Marshall JCM-2000 TSL 100

2000 model, same featues as below. Three channel amps are necessary if you play modern rock covers ... easilly can do Aerosmith to Creed to Lit to Fuel. The clean channel is NOT praised enough, and it should be. Why the HELL do you want a Fender sound? What planet of surfing rejects do all these Fender nutballs come from? Surf's out, guys ... this type of EL34 clean is in! It breaks up nicely with the gain up high, and has a wonderful warm texture with the mids up and the reverb going. And put a fuzz or overdrive in front of it, and this baby really wails. 3 channels of great sounding rock tones.

I play a Brian Moore i8 guitar (yes, I have owned Anderson's and Pauls and Strats etc..) and I get exactly what I want ... great spanky cleans or warm reverb tones, killer crunch without too much gain, and a wonderfully compressed lead channel for screaming notes. Does this sound as good as my former Bogner Ecstacy? Who gives a crap! The Bogner costs almost 2 1/2 times as much, and I was always afraid to even scratch the thing! These amps are loud, though, meaning do not expect a professional recording-type sound with the volume at 1 ... the power tube distortion kicks in nicely at 3.5 on my amp ... which is small/medium club volumes.

Ok, here is where the fun begins....
These amps have the biggest POS tubes in them from the factory. I have bought 3 new Marshalls in my playing history (30 years), and all of them had bad tubes. For a company that has been around as long as Marshall, you would think they would do a better job with the tubes. Granted, they are shipped from England ...

Marshall customer support? Yeah, right ... the snooty English bastards let Korg USA handle their dirty work. This is where Bogner/Dr.Z/Top Hat and other US manufactuers really outshine Marshall. With all the damn US bands advertised in the Marshall catelogs, you would think that Marshall would be more receptive of actually supporting the US directly.

Let's face it, you can go buy a plexi if you want ... or any other old Marshall head, and relive the "good old days" ... I personally want to kick some ass with the modern sounds, while having the ability to conjur up plexi tones if I desire. The TSL 100s are worth every penny if you are a real musician. Others may want to try Mesa rectifier amps ... another great amp, but still a one trick pony. This TSL through a half stack is pure rock ... not jazz, not country, not anything else...just balls-to-the-walls rock tones. If you just need clean tones and are a pedal pusher, then Fender is probably your bag. Lots of big rock bands play Fender amps ... just not the ass-kicking ones I listen to.

This amp is a couple years old not sure what year it is I bought it used. I play mostly alternative hard rock. My influences are: Jane's addiction, Pixies, Dave Matthews, Radiohead, RHCP, Pearl Jam, etc. This amp is incredibly versatile with a capital "V". You can pretty much get any type of sound out of this amp no matter what your style is. Amp has 3 channels, Clean, Crunch and Lead. Dual effects loops. I don't think that there are any additional features that I would add to this beast. The power is more than efficient, I play out of a 1960a Cabinet which has more power than you would ever need. One feature that I'm particulairly fond of is you can insert a dummy jack into the effects loop and on the foot controller use the "FX" switch as a master volume switch. So if you need to step up your volume when you are soloing, this feture comes in really handy. I literally, Can't think of any additional features to this thing.

I have 3 guitars which I use. My primary is a Hamer Sunburst Archtop with Seymore Duncan Double Humbuckers, A 1992 Fender American Standard Strat with stock pickups, and a Gibson II (I think it's a melody maker) with single coil pickups. This Amp is amazing for any style like I said earlier. The Clean sound is a beautiful elastic warm tube sound. You can do a pitch shift so there are numerous ways to tweak your tone. The possibilities are endless. The crunch channel is a little more beefed up (actually gets incredible gain.....more than most amps can even handle) and the Lead channel just screams. There is a "Deep" switch which will give you a great bottom (low end) sound for that heavy grunge type sound.

I've only owned this amp for less than a month so I really can't intelligibly comment on this, but I can say that it was shipped accross the whole country to get over to me in Cali. and it's in Tip-top condition. I can tell it is built like a tank and take a serious beating.

I guess Support on this bad boy is through Korg. I've had trouble getting a contact number from their website. Hopefully I'll never need to use them. The warranty is 5 yrs so I have 3 left on mine.

I have been playing for 11 years and after all this time playing on crappy Solid state and weak tube amps I have finally graduated to the "Real Deal." I've played on Peavy, tubeworks, and fenders and the TSL 100 skools them all. I only wish I didn't waste all the time and $$$ I spent on old amps. If you are a serious player my reccommendation is just fork out the cash and start with the best. When you upgrade amps every 2-3 years it get's pricey. It is definitly the best sounding most versatile amp on the market. I also own a Digitech GSP 2101 processor which I don't even use anymore b/c the pure marshall tone is incredible. I probably won't use any effects other than my Wah Pedal. If it was stolen I would definitely get a new one. I will give this bad boy an overall "9" for the rating just because 10 is perfect and there is always room for improvement. My last and final comment....."Don't listen to any bad hype you might hear about this amp. It is the real deal and anyone who says it doesn't live up to it's sound, quality, features, etc. is obviously an amateur. Go and buy yourself one, you won't regret it.

This is a follow up to a review I made over 2 years ago for this amp. I figured it would be good to let people know how this amp's been holding up.

This has proven to be a consistently great amp for home use AND for gigs. I play a lot of Gary Moore / Santana type blues and this amp's perfect (Gary uses DSLs on tour). This amp sounds really good at all sorts of different volumes - I've even dimed the thing a few times and it sounded great. A couple of tweaks to compensate for the additional tube compression at higher volumes (slightly lower gain, lower treble, slightly lower mids, slightly more bass) and I consistently get a great tone. I don't use the tone shift or deep switches as much any more, though. They take away from the classic Marshall tones this amp's capable of. As far as the reverb goes, it's OK at lower settings but it's no match compared to an old Fender.

Also, you may want to take some of the reviews here with a grain of salt - this amp was not really designed to be a Mesa or Bogner so it's not right to compare this amp to them. Those amps are EQ'd differently and have a completely different tone.

It still runs hotter than I would like (TSL's have no fan), but the tubes have lasted way longer than I expected. I always wait a minute or two between switching the standy on & off and turning the mains on & off - that seems to help a lot. I did have to have the footswitch replaced twice - that's a known problem with these amps. A spare footswitch is a VERY good idea if you're gigging.

Poor. Guitar Center replaced the footswitch twice no problem, but I haven't had any success with Marshall (aka Korg USA). I contacted them several times to get a pinout diagram for their footswitch but got diddly from them.

Overall, I still think this is a fabulous amp. It's got its quirks but all amps do. I should know - I've owned over 20 amps over the years. To me, the real trick is to be patient and take some time to tune the EQ to match your gain and volume levels. Also, I've found that the quality of tubes you use can play a difference in this amp - especially at louder stage volumes. The same goes for any pedals and cables you use.

Hope that helps!

all you need.3 channels,100watts,made in 1998,versatile,...just great for a marshall...

with my telecaster it sounds great, just awesome!.with my new seymour duncan vintage rail (bridge position), just brilliant,im in love with this monster of great sound... OH babe...

its a marshall, what can I say?...

not needed yet!but, They were very quikly when i asked for the original schematics.great people behind a great amp brand... I love you all... thx for this beauty...

just a great amp for all situations and styles, very,very versatile... (dont wait that this thing play alone).. you need to have fingers for this... it sounds great.. i love my marshall...

3channels: clean, crunch, lead. 2 fx loops, reverb, direct out, vpr (cuts it down to 25 watts) 5 button footswitch. 100watts.

Iuse an early 80's Ibanez Artist with DiMarzio pickups (Norton-bridge and Fred-neck). TSL100 through a Marshall 1960A

CLEAN: the clean channel is very good its not really a fender clean, because fenders are a little fuller sounding. But, its very clean especially for a Marshall

CRUNCH: the crunch channel is good from AC/DC to Rage somewhere in that range.

LEAD: This channel sounds like a sorry attempt to sound like a Dual Rectifier. Very Muddy. If you have a thin sounding strat with lots of sustain it might be usable. If you use a les paul forget it. I have tried all kinds of pickups and nothing helps.
Low power pickup = no sustain
Hot pickup = mud

the DI is junk super thin. The reverb sounds more like a retarded tremolo ( you have to hear it to understand what I'm saying) the fx loop is noisy and the overall volume drops then the loop is on.

One thing to remember about this amp, you have to turn it up. Mine sounds its best at about 4. Doesn't seem like much, but trust me it's loud.

I've owned mine for about a year now. It has been in the shop twice once for a volume drop issue. once for the footswitch jack. and I've had to replace the footswitch itself. This amp now stays in my bedroom foor a practice amp. I wouldn't trust one straight out of the box.

for the money I spent, I got raped. I've been playing for 11 years and have about 10 grand in equipment. Think long and hard before getting this amp. There are better amps out there for less money.
Personally I regret ever buying this amp. In the end YOUR ears have to decide if it sounds good.

Some free advice. NEVER EVER EVER buy a piece of musical equipment until you use it with the rest of your rig.

2000 tsl 100 rock hard rock solos rhythum skynard ,nails the pat benatar song hit me with your best shot effects loop headphone jack 3 channels lead crunch clean never use the clean channel only wish it came with an attenuater i can use the 25 watt vpr and on low settings it doesnt lose to much sound although you can tell it loses a little but still sounds better than my 5150 in my opinion

using a les paul standard stock sounds crappy with my fender but thats the crappy pickups the guy i bought it from put in it not noisy to me but hey im used to the 5150 it was really noisy rhythum is roaring and growling but can clean up with the gain down and vol up iprefer the roar it makes long slow solos are so the best it doesnt make a ton of sounds not like a line 6 vetta but i dont like that prossesed cheap sound to tinny but it can be fun to play a good moddeling amp and wack out the leads just wouldnt want to take it home especially for 2500 dollers for a vetta combo i want an amp that makes you play well without hidding behind effects though i might use a boss sd 1 and an attenuater hot plate to get that satturation i like in my house thats probably all i need

i wouldnt do anything without a backup no problems but have heard stories and you know what i dont believe anything i hear and only half of what i read it has a good warranty

never dealt with the company service can be done by a qulified marshall tech through th e store so they said i think the warranty had 2 or 3 parts i think it said 3 years and 5 or 10 on something else maybee it was the cab i dont remember

been playing for 25 years i woud get it again or maybee i would get a used one thats a lot of cash considering all the gear i have it ads up fasthate nothing love the tone sustain punch rhythum and overall sound reall fat wish it had metal corner protaectors instead of the dreaded plastic this product nailed the sound i wanted so i didnt even try a messa though did consider waiting for a road king

I bought this little brute in 1999 to cover all my bases for jamming, recording and home use....i play alotta blues and country, with some hard rock and metal from time to time and this bad boy never fails me....3 channels all availaible from a footswitch: a pristine clean channel, a high powered crunch channel and a searing lead channel....lots of features....effects loop(dont use it much), midscoop/boost, VPR circuit "Virtual Power Reduction," etc. lots more....reverb isnt bad either!...this amp sounds incredible....if it had tremolo on it i would be in tone heaven!...it would probably do it for me...but it doesnt...so how many Marshall metal players do you know who want tremolo?? None...i dont play metal much...but i like the amp...and if it was on there...it would be Hands Down, THE BEST..but all in all...Pretty damn good if you ask me!

I use a strat with custom shop pickups and a tele loaded with buckers...i have the clean channel dialed for jazzy sounds, which doesnt really distort much...but is really pleasing clean...sounds good....the crunch channel i have set for a really "hot clean" sound kinda like a fender twin....and the lead channel set to full blown marshall roar...the buckers in my tele sound absolutely awesome when playing power chords on the lead and the strat gets really close to that SRV sound on the crunch channel after a little knob tweaking....JAZZ to HEAVY METAL...thats a pretty good chunk of sonic landscape to cover....but boy does this baby do it!

