Marshall JCM-2000 TSL 100

2004 model of the TSL 100 head. Features everyone knows about now, 3 independent channels, mute button, VPR etc. The amp is amazingly versatile, anyone who says the tone is weak or it sounds shit or there's no balls to it obviously is either deaf, a complete idiot, or listening to some bullshit band using mesa/boogie amps that just muddy everything up to cover up the lack of talent. The amp is loud as fuck, at band practise i run it at 25w on volume 7 and that's loud enough to cut through loud drums, a 300w bass amp and a PA system for the vocals. I ran it on 100w just to see the difference on the same volume of 7 and the floor was shaking. The amp loses no guts or clarity played on 25w, and has the advantage of allowing you to drive the valves harder to get that sweet tone Marshall are renowned for. The back panel has 3 output sockets, 1 for a single cab at 16ohm to run in mono, and a separate 2 to allow you to run a full stack at either 4 or 8 ohm. Also has 2 effects loops, one for clean channel and one for crunch/lead

I use a Tanglewood Strat copy, a 1994 USA 40th anniversary Fender Strat and a BC Rich NJ Classic Mockingbird, and this amp suits them all. The first 2 guitars can go from nice sweet bluesy sounds, crystal cleans, to balls out roar. The Mockingbird really brings out the rock-side of this amp, the twin humbuckers give that balls-to-the-wall Marshall slam you want, and roll back the volume on the guitar and it cleans up nicely. There's nothing this amp can't achieve, except for muddy fucked up sounds, which is great. Whatever your style of music, this amp is for you

Built like a tank, typical Marshall. I wouldn't gig without backups with any amps because anything can happen, from a blown fuse to a loose connection to a blown valve, so whatever my amp i always have a backup, but i have no problem is this amp on its own if i really had to, and at practises i only use the single one, and i trust it implicitly

Warranty is 90 days for valves, 3 years for parts. No problems yet so haven't had to deal with them, but i hear Marshall are great with customer support

I've been playing for 10 years, and i own a Marshall mg250dfx which muddied up when i turned it up, lacked any sound clarity, and was basically no good for a regular guitarist, but good for beginners or as a practise amp. If it were stolen i'd hunt the fucker down who did it and smash it over his head (because it weighs a ton) and then make him buy me a new one. I love everything about the amp, the only thing i dislike about it is that you can't switch from crunch to lead using the footswitch, you need to unplug the footswitch and use the button on the front of the amp. It's not a big deal because i won't use both channels in one song. Maybe it can be done another way and i just haven't figured it out yet, i haven't spent much time trying to figure it out to be honest. Overall the amp gets 10 out of 10 for having wads of features that allows you to do anything, being as solid as a rock and having the nicest sound you can imagine, no matter what your style of music

2004 Model.
It has three channels - Clean, Crunch and Lead - These are more than just channels though as each has it's own volume and tone controls with no master volume.
One great feature is the power reduction switch which reduces the output from 100 to 25 Watts for more manageable practice levels. A Much improved footswitch (an expensive extra on my beloved Engl Screamer) and bucket loads of classic rock tone.

All of my guitars sound great through this amp from the jangle of my Ric 330, to the growl of my SG and my Les Paul Doublecut with P90s. They all sound just as they should through all three channels. This amp does exactly what I wanted it to. I bought it because my Engl combo just couldn't cut through with a live band. I love the tone of the Engls, but couldn't afford an Engl half stack. Have not been dissapointed with the Marshall, It is not better or worse than the Engl - just different. The only improvement over the Engl is the volume level - this thing is LOUD (but it is 100 Watts compared to 50 Watts from the Engl - having said that, the Marshall manual claims 125 Watts). I play classic rock and that is the sound that this amp was built to make - perfection. It might not suit everybody, so shred heads should go and buy a Line 6 or some such modern monstrocity.

Seems solidly built.
Was worried about the foot pedal due to previous reviews, but that seems to have been fixed in late 2003 / early 2004 - the power of the people!!
Marshall are offering a 3 year warranty on the amp, so it must be reliable - they wouldn't do that unless they were confident in the product.
Hope I never need to find out how good the warranty is.
My only worry is the loud rattle that the reverb springs make when you move it.

Don't know - hope I never need to find out.

Have been playing for about 15 years. I use 3 Gibsons (LP Custom, LP Doublecut and SG Standard), Ric 330, Fender Highway Strat and an Ibanez EDR 470 (hate it). MOst of these are rock classic which suit the music I play (The Who, The Stones, The Darkness etc). This amp sounds exactly as I need it to. It lacks some of the warmth that my beloved Engl Screamer has, but is still an excellent amp. I have connected them both to the stereo inputs of my cab and invented a whole new tone - a blend of the best of both amps.
The best feature of the lot is the fact that each channel is TOTALLY separate - tone controls, volume, the lot. The Engl has different gain settings, but all of the channels use the same master volume and tone controls. Marshall have delivered the goods with this one. When I bought the Engl, I tried the Valvestate range which sounded like crap - I was pleasantly surprised by this amp and will cheerfully grind anyone who steals or damages this amp into pate.

