The Last Classic Marshall? JCM 2000 DSL 50

These amps sound great and are easy to find cheap on the used market. Every guitar player should own one.

[@LeonTodd]

It's wild revisiting this video a few years down the track. I've certainly learned a thing or two about video production since this, but the DSL still rocks!

[@senoirmunchez]

Hey mate loving the channel - I live with others, would you recommend the 1W DSL head to get the JCM 2000 type vibe? thanks dooooood

[@konts6611]

Is there any difference between the jcm2000 dsl50 and the dsl50 on its own;;

[@axeslinger]

I currently have a JVM410H. I love it, very versatile but after watching your video I think I need to buy a JCM2000 50 watt. It's got that early 2000 sound to it. Perhaps it just brings me nostalgia of listening to hard rock and metal bands in highschool. Digging the tone.

[@joshdeal575]

@@konts6611 No. DSL50 is simply referring to the kind of JCM2000. The JCM2000 range has both the DSL and TSL series of amps, both in various wattages.

[@dreyn7780]

Which DSL are you refering to? The original is 20 years old. They perished 10 years ago according to electrical law and reasonable people.

[@longlivebytor]

I've owned a lot of amps over the last 40 years, and the JCM 2000 DSL 50 is my favorite of them all.

[@bmwf1joel]

Just got this amp head came with a 1960 Lead Cab for $546 what a steal....been looking for one since I watched this video.

[@LeonTodd]

Holy smokes that is a STEAL. How does it sound?

[@dannyaleman_0152]

Found one on offer up for 600 and its absolutely amazing !

[@juanjacob2255]

Hell of a steal man! Congrats!

[@TVoltG]

I got two Marshall 412's, a 2009 1960 Lead top, a 1996 JCM900 412 bottom, a 100 JCM 2000 head, all three in showroom pristine condition and an Epiphone Les Paul Custom for a little over what you paid infoowetrust. This was my best score ever off the net. All because of Leon's JCM2000 videos, I was on the hunt for a good JCM2000. He's like a gear drug dealer. Gives ya a taste and you're hooked. Lol

[@michaellrakes5521]

I got the JCM2000 DSL50 and a 1960A cabinet when the head first came out and I was about 15 ( i made a deal with my dad and agreed to become cheap, child labor by helping him rewiring a bunch of houses for over a good year. I think i probably could've gotten 3 of these for the hours I worked but I didn't complain lol) It's still one of my all time favorite amplifiers and is phenomenal in it's range of sound. One of the best sounding amps I've ever heard. Unfortunately, it's on the fritz right now ( weak power and no gain) so it's heading off the repair shop this weekend!

[@zombieguitar]

Turn the "dirty clean" channel on, crank the volume, reduce the gain to almost nothing. From there plug a tube screamer or a DS1 distortion pedal in the front. The result is the best sounding guitar tone I've ever owned!

[@LeonTodd]

Nice, definitely trying that

[@derpherp8567]

I have this amp and was considering selling it because I also have a laney gh50r combo. You think I should keep it? What did you think about that tube screamer tone?

[@PainterDans]

just cant beat a good Marshall

[@ehoc42]

did you get this from Bonamassa?

[@peterbrusch1493]

Bought one around 2008. It's so versatile. You nearly can't get a bad sound out of it. If clear, crunch or lead, everything sounds so lively. The best amp, I ever had.

[@rareform6747]

I collect Marshall amps , the reissue 100w Plexi is hot and loud , the JCM2000 100w is a Beast !

[@cwds70]

I own a JCM2000 DSL 100watt and I am never parting with it.....best sounding amp i have owned.

[@LeonTodd]

Smart !

[@LuisSoto-ly1jr]

I have had three different Marshall amps, the 900 4100, the SLx and the 2000 DSL. I've played the 800, jmp, Plexi, etc.I've preferred this one. It's very versatile, it has a great tone, sounds totally Marshall, classic and tasty. I thought it was a very bad amp because some reviews, but I was wrong, this is one of the classics.

[@guitarexpert2245]

How does the 2000 compare with the SL-X? I have a 2000 was thinking of selling it for an SL-X which sounds more classic ? Not sure. What's your opinion?

[@MikeAndersonvinyloldies]

@@guitarexpert2245 I had the SL-X and now I have the 2000. If you're gonna get a 900, the mkiii is the one to get. The SL-X sounds a bit muddy to me. That being said, I'd def take this over an SL-X. These get bad reviews online, but I think people don't know how to use them/dial them in. Got mine for $500 and will never sell it.

[@guitarexpert2245]

@@MikeAndersonvinyloldies Thanks for the reply. I like my 2000, just has to be cranked a little.

[@tranqbee6543]

Great job on letting players know what a crisp sounding amp the 2000 is... It’s got it all...clean, break up, dirty, scooped, crunch....all with great touch response. I have a bunch of Marshall’s JCM 800, JCM 900 (Mk III- the good one), Jubilee, Plexi... The 2000 has a more modern sound but still all Marshall goodness. Keep up the good worj

[@LeeKirkman88]

I recently bought a pristine condition 50w one but it had internal problems so instead of going through loads of cures. I bought a brand new updated board and a full set of tubes. Biased them up and it sings its heart out now. Its a keeper now.

[@Twobarpsi]

Changing the board is the best fix!

[@theophany1770]

How much for the fix? Did you do it yourself?

[@Andyanddiana467]

I've played through a few of these in my time. The classic gain channel with the crunch switch engaged sounds better than most amps' dirty channels. Great amp.

[@LeonTodd]

Agreed, it would be a great amp in of itself

[@band5606]

ive been playing this amp for lord....well.. many years. In fact I have 2 of them. I play many show and bands always come up to me and say "what are you running in that, it sounds fucking insane" they look baffled when i tell them " um... a Boss Noise Suppressor pedal , my 68 les paul and thats it" People are so convinced they need 100 watt amp.. NOPE 50W in my opinion is better, you can get the tubes to break up earlier at lower volume. Most stages you play dont like it when you turn up that loud to achieve that tone.. which is why this amp is pure gold!

[@sidpineapple]

I have one from 1998, found it in someones back yard. it sat in the rain for a while (the people were ignoranuses) but after some basic electronics work and some new JJ tubes its running. only thing i should point out to anyone wanting one is the older ones have a bias voltage drift issue that can be remedied with the dr.tube stable bias kit. awesome amp and awesome playing man! :)

[@LeonTodd]

Talk about a diamond in the rough! I just got an email from my tech talking about bias drift in newer Marshall's, interesting coincidence!

[@sidpineapple]

Leon Todd would think that at this stage they'd have figured out a way to prevent that

[@justinlonghofer]

I had a TSL for a while and the lead channel was kinda ratty. I had a DSL made in England and it kicked ass with a boost...soooooo much tone! So I'm on the fence to buy another DSL100, DSL 50 or a DSL 20H...any thoughts people? And Leon its an art unto itself to produce and play guitar at the same time..lots of wonderful editing to appease the KZbin haters lol. Cheers!

[@martypello7870]

I bought a DSL 100 watt in the first 3 months of learning guitar 🎸 Let's say I was a bit taken back when I first powered it up, as it belted me across the room 😂🤟🏽

[@stratocastermaster9]

I alway thought this amp was called duel super lead because one channel is jcm800-900 high gain. The other is super lead. I actually got some really nice medium dirty (warm) clean tones from the clean channel. Great demo mate.

[@sevendblackjem]

Luke Porter it was Marshall’s take on two great amps in one. A Plexi and JCM 800 with extra gain on tap. I bought one new when the amp came out and Jim Marshall disclosed the aforementioned statement in the owner’s manual. It’s a great amp for sure, Jeff Beck used the DSL 50 for many years... 🎸✌🏿💯

[@jcows12]

Bought one right out of high school for 1200 when they first came out and got a good deal on a mode four cab couple months later. I gigged it a fair bit and still have it today. Its THE Marshall tone. Ive had it for over 13 years probably will never get rid of it either.

[@LeonTodd]

Money well spent

[@volltroll]

I owned this amp 2 times and regret selling it again. It is a beast!! the crunch mode on the clean channel can sound really good with pedals and with the right cab and maybe a ts9 the higain 1 sounds so tight!! You don't need anything else

[@TonyMartin-xg1rd]

Just got me one of these for next to nothing off eBay. Used a TSL for years which by the way, has always sounded pretty awesome to my ears! Especially the crunch channel 👌🏼 That said, this DSL sounds wicked man. Love the stripped down vibe, uncomplicated, out and out rock amp. Love the vids Leon! I know this one is a few years old now but keep em coming! 😄

[@Kyush4]

To me this one and the JVM are the best.

[@LeonTodd]

I haven't spent a lot of time with the JVM, but i definitely liked it more than the TSL series.

[@davidstafford1071]

I used to use the old Super Leads in the 70's and have owned most amps since then, the DSL 50 is brilliant. A real "sleeper" and an overlooked amp that has some bad reviews but I got a few years ago is a Genz Benz El Diablo 100/50 head. With some tweaking, this amp is absolutely amazing, I'm not talking metal/thrash but for articulation, anything from Moore to Lynch is there.

[@davesaenz3732]

I just got rid of my Marshall dsl40c 50 watt tube amp and got a Katana 50. Sounds very good for a solid state amp. In my opinion it sounds better than the marshall. I am very happy with the tone and array of effects you can use through computer. Also, much more affordable.

[@darklinkduck2275]

Dave Saenz I gotta say I whole hardly disagree with you maybe because you can play the katana at a lower volume and have it still push the speaker it sounds better to you but the dsl40c is a way better amp than the katana sonically and arguably versatility aswell. My best friend got one and I was messing with the tone studio and I have to say I was underwhelmed the katana is amazing for the price but There are very few amp models besides clean, crunch gain and more gain. I can’t stack delays or boost. I think you can stack modulation effects but it’s super limited. As someone who is a die hard tube amp fan and who has used DI amp sims and plugins the katana is at best a good sounding practice amp you can play a gig with.

[@matthewlewis281]

I had a JCM2000 100 watt version and the 50 watt versions seems to sound better. Do you echo the sentiment Leon?

