Marshall JCM-2000 TSL 100

My amp was acctualy a triple super lead Combo 122 made in 1998, although turned it into a head, mainly because of the overheating problems (it got REALLY HOT) on the combo version. This amp has 3 channels switchable by a 5 botton FS, all 3 chanels have their own independent volume knob, 2 efx loops switchble , DI Output, 25 mode operation (VPR), DEEP switch for clean and OD, spring reverb, 4xel34 in the power section and 4x12ax7 preamp section.

I use this amp with a 97 Fender Strat MIM with a vintage giovanni pickups set (really good), as well as my Ibanez artcore AS. I plug it into a DIY Toneark closedback 2x12 using the speakers that were in the combo (1x celestion vintage; 1x12 celestion Heritage) IT sounds AMAZING!

Clean - You can read by a lot of user reviews here, that the clean in really good, in my opinion the best clean marshall made so far (never heard the JVM's yet), I play jazz and who would ever thought that I would like the ssound of a TSL HIGAIN TUBE MARSHALL HEAD while playing jazz:D but it's true:)

Od(crunch) - by putting the controls at 12:00 and messing only with the gain knob you can get from jtm45 to jcm800 tones. it clean up great, great sound from clapton to jimmy page, Hendrix,G&R, it goes on and on great marshall TONE

Lead- this is in my opinion a JCM800(2003) hot rodded,if you max the gain knob and turn the "tone shift" ON, you get the Heavey, REALLY heavy modern tones that I personaly dont like that much

I dont rate this amp a 10 cuz of the Efx loop it's kindda noisy.

Exept for that this the most versatile amp i've owned.

No problems so far:)

I posted this review cuz i've heard and read so many people saying bad things about this amp, I thing it's not fair, first of all this is a TUBEAMP, so you have to takecare of it:) 2?? the speakers and cabinets that you plug you amp into are 40% of your sound, 3?? if you have a good guitar and you can play it!!! IT will sound good, there is no way that this is a bad sounding amp, dont expect a MESA, or a orange, if you want a MESA tone BUY A MESA!!!!

I'm a jazz guitarist but I also play pubs, rock, funk, this amp does it all
I've been playing for 15 years now, i've owneed:

Marshall JMP 2003
Fender Bandmaster
Marshall JCM 900 2100 SLX
Marshall JCM 900 4100
Marshall JTM 600
Sovtek MIG 100
it goes on...

I can tell you that this amp is the most versatile amp i've owned and played, I how never traide it for a MESA Dual Sha la la ;) no offense, MESA builds great amps, but no way this amp is worth less than a Dual Rec.

ps- sorry about my english:)

greets

3 Channels with pre & post gain for each is great if you need a bit of diversity. The tone shifts and mid boost can give you variations on each channel if you desire. this was enough for me!

I'm rating mine after it has been modified with some simple tweaks. Stock i'd give it a 7, but after some adjustments this amp can shock a lot of people who are negative to the TSL100.

I'm running Mercury Magnetics output transformer and choke, and brought values in the circuit to reduce the fizz & high treble that is common on the DSL & TSL amps

I'm a bit of a Marshall whore and also own a 2203, DSL50 & JCM900 50w SLX (Very underated amp!!) The TSL has that more modern sound in my opinion and is very useful cutting through on stage. Don't waste a 100w valve amp for bedroom use only, turn it up, use the tone network to your liking and theres a large variety of Marshall flavoured tones to be had.

I think a 7 is fair here. Marshall's JCM2000 line has suffered from some reliability issues that were eventually sorted out. Still They (The 2000 series) don't rival a Mesa in terms of quality, which really is a shame.

Of course there will be duds floating around and also people who just don't like it (Hence the neg reviews) But honestly if you have a good example, biased correctly with decent valves you should be fine.

It's a great amp that can be had for a very cheap price on the second hand market. Try one, if you dont like it you can always piss it off to somebody else.

2004 all valve 100 watt amp powered by 4xEL34's and 4x ECC83's, made in good old blighty.

I play in two rock covers bands with the odd blusier and poppy numbers thrown in and this amp covers the styles I need easily.

The amp has three channels (clean, crunch and lead) and is footswitchable as is the reverb and FX loop. Each channel has a 3 band EQ, gain and volume control. The clean channel has a mid boost button and the 2 drive channels have a shared mid cut switch. The master section has two sets of controls (one for clean and the other for the 2 drive channels) which include presence, FX mix and reverb.

This amp features two loops. One is a master loop for all channels and then dependant on how you wire the loop, it can be made assignable to only the clean or only the drive channels. Both loops can either be paralell or serial dependant on the FX mix. It starts as a paralell loop and if you turn the FX mix all the way to 10, it becomes a serial loop. On the back of the head, there are various extension cab options and a DI socket. The front also has a power reduction button to take the amp down to 25 watts and a silent record button. As for features, this amp has loads and if you need anything more this is surely getting into the realms of overkill!

I use this amp for gigging and rehearsals and both the 4 and 5 piece bands I play in (one of which is very loud), there's more then enough power. Marshall 100 watt heads are built to fill stadiums.

