Marshall JCM-2000 TSL 100

Three channel 100 watt all tube amp - purchased 3/2000. Clean, Crunch and Lead channels w/reverb and FX loops, all of which can be selected from the provided footswitch. All channels have a "deep switch" (lead/crunch are shared) which adds a low end resonance, and the clean channel also has a "mid boost" switch. The Lead/Crunch channels have a "tone shift" pushbutton that scoops the mids - great for metal, at least at bedroom volumes (more on this later) This amp does not fall short on features, and certainly did not leave me wanting. Features is a solid 10.

I tested this head with a Les Paul Custom and Marshall 1960a 4x12 cab. Now, here is where it gets tricky. For the past few months, I have been torn between this amp and a Mesa Dual Rectifier 100 watt. I love the Mesa for high gain apps, but the clean channel is horrible and regardless of how versatile some folks say it is, the different settings on the Recto are all variations on the same sound (albeit one GREAT sound). When I tested the TSL 100, I was blown away by the clean sounds. When people say its the best Marshall clean ever, they are not kidding. In fact - it could easily hang with a Fender Twin or Rivera. And its super versatile. By tweaking the Gain, Volume, mid boost and deep switch, you can easily dial in everything from fat jazz tones to Hendrix or SRV. The Crunch and Lead channels are voiced similarly, with the Lead having more gain and higher compression. When tested, it was at moderate levels, and I simply loved what I heard. Very crunchy and "live" sounding - similar to early Van Halen. Hitting the "Tone shift" button gave me a similar tone to the intro to Ozzy's "I dont know" The "deep switch" adds low end thump and the eq is very interactive - one small tweak of a button yeilded another radically different sound. I liked it so much I took it home and later took, it to band practice. Here is where the trouble started. At moderate levels, this amp sounds fabulous, but at band volumes, the whole shape of the sound changed. Gone was the tight, crunchy gain, replaced by a grating, brittle, thin sound, lacking big time in the low end dept. I tried everything from turning down the gain, to adjusting the tone controls - nothing could save it. I found I had to turn the gain down to about 12 oclock to prevent it from squeeling like a banshee - this made the sound even thinner. A total failure at loud volumes in my opinion. On the other hand, the Mesa loses nothing, and actually sounds better the louder it is. This broke my heart - tommorrow it goes back to the GC and will be exchanged for the Dual Recto. I give it a 6, mainly because of the clean channel. Perhaps this head would be great for recording - but at concert volume....no way.

Not impressed. The first TSL head I auditioned at GC was defective. After trying a working model, I took that one home while GC ordered me a new one (the one I took home originally was an opened box - customer return) I played with it for a few days, and when my new one came in - I took it home and hooked it up only to find that it sounded quite different from the last one!! This was not my imagination, there is a definite inconsitancy between TSL's, which means Marshalls QC sucks. The head most likely was not biased correctly, which may be why it sounded so crappy at band practice. But for $1300 bucks, I dont have time to screw around and test a whole bunch. Again - it actually hurts me to write such negativity, as I have been a Marshall enthusiast for 25+ years.

Never dealt with them.

Its a shame - this could have been the best amp I ever owned. Versatility is second to none, and that clean channel is simply wonderful. But due to the radical degradation of the Crunch/Lead channels at loud volumes, I am forced to give it a low rating. If it was stolen?? As long as someone steals it after I exchange it for my Dual recto - I couldn't care less!

This is a three channel amp, each channel with seperate 3-way EQ, gain and master volumes. The clean channel has it's own reverb, effects loop gain and presence settings, while these parameters are shared by the crunch and lead channels. Since the clean channel is voiced differently than the cruch and lead channels - which are voiced similarly, if not identically to each other - this is logical and not a shortcoming to me. There are two effects loops which can be used as one master for all channels, or one dedicated to the clean channel and the other to both the crunch and lead channels together. I'd be happier with the ability to run one loop for the cruch channel and the other for the lead, since I don't really use the clean channel much. I find that I can get as clean as I want by running the gain low on the crunch channel. The end result is that while the tone is clean, it seems more 3-dimensional with more sparkle and "bristle", like the old Voxes (say a good AC-50). The effects loop configuration is the ONLY reason this amp gets a 9 instead of a 10 in the versatility department. There are mid scoop switches, deep switches and a virtual power reduction switch. (This is basically a fixed master volume in addition to the variable ones) There is also a real useful 5-way foot switch for channel switching, reverb and effects loop. There IS some solid state circuitry, but it's dedicated to the channel switching and the effects loops. Not a problem as I see it, since most effects are solid state anyway. Gone is the buzzy diode clipping of the JCM 900 series as well as a few others. This amp sounds like, and IS a tube amp.

