Marshall DSL 100 vs. MG100HDFX halfstack

[dewycatt2112]

Finally getting a DSL 100 again!. Had (3) of em". (3) jmp-1"s,reissue plexi(59),800"s,900"s,. Had other amp too", Laneys(aor)(GH100TI)(GH100L)51­50"s-5150III-boogies-ADA-Rockt­ron-Randalls-yamaha-etc..I will attest that there is NO better amp for rock than MARSHALL!..glad to be home again!

[kenjik16]

u should be in love with gibbons ;)

[ThrashMetalAJM]

you're a great guitarist sir! :)

[JEUXolim]

It's a fair test so everyone stop complaining. To me the DSL100 was just like heaven, the MG was actually a lot better than I expected but still didn't have that fat sound that a valve amp has.

[snoochez112]

the dsl 100 also has the mid scoop and bass boost buttons that the mg doesn't. Are either of those buttons engaged? that would make a difference too

[rickru1]

definetely the Marshall MG100 HDFX

[leanidis300]

The MG does seem sharper, would need to hear them both in person\

[Blackdragon52k]

Im into classic funk/rock/blues tone but I like to play mostly aside from Zeppelin and Kiss, is Iron Maiden and Slayer and me and my bandmate are trying to decide on which of the 2 is better for like metal but is just as good for like old rock and what not lol Any help on this is greatly apreciated.

[dewycatt2112]

trash that solid state junk! DSL sounds warmer and fuller.

[sndgarden]

I don't know why everybody keeps complaining about those MG series amps. I mean there are really good amps, not better than tubes but still good nevertheless. If you take a close look at Marshall's overpriced shit on the market, the MG is quite cheap for a person that desires a little bit of quality in a shitty half-stack.

[rocker100991]

the gain settings are diffrent how can you conpare them? this is stupid

[that1stupidkid613]

@greensp4rk obviously you didn't read my 2nd comment. i said it was solid state with digital effects. i had a brain fart the first time sorry

[greensp4rk]

the MG100HDFX is really good for a solid state, and i loved it. then I got a VOX VT40+ (which is only half tube) and honestly i got sounds out of the vox that absolutely destroyed the HDFX.

[that1stupidkid613]

@liamzuid lol woops typo i meant solid state with digital effects.

[that1stupidkid613]

@liamzuid tube

[greensp4rk]

@that1stupidkid613 noo... its not, its solid state.

[liamzuid]

Is the mg100hdfx solid state or tube?

[IbanezArtist13]

@liamzuid solid state

[Mrsamlki]

Do u play the riff on the mg or dsl the first time through? I like the first on better.

[dcooper830]

@Mrsamlki the first one is the DSL

[Glockenator]

The DSL is better, but if you can't afford one of the expensive Marshalls, the MG is awesome

[A7Xblood]

You look just like my step step grandpa.

[horrormovies88]

mg100hdfx sounds alot better, much more deep and has oomph! some of these people on here just hate the 100hdfx for no reason!

[KISS4evr]

Devil's Child!! Yeah Priest fuckin rules!

[MrHussika]

I think the Eq in Dsl is different from the Mg. Mg's sound is too low against with Dsl. Thats my opinion.

[PeterMilenk]

Obviously the DSL is wayyy better than the Mg, not fair.... its like a fight between Chuck Norris to larry the cable guy

[juntti02]

@scotty688 sorry but it really don't have low ends, thought its 4X12 its sounds very thin compared to tube amps and many other solid amps, it doesn't give the punch

[swanky23]

Note how when he plays with the MG you can hear the unamplified sound of the guitar much more.

[Bobby59]

what were you running it through?

IMHO the MG100HDFX sounded better.

[akaboo69]

make an up date and use both amps threw the 1960 cabs to get a more fair test

[akaboo69]

both are close

[ady0211]

Do you know if the dsl head would work with the mg412a cab?

[thestooty]

DSL!!!!!!!

[nine9live5]

u do realize this is unfair... its obvious its the dsl which is gonna win coz its a tube amp!

[cbmb2647]

The DSL sounds WAY more clear. The MG sounds decent, has a decent "modern" tone to it, but it doesn't hold up to any of the other Marshall amps.

