angelspade
Well-known member
A very nice guy on Facebook Marketplace offered me an essentially brand new Marshall DSL100HR for $400, and I couldn't say no. I owned one of the older JCM2000 models a ways back and really liked it. I can say that I actually prefer the newer (and yes made Vietnam) version. The resonance control is far more useful by comparison to the "deep" switch and the dual master volumes are very helpful as well. You can also scroll through the 2 channels and 4 modes as well as control the 2 masters and loop with the the Marshall (JVM) 6 button footswitch; so it functions like a 4 channel amp with shared EQ. Also it feels a bit tighter and more aggressive than the JCM2000 I had. The Ultra Gain red mode is actually very usable on the 100HD, where I found it pretty difficult to work with on the JCM2000. In terms of tones, it sounds and feels a little more "traditional" Marshall (some may say more "organic") by comparison to my JVM410H. It's a bit looser than the JVM, has less gain...But still plenty for enough for traditional hard rock and metal. As you might expect , the classic gain (green mode) and ultra gain (green mode) take a boost exceedingly well. I should say that in my opinion this is not a "modern" metal amp, even boosted. I can completely understand why several high profile players still tour with the DSL, definitely an affordable workhorse moderate to high gain Marshall. Not sure if I will keep it long term yet, but I will say that the DSL100HR and The EVH5150 Iconic are probably the best used values on the market right now if your looking for a high powered hard rock / metal head.
Last edited:
