

1999

Well suited for blues and hard rock and some metal (the slow, heavy kind, not speed metal)

3 channel w/ unreliable footswitch (my FX button stopped working)

been using for almost 12 months at studio usually setting volume pot b/n 5 and 7 on gain1 and gain2 and 10 on clean

you can bias this amp yourself (there are external tabs on the back of the amp) w/o opening the chassis

Lots of features, some useful, some not so useful.

I use TSL 100 for rhythm and leads for my hard rock/blues band. Effects I use are wah, phaser, whammy pedal, delay. Guitar is usually ESP EC-1000 STBC and American Strat with lace sensors. I have been using this amp with these guys for almost 12 months now. I used a lot of simple jazz chords and blues scale, Dorian mode a lot for leads.

Best clean of any Marshall (JCM 800, 900, valvestate) I've played and has plenty of headroom.

Reverb sounds very deep (I set that to 2 on dirty and clean, it's very strong).

Using JJ E34L output tubes with Electro Harmonix 12AX7's. Plenty of bottom end with bass boost button. Haven't changed tubes for almost 12 months.

Amp gives good controlled feedback (don't max out the gain, I set mine to 7/8/9) with my 4x12 1960a cab.

Footswitching is clean (no popping sounds like Mesa's).

Crunch channel is my favorite although it doesn't sound exaclty like a JCM 800 (not as crunchy).

Lead channel doesn't sound much different (probably some more gain and compression added) than crunch channel. I turn the volume up on this channel as a solo boost.

Clean has a decent amount of headroom to compete with a 1200 watt Ampeg SVT-4 bass without micing my 4x12 1960a cab.

Effects loop is good and there is an effects mix pot.

Preamp doesn't respond as well to wah as my JCM 800's.

This amp is more bass/mid oriented whereas the JCM 800's are more treble-oriented. This is a major difference.

Does not respond as well to pick attack as JCM 800.

Unable to play thrash/speed metal (e.g. Master of Puppets) cleanly/easily with this amp. The cheap transformer(s) or something else seems to cause the amp to not be ready for the next notes. My Mesa Road King blows away this amp in the thrash category.

Overal as far as sound is concerned for most purposes, this is a pretty good amp.

Marshall is very poor nowadays in terms of reliability. Two examples specifically regarding this amp to substantiate my (and others') claims.

1) footswitch FX switch stopped working after several months. Bought two more as backups from ebay.

2) my amp tech at Ampcrazy in Hollywood said that the output transformer for another client had blown when the guy played using only the clean channel with volume at 10 and gain at 10. He replaced the output transformer two more times and they both blew as well. The guy switched to JCM 900 and it blew as well (900's and 2000's use the same part for the output transformer). He now replaced the JCM 900 output transformer with a Fender one which is what Mesa uses in their amps. I have run my clean at volume=10 and gain=6/7 for about 12 months with no issues.

I have also heard about volume fluctuation problems from an acquaintance with the TSL 100. Be very wary. Marshall is making money from their name, not quality anymore.

This amp is definitely not worth $1499 new. I bought mine for $850 used and have spent $80 more for two NOS footswitches.

Only reason I'm still using it is the bass player really likes the sounds. It's also the only 3 channel Marshall other than the 6100 which is very similar in terms of features.

No experience with Korg.

Playing 13 years. Own three JCM 800's (the split channels!) and a Road King and a few guitars.

If the output transformer dies on me, I'll have it replaced and sell the amp on Ebay. Footswitch is a great idea (FX loop on/off is a great feature rather than turning on/off all effects one-by-one). But I already had a problem with the FX switch on the original footswitch.

This is a great rehearsal amp, but I would be afraid to use this for a live performance. You'll end up embarassing yourself in front of the audience if the footswitch craps out or the output transformer (or other internal component) craps out. Bring one or two backups.

I'm thinking about replacing this with a Mesa Tremoverb with EL-34's but not sure it will have the same sound and crunch the Marshalls have. The Mesa Road King is very good as well but is too complicated for most users.

I definitely would not purchase this head for $1499 new. That's just a total rip off after considering the reliability/quality issues. It used to be $1749 on musician's friend.

Bottom line: buy this head and use it for rehearsals. Marshall quality and reliability has dropped significantly after the 1980's unfortunately. Damn shame for such a badass sound.

It's damn loud too with active pickups. Never have turned it all the way up yet (and yes, do use ear plugs!)

3 channel amp. Clean, Crunch and Lead. You all know this stuff.

The amp is versatile. It does every sound you'll need well and if it doesn't, you need external things like Graphic EQs and boosts etc.

Parellel FX loop which i don't like but it'll do.
VPR switch which turns the amp into around 30 watts - Very useful for bedroom playing.

