Marshall TSL questions (amp modders please step inside)

[Gsxrbusa]

Hello fellas, Been a while since I logged in. Been busy.

A friend of mine owed me money and he gave me this to take care of the balance.

My first thought is how quick can I dump this thing because I have heard it before and was not impressed. Well, I retubed it and really spent some time dialing it in. The thing is surprisingly pretty decent. Pretty close to a tone I go for.

My question is...... are these amps mod-able? Are they total shit? Easy to mod? Or is it not worth the effort?
I know there are quite a few kick ass amp gurus around here, so please chime in if possible.

Thanks a bunch.

Been thinking about having a Krank modded as well.

 

[mrkmas]

Disclaimer: I am not an amp modder.

I owned a tsl100 in the past and had to open it up to troubleshoot. It has been a few years so I am doing this off of memory. The inside of the amp is rather complex from a layout standpoint compared to the jcm 800's 2203 that you see (of course this is due to the tsl100 having alot more going on inside that the jcm800 2203) There are several large boards, plus several smaller ones, with connectors going to each one making it a maze of wires and connectors. Not very neat or tidy inside by any means. If you know exactly where in the circuit you want to mod, it may not be that bad, but for experimenting it may get a little annoying after constantly removing and reinstalling the boards.

http://www.lynx.bc.ca/~jc/TSL122.html
I just googled it for fun and found this site for info on repairs and mods. It has a gutshot of the tsl combo (same circuit as tsl100). For some reason I remember it looking worse than what the picture shows, but it could just be a case of not looking that bad and once I started it turned into a huge hassle.

 

[Gsxrbusa]

Disclaimer: I am not an amp modder.

I owned a tsl100 in the past and had to open it up to troubleshoot. It has been a few years so I am doing this off of memory. The inside of the amp is rather complex from a layout standpoint compared to the jcm 800's 2203 that you see (of course this is due to the tsl100 having alot more going on inside that the jcm800 2203) There are several large boards, plus several smaller ones, with connectors going to each one making it a maze of wires and connectors. Not very neat or tidy inside by any means. If you know exactly where in the circuit you want to mod, it may not be that bad, but for experimenting it may get a little annoying after constantly removing and reinstalling the boards.

http://www.lynx.bc.ca/~jc/TSL122.html
I just googled it for fun and found this site for info on repairs and mods. It has a gutshot of the tsl combo (same circuit as tsl100). For some reason I remember it looking worse than what the picture shows, but it could just be a case of not looking that bad and once I started it turned into a huge hassle.

Right on, thanks for the input and disclaimer. I should have stated I will not be doing the modding, it will go to a professional that most likely frequents RT. No fuckin way would I touch this thing myself, It would end up a Chernobyl type deal.

 

[mrkmas]

haha , in my opinion the amp is not nearly as bad as people make it out to be, but it is certainly no jcm800 2003 or jmp or plexi. I ran mine completely stock and it got the job done for what it is supposed to do. There are a few known issues with them, the link I sent you mentions the big ones. There is a known issue with the grounding connection on the 16ohm jack on the back panel that a tech would know how to fix. It is literally a 30second job.

The other thing I would have modded is the FX loop. Even though it is "serial" when the fx mix knob is set to 10, get it modded to a normal serial fx loop if you want to use the loop. You will thank me later.

Also, from personal experience, The VPR button on the front I found made the low end sound wierd once you get to higher volumes with it. For that reason I never used that and always ran it at 100w.

FJA mods ( a company here on RT) mods the TSL and has info on the site. http://www.fjamods.com/Marshall.html
I know you can talk and get some info from him about the specific options pertaining to what you want.

 

[joepete77]

I had the tsl 602 yrs ago when they first came out and I never really liked it. My bandmate at that time got a tsl 100 head and at first had problems with it but after a new ot and a fresh set of tubes it actually sounded really nice! They can sound nice with g1275 speakers but he was using blackbacks in a 4x12. They aren't as easily modded as jmp's or 800's as the components are much smaller and much more going on so I wouldn't recommend modding it yourself but rather send it to a pro if u wanted to go that route.

 

[racerevlon]

Your first thought was correct. The TSL is probably the worst-sounding Marshall ever. (IMHO) Dump it and get a DSL, or even better, a Splawn!

 

[JerryP]

The TSL is very modable. The TSL circuit is pretty much exactly like the DSL but with separate EQ's and added options.
Jerry

 

[Laura]

I had one and liked it. I bought it after hearing 2 bands in one weekend who used them and had good tone. Mine had to be serviced once (cold solder points IIRC and some other small issues) but the tone was good for the money.

 

[DET1973]

I had one and liked it. I bought it after hearing 2 bands in one weekend who used them and had good tone. Mine had to be serviced once (cold solder points IIRC and some other small issues) but the tone was good for the money.

Was it a Hatebreed show?