By now, you guys know all the features but here is a quick rundown. It has 3 channels-Clean/Crunch/Lead. Independent Bass, Mid, Treble, Gain, and M-Volume for each of the 3. And 2 of each of the following that is shared betweeen the clean channel and the Crunch/Lead channels; Presence, FX Mix Level(2), Reverb, ToneShift, Deep Switch and on the back, 2 seperate send & return effect loop connections. There is also a "Mid Boost" button on the clean channel only. This monster has 100 Fu****n Huge Watts of power. There is a "VPR"-(virtual power reduction) button, that lets you cut the wattage down from 100 to 25 watts, to have the tubes being driven hard but at lower volume levels to get that, you know, "being pushed and punched" sound. They're a lot more features, but that is for another day. I HAD A DSL-100, the 2 channel model, but I disliked the fact that both channels shared the sam EQ, amongst other things. I definitley didn't have a problem with the DSL's tone or the sound, but the TSL looked more attractive with it's features, so I wanted to trade up. Plus the 2 seperate effect loops caught my ear also. The Triple version, has twice as many features as it's brother-the DSL, and before my 30 day trade-in policy was up, I went for it. I play and love several types of music such as Blues, Metal, HardRock, Classical, Jazz. I grew up with the Priests, Testaments, Maidens, etc, etc, on the Metal side. Older 80's stuff rules. IMO, there are no more good guitar players in this arena. Even Metallica's last album, didn't include any lead work! I think the hard rock and so called Nu-Metal of today suck. Nothing I hear presently floats my boat like the old shit. As far as other types, I love the master himself, HENDRIX, and he taught me (didn't he teach everybody?) the beauty of learning the blues as well as many other things. Anyone can wail and play fast, like that Swedish guy. But if you don't have any soul or "feeling", you don't have shit. "One night in San Fransisco" is one of my favorite albums to date, with Dimeola, McGloclin, and Paco DeLuca. Some of those tracks still give me the chills, and make me want to practice until my fingers bleed. They were really "in the zone" on that night. I like to blend all of my musical tastes, including jazz, and classical, and write or play my own Metalish, hard rockin type of stuff. That is not to say I won't play some classical or really cool jazz from time to time. And I am alway into playing some form of the blues. Whether it's BB King-ish, or Albert Lee-ish, or even Red House-ish! As most of you guys know, it usually depends on what kind of mood your in at the time.
This amp is capable of helping me achieve all my styles of music. But for my old Judas Priest older Metal type stuff, this thing RULES! KICKS MAJOR ASS!! Hey, even the new Pantera and/or DamagePlan stuff isn't to bad either on this thing. THE TONE IS GRADE "A" PURE MARSHALL. And I'm talking guitar-cable-amp, straight into the unit, nothing in between the signal, no processors or stomp boxes, nothing. The bottom line is that this amp can dial in ANY nasty/heavy distortions or hard rock Metal sound you can come up with. I think the clean channel is pretty good, good enough for me anyway, but I'm sure there are better "clean" sounding amps out there. In fact, duh, of course there is. Surprisingly though, I thought the clean channel was excellent for a Marshall. But if you're getting a Marshall, you're getting it for a reason. Especially with a Marshall 100 watt head! There is no other feeling in the world than plugging straight into a 100w Marshall head, (at least one M4X12cab)and feeling the hairs on your back and arms when you're power chording, wailing it, or just in your own zone. It's up there with sex. Not as good, but up there!

What can I say, FREAKIN AWSOME! I was very happy with the tone of the DSL before it, but like I said, the Triple model seemed to have more bells and whistles. On the DSL, I'd get a good sound on one channel, but when I changed the channel, I'd have to play around with the EQ again because both channels shared the EQ's. Not so with this, you can setup all 3 channels like you wish, and switch between them. One thing I was scared of with the TSL compared to the DSL was the tone. The DSL had awsome tone, and most people (including myself), thought the TSL model wasn't as good tone wise. Everyone said that the TSL's didn't give that "Marshall Roar" like the DSL could. I kind of agreed, because every time I tried a the TSL in the stores, the hi-gain sounded "grainy" and saturated, kind of digital-like compared to the DSL. Not as good Marshall growl with its destinctive tone and punch. Even a guy at Marshall told me that most people tell him that the DSL has more of a bite to it. Plus the "cleans" weren't that nice and sounded twangy to me on that channel. So I took the safe bet, and bought the DSL, beause I knew I wanted the best all-valve amp for the money. With the tones I was getting out of it, I couldn't go wrong with it. Classic & Mordern Marshall tones and worth my investment-(cause I'm not going to have the $ for another one). So, after playing the DSL for about a month, and dealing with it's annoyences, (not the sound), I took a chance and traded up for the TSL. I really wanted the 2 seperate effect loops because I figured I can put either my GT3 or POD LIVE on the clean channel, and be able to switch to either the Crunch or Lead channels for the staight no nonsense Marshall tones. Oh yeah, the 5 button footswitch vs. the 1 button the DSL had, was another point.
Well, when I got this thing home, I was very, very, happily surprised that I made the right choice. I thought I'd be bringing it back because the tone wasn't as good as the DSL, but boy was I wrong. I am so happy that I took this risk and love the TSL. The clean I think is great. I had it pretty cranked, and it still kept it's tonal characteristics, and sounded close to the Fender family line of amps. The reverbs could be a little better, but their not that bad. In the short time I've had it, I have to say that the Crunch and Lead channels are excellent. Marshall tone all the way. I can dial in differnt gain and EQ settings and get pretty much any sound I am looking for. From Metallica, Priest, the new crappy metal and anything in between. So far though, the Crunch and Lead channels sound pretty much the same to me. But the distortion is brutal, not "fuzzy" sounding like I thought. I don't know what I was listening to on the floor models I tried, maybe they were bad or something, but I wasn't at all disappointed with the gains, and tones of the TSL compared to the DSL. Now I'm saying all this, and I really haven't "cranked or pushed" the amp yet, so this opinion could change, but I don't think for the bad. You can get ANY Marshall sound from the past in this thing. From Plexi, to Super Lead jumpered, to a cranked JCM800-2203. Plus get Mesa/Solodanish, to a nice fender like cleans too! I absolutely love this thing and am so glad I made the right choice.

I heard some horror stories and that they had problems with the footswitches in the past on the TSL's. Before I got it, I called Marshall in NY. The guy told me that they fixed that in the later 2003, and 2004 models. So it was very important to me to make sure my serial number started with the 2004 numbers in which it did. Haven't had any problems yet-(knock, knock), but Marshalls have been around a pretty long time and I wouldn't think reliablitly is a problem.

So far, So good. Every time I needed to talk to a live person, I got one on the phone within 5 minutes. And the guy was always ready to answer any questions I might have. In fact, when I talked to him before trading up to the TSL, he told me that many people have told him, and feel the same way, that the DSL's have more of a Marshall roar and bite to them than the TSL's. But he also said that is a matter of opinion, for many top Metal players use TSL's in their rig, and by no means, is there a problem getting the most nastiest and brutal distortions from the TSL, as many Metal and Thrash players already do.

I've been playing for 24 years now, and I've been around a little. Guitar wise, I have Gibson Ace Frehley, Fender Voodoo, Jackson RR1, original-(early 80's) Charvel, Gibson Ionmi SG, original Ibanez Destroyer, and a couple of others including I think my fav, a Washburn Dimebag model. I have the Vetta head which in my opinion is one of the best setups money can buy, especially solid state wise. But I wanted the "best" tube amp to have the best of both worlds, and the TSL wins that competition hands down. This amp rocks and is so versitile for a tube amp. I can't wait till the wifey goes out for a couple of hours so I can crank this thing and see what it can really do. WFO-WideFu**nOpen baby! Like all valve amps, the harder they are pushed, the better tone and sound you get. Bottom line is this; The Marshall JCM2000 TSL-100 RULES! I would get another one in a hearbeat. If it were stolen, I'd shoot the guy with my Bushmaster or AK, and then play my little Marsall practice amp in my cell until I get out.

