Marshall DSL5CR (Brilliant Budget Tube Amp?) 

@Elmo karjalainen what is your thoughts about the marshall dsl 40cr

@@donniebrown2393 Haven't tried it yet.

Yep since it’s a tube amp the 5 watts sounds more like a standard 20 or 25 watt amp so it is perfectly good for using in small clubs and dive bar gigs

that's great information to know, I have the Boss Katana Mini looing for another amp , living in apartment where you can hear fart, is tough getting a decent amp , if you dropped it down to .5 watt , have the volume low , your saying you will not loose any sound quality

⁠@@canadianintheukbrian wouldn’t DSL 1 be more suitable for an apartment? I’m just deciding for myself which of the 2 would better suit…

@@andreafranceschin820 Same question here for appartment... DSL1 or DSL5 in 0.5W mode for cranking sound in appartement ?? ^^

@@dawoud8013 i finally bought a DSL1 and I’m satisfied with it. For what I understood DSL5 is better sounding due to its bigger cone but difficult to use in a flat even at 0,5W (DSL at 0,1W can be too loud also…)

Cheers!

Have you had some noisy buzzing in your amp? I have tested DSL1 in the store, sound was great, but there was noisy buzzing when I turned on the amp, and I gave up from purchasing.

@@alexeygorky76 Noise is usually not a big problem for amps. Normally not a quality issue. But if it is too loud, even you can hear the unpleasen noise while loud playing, that could be a problem.

@@alexeygorky76 you can get a noise gate pedal.

​​@@zaporoshti3392DBX 166 19" you get compressor,gate and limiter in stereo (2×mono). Works like a dream on my DSL-1

That’s what I’m looking for , something I can get those great tones from but not get complaints from my nabours , is this what I’m looking for ?

I've used the 10 inch greenback before in numerous Marshall and Orange amps and can't recommend it enough for British sounding amps. The top end is nice and smooth, the mids are that classic greenback growl and the low end is nice and punchy. A perfect speaker for that classic Marshall roar.

​ @Ben Allmark for what genre would u recommand the celestion g10 greenback ?? Thanks

How do you run this 16 ohm into a 2 x 12 extension cab? How many ohms per speaker?

Couldn't be happier? Not even a bit. From a dsl5. Not even with a 1959 superlead or a jcm800 not even a little happier

@@joshmuz9018 yeah, because the 1959 superlead and the JCM 800 are perfect for downsizing and finding the perfect bedroom/living room amp.

How’s the low power mode on this? Can you get good tube times without annoying neighbors?

Same here! Bought in 2019 and still love it

Did you consider DSL1 if at 0,5 watt it sounds even too loud?

A lot of the boxiness fades as you break the speaker in, and it’s a non issue if you run it through even a half decent cab. I’ve got an old Randall Jaguar 4x12 cab it sounds absolutely massive through. I understand a tube upgrade does wonders too, but I haven’t felt the need to try it. Love mine.

@@corneliuscrewe677 I imagine through an old Randall Jaguar cab, it'll sound ferocious. Oftentimes, 10 inch speakers sound boxy at the start, then break in well. 10 inch speakers are good choices for small, low wattage combos since they distort easier and cut through a mix better than a 12 inch at lower volumes. 4x10 cabinets are becoming a more popular choice for studios and bands who play in areas with noise limits and want more midrange punch in their tone with their big boy amps like the old 100 watt Marshall heads, but at more ear friendly volumes.

@@natethompson1257 Couldn't agree more. I have an Origin 20 combo with a very broken in 10" Creamback in it, that DSL5 sounds HUGE on that speaker. The DSL's speaker is really opening up well after a few weeks use.

Cheers!

Any time!

The JHS LBAB drastically improved my DSL1HR.

@@bw1955 Good to know, tnx.

I've made a clone of LBAB, now I have bedroom level on hot tubes.

I want to upgrade my speaker in my 5150 iconic combo.. I haven't heard much on the celestion sidewinder? Do they make a 12"?

@@jimmyjames7946 James, the Sidewinder is from the 1980s and is no longer made. There was indeed a 12" model, and well worth hunting one out.

Thanks!

