Will Marshall build a better DSL?

[boardn10]

Thanks all. Some amps I am considering are the Mesa Mark V and Electradyne, but if I went that route, maybe I would do the Mesa Royal Atlantic. As far as Marshalls go, I like what I hear of the YJM, Slash and JVM410JS.

I play a lot 90s music however, as I am in a 90s rock band.

The Mark V or Satch could be overkill. The older I get, the more I appreciate a simple head and some pedals.
I am curious if I could use the YJM with my band while using some OD pedals to get tones for bands like Metallica and Tool.

[LiveFreeOrDie]

Vintage modern. Single channel amp that kicks ass.

[mr.brownstone]

If you play a lot of 90's music from the 3 u mentioned probably u'll be better served with the JVM, since I find the YJM and the AFD more vintage sounding. Both the YJM and the AFD will give you that 90's vibe but with the JVM will be easier. The YJM only get you there with the boost since the pure 1959 has very low gain for 90's stuff.
The AFD in #34 mode with the right EQing will def get you there too but not as close as the OD channels the JVM has (I believe).

[boardn10]

Vintage modern. Single channel amp that kicks ass.

Hey bro! I tend to prefer simple amps and an amp like the VM that cleans up well with the guitar volume to get my cleans, would be fun and old school!!! Two of the best amps I have heard with pedals is the Mesa Electra Dyne and the Fryette Sig:X, not to mention a Marshall Plexi or JMP.
Can the Vintage Modern take pedals well?

So, concerning the 2466, how does the amp sound at low volume?
I am a big fan of EL34s and I see the VM amps use KT-66 tubes. Any good?
These all sound great but I would like to hear it with a boost for heavy rock.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_RNEILjosU

I a aso looking at the JVM and the new JVM Satriani model. These all sounds great. Only thing that sucks, I find the Satriani JVM sounds better than stock, but t costs a lot more, even used it is around $1600-$1700. I am sick of spending so much on amps. Maybe the Vintage Modern with some boosts and OD pedals could give me cleans to classic Marshall to Tool. :)

As long as the build is good and reliable.

I heard the BMW vs Ford argument above but I think in the end tone is king. I know a buddy of mine took a $2500 Fryette, new Dual Rectifier and his used DSL 50 to a gig, he used a different amp for each set. We all chose the DSl for tne and where it sat in the mix. So, in this case, the Ford beat the Ferrari and BMW, LOL!

Anyway, I am looking at the Mesa Electra Dyne, Orange Rockerverb 50, Marshall JVM or Satch, and the Vintage Modern.

Great demo!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=va-dOzTtq3k

After watching some cips, the VM2466 is toping my list! I have always wanted a modern Marshall style amp that was sensitive to volume control so I could jst clean up withthe volume to get shades of gain and then boost with pedals for heavy modern rhythm or leads.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUWFHP1LnEA

[surlybastard]

Ya man, the VM is all about just using your guitar volume to control the amp, it cleans up really nice even on the higher gain settings. It also takes pedals great. I know a lot of guys run it in Low Dynamic Range and just use pedals to get a saturated sound if they need it. I mainly use the High dynamic range so I mainly use OD pedals as a boost for solos and it works great like that.

I'm a younger guy who was brought up in the era of channel switching amps so it took a re-adjustment of thinking to get used to using the VM and he volume on the guitar but I'm glad I did. It definitely sounds like something you should check out, and they're also not too pricey. You can find great deals on used ones too.

[boardn10]

Thanks bro, do you think the Vintage Modern has a sweeter voice than someting like a Mesa Electra Dyne or Splawn Quick Rod?

[surlybastard]

Couldn't tell you as I've not played either of those. I know the Quickrod is the Splawn all in one Marshall style amp so you definitely can't go wrong, they make great stuff. I can't comment on the Electro Dyne but I will say one of the few tones the Mark/Recto series amps (which is where my Mesa experience lies) don't do extremely well is a real old school Marshall, but you don't buy that amp for Marshall tones so it doesn't matter. I know the Electro dyne is supposed be their brit style amp so all I can say is play them all before you buy and let your ears decide, I don't think there's a bad amp in that bunch so you can't really go wrong.

[boardn10]

Thanks brother! What is the quality of the 2466 and does it take pedals well? I wih Marshll made an amp that sounded like the JVM Satch but with less "stuff", meaning only one or two channels, basic good tone clean to metal. I don't want all the midi stuff and modes, etc.