SORRY FOR WRITING SUCH A LONG AND BORING REVIEW, IT'S MY FIRST. I JUST FIGURED I'D WRITE CAUSE I READ THESE ALL THE TIME. I THINK THAT HC IS THE PLACE TO BE WHEN YOU'R LOOKING FOR ADVICE, RESOURCES, HC RULES!

You know what this amp has! 3 channels, each with independant eq, volume and gain. 100 watts of power. dual effects loops. 55 lbs, 22 kg... its fairly heavy, and the strap on the top is a practically useless feature, if you want to NOT bump it into doorways on the way through.

This is the tallest marshall head I've ever seen, and the only one I've seen that has vents in the top.

This is a newer one than my old one and the red power switch is pretty lame on this one. Instead of the deep red my last one had, it's kinda orangey and is my only gripe about this amp.

I was ROBBED about 7 months ago and was pissed off. Insurance reimbursed me and I have a new one. It doesn't sound the same. It sounds awesome, but not the same. Using the same guitar and pickups. I play every style concievable (like acoustic rock, rock, hard rock etc.) and play on many recordings both studio and live. I alsways get good tone with this amp.

this amp is reliable. I have used it on gigs without a backup, but since I have a halfstack I usually just take my combo mesa dc-5 for live stuff and use this for recording. It's live, so I'm not worried about having the best tone in thbe world although the mesa is a decent amp.

For recording the amp's DI is very useable, although I prefer micing it up.

The Marshall Distributer here in Canada which is Yorkville helps me with anything to do with this amp. When I bought my new 4x12 to replace the stolen one it just said 1960 lead in the corner, not jcm900 lead series so I asked them about it and they shipped me the older (and better looking) badge.

When I have contacted Marshall in the past they have sent me magazines, speaker cables, handwritten letters, they are just awesome.

I have been playing 11 years now. This amp really does it for me. I have heard bad reviews about it and I did have a problem with my old footswitch like other people did but it's a great amp. I really wish that the eq said what frequencies they controlled and the Q instead of "low mid high" because that doesn't really help when trying to use it in conjunction with a graphic eq.

this amp has the best features on the market today, save for anything by crate or peavey. i like to use the jcm (which stands for Juicy Crunch Machine) as a means to amplify my guitar (Samick all the way baby!!!) but i am sure it can be used for other things (i'm thinking of running my car stereo through it)
alls i can say is if you like rock n roll, look no further or maybe look further.

this is where the amp truly shines. it's sound. it's soundful without being too "soundy." you jewish guitar players no what i'm talking about. this amp makes my peavey sound like a crate when i a-b'd them. im not sure what a-b means and the manual that came with the amp didnt say anything. but i made up my own method of a-b, which i am submitting to the government for an authorized patent.
this amp snarls with a lick and a promise.

this amp has completely unreliable. but then again, so are mexicans, and we still use them right?

the customer support is Indian, like DELL.

i used this amp until it broke and then i used my peavey crate combo monster thing i built in shop class.
i'd buy another one though because i'm a shop-a-holic!

1998 year of make (or so it says), bought used (no user's guide or floorboard), this is my first all-valve amp. You'd know the drill by now: 3 channels with 2 separate eq's, scoops and spring reverb. A welcome feature is the valve-saturation button. 2 effects loops and emulated line out.
I feed it with Gibson and Fender electrics, and the sound flavour fits hand-in-glove with that of my Gibson acoustics. I've got a Boss/ Roland GT-6 that adds some sweet choruses and distortions that work immaculately with the amp. EQs and effects loops separate for each channel would have made it a 10.

A few words say it all: rich vanilla icecream. Now all of you who assume that a Marshall equals Plexi-style heavy and aggressive distortion are gravely misstaken. I use mine with a vintage 1960A that delivers a smooth, bell-like valve sound. Think old-school rock and blues. Yes it has to handle some sound volume to ring out fully, but I must say the VPR does a good job adding valve saturation at lower volumes. It never sounds harsh, just different degrees of sweet.
When distortion is turned on full lead, the sound really gets messed up, but the sweetness never dies.
Suppose I'd want some overpowering dist I'd buy an aggressive top. Another genre, another amp - if you want a plexi, buy a plexi.

It's currently awaiting a change of valves as the pre-amp has begun making klicks and noices when slightly pushed. I've only used it about a year and it has worked impecably thus far (apart from the worn out valves). Never had it on a gig, but it's clearly built to last.

As above, no problem so far.

I would not sell this piece of tubing for all the whisky in Scotland. If I was to part from it I'd buy another one just like it.
I compared it with some U.S. made tops and the Marshall Mode 4 top, but the JCM 2000s were above the competition.
I wouldn't say metal is a suitable field of use for it. However, if a sweet, warm, fuzzy and likable valve-sound is what you're looking for, a JCM 2000 will do it for you.

everyone should know by now what this thing has!

This thing is bone crushing!! if you can't get it to sound good; you simply don't know how to set up a guitar amp.
I've had this for 3yrs now and i'm blown away each time i turn it on.
i'm playing this with an Engl vintage 4x12 and it's huge

footswitch died on me too, but that's ok coz i'm now using midi :)

have had no probs with the actual amp itself though

overall this amp is great for hard rock, jazz.. you name it.
If you like the sound of marshall you'll love the tsl100.
it kicks absolute ass!!

Mine is made in 2002 I think. Very versatile, can do any sound you wanted to. 3 Channels, like the other reviews msut be great to have the EQ separated on the crunch and lead channels. I'm a weekender and the power is enough. All pure tubes sound. I think Marshall is gaining their reputation on this one.

Humbuckers are married with Marshalls everybody knows that. So for this Baby I use Les Paul Customs. Although Strats with Lace sensors works fine too.I play variety but right now we are in Classic Rock (from cream to G&R). Its the cleanest Marshall sound I heard and I own JCM800 1959 and JCM800 2203.They are all good amps but not as quite and clean like this one. The lead channel can carry all metal sounds. The distortion is amazing just lower the mid for those alternative and grunge sound.

