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I'm sure I've asked you this in previous threads but I can't find them.
Like Timmysoft - I've got 3 DSL's 50/100 heads, the old version, and I've never had a single problem with them at all, I have them maintained by a professional, and it's just normal wear and tear.
That said....I have zero doubt about what you are saying as too many knowledgable people say almost word for word the same thing, and the internet is filled with tails of the amps dying, some in quiet spectacular fashion.
Is there anything a professional amp tech could do to fix these flaws, make them road worthy without impacting the sound ?
I don't use these amps often, but when I do I have a "burst" of using them and would love them to be road worthy incase my luck has run out (it must be 10+ years of using them - so it has to run out at some point).
I've been told "get the new version they are designed so much better" but I've a/b'd them and I don't like them compared to the older version, especially the 40 watt version, so what can be done with the 50/100 watt old version to get them to spec ?
Probably the best thing you can do is to get a 100W one and convert it to a 50 - removing the valve sockets and all associated components from the 2 and 4 positions, which are where the bulk of the board failures occur, and reconnecting the output transformer to match the impedance, removing the 4-ohm option. This also stresses the transformers less because they're then only operating at half power. I've done that (and all the other upgrades, including hardwiring the cabinets to 16 ohms) to several belonging to rehearsal studios I work for, and they have proved pretty reliable since, although every one of them blew up at least once before I did this.
And even then one had a blown output transformer recently… although it's impossible to tell if it had been abused.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
of course guitarist mag will be all over the dsl range like a randy alsation behind a bitch in heat, but i think i will sit it out a while and see if people are saying the new dsl range is good and watch and see if online boards gets swamped with blown tranny stories or other things that are the result of poorly designed and cheaply made amps. im in no hurry and it will be interesting to see, i just wish mjw were still making amps.
Before that the history isn't good, from about the JTM30/60 onwards they pretty much all have serious design and build quality issues. Even the JCM900s only seem better by comparison with what followed… at the time they came out they were a massive downgrade from the 800s. The low point is probably the Mode Four, but a few of the other attempts around that time weren't good either.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
I need some good "marshall" amps in the arsenal, and the DSL's where a pretty good all rounder, because I use them so infrequently I struggle to justify grabbing the Friedman smallbox and a few others I'd need to get the spread of sounds I want, So frustrating how a few sloppy bits of work taints a pretty solid / value for money amp.
The first time I opened up a JCM900 I was shocked - not just by the amount of solid-state in what was still marketed as a 'valve' amp, but the low quality of the pots and the way they were anchored to the panel, the lack of a proper choke in the power supply, and even the poor fit of the chassis to the cabinet. It only got worse from there…
30th Anniversary - sounds great… when it works.
Valvestate - flimsy MDF cabinets, rattly construction. (They sound good and are not that unreliable, at least.)
JTM30/60/JCM600 - terrible layout, prone to overheating and transformer failures, MDF cabinets etc.
DSL/TSL series - enough said already. (Other than that the TSL60 is the weakest-sounding 60W valve amp I've ever heard.)
AVT series - fan-cooled IC power modules which blow if the wind changes direction.
MG-DFX series - ditto.
Mode Four - double ditto - four AVT power modules in a box, four times the failure rate!
Vintage Modern - some good ideas, but poorly executed and with some critical cost-cutting which made them unreliable, and stupid footswitching.
Class 5 - 'The Rattler', and sounds poor - no headroom even for 5W, and oddly too loud and too quiet at the same time.
Haze series - oh dear. Unreliable and sound shit.
MA series - starting to run out of descriptive terms now…
JVM410 (1st version) - finally some improvement, but needed Joe Satriani to tell them how to do it right.
There may be more which I have forgotten - or blanked out.
It's really sad how much time and money they must have spent over the years developing most of these, and the fortune it must have cost for warranty repairs on some of them in particular. It's really been noticeable how much less reliable almost any modern Marshall product has been than their direct competition - even 'cheap' brands - until the current series.
It doesn't make me happy to say this, I started playing Marshalls in the mid-80s because they were great amps, and I would just like them to be again… I'm not a 'hater', just disappointed really. But now with some hope.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
The only good amps Marshall make is the Handwired and Vintage Reissue series.
That said, at least they still make those properly and they still sound as they should.
Their lines that aren't the above are totally laughable. They've had more flops than a poker table.
In my opinion, rather than release a new series with a common sound and different power levels, they should also introduce a new series all with 20W output and the various different historic voicings, in a head box that's a more useful size in the modern world - ie will fit comfortably on a 1x12" cab.
Basically like the 50th Anniversary 1W series, but with usable power and which actually sound good .
The production economies of being able to use the same transformer set and head box size for all of them would be substantial, I think.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
I don't blame you for being suspicious about the new ones...
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein