Marshall DSL100HR | Classic Plexi & JCM 800 Settings

[@grumpyoldrockers1048]

Man, I got to tell you, I was about ready to toss this thing until I saw this video. OMG it changed my whole outlook on it and I haven’t even added an EQ yet! Holy moly can’t thank you enough!

[@HollywoodRareGuitars]

That’s awesome!!

[@grumpyoldrockers1048]

@@HollywoodRareGuitars it’s brand spanking new right out of the box. I couldn’t stand the sound having an EVH slew of amps. But I just might keep her now. Oh and the Reverb sucks on these amps, any suggestions with that?

[@AvnerRosenstein-ULTRA-LXV]

@@grumpyoldrockers1048 It's very simple. A reverb stompbox does wonders lol.

[@BigTyronie]

@@grumpyoldrockers1048i literally dont understand how people didnt understand how to use these. Im not even being a digg. Like you crank the amp and then add channel volume to get the gain. I run this in tandem with a mesa stiletto deuce. I wanted a recto for the sub sonic bass and low mids but i got a deuce and mesa oversize cab for 1400$ because “theyre junk”. Its a rabid dog of an amp. The mesa is dimed to be the correct volume. The dsl is turned back a bit. Its definitely louder. But my dsl is mostly mids and a bit of treble. The mesa i have more bass and mids. Its also got a short delay on it. My previous setup was a superbass and a bogner uberschall.

[@jasonsapp792]

Finally .. someone posting really useful content on the 100HR... Most videos are a lot of talking but not really informative... Thanks!

[@HollywoodRareGuitars]

Thanks!

[@DavidKasan]

Exactly! You said more (with examples) in under 6 minutes than others do in half an hour!

[@cliffords2315]

Pretty good, i was an 70s early 80s hard rock musician, pretty good comparison, the way we had high gain in the old days with the Plexis was to pretty much Jumper the two chanels and use a high output Pickups, we also used preamps in Strats to get enough output to overload the input cranked on at least 8 or 9. We had 25 watt Greenbacks that broke up easily also. We also had rewired Plexis adding a master volume in the back of the amp, that took the Plexis up to the first Marshalls with Master volumes. This amp is great because you can do all those things with this amp.

[@HollywoodRareGuitars]

It's a great amp for the price, of course my plexi's and 800's are amazing!

[@cliffords2315]

Thats exactly how We did it in the 70s and used SD1 in the 80s, we were always 10 years behind on new Marshalls so we had Plexi's in the 70s when they were dirt cheap, then the Master Volume Super Leads from the late 70s in the 80s. Funny how we didnt get it that we had the best amps, and for a funny reason we couldnt afford the new ones LOL Imagine buying a used 1969 Plexi Stack for $400 !

[@HollywoodRareGuitars]

@@cliffords2315 Thanks for info!

[@justinp173]

@@cliffords2315 like how used Peavey 5150's were dirt cheap and now are insanely priced. Sounds like you has some awesome amps through the 70's and 80's. Must've been fun cranking those classic Marshalls.

[@MichaelKane-d6g]

Dude literally the best video ever on this model amp! You made me go buy one for sure! Best sound

[@HollywoodRareGuitars]

Thanks for subscribing if you are, it's an amazing amp

[@NYCguitarist]

Great job, I think a lot of people crank the masters, but I think this is a better way to control the amp. Also good to have the masters at two different volumes for a solo, or just balance the different sounds. Great job and I'm jealous of all your amps!!!

[@HollywoodRareGuitars]

Thanks for checking it out. Everyday I'm posting videos of all of these amps, so really used to the sound. This DSL is very clear and has a ton of bite and presence, also super loud.

[@michaelinglis567]

That's how I do it. I've had this amp since the month it launched. They are good masters implemented well so diming them is dumb. I also added a choke to mine (Hammond 194G, plexi style choke) on a switch mounted to the chassis so you can a/b the choke or the stock resistor. I also added the dsl100H bright cap back to the board on a switch on the ultra channel as well as a split the difference cap value also on that switch(they removed that cap from the dsl100hr since many people removed it on the 100h but I think it's too flat with no cap at all. Luckily they left a place on the DSL100HR board unpopulated specifically so you could add that cap back in easily and cleanly if you so desired). It's a wonderful amp and I really love mine.

[@danpatten2326]

Great video!! I purchased this amp and this video was a game changer! Love my DSL100HR Now! Big thank you!!!

[@HollywoodRareGuitars]

Thanks for subscribing hundreds of Marshall videos on my channel

[@vin9976]

These worked pretty well for my DSL40CR btw! Thanks dude.