I just had this for 2 months bought it second hand in Japan from a recording studio that used it 3 times total of 16 hours. No comment yet

Never dealt with them . I'm in Japan

I've been playing profesionally since 1975. I'm 47 yrs old now. about 28-29 years. From 1976 to 1983 I play 5 days a week at least cause it's my Job. I'm a Filipino Band playing 6 months contracts in Japan. I think I'll beat most of the guys if you talk about experience. Music is Bread and Butter for me. I'm a real musician. I love this amp for it's versatility. I also have Peavey Classic 120 amp with Rockmaster Pre amp , Mesa DC-5 which is also versatile. JCM800 1959, JCM800 2203, Musicman HD130 I have a 2 Parker fly, 2 American Standard strats one is stock and one is Jeff Beck style Ultra , 2 Les Paul Customs and for Cabinet I have 2 Marshall 1960A,one with G12M & one with Vintage 30. But here's the secret since I love this site I will share this. This amp came with crappy EL34 stock tubes and it sounds Bity and harsh that's why the Studio sold it. I happen to have spare tubes in my house for backup and one day i decided to experiment and change the tube. I switch the tubes to Groovetubes C and I was amazed. It sounded fantastic Do this and you will be surprised!! I did not re-biased the tube yet but it sound excellent now. marshall should change the stock tubes to Groovetubes. I am not working with groove tubes. In fact these tubes were just my spare cause they sound bad on my other Marshalls. Also they are quads I bought from Musiciansfriend a couple of years ago. If you have one of this amp you should replace the tube. This amp is a keeper for me and it sounds good at Bedroom levels unlike my other amps. All amps are good if you take time tweaking them. It took me 3 years to appreciate my Mesa DC5 I almost sold it. The bottom line is "Know your Gear" buy professional stuff, do not use digital pre-amps they sound like computer sound cards beleive me cause I had a couple of them when I was doing solo gigs with a sequencer. But thats another review.

Head is a TSL 100, 2004, 3 channel, Great clean, Sweet and low Crunch and Lead channels.More than enough Power.

Use a Gibson Les Paul and SG through it. What can I say but Great sound. The Higher the volume, the better is sounds. That Marshall Roar sounds great through the 1960TV cab. Yes it does have a THD hot plate. Would tell you to buy one.Clean is fabulous, and the crunch and Lead channel are all Marshall.

HOPE the foot switch does'nt break from other reviews.No problems yet after a week or so, 20 hours runnin.

Recommended a hot plate, bought a THD,Thanx ED.

It's the sound I've air guitar'd for. Only a Marshall. Now its me. Go buy one and set yourself Free.

One of the best sounding amps i've ever heard. I play rock, metal and blues and this amps covers every style perfectly. I also play some jazz (very little) and it sounds amazing aswell. The clean channel produces a very large sound and fuck it's clean. The crunch sound is more for a tradition blues sound and the lead is for a full on blues. The fx loop is really handy for soloist because u can adjust the volume so when u turn it off it goes back to full volume and u can break out into a sexy solo. The amp has a xlr line output which run into my comp to record. The virtual power reduction is very usefull for bedroom usage aswell.

I use an Ibanez RG570 with IBZ v7, v8 and s1 pickups. A vantage with god knows what pickups and a Franpton with seymore duncan lil 59's and JB JNR pickups. I use a korg AX1500G and a morley bad horsie 2 wah. The ibanez through this amp sounds just like steve vais on an album. The louder u crank it, the better sounding it gets. Persnally i use it with the gain around 5/6 and the master volume around 8 while jammin. It sounds so sweat yet dealdy and is perfect for jaw dropping solos. The vantage sounds soo grunty and with a pair of Zakk Wylde extra low strings u get the best sound Godsmack/Black Label Society sound from it. It has alot of deliveramce which is important when playing with a loud drummer.

I would never think about taking a backup amp to a gig. It has never let me down and i don't think it will. The only problem i've had was with the footswitch, the crunch channel button stopped working but the warrinty covered that. No problems besides that.

Everyone knows marshall and would probably deal with marshall. Customer support is not hard to find.

I have used olid state amps b4 this amp and the difference between solid state and an all valve amp is breath taking. Valve is alot more clearer and has a lot more grunt, more balls. I compared the amp to some other amps such as Ashton, Peavy, Laney, Randall and other Marshall all valve amps. This amp was the right value and had the sound i wanted. I wouldn't buy another type amp ever i don't think. It sounded great and looked sweet. If it says marshall on it, ur only gonna get quality.

see other reviews

it sounds amazing...i play a fender strat with SD hotrails in the bridge..SD classic stack(middle)...SD lil 59(neck)...this amp lets u hear the differances between pups, woods, technique better then any other amp...it sounds so alive...the clean channel is super clean and warm...the crunch channel is perfect for classic rock(AC/DC) or turn up the gain and u got a very dave mustaine like tone....the lead channel....o dear god..insanity..perfect for grunge,hard rock, metal...anything..this amp can reproduce any tone uve ever heard and it also lets u come up with any tone u can imagine


btw i use a marshall 1936 cab

when i first pluged the footswitch in it didnt work right..then i unpluged it and plugged it back in and it works great

marshall customer support is ok\

amazing...the best amp marshall makes by far....go play/buy one

Alright, I already subitted a review for this amp but I completely screwed it up, so here is a new good review.

The amp was produced in 2003. The amp is extremely versatile for what I play, I play anything from Deftones-ish metal (lead channel) or any type of Weezer sound after the Blue Album (crunch channel). The amp has 3 channels which are Clean, Crunch and Lead. All which are footswitchable and they have all got separete EQs. The clean channel has reverb/presence/loop level controls and Crunch and Lead have got their own controls also. (same as clean) It has two effects loops, effects loop one is global when not used with the other one or you can use effects loop one for clean and effects loop two for crunch/lead. It does not have a headphone jack but it does have a V.P.R. switch which is good for playing at low volumes, but I don't like it all that much I'd much rather turn up to 5-6 and get the full feel, the V.P.R. switch is too fake. to be precise this switch is a 25-watt valve powered amp emulator. I wish the amp had a master volume control and separete presence controls for the crunch and lead channels. But what it has now is good enough for me. I use this amp in my basement, practice basements for two different bands and I have gigged with it. It has more than enough power for me. I usually practice with the amp volume at about 4-5. Gig with it at about 6-7. Don't need to mic it but I prefer to mic it. The amp also has a XLR output but I have not tried that yet. 100 watts all tube - 4 x EL34 and 4 x 12AX7. 16 ohm single cab or 4 or 8 ohm parallel speaker outputs. Reverb and effects loop are footswitchable. The Clean and Crunch/Lead channels also have a deep switch that adds a resonant bass boost. I have them both on, much more bass with these on. Also, the Crunch and Lead channels have a tone shift button for reconfiguring the mids for more metal tones. The clean channel has a mid boost switch that makes it sound very warm and mid-rangey.

I play a Mexican Strat with a Blue Lace Sensor in the neck Gold Lace Sensor in the middle and Seymour Duncan Hot Rails in Bridge, Brass Nut, 12-68 guage Elixer Baritone strings. This guitar is tuned to C G C F A D. It sounds fantastic with this amp on any setting. Amazing crunch and chunk from the Hot Rails, if you have a Strat but need a humbucker sound get one now, it's a great pickup. I also have a recently purchased new American Telecaster. This guitar sounds very nice for rock, not a metal guitar, period. That's what my strat is for. The Tele is a bit too bright for me, mainly the bridge but I love the neck pickup but I can't stand the hum but I am about to correct that with the purchase of a Seymour Duncan Hot Rails or a Little 59 for the bridge of that and a Vintage Lead Stack for the neck. Because I need hum cancellation. The lead channel suits my style perfectly with both guitars, but I really cant speak for the Tele until I get the new pickups. So, so far the strat suits me perfectly on the Lead Channel. For this channel I have a searing high-gain, metal, deep resonant crunch. The settings are as follows:

Gain: 8.5
Bass: 9
Mid: 2
Tone shift switch: on
Treb: 8
Presence: 7.5
Reverb: I dont use reverb that much but I have it set at 6 and use the footswitch to activate it when needed.

As for the crunch channel, I have a very gruff, heavy, mid-rangey, smooth, buttery overdrive setting:

Gain: 10
Bass: 8.5
Mid: 6.5
Tone shift switch: off
Treb: 7
Presence: Same control as Lead Channel
Reverb: Same control as Lead Channel

The Clean channel has a very, very nice Clean sound. Many have said that they hate the clean on this amp. I love it. Very bassy room-filling clean I have it slightly dirty:

Gain: 8
Bass: 7.5
Mid: 4.5
Mid-Boost switch: off
Treb: 8.5
Presence: 8
Reverb: 6

The clean channel is mainly set to suit my overdrive pedal which is an SIB! Varidrive. This pedal is amazing by the way, the most, tearing, saturated, chunkiest metal overdrive I have ever heard, knocks down a Triple Rectifier. No joke. This is not a metal pedal though. Most play it through a Fender Twin or other non-distorted amps. But the way I tweaked my clean settings makes it metal sounding. Aside from unholy metal. I like the Lead channel more than this pedal, it's good for once in a while use, thats why. I usually don't play stuff THAT heavy. Anyway, back to the Clean channel, the setting for the pedal sound is very, very nice when not used with the pedal, in other words like I said before, Very nice clean. This amp is not noisy at all, whoever thinks it is is an idiot or they care way too much about minor noise, it is perfectly quiet for me. I already named all the sounds (I'm sure there's more.) Like said before, clean channel distorts, very saturated distorton, not a Recto or anything that heavy but it is still perfect for me.

Heres the thing, the footswitch broke after a months use. That seems to be the case with all of the TSL 100s. The amp also came with awful tubes. I retubed with Ruby Svetlana EL34s and Sovtek pre-amp tubes that I ordered from Mesaboogie.com and lo and behold it sounds 100% better. The footswitch is the big downer though. Bad tubes was expected with an amp shipped from England then ordered online.

I called about the footswitch. They were very nice and covered it under warranty, I sent my faulty one in and they sent me a new one in 3 days. It has not broken yet, and I got it from them almost 5 months ago.

I have been playing for 5 years. I also own a Marshall AVT 20. If it was stolen I would get a Marshall JMP-1 preamp and a 9200 or EL34 100/100 poweramp. But I don't have the funds for that right now so I'm all set and perfectly happy. I am going to get a used Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier for some heavy metal tones because thats practically all that they're good for from what I've heard. I have heard horror stories about Mesas breaking down and sounding muddy. The Triple Rectifier that I played sounded great, all metal, nothing else, kind of disappointing at that. I'm not worried about it breaking down as long as I have the TSL100 with me. anyway, I'll use the Dual Rec for some metal tones and keep the TSL 100 for the crunch that I get now. Overall after my footswitch and tube replacement the amp is fantastic and delivers a fantastic sound.

I got this amp brand new this past January; Jan 3, 2004 to be exact. The stock tubes that came with this amp were awful. I re-tubed the amp with Sovtek preamp tubes and Ruby Svetlana power tubes I and had it professionally re-biased and now it sounds fantastic, you can really get some extreme volume out of it not to mention that unmistakable Marshall crunch/roar. The amp has 3 channels, Crunch/Lead/Clean. You can go from crunchy warm overdrive on the Crunch channel to searing high-gain on the Lead channel. Both channels sound like two different amps which is fantastic, both with a "tone shift" button which reconfigures the mids for more metal tones, I use this switch on the Lead channel, and it sounds very, very heavy when activated. The Clean channel provides some very glassy, smooth tones and the Clean channel has a "mid boost" switch, but I never use that because it makes the sound too warm and high-mid for me. I use one overdrive/distortion pedal and it is an S.I.B. Varidrive and the Clean channel compliments it extremely well, the bass is huge on this channel when used with outboard distortion, which is perfect for what I play, it is a very heavy-metal sounding pedal. The amp has reverb/presence/FX mix controls for the Clean and Crunch/Lead channels, I wish that the Crunch and Lead channels had separate reverb/presense/FX mix controls but it's not really that major of an issue with me. The amp has 2 effects loops, Effects Loop 1 is for the Clean channel and Effects Loop 2 is for the Crunch/Lead channels. If you use only Effects Loop one then it will act as the Effects Loop for both the Clean, Crunch, and Lead channels. Each loop has a loop level switch which should be depressed when using pedals and depressed when using rack gear. It has 3 speaker outputs, 2 of them can be switched between 4 or 8 ohms and one is solely reserved for use with one 16 ohm speaker cabinet. The amp definitely has more power than I need. I can play an unmiced gig with the amp at about 4.5 - 5 so it definitely is loud enough. A master volume would be nice though.

I use this amp mainly with a Fender Mexican Stratocaster with a Seymour Duncan Hot-Rails in the Bridge, Fender Blue Lace Sensor in the neck, and a Fender Gold Lace Sensor in the middle tuned to C G C F A D, despite the fact that it is a Mexican guitar it can still rock really hard. I also use a Fender American Telecaster with stock pickups, the clean channel on the amp really needs to be turned up for the Tele though. I play anything from Deftones ish metal to Weezer rock. The amp like I said above can do just about anything from warm crunch to searing metal to glassy clean. The Clean channel distorts when you turn the gain up to about 7 and it can really distort when you turn the volume up to about 7 - 8. The amp overall is perfect for what I play. One time I used the effects loop and there was a slight decrease in volume, but that could probably be corrected with some sort of pedal similar to the "MXR Micro-Amp."

When I got the amp like i said before the tunes were awful, but and I fixed that problem, it is kind of inevitable to get a tune amp off of an online company and have the tubes be shot, I was kind of expecting that. Anoother thing, about a month after I got the amp my footswitch failed, I was supplied with a new one under warranty and it has not failed on me yet. Other than those two things I have not had one problem with the amp.