Reliable?- its a marshall for christs sake!! This thing is like a mule - i guess every company makes a lemon once on a while in its history, but this one aint it!..marshall amps are known for being work horses in the music industry and this one doesnt fail to meet that expectation. it has become one of my favrite amps to play through...i dont abuse it as much as marhsalls can take but it takes enough and doesnt fail me...i dont buy junk and i try not to abuse it cause i cant afford another one (this baby wasnt cheap at all!!) I always keep a fan on the tubes to keep em cool in hope that i can make em last a little longer before replacing them....but as of yet, she still runs smooth and clean and hassle free!

Never needed em

This amp is incredible...its what i wanted and needed...if you want an amp loaded with enough features to shake a stick at...this is it! its like 3 amps in one (cost a little less than 3 amps though!) If you play a whole bunch of styles like i do, and have a little bit of cash to make an investment...check into it before buying other amps and amp simulators....this thing is a real blessing...real marshall sounds with the addition of some pretty damn good fender-type sounds too! It works well for me and im happy with it. its hassle free as of yet, and has some awesome tones!

i got my amp used, 1998 in 1999. it does everything i need it to do, from full clean near accousitc sounds to all out roar, and a good footswitch to go with it. I like the deep switch and the many other pretty contols too such as the VPR, it has all the power i need.

I use mostly Gibson Les Pauls, but i dont like the way my fender american strats sound through it, kinda thin, but the Pauls through it sound perfect, incredibly thick and full of tone, the sound ive always been looking for. i switch between all the channels all the time, at home, in practice and at gigs and nothing has givin me a problen, but that might just be because i really know tube amps and how to treat tubes, all the earlier review problems seem to sum up th that, um set your damn bias, it helps, oh and check to see if you need new tubes. perfect heavy metal is through a gibson 500t and the lead channel all the way to clean classic '57 on the clean, it's what ive used and it's like a freakin' dream.

never had a problem, cuz well you just need to know how a tube amp works.

N/A

ive been playing ten years, solid state, tube, fenders, peaveys, mesas, marshalls, laneys, and all i have to say is this amp has become my main toy for all applications, id set my life on how it runs, it's tube and it needs to be treated like a lady cuz of that, so solid-state idiots, quit your bitching.

This is the most versatile head I have ever seen. Whith an excellent clean channel and 2 great distortion channels, I can use this all by itself, without the use for any other amp or pedel.

I really like the sound of this thing. Theclean is fabulous and the crunch and lead channels are all you'd ever need. The only amp with better distortion I know of is the mesa/boogie rectifiers. I like to have one distortion channel for crunch (crunch channel without mid scoop) and one for lead/metel (lead channel w/ mid scoop)

Hasn't fucked up yet.

never had to deal with 'em.

A great amp, if you can afford it. I have never regretted the 5 months it took to save for it.

I play Gibson Les Pauls, SGs, and a Gretsch Silver Jet. I play indie/punk. This amp is very versatile, and you can dial in all the Marshall sounds from the last 40 years.

This amp is very versatile, and you can dial in all the Marshall sounds from the last 40 years. I don't use it as my principal amp (I use a Soldano Decatone for playing live and rehearsing), but this is a great amp to have in your back pocket so to speak, for getting THAT MARSHALL SOUND on occasion in the studio... which is exactly why I bought it.

Don't use it regularly in the rehearsal space, just for the odd recording session, but so far so good.

Bought this amp at SamAsh on 48th Street in NYC. Very friendly salespeope for a NY Store. Never had to use Marshall (thank goodness from what I have read here).

Been playing 15 years. Have played Marshalls, Boogies, Matchless, Vox and Soldano. Soldano is the best for my style of playing, but this is still a damn good amp.

I bought my first one in 2000 for $800 bucks (I had a friend who'd rip off Guitar Center) and the thing sounded awesome. It's PLENTY loud, and has enough different sounds to satisfy any player.

The thing sounds awesome, you can pretty much recreate any amp sound, I can get that death metal "recto" sound or that subtle Roland Jazz sound. The only thing that isn't too flattering about the thing is the direct output on the back that sounds to dull for my taste. I tried it in the studio but wound up miking a cab. That and the clean is too soft in comparison to the other 2

OK, here's the bad part, like I said in my first sentence, " I bought my first.." yeah, not meaning I liked it soo much that I got a backup, but meaning that within 1 week I noticed that there was a channel hangup between all 3 channels. So I took mine back to the dealer and demanded a brand new one, ah much better. i've played about 60 shows now and no problems, But just last night practicing in my room the new one starts to act up. The front panel looked like the damn lights were on a chase scene. I don't know what to do, I think I'll just buy an old 800.

I looked for an authorized marshall repairman. In Houston they're hard to find, I tried to call Marshall but no response. In away I felt jipped, but then I took it back to GC and got a brand new one. I swore that if it broke I'd quit guitar and play kazoo.

I wish that I had a JCM800 2205 instead with a rocktron prophecy. I've been playing for 10 out of the 20 years of my life and I hope this amp will make till I'm old enough to afford a new one again. I love the quality of sound but hate the un reliability of the thing.

This is the best tube amp that ive EVER played!!!
Forget the DSL, this amp is the best Marshall Amp.
Never used the second FX loop but the features are more then enough

The sound is amazing. I used to use my H & K vortex with a RP20 and now just use the amp and Boss DD3 delay pedal. I use a Ibanez JEM7VWH with Evolution pickups and this is the most versatile setup ive used.

This is the only problem ive had with this amp. Something went wrong in 7 weeks and got a new one. I then blow the valves in another 4 weeks. However, now that ive had the valves replaced it has been working fine. Now that ive said this, it'll break.

I've been playing for 6 years and own lots of other gear but now i dont use the rest of it. I play through a Steve Vai JEM a DD3 delay and the JCM2000 TSL 100 head through a 1960B cab. If your looking for THE BEST amp EVER look no further.

This is just an update from a previous review.

Sounds. Ok how about popping and spontanious volume changes. This amp has a mind of its own. I took it in to have this problem fixed once already. The service center said it needed 2 tubes replaced and something else I don't remember what it was. This was about 3 months ago. Guess where it is now. Thats right its back in the shop. for the same thing. However when this amp is working properly it kicks F$CKING ASS. I'll give it a 1 because I'm fed up with the bullsh!t. Oh yeah the fx loop is noisy and there is a noticeable volume drop when the loop is on.

HAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!! one of the switches died on the footpedal about a month after I got the amp. Now I'm on #2. And just recently the footswitch jack on the back of the amp started to crap out. It seems that the jackasses at Marshall decided to solder the jack straight to the pc board. I thought that was really sweet of them. You'd think that by now that they would design their amps better. IMO they were in a hurry to produce something that would compete with Mesa. Anyway, I've had too many problems with this amp to trust it I'll use it to practice but thats about it.

I've been playing for 11 years. I've spent thousands in gear over the past 11 years and I've learned the hard way. You dooon't always get what you pay for. Like I said before, when the amp is working it has killer tones. But, the fx loop sucks, the footswitch sucks. There are too many flaws on this amp. IF MARSHALL IS ANY KIND OF COMPANY THEY WILL RECALL THIS AMP AND FIX IT RIGHT. HOW MANY PEOPLE OUT THERE SPENT ALL OF THEIR MONEY TO GET AN AMP THAT THEY THOUGHT WOULD BE THE ONLY AMP THEY WOULD EVER NEED. AND NOW THEY, LIKE ME, ARE STUCK WITH A PIECE OF SH!T. I can't sell the amp I'd feel bad pawning it off on some sucker. If it were stolen I would appologize to the poor thief who had to carry that heavy piece of crap all the way home.

bought in 1999, out of the box, 3 channels, 4 x el34's, 4 x ecc83's, play mostly metal (slayer, anthrax, pantera, etc.) also classical like yngwie malmsteen and other greats such as george lynch steve vai and joe satraini, its a marshall, its not crap to me, it kicks ass, 2 effects loops, floor pedal, mid shifts, sepereate eqs and presensece and reverb for all channels, all tube, 100w, used with a 4x12 1960 vintage (30) cab

play metal and shredhead stuff, gains always all up with me, clean channel is amazing for a marshall, an excellent job, im using a flying V emg loaded with the after burner system and it really really shreds, got that whole george lynch nagasake thing going, I hate effects boards, they confuse me, all i use is wah and volume, sometimes a boss dd-5 delay, usually just plug in and jam, kinda noisy, but it needs new tubes now i belive after a few years (1999) now almost 2002, distrosion on crunch and lead totally kick ass, expecially with the right guitar and setup in it, better than a mesa in my opinion, awesome amps though too, marshall owns

the pedal is pretty much a piece of , other than that it has never let me down, well the pedal aint bad, i do stomp on it all the time, but when the pedal gets screwed, it changes channel and all this whacky sh*t, its quite hilarious, other than that its very reliable, damn pedal

never had to use em, should get footpedal repaired though...keep you guys posted...

awesome awesome amp, I like boogie and all other marshalls, but this thing really kicks ass, 3 channels is awesome, clean, crunch, than the lead for busting out high octave shreds, I really love this amp, damn footpedal though man! the switches are crap in it, the footpedal i mean, other than that, its million buttons are easier than programming floor crap, i hate that, awesome shred sound though, ought a test, but beware some floor s sound like crap, some young solid state kids, I was one once, dont know what the hell the two switches do, why is there no sound, flip flip (power and standby) POP POP haha what a joke, TRY IT!

You can read the other reviews below for features...you know the deal....the 3 channel Marshall JCM 2000. Lots of great features. I love the VPR function for late night jamming in my room.

Well, I've had this baby for a year now and love it. My first Marshall and definatly not my last. The clean is very good. Not quite a Fender, but close. Very sparkly and chimmey. Crank the channel vol and gain and you venture into classic rock world. The mid boost function is great here. Boosts the mids just enough to sound like the old AC/DC records. Very versitile channel. Crunch channel is what I bought it for. To me this sounds similar to a hot rodded 800. A little more gain than a stock 800. Very crunchy and clear. Gain on 3 gives AC/DC, 6, think The Cult, and maxed out is a great lead sound. This channel along with the lead channel has a deep switch to fatten the bass ( I rarely use it) and tone shift to scoop the mids. It makes the mid control N/A and the treb and bass controls shape the sound. Pretty cool feature. Don't use it much cause I'm not a metal player. Smooth crunchy overdrive from this channel. Lead channel is good to. Voiced similar to the crunch with more gain. High gain gets a little buzzy but I never have a need to go that high. 2 gives that great AC/DC lead sound (can you tell I'm a fan???), and higher than that gets into the Slash type lead sound. Could do metal, but I'm not a metal player. I use this channel basically for what it's for, my leads. This thing really sounds great. Some people say the DSL is better....have not played one. But I really like the sounds it gets. Everything I need for my Marshall sounds. I would say this is really a rock amp, and not a metal amp.

SO far, no probs.

No need as of yet.

I really love this amp. great usable clean. Crunch to die for, and great leads. I would like to get a JCM 800 and Silver Jubilee to round out my Marshall collection but, for now this thing rocks. If I had to do it over, I may have tried the DSL just because of what everyone says about them. A good, versitile Marshall amp.

Bought new June 2001. Lots of button and knobs. All of them useful apart from the "Presence" perhaps. I play lots of different stuff from early Stones stuff and Cream etc, and also AC/DC, Radiohead, GnR Nirvana, just really anything that has guitars in it.