[JoeWoodall83]

I enjoyed the sound of the MG all the way up to the "Tush" riff and the single note lines at the end. In the beginning I actually preferred the MG's tone to the DSL, but on the Tush riff and the single not lines the MG became very mushy. I notice some folks are extremely partial due to the tube and ss debate. Some would take a horrible sounding tube amp instead of a sweet sounding ss. It's a status thing more so than sound. Tube does more often have much better tone, but not in every case.

[blackzabbathfan]

mg100hdfx sounds clearer

[JoshAndHisGuitar]

So I'm assuming the first one was the DSL. Any professional guitar player knows that SS is not in the same league as Tube. That being said the HDFX wasn't horrible. The DSL is just far superior. Although the tones on either weren't dialed in how I'd like them. It was pretty clear which was better. Again the SS is only trying to sound like the Tube. People think too often SS are for metal or something when that is totally incorrect. Believe me good tone regardless of the genre you'll find in a T

[volcom1722]

DSL DEFINETELY!!!!!!!!! PURE TUBE!!!

[guthamwelso]

Date an Asian lady  lushfmlk.info

[stratdem]

the MG 100HDFX all the way!

[zazfilm]

i see you have an affinity for classic rock

[dumbwiz]

Im definitely digging the sound of the MG100HDFX a lot better. It seems like it would suit the type of music that I play a lot better than the DSL would. Great playing, by the way!

[Canadianspunge]

I think it's the settings, but I'm liking the MG more...

[chidorikill]

i bet that if you used a decent distortion pedal the dfx would sound pretty good too.

[WildGunman77]

those MG series heads sound like digital garbage

[MetalUpTheAss19]

Did you have the dsl cranked up a bit mate? I know with mine it needs to be at around 4.5-5 to sound good and then over that sounds awesome. But below 4 the distortion sounds too fuzzy and crappy, really need to be turned up

Awesome chops by the way

[boagley1]

I've got 2 MG100 HDFX half stacks that I run together, and a JCM800...

For crunch, I prefer the MG heads... They've got the CONTOUR control, which lets you vary between the older Marshall's and the newer ones. Running 2 of them, just allows me to dial in the EXACT tone I'm looking for.

BTW...Tasty riffs!

[mikevmpr3]

DSL ftw. the MG sounds like what a tube amp would sound like running on "cold bias test points" tubes kill the competition

[VKzGibson]

DSL !

[diesect33]

DFX sounds like mud comparitively. I own the DSL100MLB and used an HDFX and i can say for soli state cheapies the MG series are still fun to play.

[Wiseman501]

MG sounds better on the leads, but probably just because the tone is sharper. The DSL sounds better on chords and riffs, but either amp is pretty good. It's mostly all about the prestige of tubes. Besides, the audience normally doesn't know the difference between tube and solid, they just see Marshall and hear a badass song played through it.

[T1mPlaysG33tar]

I hate the sound of this DSL... 0.o it sounds all watered down and muffled. The 100HDFX sounds much livelier

[dcooper830]

@T1mPlaysG33tar I agree it doesn't sound good in this video. I really need to do a better clip with some real mics.

[diesect33]

@dcooper830 I think the DFX is muddy in this vid compared to the DSL but, yeah the DSL can get some great tones if you know how to dial them in.

[blackzabbathfan]

@T1mPlaysG33tar same here, i got an MG100HDFX and i love ut

[ten25go]

JMD series is better than both of em!! lol

[headbagger63]

@ten25go Are you kidding me that thing is the worst sounding amp ever. You can find the DSL 100's on ebay for cheaper and they sound better

[w3lford4n0]

mg100 sounds warmer and has a nicer tone but both sound amazing



[asianaxeman]

@w3lford4n0 dude! The MG is much less warmer, more compressed and more sterile

[ipnutt22]

Yea. If you put the amps in the same position the sound wont be very different maybe just slight. run the 100 HDFX through that 1960 cab and it will sound amazing.