[@HollywoodRareGuitars]

Nice

[@vin9976]

Hey is there a way to tighten up the lows/responsiveness on the DSL to be a bit closer to the JCM? Can a pedal do that? I’m gonna swap for a evc823 in v1 to knock done the gain a bit in the OD channels but curious of whatelse I can do

[@HollywoodRareGuitars]

@@vin9976 pedal can but hot mod should work in it, I will try it soon

[@vin9976]

Sick! No enough formal mods out there for the 40/100hr. It’s a very good amp, it would be GREAT with a good mod I bet! Looking forward to what you come up. Document it if you can. Cheers and thanks again.

[@phillamoore157]

Best buy on the planet….has a really nice clean channel, as well. Great demo!

[@HollywoodRareGuitars]

Thanks for subscribing if you are now

[@phillamoore157]

@@HollywoodRareGuitarsYup! Just subscribed. 👍

[@Tatted-ne7tu]

Thanks for this, I just dimed the master and kind of worked everything from there ever since. I’ve never tried to go back and mess with it. I’ll be sure and try this.

[@HollywoodRareGuitars]

For sure

[@thomasturner8064]

One of the best bargains on a tube amp these days. Very versatile, nice clean channel which Marshall's weren't always known for, plenty of bottom end if you desire it and accept pedals well. The JCM DSL 2000 was one of the best selling Marshall heads of all time and this is pretty much the same amp improved.

[@HollywoodRareGuitars]

Yeah it is better than jcm 2000

[@thomasturner8064]

@@HollywoodRareGuitars I lucked out and bought a DSL 100 used that looked like it just came out of the box for $450. Full price back then was $899 but still would have been a good deal. Not sure about the modern 4x12 cabs tho. I like the 1960 cabs. Also sounds good with Greenbacks and I have a cab with 2 Celestion Vintage 30s and 2 Eminence Swamp Thangs that sounds pretty damn good. As far as 2x12 cabs the Orange 212 closed back is hard to beat. It ain't cheap but it's built to last forever and sounds great. Anyway just babbling, sorry lol

[@RodrigoSchwinden]

Nice video, nice tones! I'm here seeking for tone ideas for my DSL40CR and this sounds great for sure! Great job.

[@HollywoodRareGuitars]

thanks I have a tone of videos of this amp and lots more

[@vidal-alcon]

Nice tone you got there. I use same settings but I tend to reduce the treble depending on the guitar but always below 4. Great demo 👍

[@HollywoodRareGuitars]

thanks for subscribing if you are

[@michaelinglis567]

Wow, that actually works great. I added a Hammond 194G to my 100HR and i really think it made a considerable improvement to what was already a great amp. I wired the choke up on a switch that i installed on top of the chassis next to the choke so i can select the choke or the the stock resistor. I build amps and pedals so there was no way that i wasnt going to mod my DSL in some way, i couldnt resist lol. But back on topic, i gotta say those settings really are surprisingly close to a plexi and 800. Ive played a few JCM800's but ive never played through an actual true plexi. But ive heard enough recordings of plexi's and played through enough circuits loosely based on plexis to say that i think you did a great job approximating them with the DSL. Ive had my DSL100HR since the month they launched them and ive been very happy with it. I also typically keep the preamp volumes up and control the amp with the masters (as it was obviously designed to be used). But a lot of guys on the Marshall amp forum still think every master volume is bad and should be bypassed/dimed (because they heard the old wisdom that wont die about master volumes being bad for your tone from back when that was true 50 years ago). But these modern amps implement significantly better master volumes that actually work really well. Power amp distortion is wonderful yes, but proper gain staging is better than just always diming the volume and rolling back the preamp lol. Anyways, great tips! In all the time i had this amp (and quite frankly all the time ive been playing guitar and building amps) I never dared roll back the bass all the way but it actually works great. These FMV tone stacks still surprise me after all this time using them.

[@HollywoodRareGuitars]

my other videos have shootouts vs jcm 800 and plexi and more with this amp

[@michaelinglis567]

@@HollywoodRareGuitars I dont think ive seen them yet but id like to. Ill have to go check them out. Thanks for letting me know!