I play two main guitars which allow me to get the best of both the Fender and Gibson worlds. My main style is a blend of blues, rock and old R&B. Aside from lots of guitar influences, the most obvious to the informed listener are Jimi Hendrix and early period Clapton with some Stevie Ray and Albert King mixed in. I can get any of those sounds, to a T, and then some. There is NO guitar sound (that I'd want to hear) that I can't get from this amp. None.

I've used this amp for 8 months now, and never had a problem. But I have to say that I baby it. I observe the standy switch rules, I never move the amp while the tubes are hot, it travels in a foam padded road case and I set it down gently (as if it were glass - and the tubes are) when I move it. After all, it's a delicate instrument. I also noticed right away that those tubes throw off a tremendous amount of heat, and I mounted muffin fans (that's right, plural) on the back grate to keep it totally cool at all times. (The holes are spaced perfectly so that you can just run 4 bolts through the fan and the grate without drilling or altering anything) I do not think that this amp would stand up well to the kind of unlimited abuse that the old point to point wired amps would, since it uses PC boards and similar modern construction techniques. On the other hand, the way I pamper it, it should last for many years. And even the old amps that were built like tanks had fragile tubes. We were just too stupid to know how to treat them properly back in the old days.

Never had to find out. Hope not to.

I give this amp a 9 for all the reasons above. If it were built like the oldies and still had all the features and sound that it has, I'd give it a solid 10. If it had the effects loops as I described, it'd get an 11. This is, without a doubt, the best sounding amp as well as the most versatile amp that I have ever played through in my 34 years of playing. I've had six Marshalls over the years, including original plexis and a 200w Super Bass. This blows them all away, and I don't care who argues that - I've HAD 'em. I've also had Fenders up the ying yang. Forget it, not even comparable. I've had Voxes, and THOSE are among the best amps in the world. One AC-50 came very close for sound, but this one is WAY way more versatile. It's got the vintage as well as the modern high gain sounds AND the features and flexibility. This amp is *IT*. And if this amp were ever stolen, I think I'd sit down and cry. Yeah, I'd buy another one - if I had that kind of cash again!

Just one last thought here - a while back I was wondering if maybe I should have pickedthe combo version instead. That is, until I bent down to pick it up. Bending over to pick up almost 70 lbs from about a foot off the ground is a GUARANTEED back killer. Not me, thanks! Then there's the sound difference between the 4X12 and an open-back combo. For my money, a TSL100 head and a 1960A 4x12 cab are the way to go. You might have to make an extra trip to carry one more thing, and yeah, it's bigger.... but that's just for the 15 minutes you have to carry it. Then there's the 4 hour pay-off while you're playing, if you were bold and went for the gusto!

This is the 3 best amps I've ever owned rolled up into one. Each channel has it's own tone controls. There is also a seperate presence and reverb for the clean and crunch/lead section. 5 button footswitch takes getting used to. Instead of push-on, push-off channel switching you push a seperate button for each channel.

The clean channel goes from nashville clean (no thanks), warm jazz (getting warmer), Little Wing expressiveness (much better) to old time blues. The crunch channel is the classic Marshall. The one us metalheads wish had just a hair more gain. Can be used from clean to Guns and Roses with the gain control, very good sounding. I use this channel 80% of the time. The lead channel has the gain we all wish the JCM 800's had without sacrificing NOTE DEFINITION! The distortion does not "mush out" or compress, so dynamics are preserved. If this is not enough gain-have your sensory perception checked.

So far so good, been gigging with it for six months now. Always carry a backup (JCM800 2205),but mainly because it has the same type tubes. I've used Marshalls since I've been playing, and in 13 years of semi professional playing, the only problem I've ever had is a bad EL-34 (in another Marshall), fixed in 2 minutes.

Never dealt with them, all my other Marshalls were purchased used.

I tried out just about every other amp on the market (Boogie, Soldano, Laney, Peavey, ...) I have also owned several of the former, Nothing makes a guitar come alive like a Marshall. I play primarily a Gibon SG, and I'm able to get match tones on the cover songs we play, and I get an MY sound on our origionals. This is the second most expensive amp I've ever owned (the first was SOLD). When you think of it as 3 amps, the price isn't that high. I've seen 1 channel 30 watt "boutique" amps costing twice as much.

