How to TWEAK your Marshall DSL20HR into GREATNESS!

In this video I show you how I set up the EQ and Gain on my 2021 Marshall DSL20HR to get great vintage high gain tones and great cleans. I'm using a 2008 Gibson Les Paul R9 and a 1971 Marshall 1960B with Celestion G12M25 75Hz Pulsonic Greenbacks.

[@tjn0110]

The real secret to tone is not having neighbours.

[@nicktrierweiler3690]

Brilliant comment 👏

[@tybell1994]

Or a future ex-wife

[@SchockBluesFitness]

Dude so funny so true

[@brandonboe2286]

Exactly dude, power tubes cooking with high volume is key to good tone, which means impossible to achieve in apartments lol

[@lkeith88]

They may not like it but by god they're going to hear it.

[@dmitriysemeshkin]

Great video on how to get great tone from relatively inexpensive equipment! Such videos are the way for those who have started, great work!!!

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks man, glad to hear it!

[@mrthunder8190]

That magic 1971 cabinet makes everything sound good!

[@JohanSegeborn]

Yeah vintage Greenbacks is the most important ingredient

[@darrellminx5459]

Nice amp and good settings for people who want Marshall gain without the ear pain. Nice demo Johan. Cheers.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks Darrell! Glad you like it

[@auntjenifer7774]

Don't get it twisted, this is ease splitting volume here. I got the Marshall DSL 15 head and it's so freaking loud so I got the DSL 1 watt head and that's the only one that doesn't kill your ears by it's still loud. I also have the DSL 40 combo and that's super super loud on the 20 watt setting which Johan is basically using here(DSL 20H) so it's freaking loud no matter what ! If you want these tones the only thing the won't blow you away is the DSL 1 watt head and the mg15 mini stack. It's 15 watts solid state but gets the same tone at low volumes but you need the real vintage speakers like Johan is using to get the solid state to sound just like the tube, I have the vintage speakers and it's almost 100% identical with the solid state being just a tad smoother than the tube🤷🏻‍♀️ that's what I have found.

[@cliffords2315]

Great and the Reverb actualy works turned up!! Nice

[@zandig666]

Thx bud !!! I have this amp and was less than satisfied with it till I saw how you set it up here !!!!! Let's go !!!!!!🤟🤟🤟🤟 have a 1960A with 2 V30s and 2 greenbacks i was using it with a pb1 boost volume 4 gain 4 but I can't wait to try it your way !!!! I think the classic channel blows !!

[@tonekilltech]

This was great, Johan! I just took the time to experiment with these settings on my DSL40CR and got some great tones. I haven't been using the ultra gain red channel bc it was just too over the top compared to the classic red and ultra green. But the key was turning the gain way down as you did here. There's a spot a little before the first mark where it just kicks in a bit that works for this 70s hard rock tone. I also haven't been using the 20w setting on the amp, thinking the 40w setting sounds best. But I saw your comment on another video to someone about putting a pulsonic cone speaker in the DSL40 at the 20w setting. Well I got a G12H30 75hz (T1234 creamback, large rib 1777) recently. So I just ran the 20w setting through my Ironman Mini II into that speaker with both the channel volume and master volume dimed, but backing down the power with the Ironman. There it is. The sound. Sorry for the long comment, but I do have a question. Since the DSL20 only has the 1 volume, what would you suggest on the DSL40CR is more crucial to the tone, the channel volume or master volume? Or should both be at 10 ideally?

[@zandig666]

I have the same quandarys about my 20h I was even considering different lower gain tubes but there just isn't enough stuff about this on forums and what tubes to change v1 v2 or v3 if u know let me no sir !!

[@Twobarpsi]

Nothing beats a Marshall!!🤘

[@alanswanson7515]

My standard settings for live playing in a 4 piece band : presence and resonance @ noon, no reverb,bass @ 11o'clock,mid @ 11,treble@ 2, no pitch shift. Clean channel gain @ 10 o'clock, volume @ 2 o'clock. Ultra gain channel : gain @11 and volume @ 2. Tubescreamer in front to taste and 7 band eq pedal in the loop for volume boost. Running an oversized Blackstar 1x12 Vintage 30 and a smaller 1x12 Custom satellite cab with a 70/80. Just loud enough to get over the drummer with no micing and just enough clean headroom when switching channels.

