Marshall JCM-2000 TSL 100

This amplifier head was made in March 2005 at the Marshall factory in England. The amplifier as you probably already know is an all tube head which runs on four Svetlana EL34 power tubes, and four ECC83 (12AX7) Preamp Tubes and has three channels aptly labeled Clean, Crunch, and Lead respectively. Total power output is 120 watts.

This amp has some really nifty features that other amps in its price range do not offer, and if those other amps do offer these options I have found them to be rather lackluster in many respects.

Some of these features are things like the Mid Boost on the Clean channel. It works so well and just does not play with the overall tone of the amp by way of degrading it, the tone shift buttons on both gain channels do the exact opposite of the Mid Boost on the clean channel as they scoop the mids BUT, unlike some of these other amps out there I have played where you have the ability to scoop the mids or even if you try doing it with an external EQ, the end result is that your sound just gets too fizzy like a buzz saw and won't cut through your bands overall sound mix. The folks at Marshall got it "JUST RIGHT" to the point where the scoop is tailored perfect. It's right where it needs to be on this amplifier and not overdone or minimal at all. I have no need to use any external EQ with this amplifier and that's a real positive thing in my book.
Another major plus is the fact that the amp has not one but two discreet effect loops with loop gain boost buttons on each loop. If you use loop A, it is only for the Clean Channel only and if you use Loop B it is for all three channels. You can also use all three which is nice. Like, lets say you have a Delay that you own that you think sounds really pristine for your clean tones but just plain awful on your gain channels, and also the same with respect to modulation effects. Well, you can actually configure two seperate effect situations on this amp, one for clean tones and one for gain tones.
Although I probably won't use this feature as extensively as this I think it adds a real special touch. I personally like to run my Modulation effects off my wireless to the front of the amp and any delay or reverb through the loop as the time based effects just sound smoother in the loop.
You also have another button out front of the amp call V.P.R. which is Virtual Power Reduction and when you push it in, it reduces the power of your amp from 120 watts to 25 watts without killing your tubes or the output transformer. Now you can get that cranked tube tone at bedroom levels and not disturb anyone within earshot.
Another great feature is the Output Mute. When used with the direct out option on the back of the amp, you can kill all sound levels EXCEPT what you record directly to a mixing consloe or recording apparatus in a recording studio or home studio. The emulated line out which makes this happen I have used and sounds nothing short of stellar. In fact it sounds just like what you hear from the amp normally.
Each channel has an effects mix knob on the front panel of the amp and not the back so that you can adjust the mix on the fly without putting your guitar down in the middle of a show or having to live with an unstellar effects mix through any particular song. I could never understand why other amp companies put things like this on the rear of the amplifier as in my opinion it just does not make sense.

On each channel, another great option is the Deep buttons. These buttons when pushed on to active status give a really resonant tone by interacting with the low frequencies of the speakers you use. It gives you a great helping of bottom end at low volumes and a more resonant and controlled growl at higher volumes.
There is discreet Reverb for both channels as well with the ability to have two different Reverb mixes.
Each channel has its own EQ section and dedicated Presence knob as well.
On the back of the amp you have the ability to use cabinets rated at

Right now I am using the followeing guitars with this amplifier....

* ESP Eclipse II Standard with EMG Zakk Wylde Pickups
* Ernie Ball Music Man Axis Premium Custom Shop Custom Made
* Ibanez SZ 520 with PRS Mark Tremonti Signature Pickups
* (On Order) Ibanez AT 300 Andy Timmons Signature Model
* Ibanez Proline 1550 with EMG Pickups
* Custom Kramer/Charvel Style Eddie Van Halen 5150 Replica with a Duncan EVH pickup

My Speaker Cabinet is a 2005 Marshall 1960 A Lead 4/12 with Stereo Option loaded with Celestion G12T-75 Drivers

Effect wise, I am using a Boss DD6 Digital Delay and a Hughes & Kettner Replex in the effects loop, and from my Sennheiser G2 Evolution Wireless into the front of the amplifier I am running in no particular order a VHT Valvulator I Tube Buffer, an old 1978 MXR 117 Flanger, an MXR EVH Phase 90, a T.C. Electronics Chorus/Flanger pedal, a Boss PS3 Pitch Shifter for Chorus on gain channels only, a Dunlop Zakk Wylde Crybaby Wah Wah and two MXR Zakk Wylde Overdrive pedals which give me another drive option and solo drive option I can use in the clean channel, an MXR Micro Amp, and an MXR Dyna Comp, a Morley Little Alligator Volume Pedal, a BBE Sonic Maximizer Mono pedal, a Boss NS2 Noise Supressor, and a Peterson Strobo Stomp tuner.

This amplifer suits my musical style to perfection which is Rock and sometimes the harder edged rock. If I need more than what the actual amplifier provides regarding gain and I doubt I ever will, then that is why I use the Zakk Wylde Overdrive Pedals in the Clean Channel but really it just gives me more options with gain.

The amp can be a bit noisy on the lead channel when you really push the gain up or when I use my analog pedals and that is why I have to use the Noise Supressor. This amp can help you produce any sound imaginable and has as much variety with its options as anything I have ever tried out on the market today. The gain on this amp is unparalleled as far as I am concerned because when it comes right down to reality, this is an amplifier that gives you "USEABLE GAIN" from zero to ten on the gain knob whereas on other amps such as a Triple Rectifier which I just returned, anything past 12 o' clock on the gain knob results in nothing more than compressed mush that sounds like a buzzsaw.

Something that really surprised me on this amplifier was how incredible the clean channel sounds. Unlike any Marshall I have ever tried and honestly probably one of the most if not the most pristine clean tone I have heard in any non boutique amp period.

Also I feel this is an amplifier which can actually produce the tones of the different guitars you use. Once my amplifier is setup, every guitar I own sounds completely different once I plug in. The tone shows off the guitar and is not a one trick pony.

When it comes right down to it, I bought this amp for its features and its sound and I can honestly say that I now have finally got my personal holy grail and am very happy. People who purchase a Marshall usually do so from a strict tonal point and this amp delivers in spades! It is just too difficult to shy away from a perfect 10 in this category based soley on the wide tonal pallate I am provided.

I am quite sure I can depend on it without a backup. I have an old Marshall Combo amp that is 21 years old and has not lost a beat! Reliability is in the Marshall name. I cannot say that about alot of other amps out there. The only thing that concerns me as I said earlier is the footswitch plug in the back of the amp. I have only owned mine for two weeks but I am generally at ease knowing in the past as well as the history of Marshall amps their reliability is unprecidented.

Because it is this new it would not be fair to offer a number rating on its reliability. I will do this in six months to a year with a follow up.

I have never had to deal with Marshall at any time I have owned their products.

Because it is new it works just fine but my dealer gave me all the information at the time of purchase without my asking as to where the nearest Authorised Service Center is in case something dare go wrong with it. I know the service center (Triple S) very well and they do great work.

The warranty is for 5 years and is fully transferrable. That tells you something right there. That Marshall stands fully behind their products.

Because I cannot rate this category fully and only can do so on my opinions of the warranty I can only be fair and rate here a score of "6" respectively.

I am 35 years old and have been playing since I was 6 years old (29 years). Other than everything I have listed I currently only own a Taylor Acoustic guitar, and an E-MU 1820m DAW for home recording, a bunch of microphones for live and recording use and that is it.

If it were stolen or lost I would buy it again in a heartbeat without question.

This is an amplifier that I love everything about and find it hard to hate nothing except the footswitch solder on the rear of the amp.

This amp has everything and I cannot think of anything it needs. The fine folks at Marshall really used their heads developing this one.

When asked if I have compared it to other products, my answer is yes I have, and I have done so buy bringing competitor products home for 30 days and using them extensively under Guitar Centers 30 day exchange policy testing them in all knids of situations until I knew which amp would be my personal holy grail and this amplifier was it without question. I am very very picky when it comes to guitar tone overall so you all know.

I also used a Framus Cobra extensively and recently got rid of a Hughes & Kettner Triamp Mk II Head that I just bought used two months ago but it kept blowing up on me and was unreliable. The Framus was great but if anything happens to it it has to go overseas to get repaired to stay under warranty. I don't trust UPS that much!

