JCM2000 DSL50 Review

Features:	8
Sound:	8.7
Reliability:	9.3
Impression:	8
Overall rating:	8.5
Users rating:	7.6
Comments:	20

Reliable 50 watt guitar amp with 2 channels/2 modes option. Built-in guitar effects. Adjustments: Prescence, Treble, Mid, Bass, Deep, and Tone Shift.

overall: 8

Featured review by: UG Team, on july 24, 2003

Price paid: $ 1027

Purchased from: Long & McQuade in Windsor Ontario, Canada

Features: This amp is a 50 watt all tube. It has four ecc83 preamp tubes and two el34 power tubes. I believe this amp was made in 2001. It has 2 channels, classic and ultra. Each channel has two modes: classic has clean and crunch and ultra has lead1 and lead2. So it's really 4 channel if you count the two modes in each channel. The Crunch mode in clean has a very light 70's "bluesy" style overdrive which is very nice if you play Hendrix or Vaughan. The Ultra distortion is quite heavy but better suited to hard rock like Aerosmith. For rythm you will probably want to use lead1 and for leads use lead2. The difference is that lead2 is basically lead1 with more fuzz. The distortion is very impressive but it has this "fuzzy/staticy" sound that I don't like much. You may love it. Try it for yourself. The amp also has a reverb effect for both channels which is nice enough for me since I don't use reverb that much but if you really like reverb it's not the greatest and will probably want to use a pedal. It also has a parallel effects loop which I don't use but I plan to if I ever get a delay, chorous or flanger pedal. The EQ has a ton of features but they don't do much to adjust the tone. They just fine-tune it. If you like to change all your EQ settings for each song to get radically different sounds then this amp isn't for you. It has one distinct tone which you can adjust.

The adjustments are Prescence, Treble, Mid, Bass, Deep (switch) and Tone Shift (switch). The Prsence knob seems to adjust your treble and your mid at the same time. It's very hard to explain but the main idea is that you can adjust it for each venue to modify the "attack" of the sound for each unique room. I find it very useful presonally.

Treble, Mid and Bass should be self-explanatory since they exist on every amp I've ever used. The main thing to note here though is that the tone adjustment produces quite different effects from most other amps. I'm used to boosting the treble and the bass and keeping the mid on 0. It doesn't work with this amp. To get the best tone I keep Treble on 5, Bass on 6 and Mid on 0. You will have to play with them yourself to get what you like.

The Tone Shift basically cuts your mids. I always keep this on since I'm not a big fan of high mids. Again this is just my opinion and you will have to experiment to get what you want.

The deep switch basically cuts the mids and the treble and boosts your bass. It's nice but I find on this amp that it has a very high bass "attack" which is why I keep the bass only on 6. With the deep switch on it feels almost like you're playing a bass and not a 6 string when you hit low notes ;) Suffice to say I keep this off.

There are two features that this amp lacks. One is a separate eq for each channel and the other is switching modes with a footswitch. You can switch between channels but you can't switch between clean and "crunch" or "lead1 and lead2". This is why I only give it a 3. All in all this amp has a perfect feature set for me but when it comes down to it you either like it or you don't. It has a very static tone which you can't change. Only fine tune. If you like to play with the knobs and change them for each song to get radically different tones then this amp isn't for you. // 6

Sound: First of all, I hate Marshall amps. They always seem to make amps that sound exactly like what famous guitarists (such as Slash, Hendrix, Paige, Kiss etc.) like and not putting out anything unique. I never liked their clean tones (too high on the mids and not "rich enough"). I was probably going to go with Fender but when I found this amp I decided to give it a shot.

What I was looking for in an amp was a very rich clean tone which I could distort to pure liquid death for heavy stuff. Well this amp has the perfect clean tone for me. It doesn't produce the distortion that I want but that's okay because used in conjunction with a Boss MT-2 Metal Zone I get exactly what I want. It's really unusual for Marshall's to have such a good clean tone but this amp does it. The only problem (which I stated above in the feature list) is that it's a one trick pony. You either love the tone or you don't. You can't change it.

The amp really shines at high volumes. It's most suited for playing live and in a practice room where you can crank it. It's VERY loud. When the familly's home and watching tv I have to keep the volume at 1.5 and they still have to crank the tv to hear it (and there's 2 floors in between us!). When they're out that's when I can put it at 3 and apparently with all the doors and windows shut you can hear me a couple doors down ;)

At very low volumes (below 1) this amps distorts which is why I don't suggest buying it unless you're planning on using it mainly for gigs.

Fully cranked there's zero distortion! I play everything from Hendrix to Metallica. For bluesy stuff I prefer to use my Ibanez Tube Screamer but the Crunch mode on Classic channel really does compare. The ultra distortion just isn't for me which is why I use the Metal Zone.