[@stonehouseguitars3869]

The 50w Marshalls always sound more round and creamy and have more low end while the 100w all have a harder edge and more treble response. All Marshalls are this way pretty much. That's why I get a 100w and a 50w and run them both together. Maximum orgasm of marshall tone. Plexi JCM DSL whatever doesn't matter. Just a 50w and 100w together.

[@ericolson8016]

This amp is a monster of great raw tone. It makes no sense why anyone (me included) would buy a boutique amp to emulate the tone of a Marshall. Bogner, Friedman, Fargen, Splawn....etc which are all killer amps try and sound like a Marshall.. The only amp that truly sounds like a Marshall is a Marshall! For me the JCM 2000 50 is the tone in my chimp head. I plug into it and play the damn guitar and don't want to stop. Killer video!

[@dreyn7780]

Ritchie Blackmore was right folks! The presence control feature had to be removed from the amp and then the player had to reverse the treble pickup tone power and that would have cause most player to sound just like RB. It was the best approach to using the marshall product. Players the world over should mostly be playing the R B amp by now. Fender ans Seymour Duncan perfected the RB sound/ guitar model. So much so, that its still THE BEST AND BIGGEST strat sound of all time! Ritchie knew his stuff! That's fact! RB should have made the RB amp a LONG time ago! The world missed the point driven home by RB, and so the world kept playing old out dated amps with presence controls instead of building the amps without it, which has now been done by Marshall. Too little to late! The bubble has burst and players are fully crazy & lost! Sad to see but its true.

[@voltaspeeder17]

Such an amazing sounding machine, i'm seriously concidering buying it. Do you think 50W head and 4x12 cab is gonna be enough for band practice at pretty loud volume? Or would i need to buy 100W version? I'd like to play it at home too, without needing to turn it full on to get decent sound, so i'm leaning more towards 50W..

[@LeonTodd]

50w is more than enough

[@tsargoyle]

I’ve got one of these and a 4x12 and it’s enough to drown a drummer out! They’re incredible amps with a lot of volume.

[@Twobarpsi]

Only 3dB difference in loudness between 50w and 100w

[@eikbike]

I just pulled the trigger on one of these! Thanks for the advice!!!

[@Twobarpsi]

I love mine. I also own a digital modeler, and a Mesa Triple. The TSLs make your ears bleed, in a bad way. You need to run the DSL through V30s. Sounds perfect! Don't use a Marshall cabinet!

[@spaceavenger54]

Leon, I had this amp around 2007 or so it was gigging out with it. I did have it highly modified and I was getting like vh2 sound out of it until my friend dropped it helping me unloaded after a day well it was all over with after that, but anyway the thing sounded amazing the problem I ran into is every club in the area I played in The sound guy always complained it was too loud and wanted it turned down and it just didn't sound good it turned down at two or three trying to play with a band. One day we got to play at a Labor Day parade on a huge outdoor concert stage, I had it turned up to a 9 or 10 and it was the most amazing sound I had ever heard I had so many compliments from the sound guy to people out in the thstcrowded didn't know what they were talking about,lol with this thing just saying great but again every little club it was too loud had to be turned down and I got to be a pain hauling around a 412 and an 18 space rack, God I was so into the 80s LOL. I had this thing so moded and I even had red tolex put on and a gold Marshall logo. I used the tube streamer on the clean sound with an EQ in the loop that gave me an extra channel that was just totally awesome, having a switching system I was able to use the two streamer and other puddles for a lot of various channels etc etc without having to do a bunch of tap dancing. I had a mod that allowed me to switch it down to 25 watts but it's still people were complaining sound guys usually that it was just too loud. So I ended up going for a 112 combo, after 10 years of not playing at all and I got a PV valve king and it was slightly modified different tubes different speaker and honestly sounded really good the 6l6 tubes gave me a nice punchy rhythm, playing leads didn't feel right under my hands like the Marshall did but didn't seem to have that sag or that reaction but I got by with some boost pedals etc etc, and I did get an awful lot of comments on that sound that little cheap and compared to the DSL 50, but I wish I had just been able to keep the DSL 50 just to have it. I had to sell it and the red voodoo crate 412 I had loaded with v30s. I've since been reduced to only playing through a PV rage 158 with a little 8-in speaker, which I just took the blue morrow at swap with a celestion 8:15 by the way did wonders for the end and I'm using some mxr pedals that have come an aweful a long way lol. I don't have my awesome switching system anymore or the power of the DSl and the ultimate sound that it produced, but I love that amp and I love that set up. I just heard some demos for some mini either 800 or 900 heads and man they just weren't cutting it for me. No a friend of mine had a tsl and new too it didn't sound as good as the DSL don't know what that extra channel was all about or what it did to the sound but it just was not anywhere near as good as my DSl of course the guy didn't have it as moded as I did either.

[@Andithewicked]

I agree with you! It IS the last classic Marshall! Should be reissued in exact the way they were before jvm came out! I love this Amp! I´ve two of them and they are kickín ass!!! At the moment i boost the clean channel in the 2nd voicing (full gain) with a Lehle sunday Driver! and i´m using the Ultra gain channel for lead sounds! BRUTAL!!! I owned a small dsl20 (These ne ones from Vietnam) but he had´nt had the authentic dsl Sound the stores are telling us... so i sold it.

