JCM2000 TSL122 Review

The Marshall JCM2000 TSL122 2x12" brings together superb clean sounds, glorious crunch tones and massive gain capability, creating Marshall's most versatile tube amp ever. Each channel has its own 3-band EQ, volume & gain controls and specialized tone switching.

Features:	10
Sound:	9.7
Reliability:	9
Impression:	10
Overall rating:	9.7
Users rating:	8.3
Comments:	17

overall: 9.3

Featured review by: bobsyouraunt, on november 28, 2006

Price paid: $ 1279.17

Purchased from: www,Soundslive.co.uk

Features: Triple super lead (TSL) means this all valve amp has 3 channels; clean, crunch and lead. Clean. This has it's own EQ, bass mid and treble, as well as it's own FX loop, reverb and presence. There is a ‘mid boost’ button which changes the way the EQ works…and with some messing around with the gain, a bluesy jazzy lead tone can be produced with lots of sustain. Crunch and lead. Once again, they have their own separate EQ settings, but a joint reverb and presence settings and the same FX loop. This is no real problem, as all the effects you want on crunch you would probably want on lead too. Also, you can combine the 2 FX loops into one, so it will include the clean channel too. The Crunch and Lead channels both have a ‘tone shift’ control, which cuts out the mids and is useful for playing heavier music. Other stuff. There is a ‘VPR’ Switch which stands for virtual power reduction, and I think is just a power breaker built into the amp. This allows you to run the valves but at a lower volume. It also has a output mute which cuts off the speakers, allowing you to Direct Inject the signal from this amp, at the same time as recording other instruments with microphones. It’s also good to just shut it up because there is an unfortunate hiss as with most valve amps. There is a line out so you can DI this amp as mentioned before. You can also change the resistance from 16 ohms to 8 ohms if you wanted to increase the size of this amp, although, it's already pretty heavy and loud.

Any other features? I wanted flexibility, and I have that with the three channels, but I didn’t want a modelling amp, so reverb it plenty enough for me. All the features that are there, I use in different situations, and they all work perfectly. I think that’s it, it’s a valve amp by the way, and it has 2 speakers in it, and 8 valves, yes, it is very loud. Only problem I have found is that I can't plug in a distortion pedal into the effects loop for some reason, then again, I have all the distortion I need so it dosent really matter and I'm sure that I will find out how to soon. // 10

Sound: Unfortunately, I’m using factory pickups on my guitar at the moment, but they aren’t too bad, nevertheless, this amp still sounds sweet! Although, like all valve amps, it's gotta be loud to sound it's best. This is certainly true with this amp, at low volumes the clean is fine, and the lead is ok, but the crunch channel is certainly lacking. Crank it up, the clean starts chiming and sustaining more for great leads. The crunch gets thicker and meaty for heavy riffing and the lead smoothes out with the right settings to give strong solos. This is great for what I play, which is mainly hard rock, classic rock, and metal. However, I play blues where the mid boost on the clean channel comes in useful, the gain can be reduced on the crunch channel to give a lightly distorted indie/older rock sound, but the lead channel really wants to be high gain in my opinion. // 9

Reliability & Durability: Only had it for a month at the moment, hasn’t broken down yet, but I hear the foot pedals have notoriously short life span. I have yet to find this out. I don’t think I would need a backup for this amp, it's Marshall, it’s built to last, I hope. I'll give it an 8, just incase something goes wrong. // 8