Fender Strat(with lace sensors), Gibson SG (original covered humbuckers).
This amp is very versatile, WATCH how you use the tone controls DONT set them to 10 and forget.. they have a WIDE effect.
Using this with my distortion boxes (RAT, MUFF, Shredmaster etc) I can do whatever distortion tone/level I want. If you can't get the sound you want out of this amp then stop and ask yourself if you can acually play the guitar. You can nail that 60's Marshall sound, 70's Crunch and Slash type tone. I can do this and I'm no great player, if you can't then umm perhaps your crap :(

In the first month 2 of the Svetlana ECC833 Preamp valves failed me. I replaced these with Mullard valves which never seem to die. The footswitch is NOT the version you see in the pic on this page, its a substantial metal unit with thick cable. 8 for not sourcing reliable valves to sell it with.

Marshall HQ in england is very helpfull.

Playing for 14 years. I love the whole thing. Looks great,sounds great why bother with anything else?

You should know this by now.... but in case you didnt.. check out www.boner.com

First i walked into the store right, and i was all like, "hey sk8 bust out that heath legder groove man" so he brought out wrestling pants from the back and he was like, "man i was in the middle of teaching president mook the whole fade to black, minus the last solo but if you drop d it watch out for the cock" he grabbed the nearest death metal tool he could get his shredding little hands on. in this case his weapon of choice was a peavey wolfgang ("EXCELLENT do do lu do do lu do do lu" thanks bill thanks ted) so he plugs this sum-bitch in and says, "yeah dawgs, the tubes are a roostin'" by this point im pretty f'ing scaredm but i stay with it because my girlfriend wants to get it on with heath. so the tubes warm up and he starts cranking tones out this bitch that ive never heard before. smells like teen spirit never sounded so sweet. then i was like "what if i wanted to do some metal..." he suddenly becomes all shy and shit, so i was like girl like metal and he goes, "ERHHHHHH" and i say c'mon girl think sexy. so that's when he throw one leg up on the amp and busted out the sweetest rendition of beserker ive ever heard man. so my girlfriend is adequately moist at this point but i dont care, all i can think about are sk8's huge hairy balls. but the amp had a really sweet sound tight as a nun's cooter.

as reliable as a hooker on 14th street

like a gold plated jock strap

overalls??? marshall overalls are by far the sweetest. they provide all the thrills of denim without the chaffing tendencies of a bob vila

Think it was built in 2000.
It's got right about everything you could ever need on an amp.
Three channels (clean, crunch, lead), all with seperate EQ's, volumes and gains. Presence, reverb and FX-mix are seperate for clean and crunch/lead.
And then there's some push buttons to suck out the middle, to lower the frequency where the EQ has it's effect, there's a mid boost for the clean.
And, really cool, some push buttons for the power section, such as: VPR (slims the power down to about 25W) and Mute button.
On the back you'se gots two 4/8 Ohms jacks and one 16 Ohms jack (negates the use of the other two), there's a XLR line out, two FX-loops with push button for the gain level.
And then there's probably some shit I even haven't found out about...
No headphone jack though, but you can plug that doohicky into the send-jack of the FX-loop (which works nicely as a jack line-out too).
But believe me, you'll never wanna use headphones on this thing (It simply wasn't made for headphone usage).
The only kinda bummer is the volume-ramping when you switch from overdrive to clean. The volume cuts away to zilch and then climbs up again. Takes about one second. Was meant to prevent crackling, popping switch noises, which is very thoughtful, but it can bug the shit out of you when you need quick response.
And then there's the footswitch... I don't know who's ass is responsible for this piece o' non-operating crap, but that ass ought to be kicked in half by now.

All in all this TSL is one versatile, power-to-spare mother. Sure there's always something you wish they'd change, but there's no such thing as a perfect amp. But this one comes pretty close.

I play a early Fender Squire Japan, with three standard single coils, but my personal favorite is a guitar i built myself from crap. Les Paul TV model with Les Paul Standard stuff. Don't know the brand of the pick-ups, just two low-price humbuckers. Sounds great, why bother.
I've been playing for about ten years now, and I'm THE guitar person in a band called the Skavengers (http://drink.to/skavengers). We play ska, punk,... a la Less than Jake, Slapstick (R.I.P.), Rancid, ... So I need a sparkly clean sound for the upbeat ska bits (i.e. fender type clean, not that muddy, half-assed clipping, pseudo-clean you get with Mesa's) and some full, tight, modern distortion for soloing and chords and stuff (this you CAN get with Mesa's). Normally our songs go from clean to disto, from ska to punk, from crap to even more crap. So I needed the most versatile thing I could find. This one does the trick.

Now about the amp itself.
I've read other reviews and some people love this amp, others hate it. I'm still in the "afraid to commit myself" zone, but I'm really beginning to like this baby.
If you wanna be the next Korn or Bizkit (no offence Mr Durst) go ask daddy for cash and buy a Mesa. Mesa is cool, if you only play modern metallike distortion (no offence Mr Mesa).
If you wanna play ALL sorts of music and have great sound every time, buy this one. People always bitch about lack of tone, not enough gain, ... those people will propably ALWAYS keep bitching and never find a suitable amp. The TSL can deliver nice vintage Marshall distortion (crunch), as well as tight packed modern kick-in-the-groin distortion (although a 7 band EQ could help to scoop the mids a bit more, if you REALLY want that Mesa sound).
All it takes is a little bit of patience and a bit of tweaking.
At first I too felt like I was ripped off, but, being the stuborn ass that I am, I kept it and thought "by God, you WILL produce heavenly tones even if I have to kick'em out of you myself!"
And it did, just give it some time and some love, and you'll get the sound you're looking for.

For now I'm still playing through 2 12" speakers (1 celestion and 1 German piece of crap I took out of our deceased Mike-amp). Because this thing is so damn expensive, I couldn't afford to buy a cab immediately.
Even playing through these two old hunks o' garbage I still get great sound. I can't wait to hear it roar through a 4x12. oooohhhhh baby.

I don't like playing with pedals that much. Although this amp is perfect for it (thanks to the divine clean channel). Before you know it, you'll have this huge heap of small boxes in front of you, pinning you down to one spot, making you stomp the floor all set long like an idiot. I guess that some FX could help to improve the sound. Maybe a compressor, a 7 band EQ, some delay effects.
But don't think "ah, great clean, that'll go well with my hyperfatmegahardsuperthick metal pedal". This amp wasn't made for that shit! Use the disto it has, 'cause it's great.

There's not much else to say. Great sound, massive power, good distortion.

First of all: the footswitch. Now that's one piece of patented horse pee. I got a new amp, but I didn't see it come out of the box. The footswitch came from behind the counter, and the cable was wrapped around it. You know, wrapped in such way that you can kill the cable off. And indeed, when I came home the footswitch was dead. I cut open de cable and it just fell apart in my hands. It's a bad quality cable, whatever you do, NEVER wrap it tight and snugly around your footswitch or it'll BREAK into a trizillion pieces!
Now, I replaced the cable myself (I'm kindy a DIY-guy), but it still wouldn't work. Seems their was a faulty connection on the circuit board. So, after venting my anger on the nearest person, I went back to the store and asked a new one. Luckily this store-guy was a cool dude. He said he knew about the problem, didn't care that i put in a new cable myself and just gave me a new footswitch.
So. TSL good, footswitch bad. First one anyway.
Other than that I haven't had any problems. It's been banged up quite a bit since I had it. I've did three gigs with it so far. Never any problem. When you put the head in the trunk of your car you can hear the reverb springs clatter pretty damn hard. But they'll hold I suppose.

Never dealt with the Marshall people themselves.

Other gear I own? I have a Jimi Hendrix Wah-wah pedal (so old it squeeks), a crybaby (some damn fine material) and a Pandora PX-II Effects-processor. All works fine with this head.
If it were stolen I'd hunt the sorry fuck down, molest him in the most brutal way possible and force him to carry the head back on foot (yeah it's heavy).
No, seriously, if it were lost for some reason I'd like to get a new one, but I don't know if I could bring up the same amount of cash again. I'm not rich. I would look out for and try other amps, knowing they could never replace the emptiness my beloved TSL would've left in my living room.
Anything I wish it had? ... tits

really awesome used with emgs! all styles possible on this amp!scoop the mid out for that total metal killer tone!

shite shite shite footswitch.. im on my fourth! guess its time for a custom board dont wanna sell the amp its great but when you hit the lead channel and fuck all happens mid gig you get really pissed four pedals later!

they replaced the f/switches no worries but each time you think they are gonna send sommat that boogie would build and you get toys r us unfortunately!

been playing too long! i would get another tsl yeah and 10 footswitches just to get thru the next two weeks safely!maybe midi switching might help just to get rid of the bastard footswitch!have i told you the footswitch sucks?

This is Marshall B stock Amp (cheaper)
Great tone on lower levels. I play it in my apartment for several weeks and nobody complained about the noise. It has 3 channels, reverb, effects loop, tone shift, deep boost, V.P.R (50 watt mode), footswitch should be a better design looks cheap

The Sound depends on guitar I use, and this is the sound I've been looking for, it's Marshall ! I plug it in 1960 A cabinet.
I am using this amp for jazz and rock.

It came with broken footswitch, everything else was fine. it has tubes and they have time limit.

I had trouble looking for right Marshall repair center in Manhattan they are listed on http://www.korgusa.com. I went to Rouge Muic and they could not fix it, called DBM Technical Services they need 3 weeks to fix it. At last I went to EARS (Expert Audio Repairs & Services) and they fixed it same day 212-868-4357 Great Service I am so happy. The reason I gave 9 instead of 10 for Customer Support are other Services centers that failed to deliver.

I have been playing for 25 years, I had Fender Deluxe Reverb II, Marshall 50W head (forgot the model it had master vol and gain).
I have Peavy Classic 30. Guitars: 1979 Stratocatser, Gibson Les Paul 1958 reissue, Parker Fly Deluxe, Parker Fly Concert and D'Angelico NYL-2.
If the amp was stolen I would buy a new one.
If you are looking for Masrhall sounbd at low volumes, this is the one and don't forget to get a cabinet 1960A or B

this amp is a three channel all tube amp with separate e.q. and gain for each channel separate effects loops and a five button foot switch it also sports bass boosts and mid shift switches

i use a gibson 57 reissue gold top with duncan pickups,a deluxe super strat with 2 texas specials and a jb jr. i play classic rock,blues,and some metal.i feel i can get almost any sound with this amp.i have owned many amps over 20 yrs and this is one of the most versitile!it really shines with the goldtop!

when i first got it home it made a crackle once in a while and the output tubes were running hot,so i had my marshall auth. tech check it and he reset the bias and tightened a preamp tube socket.it has been flawless since then.i've had no problem with my footswitch as others have reported.i trust this amp but all tube amps should have backups cause you never know!

i got this from sam ash 30 miles away in an unopened box and no warranty card was in it!when i called them and asked them to mail me one theysaid o.k. and i never got it!my last purchase from them! i just took it to my amp tech who is the man!sam ash sux!marshall gets some points off for bad set up and for no card in the box

i've been playing 20 yrs,i've had peavey,fender,other marshalls,and also now owna flextone2.if i lost it that would suck cause though i love it i couldn't afford another.i love the tone at all volumes,and the switchable efx loop,and the versatility.i don't like tube maint. iwould recommend this but if you don't like the marshall sound you won't like it cause the clean sounds fender,but the dirts all marshall

It was built in 2000
I play many style from Jazz to Death Metal; so I need an amp that can deliver the tones when I need them...
I play Guitar since 1986.
I use this head with a Marshall Cab 1960B (bottom)
This head is 100w and feature 3 distinct channels switchable via a footswitch (included). The 3 channels are: CLEAN, CRUNCH, and LEAD using their own EQ (Bas, Mid,Treble) Volume and Gain for maximum tone shaping capability. 2 Sections :CLEAN and CRUNCH/LEAD have controls
including: Presence, Deep Switch, Tone Shift, FX/MIX and Reverb. The Clean channel has got a MidBoost switch!
There is also a VPR (Virtual Power Reduction) switch that can take the power from 100w to 25w approx. without losing the Tone (a kind of Pentode thing); very useful in a practice situation.
A very cool switch is also provided: A MUTE!!!!!!!! yes you can mute the sound to the output valves! useful for a recording via the speaker simulation jack (back of the head).
I mainly use the tone shift to "scoope" the mid in order to get that Modern Metal Tone. It can be used also to get a less mid/marshall sound at low volume...
The Presence switch can be used to boost the upperMid/lowerTreble when you have to cut through cymbal but I dont use it since I dislike trebly sound. On the other side I use the Deep switch to gives the tone a more resonant texture to the low frequency in the loudspeakers cabinet. As the they say in the manual its great for filling out the Bottom end at low volume (ex: using VPR) but will also give a resonant but "controlled" growl to the tone at high volumes.
Speaking of High Volume: CAREFUL WITH THE VOLUME ITS A VERY LOUD AMP!!
But we are in marshall mainly for 2 things...TONE AND POWER!!!
The only thing missing...well may be a master volume...but with all those features...