[surlybastard]

As far as build quality goes, I haven't been inside enough amps to make that sort of judgement. It's a PCB amp with the tube sockets mounted on the board, so it's of that level quality. What I will say is that since the circuit is so simple I imagine it would be fairly easy to service since there's not a lot of complex circuitry. Not as easy as a handwired amp of course, but probably about as easy as PCB based amps get these days. My Blackstar HT-5 is seriously three times as complex and it's all crammed onto a board half the size.

As far as pedals go, I've thrown a fair amount of stuff at it and never found anything it didn't like. Right now I'm all about my TS9 as a solo boost, but I've used other stuff and they all sounded great. I use a Muff as well. Go to a shop and try one, I actually think the VM isn't the best sounding amp at low volume (I typically do not play mine at home, I've got other amps for that) so if you play it in a shop at a lower volume and like it then you're probably golden because it really opens up past 4 on the MV

[boardn10]

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.

[p94932]

Man, Ive played them all and then some, all amps can have a bad day thats just what comes with valves. But, tone is subjective, Ive known guitar players who couldnt jam worth a darn till they were loaded and then tweaked their amps and swore to heaven they'd found the ultimate tone. And, Ive known players that cant leave well enough alone and took a perfectly good amp and messed it up thinking they were on to something. Point is, if you're a good player you can take any "pos" guitar or amp and at least get something decent out of it. Take a stock amp, spend time and find her "G" spot and run with it. Thats all you gotta do baby! My old friend used to say, "if it does good . . . feel it!" I can go into any store, with any amp and inside of 30 minutes can it configured to do a gig . . thats it! The new DSL is a sweet piece of gear, and Marshall making for a new price point that we blokes need cause high octane cost way to much as is most often out of our league. So, DSL - we love you, we'll record with you, and along the way will exorcise as many demons as we can! Peace Bros!

[ClassicRock88]

I mean when you get right down to it Marshall has always been a "value" amp. Weren't the originals made as a more affordable alternative to the imported Fenders? I'm sure that if there had been PCB's and press connectors back in 1962 Marshall would have used them. They are a business, after all. Think about the artists using new Marshalls. Some that I can think of are 1) Trans Siberian Orchestra's Al Pitrelli: Marshall JVM 410, 2) Joe Bonamassa: DSL's for his fly-in rig, 3) April Wine: DSL's for their fly-in rigs, 4) Slash: AFD's and VM's. Just to name a few. These are guys that could afford any amps they wanted yet they TOUR using Marshalls. Obviously they are still producing a professional quality product. I don't necessarily think that amps like Bogners and Mesa's are better, just different. I have some oddball handwired job called an Adams. VERY responsive. I like it a lot for cleans and for dirt. It cleans up beautifully when you roll back on the volume and really responds to your pick attack. That being said, my go-to is still my '800. I like them equally and I wouldn't call one a "better" amp. They are just different animals.

[michael_dba]

ClassicRock88 - compared to those old original Hiwatt amps Marshall seemed like a "value" amp. Reeves was fanatical about build quality. ....Wasn't cheap either. Those days are long gone.

[ClassicRock88]

I say that because I have always heard that Marshall started building amps because the mid sized rock bands in Britain in the 60's were playing Fenders, but that Fender's importer was jacking the prices way up (sort of like Marshall's importer did in the States initially). So guitar players asked if he could build a similar sounding amp for less, and he agreed. Copied Bassman -> JTM45, the rest is history. Based on that logic Marshall was initially always the "Ford" of guitar amps. The reason they were popular is that they were affordable, sounded great and were built well. I'm sure that the English production Marshalls are a nod to the past, in a way. I would imagine that if Jim could have built his earlier amps with PC boards, MDF boxes and used less expensive, foreign labor he would have done it. The only thing about the new ones that really concerns me is the PCB mounted power tube sockets, but then I look at all the JCM 900's and JCM 2000's that are still kicking and think, "maybe there's something there after all." But bottom line, Marshall is a business. They need to make profit. Personally I am happy to see a decently built, decent sounding medium-to-large gig worthy amp that sells new for under a grand with a factory warranty.

[guitarest]

You wouldnt compare the quality of a Ibanez RG320 to that of a Gibson LP Standard.

I would and those Chinese knockoff counterfeits are better also................................................



Ducking and running.... lol

Reminds me of a troll yesterday; all he did was talk smack about LP's and how they all have bad frets; cosmetic errors and play like crap and he swore that Indonesian Ibanez guitars were so much better than anything Gibson could make. Best way to beat a troll at his game is not reply................