JCM 900 vs. JCM 2000

[tonyd927]

Also, just because you don't see them doesn't mean they aren't being used.
When I had my 5150, I hardly seen anyone using them and that amp never failed on me on stage. The same could be said about my Ampeg VL-1002.

Im in between boston and new york city, a good 4 out of 5 bands that tour thru here have mesa or a 5150. I know theyre being used, didnt say they werent. I said it seems professional musicians or touring musicians use RELIABLE amps. The DSL must not fit the bill since all over the net are complaints about them.

 

[GuitarGuy503]

The guitarists from "The Donnas" and "The Used" also use DSLs.

 

[tonyd927]

The guitarists from "The Donnas" and "The Used" also use a DSLs.

Quinn used a DSL 50 for a couple years, i hear he's using orange rocker 30's or the 100 watt ones

 

[GuitarGuy503]

Can we assume the amp is not new?
If that's the case, there is no telling how the amp was treated/used before you became the owner that could have resulted in the issues you have encountered.

This is a valid point. I think it's actually unfair to assume that the DSL is unreliable just because there aren't many pro users of it. Just because someone doesn't play them any longer doesn't mean it was an unreliable amp as It could simply be that their taste is tone changed and they found a different amp that they liked better. There is nothing wrong with that as peoples taste in tone changes. Hell, I went from a Mesa Boogie Single Rect to a DSL because the Rect clean was horrible and I wanted a decent clean. If you really want to get down to it I've heard Mesas are known for continuously blowing fuses.

 

[GuitarGuy503]

Play what works best for your music and your sound. If your favorite guitarist uses the same amp you are happy using for your music so be it.

 

[microtonal]

Play what works best for your music and your sound. If your favorite guitarist uses the same amp you are happy using for your music so be it.

Yup, no need to be a sheep and follow trends. Find your own sound/tone and be an individual. That's what Steve Vai did with Carvin. I mean, I hardy ever see anyone playing Carvin, so what does that mean, they are unreliable for professionals?

I had a 1st gen 5150 head, sold it for an Ampeg VL-1002, sold that and moved on to a JCM900 then sold that and moved on to a Mesa Dual Rec. Had a 6505 for a while and sold that.
Had a Crate BV120 for a year and got a very good trade in for the DSL.
(*All this occured over a 18 year span.)

As mentioned, the Mesa has great crunch/distortion but I couldn't dial in a pristine clean channel/sound. For me, the DSL has that Marshall sound I like and the pristine clean sound I was looking for. I get everything I want with a DSL and it's foot switch controlled and I don't need a arsenal of stompboxes or rack equipment to "tune" my tone.

I'll pro baby never get rid of the Mesa because it has been reliable as all the other amp heads I've owned.

 

[tonyd927]

Yup, no need to be a sheep and follow trends. Find your own sound/tone and be an individual. That's what Steve Vai did with Carvin. I mean, I hardy ever see anyone playing Carvin, so what does that mean, they are unreliable for professionals?

I had a 1st gen 5150 head, sold it for an Ampeg VL-1002, sold that and moved on to a JCM900 then sold that and moved on to a Mesa Dual Rec. Had a 6505 for a while and sold that.
Had a Crate BV120 for a year and got a very good trade in for the DSL.
(*All this occured over a 18 year span.)

As mentioned, the Mesa has great crunch/distortion but I couldn't dial in a pristine clean channel/sound. For me, the DSL has that Marshall sound I like and the pristine clean sound I was looking for. I get everything I want with a DSL and it's foot switch controlled and I don't need a arsenal of stompboxes or rack equipment to "tune" my tone.

I'll pro baby never get rid of the Mesa because it has been reliable as all the other amp heads I've owned.

If trying to buy a reliable amp based off of a full time touring band's rigs is following a trend then im guilty.
Why would they waste their money on a DSL and all the repairs/mods that come with it?

 

[Buggs.Crosby]

Also, after reading alot of posts it seems like most people that use DSL's are "bedroom players" and they like the easy to use bias system.

While most guitarists who tour use JCM 800's and 900's. This clearly shows the unreliability of the DSL and TSL's. If they were as godly as people make them out to be dont you think you'd see them more often?