Impression: This is a perfect match for the music that I play, I have played in punk bands, metal bands, at a wedding, all of which it would have been great for, I’m starting a prog rock band which will be great with this amp, it's good for shredding, it's good for a bit of the old Hendrix, anything really. I have tried many more amps apart from this one, peaveys were good for metal, and rock, but cleans were just not up to scratch. Fenders were amazingly clean, and good blues sounds, but for rock and certainly metal, it just didn’t compare. Other makes I tried, I would certainly got for a Mesa Boogie, but the price it just a tad too high. Especially for the price I paid for mine, there is nothing that I could compare it too with the same versatility. // 10

overall: 10

Reviewed by: zRoCkIsAdDiCtIn, on january 08, 2008

Price paid: $ 800

Purchased from: Family Friend

Features: Marshall came out with it's line of TSL amps in the late '90s, the model I own is not that old, around 2 or 3 years in age. I got it from a family friend Who said he rarely plays it and it's too loud for the household, so he'd like to see me go to music school with something suiting my styles. Bless this guy, I love this amp to death. I play a great amount of styles, rock, blues, jazz, funk, hard rock, some metal, and I keep expanding more and more, and this amp covers just about everything. it's got 3 channels (hence the triple super lead), a footswitch, effects loop in master or lead/crunch and clean seperate, direct recording out, 2 outs for cabinets, and a VPR mode that acts sort of like an attentuator (though the volume still gets quite loud with it on). // 10

Sound: I play with a '98 Ibanez JS100BK modified with a Dimarzio Evolution on bridge and a stock Ibanez PAF on the neck that I surprisingly really like the tone from both have an optional coil split (I try to have versatile gear) into a Boss DS-1 Distortion and then into a Line 6 PODXT Live that goes into the amp (I prefer it in front rather than the FX loop). It seems like whatever I throw at this amp it could take. The only thing not suited for this amps raw sound is metal, which you would probably have to get a pedal for. The amp for me, has never really been noisy, I think it's really up to the player with how much noise he/she lets the amp make with their playing. I've had this amp cranked to about 7 or 8 off the VPR and it's simply beastly, it's a Marshall, and it's made to be cranked! I really dislike people that try out marshalls on low watts and complain, it's a tube amp, let it burn! The clean, is completly pristine and when it starts to break at very high volume it gives you a very Fender but still british Marshall clean that's just gorgeous, and the reason I got this amp. The crunch channel surprised me initially, I got tone that I'd only expect to get with boutique pedals and a Fender amp for my blues. And the Lead makes me feel like I'm living in the 80s listenin to bands like extreme and Mr. Big (curse being born in '90s). There is a bit of a spike in the mids but with some patience it can be taken care of and sounds fantastic. // 10

Reliability & Durability: I could definitely depend on this amp, I haven't gigged with it yet but I have done quite a few practices and jams with my band and other musicians in the area. This amp seems like a rock, one thing that worries me is the sound of the tubes shaking slightly on car rides but that's normal. I'm just an overprotective guitarist. // 10

Impression: I play about every style I can come across, I've had a lot of experience with amps like the 5150 and some mesa amps I've played that my friends own and this amp is amazingly versatile (it owns them) and with stuff like a good effects unit and a good distortion pedal, the sounds are literally endless. I've been playin for about 3 and a half years (obsessively) and I'm attending either Berklee College of Music or Musicians Institute in fall of 08. I am a tone freak, I can't play a bad sounding amp, and this amp can be both angelic and a beast depending on how you set it up. It does take getting used to but I think it's been the best purchase I've made to date. Just remember! // 10

overall: 9.8

Reviewed by: unregistered, on august 29, 2007

Price paid: $ 1

Purchased from: eBay

Features: This amp features 2 different 12 inch celestion speakers. One is the Celestion Heritage and the other is the Celestion Vintage. The amp is 100 watts and has 3 channels when not using the pedal. When you use the footswitch, it adds 2 more overdrive channels which is great for gigs. There is definitely a big difference with the two different speakers going at the same time, and it sounds incredible. It's like the classic Marshall sound, but on steroids. // 10

Sound: I'm either playing a Gibson Les Paul Studio throught it all the time, or an Ibanez JS2000. With the les paul the tone is incredible and on the OD channels and crunch it sound amazing. With the Js, the tone is great but with a little les distortion because the pickups on the guitar don't distort much. The clean channel does not distort very much at high volume. This amp is very versatile with all the different channels and it's awesome // 10

