First of all, good A/B review. I prefer the TSL, and all the tests I've seen do not take into account the "Full amp operation", from the manual: "The TSL supports two effects loops, which can be used in a variety of ways. Loop A when used on its own, is the master loop for the amp and will channel switch from clean to overdrive when you change channels, allowing you to set the individual mix from the front panel Mix controls. Loop B is the specific loop for using effects on the overdrive channels(Crunch / Lead) and if used on its own will only provide effects when on these channels, leaving the clean channel totally dry. When Loop B is in use Loop A becomes available for use solely on the clean channel. This means that you can have two totally different FX systems, one for clean and one for overdrive. Each loop has its own ‘loop level’ push switch, enabling you to select the right send and return levels to suit whatever effects system you are using. With the switch ‘out’, the level within the loop is high (suitable for most pro rack fx). With the switch ‘in’, the level within the loop is set at a much lower signal level (suitable more for floor pedals or lesser spec’drack units).Note: The loops are in parallel mode until the mix controls are at 10 when the loop converts to series mode. Also, remember that as the loops are between the preamp and the power amp, this is NOT the place for distortion type effects units." Why is this important? because: "One benefit of having a foot switched FX loop is that it can be used as a secondary master volume if no FX are connected. This is achieved by inserting a shorted dummy jack plug into the Loop A Return jack socket to access the loop circuitry, switch OFF the FX footswitch, and set your loudest required volume on the individual channel master volumes. Now switch the FX footswitch ON (LED glows red) and set your quieter volume using the FX Mix controls (Clean Mix for Clean channel, Crunch / Lead Mix for Overdrive). Remember that these controls will now work back to front to a normal volume control, i.e. anticlockwise is loudest (same as normal signal) and clockwise is quietest. Now you can toggle between these settings by using the FX footswitch." Never seen this reviewed. Also, in my opinion, the Yellow channel is the "heart" of the TSL, with a wide range of sonic possibilities. Would like to have a compare version of both in a truly "real gig" scenario, just to point out the true versatility of the TSL compared to the DSL. Of course, this is a true biased opinion, both are great amps, I just think TSL is far superior when it comes to versatility.
@@JoshuaSmits Not sure what horrible and unusable means. You know you can adjust the level of how much of the effects enter into the loop? Personally have had no issues with the FX loop. Have you had someone check it out?
@@duncansbuddy mine is unusable too, at maximum all the signal is not passing through the loop, and it introduces a horrible phase cancelation. They fixed this and another issues updating the pcb board at a certain year
I have nothing but love for the TSL. My bandmate gigged with one and recorded with one for the better part of 15 years. I love the tone from all the channels, especially the way my friend was using his. He was using a 1960a cab with the 75w speakers primarily. That sounded great, but when he plugged in a Mesa 412 cab with V30s that sounds absolutely killer.
Great video; I think both sound fantastic! Makes me miss my TSL. It was my first tube amp back in the day and I had no idea what I was doing with it lol. Scooping the mids, using the tone shift, and I was pedal phobic. I got back into Marshall’s when I played a DSL50 at guitar center with a boost, and I immediately knew I was doing it wrong when I had my TSL.
same here, had the TSL for a bit and right before I traded it it for a Fender amp for my son I realized it needed some kind of pedal. My son who is a worship guitarist had an extra Walrus Audio Voyager transparent overdrive that made the TSL sound tighter and better. Today I have a DSL 100 and a JCM 900 High Gain Dual Reverb and both work really well with my Friedman Buxom Boost and Beringer 0800 (808 Tubescreamer clone)
Same here man. The tsl was my first real tube amp. I had no idea what I was doing with it and got rid of it. Regret it all the time. I have a 2000 dsl now and dig it a lot. To me, these amps play really well with v30s and not that great with the 12t75s
Hey Kyle, I'm late to the game on this vid but as an amp tech and having customers asking about High gain amps...I always recommend your videos for reference. Your talking in the video serves the purpose of every video you put out. You are a true service to the musicians community. You are the Dr. of HG Thrash tone. Keep your classes going, we all get questions answered and that itch scratched. Up the Irons bro!!!!!
