Marshall should pay you. I've ordered a DSL20HR. Due to all your videos with it. And because we love the same musics too. Thanks guy. You've got one of the most valuable youtube channels.
Same. My order arrived today. I FXed the amp with a Mooer Radar Cab Sim. Now It sounds amazing without any overdrive or external EQ Pedal. I'm excited to plug into Real 4x12
Fantastic tones. I wish the metal bands from today, even the ones that have been around for a while, were doing what you did in this video. Simple, straight to the point, aggressive metal tones.
@@banditfighter3295 Yea but the Flying V he was using is called an Angel of Death that was made for Dave and uses frequently. It's one of his most signature guitars.
Sam Wittsell Man... just let it go... the guy was in the band 8 months in the early eighties... geez... how long are you going to milk that cow?... BTW he gets paid for his writing credits in Metallica so it’s not like they stole his riffs, which are just that - RIFFS!! It’s not like he wrote the entire Metallica catalogue by himself... I’m actually waiting for some lunatic to say there are Mustaine riffs on Hardwired...
I just purchased this DSL20 amp head, 4x12 Marshall cab and a gibson les paul tribute this week. The amp sounds amazing but with your EQ settings, it sounds perfect now. Thank you! great playing by the way. I stopped playing at 25 years old, 10 years later, a year into covid, hear i sit re-learning. :)
I have the DSL20H running into a Bugera - PS1 Power Attenuator then into 2x12 Marshall cab, check out attenuator's if you haven't already. It's a way of cranking your amp to get the awesome tube sound without having the volume to loud. Best purchase I ever made apart from the DSL20.
I love my DSL 100. I have played Mesa's and Peavy's but TBH nothing beats a Marshall with an overdrive pedal in the front and an EQ pedal in the loop. You can literally get any sound you want out of that thing.
A year after you made this and your still selling this amp for Marshall… just got one after watching a few of your videos of this amp. Got it in a couple days ago and couldn’t be more happier. Probably one of the most versatile amps I’ve ever played, I play everything from blues, classic rock and all kinds of metal and this amp does it magnificently for what I do. I had a 150 watt solid state Randall and this blows it out of the water. Just a big thank you for the hard work you do putting videos out like these.👍🏻
Man you said it , I've never had a single solid state amp that could even attempt to hang with classic tube powered marshalls and mesa's , except maybe an old 120watt solid state Crate that I had back in the late 90's, it did a fair job of reproducing those classic Metallica style tones but still even it fell a good bit short in comparison to the sounds achievable by classic tube amps. Hope you enjoy your new amp, I'm hoping to grab one of these dsl20hr's myself in the next couple months if everything works out well in the end.
I got my DSL5CR two years ago and I absolutely love it, I use it with a Boss SD-1 and I'm getting really brutal rhythm tones. For the leads I have the Boss DM-2w as a delay and it's all I need really, it's a great home rig.
Alexandru Scarlat I had a Blackstar HT-20 Studio before this and was never fully satisfied. But yea I love my Marshall too. It’s the essential classic imo.
The DSL is a great amp. You can play a shit ton of stuff on it! I would recommend to take a look on the Ceres preamp. Solid state pedal preamp but honestly the best preamp pedal in the market!
YOUR tone settings are the best on here I feel, everyone should set their amps to THEIR own ears firstly, then, depending on how the sound is effected when used for band practice, gigging or recording where adjustments need to be made due to how the sound reacts (deep stuff I know, but my ears used to tell me instantly when my old BEDROOM tone didn't work in reality. Great video and playing, keep up the good work.
Great demo. I'm using mine with a Marshall 2x12 at mo, my 4x12 25 watt greenback is a little large for my apartment. The gain on this beast is awesome and loud. I also use a Keeley modded Boss sd1 overdrive. When he first started up you could send your pedal in and he'd mod that. I think that today they only mod their own new pedals, not sure. The pedal just provides a smoothness to the tone. No need for external distortion, this amp has it in spades. 🤘❤️👍
AHH that unmistakeable Marshall tone. My DSL is on its way having sold my Blackstar. The Marshalls just feel great and more rewarding to play especially when the valves get nice n hot!