I use a Gibson Lespaul Standard with Stock pick-ups soon to be upgraded with a 500t (bridge). This amp respond marvelously to a high output passive pick-up.
I have 2 Roland JC-120 which are great (by the way) that I use with a GT-5. I wanted a more natural, powerful less processed (more tube)sound; so the Marshall was my logic choice. I will sell one of my JC-120 and A+B the other with my JCM 2000 TSL.
I was amazed by the CLEAN channel on my JCM 2000 (I am a JC-120 user don't forget). Marshall lost his "bad clean" reputation with that baby!
The Clean is clean even at high volume but can break if you set the gain to high (but some people including myself like that...).
For the Crunch channel well,it really delivers a good punchy and thicky sound. If set properly you won't miss your old vintage amp.I like the old overdrived sound a la Robert Fripp (think of RED) but could not afford a Hiwatt...anyway much less versatile.
For the LEAD channel well just raise the gain and you will get a very razor sharp attack (depends on your pick-up) suitable for Metal and very hard rock. If you use the Tone shift and the Deep switch with high gain on this channel prepare for a real headbanging thrash/death assault. But keep in mind one thing: This is MARSHALL tone not Peavey 5150 or Boogie sound...if you want those sounds buy those amps...
For more Tone shaping (for the purist) I suggest to put a Graphic EQ in the Effects Loop like the BOSS GE-7 . I did and it can now produce EVERY sound I need. If you like the Marshall tone you will get plenty of. If you are more into Overoverdrived ultra compressed Tonedeaf 7 strings Rap/Metal stuff (personal opinion here) check somewhere else.
Keep one thing in mind, this amp will sound as good as you are...if you are not confident go to Transistor based or compressed stuff it will cover your misplaying...

Well since my amp is new (2 weeks ago) I cannot give any construKctive comments. It seems well built and everything looks okay.

Never dealed with them!

What a great head! 3 channels to switch between, clean, dirty and dirtier, effects loop, spring reverb, killer tube sound, basically everything you could ever want in an amp. I swear! I have owned a few Marshalls in my time, and other amps by other companies too, all I can say is this, I feel sorry for the rest, cause I play through the best! Try one of these bad boys, and see for yourself!

I use a PRS with Dragon pickups, I play classic to hard rock, and even an occasional rockin country tune...this amp is the true meaning of versatality. Brutal indeed Sir!

I keep a backup amp, a 50 watt(tube of course..) but feel confident I will probably never have a problem with this one..never have had any problems with Marshalls reliability yet...

100 watts, 3 channels: clean crucnh and lead. all tubes, seperate eq for each channel and switchable fx loop.

i use a jem7vwh stock with evolution p/u. i play satch/vai type stuff and its perfect for that. the tone is insane if you eq it just right. the clean is the cleanest sound i've ever heard from a tube amp. the crucnh is fat and great for heavy or bluesy rythyms. the lead is the best lead tone i've heard except for maybe the bogner extasy but thats a $3,000 head. and i'm not even sure its better the tone shift gives it a more modern and slightly prcoessed sound which is my fav. this amps sounds great low as well as high. its very loud. at 4 it was louder than my buddy's 50 watt head at 7! its great for quiet practicing. i have a small peavy classic 30 that is too loud at low levels so i use the marshall for everything. sounds awesome recorded as well.

i use this amp alot. everyday for at least 2 or 3 hours. i have to change the power tubes every 6 months i thought that was a lot but i hear its normal for high use. the one problem i have is the fx loop is very noisy. it always buzzes whenever its on. that is my one complaint about this amp. my pedal hasn't broken after 2 years of use but the lights to go out occasionaly.

never dealt with them

i've owned 3 other amps and this is by far the best. if it were stolen i probably buy another one. i love everything about it except for the fx loop buzz but i don't think they all do it. if you play progressive rock like vai or satch this amp is awesome but i think it could do it all in the right hands.

Clean, Crunch, Lead. Mid boost, deep (worthless), reverb, 1/4 power. I have a valvestate amp with built in Chorus, and I wish this amp had that to. It's as wholesome as reverb in my opinion.

The clean chanel is to infinite and beyond. It gets louder than by bros JCM 900 without distorting. This might be the first Marshall to ever have a notable clean sound. The clean channel has a gain knob that lets you add brightness and punchyness without fuzzing.

The distortion channels only sound good at performance volume. At practice volume they sound thin and cold like a bad solid state distortion. But don't even use those, get a SansAmp or a TS9 and be done with it.

I got this Marshall because it has such a nice clean tone and is extremely loud, then I use pedals for everything else. It's a shame it had to include all those worthless kobs and buttons. Oh well, maybe dumb people will think my skill is relative to the number of knobs on my amp.

minus 1 for all the stupid switches and knobs and what appear to be second choice stock tubes.

Made in 2000, Function is a dream Very, very versatile

Ok, here is the thing so, PLEASE, everyone, listen up!!
This particular amp is very, very sensitive to the type of tube/valves are used. I have used mine now on approx. 100 gigs, and have been to heaven, hell and back.....With a good set of valves (Mullards in my case) this amp is untouchable in sound and versatility.With your average modern Russian /Eastern valve be it Sovtek, Svetlana, whatever, you are usually ,and I stress, usually, in amplifier hell.Yes , I have read the reviews and glowing reports of the new breeds of Eastern European valves, but in this amp at least, you must avoid them like the plague... I have tried many to find an acceptable tone that doesnt break the bank, but have ended up with distortion reminiscent of old hh transistor amps, not nice when youve spent a fortune on the ultimate gigging machine....
Please, use your ears, dump the Russian /Eastern valves, replace with N>O>S> British or American, then use your ears again and hear the difference. You really want to run your Ferrari on remolds, go ahead, ignore my advice!

Footswitch old or new still very unreliable, Im on my 3rd, its the new type, and one of the switches still needs continuos rotation to keep it working. Ive taken the head back to Marshall twice, second time they replaced the whole chassis! (Volume drop problem)
A Transformer has recently become very hummy....

A1 customer support in UK. Faultless, if only their quality control was this good!

been playing Pro/Semi Pro 20 years. It is extremely versatile and with the right tubes/valves reigns supreme...

Loads of features, lots of different sounds available from turning all the different EQ buttons.

I use a fender telecaster deluxe and a yamaha SBG 1200(with fat sounding seymour duncan at the neck for some more beef).
I play quiet verse/loud chorus type songs most of the time and a bit of jazz.The amp is great on crunch/lead channels through my yamaha, i only use the beefy seymour duncan neck pickup on the crunch channell and it sounds fantastic !! i only use the amp in my bedroom at the moment im just about to gig it with my new band ill give a reveiw of what its like in gig situations. But at the moment i have tried it at home at quiet/loud volumes and it sounds AMAZING !!!! if you spend quite a long time with the EQ to get the amp setup to your taste you will be happy, be patient !!
Through my tele the clean sound is amazing !! i can make it full sounding or twangy sixties style, and on lead/crunch channell my tele gives a real good sonic youth sound, crystal clear on everything you play on the frets.
The amp can sound really big and full !!! or it can sound thin and far away depending on how you use the presence, EQ, deep switch and tone switch as well as the bass,middle and treble.
Im surprised this amp isnt being used by all the signed artists.
reverb unit isnt that great but i dont use reverb anyway or effects, apart from my wah-wah ( for one song ).
crunch can be used for old style ( 60's)marshall classic gain when you have gain turned down and volume up, turn the gain down to 2-3, clean-ish when you play strings soft more distorted when you hit strings harder.
oh yeah and i play the amp through a 60s cab ( made 64-67 ) with celestian G12m Greenbacks and van damm cable connecting the speakers inside, nice warm sounding.
This amp can do nearly anything you want.

I spoke to a man at Marshall headquarters cause everyone has been having problems with it and i was a bit concerned but he put my mind to rest because theyr getting the foot pedals built by another company who build them better , so if u have a crap foot pedal that means you have an old one, nae joy.
As yet my foot pedall has stayed in one piece despite me giving at a real good kick when i hit overdrive.
The amp hasnt been out the house much so i cant say much for reliability except iv had it for 8 months and it still sounds great.

Marshall people are really friendly and very helpful ( and quick to help on the phone too, no long delays listening to crap music on hold . Iv phoned up twice, once to ask about the tube configuration and the other time about my 60's cab to find out when it was built and the guys and gals at marshall were friendly.

This is a classic marshall, just remember to play around with the buttons, i keep coming up with new sounds whenever i play around with them.

Great features:

- 100 watt (4x EL34 Tubes).
- 3 independant EQ channels (Clean, Crunch, and Lead).
- Tone Shift and Deep Switch on Gain cahnnels (very useful) and a mid boost on the Clean channel.
- Seperate Reverb and FX Mix for Gain and Clean channels.
- 5-button Foot Controller.

Raw Power, Great Tone. What more could you want?

Let me start off by telling you what I use and play. I use EMG pickups (the 81 in the bridge, and 2 SA's in the middle and neck position). I play this head through the Marshall 4x12 1960B Cabinet.

I play thrash metal (Slayer, Old Metallica, Sepultura, Iced Earth, Tesatment). Basically my pickups are set to give me the heaviest tone (EMG-81) and the cleanest tone (SA's) that I can get. Now all that counts is waht amp I play them through.

Clean Channel:

I've never known Marshall amps to have a crappy clean channel. The clean channels is so sweet, so sparkly, and so clear. It's beautiful with any pickup I've heard (of course with the obvious exception of EMG-81's which are built for metal. Those things distort any cahnnel.) I've heard it with Dimarzio Evolutions, with stock Gibson pickups, with stock Ibanex pickups, my pickups, and basically, with every guitar I've ever played. This just gives you one of the sweetest clean tones you can get.

Crunch Channel:

Here is where your equipment really makes the difference. With my guitar, the Crunch channel is BRUTAL! It is so crunchy and chunky. I'm telling you, the sound of the riffs coming through this amp will tear your face off. It's also very clear sounding in that you will hear every note (unlike the sound from a Metal Zone pedal), bit don't take that the wrong way. This is an angy brutal amp.

My other guitarist uses the Evolutions. These are also heavy pickups, but they don't get the amount of distortion that my 81 gets on this channel, so it sometimes sounds weak, no matter how high he puts the gain.

Basically what I'm saying is, your equipment will make all the difference. I've heard many reviews on how this amp is not built for metal and how it's weak, meanwhile it's the farthest thing from it. Like I said earlier, this channel is SICK GAIN, LIKE NONE I'VE EVER HEARD. I just recently played a show with Vader, Skinless, Origin, and Whithered Earth, and was told that my tone was definitly better than all of theirs. That fuckin says something.

