Its a long read but if you just bought this amp id like to pass on some things i really think will help you. All the generalizations i made about how to dial it in were for people with typical humbuckers to maybe a little hot(JB's). If your using single coils or vintage output humbuckers these tips will work just as well just remember to take into account the output of your pups. Had the amp since launch, to anyone reading...change the power tubes (i found EHX EL34's to be the best in this amp for my setup). The hiss is only there at crazy loud volumes now, the Stock JJ's are NOT even close to the best tubes for this amp. They are flubby and hissy and terrible...."in my opinion". Also the Ultra gain channel OD2 really really does not need to be turned up more then about 3.5 on the gain knob unless your playing at really low volumes or on half power. Keep the OD2 gain low but dial in more preamp volume for a warmer tone, less preamp volume for a brighter tone. I love this amp, you dont need a boost at all if you dial it in right on all channels, im happy to prove that to anyone who doesn't believe me. BUT, who the fuck doesn't want to boost their amp? Lol you dont have too with this amp but i still like rolling back the gain and preamp volume so i can boost it. I have a treble booster i built first in my chain for a hi end boost, next a TS9 with mods i added but its still has a stock switch position so thats my mid boost and next is a Klon clone i built for my "transparent" low end boost. This amp works so fucking good with all three of the boosts. I build pedals and currently i have about 13 in my signal chain going into my DSL100HR, some in the front some in the loop. With this amp you can get amazing sounds, as good as you could ever want. But you have to learn to dial it in right. Research the FMV tone stack, and remember the eq is reactive meaning if you turn one control; say treble for example, its going to effect the parameters of the bass and mids too. Same with the preamp gain and volume. The magic of this amp is being able to dial in your gain with the preamp volume and gain then use the master which is after the preamp stage just like the resonance and presence to bring your tone to the right levels. If you want less gain dont just roll back the gain knob, remember the gain and preamp volume work together. Also raising the preamp volume will make your tone warmer and lowering it will make your tone brighter. This amp was designed to sound good at any volume so theres way way way way more gain and preamp volume on tap then youll ever need if your playing at normal to reasonably loud levels. The reason theres so much gain is so if your playing at lower levels you can still get the amount of saturation and "feel" youd get with the amp turned up louder. For example the OD2 setting on the ultra gain channel sounds best with the gain pretty damn low and the preamp volume normally just a little higher then the gain but then your tone is weak so you dial up the master and bam! An amazing tone thats not flubby and doesn't have too much gain. Each setting works in a similar way but the amount of gain an preamp volume youll need will change depending on the setting or channel your on. The clean channel is very similar to OD1 but OD1 obviously has more gain so those two settings will be brighter. The Crunch setting and OD2 on the other hand are also similar to one another but have more gain which makes them warmer. Please whatever you do, do not ever just dime the master volume or the preamp volume just cause you dont understand how to use it. Thats the best way to make an amazing amp sound like shit. Old amps that were not designed for master volumes that had them added as a mod sounded like shit without the master cranked but newer master volume amps were built with to intentionally work with master volumes. The new master volume amp are built with more gain and in the 100HR's case more headroom so you absolutely do not need to dime anything, it wont make your tone better it will just make you look like a idiot who doesnt understand how his amp works. With all that said im still learning more every day about how this amp was built and how to best make it work for me but im certain if you go by the things ive laid out here youll quickly learn to dial in any tone you have in your head and feel like your controlling the amp not just guessing. Dont guess, and dont copy other peoples settings unless they have your exact set up and even then it would be stupid so just dont copy. If you want to copy something copy the great guitar players who learned how their amp worked so they could get the best tone from it. I recommend settings here but only to illustrate how different volume levels require more or less preamp gain and volume( but pickup output will effect this also). In the video above i do feel like the guy doing the demo had the gain way too high on OD2 but im almost certain by now hes already figured that out. Anyways i hope this helped, and in case you were wondering you do have the right to disagree. Its the least i can do after you read all that to listen to you if you have differing opinions.