@@gregm90 really? I did the exact same thing haha. it's very different the Marshall, I haven't had time to fiddle with the settings yet and dial in a great time. but it looks great
I have a Marshall DSL40CR combo amp and I love it. My only complaints are the lack of independent EQ for each channel and there is a slight delay when switching from Channel 2 Green to Channel 2 Red. Other than that it's a really killer amp and thanks for your videos...I really enjoy them man!
@@jarrusjenkins I've tried this amp with different speakers for a couple of months each. I've tried V-Type obviously, V30, G12T-75. Out of the 3 I actually prefer the G12. I've noticed with the V-type and V30 because their wattage isn't very high...I think around 60 watts you get a lot of speaker break up. I prefer to get most of the distortion from the amp with little coloring from the speaker. The G12 is 75 watts, so it's a bit cleaner sounding even at high volumes. 40CR is a great amp all around honestly. What's interesting is I also prefer the Tone shift. When compared to the head he's using, the 40CR actually sounds kinda honky with a lot of mids but the tone shift gets rid of that entirely. When tone shift is out it reminds me of like High n dry def leppard. With tone shift in it's more metal imo. The tone shift out/in really sounds completely different from the head he's using but youtube compression should be taken into consideration.
That Marshall is super beefy even without a boost. Maybe not Mesa tight, but I'm a Marshall kid at heart so I love these tones Edit: just saying, the tone at 1:29 is one of my FAVORITE sounds ever. I never knew I needed that sound until now, it like Alice in Chains x Megadeth. It's so thick. I love it
Yeah, I'm honestly impressed. Way beefier than a JCM 800, but this is a high gain amp we're talking about. I still think the EVH 5150 III EL34 is beefier than the DSL range in terms of EL34 tone but JCM 800s can get modern style tones with enough boost as Louis Torres has demonstrated in his comparison between a Dual Rectifier and JCM 800 2204.
I actually just bought my second Marshall DSL 100 head. The first one I had was a first generation. This second one I just bought is the newer DSL 100HR. I love them! I used to have a Marshall TSL 100 too & that’s still my favorite amp to this day! I hate I sold it...
Hi, what pedal would be best suited to this amp for Led Zeppelin tones, someone told me an echo plex, great videos by the way and Happy New year🏴
Great tones! I bought the combo versión and for recording the gain and distorsion is enough at a high volume. Sometimes i have used a TS9 for boosting the dirty channel or in the clean channel a ds1 mod or a ds1x solos although is the amp with the ts9. Im using too a MXR 10 band Eq in the Loop together with 2 delays...! Is insane with ts9 and a wah!!
It is a good and cheap alternative to be able to play like a metallica sound, a mesa boogie is very expensive in my country. thank you again. your videos are awesome
Just d you discovered how cool the DSL20 is. I just bought my first DSL100HR, $270 off so I grabbed it. Could be very happy with this 20, same tone but better for jamming at home I’d bet.
Great content mate, I purchased a jcm 800 reissue last month. First ever tube Marshall I’ve owned. Got to throw the tube screamer up the front though to get a decent chug. Your playing is great, super cool axes Keep up the good work. All the way from Victoria 🤘🏻
Hey, I have DSL 15W head, using settings presence 4, bass 6, middle 6, treble 7 , gain 4, but I use also boss DS1 in the front with classic settings volume all the way up, tone at 10 o'clock, and gain to taste, usually a little bit like 8 o'clock, sound killer
8:44 When reading descriptions of the amp, they list channel one as the "Plexi" channel and channel 2 as the "JCM 800" channel. That would explain why channel one doesn't sound like an 800.
Neither channel sounds like a plexi or 800 whatever they advertise. The DSL has its own sound. It does sound like my old JCM2000 DSL. It had the same clean channel roughly (I liked the JCM clean when pushed did get into 800 range. But channel 2 was really good. It had a boost feature which was pretty high gain but lost punch and clarity. This DSL seems to bridge the gap where it gets really saturated but keeps the crunch of the basic JCM red channel. I like this model the best so far
@@LambChopper678 I've been doing a lot of listening and the DSL 20 and 40 both can sound a lot like an 800. It's not perfect due to the DSL having a more modern voicing but everything else sounds just like it. Channel 1 is in the ballpark of the plexi just from what I've heard but not as close to the desired voice as the Utlra Gain is. There are plenty of shootouts between the DSL and 800 and they really do sound pretty close, but the DSL has a more modern voicing which I kind of like over the JCM.