This is just an amendment to my previous review (see the review submitted on 01/29/00)
I have since traded my original TSL for another one, fresh out of the box, and have discovered that the lead channel is totally useable on my new amp! This either says that there is an inconsistency in the amp's manufacture, or that my 1st amp was wonked, because I bought it off the floor of the shop and who knows what had been done to it before I got it. I strongly suggest that you make sure that you are the 1st one to use your amp if you buy new, or try to compare a few side by side...I now have an amp where all 3 channels have that heart-soaring effect!

I just bought the TSL 100 JCM 2000 because I've always loved Marshalls but my playing style demands an amp that sounds great clean. This is the 1st Marshall that does eveything I need an amp to do. The footswitch is great, and I especially like the volume ramping between channel switching, which cuts down on accidental pops.
I find that every feature Marshall has put into this amp was well thought out; all the buttons and knobs are usable at some point, even if it looks like they went overboard at first. I needed an amp that had separate EQ for each channel, and didn;t want to be limited to one effects loop. Very simply, I love playing through this amp. Controls are well laid out and well thought out, and this thing is versatile without trying to be everthing to everyone.

I'm using a custom-built guitar which I can describe as a cross in feel between a Patrick Eggle Berlin, a Les Paul, and a Strat (it has a Fender scale length but a much more solid vibe). I never use a bridge position pickup so this guitar has one Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates in the neck position. The tone control is wired so I can tap the 2 coils and dial in exactly how much of the 2nd coil I want to hear.

My experience with this amp so far has me favouring the Crunch channel with lower gain settings. The Lead channel I immediately found had too much fizzy distortion to be usable unless I rolled off the volume pot on my guitar, which I don't like to do. I feel that the Lead Channel should be an extension of the Crunch channel, rather than a completely different voice. I am actually considering modifying the circuit to mimic the Crunch channel so I can have 2 Crunch channels with different gain settings. The Lead channel also slices through with much more high end than I like (I definitely like warm and dark over bright and saw-your-head-off high end), whereas the Crunch channel is perfectly warm and a joy to play through. The Clean channel is also extremely usable, and the transition between the Clean and Crunch channels feels much more natural than the leap from Crunch to Lead.
To my ears, this amp sounds the closest to what I want to hear. I don't like Fenders or Mesa Boogies, and prefer a rounder, more natural tone where I can hear the sound of the actual guitar. Because Marshall went back to EL34s (for a while they were using 5881s and I think 6550s for the North American market, which made them sound like crap in my opinion) this is a much warmer, more "vintage" sounding amp. The distortion curve of an EL34 is much smoother than those favoured by many American amp makers, and gives a Marshall (and a Vox, among others) that particular tone I love. So it blows away any JCM-800s or 900s from the 80's and 90's. I'm using it with a 1960a cab with 75watt Celestions and it sends me to heaven every time.
I give it an 8 here because the Lead channel needs serious UN-hotrodding for my taste.

No problems so far. I've never played a gig with a Marshall and worried about whether or not it was going to make it; I've always found them dependable. I believe a lot of other players would benefit from NOT rolling the heads in on top of the cabs, because you're jostling the hell out of the tubes, which are just about as delicate as light bulbs.

I find practically any places I deal with these days have staff that don't know anything. When I was buying the amp, the salesperson didn't know what an EL34 was, nor did he know anything about the amp. I've never dealt with Marshall directly, or the company in canada who is responsible for distributing them. So this is N/A.

I've been playing for 16 years, and my rig previous to the TSL was a Marshall JMP1 with a tube poweramp and some rack effects and 2 cabs so I could get a great stereo sound even in small clubs. The TSL quite frankly blows away my old setup. I was never happy with the JMP's sound and it all felt too contrived and stale. The TSL has rocketed me back into the great feeling of playing through a fantastic, powerful amp that can really shake the place. I'd buy this amp again in a heartbeat if they did something to the Lead channel. The Lead channel is the thing that keeps this from being everything I wanted - it's too metal for my taste, without allowing for the natural distortion that would occur at higher volumes. Even with the Gain down at 1, it doesn't give me the feel I'm after, because the lower Gain setting emasculates it but doesn't clean it up. The Crunch channel rules, having way more body and much more usable gain. If I want that way-too-distorted sound, I'll use a pedal; I don't want my amp sounding like a buzzsaw unless I'm pushing it over the top.
But it's the Clean channel that made me buy this amp, because it sounds better and is more responsive to my guitar playing than any other amp I've tried (and I've tried everything I can get my hands on over the years). The JMP setup simply didn't have a usable clean sound, Voxes don't have near enough power, and Fenders are way too brittle for my style of playing.
Basically, I love this amp, but find the Lead channel almost unusable except in very specific situations. So overall it gets an 8.