I mainly play with a 1958 Gibson VOS guitar loaded with Burstbucker #1 & #2 pickups playing mainly hard rock. This is obviously a very classic rock and roll setup and it's easy to see why this is so popular as it the Les Paul and Marshalls were virtually made for each other and sound awesome. I run this amp into an Orange PPC412AD 4x12 cab loaded with Vintage 30's at gigs and into an Orange PPC212OB for rehearsals, again, loaded with V30's plus various FX both up front (tuner, wah, tubescreamer) and in the loop (chorus, reverb, delay, tremolo).

As for other styles of music, as before mainly rock, blues and some pop and this amp covers those styles with ease. Being a 3 channel amp that goes from mild to wild, whilst it might not be the best amp for say country music, I'd dare say you could get a decent enough country sound out of it it you tried.

The clean channel is very good by Marshall standards, it's never going to be a twin but there's a decent amount of headroom and nice clean sounds can be obtained very easily without the amp breaking into overdrive if you keep the amps gain under half way.

The two drive channels is where this amp is really at. The crunch channel can go all the way to a very high gain sound and the lead channel even further beyond. There's so much gain in the crunch channel that I use it all of the time for my rhythm stuff and really just use the lead channel with pretty much the same settings and a higher volume for soloing.

Unlike most Marshalls, the gain on the drive channels is very smooth and VERY thick and doesn't have the horrible fizzy distortion of say a DSL whilst still retaining that very strong mid range sound that Marshalls are known for. One thing I will say, whilst this amp can cover right up to metal, some people moan it sounds thin. You need to get the volume above 4 on the drive channel and crank those mids before it really starts to come alive.

For some of the tube "purists" who moan about Marshall and this amp specifically using diode clipping(and all of their post jubilee amps), what I can't understand about these idiots is that they'll say it's not a pure valve amp but then stick a tubescreamer or equivalent in front of their "all valve" amp to get that thick distortion but sit happy at night, on the assumption they have an all valve tone. Guys, wake up! Marshall are using the same diode clipping that's found in a tubescreamer, they've just built it into the amp instead! It's no less pure then your "all valve" amp and pedal in front.

I'm still going to rate this as a 10 as like the description of a 10, it sounds awesome, however, if there is one let down in this amp, it's the reverb, it's just very lack lustre so I use an EHX holy grail in the loop (FX mix set to 10 so it's running in serial) and that sounds awesome.

Had this about 6 months and gigged the hell out of it. I bought it used and the guy before me gigged it a lot. So far, touch wood, not a single problem. The known weakness on these amps is the footswitch but the guy I bought it from had 2 so he gave me both and I accordingly have a spare.

Would I gig without a backup? Never. I've owned a few problem amps in the past and always take a 2nd head just incase (currently a dual rec but about to get another TSL 100 head) the worst happens.

I always get my amps serviced regularly as I probably do in the region of 60 - 80 gigs a year with them.

Not with this amp but as a massive Marshall fan, I've owned so many of their amps down the years and have had numerous dealings with the factory direct (being that I am based in the UK fairly close to Marshall).

Every time, I have dealt with them, Marshall's service has been superb whether I ring them, drop them a mail or just order merchandise from them. I've even had a few freebies out of their parts department a few times! Marshall know how to look after their customers (well certainly in the UK)

I've been playing for around 15 years and I've owned so many amps including:

Mesa Dual Rectifier
Mesa F50
Orange Rockerverb
Orange Tiny Terror
Marshall Jubilee
Marshall 800 / 900
Marshall Slash
Marshall JTM
Marshall JVM
Fender Supersonic
EVH 5150 III
Hughes and Kettner Switchblade

Whilst a few of these amps might have had one thing it did better then the TSL, the TSL overall I personally found is a much more flexible amp and more akin to my needs and style.

I'm about to buy another one for backup but yes if this were lost, stolen or damaged, I wouldn't bother going out and trying other stuff again (I've been through so many amps anyhow) and I'd just buy another TSL end of.

The thing I love about this amp is the amazing drive tones that are easy to coax out of this amp plus the overall flexibility. I wouldn't wish for anything more on this amp

I had it one afternoon... Seems to be versatile, has a ton of knobs&functions, quite confusing if you ask me.
Best thing is the parallel fx loops (one per channel) but you have to use a 100% wet effects device to avoid phase problems.
Noisy, rumbles constantly even with new tubes installed.

Let me clear, this amp ain't sounding good at all. Very slim, no substance, no dynamics either, it is a shame for Marshall.
And it squeals like a slaughtered pig (tried 12 quality guitars) with the gain only on 6 and the master on 4 (box is a 412 good tempered).
Unusable IMHO.
Now, if you need to be heard in a band this amp delivers since it's relatively clear sounding (no bass on its own, since you already have a bass player in the band no problem) and you certainly find your niche in the band. And with 100 watts you don't need to push it too far, which is always a good thing.