[@94SexyStang]

I have the Dsl100 Vietnam and Love it........they are made for more MODERN stuff....distortion is thicker than classic JCM.......which is more Mid range crunch classic type stuff.

[@Andithewicked]

Mike Fu i‘ve never tried the new „big“ DSL‘s but the small one had a huge amount of gain so the poti worked just until 12 o‘clock. After that there was only gain und you did‘nt hear the difference to full gain. Are the big dsl‘s better?

[@adamwatson6916]

I'm in the market for one of these but they never come up for sale in my area . I love 40 to 50 watt master volume amps and they DSl 50 would be perfect for me .

[@torbjrnhansen1073]

Just love this amp, I bought mine the same year they came out in the late 90s and havent played any other amp since.

[@chrismonahan9349]

13 people, were having an awful day! great sounding amp, might pick one up for my 4x10 :D great demo mate

[@fmorin71234]

Leon I tried to make this amp suck because of what I've heard from...professionals. It's always slayed and more versatile than the Plexi I bought because of the input I heard. Never again dude it's my favorite amp! The clean channel is so loud and can be used with effects to play most any genre

[@LeonTodd]

It's a monster for sure!

[@fmorin71234]

@@LeonTodd I'm not good enough to own better thanks for the reply

[@LeonTodd]

@@fmorin71234 in all seriousness, it's about using gear that works for you rather than searching for something "better". I've recorded a few albums with a DSL and still love the way it sounds! Riff on.

[@tomnicholson6171]

I stuck 6CA7. EHX power tubes in. It sizzles. Cantrell Wah. Suhr Riot! Reloaded. Middle switch. 🦎 Queen. Carbon Copy. Nothing in the loop. Better A/B switch. I don't throttle it. You can. It's good. I'm thinking of adding a HM-2. And throwing all the dirt, into a noise clamp. Orange script. Next.

[@LeonTodd]

I bet this is unreal with 6CA7's!

[@gordontubbs]

In theory, it could even summon the Bifrost.

[@nickyounger1368]

Meant to be the greatest in Asgarrd.

[@gordontubbs]

@@nickyounger1368 Assguard? What's that?

[@rickleblanc8900]

@@gordontubbs Assguard is part of Viking lore, as in : Vikings will kick your Assguard !

[@ShootNeutrality]

I use the 100W version with a Fender cab loaded with v30s. Super win.

[@hq72hotmale]

Leon would you feel the same if this was a jcm2000 DSL 100 head as there is so much talk out there about 50 vs 100 models not to mention this bias drift issues in much earlier models

[@colinjwilliams6149]

I used a dsl100 formthenlasr 12 yeàrs gigging once a month Broke down about 3 times Has to be cranked to 6 plus to get going A palmer speaker di goes weĺ with it Best amp ever

[@LeonTodd]

Team DSL!

[@christaylor9303]

Bought a used 100W for $350 and all it needed was a reverb tank. Liked it so much I bought the 50W. Love them both but slight edge to the 50W.

[@LeonTodd]

Awesome!

[@jambo383]

Chris Taylor why do you like the 50 better? Trying to decide between the two myself.

[@rrguitar1]

That's the tone right there. I regret big time selling my 2000 50 head. I seriously consider quite often getting one on ebay.

[@LeonTodd]

Luckily they're still easy to come by.

[@p_1210]

Great playing Leon. These are a much better model than the 900 series.

[@LeonTodd]

I find it a lot easier and quicker to dial the DSL in than the 900.

[@p_1210]

Leon Todd I should clarify that. I was comparing mainly to the dual reverbs? The slx is a decent amp, but the dsl with it’s clean channel as well is a no brainer over the other 900’s.

[@LeonTodd]

Peter Cross definitely blows the Dual Reverb away IMO. The DSL green channel would make a great vintage style two channel amp on it's own while the DR clean is average at best.

[@jamesanderson6905]

JCM 2000 is the best amp period

[@DragDealer]

Leon or anyone else who knows, I’m on the verge of getting a 50w jcm2000 do those have the bias drift? Is from 2003 as per serial #

[@plummetplum]

Sounds good. I might be buying a 2nd hand one soon. Are they stock tubes in that model? What tuning do you use?

[@LeonTodd]

I've got JJ tubes in mine. Drop C

[@plummetplum]

@@LeonTodd Thanks Leon. What's the advantage/difference of those tubes over stock.

[@tomasagustinveravicentin7789]

I'm looking foward to buy one of those on the future, i really like the sound, and has 2 channels, thats a really big adventage

[@LeonTodd]

I love this amp so much, do it!

[@Jettblack_]

Leon I know this a older video but I'm interested to know your thoughts on the newer DSL 100 you ever played one,I'm looking for a new head so I'm doing some research

[@martintuppurainen7059]

Love that marshall growl!

[@littlechrisvanhalen8783]

LEON? ARE VAN HALEN BROWN SOUNDS POSSIBLE WITH THIS AMP? THANKS SO MUCH CHRIS FROM AUSTRIA!

[@MrTPF1]

Sounds awesome to my ears!

[@eveningninja9824]

Love your tone and playing. Just ordered a JCM2000 DSL50. This video here is one of the main ones that made me wanna pull the trigger. What pickups are in your LP by the way?