A complete disillusion. When I bought it (after of waiting a year to save enough money to afford it)I though: It's the best amp that there is out there (at least that's what they say in the stores). When I turned it on: where's the distortion???? I don't know much about amps but I do know what distortion looks like! All that I can ear (with the gain on 10 and the volume of the guitar on 10) is a little overdrive. I don't know what's wrong. The guitar is a Gibson Les Paul(no problems).
I have a good guitar cable (no problem here). With my other amp (Ibanez 5) I had really distortion. Maybe its a tube but I don't really know. I've had it for a year and it sounds the same since I bought it. Since I don't understand much about amps (I just plug the guitar and play)I thought it was normal because I only play it at home with the VPR on. But now, I've cranked it and the problem is still there (just a little overdrive on the lead chanel and a almost clean sound on the crunch chanel). But now its too late: the warranty has already gone. Sometimes I ear a strange noise (a kind of a hummm) coming from the amp. I had to buy a Zoom 505 to have good distorted sounds from it.
Well, I'm gonna take it to the store and see what's the problem (if there's any) and I know that I'm gonna have to pay to fix it (it came when I bought it but I thought it was normal).
The clean sounds are very good but I didn't bought a Marshall to play clean!

I only play at home but I wouldn't depend on it. I wouldn't even take it to a gig: I can't take the sounds I want from it so why should I take it?

I submitted the review a couple down. A week later here is my review: Punch the VPR button and then turn it up!

The Clean channel is GREAT. More Fender than a Fender and with BALLS! The Crunch channel sounds very tight and nice. Turn the gain to 11 or 12:00 then crank the master to 2 or 3:00! Turn down the treble, crank the bass, mid's about halfway, presence aound 10 and you'll get it! The lead works great with your gtr tone knob turned down. Carlos Santana lives! Gain all the way, master at 10 or 11:00.

Checking into the lag between the clean and crunch channels when footswitching. Could be a bad relay.

Great, GREAT amp! I posted my other post too soon. Typical one day disgust. Play and play with this amp. ALL knobs have a bearing on your sound, even the smallest turns. I use a 1960 slant and am going to check out the all Vintage and/or Greenbacks!

Bought new 12/1999.
For a list of features, see all the other submissions. As far as, "Does it have the features I need?", Yes it does. I started off with the DSL 100 because the salesman told me, based on my description, it was exactly what I was looking for. And it was, as far as sound. After playing with it a while(the DSL), I found myself spending way too much time tweaking the EQ when switching between Clean, Crunch and Lead. The foot pedal was very limiting(2 switches) so I took it back and got the TSL 100. I am extremely pleased with the features of the TSL. I have been looking for a verrrry long time for an amp this versatile. One that enables me to go from clean to blues to scream.

The 25 watt switch is very helpful and has no loss of sound quality.
The footswitch has Clean, Crunch, Lead, Reverb and FX loop. Some have noted the footswitch has crapped out on them. Mine seemed to sometimes want to stay in crunch. I found that by showing it who was boss, by stomping hard on it a couple of times:>, it no longer exhibits this problem.

Ok, this is where this amp shines.

For note, I play a Tele Plus(Three Gold Lace Sensors.)
My style of music ranges from Clean Surf/Rockabilly to Blues(Allman Brothers, Cream, etc.) to Santana, Mountain, Hendrix.
I am playing through a Marshall 1960A slant cab.

CLEAN
Do you want a FAT, clean, shimmery Fender sound. It's got it. It sounds more like a Fender than a Fender does. I bought the Fender Custom Shop Dual Professional trying to get this sound. While the Dual Pro sounds good in it's own right, this Marshall beats it by miles in both sound and versatility. The reverb could stand the option to let you get more of an "in your face, deep surf" boingy sound but it really is pretty darn good. If you crank it, you can get that boingy thing going. Very warm and smooth reverb.

What is so ultimately cool about this amp is it's versatility. While the clean channel can sound like a Fender, by tweaking the EQ and Gain you can get all types of sounds. For example, if you follow Marshall's suggestion and set the Mid punch to ON then flat the Treble and Bass and crank it up, and I mean crank it up, you can
get that sweet, full violin like sustain without distorted harshness.

CRUNCH
The crunch channel is superb at any volume. I like to set the crunch gain at about 12:00 and the volume a little below. This way I can play clean chords and by laying into the strings, a nice warm tube distortion follows through.