The last amp I had for 30 days was a Mesa Boogie Triple Rectifier, prior to that for 30 days a Dual Rectifier and although they are great amps in their own right, they are not in my honest opinion FULLY USEABLE and just had options that were not thought out too carefully and correctly in my opinion. I like an amp that sounds great from zero to ten on the knob and really this amp is the only one that accomplishes that. But be forewarned, if you are a sloppy player, it will also bring out your playing flaws as well as it responds to every little nuance of your playing.

Also you really have to sit down and say to yourself, "Geez I am about to spend roughly $1,800 dollars on a new amp." For that kind of money wouldn't you want an amp that has all its features carefully and intuitively thought out and that gives you a wide range of useable options and a great overall sound? I had to stop buying gear because my favorite players used it and bought this amp solely on my persoanl tastes and needs. I cannot tell you how much money I wasted over the years listening to other people tell me what sounded great and what was the new "IT" thing to have. And above and beyond all this consider the fact that outside of a Marshall, if you don't keep the amp forever, you will no doubt be selling a piece of gear off in the future that you no longer care for and will probably be lucky to only get 25 percent back on your inital investment when you purchased it new. Not the case with Marshall gear as it holds its value and most of the time increases in value as it gets older.
Not only does this then become a great sounding investment, but a smart investment overall!

And finally, I guess what they say over at Marshall is true. That those who usually start out on a Marshall and who stray away eventually end up back on a Marshall. This is indeed the case with me.

I got my first amp in 1984, a Marshall Model 5002 Lead 20 Combo which I still have to this day. I went from that amp to a Metaltronix Lee Jackson Head and Cabinet in 1989 then a Peavey 5150 half stack in 1991. From there I went to a Peavey 5150 II head with the cabinet in 2000 and then sold that off and went digital to Line 6 owning several of their products from their inception in 2000 to just this year... an AX2 combo amp, a POD PRO / Mesa Power Amp combination rack setup, a Vetta Combo, a Vetta Head, another Vetta combo and just recently a POD XT PRO, Mesa Stereo Rectifier Power Amp, BBE Sonic Maximizer rack system etc...

I just sold that off to go back to a tube / pedal setup and tried the Mesa Dual and

i didnt buy this amp, but 4000 CAD was the price tag.
i tried this amp out for the longest time, at the guitar shop.

pretty good features, and fairly standard trims and pots. nice 3 channel, which is just plain ideal. clean, rhythm, and lead. played through a MF400 (the mode four cabinet) 100watts. hybrid preamp tubes inside. general stuff you ought to know already.

i tried out many guitars with this amp. gibson standard les paul, gibson les paul studio, ibanez js1000 sig, jackson rr1, fender 50th anniv, fender deluxe strat.
the amp is a bit hissy, but that is expected. most amps are the same (circuit noise)
i played this amp at my local guitar shop for about 2 and a half hours in total through many different guitars.
the clean is pretty good. depends on your settings, it can get very transparent, or a good warm, round, jazzy and bassy tone. i didnt try the trebly twangy country tone though, so im not gonna give it any merits for that. the distortion is brutal. by brutal. i mean in a really..really bad way.

here is where it's downfall is. the amp sounded very sterile to me, unfocused, very muddy, and the tone was bleeding all over the place. i even cut the scooped mids setting, using bridge pickups, and i still got the same results. melted tone that was far too spread out, and unfocused. this thing takes the prize for the most overpriced guitar head you can get, for such a poor quality lead tone. likewise for the rhythm tone. it was also the same result. believe me, i am not someone who just gives up on an amp immediately like that. i had a small lineup of people behind me, and i insisted to stand my ground and continue playing through that amp, hoping i could get a good distortion tone. i was disappointed to say the least. i told all my friends about it. they all laughed, and didnt believe me. one of them went to the shop with me the following week, and i proved it to him. he spent about 40 minutes in there, and he came out speechless. "wow, this thing totally blows". this is supposed to be a high prize item in the marshall lineup. i've heard that the JCM800/900 are supposed to be one of the best amps in their production. if they are anything like the JCM2000, i will laugh so hard, and boycott marshall forever.
dont tell me it was because i was playing too quietly. i had the volume up pretty damned high. the power amp is where the ballsy part of the tone comes from, and being a hybrid, this amp seriously lacked that. maybe if it had a really really cheap price tag, i'd pick this thing up....USED, and if i had never tried it.

i suppose though, it's because i believe there is such thing where you think something is top notch, until you've had a taste of something better.
i play through a marshall 20/20, and a triaxis 2.0 w/o fat mod, through a dbx266 compressor, hooked up to my rp8 power conditioner. i have 2 guitars, and both ibanez. RG570(stock), and a UV777BK loaded with air norton and tone zone 7 string pickups.

the jcm2000 is ridiculously overpriced, and overrated. poor tones, features are pretty standard, and i think you are definately paying much much more for the name, than the sound you're getting.

dont take my word for it. go ahead and buy it if you want, but i must urge you to at least play through the amp for a minimal of 1 hour to make your decision on whether this thing is worth it or not. i'd stay away from this thing. you can get SO much more for what this thing costs.

im being generous when i give it a 2. it deserves a 1, or even a 0, especially because of the purchase value. this thing is as sterile as it gets.

i've been playing guitar for about 6 years now. my gear has been around and about. i've tried many many guitars, and amps. if this was stolen, i'd collect my insurance, and point & laugh at this amp if i ever see it again. i hate the sound, almost completely..except cleans are pretty good. i compared it to a marshall MG100HDFX, and a well completed rack setup. overall, it is very very poor quality, and i would never even come near playing through this amp, ever again. if you ever think about buying this thing, i must highly recommend you pull for a rack setup (used), that im very happy with, instead. a mesa triaxis, mesa 20/20, and perhaps an avatar cab.

bought new in US, 2003.

i mostly use this amp for recording, i haven't gigged with it, so to me the breadth of features this amp offers means limitless possibilites. of course you're not going to make it sound like a fender or something, but within the high-gain marshall context, you can pull a huge array of tones out of it. the bottom line -- tons of useful features.

well you probably already know what to expect with a high-gain all tube head. what is surprising is that i've found many satisfying clean and mild-overdrive tones that are great for jazz-related guitar playing. because of all the channels and features, this is not just a rock/metal amp.

the amp is very reliable, very solid. the footswitch is also built like a tank, BUT the cable will absolutely definately eventually break. mine's had first class, only-used-in-a-studio treatment and the cable for the footswitch looks like it's ready to fall off. the amp itself is very reliable.

n/a

overall, i love marshall and other high-gain amps. since my style has changed dramatically from metal to jazz, i still can't say i'd trade or sell this amp. the features allow you to do so much that i can't imagine going back. if it were stolen i'd buy another one (maybe the 50 watt version instead). if you want an amp that can confortably handle a high-gain solo or riff followed by a sparkly jazz progression, this is it.

This is an update on my earlier review. I'm the guy who had a TSL-60, then bought a TSL-100. So I have experience of both.

I think the 3 channels being independant has let me get a wider array of tones.

My only real issue is the FX loop. The TSL60 seems to have a much more transparent loop. When I switch this in it does'nt sound quite as good.

Other than that having a bigger powerstage has been fine. VPR is a godsend & I have found myself backing off the prescence controls compared to the TSL-60. But I am getting great tones.

Again I'm using a Gibson Les Paul Classic/SG standard/ Yamaha SG's

Not gigged yet, but have gigged the TSL-60 without problems for 3 Years.

The footswitch issue is one I can live with as I said before I keep 1 spare & they are cheap enough to buy in the UK

Marshalls UK customer service has always been spot on. No idea about rest of the world.

I've been playing 23 years.

If it were stolen I'd buy another one

My only niggles are the footswitch & FX loop, other than that its perfect for my needs.

I notice this strange conspiracy that the only good Marshalls are old ones which is a load of bollocks. In my 23 years of playing I've played.....

Various Plexis ( Great, but you need powersoak or maximum volume to get tone)
JCM800 ( as above)
Jubilee 25/50 ( amazing, but limited features, FX loop crap)
Artiste Combo ( Incredible headroom, good with pedals but no low end)
JMP-1 preamp ( great, but rest of rack system was'nt)
JCM900SLX, like a DSL but preamp was fizzy.

As someone who's best mate & brother both own DSL-50. I've a fair experience with the JCM2000 range & I don't get why people slag them off....Its like you 'purists out there will accept a modern amp from Peavey or Boogie, but not Marshall. Weird eh?