Thanks! No, I haven't.

even the vibro champ has gone up so high for a 10" im just looking for something decent or a would be ONE to own

I believe I had this exact Marshall amp as a 16y kid in 1996. I bought a Fender squire strat and this amp off my brothers friend for $300 cables included! I wish I wouldn’t of sold it but I know for a fact it was a Marshall about this size and I was a beginner then (still am) but I was chasing after that Nirvana sound and I bought a DOD FX69 Grunge pedal… that thing was F*****G btw! I want to try and get my old gear back (not the exact gear but same models) and start playing again. I just bought a Epiphone LP special ii player pack and it’s awesome for $220 but I the amp wasn’t great so I bought a Roland Micro Cube in white because that’s all they had in stock. Waiting for my Micro cube but this damn winter snow storm shows it’s being delayed. Should’ve had it two days ago 🤯. But the Marshall amp I had was definitely a tube amp because I remember playing and it didn’t sound right until it warmed up for a bit which I didn’t know at the time

Welcome to Inflation world :( "More expensive than yesterday but cheaper than tomorrow"

I bought it when it was $499. It had just increased by $100 right before I bought it; I’d been planning on paying $399 for the thing, and used ones, while rare were about $300. Only a few months after I bought mine it doubled in price! With my speaker upgrade that puts it at around $1,000 so not sure it’s worth it. You can almost get something hand built for that That said, I’ve had mine for almost two years and still love playing it daily

@@honkytonkinson9787 . . . Indeed . . . the Celestion Green Back felt like a necessity. Been hard gigging mine for 13 months now. Only thing that has failed was the power cable. And I've got plenty of those just collecting dust.

:D

And thank you 😊

Cheers Craig :)

Damn. 9 months later and it’s now $799 at sweetwater and the 40CR is now $1,049

it is 800 dollars at sweetwater

Thanks!

I had one too. And I ended up with a 40 eventually as well. I like it lots. I stumbled onto a 15W head of this too. It’s pretty great. I forgot there’s no standby. I feel like my old one may have had one. Why I say that is I bought a Blues Jr like my next amp and it doesn’t have a standby and remember that kinda bugging me. It seemed like I had to get used to it after the DSL. Maybe not though. I’ll have to see if I can find a pic. It was a ‘13 or ‘14 I think.

I have the 5 and the 40 and could not let go of either killer amps . Hated the the 20 watt version though.

Cheers!

@@MrPolevaulter YW! Rock on! \m/

The speaker in the DSL5CR wasn't bad at all, just a tad boxy sounding. Lot's of 10 inch speakers suffer from that, but overtime, they'll break in and the amp will sound better. The speaker in the DSL20CR however (the Seventy-80) is pure crap.

Over here it's more expensive.

@@MrPolevaulter The price of the Blackstar HT5R mkii amplifier in Thailand is 16,200 Bath=487.6527 USD. and Marshall DSL5CR is 17,900 Bath=538.8258 USD.🙂

I have one and it makes me really happy.

I have it and it’s incredible Well worth it

Haha :D

Haven't tried the Ironball.

Seems so.

Actually, if you're going to buy the DSL20, buy the head and save up for a quality 1x12 cabinet, loaded with either a V30, Greenback or a G12T-75 speaker. The speaker in the DSL20CR (the Celestion Seventy80) is utter garbage. If you must get a DSL combo, either get the DSL5CR, or the DSL40CR (you can attenuate it down to 20 watts as well. Plus, the speaker in the 40 is fantastic.) Otherwise, get the 20 watt head and a good quality 1x12 speaker cabinet.

Yeah but that 12 inch speaker is awful and you will need to replace it with something better so there is another 2 to 300 dollars . I have owned every combo in the dsl range the 5cr 20cr and the 40cr I still own the 5 and the 40 and the 20 is long gone . It was the worst sounding amp of the 3 . Tried it with Multiple cab and speaker combos and guitar and pickup combos and it never sounded good . The best value for money is the 40 you get way more features than on the 20 . Like a Crunch button on the classic Gain and 2 master volumes and a much better speaker than the 20 has . It's basically a 4 channel amp . You have green and red mode om both channels essential making it a quasi 4 channel anp and if you use a drive pedal you get 5th flavor it also an be powered down to 20 watts and sounds pretty darn nice on the low power setting. The price of the 20 is less justifiable when you like at what you so not get compared to the 40. The dsl 5 through an extension cab with a good quality speaker like a G12H30 heritage blows away the 20 in terms of tone .