I called about the footswitch and I sent in the faulty one and they sent me a new one in 3 days. They were really nice about it too.

I have been playing for about 5 years. This is the only amp I own besides a Marshall AVT20. If it was lost or stolen I would probably aim for a Marshall JMP-1 with an EL34 100/100 power amp, I would also be pretty upset that it was stolen but I think that the Marshall rack gear is the next step up from my amp because the TSL 100 is just about the biggest all-valve head that Marshall makes. I compared it to a Mesa Triple Rectifier which when I played the rectifier I was very pleased with it's tone, but I later decided that it was a far bit to heavy sounding for me so I decided to stick with the Marshall, a much more versatile amp. There is really nothing at all that I dislike about this amp.

Packed with features

The best sounding amp I've ever owned.

The clean is beautiful. The middle channel is very smooth. The red channel is nothing short of raw power.

This is where the amp flops. Marshall blew it here. The footswitch jack is mounted directly to the printed circuit board. There is nothing else supporting it. Mine was in the shop about 3 times before I gave up on it. When I got rid of it the fx loop no longer worked and could not be repaired by my local service cinter. Someone offered me a Les Paul Standard in trade and I took it.

Any amp that doesn't last is worthless.

2003. PROBABLY AS VERSATILE AS YOU CAN GO. FROM BACH TO PUDDLE OF MUD.
CLEAN CRUNCH AND LEAD, FOOT SWITCHABLE, 2FX LOOPS. USE AT HOME AND IN THE STUDIO. VERY POWERFULL, PLAY THROUGH 1960 4x12 CABINET. A WIRELESS
FOOT SWITCH MIGHT BE COOL.

USE A 20 YEAR OLD CUSTOM SHOP LES PAUL STANDARD, 500T BRIDGE AND CLASSIC NECK PICKUPS. THIS IS THE MATCH. THIS MUST BE THE BEST MARSHALL HEAD AT THE MOMENT. DOES EVERYTHING ANY OF THE OTHERS CAN DO.
THE DSL AND MORE. THE REISSUES THEY MAKE ARE EXPENSIVE AND REALLY
FOR GUYS THAT LIVE IN THE PAST AS THIS CAN DO EVERYTHING THEY DO AND MORE.THERE IS ENOUGH DISTORTION FOR THE DISCERNING EAR ALTHOUGH MORE REVERB ON THE CLEAN CHANNEL MIGHT BE NICE. THE CRUNCH CHANNEL IS MY FAVOURITE,THE TRADITIONAL MARSHALL SOUND. SOUND IMPROVES WITH VOLUME.

SO FAR SO GOOD

BEEN PLAYING GUITARS OF ONE KIND OR ANOTHER FOR OVER 40 YEARS.
ALSO OWN A FENDER DUAL REVERB. I WOULD BUY IT AGAIN IF IT WERE STOLEN.

blah blah blah NOT VERY SIMPLE AT ALL!!!!!! im not an idiot, but lemme tell ya, it sure aint easy havin all them damn knobs and buttons when youre already half blind.

hmm...where to begin?
1. Overpriced sounding...what i mean is, it isnt THAT versatile. sure its got three channels, but...they all sound the same (except clean)...thin...sterile. not very...nice.
2. not very marshall sounding to me. to me, marshall sounds...green. like a green british sound. but...the clean does i quite nicely. i was impressed as usual. i borrowed this amp from the store. hahah. i haggled, and got to take it home for the weekend. the distortions to me werent all that...great. i never buy an amp for distortion in the first place. i look for amps that project sounds nicely, and truely. as opposed to the usual "nu-metal meets bluegrass with a hint of in-your-face folk grunge". i get myself a nice modded overdrive, and darn near fry them tubes. its the fact of projecting sound im looking for, they sound worse loud. mine also had this weird swelling thing going on. not too cool if that would have happened during a gig. not that bad sounding...just not that good. i play iron maiden, vai, becker, SRV, megadeth, satriani, malmsteen, and ritchie blackmore. distortion was weak, and very much uncalledfor. i stick to plexis. 1987, or 1959. keep em clean, work on them fingers...

eh...its alright...but still i wouldnt trust it for a gig without a couple backups. shouldnt have to have back ups in the first place.

i dont know, never called em...

WAAAAAY too much. at this point, youre paying for all the knobs and the label. kids dont know the difference, thats mainly who they market to. all the "gunslingers" of guitarists in the early days of metal kept it simple. well...sort of. alot of slps, alot of cabs, and a couple of guitars. as opposed to hundreds of dummys, and a crap load of guitars. but, its all opinions. so...dont take this too much to heart. i love marshall, theyre my number ones! but, this amp didnt do me any justice. just not a good model. give marshall time, maybe they might come up with something better than an slp!

Superb, what more do you need? clean, crunch, lead and reverb.
(reverb could be a bit better i suppose) but hey the other features more than make up for that.
ROCK!

I have a Gibson SG Standard (which will die with me), boss DS2, NS, CE5, CS3, Vox Wah Clyde Mccoy, and an Ibanez Tube Screamer.
My first amp was a marshall mg100hdfx, i know, i'm sorry but i did'nt have enough money for a REAL amp.
First time i used my TSL in the studio i sat it on top of 4x12 and plugged my guitar straight into it, i tried all 3 channels, WOW.
Clean was superb, bright, clear with a gain knob to give more edge, but it was the crunch and lead channels that really did it for me.
I mainly use the crunch channel for my distortion and the lead for a bit of soloing.
From then on i decided to take the DS2 and Tube Screamer out my loop, i may try them later but i feel i have no need just now.
I play any sort of rock music i like and am able to do, acdc, thin lizzy, jimi hendrix, stereophonics, oasis etc...
This Amp ROCKS

No problems so far.
ROCK solid

Never dealt with them.

I was almost put off this amp by other reviews on this page i wish people would have the patience to work on their sound. i find i hard to belive you cant get what your looking for from this amp.
i on the other hand like marshall and have the patience to work on my sound, if i wanted a mesa, vox fender etc.. amp i would go buy one and work on it. If you dont want a marshall amp then dont buy it, easy.

All guitar players know that patience is the key to success, please, work with amp and you will not be dissapointed.
If this amp does'nt ROCK its because you not ROCKING it.
End of story.

TSL 100 - 2001
I play in an original giging band that mixes up our sound alot. Our styles range from alternative to metal to punk to grunge to classic rock to pseudo-jazz (basically all types of rock music). Obviously the three channels with independent EQs are a great for the types of music we play. The amp has all the features that I was looking for; it is a great amp. I personally think the VPR is great, because how many unsigned musicians playing club venues need 100 watts? Of course the VPR forces an adjustment of the EQ so don't expect it to sound the same with VPR and with out.