I've had both. I currently have the TSL just because it was dirt cheap. I loved my DSL when I had it, and I'm loving my TSL now. Both are great ☺️ I like the TSL FX loop and each channel with dedicated EQ. Tone wise, they're both super there.
I really enjoy my TSL100. I like it as much as my DSL100 as well as a lot of my other Marshall heads (14 of them currently). Seems to have more old school Marshall tones and sounds killer with the EVH 4x12 with the heritage M greenbacks in it. Don’t know why everyone dogs on the TSL. One of my favorite Marshall heads. Though my newer DSL has 4 switchable channels with the JVM like footswitch, but sounds more modern than the TSL. Would rock a TSL any day of the week. People need to stop listening to the internet jack asses who have never tried them but have an opinion about everything. Keep up the good work on ur channel Kyle.
The TSL isn't dogged because of its tone, its tone is wonderful. It's dogged because the reverb box has to be constantly replaced because of where it's mounted. It heats up and then goes bad and throws the bias out of whack. I love the TSL 100 but grew weary of always having to change the reverb box and re-bias it, plus it seems to only go bad in the middle of a gig. Other than that particular issue, dollar for dollar, pound for pound it's the best head on earth.🙂
It was the main circuit board that over heated on the early 98-06 TSL’s. Never heard of the reverb unit causing this. Might want to change the main board.
I have the tsl. With a noisegate pedal and a Zakk Wylde overdrive, it’s a death metal powerhouse. I guess the hate people have is really rooted in the earlier models that had boards that went bad. Marshall eventually fixed that so if you get one of the later models, you’re good to go.
Bought a DSL 100 and I've spent almost all my time on the green crunch channel (was surprised). Volume at 9-10 o clock. Gain 5-6. Boosted with TS9. Super happy! Has a SED El-34s that the other owner switched in. Has a lot of low end to match the bright mid bite! Based on how I've been using it I'm glad I picked up the DSL. I've always wanted an 800/JMP 50 and having the second channel has been just bonus!
Is that a Traditional Mesa rectifier cab or the regular/ deeper back rectifier cab? The traditional one is similar to the Marshal 1960B cab. That brings the Marshall out of the Marshalls. It also brings the Marshall out of the Mesa Mark V! The regular rectifier cab sounds much darker and hides the mids more.
Tried both back in the day and just couldn't get with the TSL. Dialed in the DSL in a few minutes. The TSL does seem to saturate quicker but when I want a more "modern" sound, I slam the front of my DSL with a TS. Or plug into a dual recto...
Awesome job Kyle! Very helpful. To my ears the TSL sounds more open, has more highs and has more gain. The DSL is more compact and focused with a little less gain but more mass. Both sound great! DSL by a hair.
The DSL was the first tube amp I ever played through at a friend's house back in early high school, loved the gain on it. I've never gotten my hands on a Marshall that I liked in a loud enough environment to open it up, but after this I'm thinking I might like to have a TSL 60, and run KT77's in it.
I love my TSL, but it runs super hot no matter how I bias the tubes. I am talking nuclear meltdown hot. I had to replace the board for tubes a few years ago. Only way to keep cool is running a fan on it. When I say hot I mean crazy hot. I have a JCM 800 and it gets very warm after hours or playing while the TSL feels like its going to catch on fire after 45 minutes.
i dont think ive ever agreed with someones takes on tone as much as i have in this video. youre very intuitive, observant and analytical, love it. subscribing!
Had both , the way to use the dsl is boost it with an overdrive on crunch channel , i dont even use the red unless i need a volume boost on leads...turn the overdrive off and turn your volume knob down and it cleans up making it a 3 channel amp . you just cant get the tone without an overdrive boost ..it has an open sound where you need to hear it in person and actually stand by the amp to get a full idea...sold the tsl100 but always end up going back to the dsl50 for live gigs
I guess it depends on what your looking for in a amp. If you like a modern sounding amp, TSL, if your old school like myself, DSL for sure. I have a few amps, and i do own a older Made in the UK, JCM 2000 DSL 50 watt, and it sounds very close to my old JMP, for a fraction of the price.
