Back to big heads, need advice

[Nmoc strat]

Hi,

After a while, having sold my old 4x12, and all the Marshall heads I've had, and they're quite a few along the years (900 4100, JVM 410H, 800 2203, mini Jubilee, various DSL , and a SC20, with another few non Marshall too), and stickin with combos , I'm Back to The big heads.

Got a nice JCM 900 1960b cab, signed by The man himself on a trade, so I want to put it to use.

I'm not looking for vintage amps, not any of those studio 20watt line, I want a proper big roaring type Marshall heads. My options are:

JCM 2000 (UK made)
DSL 100 (Vietnam)
JVM 420H

Both 2000 and DSL 100, are quite The same Amp, I've played a DSL, altough never tested The 2 side by side. Some say The UK version is better, some say The DSL is better built .... I can get these used at affordable prices here in Portugal.

The JVM , altough I can get it used too, is considerable more expensive. But I'm Wiling to give it a go.

I play home, so I'm not gonna crank it , altough I miss The high gain channels , thats why I'm not looking at 800s or any other more vintage sounding amps, I want to BE able to get all the dirt I need from The amp, with that Marshall tone.

 

[FleshOnGear]

If you need to be able to switch between different tones in a live situation, the JVM will do that better. For raw tone, though, I’d go with a DSL. I’m partial to the JCM2000, but I’ve never played a DSL100H or HR. Just realize that some players have issues with the shared EQ on the DSLs, so some players use them like single channel amps. Supposedly the newer versions are better about the balance between channels, but I have no personal experience with them. There are guys here who swear by the JCM2000 as a dual channel amp, but I always had trouble with balancing the red and green channels.

 

[Nmoc strat]

Thanks

But I've already made The choice.
I was tempted to go for a JCM 2000, used, a guy was selling here nearby. But I've read that these amps are not that reliable as The newer Vietnamese DSLs , tube sockets, etc, and for the video reviews I've seen , both are very similar tonewise, so I press The button on a DSL New, it was a promo on a online store, for just a bit more than The used JCM 2000 I was looking for.
It should arrive tomorrow.

 

[Seventh Son]

Congrats! If you’re into Maiden tones, Piece of Mind on a DSL (Ultra Gain, OD1) is
Bass 1
Middle 7
Treble 4
Presence 3
Resonance 0
Gain 5

 

[FleshOnGear]

Thanks

But I've already made The choice.
I was tempted to go for a JCM 2000, used, a guy was selling here nearby. But I've read that these amps are not that reliable as The newer Vietnamese DSLs , tube sockets, etc, and for the video reviews I've seen , both are very similar tonewise, so I press The button on a DSL New, it was a promo on a online store, for just a bit more than The used JCM 2000 I was looking for.
It should arrive tomorrow.

Congrats on the purchase! Let us know how it works out for you.

 

[Crikey]

Hi,

After a while, having sold my old 4x12, and all the Marshall heads I've had, and they're quite a few along the years (900 4100, JVM 410H, 800 2203, mini Jubilee, various DSL , and a SC20, with another few non Marshall too), and stickin with combos , I'm Back to The big heads.

Got a nice JCM 900 1960b cab, signed by The man himself on a trade, so I want to put it to use.

I'm not looking for vintage amps, not any of those studio 20watt line, I want a proper big roaring type Marshall heads. My options are:

JCM 2000 (UK made)
DSL 100 (Vietnam)
JVM 420H

Both 2000 and DSL 100, are quite The same Amp, I've played a DSL, altough never tested The 2 side by side. Some say The UK version is better, some say The DSL is better built .... I can get these used at affordable prices here in Portugal.

The JVM , altough I can get it used too, is considerable more expensive. But I'm Wiling to give it a go.

I play home, so I'm not gonna crank it , altough I miss The high gain channels , thats why I'm not looking at 800s or any other more vintage sounding amps, I want to BE able to get all the dirt I need from The amp, with that Marshall tone.

Jvm 100%
I likemy jvm 205

 

[Techdeth]

2000s destroy the jvms . Jvms just don’t open up and the do the classic roar of the Marshall sound I love

 

[Nmoc strat]

Congrats! If you’re into Maiden tones, Piece of Mind on a DSL (Ultra Gain, OD1) is
Bass 1
Middle 7
Treble 4
Presence 3
Resonance 0
Gain 5

Yes I am mate,

Thanks, I'll try that for sure

 

[spacerocker]

If you can find one - get a JVM410H Jo Satriani - a definite step up from the standard JVM410 In my opinion, but they are very rare and hard to find....

 

[Nmoc strat]

Congrats! If you’re into Maiden tones, Piece of Mind on a DSL (Ultra Gain, OD1) is
Bass 1
Middle 7
Treble 4
Presence 3
Resonance 0
Gain 5

Already tried that, and its spot on.

Personally, I'd just add a bit more gain, for those Trooper galloping riffs, or add a Boost in front, but its that tone. And Powerslave its not that much diferent too.

Now, for SIT and SSOASS, I'll have to dig more into The knobs and / or some FX pedals.

The Crunch channel with an SD-1 in front, is also great, more like 80s Hair bands.

Thanks

 

[Seventh Son]

Already tried that, and its spot on.

Personally, I'd just add a bit more gain, for those Trooper galloping riffs, or add a Boost in front, but its that tone. And Powerslave its not that much diferent too.

Now, for SIT and SSOASS, I'll have to dig more into The knobs and / or some FX pedals.

The Crunch channel with an SD-1 in front, is also great, more like 80s Hair bands.

Thanks

In terms of middle, treble, and presence, Powerslave is very similar to Piece of Mind, but a little thinner. You could either turn Bass down to zero, or leave it at 1 and throw an SD-1 on top of it.