[@LeonTodd]

Glad I could help :) The pickups are stock PRS SC245 pickups.

[@eveningninja9824]

Sweet. Also, what is the serial # on your DSL50? I'm curious the year it was made. The one I just ordered is a 2006.

[@LeonTodd]

I'll have to double check but I believe it's from a similar era.

[@jaybabin-o2421]

Great tones and great playing!

[@LeonTodd]

Jared Babineaux thanks so much Jared

[@paulcastaneda5907]

Leon, why do you like the dsl50 better than the dsl100 ?

[@m.giffin5133]

Leon The Jcm 2000 deal didn't work out the two they sent me were Garbage. But I found a Vintage/Modern 2266 50 watt purple w/ KT66 power tubes This thing is like New still in Original box w/Pedal and Manual etc. I'll let you know more when I get it.

[@LeonTodd]

mike giffin exciting, the VM amps are great. I've really come around to them

[@smokined9120]

Great vid as always. Just wondering what you use for a boost for solos

[@LeonTodd]

Boss SD-1

[@markparkell8417]

settings please

[@davedynamite77]

The JCM2000 DSL 50 was not a bad amp, people were disappointed because when the JCM2000 TSL came out everyone tried it out, and the TSL is not a good amp, the top end is just to shrilling, it hurts the ears....I bought the new Dsl20HR what an amp they added a tone shaping and that works great! So the New Dsl 50H must have the same features...oh BTW THE DSL 20hr has 2 Full Size El34....3 preamp tubes, reverb and effects loop

[@LeonTodd]

that's wicked that the new DSL20 has 34's!

[@christaylor9303]

Oh and picked up the 50W for $450. 2 kickass heads for 800 bucks!

[@manyspaceships]

I fucking love this amp. I dime the whole eq, presence and the gain on the ultra gain channel. It sounds great with any guitar, but when i use my Yamaha SBG1000 its the greatest sound made by humans. People ask me about it at every gig and tell em crank it up! Lol.

[@p_1210]

The only thing with these is the shared eq? Makes it hard to use both channels without adjusting eq! Hard to use as a channel switching amp but a great amp none the less. Were you mainly using lead 1 Leon?

[@LeonTodd]

Definitely. I use it as a single channel amp (lead 2 with the gain around 3 and the deep switch in), never had much luck channel switching with it. The green channel is a decent pedal platform though.

[@p_1210]

Leon Todd yeah I agree mate green channel great pedal platform. Red channel lead 1 is classic rock to 80’s hair metal/ hard rock depending on gain. Lead 2 for all metal genres or lower gain settings can produce good classic/hardrock but overall I think lead 1 has best tone, more 800 ish?

[@LeonTodd]

Peter Cross there's definitely more usable range with the gain control on lead 1

[@DARIOSKYNYRD63]

Did you ever checked out the 1923 "85th" combo? It's so similar, i run one since 6 years. THere's someone here got that amp? Impressions? Thanks in advance.

[@alankotler9971]

Love your videos. I just order a DSL 50 from G.C. However my tech said i should have gotten the 100 watt, more bottom end. The guy at G.C in Hollywood said get the 50. I only play in small clubs? Will i notice that bottom end difference? I respect your opinion. Thx.

[@LeonTodd]

100 watts gives you more clean headroom for sure, but I only ever get these things up to about 3 or 4 on the master anyway. You can always turn the bass or deep switch up/on if you need more bottom end.

[@MikeAndersonvinyloldies]

The 50 has more than enough bottom end. It sounds thin until you get the volume up to like 4.5/5. I keep my bass on 3-4 and don't even use the deep switch. Honestly, the 100w is just more expensive for tube changes

[@stonehouseguitars3869]

50w Marshalls have a darker sound and 100w more treble response but yeah you will get bigger lower lows out of a 100. This assuming you're using a marshall 1960 cab. It all depends on speakers and impedance and how the amp drives them.

[@jeffgreene468]

I miss this amp. :( I used to run it side by side with a Twin Reverb RI.

[@LeonTodd]

That must have been a punchy rig!

[@jeffgreene468]

@@LeonTodd Indeed it was! I do a similar setup with the Fractal now, but it's just not the same. Lol

[@peterdoiron6435]

Leon,what year is dsl 50 ? It sounds amazing.

[@LeonTodd]

Not sure TBH. It's probably the best sounding one I've tried though!

[@peterdoiron6435]

@@LeonTodd I'm looking at one made in 1998,and was wondering if there was any particular year to stay away from. I can't find a bad review on any 50 watt dsl. Thanks for the response, love your channel.

[@connorpitts-west863]

Want one so bad! Full of win. I agree about the TSL, they suck. They just sound terrible. Vintage modern's sound great but they are more in the vintage side. They are slightly more dynamic though but you wouldn't be playing dropped tuned metal with it but hey I could be wrong. JVM's are great but still prefer these and they're really pricey. These are nice and simple, have a ton of gain and musos from all kinds of different genres from light to brutal heavy use em. Such good amps.

[@LeonTodd]

Long live the DSL!

[@thefivepoints]

Hey man were you using any boost pedals on this vid or was it raw amp tone?