I really appreciate your input and what youre saying makes good sense and it seems you have experience with different tubes and such.. i have a dsl 100 (not hr) and ive been thinking about replacing the pre amp tubes. How much of a change can i expect to see and what kind of improvements can i expect if i replace the stock power tubes and does it need to be done by a tech?
@@patrickfoster4616 If i want to replace the POWER tubes does it need to be done by a Tech? Absolutely not. BUT, you will need a multi meter. Just do a quick google search on "biasing power tubes on Marshall DSL". If you aren't comfortable after you read up on how to bias POWER tubes then you could certainly take it to a tech. I personally strongly recommend doing it yourself so you can save money and so you can swap tubes yourself in order to see what you like best for your amp. People will say POWER tubes dont effect your tone (misinformed people that is) but they certainly do. But changing power tubes will have more of an effect on high and low end articulation rather then the actual "tone" but they certainly can make or brake an amp. (More on that at the end where ill tell you my experience changing power tubes with my DSL). How much difference can i expect to hear if i change the PREAMP tubes? And in what way? First ill start by saying if you want to try swapping PREAMP tubes try just changing V1 first as it will have the most impact. And changing the PREAMP tubes is as easy as it gets. Just turn off the amp if its on and wait till the PREAMP tubes are cool enough to touch then grap a PREAMP tube firmly and pull upward. It will likely need a little bit of rocking back and forth (just a tiny bit in each direction) to get it out. Then simply match up the pins on the new PREAMP tube to the socket and press it in. Now as far as how much difference it will make completely depends on the tube and how different its characteristics are from the old tubes. For example if your amp sounds a little warmer than you like and you replace the preamp tubes with Tung Sol 12ax7's then youll notice your amp will be much brighter and that would be a drastic difference. This is because Tung Sol 12ax7's are bright tubes that will really accentuate the highs(so they are are great option if your amp is a little too warm). Just have a idea in mind for what type of change you want to see and look up the characteristics of various PREAMP tube types(there will be differing opinions for each tube but there will also be universally accepted charictaristics like the Tung Sol 12AX7's being bright for example). If your not sure what you really are after then i recommend doing what most of us do at first which is buy one of each of the main PREAMP tubes types(that appeal to you) and trying each in the V1 position. A good list to start with of quality tubes that aren't super expensive are as follows (and i personally don't like JJ POWER or PREAMP tubes AT ALL so i wont be listing them for that reason and because your V1 tube is likely already a JJ ECC83/12AX7 or a JJ rebranded Marshall) Tung Sol 12AX7, Mullard CV4004, Sovtek 12AX7-LPS, Electro Harmonix 12AX7. Those are all good PREAMP tubes to try to see what you like in your amp. Some will work better in other positions so try swapping them around. Some are brighter some are warmer/fuller (Mullards are generally going to be full and warm but more people agreee that they are warm/full in a good way). If you want to have generally the same amount of PREAMP gain as you have now then all of those should be similar gain wise. But if you want to try a PREAMP tube with a little less gain then try a 12AT7 or 12AY7 made by any of the major manufactures as i listed above. Just because a tube has the 12AX7 designation certainly does not mean it will sound the same as every other 12AX7 and in most cases they will all sound different unless they are from the same manufacturer (also be aware that MANY tubes these days are just rebranded tubes made by someone else so its doesnt hurt to look up who makes which tubes, theres plenty info about that online). The different manufacturers often have a special/unique way of making the tube for example, the Sovtek 12AX7-LPS uses long plates which is what earned it the LPS designation. It is certainly worth learning to bias your own POWER tubes so you can "roll" (swap out your POWER tubes) and find out what works best in your amp. The world of tubes is a crazy world with lots of options even now. And we haven't even begun to talk about NOS tubes. Ill end by saying this. My DSL was a fine amp as it came stock. But I personally think it is a GREAT amp now that i have found the right combination of tubes for my rig to complement my sound the best. I found the stock JJ POWER tubes made the low end incredibly flubby and inarticulate. Swapping them out and "rolling" them with all the different tubes i had allowed me to come to the conclusion that the best POWER tubes for my amp are Electro harmonix EL34's. My amp is MUCH MUCH MUCH more articulate especially in the low end with the EH EL34's compared to when it had the stock JJ EL34's. Good luck on your tube journey! And just remember that while learning to do things yourself is a PITA it certainly is worth the money saved and the ability to do things the way you like rather then have things done for you the way someone else likes.