I play a Gibson Les Paul Studio and a 57 Fender strat re-issue. Since we play thick distorted drop-D songs and then switch to a jazzy-loungy sounding song the amp needs to be malleable. The TSL suits this need greatly. If you don't like playing around with EQ at all don't buy this amp. Just go out and buy a foot switch then you can just press a button and imitate your favorite guitarist.

The marshal crunch channel is excellent and the Lead channel is great - yes you metal heads can pull back the mids on the lead channel some to get you know ... that sound (but obviously you don't want to kill the more traditionally marshall crunch sound). I think the clean channel is pretty good (you can get alot of different sounds with adjusting the gain, mids, and highs) but the reverb is only average. I really think the thing that often sets the sound of amp's clean channel apart is the reverb and for some reason nothing has ever compared to the reverb of my old Fender Amp. So yeah I'd like a better reverb for the clean channel.

I've upgraded the preamp tubes and thought it improved the overall sound, but I thought the svetlana power tubes were fine.

I have a major problem with the foot switch and also the build quality and design methodology of the TSL head. I could make a big list but the one that tops the list for now is why have the 6 pin din connector for the footswitch in the head free floating on the circuit board. Absolute madness. Spend an extra buck and bolt it on to the housing. I'm sure that they had to make some cost tradeoffs to get the amp sorta-reasonably priced, but come on that is such a ridiculous excuse.

Anyway I determined (for now) that the 6 pin din connector on the amp was fine - clearly I will need to put in a better connector at some point but I left it as is for now. So I checked the foot switch and found out that it was problem (note: the circuit board in the foot switch is silly thin - it is meant to be stepped on right?). To make a long story short I ended up cutting a larger hole in my footswitch putting in a 6 din receptacle (I am so thankful for companies like mouser : http://www.mouser.com search for 6 pin DIN) and making a few of my own cables (I used switch craft 6 pin DIN plugs and CAT5 cable which has 8 wires and is kind of thin, but I couldn't find a lower gage flexible wire with 6 inside) for my foot switch. For those who gig often I would seriously recommend considering improving the foot switch and making your own cables. How many of us has never had to replace our qrt-instrument cables???? Maybe you are more careful than me, but in reality it is only a matter of time.

Also a side issue is that I find I need to rebias the tubes more often that I have with other tube amps that I've owned.

Aside from the build quality issues and the typical foot switch problem it is a truly great amp. If you need 3 different sounds and you want almost complete control over those sounds this amp really is tough to beat.

Mine s a 2002 model. You know all the effects. Too many too list! The only feature that's stupid is the VPR "power reduction". I don't know about you guys but I don't like "simulated" sounds on my all-tube amps. Maybe on a MG-series...but why waste your time with that garbage. Yuck.

I used mine with either a 2000 Gibson SG Special or a 2001 Gibson Les Paul Classic. I had it for about 4 months and I did not enjoy it. First of all I play metal, like Iron Maiden, System of a Down, Killswitch Engage, the Agony Scene, etc. Overall, the sounds I got were thin and lifeless. My lead tones my okay but only if I used the rythm pickup. But still, the leads were buzzy and not pleasent. Not like a Mesa Mark IV which just plain SINGS. The clean was actually very nice. The reverb was also great. But bottom line, this amp didn't cut it for metal .Not ballsy enough. And waaaaaayy overpriced. Do yourself a favor and get an older JCM 800, Mesa Mark IV, Peavey 5150, Engl Powerball, or Peavey Triple XXX. Those are all EXCELLENT amps.

It worked fine for me...it got REALLY hot though...I could see where all the complaints about them overheating and dying come from.

Don't Know

Don't get it. The distortion sounds (if yu play metal like me) don't cut it. I always had the gain dimed on the lead channel with all the tone shift buttons in, and with the bass and treble maxed, and only then was I able to obtain a "brutal" distortion. That just didn't seem right to me. I don't like paying nearly two grand for an amp a feeling like I can't touch the contrlols because it will sound awful. That just sucked. Overall, the sounds were too thin, buzzy, lifeless, and lacked dynamics. It certainly doesn't have the power of that Mesa/Peavey XXX or 5150/ Engl "wall of sound" that is so savage and just puts a smile across your face. THAT'S what metal is supposed to sound like!

I paid $1350.00 for this head and love it. It sits on top of a four speaker Marshall 1960 cab. Wow!

Had a DSL prior to the TSL. The DSL crapped out on me so I upgraded to the TSL. Am not sorry that I did. I have played Les Pauls through it, SG's and Strats. I get all the rock sound I need and the clean channel really gets along well with the neck pickup on the Strat. I love that "Fender" blues tone and the Marshall satisfies me.

Like the others before me, I replaced two of the pre-amps 'cause they crapped out on me after about a years playing. I replaced them with Groove Tubes and holy cow can you tell a difference! The sound quality was instantly noticeable. MUCH better. The amp was hotter, louder, had more tone, more crispness and so forth. Whatever it was before when I had to old original tubes was multiplied several times over when I put in the Groove Tubes. Other than that, it's held up okay.

I've only been playing for about 6 years but I have had many guitars. If it were lost or stolen, I'd get another one tomorrow...and replace the tubes. I like the flexability and the tone from all three channels. There's not much I do not like about this amp. Hauling the thing around is a pain but that goes with the territory. It's a bit on the pricey side but so are the Mesa's and others.

Made in 2004 All tube, 100 watts, 3 channels, 2 reverbs ( one for clean & 1 for Crunch and Lead channels, 2 effects loops, separate eq for each channel, deep switch, mid boost on clean channel, tone shift/mid scoop on crunch and lead channels. Plenty of power.

This amp sounds great on each channel. I play everything from jazz to blues to classic rock, hard rock, metal this thing covers it all. Not noisy at all unless you max out the gain on the lead channel which is normal. Retubed with JJ E34L's and ECC83S pre amp tubes. This really makes the amp shine. The stock tubes are crap and are not biased correctly from the factory. Mine were at 117 mv per side, they should have been at 85- 90mv. After biasing it sounded better, but after the retube the amp sounds like it should... a friggin' Monster. Been trying an old RCA 12ax7a from the early 1960's in the V1 position and this really makes the amp more robust and increases the sustain even more. Bottom line is that this amp rules.

No problems at all. Gets a little hot on the top due to the tubes, but that's all normal. I never gig without a backup so it's not an issue for me.

Got a response from Marshall tech support same day.. maybe I'm just lucky.

I've owned plenty of tube amps, digital, and solid state. I only own tube amps now. This amp absolutely rules. Buy one now.