[@cliveclive54]

Awesome sounds..................as per usual 🤟🙏

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks Clive!

[@nate6692]

Again... Johan + guitar -> blender -> microwave -> random amp -> 1988 sony walkman -> killer speaker cabinet = that awesome tone we love. I especially love the grabbing random microphones bit.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks Nathan! Great to hear that

[@vintagetone22]

Nice playing from the king .this amp is very nice .

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks man, glad to hear it!

[@batman9592]

Thank you for using this guitar instead of the other one.

[@jeffmariajenson9751]

Would love to see an SPL meter in your demos. Great vid.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks Jeff! I’ll try to implement that!

[@kellygrant3074]

Just imagine it is too loud

[@adamwatson6916]

I would love to see a video comparing the tone of all 3 DSL CR/HR models. I believe the 20 is the only one that comes in both head and combo . Or even a comparison of the 3 combo versions all ran though external cabs so that you could hear all 3 thorough the same speaker as the 5 has a ten inch speaker and the 20 has a 70/80 speaker while the 40 comes with a V Type celestiom it would be interesting to see which of the 3 were the most flexible at lower volumes and to see for example how the 40 at lower volumes compares to the 5 which can be wound up a little louder at home volumes. I have both the 5 and the 40 but I can't wind them up as loud as Johan and his playing and tone a far better then mine. His does the best tone demo videos and comparisons om the internet. There are lots of guys doing tone demo videos and gear comparisons . Speaker swap and pickup swap comparisons and their tone is awful and if the tone is not awful the guitars are horribly out of tune or the they are out of tune and the tone is awful . Why swap pickups if you are going to use such horrible tone and play out of tune. Johan is always in tune and his town is always wonderful and his playing style is fantastic and is the perfect playing style for demoing tone and all the subtle nuances of different speakers cabs pickups etc is also great that he does not buy the tone with effects and overdrive pedals. There is one channel were the guy often compares different les Paul's usually with various different Gibson pickups but he uses a tube screamer for 100 percent of his overdrive in every video rendering any comparisons of pickups and guitars pointless because all you hear is the tube screamer and the mid hump which makes it all sound identical. No nuance or subtlety comes through in that type of video. Johan videos are simply the best

[@thenameless3271]

Hey Johan, have you see Jim Lill's videos? You may find them interesting, the most recent is all about cabs and experimenting. Not sure you'll agree with his conclusions, but it may be interesting none-the-less! As always, thank you for the videos and be well!

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks! He had a great video on tone wood

[@zandig666]

Thx Jon not enough tech talk about this amp ie about the tone stack

[@davidreynolds2183]

I put a 5751 pre amp tube in the gain channel to give more useable range of gain on the dial. There is still more than enough gain even when volume is down. Amp is quieter but still only need 1/2 to 3/4 of the available volume with a loud drummer. Normally used with two separate semi open back 1x12 greenback loaded cabs. but also sounds good through a 'dual' cab with 2 x 15inch fullback speakers (closed back). Tend to run presence bass and treble around 1/3 mids around 2/3 and resonance 1/3 to 2/3. Brightish sounding guitar (fishman fluence humbuckers amp doesn't need changing when the 'single coil mode' is selected ). Get a heavier tone on similar settings with Seymore Duncan blackouts so along with the two channels quite a versatile amp. footswitchable effects loop close enough to channel select on the footswitch so you can do both at the same time.is also handy.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks! Interesting feedback

[@bradleyjpaolucci]

Is this tube swap hard to do for someone who knows nothing about tubes? I would like to try on my dsl 20

[@davidreynolds2183]

It's easy and safe. I can't remember if it went into V1 or 2 or wherever but searching the web will tell what pre amp tube supplies the gain channel and which one it is along the row of tubes/valves. Remove the vented back panel via four screws and reach in to unplug old and install new valve,.@@bradleyjpaolucci

[@bradleyjpaolucci]

@@davidreynolds2183thanks I’ll try it out!