Brand new, fresh, out of the box 2005 Marshall TSL 100. As much diversity as you can get from a tube head. 3 channel- Seperate EQ's/Reverb, 2 effects loops, etc. One area improvement- Would love to see this head midi compatible as I run a TC Electronics G-Major thru the effects loop of this amp. To avoid tap dancing on stage (hitting midi then channel switching)- I had to purchase a CFX4 from Axess Electronics to combine the head's channel switching with the midi controlled G-Major- This will allow the entire setup to be run by one midi foot controller.

I use two Gibson V's and a Jackson KE1. The Gibsons are stock, and the KE1 has an SD (just one humbucker). I am a recording artist in a metal band and this amp, combined with the V's give me the dark, evil punchy tone needed for complex metal. We have 2 guitarists- both using full stack TSL's and I can't begin to tell you how much tighter the whole band sound with these. The amp can cut through any mix and with the right EQ (IMPORTANT!), the mix is incredible.This amp is for those who can actually play their instruments and not hide behind a ton of mushy distortion. Yes, the head can give you that gain, even with just the crunch channel (I did have to swap out the stock preamp tubes to some Boogie 12AX7R's. Made a big difference and gave me more attack)- but is all of that gain useable in live setting? Not if you are playing complex passages or leads. - If you are looking for accurate, ballsy, articulation of your notes....This is your amp. Period.......

If you want to play new style Metal, with lots of grainy distortion, down tuning and open chords, it can do that too- Just not my style.

As far as noise goes- No more noise than any other amp. I use the noise gate in the G-Major so it's a mute point. Killer clean channel with a great "mid boost" feature that cuts through the mix real nice.... Reverb is ok but does not even compare to the G-Major's reverbs.

Can't comment- Only in use approx 6 weeks. So far, so good.

Heard a lot crap about the footswitch but since I have the CFX4, I don't even use it. The whole rig is controlled via midi.

n/a

I've been playing for 20 years- Always been in Metal and I think this head can actually cover many more styles besides ours. I would say this is an amp that could cover most anything- Even though it seems well made, I do always keep a backup (currently a Peavey XXX) because these are tube amps and well....things just happen. If it were stolen or lost, I'd kick someone's ass.........

i believe my amp is a 2001 (and has the old angled on/off switchs, as opposed to my other guitarists tsl100 head with curved buttons, like a valvestate, his is a 2003), and IT MAY OR MAY NOT be like a first issue and his may be a second, as were both convinced they do not sound IDENTICAL.

We play rock/metal, and we use a tsl each. this is just to clear something up. If youre one of these people that reckon you cannot get enough gain with this amp, youre a dork. gain aplenty. versatile enough to be YOUR ONLY amp live, and the fact that i lend my amp 4 times a month to a band that i also do live sound for, is a testiment to that.

features include 3 seperate footswitching channels, each with their own gain, volume and eq section (including mid scoops on the dirty channels, and a mid boost on the clean), then the rest is split up for the clean channel with its own settings, and both the dirty channels sharing. these setting as described above include a presnce knob, and deep switch(for extended low end), also a seperate clean/dirty reverb volumes, and 2 parallel fx loops that can be set up in a number of ways(so you can isolate what is in the fx loop for clean or dirty, if you only have 1 loop going). reverb and and fx loop is also footswitchable.

other features included, 16ohm, as well as 4 and 8, outputs, for a wider range of speaker options, and an xlr out that they call an emulated line out, which appears to be a line out with a high frequency rolloff at AROUND 8k. this does a particularly effective job of replicating a standard marshall 4x12 sound, as their 12 inch speakers do not output anything above the 8k frequency. this is a common cabnet emulation technique employed my line 6 on their pod units most prominently. and as a sound guy i can also tell you that it is VERY effective when used in a live sound environment, it not only allows the enginerr to get a di of the guitar to the desk without a dibox, it SOUNDS better. it also has an output mute (like standby, but doesnt cut the signal to the tubes, just cuts the signal to the power amp. and it also has a nifty litte feature called VPR, or virtual power reduction, a system of the signal bypassing 2 of the 4 power tubes (or someshit, im pretty rusty on how this one works but ive read someting that says it splits the load up anyway, so that tubes dont die quicker from using it.) this is a very useful feature, it really takes it down to a level that could be deemed... acceptable... (in terms of both tone and volume) and thats saying something for a 100w tube head.

i think thats it on the features. if i could wish for features, i would wish for a seperate deep and presence contolper channel, cause im like that, and like heaps of variation in my tones. a solo level button on the footswitch ala rectofier, VERY VERY useful, but you can just buy a boost pedal, and a bright switch on the clean channel to help reach its full potential (given how simple the wiring is for this, a switch, some wire and a capasitor, between the volume knob and said button, this is pretty disapointing, however a local amp doctor will install one for $50 australian.)

there are NO features on this amp that go unused, the least used feature personaly is mid scoops on dirty channels, i only use them to get a slightly more recto sound. and i usually use it WITH the deep switch.

This amp is actually too loud as all 100w TUBE heads are(solid state amps require about 3x as many watt to equal the decibel output due to the fact that you are not OVERDRIVING the amp to get distortion, like in a tube amp). i suggest a powerbrake if you are not as asshole. if you are, happy guitaring. youll see the fuzz pretty shortly. i WOULD suggest the jcm 2000 tsl60, but it doesnt have all the features, total let down. but hey play before you buy, always turn a product up to at least 7 in a store. and youll already know what youre getting into. mine doesnt crawl past 3. and thats cause the police regularly turn up at abou

right now im using a 97 sg special with a burstbucker pro in bridge and a p94 in neck, and a gibbo u2 (strat shaped thing from the 80s, long story) with ceramic dimarzios (dsonic, protracks).

suit any type of music you can throw at it. i shit you not. may not be "brutal" enough for 5150/death metal fans, only conecession. but then again, i think youre a dork. right now its handleing rock and metal(remember i play metal), and emo/rock/hardcore. ive seen it handle jazz on the clean channel with its eq shaping options. seen it do country, (would do better with a bright switch, but it does it fine with treble and presence), in respect to musical flexability i think it beats a recto(and every other amp i can think of bar a road king, and you can buy 4 of these or 1 of them, hahaha). where as a recto has more options ON AMP.

the amp has some noise, ill admit it. the hiss is present. i no longer even notice it, or my single coil pickup buzz. a recto has a sizzle instead of a hiss, who gives a ....

the sound it makes is a hot rodded jcm 800 inspired on the lead channel. IT IS essentially a jcm 800 on the crunch channel. and clean channel id liken to that of a fender... without quite as much treble bight. tough call that last one. but seriously, you gotta hear it, presence opens it right up. you can make ANY marshall sound youve ever heard on a recording in the last 20 years 99% faithfully (givin the right guitar and the knowhow), and older ones about 90 - 95% faithfully being completely realistic. and its great for the other stuff too. i would go as far as to say this is marshalls first metal amp. but its also their first all in 1 touring amp. amazing package.

NO COMPLAINTS

i have had this amp since may 2001, it is the end of march 2005. not a SINGLE problem with the HEAD to date. my mates needed a new fuse after 18 months or so, with no explaination. the footswitch however is another story, and if you are going to take this amp on the road, DO TAKE A 2nd Footswitch. and dont say i didnt warn you. im on my 3rd. good news is they always break within warranty :)

footswitch is propriaty, and no other footswitch or cable will work. this is the weak knee in the whole amp, and by far the most disapointing thing. this said, the footswitch itself is extremely well built, feels good to use, doesnt fall over or jump when you stamp it, will take a giant beating. HOWEVER the cable WILL NOT.

take care. have a space waiting. they are not expencive.

otherwise not a single problem. nothing, im even on my original tubes and fuses, remember this amp 4 times a month gigs in pubs and in between is played at my house.

footswitch return was no problem within the warranty.
think the warranty was 1 year.-

gets a 7. they did what they were meant to do. nothing more...

been playing for 7 years. own too much misc gear to list, but a few bits include a tech 21 nyc sansamp, and a randall rh100 (that inst mine, but lives here, gt6. etc.

definatly worth replacing. but i am currently looking for a 2nd amp. i want a soldano. for its differnt sounding distortion.

love everything about the head, hate the footswitch.

i compared this product to a dual rectofier, as it has the closet matching features(ie heaps). they are about 1.8x as expencive, and i still think the tsl is more musically versatile. - THE 3 channel amp.

PLEASE DO NOT HESISTATE TO EMAIL ME AND PESTER ME ABOUT THIS HEAD OR ANYTIHNG ELSE. i love talking about gear.

The amp was made in 2003, I purchased it in Koln.
It's versatile enough for me and me styles which go from Blues over Rock to Hardrock, so I actually need 3 sounds: Clean, Crunch and Lead and that's why this amp does the job for me perfectly.
I don't want to tell you the features for the thousands time, it's a 3channel tube amp with 4 x EL 34 in the power amplifier.

I own an American Stratocaster and a Les Paul Standard, the most different guitars I could test the amp with.

At first the amp isn't noisier than other tube amps I've tested.
The versatility is great although you can't expect the Tsl100 to sound like a Mesa or a Fender (and Marshall) in one amp. It will always sound like marshall, the clean channel may be excluded of this because it's new for a Marshall tube amp to be undistortable like this.

My amp has not ever broken yet but I consider changing the tubes to prevent myself from the embarrassing situation of a broken amp on stage O.o .
The footswitch is said to be very very cheaply made but it hasn't happen anything to it, this may be due to my very careful treatment.

I've been playing guitar for 7 years now, I own two basses, and two acoustic guitars.
If it were stolen I would knock the bastard in his face and purchase a new one.
I love the amp's ability to stay clean at high volumes, that's why I didn't buy the tsl60, although I would have had more of this tube saturation then.
I wish its xlr output would be a little more balanced but I I'm gonna mike it so I actually don't care.

You know the features, 3 channels, clean, crunch and lead, deep boost switch, mid scoop... etc.

This amp sound awesome. I have played many different amps over the years. If you want that perfect JCM800 or Plexi sound, go buy one and dont waste our time in this group dribbling about how this amp dosn't sound this way or that way.

This amp can produce a very wide variety of tones. Marshall has really improved the clean channel over previous amps. The crunch and lead channels will yield that signature Marshall sound.

I use a Les Paul and a 1960 AV 4x12. The rig roars!!! I have no negative statements about the sound.

I agree that placing the footswitch jack on the circuit board was a really stupid move on Marshalls part. The footswitch gets so many connects and disconnects it is easy to see how the solder joints would crack or worse, the board traces could pull off. I am not personnally too worried because I can fix guitar amps. I suggest being very careful when connecting and dis-connecting the footswitch. I also suggest some sort of strain relief on the cable behind the amp to reduce tension on the jack.

So far I have had no problems though. I baby this rig but a touring band cannot do that to all thier equipment. Don't let any amp techs sell you a bias adjustment as this is very easy for anyone to do. Cudos to Marshall for that.

My amp dosn't seem to over heat either. Its a 2005 model so maybe some of the other issues have been corrected.

Since I have no problems but because of the stupid decision by some manager or engineers at Marshall to place the jack on the circuit board, I will give it an 8.

There are several Marshall amp repair houses in my area that I can take it to if broken. Havn't had to deal with customer support but the fact we have to go thru Korg USA for anything makes me a bit un-comfortable.

I am very happy with this amp. IT ROCKS!!! It produces a wide variety of great tones. The cleans are outstanding and don't break up as early as previous amp models. The crunch and lead channels are awesome. Lots of sustain and harmonic content with the right eq settings.

Don't expect an exact JCM800 or Plexi tone. Its not a JCM800 or Plexi (Duh). If you want to nail those tones exactly then go buy one with the cab and effect pedals that your favorite musicians use. Thats how you get thier sound. But then don't complain about not having reverb, channel switching and the other goodies that this amp has.

Because of the stupid footswitch mounting and the lousy manual I can't give it a 10. For the money they charge they could at least provide a professional manual (Mesa does). Marshall, when you charge so much money you could at least provide a more professional manual in English.

However because of the tone and versitility and because I have not had problems, I give it a 9 overall.

I believe mine was a couple years old. 2 effects loops-but really cut the signal down. 100 el-34 watts - but it didnt feel like 100 watts.

I use my stock 81 Les Paul standard to test ALL my amps. The clean was ok... Not crystal clear but alot better than I got out of my JCM 900 4100 series. the 2nd channel (where I kept it the most) would get good and distorted but didnt have alot of punch. And the 3rd channel (I used for leads) had all the sizzle you could ever want but lost even MORE punch than number 2. Overall I was disappointed with what I was lead to believe was the "BIG DAWG" of Marshall amps. Wasnt a real noisey amp but I got ALOT better tones out of a little solid state fender I had in the corner.

Heres where it REALLY sucked. Had the footswitch problem that alot of them seem to have. Cost me over 100 bucks just to get the HEAD itself repaired PLUS the cost of a new footswitch which caused the internal switching components of the head to short out when the cheap made cable on the switch went bad. Its not a matter of IF.... its a matter of when. Plus you have to be easy plugging it in because of the crappy board mounted ONLY jack that it has. And then there is the HEAT issue... this is the HOTTEST amp I have EVER seen. Ive played for over 20 years so I know ohm loads and the importance of GREAT cables but this sucker was running temps that would scare you.

Didnt deal with them because I bought it used.

I have been playing for over 20 years. I like to rock hard and I thought that this was the amp for the future. But it wasnt. I have had 7 or 8 Marshalls over the years and never really liked any of them. So maybe I just aint a Marshall guy. I used a Carvin X100B for over 10 years and thought I needed a change. I Think the Carvin SMOKES it. I have moved on to a Mesa combo (Maverick 2-12) And I am FINALLY happy.

3 channel all valve 100 watts etc.

I already own a TSL60 & that impressed me to go the whole hog & buy the TSL100.

Its versatile & my only let down is the FX loop. The TSL60 has one loop that works fine. The TSL100 has 2, one for clean one for dirty.You can use loop 1 for both, but When you use delay on the dirty sound. It seems to sound less organic & more artificial. Did'nt like that & can't imagine anyone would use it.

Ideally I would have liked a TSL60 with the seperate EQ for each channel, but they don't make one. So we've got the 100.

Channel one is fuller bodied than the TSL60 & the mid boost really livened up my sound.

Channel 2 was similar to the TSL-60, basically a JCM800 high gain sound.

Channel 3 was a bit Fizzy. But on my TSL60 I would run the master volume on 10 & control the sound with the gains/channel volumes. So really I was driving the power amp to get my distortion. I think channel 3 is probably fine, but I may need a powerbreak so I can drive the amp harder to Get the tone I want. VPR is Ok for the bedroom.

Features wise this is as complex as I'd ever get.

I'm playing Gibson Les Pauls, SG Standards & Yamaha SG's. so basically 2 humbuckers on a mahogany neck/body.

Musically I play in a modern alternative Rock band, so I need crystalline Clean to heavy Bollocks. I find by using an overdrive like the Boss SD-1 with the 2 Crunch/lead channels I can go from trad blues to Deftones style Gain with ease.An amp like this is always about compromise. Sure a Jubilee 25/50 may have a lovely pure tone, but it aint footswitchable & the FX loop is pants.

On the 60 I would back off the gain to 6, keep the channel volume on 5 & the master on 10. This amp needs a powerbreak so you can run it hard. On big stages you'll probably be Ok. Keep the midrange up.

If you wanna be in Slipknot maybe this is'nt for you. But I'm quite happy with the JCM2000's tonal range.

I've had footswitch issues with my TSL60, so I know its a design issue with the switch. However the 5 way switch is really cheap in the Uk, about #30.00 a pop. So its a small irritation.

I gig my TSL60 regulaly without backup. So I shall do the same here.

The amp itself is solid & well made.

The warranty is 3 years excluding Valves/ Fuses.

I've had footswitch issues, but Marshall have always been fine.They've arranged local dealers to handle me wherever I've been so I'm pretty happy.

I've been playing 23 years. I've owned lots of Marshalls & the only other amps I've owned were a Crate & a Laney both awful.

I have already owned a TSL-60 & in some ways thats a better amp regarding the FX loop. But this delivers the goods.

I'm pretty sold on the Marshall Sound & want 3 channels. The only other amp I would have considered is the Hughes & Kettner Triamp. But there like #500 more in the UK. So this will do for the future.

1999 model w/1960 cab

First off, let me say that for those giving a bad review, I can only conclude 1 of the following;

(a) you dont like the modern or vintage Marshall tone
(b) your bias is off / bad speaker(cab) matching
(c) your an idiot

now, lets move on.......