[@HollywoodRareGuitars]

@@michaelinglis567 search dsl 100hr in my videos section. There are a bunch

[@michaelinglis567]

@@HollywoodRareGuitars I just watched another one of them this morning and i plan on watching the others tonight when im not busy (i really enjoyed the one i watched earlier, i think it was your initial demo of the DSL100HR.. Just out of curiosity, what tubes are you running in your DSL? I run NOS in my smaller amps that i build myself cause it not as expensive as buying NOS quads that are only going to last a year and a half. So for the DSL100HR i stick to current production for the output tubes and a mix of NOS and CP for the preamp tubes. Specifically for my DSL100HR the output tube ive liked most is the Electro Harmonix EH EL34. Ive rolled a handful on current production EL34's in this amp like the JJ EL34 of course, the JJ KT77, Mullard reissue and the Tung SOL EL34B (tons of bass which just made the amp sound more like a fender and not like a Marshall at all and all that bass really disturbed the gain character, i can tell its a quality tube though but i just didnt think it was a voicing that worked for a Marshall. But a lot of guys swear by them) But I always come back to the EH EL34, to me they sound the most like the NOS EL34s ive played through in other amps/circuits. In fact ive liked the EH EL34s better than all the others ive tried by quite a large margin. But im always interested to hear what other people are running and why. Anyhow, Thanks again for the tip about the other videos!

[@ZacharyMoonshine]

I played through one the other day at a guitar shop and i was blown away by how good it sounded. Lots of clarity and detail in every note, even when the gain was all the way up on the high gain channel.

[@HollywoodRareGuitars]

Yeah man

[@andreasbrunetti]

Great demo man!! Excellent

[@HollywoodRareGuitars]

Thanks for subscribing if you are now!

[@Bob-tp3nx]

Speaker choice really matters a lot with this amp. I thought I'd love Vintage 30's but that wasnt the case at all. I wound up with G12T-75's and WGS ET65's in an X pattern in my 4x12 and it's a total beast.

[@HollywoodRareGuitars]

thanks for subscribing

[@baljeevanbhatia3511]

Awesome video! I’m deciding on if I should spend the money on a JCM800 2203, OR this DSL100HR and pairing it with a UAX Lion. What do you recommend?

[@HollywoodRareGuitars]

Big difference in price, depends on your budget. I prefer the 2203

[@user-wi1776]

That sounds pretty damn good, mate! I want one of these in the worse way. Sweetwater is selling the half stack with either the straight or angled cab. I want that with a Boss SD-1 to drive the front and a Boss GX-100 for effects in the loop. You're golden!! Nice sounds!

[@HollywoodRareGuitars]

I am selling this one.

[@BigTyronie]

Those mg series cabinets are pretty awful… if you can get a used used marshall 1960s series cabinet heavily used its better than the mg series cabs that come with those online deals.

[@thecompletejake]

I have found that I have better luck with the master dimed and then control volume with the channel volumes instead. I keep master 1 at 9 o'clock and master 2 maxed for solos. Then every other knob, apart from the channel volumes I just keep set to 10 and it sounds fantastic. When I dimed the channel volumes then controled output with the masters it didn't work as well and introduced that annoying fx loop volume drop. When you juice the masters the fx loop doesn't suffer that way.

[@HollywoodRareGuitars]

I think I tried that and there was more noise. There is a volume drop with loop on

[@grahamjarman]

u are diming a 100w amp, that doesnt kill you?

[@thecompletejake]

@@grahamjarman you use the channel volumes to control actual output.

[@ahankararockband]

Great demo and great amp. Thank you. 🎸❤️

[@HollywoodRareGuitars]

thanks

[@svenblomberg7544]

What guitar / what kind of pickup’s are you playing in this vid? Love the channel and the tips!

[@HollywoodRareGuitars]

@@svenblomberg7544 thanks, les paul custom stock pickups

[@alejandro8159]

Great video!!! I only have a question: What about the " tone shift" button? I'm not sure which position you're using (on or off). Thanks!

[@HollywoodRareGuitars]

Not using it, makes it more metal kind scooped sounds

[@alejandro8159]

@@HollywoodRareGuitars Thanks!!

[@iainbrooks]

Hey, what cab are you playing through here? Great work!

[@HollywoodRareGuitars]

@@iainbrooks 1960bx

[@JBonJavi]

@@HollywoodRareGuitars Yo tengo 1960AV, por tanto esa confi de Presence 7, middle 6,5, treble 6,5, podría convertirse en Presence 5, midde 5, y treble 5, por ejemplo????

[@metalinsights9664]

It would be nice to see an A/B comparison, maybe with some typical JCM800 settings, such as all EQ on 5 or 6. I would be really curious to see how big the difference in bass on tap is between the two amps, as I've heard differing opinions, ranging from how little bass the JCM800 has, to how the JCM800 has the biggest bass of any Marshall.