Lead Channel:

This is such a great feature. It's basically the Crunch channel, but less chuncky. It's much rounder and fuller, designed to make your single soloing notes have more resonance. Another reason this is so great because in my band, our solos never cut through. Ever since we bought this head, we have another channel (which we put 2 notches higher than out rythm channel) and it makes all the difference in the world.
If you don't have very powerful pickups, this channel will sound much bettr than the Crunch channel. If it is metal you are looking to play, this amp, plus an EMG-81 will give you EXACTLY what you're looking for, that goes as a defiite. If you like the the tone of an Evolution, or an X2N, or whatever better, then that's your thing. Some say the 81 can make you sound kinda sloppy. All that minor shit is up to you, just understand my point.

I'm giving this a 10 here because for me and my equipment, it is perfect

I don't think I'd use anything at a gig without a backup. I hear the footswitch breaks down a lot. One of the lights on my other guitarist's footswitch broke, but it got fixed immediately, and sometimes his Crunch channel switch won't go down, but that's very fixable too.

With me, so far so good. Shit, I jinxed myself . . .

The amp itself is solid and sturdy. Like i said, haven't had a problem with it.

WIth a monster tone like this, it's worth it.

I've heard Marshall is a bitch, but I haven't experienced it. Once my guitarist blew out the tubes on his head ciz he wired the thing totally wrong (REMEMBER! Hook the speaker cable into the 16 OHM jack on the head and the cabinet, and keep the cabinet switch on MONO). When he returned it to our music shop to have it sent back, the owner of the shop checked it out, and found it was defective. In that case, Marshall has to come, pick it up, check it out, and then send back a new one. Well, Marshall did not come to pick it up to examine it, they just sent them a new one. That's not a bad deal.

I love this Head. It was worth every single penny I spent on it. This is the only amp for me.

I've played Mesa Boogies (Dual and Triple Rectifiers) and they didn't come close. I don't understand why people rave about them. They're clean channel sucks. The gain channels are deep and heavy, but not very distorted or crunch. They are actually quite muddy and ugly sounding. Nothing I've played compared to this, and, of course, I did a lot of researching and testing before I made such a big investment.

The Randall Warhead has realy sick distortion, but it's a transistor amp, which does not caryy like a tube and if your band has more than one guitarist, the sound will be lost and note will go unheard.

If you find that the Marshall is too brutal for your taste, I'd STRONGLY suggest the Laney VH100R. Great tone, but not as brutal.

The Marshall JCM-2000 TSL 100 is THE perfect for me and for my tastes. Check it out for yourselves and with as many different pickups as you can, because that is very important.

No amp out there has "everything" designed as you would have designed yourself, but I give Marshall credit for coming pretty close to what I'd have done. I have purposely not played Marshalls for the past 10 years because they weren't versatile enough for my needs. The TSL's 3 channels with independent eq allow me to easily move through the multiple sounds I need for my music with total flexibility in shaping each channel's sound. One feature you'll never get enough of is headroom. This amp will easily cut through the mix, no matter how loud you need to be. The downside is that the tonal shape on all channels changes significantly at different volume levels, with different effects setups and in different rooms. You have to tweak a lot every time you set up in a different location or change volumes significantly, but if you take your time and do it right you'll be in love with this head.

This amp rocks, but it's not for everyone. My gutars are a PRS Custom-22, PRS Hollowbody II, Gibson EDS-1275 doubleneck and a Peavy Wolfgang. I run the TSL into two Mesa Engineering 2 X 12 closed back slant cabinets. This setup works well for me and in my opinion sounds fatter and tighter than the usual 1960A cabinet setup. One thing I've found is that at higher volumes, you have to shift your method of shaping the tone. The highs get overbearing as you go louder, and my remedy is to back off on the treble for the crunch & lead channels and use the presence control to get the highs. This works great at loud settings and helps maintain the bottom end growl I love, where as at lower volumes I find it to be the opposite and I back the presence way off and bring the highs up on the channel eq. My bass and mids are ussually between 4-6 depending on the room. The variety of buttons lead to interesting changes, most of which I forego with the exception of the deep switch wich is on all the time. As some people have stated here, this amp is fully capable of sounding like crap. Mine has on several occasions! You simply have to realize that this amp needs tons of tweaking to find exactly the sound you want. Anyone who states this can't be done, in my opinion, hasn't tweaked enough. When you find settings you like at each location you set up, write them down! This saves a lot of time the next time you play there. This amp also handles effects very well. Since I use a wide variety of sounds during each song, versatility and the ability to use multiple effects are a major criteria. I run multiple effects up front as well as through the loop and everything blends together very well without much tonal degradation (there's always a little when you use a lot of effects). Again, you have to tweak the effects chain too to get the amp sounding the way you want it. Different settings on on effect levels and the amp's effects mix through the loops will greatly vary your sound. This is a very complex setup and takes time and patience to get it right. I write and record my own music which sounds a lot like my favorite band, Rush. I enjoy playing Rush and Van Halen when not working on my own tunes and this amp nails every sound I need. That's saying a lot when you consider the major differences in these two band's sound. I have been playing for 23 years and have tried a lot of gear. I highly recommend this amp for seasoned players who love the "Marshall" sounds heard on many records. As I mentioned above, however, you have to spend considerable time tweaking it to unlock it's potential. If you are not adept at fine tuning, you may find nothing but frustration trying to get the sounds you want. Those players who are bashing this amp's sound, I fear, may be falling into this trap. I personally have not heard better sounds in my 23 years as a professional and now as a home hobbyist. Mind you, there are other amps out there better suited to different tastes, but if it's the classic earth shattering Marshall tone you crave, it's in here, hiding behind a zillion knobs and buttons.

I'm a little worried about the footswitch, only because of some of the comments here. So far, mine works fine. I've had it for 4 months.

No experience with Marshall. Luckily every one I've ever owned (4 over 23 years)has never broken.

Years ago I played nothing but Marshalls, using a 100 watt 2X12 combo and a 50 watt head when touring. When I quit playing for a living I went on a long journey through a variety of gear searching for greener pastures. In recent yearsI have played through Rocktron and Digitech rack-mount setups, a Peavy 5150 and Yamaha DG-80. After playing the TSL 100 for a while, I doubt I'll go back to any of them. When I plug in to this amp I just want to play for hours, it sounds that good. It's easy to nitpick equipment and list all it's faults. One player's positives are another's negatives. It all boils down to what you want out of an amp and what you're willing or unwilling to go through to get "your" sound. This amp has it's own groove that really suits me but may be totally wrong for others. I'd spend a LOT of time playing it at the store before spending this kind of money. When you take it home, remember that it's not going to sound like it did in the store, because you're not at the store anymore and every new environment is going to change the amp's tone. Tweak away. You'll find it.

Read other peoples info

This thing really bitz my ballz. Distortion is thin, the reverb sux. At high volume the sound starts to crack, its real hard to play fast licks. Very Difficult amp to play out of. Makes you sound shitty.

Foot pedal sux, everything else A ok

Never had to deal with them

This amp really isnt that great. Try it out before you blow $1300.00

3 channels 2fx loops 5button footswitch. 100 watts really loud

I run an Ibanez Artist with semour duncan pickups. It is great for what I do. The clean channel is as clean as a Fender, but not quit as full. It growls a little with the tone shift on. Kinda funky soundin. Not practical for me. The crunch channel is kinda weak for really heavy metal. I use it for everything from ac/dc to tool or rage. It sucks with the tone shift on. The lead channel I use for a mesa-like crunch w/ the tone shift on. great harmonics. good for godsmack, pantera, disturbed, all that good stuff. Then I run an eq in the fx loop to boost the mids and level a liitle bit on leads. One thing that sucks is that at least for me, if the fx level is up too high is lowers the overall level of the amp. Which sucks because if you turn the loop off the amp gets louder, so I have to leave the loop on all the time. Thats annoying. Overall I'd say It's the most versitile amp I've ever played.

Here's where Marshall screwed up. As you might have heard by now the footswitches suck. The first one I had lasted about a month. My friend had one that lasted about 2 weeks. We are both on our second and they seem to be holding up good. Still makes me a little weary. One other complaint with mine is that I've had mine 6 months and I've noticed that the volume changes when ever it wants to. I don't know if I'm the only one who has had this problem or not. Hopefully I can get it fixed soon.

Ive been playing about 11 years. I use an Ibanez Artist with a jb model humbucker in the bridge and a pearly gates in the neck. both of which are coil tapped. and I run a Dean explorer lookin thing with Dimarzio pickups for different tunings. my fx chain goes like this univibe, crybaby 535q, mxr phaser, ernie ball volume pedal with a boss tu-2 plugged into the tuner out. Then in my loop I have a digitech echo plus, a boss eq, dod fx75c flanger, and a boss rv-3 delay/reverb. It's pretty quiete considering what I run. If it were stolen I would kill the s.o.b. as slowly as possible. Because I spent alot of money on this amp. I love everything except for the footswitch and the fx loop. If I had a choice I would check out the triple rectifier a little more. (didn't get a chance to because the guy at Guitar Center kept d*cking with it while I was trying to dial in different sounds) So I went to the local music store and got my Marshall. It's no dissapointment by any means. Check one out for self.

My amp was a 2000 model, maybe 2001. I believe you already know all the features. It's got everything a guy (or girl I guess) could wan from an amp. This amp is loud, the highest I've ever had it on was 4 out of ten on the Volume and that was outside. And believe me that was plenty loud.

I play a American strat with single coils, and feed the amp through a Marshall 1960A cab. I play everything style wise (I mean everything, our last set list in my band was: Shaft, Purple Haze, Plush, Cleveland Rocks, My Hero, Back In Black, Killin in the Name Of, Whole Lotta Love) and this amp works for everything. It's not noisy at all, and I imagine if I had humbuckers this thing would be silent. The clean channel is Fender Clean, I'm not Bullshitting you, I would've bought this amp just for the clean channel. I don't use Mid the Mid Boost that much, it sounds a little nasty I think, but it could be good for some Louisiana plucking I guess. The Crunch channel is my main distortion channel, if you use the tone switch out you get Vintage, Jimi to Zepplin distortion, with it in you can get a Foo Fighters, Blink punk sound. I use this feature alot. The lead channel is like the end of the world, I don't use this that much, excep for solos, but the crunch channel has enough gain that I use that for solos alot. The reverb on the amp is gushing, very nice. Some times it takes some tweeking toi get a really saturated, Limp Bizkit sound, but thats also because I'm using singel coil pickup, even though I have obtained that sound.

The amp itself is solid as a rock. I've used it on about 7 gigs so far and have had no problems at all. As long as you let the tubes warm up two min before plaing and then let it cool down for about ten minutes before moving it, it will treat you nice. The only hing thats a little shady is the foot pedal. I've had mine about 5 months and thought that I had gotten a good pedal, but last week it started acting up on me. Its only happened a few times but I'll probably have to take it in in the coming months. Don't kid yourself, if you by this amp you'll probably eventually have to get a new foot pedal, however, a faulty foot pedal is not a reason why you shouldn't by this amp.

Havn't dealt with them

I've been playing about five years, and this is my first real amp. Everybody I know syas by as nice as you can to begin with so you don't ever have to upgrade, and I agree. The only amp that I think comes close to comparing to the versatility of this amp is a Triple Rectifier, but the clean channel on those kind of sucks ass. The only thing I'd say keep an eye out for is the Mesa Boogie Roadking, a new amp that looks damn nice. If someone stole this I'd probably commit suicide cause it costs so damn much, but then I'd probably save up for a new one. Anyone who thinks this amp sounds bad obviously has sticks in their ears or such a crappy guitar that it makes this amp sound bad, if thats possible. Definitely check out this amp.

When i first heard this head it was a 60 watt version and i loved it....but that was at the dreaded store volume. The clean channel was great, the crunch was like old Billy Squire,and AC-DC. The lead was like nothing i had heard, it made me drool! So i bought the 60 watt version. While at home i learned the effects loop was damaged and did not work. So back to the store this time leaving with the 100 watt version.....Heavan in a box.