For a Marshall, this puppy is loaded with cool features. Everyone seems to be opting for the 3 channel head and Marshall has outdone therselves here. I've owned this amp for 6 years and I cant imagine life without it. I dig the VPR switch for warm-ups and bedroom volume practice(I can acually crank past 1.5). With this & the deep switch engaged, it really sounds more like a full cranked Marshall at low volumes. Yes, I hear you morons; its not perfect but still a huge step forward for Marshall. I also like the dual effect loops as it makes life much simpler. The whole thing really does sound like 3 seperate amps instead of 3 different gain stages. The seperate eq's are also a must for me as I like a mid boost for my solos (take note here, you will cut through better live without over cranking & mudding up the mix!).

Simply put, if you dig the Marshall tone this amp will fulfill you every tonal desire. It gives you every vintage Marshall sound w/ new modern tones as well. I play a Gibson LP standard (stock pickups) into a 535q wah strait into the Marshall. My sound is a mixture of Metallica, Slash, Hendrix and grunge. I also play a lot of blues ranging from BB King to ZZ Top. With minimal tweakage, you will have killer tones of Zepplin, AC/DC, Randy Rhodes, Pearl Jam and pretty much any rock sounds from 60's to modern day rock/metal. (Papa Roach, Stained, ect.) Dont beleive the crap about this amp not being heavy enough; most of these tone deaf morons are stomp box queens.(or even worse a korn-slipnot wanna be/never will be guitarist)

Ok, lets break it down:

The clean channel really is a big step forward for Marshall. Cranking the gain brings you to thedge of breakup. With the mid boost active, it really does sound more like a fender (with a slight gain boost). the eq seems more pronunced than older Marshalls I have heard. Try removing all the mids then sweeping the highs from 5-8 and it sounds like a wah. Nice job guys :)

The crunch channel is where I pump out most of my rythm stuff. This channel has growl, crunch & more bass than the lead channel (perfect for distorted rythems). A bit more gain would be nice but you only notice this with the mids scooped for true metal. With the mids, the distortion seems plentiful. This is also a great channel for blues work as well. Lower gain settings produce nice gritty/ bluesy overdrive witch really sweetens up with the volume cranked.

The lead channel is where things truly become majical. Being mostly a lead player, this channel has no peer (at least in this price range). The distortion is SOOOOOOOOOOO completly saturated but yet retaines total clarity on every note. No matter how fast you play there is no blurr whatsoever; each note cuts through with ease. Mesa & 5150s seem to get buzzy when you crank the gain,but not here!! There's more distortion than you would ever need. With mid-scoop & deep switch engaged, you can get killer metal tones as well.(Dimebag, ect.)

I hate to beat a dead horse but FUCK the footswitch. Come on guys, you charge me 1400 then give out this cheap piece of shit?!!! Not only is the switch crap but its input jack is not bolted down to the chassis!!! Its simply soldered on to the board with no bracing at all!!! Each time you unplug the switch, your pulling it off the board and loosing the already shitty connection. I find it hard to beleive that this is accidental (fuck u too Jim). My advice is to find a tech who will fix this problem as soon as possible. Oh, by the way, biasing this amp is a breeze. Dont let techs lie to you about this; all you need is a $30 multimeter from radio shack. Just hook it up to the 3 prongs under the power tubes (middle is ground :)) and tune each side to 90mv. Again, dont let techs lie to you about this: a 3 year old could do this and the amp will need check often (even fresh out of the box). Outside of the footswich problems the amp has not given me any trouble. P.S. if you need help biasing, e-mail me at ecmccane@ yahoo.com (your welcome)

If u dont live in England, your fucked.

My sound and tone has really developed with this amp (as well as my ear). Right now I cant see myself ever playing on somethig else. The footswich crap is worth the killer tone!! For the price, you cant get a better, more versitile tube amp. No disrespect Mesa, but this amp makes me sound like my guitar heros.

100watts, 3 channels (2 sounding the same) a crappy vpr switch which makes the sound even worse that it already is.

i use a eminar 100w tube head with a marshall cab and a prs tremonti. the distortions on it really didnt have any balls to it or versatility, all it could cover is blues or turn the gain up and crappy blues. i did like the reverb however. my korg "digital" ax1500g can create a better sounds for rock/metal, which is quite sad. it says it's 100w but damn its quiet - the marshall avt150h (solid state ooooh) was way louder in a gig. you really would have to mic the tsl if your gunna play live, unless you dont want to hear it's crap! (good choice)And as for it's 'tubeness', it's nothing compared to an old tube amp, like for say an old marshall mmm so nice. my eminar head tonally rips the tsl to shreds. i think people are getting sucked in coz of it's looks, rather purchasing it for tone.

dunno, i wouldnt rely on it coz ive heard countless ppl complain about the tsl in this department. disgrace to the marshall name. if i were to be silly enough to gig with this, i'd definetly bring a better backup amp, perhaps an ashton..

overall it sounds very thin and sterile, the distortions are pathetic. so what are you paying for? reverb and some shiny knobs? pure crap, not worth it at all. perhaps if it was 1 grand cheaper... and i lost my hearing maybe id think about using it. actually, nah. its a total let down to the marshall name, dont recommend it all.

This thing has every feature you would ever want-
Coolest feature is the VPR switch which allows you to get a great tone at lower volumes.

3 channels with independant vol/tone/gain controls
mid boost on clean, tone shift on crunch/lead channes
presence, fx mix, and reverb controls for clean and lead/crunch
power amp output mute and V.P.R. switches.
FX loops A/B various outs for cabs and cab emulated out.
4 el34 power tubes
4 ecc83 preamp tubes.
100 watt tube power

I use Gibson Les Pauls, with Duncan Alnico II's. I purchased this amp after returning the JSX. This thing can do everything. The Lead channel has a ton of gain, great for any type of metal. The deep switch is a fantastic feature-which gives you a more full sound. This amp has as much gain as a Mesa, and can go from classic rock to nu-metal. The crunch channel is like the lead channel just with less gain. The clean channel sounds great, reminded me of a Fedner, but fuller, and brighter. You can really crank up this amp and it only sounds better, and fatter, and with the VPR (GREAT FEATURE) it sounds just as good at lower levels.
This amp is great for any type of music from blues to nu-metal. I checked out alot of different amps, going back and forth between Mesa, JSX, ect.--I always was coming back to the TSL you just can't find that signature Marshall sound anywhere else.

I have had the amp for a few weeks and have not had any problems. This is my only amp-no backup, even at shows.
It seems very dependable.

5 year warranty. It was very easy to find an authorized service tech.

I have been searching for a great versatile amp for as long as I have been playing. I looked at Mesa, JSX, etc, all of them and I kept coming back to Marshall-its a great amp for the price. If you like the Marshall sound this is the amp for you. It will cover all types of music and personally for me gives me that great 80's metal sound which I was unable to duplicate with any other amp. If the amp was lost/stolen I would be right back at the store picking up another one.

If you love the classic Marshall sound, this is the amp for you-spend the money, you wont be sorry!

Three independent channels provide Fender-like clean, classic Marshall "crunch" or bluesy overdrive and a high gain channel that sounds like a highly driven tube amp rather than a buzzy solidstate amp or digital pedal.

Specific features have been covered many times over. If you like Marshall sound this amp provides all flavors.

Excellent sound for all modes. Each of the three channels also has several tonal features such as a mid-boost and presence control. It is fun to try various amp settings. This is a "hot rod" amp.

Cant say so far.

Havn't had to speak with customer support ... yet

An excellent amp, if you like Marshall tones. This is a very flexible amp also. Can provide very clean to insane overdrive. The crunch channel is especially noteworthy. However, this is a pricy amp.

Unbelievable featured for a tube amp!

All of the features are listed below so i wont go into them

One of the best amps i've ever owned! Remember this is 100 watts & wont be used to it's potential until you turn the thing UP!

I use this & an old JCM800 50w. For my style of music i play the TSL fits my bill perfectly. The clean is very clean & with the boost button engaged gets very fender like. The crunch channel sounds great when you have the volume up & the gain down - then slam the front end with a booster! love that stuff :)
The lead channel is like a hot-rodded Marshall, tonnes of gain - i found that i have to have the gain set quite low on this channel & turn the volume up to get the best out of this one

Make sure the one your trying out has the bias set correctly (Marshall amps tend to have them all over the place)

5 years old, no problems!

Never needed them, but the ones i know who look after the Marshall amps are very knowledgable people

Top amp!!

