Will Marshall build a better DSL?

[clutch71]

Do you think these amps benefit greatly from a mod, such as Voodoo Amps mods?
If you read their mod details and they make it sound like a necessity.

FWIW I've owned the DSL 50 for 5 years. Only thing I've done to it is replace the OT with a MM. The value on the bay is way down right now. A DSL 100 w. a MM OT just closed at around $550.

Some observations over the years...yes the construction and components are designed with profit margin in mind. But I have had very few problems with mine, no more than you would expect with any other build.

Bias the amp different than the Marshall recommended "45mv" per side. I typically run mine at around 38mv per side. Though I've never measured the plate voltage, it just sounds better to my ear through the entire volume range.

Now this is extremely suggestive...but avoid EL34's with 6L6 qualities....Tung Sol EL34B and Ruby EL34 BSTR come to mind. JJ EL34 (not the L), Winged C have been my favorite. JJEL 34l's are ok, but this amp needs no more lows IMO.

The amp is a little loose on the bottom end of the classic gain crunch mode, lead 1 and lead 2 and only gets worse at "bed room" levels. An OD outfront really helps (i've found the best results with a TS808 RI or modded SD-1) as well as speaker and pup choice. Avoid Oversize cabinets and stick to something 30X30X14.5 or 2x12.

Just because a nob goes to 10 does not mean it has too....I never run my gain higher than 5 on OD1....ever.

The reverb sucks....period. In five years I've not heard one person say they like it. My pan has spent more time out of the amp to save weight.

To answer your question about modding....that's a tough one. FJA and Voodoo have their own thing going and the owners of each are very helpful and responsive to questions. I've never pulled the tigger on it but have played amps modded by each. What I have not liked about the DSL (reverb and looser bottom end) I have overcome by a reverb unit in the loop or an OD out front.

Best of luck and hell....looking is half the fun anyway!

[ClassicRock88]

I have to say, one of the things I like most about the new DSL's is some of the construction techniques that Marshall is using that would be cost prohibitive in the UK. Namely chassis mounted tube sockets as opposed to the PCB mounted sockets on the old DSL's. I found that out yesterday and it greatly increased y esteem for what Marshall is doing in the East. The more I find out about their overseas operations the more I start to think that they are not "slap em together and get em out the door" shops. These seem like good pieces of equipment and I have heard nothing but good things about them.

[jboyjams]

I'm considering getting a new DSL100H for the new band I've been playing with. I usually run a Plexi somewhat clean and use pedals. I tested a DSL100H and sounded pretty good - I could go back to plugging straight in for gain. I wish it had seperate eq's for the 2 channels, but I got it close at the store. I also tried a jvm410 a while back and couldn't get a good tone to my taste, but thought I tried a jvm205 when buying a cab and sounded great...

In general is the dsl more "vintage" sounding than the jvm?

Can anyone compare the differences in TONE between the DSL 2000 and the new DSL100H?

(I understand the physical differences: birch vs. mdf, tube sockets on the board vs. chassis, deep switch vs. resonance knob, spring reverb vs. digital, external bias points vs internal.)