BUT, it doesn't sound like tubes at all, we are far away from a simple crate V1512 in the tone quality and lushness (15 watts or not).
So it is a major disappointment I find.

For the good it does, it is reliable. According to forums the switching devices inside can act but overall it is quite ok.

I am happy not to own this. It seems my line6 spider3 has more character in some sounds (I mean the structure), sorry guys.
In fact this tsl is not a proper tube amp at all, it has far too much transistors and op amps inside, no wonder it sounds so poor.
If you can have one for cheap and the tone suits you, then match it with a bass-heavy box and you could enjoy it for some time. The 5150 cab seems a good match (the sheffield are lively speakers, very good and organic).
I would take a 2266 vintage modern any day instead of the tsl... No multi channel, but good tone. Choose your team, pal!

This amp is pretty damn versatile. I can play ska, reggae, country, hard rock, and metal tones very easily on this amp. the only amp I think might beat this amp in versatility is the mesa road king, the mesa roadster, and the marshall JVM 410. all amps I like a lot.

I use several different guitars on this amp and they all sound great for the proper application.

in ten years that I've had this amp, it has broken down on me one time. keep in mind that the only reason it did break down is because a "friend" use my amp which is mono on a marshall 1960 cab set in stereo.
the repair was covered under warranty and I paid nothing to get it fixed, and then I got rid of the friend.
in ten years I've replaced the power tubes three times and the preamp tubes twice, and this amp still sounds great, even though i never had it rebiased.
and yes, I know what a good amp sounds like, I've been playing for 20 plus years.
the only issue I've ever had on this amp is the foot switch. they break fairly easily, but I've gotten all mine as free replacements from marshall via the warranty. since the warranty is only for 5 years, I guess I'll have to buy my next one, but I haven't had one break on me in 6 years now. the foot switch problem is the only reason i give this amp an 8 rating.

marshall has always treated my right with dealing with warranty issues. In the US you'll have to go through Korg, who handles marshall's warranty issues, just keep your receipt with your amp, and any marshall repair guy should honor the warranty. at least my repair guy did.

I've read some of the bad reviews on the TSL 100 and I felt I had to get on here and defend this amp. I've owned this amp since 1999, and it has always treated me well. I've played through all kinds of marshalls, new and old, mesa's, fenders, etc. and I keep coming back to my marshall TSL 100.
I been thinking of getting a another amp, either a mesa boogie road king, roadster, or a marshall JVM 410. I think the mesa's are made better, but I don't like the crap load of tubes in them. and I've had bad luck twice now with a road king. I'm not one of those guys that want to bad mouth mesa boogies' , I just prefer the marshall tone a little more.
I wish marshall would step up a notch on there quality, like the older marshalls were. but over all I'm really happy with their products.

This is an all-tube amp built my Marshall in 2003.
I play mostly hardcore and metalish-type music, and this amp works well without any pedals.
There are three channels, Clean, Crunch, and Lead. I usually use the lead channel, and it works wonders, from shrill pinch harmonics to thumping palm muting that shake your body.
This amp has a deep switch, which is much like a loudness button on a stereo, and a tone shift, which scoops the mids. I use both features.
It has a spring reverb, which is quite subtle.

I use a homebuilt guitar with a basswood body and maple neck with a rosewood fretboard. My bridge pickup is a Seymour Duncan SH-6, and that is the pickup I usually use.
It is a little bit hissy when you turn up the volume all the way, but it's not really bad, and you don't notice it when you're playing.
The clean channel is very bell-like. It does break up when it's played at VERY high volumes, but I have found that its not bad until you turn the volume past about 8. If you want Fender cleans, get a Fender. Otherwise, the clean channel is fine for most anything.
The crunch channel makes a very good vintage sound, I can get sounds out of it that resemble old style surf music.
I usually play on the lead channel with the preamp gain at about 8 or 9. At low volumes, the amp does sound plasticy, but when it is turned up past about 2, it sounds quite natural. This amp has enough drive for hardcore music.

I have had the amp for about two months, and nothing has happened yet. Just like all tube amps, it will eventually need re-tubing and biasing.

Never needed customer support. The amp originally had a 5 year warranty. Routine maintenance is not hard to do.

I really like this amp. I also own a Marshall MG100hdfx. The MG's sound is tighter than the TSL's. However, I judge amps on how energetic their sound is. Running both amps through the same cab, the TSL sounds like a floored car, whereas the MG sounds like a car with the gas pressed in quite conservatively.
I would definately buy this amp again.

This amp is NOT for people who are looking for a sound other than a modern Marshall roar. It should not be looked at in the same light as a vintage amp.

2005 marshall tsl100 head.3 independant channels.all tube.wish it had dual master volumes but hey...i got boosters.