Mate, love all your stuff. Have you tried the dsl1h by any chance? I’m wondering if the same tones came be achieved or should I get the 20h and be done with it, cheers
Your content is outstanding and I love the whole series on the DSL20. Enough that I bought one! Not being anything who can leave anything alone/stock, I switched the el34 power tubes for a pair of JJ kt77s as well as putting a Tung Sol 12ax7 in the V1 position and holy #@!$... I really liked the stock sound but this mod puts it in another league. The 77s almost split the difference between el34s and 6l6s. It still has that sweet sweet Marshall midrange but with a slightly bigger bottom end and a slightly tamed and much sweeter top end. The top is definitely less ice picky. The Tung Sol in V1 seems to mediate some of the fizziness that this amp has (especially when you get into the upper end of the presence knob) The only downside is the bottom is a bit looser so you have to hit it with a boost to tighten it up. When you do though, it absolutely slays 🔥🔥🔥🔥. Well worth the $100 in tubes.
At high volumes this amp really shines, the low-volume fizz completely disappears. A tungsol in V1 also does wonders, as does an EQ in the loop. Tidies it up heaps.
Hi Mike - i experimented with a tonne of tubes in my DSL20 before i sold it it. I now have the DSL100. Best combo for me was Ruby power tubes (outlasted the TAD’s that marshall use from the factory) and in the preamp gotta have the Tungsol in V1 (for heavy distortion) and a Sovtek LPS in the phase inverter. In the middle it doesnt really matter - Genelex Gold Lions are probably my favourite all purpose 12ax7. Have the fullest tonal body, especially for cleans. If soft rock is your thing, maybe try a JJ 12AT7 in V1... really tidies up the fizz in the distortion at low volumes, but sounds a bit more Plexi like. Hope that helps 👍
I've been trying to make my dsl20 sound good for two years. Got a boss ds1 in front and a mxr 10 band in the loop. First cab I bought for it was a Harley Benton 2x12 horizontal with V30s. Sounds ok. Then got a Marshall mx2x12ar vertical cab. Not any better. Finally unhooked my mesa 2x12 from my single rectifier and hooked the dsl up to it. Viola!!! Its ripping now. The mesa cab is far superior. It's like a whole new amp. Don't even need pedal to make it sound good. I would highly recommend to anyone to save or invest for a higher quality speaker cabinet.
After buying the DSL I have been going through all your videos again. I would love to see an updated version of this, maybe even a setting with basic pedals for rhythm and lead that could be used live or just jamming to songs. Do you use the 10 or 20w setting? I find the 20w to be more open and a bigger sound even on lower volumes. 👍
Great vid really enjoyed it. Can you do this with the Mesa Mark V 25 but play some Slayer and Megadeth. I know the mark will nail Metallica from your other video but how does it do other these other metal bands? I'm really torn between these two amps. Thanks.
Well I got my DSL20hr and hooked it to a 2x12 w/V30's and then tried it with my 4x12 with V30's and used your settings and for some reason it's to Bassy Same settings on Both cabs And that's without a boost pedal. I even rolled off the bass and added a little treb and pres and still has a scooped sound. And yes the shift button isn't engaged? I'm using a Fender with Seymour Duncan jbjr. and a Jackson Soloist with EMG 81's
Cool video, thank you. I’m amp shopping and leaning heavy on the marshall side. I like mesa a lot too but I’m leaning Marshall. I’m no pro and just want a great sounding amp. The price of the dsl is impossible to overlook. Sounds killer. Thanks for putting these videos out, it helps and we appreciate you.
@@LambChopper678 Thanks for the reply. Whats a good cab to pair with it? They have a good deal with a Marshall 2x12 with seventy 80 speakers. I’m not familiar with those speakers though, I imagine they would be fine.
@@gcr28 They’re fine for practice at home at lower volumes. They’re the cheapest celestion speakers on the market. Depends on your budget but I’d be getting a 1936 2x12 cab with G12t’s It’s just a great sounding cabinet that you’ll never worry about replacing or upgrading.
@@LambChopper678 I just got my dsl20 today. So far it’s a great amp I’m liking it alot. I bought the mx212 cab to stay within budget. It’s not too bad, the 70/80’s sound a bit dark to my ears. I’m going to replace them with the g12t 75 and maybe a combo of that and a vintage 30, maybe. Anyway, thanks for your help. Great amp.
my favourite setting (o'clock orientation) : reverb 10 , resonance 1, presence 10, bass 2, Middle 5, treble 10 o'clock. on red volume 12, gain 4 o'clock(depending on your preamp valves mines were changed to V1 = ECC81 / 12AT7 JJ , V2 = 5751 JJ, V3 = ECC803s JJ so I can push the gain knob a bit more), green volume 11, gain 11. run through weber 150mass III attenuated to roughly 82db at 2 metres. 10w mode. Celestion Vtype at top, Atype bottom, vertical cab Marshall MX212AR. When I look at your volume at 8 o'clock, the dsl20hr still sounds and feels great, but it might be pushing over 90db(?) in 10Watt mode(?), which is too loud for my setting at home. I wish I could turn it up for my practices regularly but would also need a bigger room so the volume does not make my head and ears ache and annoy my neighbours. thanks for the vid.
Ever heard of the ESP LTD Tom Araya bass that's the most intimating Bass I've seen in my local guitar center also any Kerry King guitar is also very intimating
Awesome video dude! I recently picked up one of these and have been playing around with the eq quite a bit according to my setup. I am running through an epiphone 1x12 with an eminence speaker and it definitely has some weird fizziness/harshness going on with that speaker. I ran the cab through a friends 2x12 cab with V30s and the thing just opened up and sounded great!
Interesting that the DSL (I use an older DSL40C for practice) has the "classic Metallica" tone with all three EQ knobs set at "5" yet the band, notoriously, set the treble and bass at "10" and the mids at "0" for that hyper-scooped sound. I read an interview with James years back and he said that it wasn't until they were recording "... And Justice For All" that the sound engineer asked why they were doing that and brought the mids up. James stated that he loved the "fuller" sound and kept it. Anyway, stay safe everyone. Cheers from Florida.
The DSL has a naturally scooped tone where the mk series are really mid range heavy in a neutral setting. They’re at opposing ends of the spectrum to each other. I haven’t read that interview, I’d love to hear James’s thoughts. Thanks mate
@@LambChopper678 My combo seems more neutral than your head (no jokes there) but, as I stated, it's about six or seven years old. The interview was in an old Guitar or Guitar Player magazine somewhere in the mid-90s. James said something to the effect that bringing the mids up made his sound much bigger and heavier. He had been doing that extreme EQ scoop since the band started because he thought it made everything heavier. Stay safe.
@@LambChopper678 Wow. Your memory is waaaay better than mine. I just remember the gist of the interview. I was heavily influenced by Michael Schenker's playing and "mids-heavy" tone so I've always kept my EQ pretty even and let the tubes, pickups, etc. do the work for me. BTW, beautiful guitar (says the aforementioned Schenker fan).
We love your videos. I have a 10yrs old kid that is starting to play on a very decent manner all those metal riffs :-) he loves the v-shape guitar style. speaking about nice playability and quality... could you recommend any? jackson, ltd esp, gibson, dean... (hope you can help me on that... thanks a lot in advance)
So, I’ve always loved V’s. I’m going to get one and a lot of people say they suck sitting down playing. I play a Les Paul and position it like you with a V. I use to watch Mustaine a lot and he did it and it made sense. Are they comfortable the way you have it?
@@LambChopper678 I was cleaning my basement and I found my old Marshall amp and my Ibanez guitar I also have a Fender Stratocaster, Mxr distortion pedals and a Boss I gave it up when my girls were born now I'm practicing again so I looked for tutorials and I guess that's why I have your channel recommended I like your content Im checking all your material I wish you the best
It's no wonder I use a 10 band MXR 10 band with my Marshall to me I get a better balance between boosted mids and scooped mids since I do a little bit of both.
Can you just use the Dsl 20, or do you need to have a cabinet? I'm interested in getting a beginner setup and the price on it's own without cabinet seems justifiable.