[X–Ray]

"Hey guys ... I have much love for my early 80's Marshall JCM800 but after playing some of the newer Marshall's at a local GC... "I don't even look at new Marshalls. Anything after the JCM800 is dead to me..."

________________________________________________


You may have already read this reply, maybe some have not.

Yes it is long, but I hope it may be helpful to someone.

I know I was happy with my DSL 100 before I began with the mods, and, am extremely pleased with it... I modded the DSL out of restlessness, not displeasure...

Like many players, I am "seasoned" enough to have owned many Marshalls going back to my first one back in 1969 - which was a 100 watt plexi bass head with 2 4x12 25w Greenback cabs. From that starting point, it snowballed into guitar plexi and brushed metal faced 100 watters and 50 watters all the way till the present - with my most recent purchase a 1974X handwired reissue. Never strayed away from 25 watt Greenbacks though.

Maybe I just lucked-out with this particular DSL regarding the newer Marshalls. With all the mods it may not be accurate to say it is still a DSL but some kind of hybrid/mongrel in a Marshall amp box... I do not know.

However, I would at least like to share my experience regarding owning a newer Marshall...

It is unfortunate that possibly Marshall has not produced another generation of amps which the consensus between the "seasoned" players and the newer players could make both sets of guitarists reasonably happy...


"Regarding reliability and/or tone issues with my DSL 100, which I have had for about 4 or 5 years, despite yours and others experience with DSLs and TSLs – here is a bit of a mind–fuck: None – great amp. I suppose I could stop there – but of course I won't

However, based on restlessness and a desire to push the envelop, I began researching ways to mod my DSL - just for fun - not because of a problem with the amp itself.

Since I have owned too many Marshalls to remember since the late 60s, am pretty familiar with various forms of this species.

Therefore, I must give you a little "back story" about my opinion of and experience owning Marshalls –

Marshalls, IMO, are the worst built, but most iconic sounding "Classic Rock" amp ever – especially with 25w Greenbacks (the only wattage I will use to keep that 60's "floppy" sound which is ear candy to me).

Having owned so many of them, overall, IMO, they have always been shitty on quality control, craftsmanship, and materials. However, THE SOUND was/is the best – if THAT is your sound... However, may be today's Marshalls are not YOUR SOUND.

For example, I have purchased brand new Marshall amps and cabinets over the years where I insist I personally remove them from the unopened shipping box at the music store, and upon examination find dents, tears, and imperfections which had to be present when it left the factory! Yet, I still drove away with them and continued to be pleased where it counts most as well as being a return customer year after year.

But once again, IMO, "THE SOUND" is where it counts the most.

Either I have been exceptionally lucky given the sheer number of Marshall amps and cabinets I have owned (once in a while a speaker cone would blow or tubes would start to sound weak) or by-in-large, despite themselves, Marshall somehow delivers where it counts the most, again – THE SOUND.

I have never been of the opinion Marshalls were well made, just to my "Dinosaur" ears, I keep coming back regardless of the Hiwatts, Oranges, Ampeg V4s, Mesa Boogies, Traynors, and Fenders, I have owned in the past as well.

Having said that, here is the outcome of my research process to push the well-worn Marshall "envelop" (by the way, George M. was an important part of this process):

Based on conversations with "Mr. Mercury Magnet" – I forget his name - he recommended the following Mercury Magnet upgrades:
* Power "Axiom" Transformer
* Output "SuperStack" Transformer
* Choke (so the Power Transformer will run cooler)

Based on conversations with "Mr. Eurotubes" (I forget his name also) he recommended the following JJ Tube upgrades specific to my DSL and requirements:
* Hand matched power and preamp tubes (there are several variations of pairings of tubes depending upon the tone you are seeking)

As mentioned previously, based my conversation with George M., he recommended the following upgrade specific to my DSL:
* Silver Mica 500pf @ 500v capacitors on the volume pots

George M. did not recommend changing the tone caps stating I could obtain the desired result by adding the Silver Mica capacitors instead. Thus, he turned away my business. Moreover, George M. even provided a contact name and number.