Been gigging the "20" every weekend for a year. I put a Celestion 25 - 16ohm "Greenback" in her before I even turned it on. I've yet to need anything more than the 10 watt setting, and we play some loud bars and outdoor stages. I'd love to try the 5 for weight relief . . . but cannot see paying 6 - 8 hundred bucks for a 5 watt amp. That's crayzy . . .

Which one do you have in mind?

Thanks! I do have plans to check one out at some point.

:D

I was beginning to wonder if I was the only one to notice.

Seems reliable, don't know about parts.

I haven't, no. Might be interesting though.

How do you like the old DSL15 head? I had the chance to buy a brand new one last year ( they ceased production of them after 2017), but I heard from friends and bandmates that the DSL15's tone is brittle and the reliability is all over the place, so I skipped on it and bought an Orange OR-15 instead.

@@natethompson1257 I can’t give you a great opinion honestly. It’s a bit of a story. I traded an old guitar I never use for an old Blues Jr but I already had one, so one day later a guy traded me for the 15. I think I played it for 2 minutes so it’s hard to say. Sounded ok. I have lots of amps so it honestly just sits there and looks good on top of the DSL 40 ha ha.

It means the cab should be 16 ohms. That's what my 4x12 is.

Haven't tried the Origin 20C, but the DSL is better than the Origin 5C for sure.

The new one has a separate volume and gain knob in the Classic Gain channel which is better because on the older version the single knob on the first channel is not just a volume knob its a volume and Gain all in one . The new with 2 knobs on the classic Gain makes it easier to get super clean tones . There is more headroom on the classic Gian channel on the new one because of the 2 knobs . They added seperate Gain and and volume due to demand .

I also have the older version. As you know, it lacks the digital reverb with the solidstate circuit, so it has a "pure" valve amp sound. I have tried both and definetly the older version sounds rounded and fatter. But I would really appreciate two master volumes.

Hendrix and Blackmore to name just two.

Fizz is just part of the raw hendrix tone, I learned to ignore it. You could buy pedals to fix it but I just like to keep the classic tone.

It's custom made: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-P_E8p2DoZoY.html

Thanks for sharing this information with me Elmo. I am really enjoying your RU-vid posts, keep them coming.

I forget.

@@RiffMaster92 thanks I might the speaker

HB.

I've somtimes thought about that, but I haven't gotten around to it yet.

@@MrPolevaulter Thank you for response and keep up with honest reviews.

Can't remember. Google it.

Yes, the 5CR is the perfect amp.

The low setting can still get pretty loud but the great thing about this amp is that it still sounds good at low volume. I think you could get away with playing it during the day depending on your neighbors.

Yes, it absolutely is

Thanks for all the replies. Could someone comment on my second question as well? I'm still wondering if this amp worth the ~100 EUR extra or would its smaller brother, the DSL1CR, be enough for my needs. (which is practicing @bedroom volume levels while still having a nice tone)

I had the 5, too loud for home use for me, got the 1, much better for my environment.

I have the SL5 and the dsl 5 and I think the 5 is a far better amp . More versatile in every way . I used to have a les paul traditional with the slash seynour ducan signature pups and I played that guitar many times through both the SL5 and the DSL and with those pickups the DSL 5 sounded far more like vintage slash than the SL5 did . I sold that guitar because it was a QC nightmare. Would not intonate or stay in tune and the holes for the bridge posts were off so the string spacing was all over the place and there was a huge Gap between the d and g srtigs . Shame because the guitar sounded like a beast with those pickups. Wish I would have put the burstbuckers back in and kept the slash Duncan's With the dsl 5 I could get slash tones or classic rock or modern rock . With the SL5 it's less versatile. Using that amp dark and kind of boxy and I like that tone for some things but it's not all that versatile but I use my dsl 5 with extension cabs with 12 inch speakers so maybe that is the difference.

Haven't tried that.

@@MrPolevaulter well I have, I finally bought one myself and made a couple of videos. Not as good as yours of course. I am only beginning to learn guitar.

Tubes cost. That being said you can get the Harley Benton Tube15 for MUCH less than the DSL.

Lack of fx loop is too bad for me. Also, the price of a cab would bring things closer. And tone is preference. I prefer the Marshall sound instead of orange. That being said, the Harley Benton is really a great option if you like it’s tone