[LeftyLP80]

i think one part of the sound difference would be the distance from the camera that each amp is. But i still think the DSL is a bit better, but also look at the prices of the too. both great amps....but definitely not around the same price range...id go for the HDFX....it still has some power...but not quite as much as the DSL

[omerj2000]

Obviously the DSL is gonna be better! THey're still both good amps, the MG is mostly for home use and practising. It's DEFO not a gigging amp like

[Diehard804]

hey i have the mg100hdfx and im telling you this is a kick ass amp. u need to work with the settings though, it took me awhile but i got a really awesome tone out of it. ya its obviously not better than a tube amp but the mg100 is epic

[MrMorningbear631]

Well, in my opinion if you have the money go for the dsl, that is my dream amp along with the marshall 1959 plexi model, but i do have the MG100hdgx and it has been a great amp, I can get one hell of a sound out of that with my les paul and its good enough for me.

[gus041009]

yay toys in the attic! :D

[guitarmessiah95]

the MG sounds all digital and fake but the dsl is alot more natural and real.

[FEARthisGrunt]

how much is the dsl?

[69brandin69]

does this go pretty loud? how many watts? how much did you pay?

[MagrPwnAge]

dsl sounds more for trebble and the halfstack has more bass

[joakoPRIMUS]

1:33 please tell me wich song is that!

[MagrPwnAge]

@joakoPRIMUS Tush by ZZTop

[scotty688]

I'd buy the MG because it's a lot cheaper

[andrewlloy]

its like putting a tablespoon of water in the ocean. Is it there? Yes. Does it really matter? No.

[maarcel12]

DSL, but i have both amps hahaha

[rawrlion101]

why would you compare these amps its a no brainer

[blacklightize]

lucky you have a gibson les paul or epiphone les paul and two marshall amps and you have more les pauls can i have one if so illl take your crappiest one

[trakir]

Dsl!

[A7Xblood]

I think it depends on what you play. Metal... DSL!!!!!!! And then the other for like Van Halen kind of stuff

[jonnyshredfayce]

Well duh the Dsl is better. It's a tube! That's like comparing a dodge neon to a Ferrari

[JRDN058]

damn the tube amp sounds way better xD

[armthehomeless199]

haha dsl sounds better, but ill end up buying the hdfx cuz the price. but when your only 15 with no job, you kind of have to buy the cheaper one haha

[Dkr84]

DSL DSL DSL!!!

[fritosofdoritos]

is there a dsl half stack in the $500 range? possibly 400? someone help with me!

[alapunk13]

@fritosofdoritos you can use a line switcher

[sledboy123456789]

@fritosofdoritos you fucking wish bud :P more like a great deal for the halfstack is 1000

[guitarmessiah95]

@fritosofdoritos Guitarcenter has DSL 40 watt combos on there used section of there website for like $500-$600 Marshall was really stupid one day and decided to discontinue the DSL series and now they have something called the MA which in my opinon suck

[trchrichie]

@fritosofdoritos nope



[cessnapilot182]

okay, one question? How in the hell are you switching between the two like that?

Just got one last night btw, these things kick fucking ass. Tube to solid state isn't even a comparison!!

[roatking]

did everyone forget about the clean channel?

[ElevenBravo]

DSL for the win

[bjswagger99]

which one would be the best for guns n roses + appittie for destruction?

[maarcel12]

DSL 100 is my fucking favourit, i got soon one, have at the moment a Marshall MG100.. but soon.. in one-two months .. then rocknroll extreme!

[rj5573]

dsl 100. how much $ was it?

[stratdem]

THE MARSHALL MG100HDFX has been called the solid state

JCM800 and i would agree with that hands down!

[neochase1]

that was great ! I've been looking into buying a marshall amp and not sure where to go. Thanks for doing that comparison the way you did. That helped a lot. Thanks man !

[CriticsConfession]

I've had a DSL for a while, but I'm wondering... What are some good Equalization settings? Like just for Presence, Treble, Middle, and Bass?

[MyManDan]

i could make this decision if i was put into a drug-induced coma

[FenderBenderXP]

hey man. you ever play any zztop?

[homesnake202]

MG= Fizzy McFizz

[VelvetFuckinRevolv3r]

the DSL has more depth to it. the MG sounds a bit too fake, but then again nothing can beat pure valve tone...DSL all the way

[82markyboy]

the mg has more midrange. the dsl has more treble and bass. Are the amps EQ'd the same? Dosn't sound like it.

[MadSciontist28]

they both sound good but i hear more compression in the MG.

[gnrnmbr1]

the Mg sounds flat as a fart...sounds like its muffeled..

[ihatenjoi]

mg100

[horsecoollover19]

why would you even consider comparing them?? ! XD

nice dude

[brimill1980]

i actually have both. use em for live dsl for me and the mg100hdfx for the other guitarist... and my god the mg has serious volume its fantastic... for a solid state head its amazin

[MrDogsbody]

Ask yourself this, Tube amps have to turned up to get them to really shine, so until you crank them your never gonna see the real differences between the two, the DSL will BEAST the MG solid state thing when there cranked, good video and good playing though :)

[AGK972]

Compared to the DSL, the MG has the tone of a transistor radio! Nice classic licks!

[fgonzalezb1990]

Mmm... I think that both amps are awesome, the mg has more raw noisy sound perfect for raw noisy music (punk, metal,...), whereas the dsl has very warm sound for classic rock, hard rock, blues, etc... (:

(sorry for my english)

[yourguitarist89]

heres a solution to try for you ppl who own hdfx's. buy a microphone tube preamp and replace the tube in it with a high quality guitar amp tube such as one manufactured by fender. this will help a whole whole bunch and its less than $150

[TheMosseh]

DSL all the way!

[giammygiammy]

dsl!!

[12345678ix]

dsl!DSL!DSL!DSL!

[DeivasLT]

DSL All The Way !!!

[jackman94]

i heard that the dsl has a lot of hiss or buzz. can u verify?

[asda6572]

The DSL is supposed to be like 1000x better than a MG. But in this video the MG sounds way better.

[sccloser]

DSL sounded better to me...but I think the MG was not bad at all. Sounded like the mids were cut out on the MG. I'd like to hear the comparison with the mids up on the MG because I am curious as to how close the two amps will sound the same.

[topografer]

That's true the MG somehow has more modern sound to it. Pretty decent amp but expensive for what it is.

[murfdog19]

There's too much gain on both of them. It's hard to hear how an amp sounds when it's buried in distortion.

[jackman94]

the dsl sounds cleaner and the mg is like a heavier sound

[90sRockWhore]

thank you so much for demoing this i read good reviews, but wanted to hear it.

[LENNYlanes]

i just played at a tattoo expo holding about a thousand people and believe me when i say my dsl 100 was on 4 and if i had the mg i would have been screwed!! your also using a crappy cab for the dsl if u used a 1960 b cab your camera would break my friend. i could get the MG sound off of my computer distortion that what mg sounds like to me.

[lavalamp360]

i have no idea how but the MG f***ing anihalated the DSL!

[90sRockWhore]

same thing i was thinking, it sounds more raunchola, balls out, dirty. nasty.

i have to buy it.

[123marijn321]

mg100 sounds more dirty

[ThePiffinator]

does the Mg100 have built in effects? by Mg100 i mean the red one haha

[ZakkHendrix666]

@ThePiffinator yes, it has flanger, chorus, delay, and chorus-delay

[ThePiffinator]

ok what about distortion effects does it have those as well sorry i forgot to ask that in the previous comment.

[ZakkHendrix666]

@ThePiffinator you can turn the effects on on either of the 4 channels.

[lostsurfer660]

dsl sound so much better.. the mg, to me at least sound so compressed and boxed in... plus with a solid state you get all of that nasty hum

[90sRockWhore]

yeah it does, i still like the difference though

[tbirdpunk]

You should run them in stereo for us as well.

[stickyjeans69]

No power tubes, No legendary marshall tone.

[stickyjeans69]

There's a problem with this video. The problem is that I can hear you picking while playing the DSL. people are indifferent to this video because you have the volume at 3ish afaik. The DSL really starts to shine (Like any marshall tube) at volumes above Five.