Anyway I give it a 5 because I really do love the clean sound and I make good use of the reverb even though it's not the greatest reverb you can get. // 10

Reliability & Durability: This thing is pretty reliable. My grandmother helped me pay for it and when we brought it home she decided to try and help out by bringing it to the house for me and dropped it on my drive way! I almost shit my pants but it still works fine. So that's pretty reliable IMO.

I wouldn't ever gig without a backup and spare tubes.

Now since I've only had it for a short while I'm not going to give it a reliability rating since it could blow up on me tommorow for all I know. However, the above tells me that it's built like a tank. // 8

Impression: I've been playing for 10 years but this is my first "serious" amp. I tried out a ton of amps including both stacks and combos before settling on this one. I bought this amp because of it's clean rich tone. The downsides are the single EQ, and un-switchable channel modes. If it were stolen I'd cry, go on a screaming rampage and then call my insurance company. Yes I've insured this amp because I just can't afford to replace it. I would definintely get the same amp though.

Overall I give it a 4 over a 5 because it's quite expensive, it's Marshall and the lack of features listed above. Even though I don't like the distortion it's only my opinion so I'm not considering it a downside. You may love the distortion. The sound quality, loudness, pure tube, EQ, FX loop, dual channel and the fact that you can drop it on cement and not break it are what makes this amp really shine! // 8

overall: 9.5

Reviewed by: xander307, on october 08, 2008

Price paid: £ 550

Purchased from: www.gak.co.uk

Features: The DSL's has 2 Channels, Classic Gain with modes Clean and Crunch. And Ultra Gain with modes Lead 1 and Lead 2. The Amps has a master 3 band equalization which is very effective, the amps reverb feature can be controlled over each channel and at low levels sounds preety great. The 50 watt valve amp, has 4 ECC83 in its pre amp section, and 2 EL34 in its power amp section, there are 3 cabinet outputs (1 for 16 ohms and another 2 for 4 or 8 ohms impedence) Like most tube amps the DSL 50 has a standby and a main on an off Switch, standby is useful to keep the tubes warm before a performance. // 10

Sound: I Use my Fender Deluxe Players Stratocaster with this amp, the clean mode is a little fat and I often use the bridge pickup here, this mode has headroom although Clean can hardly push gigging volume. I find the amps Crunch Mode is perfect for all aspects of funk and blues, I often use this mode to play Red Hot Chilli Peppers and with a little more gain it can also acheive classic rock tones sutiable for The Beatles.

The Ultra Gain channel has a huge amount of gain and can play most kinds of metal, but at the same time can be toned down to acheive great rock tones, Lead 1 is more suited to ACDC and perhaps Rush, Lead 2 is great for thrash tones as well as modern metal tones, I found Lead 2 Mode needs to be cranked to achieve a clear sound as it seems to have more gain than it can handle and at lower volumes is a little muddy. // 9

Reliability & Durability: I've had the amp 6 months and there have been no problems, I often gig with it and even after being in standby mode for hours on end the tubes will withstand. Replacement Tubes are not to expensive and I will consider changing them before the year is over just to keep the amp sounding as good as new. The amp has a firm structure and has not taken damage, the tubes will rattle away but never crack. // 10

Impression: Playing in a rock band this amp is perfect, Lead 1 offers a great tone for my music, where Lead 2 is good for the heavier stuff I like to play at home, I've been playing a couple of years and this amp was a massive improvement on my Fender frontman. I searched for the right amp for months and the sound I get from my DSL is just right. The only problem with it is the practicality of a half stack, I use a 960A cab with it and I am getting tired of dragging it around, I'd suggest to anyone considering a Marshall Head to buy a 2 X 12 Cab as it would be more than enough, I hope this review was helpful. // 9

overall: 8

Reviewed by: unregistered, on december 17, 2007

Price paid: $ 800

Purchased from: A Breaking up band

Features: My amp was made in late 2004/Early 2005. I play lead guitar in a pop-punk/post-hardcore band (myspace.com/builtforburning) and I'd say that this amp's tone is pretty versatile for the most part. It is a tube amp. This amp has two channels. Classic and Ultra. Classic is your basic Marshall clean tone. It also offers a "crunch" switch. I don't use that option much, but I really like the clean tone. The Ultra offers a tone shift and a deep Switch. I keep the tone shift off and I keep the deep Switch on. The only thing I wish I would've done was buy a TSL-100. My other guitarist uses a Mesa Boogie Triple Rectifier and sometimes he overpowers me. I also miss the versatility of having a third channel. This is my workhorse. This amp is my practice amp and gigging amp. I've had a custom made road case built for it with a 7 space rack. The only reason I purchased this amp was because it was a very good deal. Otherwise, I would've purchased the Marshall JCM2000 TSL-100. I am happy with my decision to purchase this amp though. // 8