[@HollywoodRareGuitars]

I have those videos of this amp already. Also vs plexi. Look on my channel for shootouts. I think JCM 800 has a lot of bass, bluesbreaker and 1987x are bassy. The dsl 100hr has a lot of bass

[@metalinsights9664]

@@HollywoodRareGuitars Cool beans. How does the JCM800 compare to the DSL100 in terms of bass? I've seem people who roll off the Bass knob on the DSL complete to supposedly get into JCM800 territory. Then again, a lot of people say that the JCM800 doesn't have a lot of bass and crank the bass on the JCM800 to 10 as a matter of routine.

[@jaredriley4071]

Doesn't the DSL have more low end than the 800?​@HollywoodRareGuitars

[@BigTyronie]

@@jaredriley4071i think the dsl has way more bass. And lower frequencies of bass. The 800 has bass but more woofy.

[@jaredriley4071]

@BigTyronie That heavy low-end thump of the DSL100HR on the red channel is savage in the room.

[@73prd]

I've found the amp sounds better with the masters cranked and channel volumes for main volume BUT I have the dslhr

[@HollywoodRareGuitars]

thanks for subscribing if you are now!

[@fadlyhans82]

Should I get a used JCM2000H or this new? Just playing at home and will crank up when allowed. TIA. 🤘

[@HollywoodRareGuitars]

Buy the one I'm selling in this video from me! Ships from Los Angeles $999

[@13_on_guitar]

I have the 40 w amp. Gonna sell mine in a year or so for this one but the dsl series is great

[@HollywoodRareGuitars]

Yeah they are great for the price

[@Steven-zg5bq]

nice collection! I have the 1960 hw bottom s, guitar players going thru 1x12 or 2x12s. they dont know what they are missing! I had the 1959slp. and returned it, it was unusable, too loud! got the dsl100hr , just right....a fine head.

[@HollywoodRareGuitars]

yeah have to get master volume mod on the plexi or it is useless. But worth it after mod, nothing better

[@ronaldcarmona698]

Need help please: I have one of these and want to know what the bias should be set at to get good sound. Where can I find good instructions on how to do it myself, because there is no technician where I live. It sounds good but I can tell it's not 100%. It's still at the factory setting. Thanks.

[@HollywoodRareGuitars]

Not sure never biased it

[@zoomzoom3950]

Have you tried high master volume levels with lower preamp levels to get the power amp saturation / sag / sponginess? Great sounds and demo; thanks for sharing your settings.

[@HollywoodRareGuitars]

Yeah you get more noise when doing that, tried all options, this was closest to classic amps

[@briant40]

I agree! It’s the best bang for the buck amp. You need to swap out the preamp tubes to get the best results the just imo are meh… that’s why you hear the early breakup on the cleans. If you can get NOS preamp tubes? You’ll not only get rid of it but richer, fuller tones with less high end bite.

[@HollywoodRareGuitars]

Nice, thanks for watching

[@myuncle2]

great demo. What do you think of the new PRS HDX20? Cheap but apparently better components than a SV20 :)

[@HollywoodRareGuitars]

Not sure about that one

[@karl3349]

Great video!! I have the same amp with 1960 A and B cabs. I play a lot of classic 70's Skynyrd. I have a Gibson explorer and Squire Strat. Can you help me at all with the sound I am looking for? I'm not sure if your first segment with Plexi sound would be close or not. I also have compression and EQ pedals. Thanks!! Karl

[@HollywoodRareGuitars]

it should work with either guitar, just the might need to adjust the bass middle and treble depending.

[@bradleyjpaolucci]

Can I get close on the DSL 20 head? No master though

[@HollywoodRareGuitars]

Possibly, should have similar tone at home. Just with a band you will lose the power of the 100 watts this one has

[@Pauli2323]

I have been thinking to buy this amp but i am not sure that can i play that thing with a low volume? like a bedroom volume? or dose it loose tone when you play low volume?

[@HollywoodRareGuitars]

This one is for sale like New, sounds great at low volume.

[@thefrontrank2006]

is it possible to get a JCM900 sound from this amp? Im looking to get an early Oasis sound??

[@HollywoodRareGuitars]

I would think so, but you think they could have used Vox and vintage amps for their sound?

[@thefrontrank2006]

@@HollywoodRareGuitars Nah… I’m an oasis superfan. between ‘94 & ‘98 they primarily uses Marshall’s. Bonehead used a Plexi where Noel favoured a JCM 900 I can’t afford either of them amps, so I was looking for something a little cheaper that can emulate them kinds of tones

[@HollywoodRareGuitars]

@@thefrontrank2006 A lot of times bands would use multi channel amps live like jcm 900, but in the studio a lot of vintage amps. I like Oasis too, I think the dsl amps should get you there, or jcm 800 2 channel, even the cheaper mg 100dfx can get you there for a home amp.