I play hard rock, classic rock and blues.i have a prs singlecut,prs singlecut trem and a us strat.
I have never liked marshalls..ill state that right away.ive owned Engl's, Mesa's, peavey valve stuff, fender etc etc etc.I record through a podxt as its just so easy but have used the marshall once or twice and got very good results.
Clean channel is good but not fender deluxe good
Crunch is great..blues through to angus and more
Lead channel is good but could get fizzy at high gain.....even though i use little pre amp gain and lots of power amp squeeze.
I replaced the tubes pre and power, with eh tubes..no mods..the result was fantastic.No more fizz just great power and clarity..even the clean sound is miles better.
I now have a higher regard for marshall although i wish they made em sound like mine out of the factory.I have thought about downsizing to a 50 watt combo but every week when i plug in and turn up i just smile.The other guitarist in our band uses a dual rec with a boogie cab and a gibson Les Paul, people cant believe that my marshall sounds as good if not better!!!
Bottom line : its the guitarist not the gear!!!! If I use his rig I sound like me....he uses my rig...sounds like him! If eddie van halen used my rig...he would still sound like eddie!!!!!!
Gear is only a minor part of your tone.Learn how to set your controls to find your tone.8 rating cos the clean channel could be better.

Gigged it every week for the past 12 months.Only problem has been the input for the footswith came loose...5 minute fix.
I dont throw it about,drop it or spill my beer into it so i dont envisage a problem apart from valve problems but i change them every year anyway.Wouldnt ever take a back up as Im only in a pub/club band not Van Halen and I have to carry it and set it up!

never needed to contact them.

For me this works...may not be the best amp in the world but after trying other amps ,Mesa,engl etc this one works best for me and i saved a bundle selling my powerball to buy this.
Each to his own i guess

Lots of features, you can spend years figuring it all out

Clean channel is great. Lots of overhead. Thick too.
Crunch channel is allright. Very thick. Usually sounds like 80's rock unless totally dialed in. I always thought it sounded like Def Leppord or something. That was not what I wanted.
The led channel is like Kurt Cobain...and is prettty noisy.
The amp sounds nice...but really, its kinda plain.

Ive owned this amp for 6 years. Ive gigged quite a bit. This amp breaks down in an expensive way atleast 2 or 3 times a year. Its totally complicated amp to work on and few people qualify to fix it. Ive had people try and mess it up more, or fix something that ends up breaking something else. So much trouble when it gives you trouble.

Oh yeah, dont use the footswitch unless you want to break it. And they usually cost atleast a hundred dollars to replace if you can find one

nobody wants to deal with a jcm2000 customer. Wait and see..

Its okay while its working. Its pretty versatile. Its sounds good, not outstanding. If your not gigging and moving the amp around a whole lot you MIGHT be okay, but theres so much going on inside this amp that when something goes wrong...and it will, it really goes wrong. Dont let just any dummy try and work on this amp.

What a piece of CRAP! I am a repair tech and one of these came across my bench. What poor quality, but I was most appalled by the abundance of undersized and even unnecessary components that fail and cause severe damage to the really cheesy PCB. The PCB were so thin I was afraid of breaking them getting them in and out. They flex terribly and this is the main cause of PCB failure. the transformer appear to be pretty small for a 100 watt amp. And the design is a nightmare to service. Get a real marshall like an old JTM or JMP hand wired or even the early PCB ones are mich better than this CRAP.

Really not so good. If you ever heard a great amp like a Trainwreck or early JTM or JMP, Fender tweed etc.

Very Poor. open your wallet.

emailed Marshall for support , NONE EXISTENT.

how low can you go. I can't believe all the high marks people are giving this. Maybe they have no experience with a great amp. Or Marshall's Advertising works as advertised. They should their money into making amps not ads.

What a piece of junk, very poorly made and a lot of under rated components. Had a shorted C14 cap( that is a small ceramic that bypassed a 22 uf 450vdc power supply cap. Took out the whole power supply. Thing is there is no need for this cap at all! The cheapo PCB is toasted and the traces are burnt. Got it fixed but for how long?

Never buy this amp, oh , it really does not sound that good.

so so, try a real marshall or a Trainwreck, or a vintage fender .

VERY POOR !

emailed Marshall, NO Response!

-1 , only a sucker work own one of these.

Anyone who has looked at this amp will understand the complexity of the many knobs and buttons on the TSL 100. I count 21 knobs and 9 switches on the front panel alone.

It has 3 channels, clean, crunch and lead, which is plenty for me, I rarely use the crunch channel. There are loads of small useful features like a 25% power mode and an output mute for recording through the DI on the back.

This was sold to me from a guy who rented amps like this, and he said it was too complicated for someone to use only once, so he had to sell if for something simpler, so this does make me think; are there too many features?

First of all, I noticed even in power attenuated mode that this amp is LOUD. I've had this amp for about 4 months now and I have never turned off the power attenuation switch. Even for gigs in medium sized venues it's got plenty of volume at 25%, so maybe if you're just playing at home I would go for a TSL60.

I really like the clean channel on this amp, you have to push it quite hard to get it to break up, but it's beautiful when it does. I like to take a bit off bass out of my clean channel because it can be overly bassy and this can ruin the nice high end of this channel.

The crunch channel does what is says on the tin; it has a nice crunch to it. I don't use this channel as much as the other two but it's the easiest to work with. It doesn't take much tweaking to sound great.