@@michaelinglis8516 thank you for taking the time to reply at length! I will look into replacing and biasing power amp tubes because i agree, it is something worth being compitent and comfortable with. My amps lead channel sounds like shit with the gain north of 3. Clean is real decent tho.. anyway this dsl 100h has real potential so im gonna stick with it. (Side bar) i was at long and mcquades (canadas guitar center) yesterday and messed around with a jcm800. Ive been interested in these because having chinese or third world made goods is a sore spot for me and i wanted a uk made head.. however i found it was a one trick pony as they say and im not a purist enough like angus young to commit. I quickly realised the dsl really is the marshall offering for me after all.. so im all in and im gonna tweak this bitch until it's perfect.. between yesterdays field test and your enlightenment i am confident in my choice.
Hey would all that advise apply to the plain DSL 100 not the hr?I just bought the older one(2013) and trying to figure it out.My first marshall.I've been playing thru fender amps for 50 years.Thanks for your consideration.
The funny thing is Marshall were always known for the their flubby bass end, lots of mids and slightly piercing highs...that's what made Marshall standout from the crowd and make everyone listen and take notice.. To Marshall's credit they have turned around and listened to the new crowd and made some good changes to try suit most...Can't ask for more than that..
The dsl 100 hr is probably the best deal out there for good tube heads! Super versatile and not crazy expensive! It gets GREAT tones, even the cleans and the gain is sick! Good video man!
Had my 100HR since launch, changing out the stock marshall branded JJ power tubes for EHX EL34'S will DRAMATICALLY clean up the fizz at high volumes/high gain. Almost to the point where its non existent unless your really cranking it an even then it's not bad at all with the EHX EL34'S. Just a tip. And the EHX tubes are much more balanced and dont get too squishy in the bass like the stock an after market JJ power tubes I tried.
What Fizz? i dont have any fizz on my amp, if you are turning your master up to 3/4's no way you get fizz that comes from seting it up wrong. If you have the Master anywhere below half way then it gets mushy. Same with your chanels the volume should be up, and then bring up the gain slowly. I dont think the Tube Change out is necessary
@@cliffords2315 The fizz in the ultra channels is a well known issue with the h version especially. In the case ofy comment I wasnt saying fizz that's so bad it's unplayable I'm saying fizz referring to the top end (which was dialed down by removing the bright cap on the ultra channel on the HR versions I actually added it back but on a switch). I've actually added a choke and done some other mods to this amp since that comment also (I build tube amps and pedals and mod them). The amp was always good even stock I'm just not a fan of JJ el34s in this amp. They are far from the worst tubes you could use in though but I really believe they are a bit tubby and lack the mids of some other current production tubes which can make the highs fizzy with more gain (I guess I should say "in my opinion").
My DSL100HR died about a month ago after having it for less than 6 months. My amp guys told me that something in the reverb unit has died and is killing the signal coming out into the cab (1960A 4x12). They found it odd as did I seeing as how it's a digital reverb... that's the last thing I would have suspected. At least Marshall is flipping the bill on the repair..
Yeah I have a dsl100hr and I've noticed that I have to dial back the top end quite a bit to smooth out the edges. But the low end clarity is to die for really.
Compared the 2 back to back and can't stand the HR, though the cleans are a bit better than the non R version, the scooped mids and lack of treble are disappointing for me.
I didn't care for the high gain on the HR when I got it. I turned the gain up on the clean channel just to where it was breaking up and boosted it with a Friedman be-od and got it where I needed to be.
I'd take the H any day over the HR. Why so noisy? Assuming your using a phone or i-pad to record, I wouldn't run any tube amp without a good 10 band EQ. Whatever your hearing can be can be dialed in or out. Thanks for the demo
I wonder how good Lossless files sound in the audio in on the back (granted that it will be going through a high power tube amplifier)… about to order a HR so only one way to find out!!!
I think the DSL's are great amps and a bargain compared to some of the other options that are out there. The newer ones (over the last 10-12 years or so) are a lot better, in my opinion, than the original JCM2000's. To me the H sounds more vintage-y and the HR sounds more modern. The half-power pentode on the HR is way better than the triode on the H.
@@holdenafaart7419 jcm2000 werent better at all, they constantly overheated, anyone who disagrees never heavily gigged the amp. The new dsl100hr is way more reliable than the old jcm2000’s. Sound wise they’re pretty close but new one is lightyears more reliable in a live setting. Jcm2000 are overhyped!!!
@@Ron4president09 the original JCM 2000s do have design flaws but they can be fixed with a couple mods and be totally reliable. The second version named DSL H is totally reliable and sounds close to the original. The latest version dsl hR is crap imo. Too modern sounding and the sound cuts out for a split second when changing channels. Cheers
@@holdenafaart7419 some fair points… i have had no issues with my newest dsl100hr and i even bought used from guitar center. I will say if does sound slightly more modern than the previous version but i toss a quaker plumes in front and she sings like the gospel!!!!
The cool thing about the audio in is that you can run your guitar into a stompbox or preamp into a Mooer Radar cabinet emulator and then use a 3.5mm male to male cable from the Radar's headphone output into the audio in on the amp to get some seriously brutal tones.
The HR's 1/2 power mode works by power tube voltage reduction. They claim it doesn't change the tone like triode does. It stays in pentode in both modes.
These newer DSL sound great....especially with a les paul. They get early and give me that tingle in my spine when its dialed in...the new master volumes sure help with being to loud. Great amp for the money...made in vietnam.
Curious what brand of power tubes and preamp tubes come stock? Have u swapped them? Is the bias set from inside now? Are the power tube sockets chassis mounted or PCb? Interested to know more.
Ive got the DSL 100 H (I LOVE IT).....and am contemplating getting the DSL HR.......................or the Marshall 2555X Silver Jubilee Head 100 Watt. I cant make my mind up as I cant try out because my setup at home...is at home. Any tips anybody. ....PS I also have the Vox AC 30 and the Fender Hot Rod.
I have The "Older" dsl100h 2012. I found the sweetspot on od1 with gain at 2 o'clock (6-7 on The numberscale) and I play emg 57-66 and greenbacks drop-c tuning.
I have a Diezel DMoll too. The DSLHR sounds amazing, but the build quality and signal to noise levels are superior on the Diezel. The Diezel is very full and chunky with excellent high gain and clean tones. The DSL is better at that lo/mid gain crunch. If I need an amp that sounds great on 4 different levels to bang around local clubs, I'd prefer to bring the one that is
I purchased the HR100 amp because I loved the 20w version so much and wanted more power. Very disappointed in the 100 version. Nothing but clipping and flub past 6 Gain. I will stick with the 20.
nope! Your doing something wrong… less gain and a ts up front sounds incredible. Dont blame the amp because your incapable of dialing a few knobs. Alot of rookies on here talking like they have experience. Imagine if marshall made theyre amps for newbs and not the professionals they had in mind.
It's been a few years, but I think yes, it chops it down to 2 power tubes and I think keeps the silent 2 in standby (?). For high gain, use all the tubes, if you like low mid gain power tube saturation then 2 would be the choice. The actual volume difference is not that significant
Alan Swanson nothing in the loop; that’s an MXR od I sometimes engage (right before the amp) Does seem like a lot of hiss, but not a whole lot more than many others...it does seem hissy here! Cool tones, but Both amps are gone now
Ive had the 100HR since launch and i can say with absolute certainty its the stock jj power tubes. As soon as i started rolling tubes it got better but the absolute best ones that are so quiet hiss wise are EHX el34's.
just bought mine dsl 100hr , not sure if ssomething wrong with head or the cab . reverb i cant hear, even on max bearlly nocitable. i cant get tight tone sounds fizzy and mudy. ill try to cranck in rehearsl room ive been trying it on bedroom levels, and see if its sounds any diffrent if not im taking it back.