Plugged into my wolfgang this thing absolutly sizzled. I actually went from a 5150 to the TSL 100. But the louder and harder i pushed the head the more it sounded brttle, you know that sound that just crushes your eardrums. I spent weeks trying to tune this thing in. At low volumes it sounded great especially with the bass boost on. But higher volumes was very diappointing. The best sound i had out it was running a BBE and a Boss se-50 through the effect loop but still had to do alot of tweeking.If this head sounded as good loud as it does at low volumes it would rock. The clean channel was outstanding.

First one i purchased had a bad effects loop. The second 100 watt version lasted a little longer but low and behold the effect loop bit the dust also. I treated that thing like a baby, face it its a major investment. Thankfully i was not at a gig at the time. Very disapointed.

The first head was no problem taking it back for return but it took 2 months for the 100 watt head to come in.

The clean channel was great but the crunch and lead channels sounded like a some one tossed it into a midrange woodchipper screaming all the way.

This section has been covered extensively in the below reviews. A quick recap: All tube (4 preamp, 4 power EL34), 3 channels, 2 effects loops, independent EQ network per channel(treble/mid/bass/ gain/volume), footswitchable effects/reverb, shared FX mix/ presence/reverb/tone shift on crunch and lead channels, deep switch on each OD channel, mid boost on clean, dual signal levels for the effects loops, DI output for recording (with signal mute), VPR (cuts power to approx 25 watts).

Whew! I bought this amp 3 months ago and wanted to give it a work out before posting my thoughts on it. I was looking for a versatile amp that could fill a number of roles. I want to state from the beginning that I am heavily into effects, and although I love a warm tube sound, I am not a vintage purist. This amp has all the features I could ask for. (minor gripes are listed below)

I play three 84-86 MIJ Fender Strats, and an Ibanez XV500 (hot rails!). All Strats have bridge humbuckers, one with a neck bucker, and others with single coils. I picked up a 1960A 4x12 cab with Celestion GT75s at the same time as I bought the head.

My group is into an experimental rock style that is somewhere in between Finger 11/Incubus/Tool/Classic Metallica, with a little more clean riffs thrown in for dynamics. This amp delivers the rapid dramatic changes I need in my sound.

First the Clean Channel: While not a Fender type clean to be sure, the amp does cut through clearly. I find the mid boost button to be useful for giving the sound a "punchiness". The EQ on this channel is very responsive. Rolling back the bass and turning the presence to 5-6 gives a very pleasing crystal type sound with neck single coils. The channel just starts to break up at gain 10, almost a bluesy Tubescreamer kinda sound. Note: On all 3 channels the reverb seems weak if you are playing at a bedroom type volume, or with the VPR switch in (25 watt mode). Once the amp is cranked a bit, the reverb is quite lush and natural sounding. Finally, to tweak my sound on the clean channel I am using a Danelectro Fish and Chips. Although the amp EQ is good, there is no substitute for 7 band control.

Crunch Channel: Let me start by saying that I tend to use the OD channels in reverse. So I use the crunch channel for soloing, and lead channel for brutal riffing. After toying with the amp for weeks, I decided that this channel is better suited for the liquidy-syrupy neck tone used in solos. I leave out the deep switch (to scooped, kills the mids) and the tone shift is in for the OD channels. Bass 4, Mid 8, Treble 7, Presence 5-7 and add effects to taste. Voila! Vintage tone heaven. Even on my neck single coil, I can get a smooth creamy lasting sustain. I haven't seen the need for an outboard boost although I do have a Tubescreamer. Throwing in a touch of chorus/delay and I have what I want for a "solo tone". I tried and tried to use this channel for chords and riffing, but it wasn't the modern gain that I wanted. Perfect for AC/DC or G'n'R though.

Lead Channel: Still reading? Ok I will try and keep this one short. On this channel there is nearly unlimited modern high gain. I use a Boss GE-7 EQ in the OD effects loop to give a "Boogie" style sound with a bit more growl and mids. There is no Marshall buzz or trebly bite, which seems to be a common complaint. The deep switch is in on this channel, it changes the way the Mid EQ knob sweeps the tone. Very happy with this channel, no problem nailing any of the modern 90's band saturated tones.

Other notes: The tone completely changes for all channels when you use the VPR switch. I can practice by myself at a reasonable volume with the switch in, but I tend to jam in my drummers basement in full out 100 watt mode. Please! Please, use the amp in 100 watt mode (a little cranked) before deciding whether you like it or not. Also I found that the amp is so clear, that every minor change in effect pedal or guitar makes a huge difference. Take some of your gear to the store if you can to try this baby out. I am giving it a 9 simply because I use outboard EQs to nail my sound, although the banks on each channel are quite good.

No problems yet. The construction is solid, and the finishing is very fine work. The final line inspector hand signed a tag on the back of the head. (included finish date on production line)

The footswitch will likely be replaced within the warranty period, but I expected that. The salesman even told me that the first footswitch that comes with these heads tend to be bad.

I imagine the first real head maintenance will be a tube replacement and biasing somewhere in the next 2 years.

Picked up this head from our local Mother's Music. Great people there. The amp is under warranty for one year, but I am not too concerned. Never had to contact Marshall, Mother's will do that for me if it ever becomes necessary.

Been playing 3 years, and have tried 7 good amps that I can recall. If I lost this amp (or my God! it was stolen) I would test another along side the new 3 channel Rectifiers. But I think I would go with this again. The most important feature of the amp for me (aside from pure tone) is the 2 separate effects loops. It lets me switch from one set of effects to another, and change channels with one button push. Sweet for me since I am not into Midi and rack gear (yet, gulp!). Also the clean channel is impressive for a Marshall.

My only gripe is I wish that the amp could "remember" if the FX loop was on or off for each channel. If I am playing dry and clean, and I switch to the Lead channel, the FX loop stays off. If I then turn on the OD FX loop, and change back to the clean channel, the Clean FX loop is now on. This is a minor complaint though. Oh yeah, I almost forgot the footswitch.... Well what can I say, it is not up the same standard as the rest of the amp. I took mine out of the box and there is something loose inside that rattles when I tip it. Works fine though and the buttons don't really feel cheap. The LED for the crunch channel lights up dimly when I am on the Lead channel. Doesn't bother me though. I see a warrany replacement in the near future.

I took a long time choosing this amp. I tried out Mesa's (Mark and Rectifiers), Fender's, Crates, Vox. All in the 75-100 watt range, and mostly heads vs combos. This amp is more versatile than all the others, and very few amps have multiple FX loops. When I read all the negative reviews here of TSL 100, I wonder if people have taken the time to really tweak the amp. It is so versatile that you are not going to find "your sound" in five or ten minutes. I even felt somewhat disappointed when I first brought it home. The trick is to take your time and play with settings for a while. I am sold.

I welcome any comments, and would really like to hear from anyone who also has this head. Email me with questions/comments. Cheers.

THIS IS 3 CHANNELS. BASSICALY, TO ME I DON'T BY AN AMP FOR THE FEATURES.

THIS THING SUCKS. IT HAS NO GAIN WHAT SO EVER. I PLAY METAL/DEATH METAL, AND THIS AMP DOES NOT DO THAT WELL. ITS GOOD FOR AN AC/DC TYPE OF TONE, BUT IMAGINE PLAYING WITH THAT TONE IN MORBID ANGEL OR SLAYER SONGS. IF YOU LIKE AC/DC(BY THE WAY I LIKE AC/DC) BUY THIS AMP. ANOTHER THING THAT I REALLY DISLIKE IS THAT IT SOUNDS VERY DULL AND HAS NO PUNCH AND DOES NOT GIVE YOU THAT KICK IN THE BALLS.

I WOULDN'T KNOW SINCE I DIDNT BUY IT.

OUT OF ALL OF MY TIME PLAYING GUITAR, I HAVE NEVER SEEN A WORSE AMP. THIS IS THE MOST OVERHYPED AMP OUT THERE. I SPENT HOURS AT THE MUSIC STORE SEVERAL TIMES BUT I DIDN'T LIKE IT. NOW WHEN I GO TO THE MUSIC STORE I DON'T EVEN PLAY IT. EVER SINCE THE JCM 800, MARSHALLS HAVE SUCKED. IF YOU WANT A GOOD AMP GO WITH A PEAVEY 5150 1 (AND I KNOW YOU ALL ARE GOING TO BASH ME FOR THIS ONE,) OR IF YOU WANT A DUAL RECTOFIER SOUND GET A PEAVEY ULTRAPLUS. WHILE MARSHALL HAS GOTTEN WORSE OVER THE YEARS BRANDS LIKE PEAVEY, CRATE, AND CARVIN ARE MAKING QUALITY AMPS FOR MUCH CHEAPER. MARSHALLS ARE LIKE THE NIKE SHOES OF THE GUITAR PLAYING WORLD BECAUSE EVERYONE FEELS THE NEED TO BUY THE NEWEST MARSHALL OUT THERE AND FLAUNT IT, WHILE MARSHALL SUCK AT PERFORMANCE LIKE NIKE, AND WHEN YOU PAY FOR NIKE SHOES YOU PAY FOR LOOKS AND A NAME JUST LIKE MARSHALL(SORRY FOR COMPARING AN AMP WITH A SHOE.) IN CONCLUSION, IF YOU WANT A GOOD AMP THAT CAN COMPAR WITH THE BEST, TRY OUT BRANDS LIKE PEAVEY, CRATE, AND CARVIN, AND PUT ASIDE YOUR PREJUDICES ABOUT THESE COMAPNIES LIKE I DID.

My TSL 100 is made in 1998. The main reason I bought it was that I had owned an Ampeg J-12T (poor construction), a VOX AC 15 (poor construction, bad sound) and a Marshall Bluesbreaker (a good amp, but not versatile enough - a problem with Ampeg and VOX too). Finally I realized that the re-issue amps are all about show and no go and decided to buy a modern amp with enough channels and power. I have owned many Marshall amps and they all have worked OK, so there was only one option. The TSL 100 has all the features I need for traditional rock `n roll and blues. The TSL 100 is the only amp I need, so I use it at home, at practice and gigs.

I play a Gibson Flying V `67 and it matches perfectly with the TSL 100. All varieties of rock and blues can be played with this couple! The amp is not too noisy, except sometimes the clean channel tends to hum a bit. It only does this at home, so I think that it is because of the electrics of our house and not the amp. The clean channel is very warm-sounding and very usable from very clean tones to blues-style solo sounds. It needs very loud settings to distort the clean channel. The crunch and gain channels have a lots of bite, but the sound remains warm all the time.

I use this on almost every gig without a backup. Now that our band has toured with a few other bands, my TSL has been in the use of them, too. No complainments, no problems.

I have not dealt with Marshall itself, but the finnish importer has been very friendly. The warranty is one year.

I have played for seven years, five years in a band. I have owned very much gear during the years, but now I have such a great guitar/amp -combination that all other stuff can go! I also play the bass (both electric and upright). If the amp was stolen, I would definetely get a new one. I choose the TSL 100 because I knew it would do the trick. Marshall amps have always suited to my style.

This amp has plenty of features but is missing the most important one... tone. The amp is not versatile at all due to the fact that it's sounds are unusable. The only feature that this amp is missing is a good tone.

This amp does not sound anything like a Marshall. It sounds similar to some of the lower end Crates and Peaveys I've heard. The crunch channel lacks the punch and crunch of a JCM-800. All I could coax out of it was a lame buzzy sound with no balls whatsoever. This channel is about as brutal as an angry mosquito. The high gain channel was just a buzzier version of the crunch channel. The clean channel was a bad as any other channel switching Marshall I've ever heard.

