Added: 3 years ago
From: BluStrat22
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  • I really like the Marshall tone, I had a JCM900, liked the tone, just wasn't in love with it, bought a Carvin MTS3200 used for $275, did everything the marshall did plus had ear splitting volume, and an incredible clean channel, and a Mesa-esq low end. Three things the 900 did not. I'll keep my Carvin, but I still want the epic Marshall sound, I'm hoping the TSL100 is going to bridge the gap for me. Time will tell, picking up one with the footswitch tomorrow for $650. Wish me luck!

  • THIS AMP ROCKS! VPR switch ( which helps this amp open up nice) to 3 channels and parallel effects loop. Plexi to JCM 800 like tones with High Gain options in channel 3 for modern, metal, or solo. PLEASE take the time to fully STUDY the owners manual!!! This amp needs no mods! Just replace tubes as needed. Most of you sound is from the preamp. So many threads of endless crying over sound and options. READ THE MANUAL!!!

  • These amps have a sucky effects loop.

  • @squirttilithurts I have heard good and bad about it. I actually find it to be pretty good, and flexible. But others disagree. I guess it all depends on what you are pushing through it.

  • @BluStrat22 the best thing about it is using the fx loop an an attenuator by plugging a cable into the return fx and turning the fx volume down, gets that cranked up sustain and a low volume...

  • @squirttilithurts

    READ THE OWNERS MANUAL!!! The FX loop switch on foot pedal acts as a volume boost! It does not degrade the SIGNAL! It a volume boost. think it's sucky then suck on this - make it serial like the others. This AMP ROCKS!

  • hey man, do u think i would be able to push it hard enough to play metal?

  • @aidoxD Hmmmm......not really sure about that. You can get a pretty heavy distortion...but you might be better off with something else. I just picked up a Marshall Mode 4 head, and it gets a sound similar to this, but one channel is a very heavy one...really balls out!. That might be what you want....or, of course, a Mesa or Diezel or something like that.

  • where did u put ur delay effect? after guitar and before amp?

  • @silentboy85 I run it through the effects loop! :-)

  • @silentboy85

    Thru the loop! Chorus thru the Loop. Overdrive if needed in front with wah and your Rocking! Run FX mix around 50% and Pedal volume around 50%. Start there then tweak if you even have too. Always start with tone and knobs on amp at middle then go from there. READ THE MANUAL over and over! This amp is one of the best marshalls ever! I have played them all.

  • are you tried it with attenuator? i have combo version tsl122 with stock heritage/vintage celestions and it's damn loud. sweetest sound appears at 4+ volume, but when playing inside my apartment i can't go higher than 2 even with vpr. screw my cranky neighbours. and what you think about emulated out?

  • VERY nice clean tone dude...I am aquiring one of these amps,wondering what are youre EMG's?

    BTW Nice Marshall gunga...

  • @buckerking Hey there...thanks for the kind words!!! Yeah, I really dig the clean sound too!! The EMGs I have are the SA single coils, and an 89 in the bridge position. It is the selectable single/humbucker pickup...you select using a push/pull knob on one of the tone knobs. Cheers!!

  • @buckerking Thanks so much....yeah, the clean sound is pretty dope!! The EMGs I use are the SA single coils, and the humbucker is an 89, the switchable single coil/humbucker pickup.

  • somobody know how much does this amp cost?

  • @thisisrock100 They usually run about $999 used.

  • Nice review, I'm picking one of these up at the weekend! :)

  • @ccowdry hope you like it as much as i like mine!!

  • Hey I have a strat with low output pickups and I play a lot of blues and classic rock and I like a very warm smooth sustaining sound that goes from a Little Wing style clean to very high gain hard rock sound. I want a fat sound but I want it to still cut through in a band situation. Is this a good amp for that? Great review by the way.

  • @Bensmusic127 This sounds like it would be the perfect amp for what you want to do!! Good luck!!

  • I own this amp. I hate it. I'm buying something else. Any suggestions? I like a lot of gain, smoothness, sustain, and punch. NOT the kind of "punch" this amp produces. This amp produces a "thick, glassy" sound, and I hate it. The lead channel is ok (just ok) for my RYTHEMS. It doesn't sound good at all for my leads. It's a very abrasive sound. Hard to explain unless you hear it in person. In my opinion Marshall is good for old, classic tones. And classic tones suck.