George M. could offer you a technical explanation which I am not enough of a gear-head to understand, much less repeat.

Because I am not a gear-head, and have no desire to become one, I rely on these pros for their expertise in directing me to what it is I am wanting to hear in my head...

Regarding the "Classic Gain" and "Ultra Gain" channels.
I use them both equally – but for different tones.

Below are my typical settings (for a stack configuration - two 4x12 cabs, etc.):

"Classic" – Volume @ 5
"Classic" – Gain @ 10

"Ultra" – Volume @ 4 1/2 –> 4 3/4
"Ultra" – Gain @ 8

For me, the function of the "Ultra Gain" channel is to act more like an "overdrive pedal" in order to add more of an edge than the "Classic Gain" channel provides - rather than as a separately "voiced" amp.

Used this way, the "Ultra Gain" channel is akin to another "effect"...

As mentioned above, while I was already very happy with my DSL, maybe I just happened to purchase the right DSL made on the right day by the right production workers (or the least hungover.)

However, making the above mods unfortunately will not guarantee your DSL will sound better and/or be more reliable, although, I doubt it will make a bad situation worse – unless the MM transformers completely fry your pcb...

Possibly explaining the history of your DSL to the above "experts" may give you a sense of whether to invest more time, money, and energy into your amp, or you are just throwing good money after bad and should start anew – but not necessarily abandoning Marshalls – if that is THE SOUND for you.

A few caveats to the above –

* One of my delay units, the Hiwatt Custom Tape Echo, when driven a little hotter than the original signal adds a bit of gain and volume which is a valuable contribution to the overall sound. In conjunction with the Hiwatt CTE, I also use a Fulltone True Tape Echo, and an Eventide TimeFactor digital delay.

* Another variable which I believe contributes to my satisfaction in using the DSL is the following:

Assuming you get your DSL back to the starting line where it is a "keeper" instead of a "weeper" – for myself, I have found the combination of setting my amp's volume high (see above settings), using a volume pedal, as well as the guitar's volume control rolled down fairly low, along with backing off the treble on the guitar (does not matter whether I am playing my LP or my Strat, = same outcome) to the point of it sounding almost, but not quite, "rooty" for lack of a better word, produces a desirable tone IMO.

Then, paradoxically, without turning the amp up to 11, because of the qualities of a volume pot on both my LP and Strat which has a high pass capacitor on it (strongly recommend this mod for your guitar(s), going from around a 5 to an 7–>8 produces the gain at the volume which I like. That is, on the guitar a clean(ish – a 5) to an organic overdrive/sustain/feedback (an 7–>8) without it being jarring or the notes losing their articulation and just sounding mechanical and/or amorphous.

While I do play very loud, regardless of the occasion, the volume pedal and guitar's regulation of the amp's volume is significantly held back. So, although the amp is set to be very loud, because the guitar is never played flat-out, this results again, IMO, in producing a very desirable tone.

So, having the amp run "hot" and the guitar "restrained" creates a kind of tonal and volume tension which is THE SOUND for me...

One more thing about tone/gain/volume:

For years I was of the "everything to 11" school. However, now, in addition to restraining the volume on the guitar while running the amp's volume high, I set the amp's tonal controls the inverse of the guitar's. That is, very little bass and mids, but the treble at almost 10.

I then use the TONE control on the guitar rolled-back to give the amp its bottom and fullness.

The goal is to produce as much as possible the sound of the guitar RATHER than the guitar being overwhelmed by the coloration of the amp – although that is still relevant, otherwise why would I be writing this and you reading it...

That is, IMO the primary function of the amp is to "amplify" the guitar and be as much of a "tonal blank screen" as possible – with the exception of what the preamp tubes and speakers are adding to the combined tones.

Sometimes it is forgotten that a guitar and an amp paired with certain speakers are separate entities, and, when combined, create a third entity which is YOUR SOUND.

Lots of variables to explore in addition to just throwing your DSL out of a hotel room window ala' Keith Moon (one of my faves)...

Anyway... just my 2 cents worth