-3 channels with independant vol/tone/gain controls
-mid boost on clean, tone shift on crunch/lead channes
-presence, fx mix, and reverb controls for clean and lead/crunch
-power amp output mute and V.P.R. switches.
-FX loops A/B various outs for cabs and cab emulated out.
-4 el34 power tubes
-4 ecc83 preamp tubes.
-100 watt tube power

This belongs to a friend that I tech for and that brought the amp to me for repair/maintnence. He plays in a modern christian rock band that covers more sounds than anybody else I can think of. Maximum tonal versatility is a large concern to my frined and he uses every bit of it. I have lots of experience with this amp inside and out. The primary reason my friend bought this amp was the tonal versatility available with a 3 channel amp, and the price is $1000 less than anything else comparable. The only feature that we wish this amp had for live playing was a line level FX loop to run stomp box style FX. This amp offers tremendous bang for the buck.

We are using primarily a Gibson SG Supreme with 57 Classic pickups, Other frequent flyers are a '70s Antigua Tele with Vintage Noisless pickups, and a Jackson NTB Rhoads with Duncans.
This amp tends to sound a little thin and gravely comapred to other things. Alot of different sounds here, but they mostly are noticable in gain variations. There is often little tonal difference between channels and settings, just more or less gain. Covers lots of ground in this manner.
Mostly has your normal variety of modern marshall tones. Crunch and Slightly more Crunch. As a high gain amp this does not compete with others like: Mesa, Soldano, Bogner, Krank, H&k, ect. Does not have the tonal varitey of any of these other 3 channel amps either. If I was in a Maiden cover band this would be my amp.
The clean channel is decent, witch is a major shock coming from a Marshall.

Here's the fun part. As I said earlier the main reason that I am reviewing this amp is that I have spent a good deal of time with it, and as a pro tech specializing in tube amp repairs. That said this is the absolute worst amp I have ever had in the shop. I am the very fist person to preform any type of service to this amp at all. I pulled it apart because it was acting like it had a power capacitor failure. Typical, but not for a one year old amp. The first thing I noticed was that none of the wires connecting the circuit boards were soldered, but were plugged in. The plugs used here are very low quality and can easily be pulled out. This is where I found my problum, one of these plugs was disconnected. This type of modular construction tells me that Marshall built the cheaply expecting them to break and made it really easy to change out a complete circuit board. Even the wiring to the power transformers was not soldered. All of the wiring was of very small guage and is far smaller than anything I have used in even a cheap low power amp. The reverb tank is hooked up using one of the cheap RCA type cables that come standard with every piece of home stereo equipment that you have ever bought. We all know how long those last. The quality of the components on the curcuit boards was mid grade at best and the solder work on the circuit boards was very sloppy. Uses generic low quality tubes with the Marshall name on them. None of the part #s on the preamp tubes matched and looking at them I doubt that they all came from the same supplier. A fully matched set of JJ Audio tubes from Eurotubes fixed this descrepancy. One of the preamp tubes had a protector on it and the other three had little rubber edges around the chassis leaving the tube exposed. The plastic grilles above the tubes, yes I said plastic, show signe of heat damage, so I'm assuming that the protectors were left off at the factory cause these 3 tubes have a heat problum and that rather than remedy the issue Marshall left off some protectors and installed some budget grilles. The rear grille may have lots of little holes in it, but it does not have alot of open space for air to circualte. Speaking of cheap plastic parts the cabinet corners are all plastic and are riveted in place. I have students with $50 crates with metal corners. The Marshall logo on the face of the amp is very soft plastic and not very well attached. That explains why we see so many of them broken. I would not expect the gold caps on the knobs to last very long. Rather than use proper swutches for channel switching and various functions they have used cheaper push buttons that all feel very flimsy. The entire chassis is anodised aluminum. Aluminum is a soft metal and this chassis will warp over time from the weight of transformers. I know this is nit-picking, but the rought grained vinyl covering on the amp seemed to take me forever to get all the gunk out of the crevices. Very hard to clean. After having this amp apart I would not use is for a doorstop. If you have been using one of these amps without failure, continue to use it very, very carefully. If you disagree with my evaluation, take a really good look at one of these up close and personal and compare it with a Bogner Extacy or Soldano Decatone, or have a pro tech that isn't trying to sell you a Marshall read this and tell you what he thinks. We have been using this amp for only one year and have already had one major failure. I just had a '78 Fender 100 tube head in the shop for a new set of filter caps, tube sockets, and tubes. This amp was used and abused full-time through the 80's and this is the FIRST time anyone has done more than change the tubes. The Fender 100 is not consided to be one of the greatest amps on the planet. What does this tell you?

There is no customer support. The only way to contact Marshall is either long distnace phone call to England, or by mail to England. There is NO USA contact. Marshall is distributed by Korg. Korg will tell you to contact a Marshall dealer or repair cneter. How many Guitar Centers do you know of with a truely qualified tech to direct questions or comments about a Marshall product do you know of. This product might as well not have any warranty or manner of customer service at all.

I have been playing 12 years and in the tech and amp repair buisness for approx. 5 years. I also teach guitar. I have owned Mesa, Marshall, Fender, Carvin, Line 6. I have experienced and worked on many others including Bogner and Soldano. I play Line 6 and will probably never go back over to the tube side. I recomend these to all of my customers and students, although if people keep buying amps made like this I am going to be in buisness for a very long time. I used to think that the worst tube amp on the market was either Mesa, or Peavey. You can modify a Mesa or Peavey and make them a reliable piece of gear, but there is no salvation for the TSL 100. If you must buy tubes, buy them in something that is made by a comapny that still has a shread of pride in their work.

The features have been mentioned many times over. There are enough features that make it difficult not to find your special tone. The two independent EQ sections are great. It really has everything I need to create the tones I like to play.

Its a Marshall. Most people are very familar with that sound and this amp nails it. I use a Les Paul Studio and a Marshall 1960 AV 4X12 cab. I can get many sounds from this amp. It nicely presents the different sounds you can get just from how you pick and attack the strings. The clean channel is very clear at lower volumes and nicely breaks up a bit at higher volumes. The crunch channel is great for bluesy sounds, southern rock ... etc. The lead channel has additional gain and can create some of the more modern sounds you hear. I returned a Mesa Boogie F-50 which was an excellent amp. It just didn't have that Marshall sound which is what I like. Its a pricy amp but by the time you try various digital amps and effects you will have spent more for that Brit tone. If you really like that sound you will probably end up with a Marshall, eventually.

I am just getting started with this amp and cant provide legitimate advice on this yet. It seems sturdy and well built. I do not tour and take good care of my gear. I do not abuse my gear. I think that, in general, if you use common sense your equipment should last. However, it is a tube amp and with that comes more maintenance and care than a solid state.

I have not delt directly with the company. Have only had the amp one day so I cannot really comment. However if you do buy on of these try your local Guitar Center. The guys in Tempe AZ were great. They let me try several other amps at home and were very good when I took them back because I hadn't found my tone. The return policy alone makes it worthwhile.

I am giving it a 10 right now because it nails my tone. It will remain a 10 if I have no problems other than maybe having to replace tubes at some point. Its an expensive amp but if you like "that sound" it will produce. It takes time learning a new amp, finding EQ settings that you like ... etc. If you really want the true sound of the bands you like you should get the equipment they use, if you can. Some great work has been done with the digital modeling amps but non of them really give you that all tube Marshall sound.

Why do people keep typing the same thing over and over and over!?

This is the sound that i've been wanting to own for years now. My first marshall was a mg100hdfx. it sounded ok, but was for a beginner and on a low budget. i call it the fake marshall. eventually i got fed up with it, and went for an avt150. i loved the accoustic on that baby! but then again, i still was no where near the top of the line product of marshall. i suppose avt would be somewhere below the half point mark. In no time at all, i went for the TSL 100. life has been good since! except guitar center gave me a crappy ass pedal. i've traded the first one i got for a new one, and now it's broken again. in the process of talking to korg's people.

pedal is crap. amp is fine. all stock tubes! sounds great.

will call them tomorrow about the pedal. sometime it works sometimes it doesn't! i was just practicing earlier, and the damn pedal worked just fine, and last week, it didnt' work at all. can't have this during a gig!!!!

i love this amp. my 1960b straight cab will be coming in in about 4 or 5 days from now. i just got it used off of ebay. can't wait to see my very own full stack marshall!!!! :)

i play a cheap $400 ibanez rg220b, and it sounds so sweet! i'm currently looking for a special fender with a floyd rose that goes for about $1,100. waiting for it to show up on ebay!!!


anyways....this amp is as good as it gets! i love the vpr button. i usually practice in my room and it helps alot. man oh man is this amp loud!!!!!!! turn this bad boy to 5 and it's SCARY!!!!! wow!!!! i'm not kidding you! it's just frightening! everytime i'm home alone, i crank this baby up to 5 and that's enough for me to keep looking back to see if some evil creature to jump at me!


i dont know about you guys but, fender and marshall is a match made in heaven. the hell with gibson! the sound is ok, but the appearance of a gibson guitar reminds me of old blues men and teenie bopper mtv bands.