I use the lead channel the most and this is the most disappointing for me. I've spent so long tweaking it to a good sound, it should be easier than that. The gain has a nasal frequency to it that immediately made me take away the high end. After a few weeks I realised that this wasn't the way to go and understood the distortion works well in a mix, but not always on it's own.

However, when you crank up this amp this channel begins to sing and all plastic nasalness begins to fade away.

Overall this amp is very versatile and I could almost guarantee you that you'd be happy with this amp whatever genre of music you play.

I have only had this amp for 4 months, and of course there have been no real problems, but there have been a few small ones.

The footswitch:
The footswitch itself is built like a brick s*ithouse and will NEVER break, but the cheap plastic cable that comes with it will. The footswitch stopped working on me mid-gig which was incredibly frustrating, however it seems to work fine if I loop it through the handle of the amp before plugging it in, the pins may not be aligned properly or something?

Also, there is a loose spring in the reverb unit, and this rattles whenever you move the amp. There is nothing actually wrong with the reverb unit, it's just a bit annoying rattling away while driving to a gig, and was quite an alarming sound at first.

But as I said above, these are both minor problems and overall this amp has been rock solid, even second hand.

For a while I owned this amp without a speaker cabinet, and decided to try and plug it into the inbuilt speaker on my AVT combo. I wasn't sure if the impedances would match up so I emailed the Marshall Customer Suport, and they came back with an answer 3 weeks later that was barely related to my question and didn't help in the slightest.

I emailed another two times and got similair answers (one being "you should not connect the outputs of the AVT or TSL to anything other than a speaker"), so I emailed the guy I bought it off and he gave me the all clear.

So this rather long and strange story is to say that from my experiences with Marshall customer support they haqve not been helpful at all.

However, saying this I've had friends who've sent amps off to receive them a week later fixed.

Overall I do love this amp, I believe I got a great deal out of it for ??320, and I play on it a lot. The small disadvantages don't outweigh the advantages of this amp at all and it is great for me.

However, if it were lost or stolen I think I would look at purchasing a DSL100 as I don't use the crunch channel that much.

I think this amp would be better if the gain was a bit more toned on the lead channel. I am planning to buy a graphic EQ to put in front of it, and I shouldn't have to do that. I still adore this amp though, and would reccomend it.

I bought this amp used and it's a 2003. I believe the guy before me had it in a head case so it looks like it's brand new. I play alternative and heavy rock music and I find the amp versatile enough to get all the tones I need. I like the independent reverb per channel feature since I only like a lot of reverb on the clean sounds. The FX A and B I haven't really found a use for yet ... maybe I'll play around with it and see what I can come up with. I love the VPR switch but It defiantly deadens tone but at least you don't deaden your ears while practicing because it is pretty loud. Why is the actual cabinet so huge though? Ow well ....

I use a Gibson BFG and a BC Rich platinum mockingbird. The FX I use are a EB jr volume pedal and an EB wah in line. Through the send I used a Boss CE-5, PH-3 and a DD-7. I can make very small adjustments with the FX level on the amp which isn't possible with other amps ... It's usually on or off. Im running the amp through an Orange PPc412 so the vintage 30's RIP! at first I found this amp a little muddy but I turned down the bass and hit the deep switch which seems to be a frequency below the bass in this amp probably at the 150 HZ range. Im not overly fond of the clean tones in this amp but I've tweaked it enough that I've gotten the sound I'm used to. Overall I like it

Haven't had it long enough for it to die. I know the foot switch midi thing is crap because Peavey already showed the world how much they suck. My only complaint is why the hell does a $1500 amp have plastic jacks? ... what ever

Marshall in my neck of the woods is hard to deal with directly. I guess I would have to deal with grant rustle of Ericson Music. He's a cool dude ... Marshalls don't break down very often so I think customer service is gonna be ok

I love it

A three channel Marshall. Each with its own voicing. Spring reverb is great. Has a power reduction feature that works well for low volume situations. Separate tone sections for each channel. Quite a few other features you can read about on HC or elsewhere.

Sound quality is excellent. Use a Les Paul, the TSL 100 and a 1960 AV 4x12 cab with V-30s. With proper setting of guitar and amp settings the rig chimes. With the Les Paul volume not on max and the crunch channel gain not too high it chimes. The clean channel is awesome also. For each of the three channels the sound quality depends on amp and guitar settings.

With a Stratocaster the rig sound awesome with guitar vol maxed out. Again, time was spent finding the best (IMHO) amp/guitar settings for the tone I am looking for.

I'll give it a 9 if you spend time tweeking in the tone. You can get that Marshall roar and not destroy your ear drums if you work the guitar & amp controls for best tone. Especially on the crunch channel when strumming chords can make the distortion somewhat brutal if using a Les Paul and all guitar controls are maxed out.

Using either a Les Paul or Strat, the amp has very sweet harmonics, a signature of a good tube amp.

Yea, the footswitch and cable could be a bit more robust. Treat the footswitch gently as you should the amp. I have had no problems with the amp since buying it in 2005 but I take good care of my gear.