[bigfish0804]

This is very true, but the stock fuses from marshall tend to blow above five.  If youre planning on getting the power tubes really hot, I'd recommend switching to a better fuse (I use Buss 1A slow blow.)

[themaninblac]

THe MG sounds better. Wow.

[DarkAEon91]

Oh damn, the tone you got from the MG surprised me...

[JonDeth]

Great video but to dispel a lot of this one sounds richer this one sounds more resonant etc. you should do a video where you use them on the other's CABINET.

This will show just how overwhelming the influence of speakers and cabinet size are.

Also sounds like you have the HDFX running with the mids scooped out. Kick them back in and I bet these amps don't sound all that different.

[nickl882]

awesome vid. very informative!

[tonyd927]

just bought a dsl 100. traded my peavey 5150 and only hadto pay 200. such a good choice

[AsAngelsFall221]

IMHO, the DSL sounds a lot more articulate, and the MG sounds really dark and nasally.

Good thing I'm getting me a DSL 100 soon. :D

[ilyazvyagin]

Is the DSL all-tube?

[809Metallica]

DSL all the way! its tube!!!

[12345678ix]

hells yes

[feggman2]

so hard to have a marshall fauvorite when theres so many of them

[Newmapsofsocal]

I really enjoyed this video.

Not going to say which I like best, Because, I like both just differently.

But, what are your settings for the MG?

[powsheep]

im thinking of getting either of these which one does every1 think sounds better

[ffafc]

@powsheep DSL trust me it sound much better up realy loud.

[PWNZRS1]

@ffafc WHAT IS THE DIFF IN PRICE

[ffafc]

@PWNZRS1 bout 500 quid :-[

[roberthlubnaomi]

od channel sucks dick

[DaveRingle]

Im curious, does it use valves?

[ruffles272]

i like both.

[bizkitfren]

shit,you have put different eq and how can you compare a valve amp with a transistor one???

[lastangelsofrock]

dsl !!!

[bigassmatic]

they sound incredibly similar to me especially since the DSL costs about twice as much

[hardrockerdave94]

Yeah but don't forget, the quality of the video isn't amazing, in real life or in the studio, you would hear a big difference between the two.

[bigassmatic]

Haha, I don't know why I even posted that comment. He has them dialed in to sound like each other anyway.

[SoCaldiamond89]

The DSL can give you a great clean and an insane metal tone and everything inbetween.

[rygo30]

so which one is better for metal music ?

[loserke30]

MG100HDFX!

Lve the sound!

[freaknoid46]

big amps dont make u good

[musclekid13]

@freaknoid46

just rich

[freaknoid46]

dude fuck u he sucks

[ViLLZzZz]

DSL of course

[K1S1]

TYVM for doing that I will be saving up 700 more for the DSL Again TYVM

[apguitarguy401]

probably the best mg i've ever heard with those v30 clones!

[rudoman22]

you talk to much trash

[rudoman22]

shut up douche bag

[lespaulreborn]

the dsl has more dynamics but the mg isn't bad to...but the mg burns up really easy so be carful!!

[wikichris]

Unless you do BIG gigs (these things are insanely loud) and don't mind moving these things around just buy a small sub 100 watt modelling amp like a Roland Cube or something. Marshall valve heads are not very versitile, expensive, somewhat delicate, and heavy. Keep your money unless you're CERTAIN you need one of these things.

[BrokenHeadlights13]

dude thats debatable, i used mine before we started doing gigs and it works out really nice even in ur home

[wikichris]

Sure, the usefulness of big Marshall stacks IS debatable but I did allow for that in my argument. If you're sure you need one go for it but there are problems with them: volume, versitility, practicality, and reliability.

[BrokenHeadlights13]

volume: 4 out 5

Versatility:5 out 5

Practically: 2 out of 5

relabiity 4 out of 5 stars

but thats just my opinion

[wikichris]

You can't give a Marshall stack 5 out of 5 for versatility.

You can but no one will take your seriously.

If that gets a 5 you've no room to describe the variety a good modelling amp can give you.

[BrokenHeadlights13]

its good versatility for the type of stuff we play