I'm not a fanboy of Marshalls so i'll review this properly.

The clean channel is a bit sterile and bland. Compared to my old Plexi it isn't as 3D or warm. With a hint of reverb and chorus it's a great channel though. It won't break up easily unless you want it to.

Crunch channel will give you the Plexi through to JCM800 zone. I feel it isn't saturated enough for metal styles but better for classic rock. If you want metal sounds out of this, you'll need a clean boost infront of the amp to work it harder. Even then i prefer the Lead channel. In a band context though, the crunch channel is better then lead for rhythm guitar.

Lead channel will do some great lead sounds. Smooth if you want. It can also do nice distorted rhythm sounds when a graphic EQ is in the FX loop and a clean boost out infront of the amp. Once those two factors are in play, this amp's distortion is up there with the best. Mine sounds a bit like a H&K Triamp MKII but more Marshally. More growl and slightly darker. When turning off a clean boost, it sounds muffled and your ears will need to get used to it. With a clean boost the amp is tighter and clearer.


I'm using Ibanez guitars with Dimarzio pickups on this amp. The cabinet is a 1960A 4x12". It's very bright and ice picky so you need to turn the treble and prescence quite far down.


Overall, if does most styles well. Not perfectly as some one-trick-pony's, but it'll get you there. Very decent amp and with added pedals like a graphic EQ (or parametric) and a clean boost, this amp will come into it's own.

The footswitch sucks so always have a spare. The amp works well though.

People believe the amp is crap because it fades out and in when switching channels but that's to control the reverb. Rather then cutting off the reverb when switching channels like Mesa's and such, the Marshall retains it and fades out and in when switching channels thus ensuring the reverb doesn't overpower the other channel. I prefer the cut-off method of channel switching reverbs but at higher volumes this feature is barely noticeable.

As a note, put the lead channel on with moderate reverb and clean channel aswell. Hit a staccato chord and switch to the clean channel quickly and you'll hear the distorted reverb fade through to the clean channel. That's what i'm talking about

Never really spoke to them. If you live outside England it's a bitch but i live in England.

They were very helpful and nice about my Plexi though so i'm marking them high on this. However, if you live outside of England, you're screwed basically.

Great head. It'll do lots of sounds and is versatile. A great addition to anyone's collection and/or a great amp for beginners to tube amps (as it's rather cheap in England secondhand).

I would advice this over the other Marshall amps (Mode Four, JCM900 etc). Mode Four's were crap when i tried them out. Too digital sounding. The TSL slayed it.

I wish the TSL had my Plexi's clean as it sounds so much more 3D. Then again, with so much going on behind the amp's shell with all circutry i'm not suprised. If it was a one channel amp it'd sound warmer and 3D but then you wouldn't have the versatility. Overall, great amp. There's only a handful of "10" amps and few more "9" rated amps, so i'm giving this an 8

the most versatile amp Ive played.. it is a 3 channel amp which is getting pretty common now adays...this head has a variable damping switch when in it is good for lower settings...and I record my guitars direct and there is a xlr lineout with built in cabinet simulator that sounds amazing.Ive been around the simulator block (palmer ,ada (both so-so) and the awesome behringer GI-100..but this is the best I've ever heard.there is an output mute so the cabinet is quiet but channels sound only thru your near feild monitors. the footswitch is excellent and functions great despite some users complaints!? hard to understand why they couldnt read the manual..but I have a good idea. effects loop has 3 different configurations...this is a loaded head..like owning a cadillac.

Ive tried 5 other marshalls and this one can do all tones!!!when I went to buy a marshall head I didnt go in thinking about this head and didnt want to spend this kinda dough...I tried a dsl, 800,900,avt 150,mode4,and this one...thinkin Id be buying a jcm900 for sure I demoed all of them in the store and this is what happened:
I was using the identical guitar I play at home .(Jackson soloist)jb duncan in the bridge. clean I use my ssl-6 neck single coil and sounds really nice on the clean channel of the tsl (unlike some of the reveiws- I got a great clean sound)has a midboost that is cool.crunch sounds exactly like judas priest "another thing comin" lead sounds like gate 7 or king diamond "the eye" or opeth and early children of bodom. nice and thick distortion...a bit bright ...I love the tones of this because no matter what I play you can hear every note...even on alot of gate 7's speed riffs...so I plugged into the others and they all sound great but...they all pretty much do one dirty tone and a clean but the tsl does them all...I tried a krankenstein cabinet with this head which sounds totally different than the 1960a cabinet..you lose that marshall trademark sound like it wasnt voiced properly with that cabinet.I have the half stack tsl and it sounds mean and best of all when your picking your notes thru the scale you can hear every note.now some of these sloppy punks that come into the guitar shop thinkin they are all that and play all this "blurry tone" it is most likely because they cant hear their fuckups.(which you can tell by watching and laughing they do alot)..this amp is crisp.I play metal and like it heavy and melodic.you can definately hear when you fuck up. makes you a better player.... this amp IS awesome for metal...most people under 20 cant define metal anyway. they never were around when real metal was fresh.. you have to remember that your fingers and your guitar has alot to do with it...take your guitar down to test ...unless you find one in the shop the same as the one you play.you need to properly set up your guitar also...a duncan jb in the bridge likes to be close to the strings for nice distortion...have had 8 or 9 guitars with that pickup and all like it in the same spot 1/8" from string with 24th fret depressed.