Here are the features taken from Marshall?s website:

The TSL100's three completely independent, footswitchable channels (Clean, Crunch and Lead) effectively give you three different classic amps in one casing. Each channel has its own controls for Gain, Volume, Treble, Middle and Bass. The Clean channel also has a Mid Boost switch, while the Crunch and Lead channels each have their own Tone Shift switches which 'scoop' out the mids.
- 4x EL34 output valves and 4x ECC83 preamp valves
- Footswitchable Accutronics Spring Reverb with Dual controls (one for Clean, one for Crunch/Lead)
- Individual Presence controls and Deep switches for Clean and Crunch/Lead channels
- Two Parallel FX loops (footswitchable)
- XLR DI output featuring Marshall's acclaimed speaker emulation, allowing direct connection to recording or PA mixing desks without the need for microphones or DI boxes
- A Power Amp Mute facility for silent recording via the built-in DI
- A ruggedly built, 5-way LED footcontroller which gives you the ability to switch between the three individual channels, plus switch the Reverb and the two FX Loops on/off
- An innovative Virtual Power Reduction (VPR) switch which, when engaged, emulates the sound and feel of a 25 Watt valve power amp

They pretty much have it all covered with this amp. It is, afterall their top of the line full tube amp.

I?m using a Gibson Les Paul, A Fender Strat with a Gibson 490 in the bridge and a Steinberger USA (circa 1988) with EMG 81 & 85 combo. I have the head attached to a JCM800 1960b cab with Celestion g75's. I purchased this amp to replace my two channel JCM800 2210 head from 1989. This thing can do everything my JCM800 could do and much, much more. The Lead channel has gobs of gain (and it pretty much responds just like the JCM800 in the eq area). With the gain at about 2 o?clock it sounds the same as the JCM800 gain maxed. The deep switch is a fantastic feature. I?ve used other deep switches on other amps and none have ever beefed up the sound as much as this one. Anyone who says that this amp doesn?t have as much gain as a Mesa or that you can?t do nu-metal with this amp is nuts. The crunch channel is very similar to the lead channel but it doesn?t have quite as much gain. I set the crunch channel for overdriven plexi type sounds and it kicks ass as well. It sounds almost clean with single coils and AC/DC grind-ish with humbuckers. The clean channel is amazing. It is jangly clean with single coils and fat and full of character with humbuckers. The clean channel sounds better than a Fender Twin. It has the full-bodied character, the brightness (you have a separate presence control for the clean channel) and best of all, none of the shitty harsh breakup of a Twin. You can crank the hell out of the clean channel even with humbuckers with no distortion what so ever. The coolest part about all of this is that when you crank this amp it just gets fatter (unlike Peavey?s XXX or JSX heads). Also, if you want to achieve that cranked sound at low levels, the VPR switch will allow you to do just that. An extremely cool feature! The coolest part about all of this is the Emulated Balanced direct out. You can get all of the sounds you?re hearing direct to a console without mic?s! I tried the emulated out last week at rehearsal without expecting much or even checking the sound before hand. It blew me away. It follows all of the channel changes flawlessly and sounds like I miked the amp in a sound room with bitchin? mics.

I had my JCM800 2210 for over 15 years without one single problem. I trust Marshall.

5 year warranty. Marshall customer service is great. I have e-mailed them several times and have received prompt, courteous and thotough responses.

I've been playing for 20 years. This is my dream amp. I can do anything in any situation with it. It really has everything I could ever need. Oh, by the way, the power tubes it comes with are Svetlana's (the best IMO) but the preamp tubes (it has 4) are shit. You should change them out as soon as you get the amp. I've been looking to replace my JCM800 for a while now. I first thought that the Peavey JSX was the amp to do it. I bought the JSX and used it for about a month. The thing just became wimpy and thin when I cranked it. Not to mention it had major feedback problems so I returned it. This head rules!

This amp has more features than I will ever use. I really like the VPR for rehearsal, the independent EQ's for each channel.

My primary guitar is a PRS Custom 24 and this amp just makes that guitar sing. I play in a blues-rock band, and it was the Crunch channel tht sold me. Classic Marxhall tone, with gorgeous, snarling midrange. Clean channel was a surprise - with the mid-boost button engaged it is almost Fender sweet, with lots of chime and shimmer.

Footswitch prolems like a lot of other people, but the amp itself is bullet-proof.

I've been playing for 40 years and I've owned more amps than I can count, including an old Marshall Plexi (with the 8x10 cabinet) back in the late '60s. This is the best amplifier that Marshall has ever made, and that is saying something.

The amp was made in the USA.It has 3 channels(Clean, Crunch, Lead).Every channel has its own Bass, Mid, Trebble, Vulome, Gain controls and the Presenc, FX mix, Reverb controls are separated between the Clean and OverDrive channels.The Clean channel has a MID-BOOST button, and the ODs has their own DEEP SWITCHes.Like every tube amps the TSL100 sounds the best when, the volume is on 10, but it might be too loud so there is a buttom called V.P.R. This is very usefull if you don't want to destroy the house.On the rear panel you can find 2 EFFECTS LOOP.3 OUTPUTs - one 16Ohm and two 4/8Ohm.The name says it's a 100 Watt amp but in fact (or as the owner's manual says) IT HAS 120 WATTS for ground breaking music.I can tell you it's more then enough.You can play any type of music through this amp, but if wanna' play Heavy Metal you'll need a distorsion pedal(eg Boos MeTal-Zone 2) cause the amps distorsion is not so wild.

I use this amp with a Yamaha RGX220DZ and some effects and the amp sounds great.The amps noise is the minimal youn can imagine, the clean is clean the crunch is dirty the lead is loud.It has 4xECC83 (also know as 12AX7) preamp and 4xEL34 output tubes/valves.They do their job - they make the sound of the 80s & 90s rock-bands.You know like Guns N Roses.

Oh yeah.That's the question i can't answer.I got only a month before.It has not broken down yet.When they delivered it everithing was okay, the tubes were all right.The packeg hadn't been oped on the way from the factory to my house.I think Slash and Jimi Hendrix wouldn't use Marshalls if they were crap so i give a 10.

I 've never delt with them, but the delivery guy was friendly

I' ve been playin for 2,5 years.I have Yamaha RGX220DZ, Crybaby, Boss DD2, Fender practice amp, 4x12 Celestion Cab.I'd buy it again.Bla bla bla

Now im sure youve all heard all of this from the other bajillion reviews on here so just keep it simple. 3 channel 100 watt amplifier head with reverb...everything you'll ever need out of a all tube amp. But i wont give it a 10 just because of that, those stupid modeling amps out there are like WHOAAA!!! crazy to understand but once you get the hang of them they can entertain you for hours, which kinda sucks if you REALLY REALLY wanna concentrate on YOUR music, not some funny ass sound. The direct line out is kinda iffy. I went into the recording studio recently to try it out and it was kinda fucked haha, the amp cabinet simulator thingy is all messed and REALLY digital. I ended up having to record with a digital thing that sounded LESS digital then the amp simulator on the TSL...but i did get a marshall 1960A 4X12 cabinet which will KILL on the next recording we do...shibby.