  • @christenstjohn i own the same amp, and noticed the same problem your talking about, this can be taken care of with mods.

    look into installing a choke on your amp, really opens the sound up alot, gives you alot more sustain as well, without it, you have no real sustain, bass, or mid response.

    changing the output transformer will really help as well, gives a nice smooth, creamy sound, almost chimey sounding on the clean channel.

  • @christenstjohn the biggest problem with the tsl 100 is the bias drift that happens due to shitty resistors being used, when your bias drifts it changes the sound quite a bit, can also blow power tubes/resistors/diodes if it gets to high, or can easily damage the circuit all together.

    this amp should really be taken to an amp tech, or someone that works on tube amps, to give a basic check over, and install a choke

    also, changing the tubes makes a big difference on your sound as well

  • @christenstjohn three words Fender Super Reverb

  • Verry good playng dude ! Congrats !

  • @rudyos thanks, man...glad u liked it!!

  • Blu, I've seen that a lot of my favorite artists use the DSL and I've done a bit of research and I'm just curious... Is the TSL a DSL+ or are they actually two different amps however similar?

  • @dinoman89 I believe they are two separate amps. the TSL has three channels. I believe the DSL has only two.

  • Good vid...thanks! I may have to trade my 1987x plexi re-issue for one of these. I dig it.

  • Ive used this superamp live for the last 6 -7 years. ( 2 halfstacks Marshall - the other is an old plexi - both with X greenbacks cabs - this amp doesnt sound ultimate with 300 w cabs). I run 4 - 5 pedals direct into input. The effectloop sounds to "academic". Set it up oldtimefashion and its a beaut for about all stage sizes.

  • Great Video! Could you tell me what cab you are using, and if its the mc412, could you tell me your amp settings? I've had this amp for a year now and I still have such a hard time dialing in a nice full tone.

  • @apguitarguy401 I am using an old Peavey Butcher cab....had it for years. Has Celestion 85s in it, I believe. Been my workhorse cab for a while now...I really like it!

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  • @apguitarguy401 its hard to make this amp sound bad, im sure you're doing alright

  • what are you doing for your noise problems? I have this head as well and the noise is killing me. My pedal chain contains a boss tu-2, boss chorus, line - 6 delay, visual volume pedal, and a bbe sonic stomp. The noise itself is coming directly from the head and when I plug my wireless unit into it theres more noise then sound. any advice would be great

  • @jtobryan hi, the best noise supressor is the "ISP G STRING" YOU WON'T FIND A BETTER ONE. make sure the modulation pedals are connected in the loop of your amp...

  • Nice! I was considering getting a legacy as well, Vai is one of my favorites if not my favorite!

  • @spratte yeah, I go back and forth between the Legacy and Marshall. Both have their plusses!! Honestly, I go with the Legacy if I had to make a choice!! :-)

  • @BluStrat22

    can u crank up this amp without blowing you eardrums?

  • they are good amps....but i have had problems with mine, the footswitch jack is very flimsy and has developed a fault, the transformers blew on my tsl and my band mates tsl while we were using the output mute for silent recording.

    it appears that marshall never included a dummy speaker to take the load while using the output mute. i have the 100 watt combo...i think the combo sounds a bit better than the 1/2 stack, good cleans great crunch, leads can be a bit fizzy at times....id give it 8/10

  • were you recording output mute without the speakers hooked up? that's an easy way to wreck your amp

  • @nickkalisz the speakers were hooked up, but it appears that marshall never included a dummy to take the load when in silent mode

  • How do you like your Carvin Legacy I?

  • @armasiel Loooooooooove my Legacy!!!! :-)

  • quadruple...lol...over killlllll

  • @JUMBOpin it wasn't my idea....it was the engineer who recorded it!! :-)

  • me and a friend tried this amp in our local music shop today and he's going back to buy it tomorow

    it's so amazing the lead channel on a strat neck pickup is "the tone"

    it easly trumps any amp i've ever owned

  • what you think of the tsl 602 combo? i have it and it seems great!

  • Can I run the preamp of this TSL into my Mesa 295 poweramp somehow? Thanks

  • I've been giging with mine since the begining of the year...love the distortion, but it is a bit noisy (with the rest of my rack)...but throw an Boss NS-2 on the end and all is good. This amp gets a bad rap - but I love mine.

  • How do You plug in effects to this head properly ? Through the loop I mean. Any suggestions ? Thank You.