You have read the features elsewhere, but here it is again!
4 power amp tubes, 5 preamp tubes
3 seperate channels, each with gain, volume, treb, mid, bass
Reverb and Presence knobs (one each for clean, one for both dirty channels)
100 watts, 120 watt rms output.
Dual effects loops, with an fx mix knob going from completely series to entirely parralell, and even a combination of the 2.

This is my second review, the first was probably 3 or 4 years ago.

I am just checking up to say it still kicks ass!

The clean isn't the cleanest, but it has enough headroom to break through in a live situation (a bar, woodstock etc)

The best part about the clean is the fact that if you crank the gain, it's like you are playing through a JCM800!!! Awesome ac/dc style crunch. A/B with a better clean amp, and there you go, everything you need.

I used to find that the eq wasn't versatile, but since I traded my effects unbit away I have been forced to use the eq on the amp and I must say that I probably didn't realize that the gain controls are interactive. Very nice smooth eq.

The crunch channel = rock heaven
lead = metal or lead. I keep the gain around 4 on this one and still get that "bark at the moon" sound.

Only problem I have ever had was a blown tube. I replaced them with some groove tubes and the sound was way better. Those stock tubes are the devil. I still haul my little mesa dc-5 around for a backup, however it has only ever been a spectator at gigs.

They are on and off. If I go to my local Marshall Dealer, I get great service, but if I contact them directly they either respond right away or so late I forget what the question was.

I have been playing for 11-13 years or something like that. I use a gibson flying V and occasionally some other guitars.

I'm giving this amp a 9 here because I am a firm believer in the KISS method (keep it simple Stupid!) True is has many features, but it doesn't have you scratching your head to get a good sound out of it like other model amps such as Mesa.

One thing you need to know about this amp....IT IS VERY SENSITIVE TO THE GUITAR AND MODS YOU USE. Things like condition of strings, quality pickups, tubes, etc. all take a role in the sound. I have an Ernie Ball Luke guitar with stock EMG 85 in the bridge and it sounds awsome. People have complained about the clean but it's good enough for me. My style of music is mainly fast, agressive modern rock, and this amp suits my style fine. The lead channel is very brutal with the right guitar setup...so keep in mind you may have to upgrade your gear to get the best sound out of this amp.

I can't really give this amp an opinion here. Let's just say that one time it fell from the cabinet and it wasn't smashed and still worked for a little while....and the fottswtich never gave me problems....but friends of mine who have this amp tell a different story...so good luck if you own one.

Haven't dealt with them...yet.

great amp, great features, and very simple for me.....it is my first tube amp to own, but I have played many others. This is my favorite and suits my sound perfectly.

the only thing marshall should have added to this head is a switchable boost for the channels (yes you can use the loops but then you cant use effects), a fourth channel and then you would have to give a 10

this is what I wanted to add too, I've played the TSL100 in both the US and the UK and the US. You need to do a couple of things out of the box to this amp just to get it right.Change the preamp tubes!!Marshall dont seem to get good grade preamp tubes, go for JJs they are excellent. Also have a tech check the bias and make sure nothing has come loose inside. Yeah you shouldnt have to do that but I found a number of loose items needed sorting to the US model but none to the UK model.
Like other reviews the bias is key though I think the svetlanas are great tubes.
After all this work these things sound great (though when recording I use a fender twin for clean, TSL for dirty,a mesa mk3 and VHT for layering) and the three channels cover most things.
I used a mesa dual rec head for a while but found it didnt cut through in a live environment and wanted more of a classic rock sound.I'll give it an 8 as it doesnt sound as good as using single amps but does a great job

I've gig these heavily and had them check out straight from the box. They are flight cased straight away and I re tube after about 50 hours of use. I always have a second amp but have never had a problem with this amp. Like I said, get it checked out ASAP as in the US the model I got (brand new) had a few loose itms. I'll give this an 9 though that is because they are checked out first

having lived 1 hour from Marshall in the UK I have to admit I've found them great. In the US I have a tech in Milwaukee who can manage anything and have not used a marshall service center. Anyhow I'll go with the UK rating as I've delt with them direct on a number of vintage stuff and they have been top notch. You can also have a factory tour whilst your amp being serviced (though you have to book this)

I gig alot so this is a tool of the trade, I look after my kit (you have to if you want it to survive tours!!) and this gives me the sound I need. I'm not saying this is the best amp in the world but it suits me fine, has been reliable, is easy to get a hold of and has the versitility and tone I'm looking for

- 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

This was copied from the Marshall site. This amp has everything i could ever need. I could've done with a headphone socket just to put the icing on the cake, but what's here is all good!

I am using this with a Charvel Predator with Seymour Duncans through a wah pedal into the input socket. My main style is definitely metal, but i mess around with others all the time, never had a problem getting a tone i want. I have the clean channel set up with a warm, smooth clean tone, the rhythm channel with a sabbath/zeppelin/acdc tone, and the lead channel is total megadeth/dream theater. It is noisy, but i'm sure this is my choice of pickups and lack of noise gate, as i've played through this with a BC Rich Beast with two EMG pickups with no noise gate and it sounded fine. It sounds okish on low volumes, you won't feel it smack you in the face till it's past 3, but thats just what valve amps are like. The clean channel can dirty up with a change of settings, i can basically get any tone i'm after somewhere on one of the channels. There are many features to tweak your sound, the deep switch and tone shift switches can really metal up your sound, but can also be used to fill out your tone at low levels. The rhythm channel has enough distortion for most, i'm not most! You decide!

There's mixed opinions on here i've seen, it's strange because all the good reviews have come from the UK, and the bad ones from the USA, i dunno what they're like over in America i've never been, but here in the UK these things work fine. God knows why this is i can't say, but mine hasn't broken yet, i dunno who deals Marshall in America, Korg i think i've heard, but mines all good. Buy your Marshall from the UK!

Never dealt with them, although i've heard similar things about this as i have reliability issues, with a USA/UK division of opinion.

I have been playing for 5-6 years, and this is my first and only guitar head i've owned, so i can't really compare, but it sounds good to my ears anyhow. If it was stolen, i'd be gutted, i'd buy it again definitely. I'm thinking of buying some rack gear as well, but the head will always come first. It is annoying about the headphone socket absense, as if you want this thing to really hit you, be prepared for angry neighbours. Still though, this thing screams with my charvel and wah pedal, it is the exact tone in my head, which is a rare discovery as most guitarists know! I compared this to a hughes and kettner warp 7, and a peavey xxx, and chose this from pure versatility, i wasn't disappointed in the slightest. Anyone who thinks Marshalls can't do low end or metal without pedals, you're clueless!