Im using a custom made les paul to gibson standards (blueprints bought at my local shop). All premium woods (koa, brazillian rosewood, mahogony back and neck, AAA grade maple quilt top). THIS THING SHINES!. Ive only had it for like...a week of straight playing too and holy crap. Stock tubes and still the clean channels bright without the mid boost, and with the clean channel "gain" knob turned up the sound gets so round and beefy, that true humbucker sound y'know?. But as for the Rhythm channel goes, this things got CLASSIC written ALLLLLL OVER IT! ACDC, Zepplin, Stones you name it, this channels got all that shit down PACT! with the gain up to about 5 you can get a good overdrive/distortion sound, but after about 6 you get into that high gain amp type stuff which is awesome for the stuff im doing right now. The Lead channel is wat i base my sound off of (a mix of melodic music with SCREAMO!)...which includes the band types of "Taking Back Sunday", "Alexisonfire", "Something Corporate". It's got balls and clarity mixed into one. I play really wierd and complex chords in some of the stuff i do in the high gain area and wow, this amp picks all the notes up perfectly and doesnt get TOO TOO muddy, only when you turn down the amp is that it gets kinda muddy...SO TURN THAT MOTHER UP! The only thing that will happen is more clarity and more basssssss...this thing wails soooo sweet. Holy shit i write to much, but yea if you want some kick ass tone, get a les paul (even some epiphones sound nice through this amp cause i own one and its got lotsa treble but still pretty nice if you want that high cut solo sound) and the hollowbody i got (cheap ibanez artcore) really has that low end mixed with some of the dialed in high cut sounds makes it oh but so much sweeter.

uh i really cant say, it was obviously shipped from england to canada and there was no broken tubes so kudo's guy's!. It's heavy as a mother trucker, so im guessing this bastards sturdy considering that its got a metal grill thing on the back of it thats gotta be able to take a beating...i mean, people friggin tour all the time with these amps (maybe they are modded, maybe they are not) but shit man, i think some of those arent modded to be "sturdy". All i can say is, now ive got my rig and im gonna go touring soon, i plan on beating the shit out of this thing, not on purpose but from the road so ill update this one after all of that!

never dealt with but its mos def shitty from all the stuff ive heard...just get a local amp tech to deal with it.

ive been playing about...maybe 3 years, this MAY be my first tube amp, but i know wat im fucking talking about cause ive been looking at tube amps for over 2 and a half years now. Ive tried nearly ALL the amps that are "popular" including mesa's, peavey's, crates, fender (niceeeeee cleans), matchless, bad cat, and ton's of other wierd amps that i cant think of right now.All i know is if it were stolen i probably couldnt do much cause im only 15 but ide call the police on that bastard! i love everything about it...cant say i hate anything about it just yet.if you wanna hear the stuff my band play's then go to www.purevolume.com/deadbeatromeo and thats pretty much all i have to say. Except tooooo...BUY AN ALL TUBE MARSHALL! YOU WONT REGRET IT IN THE LONG RUN!.

1998 Marshall JCM 2000 TSL 100, First Year Made. Extremely Versatile. 3 Channels....blah blah...(see other reviews)

I use a REAL 1959 Gibson Les Paul through this and let me say,,, UNBELIEVABLE! On every channel this beast roars. Great for any kind of sound. What I like is that YOU really come out of this amp. And that tone from a Marshall, you can't beat that man.

This has been great...so far so good... I replaced my speaker cable with a Planet Waves one... Sounds even better than the original cord I recieved with the amp.

been playing since 1987, own '59 Paul, '73 Stratocaster, '82 Charvel,
'83 BC Rich Bich, mainly play the les paul. I run only a vintage Ibanez AD 202 Analog Delay through effects loop 1. And use a vintage sovtek phaser pedal, as well as a 73 Crybaby. Less is more for me. I don't like cutting the true sound of the amp. But the Marshall efx loops are great, no loss in tone. Compared this to the DSL, but kept coming back to the TSL, more candy in the machine. People are always raving about other amps, like Mesa's Orange...yeah whatever, my heroes play Marshall's, and thats the sound in my head. Ya gotta go for that sound inside you hear, let me tell ya this amp will bring that to life.

Ya prob know what it has by now, im not going to go through it again if thats ok! What i will say is that its very versatile amp, that feels very sturdy and robust. I have thought about changing the tubes to groove tubes, maybe changing them to 6550's, but to be honest, the amp sounds soo good right now with the stock marshall el34's, im in no rush like!

Ok, i use a number of guitars the main ones im using right now are an ibanez rgt 42, and an esp viper 400, (in all my guitars i use emg pickups, most of which are esp, and 1 ibanez and jackson) The clean channel is really exelent, very warm full and clear! I leave the mid boost on , which is an awsome feature! smooth nice tone! The crunch channel is the one i dont use all that much, its really just a toned down version of the lead channel, brighter with not so much bass! The sound is nice, got like a maiden tone to it! Thats all have to say about that, because i dont really use it...
Now the lead channel is why i bought the amp. I think when people try this amp they must scoop the mids, and still press the mid scoop button? I dont understand that, by doing that you are just playing with mud! Keep my mids on 6 and press the mid scoop button, and the tone is awsome! the great thing is the presence knob, you can put the gain all the way up and keep the treble down on like 7, and by using the presence knob, you still have complete controll over your sound! I tune to drop c and drop b, and my tone never gets muddy! sheer gain with tone!! The amp is truly awsome! If ya want a quich idea of the tone of this amp, go and listen to any hatebreed or static-x album! I really do recomend it to every one! what ever your style!

ive owned marshall valve amps in the past, this being the best one, but i have never had any reliability problems with them at all! That is one of the reason why i came back to marshall, theyre very consistant and trustworthy! I am now a marshall lifer!

I live in the uk so calling marshall is easy! Theyre always very helpfull, and are appreciative of all the marshall players. Warrenty is of 3 years! (damn i gota send that off!)

Benn playing for 4 years, i know that dont seem much compared to some, but ive been through a suprising amount of amps, 4 to be exact, marshall dsl 100, randall cyclone, peavey 5150, and this one. i cant see me selling this amp, because it really is very good! And its a marshall, what more is there to say? Dont take my word for it, go try one, they are truely awsome. Im also gona buy a mode four.
R.I.P Dimebag. You will be greatly missed.

Alot has already been said about this in previous reviews. So il keep it brief. 3 Indpendant channels provide excellent flexibility
and tone variation at the switch of a button. Tone shifts on the crunch and lead channels and a mid boost option on the clean channel. Best feature by far is the VPR (virtual power reduction) which allows you to produce better sounds at low volumes. This amp isnt as flexible as modern day modelling amps but it makes up for this in the sound department. Handy output mute for changing guitars over, standard FX loops at back of amp

First time playing through this amp was in a music store- not the best place to get to grips with an amp. with the VPR off and the volume on a mighty 1 this amp sounded nothing special (not understanding that all vale amps need to be cranked up at the time). I later returned with my Standard mexican strat (with hot rails) put the VPR on and put the volume up to 4. Playing through a 1600s Angled Cab - the Walls shuck , polar ice caps melted ........ .and i smiled. The Power from this thing is incredible - full of clarity yet tons of bass, not even a hint of mudd. I cant even begin to tell you about the tone - apart from authentic marshall roar. The Lead channel provides an incredible amount of sustain which can be feeded back into a classic hendrix echo. Never heard such a sparkling clean channel from a marshall - dare i say its nearly on a par as a fender 65 series amp. This amp is capable of very nearly any kind of sound - might not be the best for shred heads or any korn wannabee's, although im not really sure if detuned players would be looking at a marsahll in the first place. One word of warning though - this amp is loud , very loud. I wish now i had gone for the 60Watt version - however an attenuator (powerbrake)should help you acheive the tone this amp is capable of at a comfortable volume

I heard of numerous complaints about the foot switch breaking, although it is to my understanding that this problem was corrected a few years back now. Ive had the amp a year now with no problems at all. As far as im concerned its as solid as a rock. Although i wouldnt really recommend doing any gig without a type of backup now matter how reliable an amp is. (be wary of buying this and similar amp from cheaper online dealers - they often send them with poor and heavily used valves)

authorized service center is about 40mins drive from were i live.
Amp comes with 3 year warrenty (if you send off the form that is).
Cant comment on the customer support because ive never had to deal with marshall or my dealer........hope i never have to.

I have been playing through this amp for a year now so i know its in's and outs.
Fantastic value ,cant really fault this amp at all - maybe a few more features....but hey thats me just been greedy.

From Blues to hi-gain sadism and all the stops in between- this amp does them all. Is this amp perfect? Nope. But no amp ever will be- so when i give the amp a "10" rating - its means its as near as perfect for the classic rock sytle that i play, other styles might be suited better to different amps. But if you are looking for the Classic tones in both clean and gain departments - then this amp is for you. If your gigs are smaller than stadium size then look into the 60watt version first or try the powerbrake.You need to have this amp above the 3 mark with the VPR on to even start to touch what this amp is made of.