For SIT, some chorus, delay, and reverb will get the vibe. Adrian had the CE-3 (my favorite chorus) around that time, but any (Boss) chorus should work. To my ears, SIT sounds a touch scooped when compared to the previous two albums, so maybe a touch more bass and especially treble.

SSOASS is the most difficult to mimic. Subtle-to-medium chorus in a few places, guitar synth in a few places as well, some reverb and delay on some clean parts, but dry on many parts. Darker and a little more bass and low mids on the guitars overall, very dry in the top end, and some interesting pumping (maybe compression, e.g., on “Only the Good Die Young” rhythm guitars). I typically put a little more gain on my amp for this one to achieve the sustain of the G&K amps they used both on the album and live.

 

[DonP]

Thanks

But I've already made The choice.
I was tempted to go for a JCM 2000, used, a guy was selling here nearby. But I've read that these amps are not that reliable as The newer Vietnamese DSLs , tube sockets, etc, and for the video reviews I've seen , both are very similar tonewise, so I press The button on a DSL New, it was a promo on a online store, for just a bit more than The used JCM 2000 I was looking for.
It should arrive tomorrow.

Bought my JCM2000 back in 1998. No issues.

 

[God of Thunder]

The JCM2000 for sure.

 

[GIBSON67]

No hassel DSL100H, good choice!

 

[Nmoc strat]

In terms of middle, treble, and presence, Powerslave is very similar to Piece of Mind, but a little thinner. You could either turn Bass down to zero, or leave it at 1 and throw an SD-1 on top of it.

For SIT, some chorus, delay, and reverb will get the vibe. Adrian had the CE-3 (my favorite chorus) around that time, but any (Boss) chorus should work. To my ears, SIT sounds a touch scooped when compared to the previous two albums, so maybe a touch more bass and especially treble.

SSOASS is the most difficult to mimic. Subtle-to-medium chorus in a few places, guitar synth in a few places as well, some reverb and delay on some clean parts, but dry on many parts. Darker and a little more bass and low mids on the guitars overall, very dry in the top end, and some interesting pumping (maybe compression, e.g., on “Only the Good Die Young” rhythm guitars). I typically put a little more gain on my amp for this one to achieve the sustain of the G&K amps they used both on the album and live.

Thanks you mate

Besides POM and Powerslave, I can get great SIT tones with BOSS PS-5 Pitch Shifter in The loop. I think PS-5 is much more suited for SIT than a normal Chorus Pedal, its like "Somewhere In Time" pedal In a box.

Take a look ar this demo video from this Brasilian guy.

 

[Tatzmann]

Bought my JCM2000 back in 1998. No issues.

Lucky you. Got my first 1999 DSL100 with loosing bias for 125 quid. After installing the Dr.Tube SBK the pos still goes into "soviet plate mode" sometimes. Last time today..and there is no rhyme nor reason. I thought i had it down to a component but today nullified that, again.

My suggestion forever, stay away from these amps if you are not a sadomasochistic tubemechanic like me.

 

[Seventh Son]

Thanks you mate

Besides POM and Powerslave, I can get great SIT tones with BOSS PS-5 Pitch Shifter in The loop. I think PS-5 is much more suited for SIT than a normal Chorus Pedal, its like "Somewhere In Time" pedal In a box.

Take a look ar this demo video from this Brasilian guy.

I don't think the pitch shifter in this video is effective enough to produce the SIT tone. First, the guy’s unaffected tone is too thick in the mid/low-mid area. Although that should be corrected at the source, throwing a chorus on top of it would have made things better, as chorus generally trims a lot of low end through phase cancellation. If you take a listen at the isolated tracks below, you'll notice that Dave's channel on the left has very little low end; it's mostly mids. As usual, Adrian's tone on the right is thinner and fizzier—perfect job for the DSL. At the same time, both guitars somehow end up sounding thick, almost congested, for lack of a more technical description. I'm not sure how they achieved that. Maybe distortion or compression. I'm not sure. My ears are not good enough to pick up on what it is. Also interesting is that there is no audible reverb trail or delay between the chords in the chorus. Very dry rhythm guitars.

 

[DonP]

Lucky you. Got my first 1999 DSL100 with loosing bias for 125 quid. After installing the Dr.Tube SBK the pos still goes into "soviet plate mode" sometimes. Last time today..and there is no rhyme nor reason. I thought i had it down to a component but today nullified that, again.

My suggestion forever, stay away from these amps if you are not a sadomasochistic tubemechanic like me.

So you bought it cheap knowing it had issues?

I bought my half stack new and paid more than 10x that amount, but I’ve had many years of enjoyment with it.

 

[Tatzmann]

I would buy any JCM2000 only for cheap, no matter the sellers description, because i just know better.

Recently got another one, 1999 DSL 100, pristine condition for the price of a couple of pizza. Seller said it needs new tubes, well it didnt, just a little cleaning...and guess what. Big fat drifting bias condition. But i got it under control, i even think now the biasdrift isnt really that much a problem.

Dont set it too high, between 60 and 70ma for the 100's, and dont set it if the amp is cold...let it run for atleast an hour or even longer and reset the bias in little increments on both sides.. after quite a while it seems to settle, atleast with my recent one. The other one already has the Dr.Tube kit but still gives me trouble. That one really doesnt like the bias set any hotter than around 60 or it will redplate sporadically. But with the Dr.Tube kit the bias is generally very steady and you can set it after couple minutes and it stays. And please dont tell me to buy a new board, firstly this goes totally against my principles, because why should the customer pay double for the fuckups of a company, and secondly, even with a new board installed they can drift and redplate. There is even a user on this very forum that had this happening with his TSL.

But i'm glad for you that yours seem to work nicely.