[@rivercityaudio4692]

Is this with the stock tubes?

[@HollywoodRareGuitars]

yes, new out of the box

[@JohnWick-vb2es]

Respectfully, how the hell are you not blowing the HT fuse with both channels dimed.

[@HollywoodRareGuitars]

master volume is pretty low

[@Ray_Wood_1984]

🙇‍♂️💓🍀🎶

[@HollywoodRareGuitars]

thanks for subscribing if you are now

[@sabbathbeast1322]

Can you help me get a thrash tone dude and sound like Dave mustaine,Kerry King

[@HollywoodRareGuitars]

Probably od 2 ultra gain, or green with an overdrive boost like a Boss SD1 like Zakk Wylde

[@darricksword9282]

Od 1 with mids at 2 lows at 11 and highs at 2:30 with the drive and channel volume cranked gets a very close peace sells tone

[@marvelharris9540]

resonance knob off... good man! theres way too much low end these days

[@HollywoodRareGuitars]

Yeah a good cab like this puts out so much low end already 1960BX, also all of those great classic amps didn't have that knob on them.

[@brandonjackson5865]

The resonance knob is nice on the DSL20cr and maybe for lower volumes on the bigger amps, but I think all amps should have presence and resonance ever since I’ve had my DSL20cr , it really helps open up the small combo and make it sound less boxy and bigger but as the volume goes up the resonance goes down for me at least.

[@HollywoodRareGuitars]

@@brandonjackson5865 this 1960bx cab has a lot of bass already so resonance knob isn’t needed. And when cranking the volume really loud gets more bassy. I understand small combo amps needing to sound bigger

[@brandonjackson5865]

@@HollywoodRareGuitars definitely I think the resonance controls are more useful for bedroom players, I like the option of having it . I wish Marshall would do something with the Tone Shift feature and make it something useful, does anyone actually use it on the DSL ? I think if they would put it on a pot and it shifted the mids instead of scooping them, making it something like the Orange and Blackstar US-British voice type thing.

[@sonnyseabury4051]

Thanks for telling about this new video, brother. Nice sounding amp, for a great price. IMHO though, it's most definitely not on the same level, or in the same ranks, as a Friedman, Metropoulos, or Soldano though. If somebody is in the market for a good sounding amp, with a small price tag, it's definitely an amp that will give you, a whole lot of bang for your buck though. As far as Marshall goes, I'm partial to my Marshall SC Silver Jubilee 20 watt Amphead, and my Marshall SC 20 watt, Mini Plexi 1959 slp.

[@HollywoodRareGuitars]

Do you own all of these amp? After playing all of these everyday, it's really close. This video I'm not using the sm57 like usual, just a room mic on my camera. It's really all about the speakers and the cabs more, if you check my new ultimate amp shootout video, you will see that they all sound about the same through the same speakers.

[@sonnyseabury4051]

@@HollywoodRareGuitars I'll write you a list of all of my amps. They're all tube Ampheads. I don't like solid state or hybrid amps. Has to be all tube for me. 1. Mesa Boogie Mark 5- 35....2. Soldano SLO-30.....3..Friedman BE-50 Deluxe....4. Friedman Twin Sister....5. Marshall SC 20 Silver Jubilee.....6. Marshall SC 20 Mini 1959 SLP......7. Metropoulos DVL-1. Have 14 guitars...All USA Made and Custom Shops

[@HollywoodRareGuitars]

@@sonnyseabury4051 nice

[@sonnyseabury4051]

@@HollywoodRareGuitars Thanks brother

[@buzzurddoomicus2132]

What settings for fuzz?

[@HollywoodRareGuitars]

with fuzz pedal?

[@JBonJavi]

Hello. Are the channels and modes balanced in the equalization? My question is that since there is only one general equalization for all channels/modes, I was wondering if when changing between channels one channel is too high and another too low. Regards.

[@HollywoodRareGuitars]

The eq is pretty balanced and close to a JCM 800 2203

[@JBonJavi]

@@HollywoodRareGuitars Ok, thanks! Have you tried the Boss SD-1 pedal on the DSL100HR? Do you think it's worth it alongside this amp? Regards.

[@JBonJavi]

​@@HollywoodRareGuitars I already have the amp. It sounds exactly like in your video. Since I use 1960AV I have configured it with your settings, but the Treble and Middle are a little lower. I love the sound. Regards