Just to say that this video is excellent. Nice straightforward clear comparison. No unnecessary guitar wankery: just solid repetitive riffs so that we can hear the difference. I have a TSL601 combo which I bought back in 2005 that I intend on getting serviced and then using to get back into guitar playing. I always loved the tones I could get out of it including the clean channel with those bell like chimes. The amp used to get bad press compared to the DSL but it's versatile, reacts well to effects pedals and can give hours (and years) of fun.
I can’t make the same comment for the 2000 dsl because I’ve never had the chance to mess with one but you missed one very significant factor with the TSL which is the presence knob. It also makes a huge difference with that amp! Great video comparison btw 🤘
Nice video. I have a tsl and really like it. Got mine cheap because of the bad rep. I changed the board to latest version and have had zero problems. It does get loud.
Nice review/comparison. I have not played a TSL but I own a 100W DSL and have monkeyed with it for several years now. My personal opinion is the green channel with an OD pedal in the front makes the best sound, especially the BE-OD and 5150 pedals. Big sound and very controllable. Never really liked the red channel compared to a JVM series which is great w/o any effects.
One think I think a lot of people don’t know is that the TSL mids are scooped. You need to crank of the mids to get a classic Marshall sound . I love the TSL .
Agree. TSL is criminally underrated amp. Volume at 6 ( 1 o’ clock) on crunch & lead ch.,deep switch on, tone switch off plus SD-1 in front > Killer tone
Hatebreed is why I got the TSL. I've had the DSL and prefer the TSL. Les Paul with 81/85 tuned down to C standard straight into the head with a gate. There's your Hatebreed tone. There's a rig rundown with Wayne, and you can see his settings. That's how I set mine. Sounds nice n heavy. Use my 800 2203KK for everything else. Marshall IS Metal!!
TSL all the way. The reality is both can be dialed to give you practically the exact same thing. Very cool. I've got a lead on a couple of TSLs, we'll see what happens. For Marshall tones, these are both really good amps
Nice video and guitar playing thank you. I think potential purchasers of the TSL may sometimes be overwhelmed by the EQ but it’s very simple to use once familiar. Or that the the amp is a compromise in having three channels perhaps by individuals that have minimal technical knowledge. I think all the JCM series including combos are very good. My TSL is a 2006 model which I bought used with a 1936 2 X 12 cabinet in 2014. It’s been 100% reliable and is very versatile and I have gigged it since purchase. You can use the foot switch and different channels to significantly / boost or change your sound without the need for additional pedals. I decided to have the tubes professionally changed and the amp rebiased after two years which seemed to improve the clarity but it wasn’t absolutely necessary. I have played through many suitable but different cabs 4 X12 etc and I was surprised to find that I prefer the 2 X 12 which seems to produce more low down thump. If you read the original owners manual for the TSL Marshall explain this amplifiers intended purpose perfectly.
Great overview of these. I think the green channel is why the "DSL is better than TSL" dogma is what it is; boosted DSL green is an incredible tone that the TSL just can't really match. I suspect that anyone who likes the red channel more would be at least as happy with the TSL than the DSL.
the dsl crunch channel and clean should be switchable with the red channel for lead only , adding an overdrive to the crunch channel dsl is by far the best sound , to my ears anyway! using the red channel as a lead boost with the overdrive already on from the green channel is how i use it ..
What pissed me off about this video souch is that the TSL sounded better but people still shit on it and choose the dsl over it. The DSL is a dual rectifier try hard.
Great video , awesome sounds and playing! I own both heads, a tsl and a dsl, and they both have their ups and downs, so no reason to hate the tsl...great amps anyway!
I’ve had both the dsl 40c and just got a tsl60 this thing rips and I’ve owned a 2203 jcm 800 this one by far is my favorite paired with a 1960 vintage cab
The DSL is closer to a classic Marshall sound people have in mind, but even that I think a JCM800 sounded better to it. I prefer the TSL back then, I think it sounded better with G12H than V30s.