The Reverb doesn't smack you in the face even on max, but on a clean/lo gain setting it should be clearly there. As for fizz, try the treble at 9 to 11 o'clock and the presence at 9-10 o'clock ish. Mids can be cranked 2oclock to max and that should smooth things out depending on your cab/speakers. Hope this helps but if it seems way off or not inspiring return it asap! Cool amp but too many other choices out there if it doesn;t jive with your setup.
@@xray6115 thank you so much for the replay and advice, i just saw it. i did try your suggestion it sounds lot better then it did before, now i put boss sd1 in front sound lot lot better. i use mx4x12 cab by marshall and jackson guitars with dimarzzios dactivator pick ups.
@@lastrites.njthrash in retrospect I should have kept the HR it’s a great amp & back then really affordable. I get antsy, I’ve flipped so many amps that were amazing. Right now on a Fortin Cali & a Kemper so I hope they stay lol
You have plenty Orbs in your home. See at min 05:03. Slow down the speed you will see them with clarity inside the second 3 You and your family are protected!
Hey thank you! I did have a 2000 years ago, but that is long gone, so the only comparison I have is in my head/memory. I think the newer versions stand up as far as tone and clearly have better options. Maybe the newer one sounds better? I really like how they tightened up the low end, big improvement if you're playing dropC like me.
@@xray6115 Cool! I was thinking of getting a 2000 but apparently they are known to overheat and fail. So I guess the new DSL is better. Is the HR that much better than the H? I want an amp that spits fire just like I heard the jcm 2000 did, I always play in drop C too :) .
@@guitarrock58 I liked the HR a lot more. They were close but the HR was a tighter low end and less harshness on the high end. I think the earlier 2000s had a lot of issues but at some point they were solved? Regardless the new prices on HR are great, especially if you can get a 15% off coupon. Other amps I might consider...well I don't see many big glass 100w heads with channel diversity in this price range, lol!
That is a Krank 4x12 with Eminence Legends. O also have a Mesa 2x12 vertical with v30s which sound like a great match tot the DSL. I played it through a slant Marshall 4x12 with T75 and it actually sounded good. I am curious to try some greenbacks or Creambacks.
i'll match it with a 2x12 with a Creamback and a Hesu Demon to get it modern...it is a modern sounding amp...but with the classic Marshall soul that i really loved since i tried the DSL40...is my dream amp
Noah Porter when there’s no signal theses no stress Every tech I speak to says as much NonTechs freak out because it is good practice to have it connected in case of signal accidently passing through, which won’t happen without my cable connected
I've got 3 JCM 2000's and a 100HR. While the 100HR shares similar DNA I don't understand why some people say it sounds like the originals. Maybe they are basing it on audio clips rather than standing in front of the amps and actually playing through them. It is voiced differently and without going into a diatribe my ears find the JCM 2000's to surely be the better sounding amp.
The newer DSLs are killer!!!! I bought the 20 watt combo and Im in love!! Check out this vid its probably the most informative vid of them ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-be9p2fnV0P0.html
My JCM2000 DSL50 has pretty bad hiss. I had it retubed last year thinking it was the tubes but nope. Now I noise gate pretty heavily but it pisses me off I can't just have minimal hiss from the amp naturally
Great Demo showing the difference between the 2 amps. I recently discovered the JJ Long Plate gold pin tubes and they open up the gain tones and are much bigger sounding. Might be a great option for this head, I put them in My '73 Marshall 100 watt which has a Master Mod and it was scary. Also put it in an EVH 5150 iii with EL 34's and it is magic.
These new hR amps suck! I had both the H and hR and the R SUUUCKS if you want something closer to classic Marshall tone. Besides the crappy tone, the sound cuts out for a split second when changing channels. What a joke! Love my 100H, the hR went back in 2 days. Both suffer from reliability issues, no matter what anyone says. The hR MIGHT be a little better but they haven't been out long enough to tell compared to the other models.
@@xray6115 like I said, it hasn't been long enough to tell how unreliable they are. Not many of the JCMs melted down in the first 3 years. But they have enormous problems. Too bad because they sound awesome.