DSL Combos...they make my ears blead

[kelstervonshredster]

Ok guys, not a frequent poster to these forums. But I will tell you that Marshall runs thorugh my heart, soul, chakras, etc, etc. But every time I try out a DSL combo I'm just mortified at how BAD the fizzy crappy just god awful distortion is. Am I missing something? Am I hard of hearing? I had my ears checked out by an ear specialist and he said my hearing is fine. I currently own a JVM 205C and find the tones, even super high gain tones, 10000000 times better than anything I've ever heard on the DSL line. Yet the DSL's seems to have a fanatic following. Please educate me on this.

I've owned Mesas, Fenders, Blackstars, Kemper and Axe FXII and of course Line 6 before all that, and the DSL still remains the WORST high gain amp I have ever played.

Bring it.

 

[ibmorjamn]

It can be fizzy , it might be the amount of gain you have it set at. I own a 40c , the 100h with a 2 x 12 I thought sounds a little better but the 40c just needs some dialing in and maybe a clean boost.I tend to keep the treble and gain below 1/2 on either channel. The thing is the stock speaker is kind of flubby to me.

Coming from a JVM 205 I think it might have a better design or I am guessing it does. They cost more anyway.

 

[Bigmuff]

Turn the gain down.

 

[Vinsanitizer]

It takes time to get used to 'nammy tones. But personally, I'd rather whore the SL5 and a Badcat Unleash than sponsor an amp that didn't last 6 months with me. SL5 isn't for everyone, but it's the best JCM 800 I've had since 1998.

 

[USAPatriot]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7WnYKo7oCo]DSL and the Marshall Forum - YouTube[/ame]

 

[kelstervonshredster]

Sad that Marshall puts the name on this line of amps. I love the clean channel, but the second channel is like hearing my body parts being pulled apart one by one. Get a JVM. You wont' regret it.

 

[diesect20022000]

well usually it's due to a poor eq job and OR cold bias. my 3 DLS100's (the MLB being the best in terms of tone and feel even after i set them up to equal parameters) but none were fizzy when set up correctly though the older (98) model started off fizzy.....

get ahold of an MLB head and run it through some 90's G12T-75's. it sounds so liqued like but just tight enough, then a clean boost in and you have modern NILE . To be fair though not everyone likes them and they nor you are required to.

but yes a DSL sounding fizzy means one of two things (up to 4 really) poor eq or cold bias point (otherwise it's shyte valves/tubes or some issue with the amp otherwise) but a good proper set up DSL should never be fizzy regardless of gain and top end settings.

 

[ibmorjamn]

By the way, that is a rich statement that the line 6 sounds better than the DSL but I am not going to argue any point because hey I can't argue with the list of amps you have besides the line 6 of course.

I get along with my amp. If I had a contract I might get a bit more serious with amps , for now it works for me.

 

[jmjck900]

Everyone has different expectations of a guitar amps range. Some prefer the classic rounded mid-range thing while some want a larger frequency range. I think the midrange is better for a band situation but Marshall realises many guitarists are buying thier amps to use at home without a band.

 

[Fiat Lux]

Sad that Marshall puts the name on this line of amps. I love the clean channel, but the second channel is like hearing my body parts being pulled apart one by one. Get a JVM. You wont' regret it.

You don't like it so it must be bad... tell it to Jeff Beck.

WTF Marshall, putting your name on your biggest selling amp ever?

This amp is soooooo bad that the company gave one to Jim Marshall for his 85th birthday.

I don't know... why can't I take you seriously????

cheers

 

[J.LaGrassa]

I don't have any issues dialing my DSL40, if the speaker is not broken in it can be piercing if you EQ it poorly. A good speaker and tube change can make a big difference! some people dial there amps in when they listen to it off axis but if you get right in line with it you will hear how bad it sounds, so how you EQ can make a huge difference.

 

[Micky]

I don't mean to offend anyone, but if you can't dial in a DSL, you aren't trying very hard.

I had all I could do to hold my outrage back when I saw this post, but as it is a Junior member I will try to be a bit reserved. Personally I feel this type of post isn't really needed.

Again, not trying to piss anyone off too much, a DSL is perhaps the simplest Marshall to get to sound good. Sure a Plexi with 5 knobs may be easier, or a 1W something with only 1 knob, but if you can't get a DSL to sound nice, your playing sux.

As they can tend to have tons of gain, an oft repeated rookie mistake is to turn the gain too high...

 

[kelstervonshredster]

Sorry if I offended anybody. I still stand by what I said 100%. Worst high gain I've ever heard.

 

[bman]

Troll. It's obviously one of the best combo's on the market today along w/ Blackface and Vox. Ive owned over a dozen amps and the DSL is the best sounding $700 amp I've ever heard.

 

[Greatwhitenorth]

I played though a band mate's JVM 210H and found the low and high gain sterile and lifeless. I didn't mess with his EQ settings so that may have been part of the problem. I use the green crunch channel more often than not with my DSL40C and prefer it to the lower gain sounds of his JVM even with the stock 70/80 speaker. Although I'm not as happy with the red channel on my combo I think it's a ton better when pushed harder. It also sounds better when in a band situation than on it's own. Different strokes, yada yada.

 

[sullimd]

The DSL 15h was very very fizzy to me, so much that I sold it. I just couldn't play it. The 40c isn't the same - I don't find any fizz in it at all. And the 50 and 100w's sure don't have any fuzz.

But the 15h? Not recommended in my opinion.

 

[J.LaGrassa]

Sorry if I offended anybody. I still stand by what I said 100%. Worst high gain I've ever heard.

Well you are in the minority with that opinion, have fun with your JVM and move on.

 

[Jethro Rocker]

I play fairly high gain stuff, and with a broken in V30 and some vintage glass, my DSL sounds very good, not fizzy to me and I also own a TSL, Jube, and 6100. The DSL is less bright and harsh than my TSL, I think the tone is excellent. To each his own....

 

[riefil]

I didn't find it Fizzy, I just couldn't dial out the brightness on either channel.

 

[Jethro Rocker]

Do the C19 mod and lead 1 sounds like crunch, if I dial treble to zero it woild be a mushy mess. Not sure how brightness cannot be dialed back...