[@voxpathfinder15r]

Great modern made Marshall for those 70s rock riff tones! Great to see Marshall staying current and meeting the needs of lower volume players. But the magic still seems like you have to stick with the old speaker cabinets. The modern 1x12 combination just doesn’t get you all the way there

[@JohanSegeborn]

Yeah they did a great job on all the 20W heads

[@louaguado995]

It's those 70/80 speakers that they put in the dsl cab's and combos that sound awful.

[@voxpathfinder15r]

@@louaguado995 sometimes they sound awful, sometimes I think they sound great. Sometimes I think they’re all highs with no low end, sometimes they sound muddy that can’t cut in a mix. My thoughts are all over the map with those speakers. Here is an example I think they gave me a pretty good single coil neck pickup tone when powered by my Vox AC4C1. kzbin.info/www/bejne/aX_QYqmKas13a5Y

[@tybell1994]

......we must add another 12

[@hrstrat57]

Same deal with your big headstock Strat when you get time plz!

[@karl3349]

Is it because of the speakers you were using that there was no bass?? Even with the Resonance and Bass on full there was no power behind those chords. Thanks for the input. I have a 1960A cab and am waiting on a DSL100HR head, so your input would be helpful. Thanks.

[@michaelmurphy2167]

I think it sounds like Kiss, very dressed to kill or Rock and roll over. I love that sound!

[@siegfriedwashburn3484]

Hi, Johan! Yeah, that was very important video, I gonna keep it on my channel, where I am collecting you last 4 years. The sound was really PERFECT. I prefer more "sendy" distortion, but it's no matter here. BTW, maybe you will do something about guitar set up and the sound? ☝️😏 See you! Siegfried

[@JohanSegeborn]

Glad you like it! The guitar is set up pretty well I think, unless you have some tips? Cheers!

[@siegfriedwashburn3484]

@@JohanSegeborn TBH, YES. But my channel is very small. I can show there for you all, I am able. For example, the type of neck, length of the scale. I will show you, and than you can take everything you need. Because many people are looking for the perfect setup too. My strat was very quiet, until I opened it and found there a peace of unknown metal. I'll let you know.

[@adamwatson6916]

I find it funny Marhall offers the 20 watt version in a head but not the 40 watt . Unless they still make the DSl 50 head .

[@J_Braz_]

I have a question if I may ask? I have 2, 2x12 8 ohm cabs, a mess recto cab, and a Harley Benton vintage cab. Can I plug both off them into one off the 2, 8 ohm speaker connections?

[@fuckyouallanddiehorribly]

I got my stock dsl20 combo with the treble at 2, mids 6, bass 8, presence 7, reso 8 ...in front with a sd-1 set for clean boost into a 7 band boosting a few db of mids/cutting lows and highs

[@HiHello-ku1fl]

Is the DSL 40 better? Surprised they didn't make a DSL 40 head.

[@1peanut]

I have a DSL20HR and the resonance don't seem to do much of anything. is this normal ?

[@metalinsights9664]

It'd be interesting to see how much you can squeeze out of the amp with volume at, say, 2 or 3, which is as loud as most of us can get away at home with neighbors. At those volumes, the amp's midrange is much more scooped than with the volume dimed, making it challenging to get more classic tones out of it. I've found that at lower volumes, taming the treble (around 2-2.5) and presence (around 3) is key to minimizing the sharpness in the sound. I keep bass and mids around 7, resonance around 4. I use it with a 1x12 with a V30.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Yeah, for fullness you need to play loud or use an attenuator

[@adamwatson6916]