  • ok what can i do to kill the super feed back im getting on this head can someone help me with that

  • @666kevbo I use a Boss noise suppressor that I bought soon after I did this vid....works pretty damn well!

  • @BluStrat22 cool thanks.. because mine is giving some really bad feedback on every channel it sucks ha..

  • @666kevbo

    stand away from the amp and dont play ur gain like a fucking dickhead

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  • @frankiesegura Cute dumb fuck

  • should I buy the MARSHALL TSL601 amp?

  • @wisesatyr72 Don't know about the 601!! Sorry!

  • @wisesatyr72 if you can afford the stack, get it cause they sound far better

  • When i put on the fx loop on my lead channel the volume goes down .....

  • why so much talking???????

    WHO CARES-- just play

  • Good comments everybody - Hey, does anyone have an opinion between the DSL100 and the TSL100 sound-wise? Other than the obvious feature differences - 2 channel versus 3 channel and f/x blend??? I'm ready to buy either of these heads. Thanks in advance.

  • @ElevenBravo I'd say go with the TSL. Both are great, but the gain channel on the DSL will sound pretty much like the crunch channel on the TSL. With the TSL you get another channel and it's even hotter. Both sound similar, so might as well go with the one that gives you more flexiblity. I have the TSL and it's the best amp I ever owned.

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  • beautiful Strat!

  • @ZakkHendrix666 thank you...I am quite proud of it.  It is my workhorse!

  • EMG's in a strat, some real good taste right here

  • @angusyoungrocker9999 thanks...I have another Strat with the same EMG setup....I think it sounds very nice....you get such a wide range of tones with these pickups!

  • @BluStrat22 when i used to play rhythm in a jazz band, i used EMG's, everyone thought i was insane, but then they heard the tone

  • @angusyoungrocker9999 yeah, usually when people hear the sound, they usually either shut up right quick, or they ask to play it!! :-)

  • @BluStrat22 I also have the TSL 100 and I just love the damn thing. You know, I don't think I have had any tone cravings for the past couple of years now since I bought. Everytime I would go to a guitar shop, I would try to explain the sound I'm looking for but no one had a clue, then I bought this and WHAM! got the damn sound right away.

  • @123lovegun, You'll come to understand this: MARSHALL FOOTSWITCH=SHIT

  • what cab are you using?

  • hello , I have a jcm100 tsl too, but my amp reverb and others efects never worked. when I bought it I had not observed that. How do you make it works.. i mean the chanels of effects and reverb.. I am very angry and disapointed about my amp.. and I lost the time of warranty reclaim as well.. I am a total idiot

  • how much is the tsl 100?

  • looking at getting a new amp for giging with  but cant make up my mind what to buy this or a jvm410?

  • is better the lagacy or marshall? thank you

  • the cab you want is a 1960 handwired. it may not be black to match the head but it sounds sweet! i use it with my tsl100 head and its fantastic, couldn't ask for better.

  • When I got mine, it came with a 1960a. 300w cab. I tweaked and tweaked and the sound were ok, but no really wauw!!

    Then I got my 1960ax with 25w greenbacks and the sound is great.

    Its a pretty versatile amp once you get to know it. I play with 2 halfstack, the other one is a 1959 plexy RI 1991. Both have the X-cab. Great depth, harmonics and your personal tone. However about 80% of the time Im on the TSL.

    Its really that good, once "tweaked in place". (No F/Xloop, direct chain to both).

  • mine is

  • Actually, i have had good success with the FS. Bouught it used as well...seems to work just fine!!

  • @BluStrat22 Maybe the last person re-soldered it. They usually don't make it past 1 year!

  • listen to that fuckin hum on the dirty channels...thats how my tsl is, SO ANNOYING

  • that is because I am sitting 2 feet from it...and turned up kinda loud. It is not really bad with a normal distance between me and the amp.

  • how much you payed for the amp?

  • I traded in a guitar when I bought it. The amp was selling for $999. I got $700 trade for the guitar, and since it didn't come with a footswitch, the owner of the store knocked it down to $899 with no tax. So I only paid $200 for it.

  • luckyyyyy

    u got a sick take on that

  • @BluStrat22 look i'm new to this the tsl is just the head right? so i could use any bottom stack and still sound good?

  • Yes, this TSL-100 is just the head only. However, they do come in combo style with a speaker attached if you want. However, you can use any head you desire (as long as the speaker impedance matches up) with any cabinet you want.

    BTW...I have seen the TSL-100 head go for about $999 used....new they seem to hover around $1500-1600.