Took it in for a checkup at a certified Marshall amp shop. They were great but be careful about who you let work on you gear, just like a car. Don't like that you can't get a service manual for those of us who know how to work on guitar amps. Seems like a justification to get you to take it in for service like a car.

Awesome amp. You will have to spend time to tweek in the tones you like for each channel.

Many reviews list the features.

I have had this amp for 5 years now. I changed over from a Mesa Dual Rectifier. The mid range frequency response was the #1 reason...this amp punches through and sits in the mix very well. No competing with the bass for frequencies when you tune standard.

Using a cab with V30's is the ticket for the tone I like. responsive and thick. I bought and sold a 1960A cab quickly. Used it for a couple gigs, and the tone was just too thin and bright. While this could work in a 2 guitar band, I play and sing for a 3-piece and need that thickness.

I don't use the effects loop or the tone / deep switches. I run this amp into a Mesa Rectifier Traditional 4x12 cab with V30's. I ALWAYS keep a THD Hot Plate betweent he amp and the cab. This enables me to lower the stage volume when the venue requires it...without miffing my tone too much. At rehaearsal I always keep it at 4db of attenuation. And it's still LOUD.

The amp itself has performed thorugh at least 200+ gigs. With regular tube replacements (JJ's), I have had 0 problems with the amp itself.

But, the cord for the footswitch sucks. I cut it at both ends and ocnverted it to use a Cat5 jack (computer network cable). This has worked like a champ, with not problems afterwards. It's too bad they didn't set it up this way in the first place. AND...unfortunately there's not really any room in the chassis to add a jack cleanly.

I'm writing this review because this amp fricken ROCKS. You can get just about any tone you want out of it without pedals, tons more with.

The only thing I wish was a bit different would have been the ability to use a regular footswitch, instead of their proprietary switch with a daughter board and crapola cable.

I occasionally play with other bands that have guitar players that live on the internet, and all that it is. You have to play out to really understand how tone and all this stuff works. One time a guy saw my TSL and scoffed at it. Said I should have a Mesa head on the cab. I just smiled and said the TSL sounds great for me. After the show, he said he had no idea a TSl could sound so good. Doh!

I have been playing for 16 years, live for the last 8. I play a Les Paul into a Fulltone Wah, and that's it for the guitar rig.

Mine is an early production, 1998. These had some incorrect parts installed, and although I used and enjoyed it, the bias feed resistors on these early amps are 220K, instead of 5.6K!!!. My bandmates TSL always sounded better, until I discovered and corrected this anomaly. So that is MY FIRST TIP on these wonderful, versatile amps.
The second is to lower the value of the treble bleed capacitors on the crunch and lead channels. Yes, you may need a tech to do this, but you want classic bluesy rock tones, don't you? These are bright beasts out of the box. With the gain at about 6-7, a value of 100-220pf is a wonder to behold, compared to the stock value of 470pf. WAY too bright. Of course, if this cap is totally removed, it is the same as diming the gain...it is out of the circuit on 10. My bandmate plays a strat, and his are simply removed.
The clean channel has only a 100pf cap...and it sounds great from the factory.
I never use the reverb, or the effects sections. Although they are both more than decent.

Sound quality for my amp is rated AFTER the following simple upgrades. Without these upgrades, they can sound fuzzy, indistinct, and have a lack of "feel".
1. Upgrade ALL of the tubes. I prefer JJ tubes. Was a huge improvement over showroom stock. This is a MUST.
2. Put a Mercury Magnetics output transformer in. THIS IS NIGHT AND DAY. The stock unit sounds lifeless and two dimensional in comparison.
More chime, clarity, warmth, balls, crunch with growl, etc.
3.Put a Mercury Magnetics choke in the power supply. Not as huge as the tranny, but noticeable, with more feel and smoothness of tone.
4. Make sure that the treble bleed capacitors across the gain pots on the crunch and lead channels are lowered. They have 100pf on the clean(perfect)...but 470pf on the others. I ended up with 220pf. Way nicer and less biting with gain settings of 6/7.
5. Make sure, if you have an early production model, that the bias feed resistors are the correct value of 5.6K. I am not the only one to have discovered this....do a google search...
I use Marshall 1960A Vintage cabs, with two G12H anniversaries in an X pattern, and usually mic the G12H...
I also have a mint pair of older JCM800 2X12 1936 cabs with G1265's in them for rehearsals....
Both of these cabs types and speakers are hands down better (in every way) than the standard G12T75 cabs, especially with these heads, for classic rock tones. I am not a greenback fan with these higher gain amps.
These amps have all the gain you could ever need for any type of rock, other than modern metal...however vintage Judas Priest is metal, and these can nail that easily and more...
These aren't a "living room" amp. They sound great live, whether in a club or on a large stage outdoors.
My crunch/lead settings are Bass 12 o'clock, mids 12 o'clock, treble 9 o'clock, presence 9 o'clock. No mid scoop...ever...

I have played mine for over 8 years, with never a single problem....I do have an extra footswitch, but haven't had a problem with the footswitch in over 6 years of gigs....but then, I take care of it, and pack it well.