 

[Laura]

I had one and liked it. I bought it after hearing 2 bands in one weekend who used them and had good tone. Mine had to be serviced once (cold solder points IIRC and some other small issues) but the tone was good for the money.

Was it a Hatebreed show?

No it was 2 separate local shows but now that you mentioned it I do recall that Hatebreed was using those amps (maybe they still are).

 

[skoora]

TSL = Tone Sucked Lately?

I don't think he paid a debt, just added to what he owes you

 

[Gsxrbusa]

haha , in my opinion the amp is not nearly as bad as people make it out to be, but it is certainly no jcm800 2003 or jmp or plexi. I ran mine completely stock and it got the job done for what it is supposed to do. There are a few known issues with them, the link I sent you mentions the big ones. There is a known issue with the grounding connection on the 16ohm jack on the back panel that a tech would know how to fix. It is literally a 30second job.

The other thing I would have modded is the FX loop. Even though it is "serial" when the fx mix knob is set to 10, get it modded to a normal serial fx loop if you want to use the loop. You will thank me later.

Also, from personal experience, The VPR button on the front I found made the low end sound wierd once you get to higher volumes with it. For that reason I never used that and always ran it at 100w.

FJA mods ( a company here on RT) mods the TSL and has info on the site. http://www.fjamods.com/Marshall.html
I know you can talk and get some info from him about the specific options pertaining to what you want.

Thanks for more input bro. I played it again tonight and though it's not the best amp I own it is satisfactory. It would be cool to get it up to a reliable spec if possible. Not sure if I would gig with it but it could make a decent back up. Thanks again for all the info.

I had the tsl 602 yrs ago when they first came out and I never really liked it. My bandmate at that time got a tsl 100 head and at first had problems with it but after a new ot and a fresh set of tubes it actually sounded really nice! They can sound nice with g1275 speakers but he was using blackbacks in a 4x12. They aren't as easily modded as jmp's or 800's as the components are much smaller and much more going on so I wouldn't recommend modding it yourself but rather send it to a pro if u wanted to go that route.

Cool, yeah I have a '73 Marshall cab with pulsonic 103 cone Greenbacks. I need to try it out with that cab/speakers. Should sound pretty cool.

Your first thought was correct. The TSL is probably the worst-sounding Marshall ever. (IMHO) Dump it and get a DSL, or even better, a Splawn!

I have had a Nitro and it was cool. Have other good amps to play so, no worries in that area.

The TSL is very modable. The TSL circuit is pretty much exactly like the DSL but with separate EQ's and added options.
Jerry

Right on Jerry. Thanks for chiming in.

I had one and liked it. I bought it after hearing 2 bands in one weekend who used them and had good tone. Mine had to be serviced once (cold solder points IIRC and some other small issues) but the tone was good for the money.

You probably think I'm nuts for even half way liking this but it is decent. I feel like it's going to break any second. Some amps sound there best right before the meltdown.

TSL = Tone Sucked Lately?

I don't think he paid a debt, just added to what he owes you

maybe.....maybe so. Time will tell.

 

[sixstringking713]

I'm going to post a clip of my TSL sometime this week hopefully because honestly I dont think my tone "sucks".. After I installed new tubes, aftermarket pickups, used a good cab w/ good speakers, and rebiased the amp it sounds pretty good IMO

 

[mrkmas]

I'm going to post a clip of my TSL sometime this week hopefully because honestly I dont think my tone "sucks".. After I installed new tubes, aftermarket pickups, used a good cab w/ good speakers, and rebiased the amp it sounds pretty good IMO

I used my strat into into my tsl all the time, and I always thought it sounded way better than how most people describe it. I always ran it into the 1960A and B cabs (with the g12-75 speakers). Not sure if I got lucky or what with mine.

I have seen seen pics of the guy from hatebreed playing a tsl, also have seen slash play a tsl.

 

[Vrad]

I had one many years ago. While it certainly wasn't "the ultimate Marshall", I thought it was a pretty good sounding amp. Before you go sending it in to be modded, figure out what you DON'T like about it and decide if it's worth the effort.

 

[Rogue]

I had a DSL, but can't speak for the TSL. It's not hard to mod, but extensive component replacing increases the chance of lifting a trace. There are easier amps to mod.

Tonally, I got the DSL sounding pretty decent, but always lacked the warmth and musicality of a 1959 or 2203. It's a lot of circuit in there. I think the amp serves a playable, versatile purpose well enough, but if you are looking to get that last ounce of goodness out of it, you may find it comes up short. IMO, of course.

 

[DET1973]

I had one and liked it. I bought it after hearing 2 bands in one weekend who used them and had good tone. Mine had to be serviced once (cold solder points IIRC and some other small issues) but the tone was good for the money.

Was it a Hatebreed show?

No it was 2 separate local shows but now that you mentioned it I do recall that Hatebreed was using those amps (maybe they still are).

Yeah they still do, they swear by them