That is why I decided to go with the DSL 40CR over the the 20 watt. The master volume on the 40 really helps to be able to get a thicker midrange tone out of the amp at lower volume. I crank the master and keep the channel volume low and this seems to work pretty well . Only down side is the the 40 does not come in head form but most of the time I disconnect the internal speaker and run closed back cabs for a tighter sound. However I did swap out the v type which i find harsh and cold . I replaced it with a creamback M65 and I like it much better and when using just the internal speaker the creamback helps give a more creamy vintage sounding midrange . Using the creamback with an extension cab with a V30 is a nice combo and helps pump up mids and I find I can roll the bass all the way off with that speaker combo and still have lots of Bass. I compared by 40 combo with both the 20 combo and head when I bought the 40 and I found the 40 more flexible at low volumes with the master and I figured I can use the 40 in 20 watt mode but I really do as I find at the 40 watt setting even with lpwrt volumes the tone Is superior to louder volumes on the 20 watt setting I also have a DSL 5CR which I love but sometimes it can be a love hate relationship. I sometimes find it hard to get the bass content where I like it . It's a much darker amp then the DSL 40 and with the bass boost on its too dark top bass heavy and quite boxy sounding but with the mass boost off it can be too compressed sounding and a bit shrill and gritty. With the bass boost on its a much wide more open tone .. even with a 1 by 12 closed back cab it can be too compressed and shrill without the bass boost on but too soft and boxy with the bass boost on . The happy medium has turned out to be a 2 by 12 open back JVM cab with a Marshall branded V30 and Mashall branded celestion heritage which is supposed to be Marshall specific G1265 but tweaked for Marshall and bombed up the 70 eatta . I always felt that the sound I wanted was the halfway point between bass boost off and an bass boost on and that cab and speaker combo provides that tien. It adds warmth and bass but not so much that it sounds boxy or hollow .. The draw back is I don't always want that open back sound and the tone of that speaker combo when I use that amp. Using my brighter guitars help to mirage those issues as well . My darker sounding guitars sound much better through the DSL 40. For its price rang the DSL 40 is highly flexible amp . The crunch button on the classic Gain channel is also a very valuable feature that helped convince me to buy the 40 over the 20. With the crunch button on it sounds fantastic at louder volumes. At lower volumes you need to it hit with clean boost to get more saturation otherwise it can sound a bit brittle in the highs and too loose in the lows . .

[@williamsimmons4678]

Im using a passive atteuator but for my metal tone on the ultra channel gain 5 vol4 mids 4 treble and bass 3ish but ive got an eq in the loop and a tube driver drive and level set at 9oclock and a soul food pedal, level maxed drive at 7oclock and treble set at 4oclock sounds great..for now

[@williamsimmons4678]

@@adamwatson6916 me to bud glad i did if i didnt have a passive attenuator this thing would be too loud for here even on the 10 watt mode i brought home an sc20h and it was stupid loud for a house why have all that power even with an attenuator

[@williamsimmons4678]

@@JohanSegeborn yes sir im using an attenuator and for a house To get a sweet spot its tooo loud The sc 20h is even loudddddder !!!

[@gregallan2464]

Is that background noise at 2:20 coming from the amp? Reason I ask is that my DSL1CR makes the exact same noise when my guitar volume is 0. I replaced the pre-amp tubes and the noise disappeared for a few months but then it came back with a vengeance. Think it might be a "feature" with these amps? Great playing BTW 👌

I think it is coming from the amp. I have DSL20CR and I noticed the same noise too. Maybe some grounding issue in the electrical structure of the building

[@blackie5566]

I suppose its the amp - have the same problem...

[@gregallan2464]

@ when I changed the valves it went away for a while and then returned once they had been played in. So I don't believe it's a grounding/external problem.

@@gregallan2464 Which valves did you use?

[@gregallan2464]

@ all of them - two pre-amp ECC83s and one power amp ECC82. The brand was JJ.