Reliability & Durability: This amp is very reliable and durable. I would definitley use this at a gig without a backup. This amp has never given me any problems. The only thing that is a slight hassle is that if you are someone Who will be just using it as a bedroom amp, but you have a few gigs here and there, it's going to be very tough to move it around because it weighs 67 pounds. // 9

Impression: The music I play is very progressive like Dream Theater. This amp is perfect for it on the lead channel. I've been playing for a very long time. I own a Morley Bad Horsie Wah that sounds great through it, also a DigiTech Whammy pedal that also sounds great through it. My favorite things are the crunch and lead channels. This blows away any other combo amp. Overall it is an amazing sounding amp that is very dependable. // 10

Comments

[Weybl Himself]

Rented the TSL100 head for a gig a little while back, and I gotta say, I was bloody impressed, never been a huge fan of the 2000s (weak midrange) but with a Tubescreamer in the chain to give it some punch, the JCM2000 TSLs do quite nicely.

[Abnormal_Omish]

im getting sick of idiots seeing a new review from the homepage and giving it a rating of 1/10..
Im not a big fan of the tsl. Maybe i just couldn't tweak the settings right in the shop, but to me it doesn't deliver for its price

[Thunderstrucked]

I htink here are only total idiots otherwise i couldn´t understand why it has user ratin 4.8

[CustomCustom]

To reviewer: you cant put a distortion pedal in the effects loop of any amp!?! Dist, fuzz, overdrive, wah, volume pedal or any effect that changes the amplitude or strength of the signal must go between the guitar and main input on the amp.

The effects loop is made for any modualtion effects such as chorus, flanger, phaser, tremolo, pitch shifter, or delay.

So its amplitude effects into the input and modulation effects in teh effects loop, simple.

[bobsyouraunt]

ahhhh, cheers for that. Yeah, i put a wah pedal in the effects loop and it sounds good, and thats modulation. I get it now. Thanks a lot.

[CustomCustom]

Oh yeah wah is like a manual phaser my bad. It can go in either I always use it into the input but it might sound better in teh effects loop Ill give it a try.

[CustomCustom]

^actually wah is a manual envelope filter. so it could go in the E loop. A Compressor/sustainer must go to the input though.

[False_God]

In my opinion the dsl range is much better for the price.

[ghreegan]

try a graphic EQ in the effects loop to boost your sound for lead breaks be careful tho could cause earthquake scare at high volumes.....hehehehe works on my avt150 and laney vc30 bloody loud...

[E V H 5150]

Couldn't you just put everything through the main input? I only own a distortion, and I've never seen an effects loop on a 15W...

[Orange~Love]

looks not bad to me

[gwitersnamps]

E V H 5150 wrote:

Couldn't you just put everything through the main input? I only own a distortion, and I've never seen an effects loop on a 15W...

Yeah, but effects loops make people feel special. Kidding.
It has to do with where the effects are in relation to the amp's EQ, but yeah, they will all work in the input.

[woodenbandman]

sweet looking amp, i tried the JCM2000/DSL, and it rocked the socks of all the people in the store. i may just have to have one!

[blynd_snyper]

i tried one of these, i didnt like it much though. I'm trying to find a good valve amp that will last me a while and has good distortion/lead tone.

maybe i just couldnt tweak this thing right

[lisagabe]

i have this amp, it is my baby..... i would never, ever get rid of it.....

[Guitaralmond]

This amp is amazing!! its definately the best I've ever played. Even though I've had a JVM410C for the last month while mine was being fixed I reckon this is better than even the JVM!!

A class amp all round (well apart from one of my valves breaking due to the shop transport system )
I would recommend this for EVERYONE

[Rogue Hermit]

i have this amp too, and i love it. when i tried it in guitar center though, it didn't even work. that's only because people have no idea how to use tube amps when they go there and end up trashing them. but i'm glad i bought it, and it has a great sound, even if it's not completely reliable.