Sound: I mainly play two guitars through this amplifier. A 2001 Gibson SG and a 2002 Epiphone Les Paul Custom. My SG has stock Gibson pickups and my Epipone LP Custom has a Gibson Burstbucker installed. I use a Sennheiser EW-172 Wireless in my rack and run that through a Korg DTR1000 and a DOD noise gate. The wireless takes some tone from this amp. I still haven't figured out a way to not sacrifice tone. This amp does hiss at high volumes. The clean channel doesn't distort for me at all and that's a huge plus, especially when playing clean melodies and competing with a Mesa Triple Rectifier. Because of my wireless situation, I can't say that my distortion is "brutal", but I am happy with my tone. I am considering purchasing a sonic maximizer and a better noise gate to aid in bringing this amps best out. // 7

Reliability & Durability: I can depend on my amplifier. I never doubt this amps reliability. But, it spends a lot of time being bounced around a trailer and a van, so I did have a custom made road case built, plus it looks pretty cool as well as being protected. For the most part being a touring musician, I have no choice to gig without a backup. I've owned this amp for 2 years and I've never had a problem with it to date. The tubes are in need of replacing soon, but only because I want to bring it to it's best potential. // 10

Impression: I wish before I had bought it that I would've scoped out the TSL series more. If this amp was stolen or broken, I would probably buy a Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier or a Marshall TSL-100. I hate this amps hiss in higher distortion volumes. I wish it had a third channel! // 7

Comments

[fenderplaya015]

couldn't help but notice the reason you don't like marshalls. its not that marshall is making their sound like those guitarists. those guitarists USE MARSHALLS!

[fenderplaya015]

i couldn't help but notice why u don't like marshall. its not that they model there sound off of those people, those guitarists USE MARSHALL AMPS!!

[pikyang]

yeah my thoughts exactly

[ih8marshalls]

i own one they sound like poop!my peavey absolutly blows it away

[Orneblad]

great review! got one simular myself and you really said it all.

[gibson101]

The pedal i have with it lets me switch the channels.

[javier321]

i would think that marshall would be best of all peavey uses to much treble

[Korzack]

I quite like that review - really in depth. Usually it's 'OMG t'is so tehr0xx0r' or something along that line. Still, Definitely interested in a valve/Tube Marshall as an upgrade, & now realised I borrowed one of these before for a gig & quite liked it. Now to scrape the money together... The words 'Hello Subway' spring to mind here

[Lumpelope]

Why did you review this amp? Basically you said this amp was good for giving volume to you effects. That's ridiculous. You contradict yourself and say completely irrational and irrelevant statements multiple times. Please someone competent review this amp for me. I am really interested in it and this guy is completely useless. Thanks.

[rose_of_sharyn]

gibson101 wrote:

The pedal i have with it lets me switch the channels.

you can switch the classic gain and ultra gain channels, but you cant switch the sub channels on each channel i.e clean to crunch, or lead 1 to lead 2

[Dweller_26]

Lumpelope wrote:

Why did you review this amp? Basically you said this amp was good for giving volume to you effects. That's ridiculous. You contradict yourself and say completely irrational and irrelevant statements multiple times. Please someone competent review this amp for me. I am really interested in it and this guy is completely useless. Thanks.

Get off your ass and go and try one instead of bitching about someone’s review. If you want to be so picky then sort your English out. “volume to you effects”??? and you don’t “say” a statement, you “make” a statement.

[im dead]

pfft pwned!

[stratomasterb]

Im getting it...i like slash.

[Huffman]

i wish i had 1000$$ .. but i dont... i wondder what a good all tube amp 4 under $500 would be.. any one know pm me

[Helpy Helperton]

couldn't help but notice the top reviewer put Aerosmith in the genre Hard Rock, just made me lol a bit. Aerosmith I class more like ballad rock ir girlie rock, amp sounds like a winner for classic stuff though.

[hoondog]

fenderplaya015 wrote:

couldn't help but notice the reason you don't like marshalls. its not that marshall is making their sound like those guitarists. those guitarists USE MARSHALLS!

the guy also puts a metal zone in front of his 2000, so we probly shouldnt take his advice too seriously on things....

[jthm_guitarist]

LOL who wrote that UG Team review?

[Rebel-666]

hoondog wrote:

fenderplaya015 wrote:

couldn't help but notice the reason you don't like marshalls. its not that marshall is making their sound like those guitarists. those guitarists USE MARSHALLS!


the guy also puts a metal zone in front of his 2000, so we probly shouldnt take his advice too seriously on things....

hey man i use a metal zone on in my rig mainly because my amp has no distrtion of itself what so ever its an old solid state late 60's kustom 120 stack

[gwitersnamps]

Does anybody know why this got discontinued? The only reason I've heard is that the JVM came out. Why can't they keep the JCM line, though?

[josey wales]

this amp can do it all, been playing it for a year now no problems at all.goes from srv to metallica.only knock on this amp is it can be high on the treble side .easy fix 10 band eq and add some jj tubes what a sound as for the metal zone pedal , are you crazy just use the amps distortion and a mxr zack wylde overdrive pedal sheer bliss.