Played the New DSL 100H

[glpg80]

Absolutely killer amplifier. Not even the same ballpark as the first series of DSL/TSL.

Resonance/presence, tons of versatility even on the highest gain setting. Very responsive and a linear volume control. The voicing is classic AC/DC but can really bring the heat to a similar gain level like the JVM's. I love it alot more than the vintage moderns which were more re-issue like. I felt the new DSL covered the classic VH type of breakup very well.

Overall i wouldnt mind owning one. If i had to picture classic marshall tone with a modern twist the new DSL would be it. It does not have that JCM800 growl to it but it does have all of the marshall responsiveness and versatility i would expect from a marshall. Did not throw a boost in front because IMHO it did not need it. Highly recommend others check it out

 

[davyped]

Been waiting on a review of these. I want to check out the 40 watt combo. Thanks for the review.

Dave

 

[glpg80]

Not a problem!

I played it through a cabinet loaded with 75's and it could do 5150 III territory. It does not have the saturation of a 5150 but it does have the gain level if that makes any sense. The voicing is much more structured than the previous version of the DSL and additionally it felt/tracked great. Not overly tight like wrestling a bear but not saturated to a point where you get zero response. It seemed like a very balanced amplifier through and through. The entire time i played it i kept finding classic rock songs/riffs - it just seemed perfect with that type of voicing. I was never a fan of the first series but the second is a huge improvement. Really fun to play.

 

[D-Rock]

How did the construction look/feel? I saw one, but didn't demo it. I thought it looked kind of cheap compared to the old ones and the 800/900 line. The gold chassis seemed to be a different shade of gold and the metal itself appeared to be of the thinner, cheaper variety.
Glad to hear that it sounded good though. I'll have to check one out since Marshalls sell for low dollars here. Looks like Sweetwater has them for $900, so they should be about $600-$700 locally here.

 

[glpg80]

How did the construction look/feel? I saw one, but didn't demo it. I thought it looked kind of cheap compared to the old ones and the 800/900 line. The gold chassis seemed to be a different shade of gold and the metal itself appeared to be of the thinner, cheaper variety.
Glad to hear that it sounded good though. I'll have to check one out since Marshalls sell for low dollars here. Looks like Sweetwater has them for $900, so they should be about $600-$700 locally here.

Construction wise it looked like a marshall still, IMHO the M series is the one that looked like garbage. I saw nothing wrong with the aesthetics on the new series. Same marshall knobs, same basic layout, same DSL type rocker switches, same dimensions, etc. As far as copper panel plates go it looked the same as the JVM's front panel sitting right next to it

If you could grab one for $600 it would be a great rock amp to have around. Like i said it is a more modern voicing of the marshall tone so it lacks that growl character that some people feel is the staple marshall tone but it does have all of the other characteristics of a marshall in feel/voicing/playing. The linear volume knob is excellent as you dont get that 1-2 huge volume spike which makes them a pain in the ass in small clubs/gigs or at home jamming. You can really pack on the gain with this amp and get into JVM territory quick but still have excellent dynamics when rolling back your volume.

 

[D-Rock]

Cool thanks, do you think they added any diodes to the preamp to give it that extra gain and modern voicing like they did with the 900's?

 

[glpg80]

Cool thanks, do you think they added any diodes to the preamp to give it that extra gain and modern voicing like they did with the 900's?

I'm not big on marshall's or jose modded marshalls so i cannot say for sure by the tone of the amplifier itself - at least not comfortably or reliably. I mentioned using 75's for a reason because that can account for a large part of that extra defined gain structure that 75's tend to do. Even though it did not have the marshall growl it did not sound thin and lifeless like most modified amplifiers do with nonlinear clipping circuitry added.

 

[Shask]

The original DSL did not have clipping diodes, so I am not sure why this "reissue" would....

 

[joepete77]

The original DSL did not have clipping diodes, so I am not sure why this "reissue" would....

I think that the old dsl did have diode clipping at least on the od channel.

 

[Ricky Rockhardo]

I tried the 15 watter and it was quite nice. The ultra channel has almost too much gain, but if you ar smart about it its pretty sweet. Deep switch works great too.

 

[cardinal]

Yeah, I liked the green channel of the 15 watter, but not the red. Couldn't tame that channel to something I'd actually use, but I only tried for about 60 seconds then went back to the green.

 

[MississippiMetal]

The original DSL did not have clipping diodes, so I am not sure why this "reissue" would....

I think that the old dsl did have diode clipping at least on the od channel.

No diode clipping anywhere in the DSL or TSL.

Seriously ?? I just played one today.. thought it sounded like dog shit. I had one back in 06 and I wish I never sold it. I see now why it was a good amp.. I didnt see it at the time I had it. the new ones however... garbage.. imo. I am actually quite shocked that you guys are rteally liking it as much as you are.. thats cool though..

You played ONE. Hardly qualifies you to have an opinion on the whole series.

 

[mbman]

I'm digging the 40 watt combo, awesome sounding amp and a lighter alternative to my 212 JMP combo and Mesa TOV.

Martin

 

[glpg80]

I'm digging the 40 watt combo, awesome sounding amp and a lighter alternative to my 212 JMP combo and Mesa TOV.

Martin

I Thought the same thing Martin. I brought my TOV with me and had played it earlier through 75's not hours earlier and it did remind me of my TOV.

 

[polaris20]

Seriously ?? I just played one today.. thought it sounded like dog shit. I had one back in 06 and I wish I never sold it. I see now why it was a good amp.. I didnt see it at the time I had it. the new ones however... garbage.. imo. I am actually quite shocked that you guys are rteally liking it as much as you are.. thats cool though..

I'm seriously surprised you liked the old one so much. I've played several 50's, 100's, and even 40's, and they all had one good sound; green crunch. Everything else sounded like dog shit. To each their own, and all.

 

[glassjaw7]

I always liked the original. Got some great tones out of em. Hated the TSLs though. I'd like to give a new one a spin.

 

[Ricky Rockhardo]

I don't understand all the dsl hate. Stock and rebiased they are solid amps.
Add a few mods and they are serious serious amps. For under 1k the
100h is a good deal

 

[D-Rock]

The original DSL did not have clipping diodes, so I am not sure why this "reissue" would....

Being that the amp is more of an evolution than a reissue, made in Vietnam and sounds as if it has more gain than stock, I think it's a fair question.
Plus, the 900's had diodes in some models, so it's not entirely unheard of in their high gain tube heads.

 

[johnpace2]

I thought about a re-issue, but I got an older one for $500 and it sounds killer. Hell of an amp for the money.

 

[glpg80]

I don't understand all the dsl hate. Stock and rebiased they are solid amps.
Add a few mods and they are serious serious amps. For under 1k the
100h is a good deal

I dont know man, the older ones i have played literally fell apart on themselves at band volumes, all of them just sounded like dog shit - nothing a re-bias or simple tube change could do. The re-issue to me seemed MILES ahead with tons of tonal pallet options. Better volume manners and really held together well.

You're right though, for the right price i wouldnt mind owning a 100H at all - that amp covered classic rock tones better than my 5150 did back when i did it for a paycheck.