Marshall DSL40C / DSL20 head, have they sorted the reliability?

sgosden

Whilst lusting over Friedman and Suhr amps, even kempers and the satriani JVM ... I was reminded that I used to get a great tone out of my JCM2000DSL100 + EQD palisades.
In fact the only reason I got rid of it and went victory, was because it kept failing, letting me down mid gig, and costing a shed tonne to keep going.

The DLS40C (not 401c - my bad)  has really caught my eye. I'm unlikely to be gigging for the foreseeable future. so the 20W option for home + 40W for when I wanna keep up with an ape drummer seems a big plus.

the big question : HAS THE RELIABILITY IMPROVED?!?!?!

are there any mods that can be done to improve it?

I'd swap out the speaker straight away. And probably end up turning it into a head form factor to use with a 2x12 for when I get back to gigs.

zepp76

I've never tried the DSL401C but I do have a DSL40C which has been very reliable, it would be a much safer bet than the 401 (I think @ICBM will be able to give better info on that). I am gifting the DSL40C to my nephew who is using an old Bugera V22 that I gave him a few years ago. The 40C is made in Vietnam but has zero reliability issues, well worth checking out (the only thing I'd change is the speaker as it's a bit poo!).

ICBM

Yes, reliability appears to have improved. Build quality is still not outstanding though, so I’m not yet sure about the long term. Fixing the likely problem areas - if they do become so - isn’t going to be easy.

Apparently the latest DSL40s are coming with a V-Type instead of a 70/80 too, someone at Marshall has been listening! Still wouldn't be my first choice but it's a step in the right direction.

I wouldn't hack a combo to make a head either - just get an extension cab and have the best of both worlds.

sgosden

its the 40C I'm looking at, not the 401 . Brain and typing fingers not communicating. -  will edit title

zepp76 said:

I've never tried the DSL401C but I do have a DSL40C which has been very reliable, it would be a much safer bet than the 401 (I think @ICBM will be able to give better info on that). I am gifting the DSL40C to my nephew who is using an old Bugera V22 that I gave him a few years ago. The 40C is made in Vietnam but has zero reliability issues, well worth checking out (the only thing I'd change is the speaker as it's a bit poo!).

zepp76

sgosden said:

its the 40C I'm looking at, not the 401 . Brain and typing fingers not communicating. -  will edit title

zepp76 said:

I've never tried the DSL401C but I do have a DSL40C which has been very reliable, it would be a much safer bet than the 401 (I think @ICBM will be able to give better info on that). I am gifting the DSL40C to my nephew who is using an old Bugera V22 that I gave him a few years ago. The 40C is made in Vietnam but has zero reliability issues, well worth checking out (the only thing I'd change is the speaker as it's a bit poo!).

In that case check out a lot of the early "sounds like on a budget" videos by Andertons on YouTube, there's a reason why they used a DSL40C so often.

sgosden

Thinking maybe a DSL20 head might be more what I'm after here.

Anyone compared it with the 40?

NelsonP

ICBM said:

Yes, reliability appears to have improved. Build quality is still not outstanding though, so I’m not yet sure about the long term. Fixing the likely problem areas - if they do become so - isn’t going to be easy.

Apparently the latest DSL40s are coming with a V-Type instead of a 70/80 too, someone at Marshall has been listening! Still wouldn't be my first choice but it's a step in the right direction.

I wouldn't hack a combo to make a head either - just get an extension cab and have the best of both worlds.

@ICBM What would be your first choice for replacing the 70/80 in a DSL20. Creamback?

NelsonP

zepp76 said:

sgosden said:

its the 40C I'm looking at, not the 401 . Brain and typing fingers not communicating. -  will edit title

zepp76 said:

I've never tried the DSL401C but I do have a DSL40C which has been very reliable, it would be a much safer bet than the 401 (I think @ICBM will be able to give better info on that). I am gifting the DSL40C to my nephew who is using an old Bugera V22 that I gave him a few years ago. The 40C is made in Vietnam but has zero reliability issues, well worth checking out (the only thing I'd change is the speaker as it's a bit poo!).

In that case check out a lot of the early "sounds like on a budget" videos by Andertons on YouTube, there's a reason why they used a DSL40C so often.

ICBM

NelsonP said:

@ICBM What would be your first choice for replacing the 70/80 in a DSL20. Creamback?

Creamback Neo probably. I haven’t tried one yet, but it sounds great in clips and seems to sound somewhere in between the two ceramic Creamback models so it should sound good in a 1x12”. I like the combination of the two better than either alone in a 2x12”.

NelsonP

How about a G12M Greenback?

Jonathangus

NelsonP said:

How about a G12M Greenback?

This is one of the better-sounding demos of the DSL20CR I've heard.  But a shame he doesn't spend a bit more time exploring the lower reaches of the gain control.

TTBZ

The DSL20HR is a great amp for not a lot of money imo. Had I not got another Mini Jubilee it's what I was going to get. I did a bit of a shoot-out between the Jubilee/SC20H/DSL20HR all with the same cab and was able to get pretty similar tones across all 3 amps. Main difference being the gain in the DSL was a bit fizzier, but the sort of thing that would disappear in a mix with drums. Shame the 20 doesn't have the crunch option of the 40, but the ultra gain with gain control between 9-10 o clock is great for fat rock tones.

NelsonP

The guys at Zilla have done some great videos comparing different Celestions



I've ordered a G12M Greenback off the back of these (and others). Nearly went for the Heritage, but it was £40 more expensive and the Greenbacks were good enough for Angus young and Eddie van Halen, so they are more than good enough for the likes of me!

NelsonP

TTBZ said:

The DSL20HR is a great amp for not a lot of money imo. Had I not got another Mini Jubilee it's what I was going to get. I did a bit of a shoot-out between the Jubilee/SC20H/DSL20HR all with the same cab and was able to get pretty similar tones across all 3 amps. Main difference being the gain in the DSL was a bit fizzier, but the sort of thing that would disappear in a mix with drums. Shame the 20 doesn't have the crunch option of the 40, but the ultra gain with gain control between 9-10 o clock is great for fat rock tones.

Agreed, DSL seems to offer a lot for the money. The ultra gain channel is appropriately named, and doesn't really need the gain dialled beyond 10 o'clock.

It's the fizziness in the DSL20C that I'm trying to sort out. The stock 70/80 speaker really doesn't help with this.
I bought the amp second hand (from Andertons) so I figure that a speaker upgrade is still allowed within budget ;-)
I'll report back once I've been able to install the new speaker.

Jonathangus

TTBZ said:

The DSL20HR is a great amp for not a lot of money imo. Had I not got another Mini Jubilee it's what I was going to get. I did a bit of a shoot-out between the Jubilee/SC20H/DSL20HR all with the same cab and was able to get pretty similar tones across all 3 amps. Main difference being the gain in the DSL was a bit fizzier, but the sort of thing that would disappear in a mix with drums. Shame the 20 doesn't have the crunch option of the 40, but the ultra gain with gain control between 9-10 o clock is great for fat rock tones.

Before the first lockdown, I took a trip to Anderton's and did the same - putting them all through a Victory 1x12 with a V30.  (For reference, what I'm really after is the sound of a late '70s JMP, with a loop.*)  On paper, the SC20 should have been the closest, but TBH I found it a bit uninspiring - too brittle and hollow.  The Mini Jube has a great clean sound, but the drive channel has a  character in the lower mids which I couldn't get along with.  It works fine with single notes, but with crunchy rhythm parts just sounds bloated, for want of a better word.  The best crunch sound was with the rhythm clip - but then you lose the clean channel.  (Why they didn't make it footswitchable, I have no idea.)

I actually ended up liking the DSL20HR a lot more than I expected to, from the demos I'd heard.  So many of them make it sound thin and fizzy, but I ended up playing it more than the other two.  But it's still a really bright amp - you have to keep the treble and presence low or off - and it does have stupid amounts of gain; as you say, around 9-10 o'clock is all you really need.  There's a mega thread over at TGP on the DSL20, and a few folks recommend swapping a 5751 into V2 to tame the gain and fizz somewhat.  (I know ICBM's not a fan, but might be worth a go.)

Listened to quite a few demos of the the other two (Origin 20H and SV20H) as well - not tried them, though.  The OR20 sounds nice clean, but not a fan of the dirty sound (what dirt there actually is).  Could use a pedal, of course - but buying a Marshall and then using a pedal to make it sound like a Marshall seems wrong somehow.  The SV20 is possibly the best sounding of the lot - but it will be stupidly loud, and I'm not sure about the point of an FX loop on an amp where most of the dirt comes from the power section.

Apologies for the thread hijack, but will be interested to hear the OP's thoughts on the DSL with a better speaker.

(*Having just had a major birthday, treating myself to an actual JMP and having a loop fitted is not off the table.)

NelsonP

The new speaker arrived today so I wasted no time. Here it is, installed....
http://imgur.com/a/nb28BJS

Much, much better than the stock 70/80 which sounded too thin, and fizzy (I'd estimate in the 3khz range).

In comparison the greenback is much warmer and more rounded, but still has a nice bite to it on the drive channel. Cleans are fuller and more rounded.

There are only two reasons that I can think of why Marshall don't install these in the factory:
1. Cost
2. To put more clear air between the DSL and SC20  / 2525C

ICBM

NelsonP said:

1. Cost

This. The Seventy/80 isn’t even a good choice if you want a more modern sound.

John_A

Jonathangus said:

NelsonP said:

How about a G12M Greenback?

This is one of the better-sounding demos of the DSL20CR I've heard.  But a shame he doesn't spend a bit more time exploring the lower reaches of the gain control.

That sounds really good