I had to go through about 5 of these at the stores before I found one that worked.

Korg USA has good support. No problems there.

This amp is an all around failure on Marshall's part. They need to stop trying to sound like Peavey and Crate, and get back to their roots.

This amp has more features than probably any other Marshall. Some people would see three channels as 3 different amps and Marshall market it that way but I don't see it like that. There is not three amps in this box, there are three channels and all three share tonal qualities but sperate EQ and volume etc.. The FX loops are a great idea but why couldn't Marhsall spend the time getting them right before launching this product. As soon as you use the FX and turn up the FX level your tone suffers and there is more hiss and hum. Same happens with both lead and Clean loops......I hate using the FX loops becuase I know I losing some tone.

Clean Channel- The best of the three, it's great, real clarity and plenty of power behind it. The best Marshall clean tone for ages. Don't use the VPR switch with the clean channel as it totally changes the sound to a dull trebleless sound which I dislike. Using the full 100 watts gives great results on the clean channel. I use an Ibanez RG550LTD and the neck pickup and middle single coil sound great, so does the bridge. The clean channel doesn't distort at all which I find a bad thing but it's not that important seeing as though you have three channels to play with.

Crunch and Lead Channels- There is hardly any difference between the two of these but you can set up different levels for lead and solo. My main problem with this amp is that it is just too raw, too unsubtle and the distortion is un-pleasent to the ear. I like a Smooth power chord sound ala soundgarden, Nirvana and Tool. This amp is just too raw and evil. There is no saturation, well there might be but my ears cannot take the volume past 3 so it's wasted. That would be another thing I dislike, I know 100 watt amps are meant to be loud be this is crazy, why anyone would need all this power is beyond me...I play at college in a large theatre and I just can't go past 4...if your playing in your bedroom then you won't take it past 1, hell you won't even past 0, no shit.
There are some usable settings but they are hard to find and even when you find them you know you have heard better. Using the bridge humbucker is harsh, there's so much treble on this amp you have to roll off the tone on the amp and guitar. I prefered the lead sound with VPR on but then I prefered the clean channel with it off so this sucks. The sustain isn't good, I can get more using Valvestates at college than I can with this. People suggest turning up the volume and leaving the gain low to get some tone which to a certain extent is true but your still gonna go deaf along with the rest of your band and your audience, it's like behind hit with a really ugly bus becuase it's not sweet. The amp is hard work, if your a bad player then it will make you look worse as every mistake is heard for miles, if your a good player then you'll get benefit but I'm lazy and I like my amps to aid me. Rectifiers are effortless.....this isn't. If you want some screaming lead sounds then you'll need a chorus and a delay pedal becuase they cannot be found in this amp at lower volumes. BTW I PLAY THROUGH A MARSHALL 1936 2X12 CAB.

It's well built and looks great. The footswitch sucks and mine had to be replaced, my UK version came with a Marshall footswitch and it still broke. Other than that it holds up great. Just a shame I can't rely on the tone and sound from the thing.

It took ages for my footswitch to be repaired, almost a year!!....I called Marshall in the UK and they said "send it to the shop where you got it". The warranty means you'll get your stuff fixed but not in a hurry. Plus you have to pay for shipping, I'm just gald it was only the fottswitch.

I got this amp cheap becuase a UK store missprinted an advert in a national guitar magazine so they had to sell it to me at the advertised price. Still 610 is alot.
This amp is a LION, just not a very elegant one. If you wanna have dirtiest most distorted, loudest lead sound in the world then you'll love this, just don't expect anyone else too. I have tried and tried to like this amp but Today I finally decided it has to go. Some people will love it, blues players will find some great tones as long as they kill the treble. If it were stolen I would love it becuase it would spend the insurance money on another amp. I goin to get myself a JCM 800 I think now, a 50 watt model maybe.

This was an impulse purchase and I trusted the Marshall name too much, I should have tested it more. Im guess I thought that top of the range amp from the Biggest amp company in the world has to be good right?........wrong!

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peace

Three channels:Clean, Crunch & Lead with individual tone controls. The Lead and Crunch channels share the same reverb and presence controls. Comes with a 5 function footswitch that some reviewers think is as cheap as they come. I have my TSL for 2 years and no problems with QC.
If you're a modern Marshall fan, you'll really like this amp.

Ok.......now the facts. Marshall fans will probably like this amp. Boogie fans will say that it's gain is not enough or it doesn't have brutal distortion. Well, if in your opinion Kirk Hammet (Mesa User) has a good tone, then skip the TSL.
I found that classic rock phrasing skills sound fine through the TSL. It's not a warm sounding amp. Kinda edgey. Like a channel switching modern plexi. I'm old enough to have played Plexi's in the late 60's and early 70's before they were the "holy grail" and have found a lot of them shrill and trebley. OK, I just blasphemed. NOT ALL PLEXI'S BUT THE MYSTICAL FEW WERE KEEPERS. Now, not all of us old fart rockers lost their sense of reality and hearing from standing in front of Marshall Majors.
The TSL will appeal to Marshall fans because of the Marshall tonal identity and Fender people because of the surprisingly good clean channel.
You can approach Plexi era tones but it's not quite there.
Again, if your phrasing skills are adequate, you have a versatile amp in the TSL.
I've found that the 1936 cabinet or a 2x12 vintage 30 Celestion cab works and sounds better that a 1960 4x12 300 watt cab. I don't think the 300 watt 4x12 cabs are very tonefull. Again, my opinion.

Owned it for 2 years.
No break downs.

Never called them.

A versatile tonefull loud Marshall 100 watter.
Probably not geared for a Shania Twain player but if you like AC/DC; Aerosmith; Zep and Black Crows, you'll be able to get similar tones.

By now you all know the features........

This is where the JCM2000 excells, from warm clear tones through to rock-out lead. Since I've owned this I've stopped using my stomp boxes and multi fx - they all just compromise the incredible tone available. Sure, you're going to have to take some time to set up the tone and gain controls to get the best out of it, and it will probably never give the extreem level of distortion some players want, but it comes with bags of tone and that classic Marshal punch. In all honesty, I've never played through an amp that is capable of so much expression, and it's raised the level of my playing just trying to keep up with it. The JCM2000 really does go all the way to 11!

Owned it for a year and reliability has never been an issue.

Every time I have to switch it off I'm filled with sadness!

This is marshall's answer to the Dual Rectifier.

I've given this thing too many chances. I've played it through les pauls, strats of all makes, peavey wolfgangs, ernie ball wolfgangs, teles, bc riches, jacksons, single coils, humbuckers, active, passive, etc and I still don't like this amp. The reason I looked into this amp in the first place is because I didn't want to buy a mesa like everyone else. The fact that I'm talking about a dual rect should tell you something about the general sound we're going for here. Marshall boasts that this thing is their contribution to the high-gain world. I boast that it's ass crap. It just can't stand up to anything. I've played crate blue voodoos that sound better than this thing. Sorry Jim, but it's true, and I've given this thing way to many chances. It's be cool for other styles of music, but metal in the Pantera, Morbid Angel, Goatwhore, Malevolent, Cannibal Corpse style cannot be played through this amp. The distortion is most certainly not brutal, bassy, tight or ballsy. It's been neutered.

Ass crap for metal players.

I'm goin' to be a guitar hero and bought this amp c. 2 years ago - I'm never gonna give it away. As it's got 3 seperated channels the variety of sounds is nearly unlimited. You can choose between clean, crunch and lead within milli-seconds. The reverbs for the lead/crunch section and the clean section can be individually set up and switched on/off with the foot controller, too. Additional, there are two different fx-loops (one for the clean channel and one for the lead/crunch channels) witch can be controlled by the floor board as well.
By Using the emulated line out you can record directly and when you push the mute button you can even record silently. Well, however, I never used this feature.
But it would be cool if the TSl100 was midi-controllable ...

I play it thru a low-budget Pacifica 112x (by Yamaha) with two no-name single coils and one no-name humbucker. My style is not fixed, it
's anything between heavy metal, blues and jazz. And this amp gives me the sounds I need: Using the bridge humbucker into the lead channel you get a fantastic modern hi-gain distortion. I use the "Metallica-setting": full bass, no mids, full treble. Combined with the bass shift - knob the sound becomes ... well ... extremely heavy - but always direct, brutal and straight. The crunch channel is the most variable channel: only by changing the pickup I get either that rock 'n' roll sound or Jimi's sound or blues sound or ... - without touching one of the amp's knobs. The clean channel is clean.
YEEEAAAAAAHAAAAAW!!!

Never had problems except one time when the main fuse broke down.

Null problemo.

I've been playing for three-four years and I bought the TSL 100 two years ago. Furthermore I possess a Crybaby wah and I'm planning to buy additional fx such as a modulizer, a harmonizer, a reverb unit, a compressor ... but I don't have the money. By the way, I need a new guitar, too.
However, if my Marshall amp were stolen or lost, I would buy exactly the same once again. I just love its variety and this dirty Marshall sound. And the pricing ...

i want more effects loops but i am spoiled so....

here it is......the day it came out of the box....i was ready to send it back....it sounded like a piece of shit.....i felt like i just purchased a crate 1/2 stack. No life no wail, so i came to this site and evaluated others.....yes you can get a kick ass sound....but with some help. First you must adjust properly the settings. i thought more was better....wrong. Gain up volume up....and disapointed i was, You must back off...and slowly approach your settings. But i was still ready to send it back!!!.....i was making excused....well that sounds better....but for the money i still thought it sucked.....so in a last ditch effort i hooked an aphex aural exciter to the effects loop....OH MY GOD!!!!!.......brand new kick ass amp.....lets put it this way ...i through my guitar down and ran to type this in.... if you dont own one pinch the $180 bucks out of you tight fist and get one. If you spent 1400 for this head whats another 180 ya cheap bastard....really holy shit im in heaven now. I am still disapointed that it took the aphex to change my mind but oh well.....and by the way the clean sound still sucks.....much better than it used to be but come on it still hurts my ears with its punchyness.....but i didn't buy a marshall for its pretty little clean sound......have fun

still works....

come on this is america. only sweetwater.com is the only true support left out there.....really

as noted.....

I'm sure you know them....right ?

So, what's missing....You could always have more :
3 FX loops instead of 2, or 3 independant master sections instead of 2
No seriously, it has features more than enough for me
Hmmm...... I always wanted a Mid frequency range selector. With that, you can REALLY tweak it all
Here, there's only that Mid Shift button which gives you modern metal mid scooped sound.
Hmmmm....I have no use for that

Well I never liked Marshalls..........

Until now I've always been short on money, so I always looked for combos. A long
time ago, I extensively tried out a Marshall Valvestate something and it was an incredible piece of mother fucking shit !
So I've been along with other combos (Laney, Fender) but kept on trying other Marshalls on occasion...didn't like 'em
Now we have some more $$$ (that's what our manager said) and received this one without even trying it.
I had some bad expectations, but I have to admit : it's an overall excellent amp !!
Read the other reviews if you need to know what type of tone you get from this amp.

Been playing it for a few weeks (giged only once with this) , I noticed a few points of interest :
1. The louder, the better ------ Opposite to all amps I've played this far, this one gets better with increasing volume.
This makes it an excellent gig amp. (Honestly, at bedroom levels, there really are better and far cheaper amps around)
You have to play it loud (I REALLY don't like its sound at low volumes)
2. Noise : fairly acceptable with single coils and gain at 7 (above it becomes somewhat high). No problem with humbucks.
3. Clean channel : I know you ain't gonna like it but..... the clean channel is GOOD (not EXCELLENT) compared to other
amps I tried out. It remains clean with volume at 10 (=OK) and also with gain at 10 (Not OK - I don't see any reason
why things should be this way) I like to have some very slight breakup on clean songs... I'll get me a pedal for that.
4. Crunch channel : This is what you pay the money for ! Real good sound as long as you don't use the gizmo buttons
(deep switch, mid switch, VPR switch) EXCELLENT crunch !! Gain below 7 !!!!!!! and please tweak the EQ buttons you lazy you...
5. Lead channel : More gain than the crunch channel . I leave it below 5 otherwise I have problems on solos.
6. The VPR button is interesting but hardly usable - the tone is not the same (You practice with VPR on and gig with VPR off .....)
7. Mid boost button on clean channel : I don't know what use this is for. If you use it, the tone isn't good anymore for
clean songs. Maybe for some specific use with FX..... really don't know....
8. I finally got an amp from which I'll probably never grow out. It has enough power and potentials for improving
my playing. It makes me want to play more....