  • thanks for the reply.

  • @BluStrat22 what size cab does it fit on? 4x12?

  • @ZakkHendrix666 yes, that is a 4x12 cab, and it seems to fit perfectly on the top there!!

  • @BluStrat22 thanks!

  • @MrWashingtons

    You can use almost any 412 cab with the TSL. As to wether it'll sound good depends on the quality of the stack youre putting it through. I bought my TSL for 700$

  • I have the TSL. Best amp I've ever played with...

  • hey pro man .....

    one drive and drive .

    when will Great Clean sound demo ????

  • More METAL please sir.

  • I plan on doing another review of this amp, now that I have had a chance to tweak it...some meatl willl come along with it!! :-)

  • Hell yeah bro! Thanks, really looking forward to it man.

  • @BluStrat22 Can you add something from Slash please? I love his tone, I will be getting this amp, but could you put something that sounds like Slash? Thanks!

  • I can heard that the amp is very noisy. Even using the EMG's that are dead quite.

  • Actually, it is remarkably quiet!!

  • Can you run this amp without using a cab (just DI/line out directly to computer)?

  • Yes...there is a direct output on the back of the amp. I actually have never used it, so I can't attest to how good it sounds.....sorry!!

  • 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 stacks are not very versitile, expensive, somewhat delicate, and heavy. Keep your money unless you're CERTAIN you need one of these things.

  • there nothing wrong with having a stack...stacks are designed to be loud. so it's practical to have a stack on stage and not in a bedroom.

  • Read my post again...

  • You're never, EVER going to need anything more than 35 watts all tube.

  • I understand what you're saying, but I have a feeling you own a walker and a bottle of Viagra. Just Kidding :)

  • Nah trust me, 35 watts is plenty for most venues... 100 watts is fine if you can lug it around everywhere though.

  • All joking aside. I'm gonna have to disagree with you. You may not need more VOLUME but most people prefer the head room and larger sound that comes from a 100 watt amp.

  • i have to agree with you on that, but if you have a marshall plexi, and you want that full tube saturation, You're gonna deafen the people in the first row.

  • You make a good point that most players fail to see. Volume needs to be set at a minimum level, which is just enough to get the correct mix with the band. If not, then you'll just be making noise.

  • One of the reasons I dig this amp so much is that it really blends in nicely and cuts through in a band situation. I have had other amps that sound great by themselves, but when you play with a group, it gets lost in the mix.

  • or crank it, and use a thd hot plate :D then u get the tone when its cranked, but its at a low volume

  • I played one yesterday in my local guitar shop with a Gibson Les Paul Traditional.

    Fuckin' awesome! =]

  • nalfala123: Please tell me you're not using a wah in the fx loop...

  • great amp with boss GE7..pedal should come with it.

  • great video man! looking to buy either a dsl 100 or a tsl, i think now i'm swayiong more towards the TSL, can you get more bluesy kinds of sounds out of it too as well as the all out heavier rock + metal stuff?

  • Thanks for the kind words!! Yeah, you can get some very nice bluesy sounds, esp with the OD channel...the gain is super sweet for those tones. You get a lot of variety with this amp, I have to say!

  • No, I haven't noticed that...I guess because I don't use those effects really. All I really use are delay, tremolo, chorus, and the occasional pitch shifter. All of these have level controls, so you can adjust as needed. No noticeable tone-suckage going on there with those....sorry!!

  • SOMEONE like to listen to himself talking A LOT!

  • I know, I know....truth be told, I was a little nervous, and I get chatty when I get nervous. Sorry! :-)

  • What is the difference between this and the jvm 210? this is so damn confusing, dsl, tsl, jvm, jcm, godddd!!! lol

  • The one minute that you play sounds really nice. Next time please play more and talk less.. :)

  • LOL...thanks, man!! I have two other amps I want to review...so I will shut up and jam a little more! :-)  I tend to have a motor mouth...I was just excited about this amp!

  • TSL !

  • what do you think.

    JCM 2000 TSL or JVM410H ?

  • jvm!

  • the jvm has all sound of the tsl and more, because of this, i prefer the jvm

  • Dude all of these amps confuse me, I need help, is it step by step as far as simplicity to versatility and complexity? like starting with the simplest... Plexi, jcm800/900, jcm2000dsl, jcm2000tsl, then jvm's?

  • 2 questions...how much does this cost and does it only come in a head???