LEAD
I have read some reviews where they said the lead channel sounds like a buzzsaw. Well, there's basically two reasons for this:

1. You have the volume too low and the gain to high. While this amp does everything it can to sound good at all levels, which I think it does very good, you are NOT going to get that true Marshall sound with it turned down to bedroom levels. Crank it up and try it (Go to the bathroom before you do though.:>)

2. You have the speaker/amp ohmage mismatched. Make sure that, if you have an 8 ohm cabinet, the amp is set to 8 ohms output. Though this is not necessarily the cause it will certainly contribute.

This amp will definitely amplify anything wrong with what is put into it. If you have a crap axe, you will hear it. As a matter of fact, I didn't realize that I have an electrical problem with my Tele until I plugged into this amp.

As far as noise, it is very quiet. With gain set high you get hum and hiss but I really think this is being caused my Tele. If I unplug and crank the gain on any channel, it is very quiet relatively speaking.

I hate distortion boxes and I knew there was an amp out there that doesn't need that junk to sound good. Admit it, after all, the only reason we use a distortion box is to get that amp distortion because your amp dont got what it takes. Why do you need one if your sweet tube amp does what it's "supposed" to do.

PS: I really wanted a combo cause I didn't want to lug around a head and cabinet. I tried the TSL 100 combo. Sounds like kee-rap. The way this head and cabinet sounds make it worthwhile for toting.

I really haven't had it long enough to say how reliable it is. But I have this feeling it could be very dependable. The first one I got squealed like a pig when I turned it on. Took it back and got another one. DO NOT LET GUITAR CENTER SELL YOU ONE IN AN OPEN BOX. Those crums will sell you one that someone brought back because there was a problem. If at first it is not evident, I guarantee you that eventually you'll find something wrong somewhere. I think from here on out I'll try my stuff at guitar center or mars and then buy it online.

I am so very pleased with this amp. So much so that I finally sprung for a TC Electronic G-Force. Coupled with the second amp I added for stereo, this setup is everything I believe anyone would ever need. I can't speak for Metal type music but my brother in law played through it and he is a big Kiss fan. He loved it.

Sorry I have rated this thing so high in all categories but I have been really depressed over finding the right amp for so long, and I knew it had to be out there somewhere, that I am just very elated. I have had this amp over a month now and my feelings have not changed. I just can't stop playing it. It's kind of scary in that it's almost obsessive.:>

While this amp is very expensive, it is worth every penny. It applies perfectly to what you get is what you pay for. If you can't afford one, pawn your wife's wedding ring. She'll get over it. And if she doesn't, you'll always have this amp to keep you warm and comfy:>

As everyone has stated, it's a great amp but the footswitching between the 3 channels is NOT instant. It takes a valuable second or more to achieve the true switch. My TSL60 switches fine. I wonder what's the problem???

Also, the TSL100 is very bright and the distortions are a little to brittle compared to the TSL60. Must be the tubes???

Tech support is hard to get. Unless you want to call England, there's no place on Korg's website that even mentions Marshall!

See above.

I was shocked how different the TSL100 is from the TSL60. I really wanted it to work - as a better TSL60. But I find the TSL60, at this point, is more versitile. Please e mail me with some answers!

SEE below

Here I'll add my ten cents worth. I took this head for 3 days and intended to gig it but I A/B it with my 30th anniversary head and it didn't come close!!! The 30th head uses shit loads of preamp tubes and this has 4!!!! no wonder!!!!!
It sounded OK but like a guy said below, it uses to few tubes and s*it transformers. Why do you think marshalls up to the 800 era sound so good!! The anniversary has good transformers so why the hell have marshall changed a winning recipe.
Anyhow at the end of the day the tsl falls short on the tone stakes and you really need to give them a run out (ie gig or rehearsal) to here the short falls.
I'd recommend if you need a versitile amp and want the marshall tone get the 30th anniversary. It's the best they have ever made (they don't make them anymore though!!!)

I've never had a problem with any of my marshalls though a friend had the 30th anniversary and it developed 16 (yep 16!!) dry joints.

I've just the marshall service centre in the UK and they are really cool. I've also used there parts line and they were pretty good. Though i guess like the guys in the UK who have problems with boogie amps have shit loads of hassle getting them fixed so do guys in the US with marshalls

I'd give the TSL a miss and hunt down a 30th anniversary. Though it is horses for courses so you should really give one a try. Alot of guys like them on this site so there must be something to them.
I'm just disappointed that marshall bring out a 3 channel amp at a resonable price and find they don't match up to a model they made in the early 90's!!! Boogie seam to have it right with the nomad you would think a company like marshall would improve on a product. I think they have missed the boat on this on and instead given us a poor mans anniversary.