Can You Guys Tell Me A Little About The Marshall JCM 2000 DSL?

angelspade

angelspade

Well-known member
Can you guys give me some color on this amp? I have an opportunity to trade for one that is a 2006/2007 model (after they fixed the bias drift issue and before they moved production to Korea or China). It seems like it has a reputation for being a solid hard rock / classic metal machine that some feel is underrated. I have owned a JCM 800 and a JVM410, but never played one of these. Any thoughts would be helpful, thanks guys.
 
I really like mine. It's definitely underrated for sure but with a little work you can get them to sound great. The key is to stay away from the Lead 2 mode as it's pretty bloated and undefined, but the Crunch and Lead 1 modes are great.

Add a good boost and some post EQ and you can do stuff like this with them pretty quickly:

 
TheGreatGreen said:
I really like mine. It's definitely underrated for sure but with a little work you can get them to sound great. The key is to stay away from the Lead 2 mode as it's pretty bloated and undefined, but the Crunch and Lead 1 modes are great.

Add a good boost and some post EQ and you can do stuff like this with them pretty quickly:

Click to expand...

I like mine as well . Underated amps
 
I have a 50 now and have owned a couple of the 100 Watters, and even one of the 40... (even that one was pretty good through a proper cabinet. I think they are very very solid and sound better to me than many amps that are much more expensive and or more "coveted".

Recently had a Silver Jube 2555x and my DSL50 sounded much better. Also compared side by side to a JVM410 and the Dsl was better.. It is not as good as my 82 and 83, 800's but better than 2555x and JVM.

Also , years ago I had a Wizard Metal X and a JCM 2000 100 watter and at a jam with some friends at which I was all amped to show off my Wizard. Unfortunately for me The lowly DSL 100 sounded better and sent my Wizard Metal packing.. I witness a similiar thing when I see my friends' band play. One of them has a Dsl 100 that I helped him dial in,( they can sound a bit dull and or harsh if you don't dial them in right) and the other one plays a Wizard MC. In the live mix, the DSL sits better every time.. ( I have seen them no less than 10 times) They just work. It may may not be a premium vintage Marshall , but they get in the ballpark and do a solid job.

Just my observation and experiences. YMMV.
 
not great, not terrible :) I like the sound but they feel very stiff. Mrshall should make smaller 50 with options of DSL40CR.

Wizard story is intresting and I see will be hard to swallow for some but like Mustaine sings ...mids sells or whatever :)
 
They are awesome amps. I have a 2006 one and also a jcm800 2203 and love them both equally.
There was a bias drift problem on models from 98 to 2003. This problem was fixed from 2004 onward.
 
Actually fairly surprised how positive the feedback is on this question. Assuming many of us are hard rock / metal guys here....Can I assume most of you are using a boost with the JCM2000?
 
Had a 50 watter, I thought it sounded better than the 100.

Green channel was your classic Marshall sound, almost enough gain but not enough.

The red channel was plenty hot and the reverb was pretty good too.

I now regret getting rid of it.
 
angelspade said:
Actually fairly surprised how positive the feedback is on this question. Assuming many of us are hard rock / metal guys here....Can I assume most of you are using a boost with the JCM2000?
Click to expand...

The secret sauce is to boost the green chanel. I have owned three 50 watters and a 100. I prefer the 100. Not much of a difference. A little bit more headroom.
 
angelspade said:
Actually fairly surprised how positive the feedback is on this question. Assuming many of us are hard rock / metal guys here....Can I assume most of you are using a boost with the JCM2000?
Click to expand...
I've owned several. Solid amps. Good tubes and proper bias plays a big role in how great they can be. Still one of my favorite amps, actually. Double boosting green crunch is fat City. Greenbacks shine.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top