[@jaycee30865]

Ad at the beginning. Then at one minute in, another ad. I mean what in the hell is KZbin thinking? They think I’m actually gonna buy any of that shit? Thanks for the video Johan.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks Billy, I’m using the default settings for ads, but now I’m gonna review that! Thanks for the feedback

[@MrMojabo]

I know this is at least a year old. But I'm going to stick my penny in anyway. When I'm using this in a band I use it with a blackbird 40. At home a 4x12 celestion Greenback. the ultra gain channel eqs dimed and all volume dimed,,, gain 2 or 3. But I have gone to 12. Humbuckers and this puppy delivers some of the best harmonics I could have ever dreamed of on the 10 watt setting . It sounds rich and full. I also play rock like you. Your video was great to watch

[@bradleyjpaolucci]

Volume is dimmed? Isn’t it too loud?

[@larryc835]

Gary Moore amp.👍👏💯🔥

[@tiptizlode4995]

I have the DSL15 combo into a 4 x 12 Maarshall cab. If I turned the volume up full, I would deafen the neighbourhood .... 🙂

[@curtjohansen5742]

Check out the tones Lambchopper gets out of his dsl 20, it makes the tones here sound anemic. I like Johann but he makes every amp sound the same.

[@PainterDans]

Johan goes for plexi tone, Lambchoper goes for a higher gain JCM 800 tone.

[@HiHello-ku1fl]

Is this amp as loud as a Studio Vintage or Studio Classic? Im sure its loud enough for a typical loudish rock drummer right?

[@BigTyronie]

It should be as loud in like modes, ie, 20 watt or 10 watt. Now they all behave very different. The studio vintage is clean it doesnt do the distortion thing really until dimed and even then a pedal would be useful.

[@portuguesebeer5069]

Awesome amp! You had it on maximum volume. Is it very loud or not enogh for band and live? Cheers from Portugal 🤘🍺🇵🇹

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks! It’s loud enough for most band work

[@Milankoful]

I wonder what you could get out of it using a strat... I never found a good sound with my dsl100h when plugged directly in with a strat

[@JohanSegeborn]

That’s a good question. It may sound slightly harsh for a couple of these settings

[@Milankoful]

@@JohanSegeborn May be a good subject for another video? *wink wink* My 100w dsl sounds harsh with a strat no matter what, but it's a monster.. Maybe I can't quite push it to the sweet spot, whereas a 20 watter might be able to do it. Most strat players back in the day used things to further boost marshalls because single coils were weak, but dsl doesn't really suffer from not having enough of tone, it just seems like it's incapable of mellower tones, like it's too tight when I play it.. You however achieved very nice old school tones with humbuckers, I would really like to hear a strat in your hands

[@mkds7756]

90% of that tone has to be in that cab and speakers. I’ve bought a DSL40CR after watching your dsl videos, it sounds ok. I’m on the hunt for a vintage celestion to throw in there, I think it will help tremendously, any suggestions on which one would be best johan?

[@JohanSegeborn]

Glad to hear that! I’d get a T1281 Greenback from before 73 and use the 20W mode on the amp. Using the 40W mode I’d get a 1980s Celestion Marshall Vintage

[@mkds7756]

@@JohanSegeborn thanks!

[@brianstebbins8208]

Try the celestion EVH. I don't know how it compares to a vintage greenback, but Eddie thought it sounded like one. I agree with Eddie. I recently loaded them in my 1x12, 2x12, and 4x12. My amps are Marshall DSLR40, SVH20, and JVM205H.

[@danielhughes5250]

I've been using a vox ac15c1 loaded with a stock 25w Greenback as an extension cab for my DSL40CR. So I'm running the DSL40CR with it's speaker and also the Greenback at the same time. It's a massive improvement. The way I have it wired up is that the DSL40CR speaker gets the majority of the power and the greenback gets the rest. Strangely the greenback cuts through more than DSL Speaker. Anyhow it sounds much better that the stock speaker. Descriptions of sound are hard to put into words but it's a much richer sound. Almost hifi. Pleasant. To add to the above - before I tried the ac15/ greenback as an extension cab I replaced the DSL40CR stock speaker ( Celes vtype) with a Vintage 30 which was not really an improvement. It sounded terrible. Maybe high Gain lovers may have liked it but im more into classic rock and ACDC type sound. So I couldn't be bothered putting the original stock Celestion VTYPE back in the Marshall ( which sounds better than the V30) and just tried the Vox ac15/greenback witht the DSL/V30. Im now very happy with the combo of both these Speakers

[@J_Braz_]

Same here. I bought a Dsl20hr and a Harley Benton 2x12 cab with v30's. I wish there were videos showing the guts of these amps and show how to mod them a bit. It's good for classic rock but I'm a huge Metallica fan and can't really get that Hetfield chug when palm muting. The amp don't "chug" to well for me.

[@bodhidharma2600]

🌞🌞🌞

[@bradleyjpaolucci]

I just bought this amp 2 days ago! Does anyone know if it’s normal for the ultra gain channel to not be as loud as the classic gain channel?

[@_lordshadow1823]

I think I know what you mean, the distortion from the Ultra Gain compresses the sound, so if you hit it less hard, you get less gain, but the volume stays the same. Whereas on the clean channel there is almost no compression which you can see using your pick attack, not only the gain but also the volume changes. It is a matter of compression. Also I think the clean volume follows a slightly different curve than the drive channel volume, at full volume they should be about the same.

[@bradleyjpaolucci]

@@_lordshadow1823 At full volume they should be the same? So at say volume 3 or 4 they would be quite different. Meaning the ultra gain may have to be at 5 or 6 to match the classic.

[@_lordshadow1823]

@@bradleyjpaolucci at full volume they are indeed the same, the ultra gain has a tad less low mids if I am interpreting mine correctly

[@bradleyjpaolucci]

@@_lordshadow1823 thank you very much! I thought I broke something haha. The first day I played it could have sworn I was playing at volume 1 on the ultra gain and it was very loud. Then the next day it was quieter. Maybe its all in my head.

[@NicoKnudsen]

Surprise. Johans tweak was to put the volume on 10😅.

[@kellygrant3074]

Let's see how this sounds if we turn it all the way up? OK, let's go.....

[@DMSProduktions]

Ai ken hardly be vaitink for dat wan! \m/

[@JohanSegeborn]

Cheers DMS!

[@Bonzo314]

My findings exactly. Ha! Can't settle on anything. I guess i don't like the DSL sound. Love my JMP. Nothing sounds good to me with my DSL20HR. The shared eq on two channels doesn't help either.

[@Bonzo314]

One thing i did learn here is to balance the gain with the desirable volume -- as much volume as desired, no more gain than needed to maintain clarity. ...otherwise turns into a buzzing mess

[@randypittman4994]

That has to be really loud.

[@curtjohansen5742]

I like this guy but his set ups always sound the same ,not good. Lamb Chopper is the man for tone settings for all heavy music. When I hear Johan say that's too much gain I wanna puke! No offense Johan but I think there are too many people saying you are the tone master in your stuck in a tone bubble from 1971.

[@bradleyjpaolucci]

Heavy music? Leave.

[@curtjohansen5742]

@@bradleyjpaolucci Marshall = Heavy Distorted Guitar

[@bradleyjpaolucci]

@@curtjohansen5742classic rock and modern hard rock but I wouldn’t say Marshall is tied to metal of any sort.

[@curtjohansen5742]

@@bradleyjpaolucci Iron Maiden Judas Priest, 80's metal.

[@bradleyjpaolucci]

@@curtjohansen5742 true

[@louaguado995]

Too bright. There's a harshness in the treble that I just don't like. I've owned 3 Marshall heads and 2 combo's and they all had that harsh treble sound except for a hybrid avt 50 head! I prefer Blackstar amp's now, much smoother treble and presence than Marshall

[@florisvanlingen]

Well that's what Marshalls are know for and make them stand out in a mix, dialing the treble back and increasing the prescence often does the trick if it's too harsh. Blackstars have a different gain structure which is les crunchier but smoother. I used to own an HT5 but shy away from blackstars due to their lifespan and repairableness.

[@hamrecordings]

I usually have treble on zero and everything else dimed on Plexis