[@LeonTodd]

This is raw from memory.

[@thefivepoints]

Leon Todd cool. I'm selling my Peavey 5150 cos its too loud so want to get a decent high gain metal tone from my JCM.

[@johnsimms3957]

It's on my wish list.

[@jerrythomas9041]

The amp and your playing sound great. Do you know if this JCM 2000 is stock or has it been modded? Thanks

[@LeonTodd]

Stock, believe it or not. Sounds a lot better than my 100W version.

[@petkopeet]

How can the 50w version be a lot better than 100w? Other tubes or what? Cheers

[@LeonTodd]

Might be a different transformer or slightly different changes in the output section, or just component to component variation.

[@dreyn7780]

Different circuit, and components so you get a different sound. Even in the same model but different year of production you'll hear a different sound too!

[@LeonTodd]

Dreyn 77 I have two DSL 100's and they sound discernably different. That's part of the fun with analog gear though.

[@hollydazetribute]

This is the only Marshall that I like from the jcm series that's only me.

[@davidhartly9333]

Leon this is perfect for my budget now days i use too have a 80s jcm 800 head I miss it but what cab would ya suggest for this head!!! I want a 4x12 !!! Theyll love me at church hahah!! Thanx Sir!

[@LeonTodd]

Greenbacks are great for a vintage vibe, V30's or G12T75's for more of a modern thing.

[@davidhartly9333]

Thanx bro !!!!!!!

[@davidhartly9333]

How would ya set it up for the greenback on top an the Vintage on the bottom An keep in mind Jimmy Page an 80s hard rock west coast sound!!!!

[@user-jt1ug2eu4w]

Do you think that the combo (JCM2000 DSL401) is as good as the DSL50? Thanks

[@LeonTodd]

I haven't played one in a long time but there are some key differences; the DSL401 uses EL84's in the power section which have a different character and then you're stuck with the built in speaker.

[@user-jt1ug2eu4w]

Leon Todd Thanks for the reply. You are right it has el84s and the absence of presence knob and of the boost button sucks... it has separate eq for the overdrive channels which is helpful for gigging but I would prefer the boost and tone shift button of this one any day. Plus the speaker is not so great.... (although to get pure Marshall tone you need more than one speaker anyway imho). Nice preview of this great amp!

[@LeonTodd]

Thanks! Yeah the EL84/lack of presence thing almost sends it to Marshall meets Vox territory. Definitely a distinct flavour from the classic EL34 Marshall growl.

[@progressivas]

The use of EL84s in the power amp section might be even better since they saturate easier and can produce a musical output tube distortion in any situation. Also the fact that the circuit doesn't feature "tone shift", "mid boost" and all these buttons makes the signal travel in a cleaner circuit which often results into cleaner tone. All the JCM2000s I've tried didn't match the quality of the 401.

[@tsargoyle]

Had both and they’re both great. I sold the DSL401 for the DSL50 but the combo was my main amp for about 10 years and I loved it. I just found the DSL50 to be more open and rounded.

[@williamgreer4087]

I had one and it was just a monster 🤘

[@acidvoodoo1]

I'm thinking about buying a jcm2000 100watt but I play at home volume 90% of the time. Do you think these amps sound good in the bedroom? Or am I crazy even considering it

[@LeonTodd]

acidvoodoo1 they really need to be pushed to at least 3 or 4 on the master volume to really sound appropriate. For bedroom playing you could use it with a loadbox or attenuator though

[@acidvoodoo1]

Leon Todd thanks for the reply! Sounds like 100watts would be a waste of money for me right now. I'll probably stick with my 1watt JCM2000 for time being, just wish it had more thump, lacking in the bigger iron department.

[@dreyn7780]

Do you think marshall hasn't perfected the master volume concept yet? Well, all marshalls with a volume knob work! Try the amps!

[@vilewisher8786]

For the price this is just unbeatable. A JCM 800 2203 just isn't worth it to me if all you're gonna do is slap an overdrive in front of it.

[@LeonTodd]

Bingo

[@thefivepoints]

Is this raw amp tone? I.e. you're not using any pedals?

[@LeonTodd]

Guitar amp and cab!

[@alexwoolridge94aw]

Yup. Great amps. I own 2. My main gigging amps.

[@m.giffin5133]

Leon what's up have a Question about the jcm 2000 and the Vintage modern Do they have the Diode clip in them? reason I'm asking is I use pedals and I heard with the clip pedals don't work that well True or false? Thanks Need to know before I buy either one of them!

[@LeonTodd]

As far as I know neither have diode clipping. Either way, they definitely take pedals great IMO.

[@m.giffin5133]

Thanks Leon I just bought the jcm 2000 DSL I got it at great price. I got it to go with my Laney Gh50L with 1960a Cab w/ Vintage 30's.

[@LeonTodd]

Awesome, I hope it works for you!

[@m.giffin5133]

Just got yesterday but it's going back the reverb is bad. It's not the tank it's a bad circuit so there sending me another one tomorrow. So hopefully the next one works correctly?

[@LeonTodd]

Shame! Fingers crossed everything is in order with the next one :)

[@alankotler9971]

Heard about clipping the C12? I have no idea what that does? Know anything about that? Reccomend or not? Thanks. I trust your opinion!

[@LeonTodd]

It should make the red channel gain control less shrill in the lower ranges. You could always just turn the treble down or boost it with a Tubescreamer or SD-1 though ;)

[@alankotler9971]

Just ordered from Ebay, Maxon OD9. I value your opinion. Thx!

[@MikeAndersonvinyloldies]

If you're gonna clip, just clip one leg so you can solder back easily if you don't like it. I feel it neuters the sound a bit and makes it dull. Honestly, I was thinking of doing that....ended up just using the tone knob on my guitar...made a world of difference.

[@xXBrekoXx]

Hello. Is there footswitch that would be able to change not just classic gain/ultra gain canals but classic gain/ultra gain and also clean/crunch and OD1/OD2 in Marshall JCM 2000 DSL?

[@LeonTodd]

You would need to mod the amp to do that - I believe it's straightforward though if you know your way around amp wiring.

[@xXBrekoXx]

@@LeonTodd But how do you deal with this unmodified amp on gig when you want to solo and you need quick gain boost? Everytime you need to walk to an amp and press button to change channel for example OD1 for rythm and OD2 for solo which seems very uncomfortable or you play just on one setting and everything you need is in pedals beneath your feet and in volume knob on guitar? Sorry for this begginer question, I have great opportunity to buy jcm dsl 100 it would be my first serious amp and no one seems to talk about this stuff :)

[@LeonTodd]

@@xXBrekoXx in that case grab a cheap Boss SD-1 or GE-7 and kick it on for solo's. That's how i ran mine for years.

[@xXBrekoXx]

@@LeonTodd Thanks Leon! :)

[@vkuolema79]

i mod these quite often and they can be monsterous if you dial them right

[@LeonTodd]

Any particular mods that are popular or that you can recommend?

[@vkuolema79]

Well the amp is well designed just made with cheap parts. Improving the components quality is a good start.

[@wearesofucked]

I have a hotrod 50 sitting in my Marshall slot right now but one of these just popped up in my local Craigslist for 500. Heh! I’m usually a silverface guy but ya gotta have that swelling crunch in the arsenal.

[@LeonTodd]

HR + DSL is a killer combo!

[@kriscullen3378]

Just fantastic!!!

[@chrisfaust93]

This amp really sounds awesome, never thought about it :O

[@LeonTodd]

Christian Weber it's even better with an overdrive or boost pushing the front end.

[@dreyn7780]

Sorry but NO it's NOT! Dude, you need to STOP using these things as if its the 1980's! Stop mixing brands! Stop using pedals which aren't marshall brand! Stop using the other brand guitars in Marshall amps!

[@LeonTodd]

Dreyn 77 the only thing that needs to stop here is the overzealous use of caps lock and exclamation marks.

[@Mario666Heartless]

Dreyn 77 So we can only use Marshall pedals with Marshall amps? And what about those pedals from brands that don't make anos? Where do u use them? You Sir are a Joker ...

[@Mario666Heartless]

Dreyn 77 And you know what? More and more classic Heavy Metal bands are popping up, cos music like is fashion, from time to time goes back, and now Heavy Metal is a great scene again, lots of Young PPL playing it and listening to bands that were playing before they were born, in the States, Brazil, Europe ... And what amps do they go after? Nothing beats the old Marshall jcm 800 crancked with an Ibanez TS9 boosting it ... Oh but the Ts9 is from Ibanez, so we cannot use it ahahahah nor the Boss sd1 ahahahah. Long live Heavy Metal 🤘 bro

[@justinrobbins7026]

Sounds so damn good!

[@LeonTodd]

Ear candy!

[@petkopeet]

How is fx loop on this amp? Noisy?

[@petkopeet]

Is there much diffrence in volume between dsl50 and 100? Cheers

[@bradkurucz885]

I've got the 50 and it'll make your ears bleed!

[@Twobarpsi]

3dB

[@biteme812]

Love your videos my friend,I agree with you 100%! I do like your Soldano better than this one,but the dsl is an awesome amp no less,and as long as the 'tone snobs/cork sniffers' rip on this amp it will remain inexpensive!! LOL

[@biteme812]

I remember the 80s when a jcm 800 was considered a bad amp,becuase it wasn't a plexi?! LOL Thats where the jcm 2000 dsl's are now,in time others will see what a great amp it really is!

[@LeonTodd]

I've got 2 100 watt heads and the bass player in my band has a 50 watt that I use a lot. Awesome amps!