Pfff Jeff Beck is far from a bedroom user....and tours with them....as do countless others........shall i start listing who they are?....hope you have a page or two to spare

 

[tonyd927]

Pfff Jeff Beck is far from a bedroom user....and tours with them....as do countless others........shall i start listing who they are?....hope you have a page or two to spare

Jeff Beck could get dozens of these for free and get them repaired. haha.
So unreliability wont be an issue when you have 3 or 4 other ones.

Also,
If its any addition to the list of problems...When my amp is on for about 15 minutes and if i turn it on standby for about a minute or two then turn it back off standby to continue playing there is this really loud pop. As if the guitar came unplugged but it didnt. Any ideas?

 

[triftstrassa]

I can say for a fact that if I still had my 2204 that there would be no way I would take it out on a regular basis.

:

I tour, not as much as I used to, but I still move my gear around alot more than most people.
And my 1985, jcm 800 2204 is WAY more reliable than my dsl..

 

[GuitarGuy503]

Also,
If its any addition to the list of problems...When my amp is on for about 15 minutes and if i turn it on standby for about a minute or two then turn it back off standby to continue playing there is this really loud pop. As if the guitar came unplugged but it didnt. Any ideas?

I assume the amp plays fine since the retube? I ask because you haven't said a single word regarding the amps tonal performance since it got it retubed and now you are complaining about a popping sound you get when using the standby switch. Just send that big pile of crap to me and be done with it.....

 

[SpiritOfTheAge]

Jeff Beck could get dozens of these for free and get them repaired. haha.
So unreliability wont be an issue when you have 3 or 4 other ones.

Also,
If its any addition to the list of problems...When my amp is on for about 15 minutes and if i turn it on standby for about a minute or two then turn it back off standby to continue playing there is this really loud pop. As if the guitar came unplugged but it didnt. Any ideas?

Turn down the volume on your guitar before turning it back on, no pops this way. Incidentally are you running anything in the loop? I find that it only pops when i have pedals in the loop.

 

[TwinACStacks]

If they are good enough for Mick Ralphs and Jeff Beck They are good enough for You and Myself. There ARE no reliability issues once the engineering oversights are corrected on these heads. Like I said I have a 1999 that was gigged twice a week for 9 years before I got my grubby hands on it, I play it everyday, and it hasn't so much as burped.

TWIN

 

[tonyd927]

Turn down the volume on your guitar before turning it back on, no pops this way. Incidentally are you running anything in the loop? I find that it only pops when i have pedals in the loop.

yea there's a boss ns2, boss dd 7 and mxr phased in the loop. ill try that.

 

[RobS]

try playing and letting a chord ring out as you turn off the standby.
My 900 used to pop when turning off but I think it was a tube issue, doesnt do it any more with the new tubes in it.
The chord ringing will use up the power in the tube and you will hear it die off when switching the standby.
My 2 cents!

 

[DSL100 Dude]

Like I have said before. Two gigs a week for several years now and I have never had an issue.


Of course, after smoking an old JMP master volume head in the 80's by having a bottle knock over and spill down the vents. I never set drinks around my stuff.

 

[jcmjmp]

Can we not just close this thread? This is going nowhere.

 

[solarburn]

Also,
If its any addition to the list of problems...When my amp is on for about 15 minutes and if i turn it on standby for about a minute or two then turn it back off standby to continue playing there is this really loud pop. As if the guitar came unplugged but it didnt. Any ideas?

My Monza and my Night Train do that quite often...even after tube changes. From what I've read about such an occurrence it isn't a big deal. In my mind I could careless now knowing this cause the amps keep performing fine otherwise. In other words is it really a problem other than being irritating for a brief moment at a time...

I've also found if I turn the amp off without using standby first the pop hardly ever happens. Course if you're going to leave the amp running on standby then its gonna pop when switched from there.

 

[microtonal]

If its any addition to the list of problems...When my amp is on for about 15 minutes and if i turn it on standby for about a minute or two then turn it back off standby to continue playing there is this really loud pop. As if the guitar came unplugged but it didnt. Any ideas?

Get rid of this amp. Obviously, it has issues and whomever is doing the "repairs" is not getting the job done.
It seems you've had issues with this amp from day one and your repair facility can't find anything wrong.

It's time to move on to another amp or take it to a repair facility and SHOW them the issues so they can see/hear the issues and validate the issue to determine a fault.

 

[solarburn]

Disclaimer: I didn't read the whole thread so if its lived beyond its usefullness kill it hehe.