I'm praying that this shitty looking footswitch keeps up.
When you look at the stomp switches and the cable entrance,
this footswitch CAN NOT DO ANYTHING THAN BREAK ! It's just a matter of time .....

Oh yeah ... too fun .... I had it for about two days, one of these gold covers on the presence
knob just fell off in the middle of a song during rehearsal (all my band mates had stomach ache
for about 10 minutes from laughin' on the floor...)
OK I glued it back - basta !

I have some bad bad feeling about the reliability of this amp ....

I'm happily surprised : We play rock/hard-rock and this amp is built for that.

Playin' 15 years or so now and still climbing (and still million miles away from the top)
As gigs become more important, I needed a better gig amp - Now i got an excellent gig amp
(gigs is where this amps excells) I don't need anything more (OK of course some FX in the FX loop
but we're talking about the amp)

I play a PRS custom 22 Lefty (Dragon II PU) since few (...my manager...) and my backup Ibanez GRX20L trough it.
Both sound different, but excellent (Di Marzio Air Zone on the bridge of the Ibanez instead of the stinkin' stock
powersound pu). Also my other backup Epiphone Legacy Les Paul Standard Lefty (sounds really bad, but I verified,
it's due to the guitar...it will go down the toilet very soon).

I BOUGHT THE AMP WHEN THEY FIRST CAME ON THE MARKET A LITTLE OVER A YEAR AGO. I PLAY MOSTLY BLUES BUT SPEND A HUGE AMOUNT OF TIME ON THE CRUNCH & LEAD CHANNELS MAKING THE HAIR ON MY NECK AND ARM'S STAND-UP!!3 SEPERATE CHANNELS W/THERE OWN E.Q.'S. WHAT MORE COULD YOU ASK FOR.
tHE AMP IS VERY LOUD!!

I PLAY A STRAT WITH A PRS-HFS HUMBUCKER IN BRIDGE AND SEYMOUR DUNCAN VINTAGE SINGLE COILS IN NECK & MID. WITH THE GUITAR AND THIS AMP I CAN WORK-UP ANYTHING YOU CAN THINK OF. CLEAN AS YOU WANT IT, AS LOUD AS YOU WANT IT. GAIN IS MORE THAN NEEDED. I THINK THE PEOPLE WRITING IN AND GIVING THIS AMP A BAD REVIEW HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THEY ARE DOING AND MAYBE SHOWING THERE LACK OF KNOWLEDGE. THIS AMP TAKES A WHILE WITH HOURS OF WORKING THE KNOBS UNTIL ALL OF A SUDDEN IT MAKES TOTAL SENCE. THE KEY TO THIS AMP IS KEEPING THE GAIN AT A REASONABLE SETTING. THIS AMP HAS A TON OF GAIN. CRUNCH CHANNEL, 7 OR 8. LEAD CHANNEL, BETWEEN 4 & 6 AND THIS BEAST WILL ROCK THE HOUSE!! REMEMBER TONE IS THE KEY.
I RUN THE HEAD THROUGH A 1960 LEAD & A 1960 VINTAGE 4X12 CAB'S. MIX THE VINTAGE CAB WITH THE 1960 LEAD AND BE IN FOR A REAL TREAT.

NOT A GLITCH!!

NO NEED

CHECK OUT THE PRICE I PAID GUY'S. IT WAS WORTH IT TO SNAG THIS BABY WHEN IT FIRST CAME OUT.
IT'S PRICE'Y BUT IF YOU WANT A VERY VERSITILE AMP THAT YOU WILL NEVER GROW OUT OF, THIS IS A GREAT CHOICE. BUT REMEMBER, YOUR NOT GOING TO GET THIS AMP AND TAKE IT HOME, PLUG IT IN AND SOUND LIKE YOU'VE BEEN PLAYING ON IT FOR YEARS. BE PATIENT, I STILL SURPRISE MYSELF WITH THE TONE I AM GETTING & WHAT A DIFFERENCE THE SMALL TWIST OF A KNOB MAKES. AWSOME AMP!!

all that are listed below. Most versitle amp I've ever played. But still easy to use.

Look. This thing is a Marshall. Nost a Mesa, not a Fender. If you want a Marshall sound this is it. Best amp I've ever played and I've owned and played a bunch. you can get a great clean, southern rock, classic 80's metal, and balls to the walls gain. It sounds best when played live at a show. It really cuts through the other instruments. I've had numerous complements on how great it sounds. You want a Marshall, buy this one.

No Probelms. Not even with the foot switch which was a concern.

I emailed them before I bougt it about my concern with the foot switch. They e-mailed me back in a day. Very helpful and quick.

This is great amp. It's not for everybody and that's ok. If you love the Marshall sound, this is it. Give it a try.

Very well covered in all other reviews.

I am posting this for all the folks with the negative feedback on this amp. When I first bought this, I too thought it was a brittle sounding solid state type hunk of garbage. However, through trial and error I finally figured out the versatility and the incredible tones you can get from this amp. My preference being power amp saturation vs. preamp saturation, I overdrive the amp, by cranking the master volumes, and using the gain for volume level. This produces a very lush brown sound such as early Van Halen, Neal Schon, etc. To be honest, I only use this with the Virtual power reduction button on, because unless your outdoors on a large stage you will never need the full power this amp has to offer. i.e. bedroom players & bar bands. Another factor I've found is that you get even better tone running two 4X12 cabs. I'm not technically sure, but I think the tone sounds better running at 4Ohms on each cab? I also use a Rocktron Intellifex for reverb rather than the spring tank. This is very useful because you can use the input and output levels of the effects unit as a type of power brake. (And it sounds a helluva lot better than normal brakes) Anyway, point in fact, is that before downplaying this piece of equipment, it's definitely worth your time and pocketbook to try everything possible. You might be as surprised as I.

So far so Good.

Have not dealt with them?

I've been playing for over 20 years and have gone through an insane amount of gear. (Can you say GAS?) I currently own various boogie,fender,johnson,setups and each serves it's own purpose. I play numerous different guitars dependent on the type of gig and as most players my favorite changes daily. Although interesting enough the best sounding one is a really ugly discount aqua looking PRS C3 bolt-on that kicks butt on my Custom 22. (I call them Beauty & the Beast)

3 SEPERATE CHANNELS, FOOT SWITCH,100 WATTS

I HAVE HAD THIS AMP FOR ABOUT A MONTH NOW AND I CANT GET ENOUGH OF IT. IT IS HEAVEN. ONCE YOU GET FAMILIAR WITH ALL THE OPTIONS YOU CAN GET JUST ABOUT ANY TONE DESIRED. MY GUITAR IS A TELE AND IT IS A RELIGOUS EXPEREINCE PLAYING THROUGH THIS AMP.THE DISTORTION ROCKS.THE REVEB IS COOL, AND THE CLEAN CHANNEL IS PRETTY. I THINK I HAVE THE SWEETEST TONE OUT OF EVERYONE I KNOW HERE NOW THAT I HAVE THIS NOTHING COMPARES. I AM NOT JOKING.

IT IS BUILT MARSHALL TOUGH.

DONT KNOW YET

IF YOU HAVE THE MONEY GO OUT AND PICK THIS UP. AFTER SAVING UP I WENT THROUGH WEEKS OF PLAYING AMPS READING REVEIWS AND SO FORTH IN SEARCH OF THE AMP TO END ALL. AND I HAVE FOUND IT. JUST PLAY IT TWEAK WITH KNOBS AND YOULL FIND OUT WHAT IM TALKING ABOUT. I MATCH IT WITH A 1960 AE AND 1960 AX CAB. I HAVE A TELE AND I ALSO HAVE PLAYED WITH A GIBSON STANDARD AND IT HASNT DISSAPOINTED ME YET. ALSO DONT BE AFRAID OF ALL THE KNOBS AFTER ABOUT FIFTEEN MINUTES THEY ARE EASIER TO USE THAN YOU T.V. REMOTE. NEXT OT MY GUILD JUMBO THIS IS THE MOST SATISFIED I HAVE EVER BEEN WITH A PURCHASE
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA+++++++++++++++++++

It was made in 2000 in England.
This amp is very versatile: I play mainly Heavy progressive stuff and epic melodic black metal.
Its a 100W ALL TUBE amp that is very loud.
Its got 3 independant channels: Clean, Crunch and Lead that can be switched via a 5 way footswitch.
There is a vpr (Virtual Power Reduction) switch that enables you to play at low volume (kinda 25w).
2 effect Loops, a Mute switch, XLR direct recording plug, Tone shift (to get that heavy scooped mid sound) and Deep switch to add low end response at low volume.
There is a separate volume, Presence , Treble, Mid, Bass and Reverb for each channel.
You have to tweak a bit with the knobs to get "your" tone.
Many people complain without having set it properly...

I use a Gibson Lespaul Standard with 490R(neck) and 498T(bridge).
With the clean channel I get almost my JC-120 clean sound; perfectly suitable for that "King Crimson Discipline" kinda tone. At high volume the clean stay clean it will break a bit if pushing the gain to extreme.
The Crunch channel is pefect for that tight rhythm sound that I need when playing old King Crimson or Anekdoten stuff. I don't set the gain to high and the dynamic response is great.
For extreme heavy rhythm or shrieking metal lead I use the Lead channel that provide me with enough gain for ballsy Metal like that Borknagar : Quintessence roaring sound...
But I also use a Boss Graphic EQ in the Crunch/Lead effect loop to fine tune my sound to my exact need.
This is one of the less noisy (tube) amp I know.
I think many people are dissapointed with the amp because the don't spend time setting properly thieir sound....its what happen with very versatile amp...you have many possibilities but you will end up with what YOU SET!
If you are into very compressed distortion a la Korn, Biskit, Cannibal Corpse etc...you should check with Solid State amps...even a plain Boogie wont do...
I have played many things from Jazz to Deathmetal with this amp...but what you get is Tone, not overcompressed synthetic solid state sound!
A real Middy Marshall Roarr like it is suppose to be...

Well I don't gig right now but used it for 6 months...no problem at all (even the footswitch never failed...)
Don't need a backup its well built and I wouldn't be affraid to tour with it.

Never dealt with Marshall...so I Cannot comment.

I have been playing guitar for 11 years.
I do think its a great amp as long as you set it right.
And please try it before buying...I can't understand people giving a 1 or 2 rating to an amp that they should have test before buying???
It will be as good as you are...it won't covers missplaying or bad sound setting: don't be affraid to tweak!
It can be used in Jazz, Fusion, Rock Metal even Thrash, Black and Deathmetal...
The most versatile Tube amp I know.
The only complain is the price but you have to

Yeah, it's got everything. So what...

I hate this amp. No gain, no low end, no balls. I have a $350 crate GFX212 that blows this thing out of the water, sound-wise. Pussy distortion. If you play metal, this is NOT the amp for you. Like to do some cool chugging and palm mutes? Don't buy this amp. All you'll get are some THIN thuds. This amp is WEAK!

This is the most disappointing purchase I have ever made. I'm taking the whole damned thing (even the 1960A 412 cab) back tomorrow and trading it in for something with some balls.