don't imagine I'll have a problem..need to see the quality up close .it is built as well as anything..need to properly warm up your valves for a good minute before hitting the stand by and cant imagine if you follow the same habits that you'll have a problemnever had a problem yet

havent dealt with them

been playing for 16 years. I play a jackson soloist and a fusion both with jb's in the bridge, straight into the tsl 100. in the effects loop I run a t.C. electronic g major effects unit controlled by a rocktron midi xchange and the stock marshall footswitch for the channel switching.if it were stolen I'd run an insurance claim..I have theft insurance. I have a nice job, make lots of money and take care of my investments...get all dressed up for my career, come home ,xchange the suit for my metal shirt and white camo shorts...metal is in the heart,not judged by what you look like or what you drive.drive a mercedes and still crank my tunes with the windows down!!!I love eveything about this amp and hate nothing....I carefully selected it and this is my sound...try it out..maybe it isnt for you...maybe it is.To me it is the best amp I've ever play and exactly what my "dream tone" in my head sounded like before I heard this amp .it has everything I have ever wanted and when I heard it for the first time I fell in love....

3 Channel 100 watt head with 5 way footswitch. 4 x power valves and 4 x preamp valves. All said before..

I love the sounds you can get out of this amp - when it's working but more of that later. The clean channel is pretty good and holds a fairly clean tone even at high volume.

The crunch channel is sweet. It has a nice, thick punch to it which suits nearly all rock and heavy music. The lead channel has more than enough saturation for my needs and still holds tight as you rev it.

This thing has stacks of power. I use the matching 1960A cabnet and it easily drowns out our drummer.

Now, here's the drama. I've owned the amp for a week and have played it for a grand total of 45 minutes. The opinions mentioned above are from using the same amp - just not mine!!!

The first time I used it, it was fine, no problems and sound brilliant. The second, only two power values came on and got extremely hot to the point that I could smell them burning. The last time it seemed normal again but to be sure I took it to our local amp guru.

Anyway, all valves replaced and the bias maxed out on the cold side and it still won't stay stable. Bigger resistors before the power valves and it still won't stay stable. Anyway, my amp tech is now trying to speak with someone at Marshall for help.

In short, this amp will probably be reliable...when it's working!!

I'll have to ask the amp tech. He's been trying all day to get a response with none forthcoming. Hopefully for my sake that all changes.

How do you rate something that hasn't workied properly. They are a ferocious amp and I'm hanging out to get working.

2002 TSL 100 watt head, all standard three channels etc. I play in a pro gigging band and use the amp on average 4 times a week. The band I'm in play a range of covers from soul, rock, ska, blues to Punk. I use USA Fender Roadhouse Strat, USA Tele and a Godin ST1 and occasionally a semi accoustic into the clean channel. I also use the DI socket into our PA from time to time just to give a good spread of sound. The 4x12 can be very directional.

Its got a good clean sound typical of Marshall however I wouldnt say its warm. The crunch and lead channel get the most use. I back the volume off the tele a bit and get a nice rythm sound pump it up and hit the lead channel and it cooks. There's enough distortion for me. The only pedals I use is a line 6 delay modeller with the tube echo warms it all up a fraction and a Jim Dunlop cry baby. I also own a 50w DSL and I would say the distortion on that is a fraction warmer, I think this is because its a 50 you can get it cooking at lower volumes.

Rock solid only problem I've had is the strap handle's falling apart. ie the rubber coverings coming of the metal strap, otherwise great. I never leave it in the car or van overnight as I fear it might get damp and I try and leave it for a good 1/2 hour after use before I move it to let the tubes cool down. Changed the EL34's after about 2 years and will change the 12ax7's in the not too distant future but thats valve amps.

Never had cause to use em, however there Head office is 50 miles from me so not a problem. They also give 3 year warranty in the UK.

Yep if it was nicked I'd replace it I wont be selling it. I've tried other amps Mesa, Vox and Fender and IMHO you cant beat Marshall. They aint subtle.....