Get a good quality plywood cab like a Marshall. Cheaper cabs are made out of MDF or particle board and don't sound as good and will not last very long.
JCM 800 vs. JCM 2000 DSL?
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Get a good quality plywood cab like a Marshall. Cheaper cabs are made out of MDF or particle board and don't sound as good and will not last very long.
Dave S
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I got caught up in this and ended up with a DSL 50, DSL 100 and JCM 800 2204. I have A-B'd them all and if I could only have one, I would go with the DSL 100.
The DSL 50 is a good bedroom amp since you can dig in a little more. The trick is to make sure you have the right tubes and correctly biased. I have winged C EL34's and JJ ECC 83's in the DSL 50 and it sounds great!
The JCM 800 is a great amp. It's simple, loud enough for any venue and has great tones. I don't miss the reverb as much as I thought I would, but the lack of the second channel can be a bummer. It's goosey on the volume too. Whereas the DSL has a nice sweep, a fraction of a twist makes the JCM 800 scream.
The DSL's can be had for much less. My 800 set me back $900 and it is the horizontal input variant; it is in mint condition though.
Again, if I could only have one and was playing or practicing with a band...DSL 100. The gain stage is a little meatier and the extra push on the clean channel makes it a winner. The beauty is: I love them all and none of them are going anywhere.
If you already have the DSL, save yourself the money. If you're starting from scratch, know the JCM 800 has some very minor limitations in comparison. If you have to have the retro thing. I would definately look for a 2204 vs the 2203 100 watt head though; my 2204 is every bit as loud as the 100 watt DSL. Saving money on a matched pair versus a matched quad of power tubes is also nice.
The DSL 50 is a good bedroom amp since you can dig in a little more. The trick is to make sure you have the right tubes and correctly biased. I have winged C EL34's and JJ ECC 83's in the DSL 50 and it sounds great!
The JCM 800 is a great amp. It's simple, loud enough for any venue and has great tones. I don't miss the reverb as much as I thought I would, but the lack of the second channel can be a bummer. It's goosey on the volume too. Whereas the DSL has a nice sweep, a fraction of a twist makes the JCM 800 scream.
The DSL's can be had for much less. My 800 set me back $900 and it is the horizontal input variant; it is in mint condition though.
Again, if I could only have one and was playing or practicing with a band...DSL 100. The gain stage is a little meatier and the extra push on the clean channel makes it a winner. The beauty is: I love them all and none of them are going anywhere.
If you already have the DSL, save yourself the money. If you're starting from scratch, know the JCM 800 has some very minor limitations in comparison. If you have to have the retro thing. I would definately look for a 2204 vs the 2203 100 watt head though; my 2204 is every bit as loud as the 100 watt DSL. Saving money on a matched pair versus a matched quad of power tubes is also nice.
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