  • I believe they go for about $1500 new....this was listed at my local used store for $995....with a guitar trade in I walked away with it for about $250. And yes, they do come in combos, not just as a head.

  • what speakers are in the cab??

  • Celestion GT-85s. It's an old Peavey Butcher cab...had it for years.  A good, solid cabinet.

  • for classic rock is this amp great?

  • Yes, I would say this is a good amp for classic rock. Obviously a little tweaking would get you most of the sounds you want. i would highly recommend it for that.

  • Thanks.

    I am looking for a amp for that. I would like to play only with the amp´s foot. I have four drive pedals + anothers pedals. I wanna play with the foot. thanks.

  • is there boost on foot?

  • I actually don't know...I don't have the foot switch...yet!

  • Yes, Most Valve Amps need to have those Output Power Tubes opened up(Valves) The more output volume, the least amount of gain you need to get a musically fluid overdrive. Gain is Good too, but too much will make a Good amp sound like a 'chainsaw' Look at Yngwie, and George Lynch, JIMI, Eric, EVH, Page, etc. These Guys Play at Full volume to get their Signature TONE. Your neighbors may hate you, but there in lies your TONE

  • i wanna buy this amp and a gibson explorer

    but is this amp good for heavy metal /hard rock?

  • Absolutely!

  • Get the DSL if your gonna play metal. \m/_

  • hey :) what type of cab are you using?

  • It's an old Peavy Butcher cabinet...it has Celestion GT-85s in it.

  • Cool thanks, do you think that Carvin can do a brit type gain decently? I love the TSL Distortion but I'm not crazy about clean channel on Marshall's

  • Do you like the TSL or that Carvin Legacy better?

  • Well, I had the Legacy retubed not too long after I did this video, and it sounds amazing. Right now it's a toss up...I think they both sound incredible. I give a slight lean to the Carvin, though, due to it's simplicity.

  • You should try re-tubing the TSL. I re-tubed mine with KT77's and re-biased it and it really added punch and clarity.

  • Hey, I am looking at getting this amp.I was just wondering if you can get some good metal sounds out of this. LOUD AMP!!! NICE!!!

  • Well, honestly I am quite happy with the loud overdrive. The nice thing that you get with this is that you don't have to turn the lead OD up to 10 to get a decent tone. And yes...you can get Metallica/Slayer type sounds out of this. Not a really high gain like a Mesa and the like...but still very good.

  • On the crunch&lead. What are your settings? Mid-boost on or off? Very Thank You ! Poland

  • there are so many knobs because its practically 3 amps in 1

  • to much knobs xD

  • Yeah, there are a ton of knobs, but it is really very easy to use, and after a few minutes of learning the scheme, it all makes sense. To me, it's a very flexible amp, and can give you a wide palette of sounds.

  • i am thinking of buying a marshall DSL 100. do you happen to know what the difference is betwen the DSL and the TSL besides the independent chanels? the DSL gave me the clean sound i was looking for but i didnt really like the distortion. i was able to get the distortion sound i was looking for with a pedal though. does the TSL only offer clean and distortion?

  • On the clean. What are your settings? Mid-boost on or off? thanks so much!!

  • Here are the clean settings I use.... Clean Channel: Bass - 6 Mid - 4 Treble - 5 Mid Boost - Off Gain - 3 The cab I use is an old Peavey Butcher cab, with Celestion GT-85s in it. I really dig it. Hope this helps...let me know how it turns out for you, and if you need anything else about the amp, just drop a line! Cheers, Brian
  • What about the Carvin Legacy ? :)

  • Oh, don't get me wrong..the legacy is a beast as well. I have had in almost 9 years...won't ever part with it. It has the most amazing clean sound. The overdrive is good...I just wanted something with a little more gain. Maybe I'll do a quuick review of the Carvin next!! :-)

  • Hi there im looking at getting the tsl 100 but was just wondering, does the VPR enable quiet home practice?

  • I have found that using the VPR is really helpful in bringing down the volume while still mainting the sonic integrity of the amp. But as WahWahWakka said...you still might need earplugs!! If you really want to keep it quiet...there is a direct out on the back of the amp, which you can run into a home recorder and just monitor off headphones.  Not quite the same as running it through a cab, but still pretty cool!

  • Its amazing how powerful the tones are at low volume in the 25 watt mode setting.

  • Nice. Just got one and think it is great as well.

  • Great Review! Thx! :)

  • woow nice playing