Never needed.

I am 50 years old. Have played over 35 years. I play a 1993 Les Paul Standard with classic 57 pickups. I also play a 1997 Lonestar strat with upgraded seymour duncans in all three positions.
I have played on stages with national acts, as well as casinos, private shows, and many, many clubs, like all of us old timers. I have owned the old school 50 watters back in the day, and they were great, unless you needed to play clean, or wanted to hear any of your solos.
I am still lucky enough to play in a busy (twice a month) traveling classic rock cover band. This amp makes it a joy to play. My bandmate also has one, and is thrilled, especially with the upgraded tubes and Mercury transformer. He plays a strat, and both treble bleed caps on the crunch and lead are clipped on his. Sounds better than great.
Considering the prices on these on ebay lately (some under $800)...spending another $300 on tubes and tranny would get you an unbeatable amp for classic rock and blues.
Nothing touches the lead channel on the ones I have...
Hope I helped someone to get the sound they are looking for....I love these amps, can you tell?

Has everything. 3 independently eq's channels, reverb, effects loop.

I can't say enough about the sound for this amp. I bought mine about 7 years ago and loved it. Well, I kinda grew tired of it and did not think it was a heavy enough amp for me. I bought a Peavey XXX and a Line 6 Spider III to try to get a heavier, more saturated tone. When it was all said and done, I sold those amps...and kept this. Sure, you can't get the heaviest tone out of this thing, but you can get a heavy enough tone and a great tone. This amp really is a great amp. The clean channel is really the best clean I have every heard. It is very warm and doesn't break up that much. The crunch channel is great for the classic sound and blues. And the lead channel has just enough punch to play any type of music. This amp is extremely versatile. If you don't think it's heavy or bassy enough, I learned a lesson a long time ago. A guitar and amp may sound good by itself, but it's how it sounds with a bass guitar, drums etc that really determines how useful it is and how good it sounds. In other words, if it's not heavy enough for ya, just take it to band practice.. You will be pleasantly surprised. This amp is very articulate and will be easily be heard and will not get mixed out. Trust me...this amp is the real deal.

I've had this amp for 6 years....never had a single problem. I haven't even replaced the tubes and it still sounds amazing.

N/A Never had to deal with them.

I can't say enough about this amp. I will never get rid of it. If it were stolen, I might consider getting the JVM 400, because it's more of the same just with another channel, but I love this amp. It sounds good for every time of music.

3 channels, presence and reverb controls are shared between crunch and gain channel, clean has its own set of controls. 2 FX loops with level switch so you can get pro rack gear or some foot pedal in there. deep boost button, mid scoop button on gain channels, mid boost button on the clean, 25-watt button

I've had it for like 3 months now, initially I bought a 1960A cab with it. I wish I hadn't done that. Last week I got a 1960AV cab with the vintage 30's and the difference in sound is unreal. It's like having a new amp. It didn't sound all that bad with the 1960A cab to start with, but I definetly recommend everyone to use v30's with this amp.

I'm running a gibson les paul standard faded through this thing.

All 3 channels are pretty awesome and extremely versatile. Clean channel doesn't stay clean if you don't want it to, does so if you want it. The gain channels provide pretty much every rock sound I tried to get out of it, ranging from slightly gainy to completely mid-scooped metal (I don't primarily play this genre so metal purists better try it first I guess). All the knobs are very sensitive and considering the tube nature of the thing, the amp is also very sensitive to your guitar settings, by which I mean you can almost get a perfect clean on the high gain channel if you turn down your guitar a lot.

The amp will sound quite different with different guitars. It didn't sound as good with a Jackson professional with hot rail pickups as it does with the bigson 'zebra' burstbucker pro's. It also will very clearly make you hear any mistake you make in a very defined way.

I could go on and on because I absolutely adore the versatile sonoric qualities of this amp.
Playing in a hardcore band and a rock/ska band this amp gives me all I need and then some.

I got it used and there was a buzz on the clean channel. After taking it out for a gig, this buzz disappeared and hasn't been back for over 2 months now (I own it 3). I can see what other people say, the foot switch is going to fall apart at some time, but mine is still in prime condition. Everyone who has bumped into this thing knows it... TANK! Take out the tubes and I'd be surprised if you can break it without resorting to tools.

no clue

Very versatile, very analog/organic, superb clean channel (not just for marshall imo), only thing I can really say is that this thing is the sh*t when attached to a Vintage 30 cab.

It took me a few months to get to know how it would behave when turning the buttons, so don't judge it after 5 minutes of yanking in the store and don't buy one with celestion speakers!!

TSL 100 has many features that other amps do not have. 3 independent channels, separate eqs for each channel, 2 different fx loops switchable by the footswitch, reverb, power reduction button, direct out for recording.
Certainly takes some tweaking, but once set it sounds incredible. Very versatile with 3 different channels that go from F*nder clean to over the top gain. Channel 1 is clean and can get old Marshall push or Fender cleans.
Channel 2 is JCM 800 and 900 crunch. Many different sounds can be achieved with this channel.
Channel 3 is gain drenched, I actually use this as a solo channel to get a little bit more drive, but boost the volume significantly.
TOO much amp for smaller clubs, but perfect for 500+ capacity venues.