Lol..I took so long to post this reply it’s for the wrong video. This is meant for Kyle”s GC used shipping problems video. With the easy return policy it’s not too bad but it sucks when the item is rare to find, especially when no longer made and the price is good and they destroy it in shipping. It’s like they murdered a rare animal or bird on the endangered list. I’ve had some guitars and amps show up where I’m just shocked it isn’t in bad shape with the packaging and then some where there’s no shock…lol I’ve bought one item off the Sweetwater exchange so far, a Mesa power amp and It was ultimately a good experience. Came with an issue, not related to shipping and the store who sold it took care of me, with no fuss, on a partial refund so I could get it repaired.
Very interesting in Deed! What you are describing, hearing in the room, does not stick up 1:1 with what I am hearing on my headphones watching RU-vid. I Think the DSL is way more open And has more upper midbyte. classical Marshall tube sound. The TSL on the other hand is more sterile sounding ,more modern kinda scooped mid range which makes the bass frequency pop. So there is no way to to make the tsl go dsl. because you can´t emulate that Open Middy JCM800 kinda tone. If you would want a slight more modern voice on the dsl to match the tsl just enhance the toneshift. And then boost some mids again. This kinda sounds TSL - allike to me on a DSL. I like the Nasty mid growl on the DSL way more, it sounds so brutal in the mix and cuts through every live scenario!
I've had my DSL100 and a half cab for 20+ years. Very versatile amp. It can go from fender clean to dual rectifier. I run it clean with a blues driver or tube screamer. I mainly play blues so this amp has tonal range I hardly ever use unless I'm playing around trying to mimic my 60's-70's heros. The TSL sounds about the same imo, it's got to many damn knobs is my only con. Anybody claiming either of these amps sound digital are FOS. Modeling amps are so good now I highly doubt most people can tell the difference.
The TSL will smash the DSL, you are comparing them with the controls as if they are the same amp! They are totally different! There are so many more options on the TSL, I’ve owned many Marshall’s and the TSL is by far the most versatile! It’s a bigger learning curve but once you master it, it is awesome! Rock on!
More versatile, yes, but the way I personally use them, they're basically identical on the channel that matters to me. One smashed the other in personal opinion only.
I've had both but i had different pedals i was running, they seemed about the same to me on their own, I ran and run them with the switch on (not deep switch but I keep forgetting the name 🤦♂️). To me they both have to be run with a pedal to make them shine because without them they are both kinda "flubby".
The man can't cover all possible dialed in settings but I wonder if each head could not be made to sound like, or more like, the other with additional tweaking. Example: Maybe head #1 with mid = 4 can come very close or closer to head #2 with mid = 3 or 5 plus presence dropped or boosted,--- or somesuch. I had a TSL. It did everything I wanted. The only one I liked better was the VS265R (combo) because of all the different sounds I got out of it----- but solely for that reason. Good video though. Straight to the point. Nothing here wastes your time.
I had a DSL100 back in 2001. I loved it. I sold it like an idiot. What I should've done was get a different cabinet. I had a 1960AV. The Vintage 30 is not my thing.
I've owned both. The tsl is better for recordings imo because you always end up turning down the bass on dsl. Dsl has more bass which is good for basement playing but in a mix or band practice bass is too much so might as well switch to tsl lol.
Hey Kyle, I had an offer to trade my 6505MH and 200 bucks for this amp, but my worry is that this amp would suck for home use. Is the master volume decent in preserving the tone of the DSL even in an apartment setting?
Hi I need help, i just want to get close to the early 80s Van Halen brown sound, will on of these amp do the trick ? I know a jcm 800 should be better but i can t afford it
They're obviously really close but I prefer the DSL; to me it sounds more open and classic, the TSL is a little bit more compressed so it sounds good but it band situation the DSL will works nicer without going crazy on high
Owned both same time twice. Chose the tsl both times the the tsl is better for me. Also I compared the new dsl100h to the UK dsl100 and found the newer Asian one was a tad better than the UK jcm2000 dsl100
@@guitarexpert2245 its a fact why wouldn't it be the old ones had so many issues they have fixed up i prefer uk and hate Asian made stuff in general but it sounded better was quieter too