Talk me into or out of selling my amp.

[Jobeyrips]

One thing that makes PRS guitars seem so much nicer is that they ofetn come with a much better setup than even a high end Fender. From what I understand, a Fender purchased from Wildwood can have all the flaws it left the factory with corrected. Of course, you'll pay for it, making that Fender about the same price as an equivalent PRS. I prefer to buy lightly used guitars tahat have never been bothered with a setup. Usually makes the guitar cheaper and then I go through it from stem to stern and make it my own, and often a guitar many others would love to own! Rarely do I pick up a guitar that I feel needs nothing! Here's my "work in progress" Tele shaped "Strat":

View attachment 86140


It's got N0-Caster pups in the neck & bridge and a RW/RP 58 in the middle. Still needs a pick guard and some other I-s & T-s dotted!
Sorry for the derail, this just happens to be the guitar currently right beside me that will get full finished soon!
Cheers To All!
Gene

Thats awesome! I love the tele body shape too. I’ve been day dreaming about doings a dual p 90 tele but the s/s/s looks sweet too. Be sure to show us when she’s finished.

 

[Matthews Guitars]

I don't think a person should have to pay a large premium for a proper setup. I can take a 99 dollar Affinity Strat and set it up to play as well as any other guitar that's ever been made, as long as the neck itself can handle low action without buzzing. And as for PRS setup....they tend to run a bit high on string height over the nut. Not really high, but high enough that it can be improved upon. Otherwise they're generally excellent right out of the case.

A perfect setup should be a 75 dollar job on almost ANY guitar. (New nut at extra cost.)

Incidentally I absolutely detest maple necks or any neck with a finish on the fingerboard. I'm strictly a rosewood, ebony, african blackwood fingerboard kind of guy.

 

[Jobeyrips]

@Jobeyrips
You've not yet answered the implied question of how the Tweaker sounds through the 4x12. I'm also curious what speakers are in the 4x12 and in the Rebel cabinet. Either way, I totally abree with the suggestion to wait ubtil you get to gig the Tweaker and after you get the PRS. The IF the Egnator sounds like doo-due with the 4x12, yet gigs well with the 1x12, then selling the Marshall head and cab makes total sense, as it may go quicker as a set! But again, wait a bit.
Just My ,
Gene

Had some time to play around Egnater head sounds great through the Marshall cab it’s a 1960 Lead 1960a which I believe has 4 celestion G12T-75s. The Egnater rebel 112x cab has a celestion elite 80. Both of these combinations sound great. Definitely going to keep the cab.

The tsl100 head was tube swapped to E34Ls with 4 high gain ECC83s a few years ago. May order new tubes to go back to factory specs and hold onto it for awhile.

 

[MonstersOfTheMidway]

I’m the original owner of my Tsl 100 head and 1960a slant cabinet.

Talk me into keeping or selling my amp. Id hate for it to sit and continue to not be played but I’d also hate to regret selling it. I’d also love opinions on if I should keep the 1960 or sell it as a stack and possibly purchase a different cab for situations I’d need to be louder than then tweaker with my 1x12 can allow.

If the TSL100 is in good condition (e.g. electronics/components as well as knob, handles, face plate, etc.) then I vote for keeping the TSL100. First, Marshall doesn't make them anymore, giving it a certain appeal. Second (and perhaps most importantly), if you plan on doing any gigs (even a slight chance), then the TSL100 will serve as a good backup.

As always, it's your gear, time, and money to do as you see fit.

Good luck on your decision.

 

[Fil]

Does the PRS buy depend on the sale of the TSL? If not, then keep the TSL. You will not find a more versatile Marshall. Doesn't feel like home any more? Try some new tubes. Something different. I suggest some NOS winged C's and E! ECC83's.

 

[yafal]

One thing I can say: there's no other amp having the dark, thick but clear sustained distortion the TSL delivers on the hi gain channel. If you're not at home with it, sell it. But, as I said, no other amp will get you to that territory.

 

[TheCount0212]

I’m the original owner of my Tsl 100 head and 1960a slant cabinet. It was my primary amp forever basically.

I recently purchased an Egnater tweaker 15 watt head with an Egnater 112x rebel cabinet. I’ve enjoyed the tones I’ve gotten out of it so much that I haven’t played my tsl in months (until yesterday). I’ve expanded my pedal board recently to really compliment the tones I can get from the tweaker. I haven’t gigged it yet but even with the 1x12 I only need to have the volume knob between noon and 1 o clock to be the perfect volume for rehearsal.

I turned the tsl 100 on a little to play yesterday and it just didn’t feel like home anymore. That’s when my wheels got turning about selling for some funds to put towards the purchase of a new PRS Silver Sky with maple board .

Talk me into keeping or selling my amp. Id hate for it to sit and continue to not be played but I’d also hate to regret selling it. I’d also love opinions on if I should keep the 1960 or sell it as a stack and possibly purchase a different cab for situations I’d need to be louder than then tweaker with my 1x12 can allow.

The TSL has to sit around somewhere. Might as well continue to be your house

 

[El Gringo]

PRS Silver Sky = overpriced Strat. Buy a USA made Fender and you'll be better off.

PRS does its own thing well. When it comes to copying Fender, all you do is just blow way too much money.

I have told you before that I love your posts , whether I agree or not . Your perspective is always welcomed by me . That particular model by PRS is just plain bewildering to me .It's like they are trying to reinvent the wheel . I just looked up their specs and prices and I don't think there is anything special about them and for that amount of coin why not just buy an American Made Fender ?