[@Wardell43]

"Currently" It is the last Classic Marshall. In the 1980's Harley Davidson realized that Made in the USA meant something. Today the company is looking over the fence at grass growing on a septic tank. Hopefully someone at Marshall will wake up and remember who brought them to the dance. In 1972 I bought a 100 Watt Super Lead Stack from Al Nalli Music for $1,200. No Marshal that I've played since comes close. Now my point is that all of the Classic Music that we enjoy and want to emulate was made on Marshall Amps from the Blues Breaker to the Super Lead. None of those Amps had Gain. Yeah, I like Gain, But I love standing on the front of the stage as every note I hit bounces off the neck of my guitar. Today that feel just is not there. I blame it on the addition of gain. Those players back in the day relied on Over driven clean sound to get those classic sounds. They added fuzz tones when they wanted something different. Those Guitarist that weren't using Marshals were using Fender, which didn't add gain until around 1980. Ted Nugent used 3 Clean Fender Twins over driven to get extremely long growling notes Credence used Kustom!!!!!! Can you get cleaner than Kustom eh Suzy Q?? Jimi used Plexi Super Leads and an occasional Fender and Sunn that were also Clean amps. So my point is, the last Classic Marshal died long ago The stake in the heart was moving the company offshore. Companies need to stop prostituting the name for money in very bad trade deals. Celestion needs to wake up!! If you're looking for that classic Tone, you might want to purchase a Fender Deluxe and over drive the dawg crap out of it! So after all that bad mouthing I own a Fender Red Knob "The Twin", Laney VC 50, Laney GH50L and a Peavey VK112 practice amp A final thought, Gain on Open back combo amps sounds terrible also reverb and gain are a terrible mix.

[@jeremiahoconnor7095]

Alright @leon, this amp or the Vintage Modern 50 watt head? I NEED TO DECIDE. HELP!

[@LeonTodd]

Get both :p

[@jeremiahoconnor7095]

If only I could afford both. I'm leaning towards to JCM 2000 DSL though...I like the option of high gain when it's needed ;)

[@LeonTodd]

@@jeremiahoconnor7095 theDSL does everything you'll ever need. The VM, to me anyway, is really a specialist amp whereas the DSL covers a lot more ground.

[@jeremiahoconnor7095]

Awesome, thank you much!

[@LeonTodd]

If you get one, keep me posted!

[@jamesk8131]

If you had to pick the DSL 50 or Marshall TSL 60 which one would you choose?

[@LeonTodd]

James K the DSL every day of the week. It's not as versatile but the tones are far more solid.

[@jamesk8131]

Thanks Leon, I can hardly wait to get one. My next question is do these older heads with the Drake transformers sound better? Some people seem to think so. Is there a particular year DSL 50 head that I should look for or does it matter?

[@LeonTodd]

James K I wouldn't worry too much about it, play it with your rig and use an appropriate speaker cab to see if it works for you. I'll open mine up to see what's in there and let you know though!

[@jamesk8131]

Your right, I probably am over thinking this. Before I watched your video I was dead set on getting a Mesa Boogie Rect-o-verb 50 watt head. Now after hearing how good the DSL 50 sounds It's a no brainer. Marshall here I come again. Thanks Leon! Rock on!!

[@LeonTodd]

James K stoked I could help you on your quest for tone :)

[@tomnicholson6171]

I have one.

[@Claytolhowell]

What preamp and power amp tubes are you using?

[@Wardell43]

I usually spring for high dollar tubes because the more expensive tubes give you a better sound So I use Electro Harmonix, Mullard, RCA. Your Tubes create your tone!! Cheap Tubes gives you cheap tone and don't last long. So get the best Tubes that you can afford. But JJ has a new preamp "ECC83 MG" tube that I tried and love (about $13 each at Mojotone) MG=Mid Gain Now, I did some research and found that You can substitute Preamp tubes to get better sound. For example, use a High Gain 12ax7 in the V1 slot, use a lower voltage Preamp tube to get the most out of your power tubes Check out Mojotones website for tubes, speakers, amp parts, guitar parts and Amp kits!!! Mojotone has Bluesbreaker kits and Super Lead kits as well as Fender kits. (I really don't have the patients.)

[@rrguitar1]

How do you like the DSL 100 reissues?

[@LeonTodd]

I've played a few as backline amps on tour before, they sound pretty similar. The external depth control is nice as opposed to the deep switch on the JCM2000.

[@CXEMAKR]

JCM900 or DSL50??? Help!^)))

[@LeonTodd]

I'll take a DSL50 any day of the week.

[@Twobarpsi]

Dsl50

[@igolfjtweetler4097]

They don't make the 50 anymore, the 100 comes out of Vietnam now.

[@nsc217]

Is this the same clean channel as the TSL?

[@texxhexxmm]

no.I have both, the TSL 100 and DSL 50 .Both fantastic amps.Don't know the hate on the TSl ;). The Clean Tone on DSL 50 is more going into breakup and more "sparkling", but also possible to run it almost completely clean. TSL Clean is not that great than DSL 50, but also pretty good! It would be a hard decision if i have to sell one of these two XD.

[@nsc217]

M. Miro Your DSL probably goes to breakup quicker because it’s 50 watts whereas your tsl is 100. That doesn’t have anything to do with the amp. You would need a TSL60 to compare that way. You would need to compare with both at the same amount of breakup to properly compare

[@GODenWord]

I think starting from 2017 or maybe even early now these amps are made in China like places, so i totally would not recommend them!!! On official Marshall web site the time i checked they putted a low resolution picture of back of the amp so it is hard to see the truth about where it is made. Find old one which is made in England!!!

[@dymonbak]

what year is this amp leon?

[@LeonTodd]

Not sure, mid 2000's is my guess.

[@ljones9086]

Looking for this amp. If anyone wants to part with theirs, shoot me a message. Cheers.