Channel 1- Clean is very un-Marshallesque. Very impressive. Takes away from having to A/B Fender Twin and Marshall amps. Stays clean even when pushed.
Channel 2- Classic drive and crunch ala 800 and 900. Put about 6 on gain and crank. SOUNDS GREAT!
Channel 3- Searing gain and solos. AWESOME!!!

Unfortunately, this amp did not sound its best until I purchased a THD HotPlate for my rig. That made all the difference. This amp MUST be pushed to sound its best.

I play everything from classice rock to new pop and top 40 in a popular cover band. I use it with my Gibson Les Paul Classic, and Fender American Fat Strat Texas Special. Both guitars get THE rock and roll sound I need. I run the head with a 1960AV cabinet. THE MARSHALL SOUND that defined rock and roll.

I have not had any problems. I usually have my Line 6 Pod XT as a backup because I play at some of the top clubs in the country. You can't take a chance.

N/A No warranty as I bought it used. I've replaced the preamp and power tubes, helped warm up the sounds.

Great amp for my needs. Love the versatility. Does take some tweaking and needs a power soak to get the best sounds. Wish I had a 1960AC cab, sounds very warm when paired with this amp. But, my 1960AV sounds incredible as well. Would definately replace this head if something happened.

Same specs as listed in other reviews. This amp has more than enough features to dial in the marshall tone you are looking for. The XLR out for recording is great for scratch tracks and capturing your ideas, but if you are making a record, stick with a 57 you like and drop the power down to 25 watts.

Not only is this amp very versatile, it sounds amazing. Marshalls tend to have dirty clean channels, esp at louder volumes. This amp keeps the cleans clean. The crunch/lead channels avoid the brown sound and work very nicely with rack gear. In fact, you can run your clean channel through it's own FX loop, and the leads through another. This amp produces superior Marshall tones - if you are looking for a Mesa sound, buy a Mesa. If you are looking for a plexi sound, buy a plexi. This amp will give you a great overall marshall tone, and ample opportunity to let you make it your own.

I've had mine for half a year now, and it's been through at least a dozen big stage gigs. I hear bad things about the foot switches, but as long as you don't wind the cord around the footswitch (cord is VERY long), you should be OK. Typical reliable Marshall amp - it can fall off your cab during a show and nobody would know the difference.

I haven't had the need yet. I hear Korg is the US CS middle man.

I've played though a lot of amps. I hit up the music stores in my region weekly to play around a get a good feel for what different companies and different amps bring to the table. This is a great rock amp for guitar players that like the marshall sound. The three channels give you a natural clean / chunk / lead setup that reduces the number of pedals in front of you. The independent FX loops let you decide how to integrate your effects and your rack gear. The XLR out gives you an easy way to record your ideas w/o bleed in live jam sessions. The FX mix pots let you decide how much of your FX loop signal bleeds into your final output. This amp was though out very well. You get what you paid for.

Very versitile amp. 3 Channels. Its been discussed many times over so no need. 3 Channel ROCK amp.

Excellent sounding amp. I have had the amp for 2.5 years with no problem. Like other Marshall Tube amps, sounds best with the master volume cranked up a bit like 12 O'Clock. I use a Hot Plate attenuator for more flexibiltiy in driving the power amps EL34s and adjusting the gain. This amp can blow your ears out and needs to be worked with unless you have a barn or concert hall. I thought about selling my TSL100 and 1960 AV cab. After trying out other amps I decided to keep my rig. I like the "growl" of Marshall amps. Also using a Black Finger Compression pedal. It sounds great into the crunch channel.

You really have to work the guitar controls as well as those of the amp. It may take time but thats part of the fun. I use a Les Paul and a Strat. Working on the best settings for each. It takes time. It seems easier with a Strat but using a Les Paul, means "business".

The clean channel is great with lots of headroom in my openion. With the volume and gain setting set properly it chimes.

The footswitch mechanical design is a bit weak. But go easy on it. Don't slam it when you switch. Be smart about it. Don't wind the cable tightly and it should be ok. Tube amps do not stand up to the abuse that a solid state amp can. Tubes are much more "mechanical" than transistors or FETs. Treat the amp well or buy a back up ($$$).

My amp was made in the UK. Look at where they're built now. In China? Better than Mexico.

Don't like the fact that KORG is in the middle. However I had some work done on my amp due to neeeding new tubes and with good results. Your Marshall amp repair shop is important. I had a micorphonic tube but didn't know it. The repair shop fixed that at no cost to me.

This amp has tome from Marshall rock and roll growel to very clean. In between these two the amp can be set for long sustain with alot of harmonics. But you hve to work with it, spend time working the controls. Remember to work the guitar controls also. The tone cannot be better than what the guitar is supplying.

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.

N/A

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

n/a

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.