 

[El Gringo]

One thing that makes PRS guitars seem so much nicer is that they ofetn come with a much better setup than even a high end Fender. From what I understand, a Fender purchased from Wildwood can have all the flaws it left the factory with corrected. Of course, you'll pay for it, making that Fender about the same price as an equivalent PRS. I prefer to buy lightly used guitars tahat have never been bothered with a setup. Usually makes the guitar cheaper and then I go through it from stem to stern and make it my own, and often a guitar many others would love to own! Rarely do I pick up a guitar that I feel needs nothing! Here's my "work in progress" Tele shaped "Strat":

View attachment 86140


It's got N0-Caster pups in the neck & bridge and a RW/RP 58 in the middle. Still needs a pick guard and some other I-s & T-s dotted!
Sorry for the derail, this just happens to be the guitar currently right beside me that will get full finished soon!
Cheers To All!
Gene

I like it , looks like you are using good pickups as well ! Alder or ash ? It will have some nice tone combinations with the 3 pickups . I forgot to mention the wang bar which is also a nice touch .

 

[AlboK]

My only regret selling gear is letting go of my '79 JMP 100w. It only cost me $400 when I bought it.

That is a big regret. I feel ya. I sold my 82 2204 JCM 800 3 years ago. I regreted it the very net day and still do today.

 

[TheCount0212]

I have told you before that I love your posts , whether I agree or not . Your perspective is always welcomed by me . That particular model by PRS is just plain bewildering to me .It's like they are trying to reinvent the wheel . I just looked up their specs and prices and I don't think there is anything special about them and for that amount of coin why not just buy an American Made Fender ?

Exactly. And, is John Mayer really that big of a draw? Really?

 

[Jobeyrips]

Does the PRS buy depend on the sale of the TSL? If not, then keep the TSL. You will not find a more versatile Marshall. Doesn't feel like home any more? Try some new tubes. Something different. I suggest some NOS winged C's and E! ECC83's.

You guys have definitely talked me into keeping the TSL. I 100 percent agree with you about looking into new tubes. I think I’m just really not happy with what the JJ e34Ls and hi gain ecc83s did for me. It’s very dark too dark for my taste right now.

 

[JP2036]

Nope talking won't work, you're screwed.

 

[Jobeyrips]

Exactly. And, is John Mayer really that big of a draw? Really?

I definitely don’t think John Mayer is the big draw and maybe the specs don’t seem like anything special BUT that being said I own 2 American Strats and tried the Silver sky only with the hopes of calling it an overpriced Strat and moving on with my life. Playing it though instantly changed my feelings on it and past all the specs, prices and others opinions isn’t that what it’s all about? Finding an instrument that speaks to you personally and makes you want to play.

Side note: Theres a cool video on you tube where Paul explains how he had to borrow John’s 63 and remove one of the pick ups to figure out how to replicate it and the work that went into creating those pick ups.

 

[TheCount0212]

I definitely don’t think John Mayer is the big draw and maybe the specs don’t seem like anything special BUT that being said I own 2 American Strats and tried the Silver sky only with the hopes of calling it an overpriced Strat and moving on with my life. Playing it though instantly changed my feelings on it and past all the specs, prices and others opinions isn’t that what it’s all about? Finding an instrument that speaks to you personally and makes you want to play.

Side note: Theres a cool video on you tube where Paul explains how he had to borrow John’s 63 and remove one of the pick ups to figure out how to replicate it and the work that went into creating those pick ups.

I definitely agree that PRS's devotion to quality is widely recognized.

 

[TheCount0212]

I definitely don’t think John Mayer is the big draw and maybe the specs don’t seem like anything special BUT that being said I own 2 American Strats and tried the Silver sky only with the hopes of calling it an overpriced Strat and moving on with my life. Playing it though instantly changed my feelings on it and past all the specs, prices and others opinions isn’t that what it’s all about? Finding an instrument that speaks to you personally and makes you want to play.

Side note: Theres a cool video on you tube where Paul explains how he had to borrow John’s 63 and remove one of the pick ups to figure out how to replicate it and the work that went into creating those pick ups.

Very cool video

 

[lonewolfsx]

I know I'm late to the party but I have a personal experience with this. I too had a TSL100 head. It's the early PCB, I had channel switching issues where it had to be reflowed, it pops and crackles, etc other issues. I never quite got along with the tone I was getting out of it but it was versatile and relatively cheap at the time. Over the years, I have added many amps to my collection, including some of the "dream" amps like 2203's, SL-X, 6100, as well as a pile of high end non-Marshalls too. I listed my TSL for sale a year or so ago for what I thought was very reasonable at the time and it sat for a while. A member here sent me some messages about it and we talked about settings, I hadn't really given it the true test in a while, so I plugged in and was immediately wowed by how nice the amp was. I've since spent some more time with it tweaking the settings and using an A/B pedal to compare and honestly, it can keep up with any of the other high end Marshalls I have. One of the keys was moving away from Vintage 30 speakers and using a vintage JCM800 cab with G12T75's (old version, vented, not the new ones).

In short - if you don't *have* to sell it, you might be surprised by how much you like it later on with different guitars, rooms, speakers etc. over time. That said, I also understand why it's unrealistic for most people to have a stack of amp heads sitting around not doing much and if you have your eye on something and you can sell it for a fair amount, there's nothing wrong with that at all. I'm glad I didn't sell mine, but if push came to shove and I had my eye on something I wanted more, I wouldn't hesitate to sell the TSL (compared to my 2203 which I intend to take to the grave)

 

[Jobeyrips]

I know I'm late to the party but I have a personal experience with this. I too had a TSL100 head. It's the early PCB, I had channel switching issues where it had to be reflowed, it pops and crackles, etc other issues. I never quite got along with the tone I was getting out of it but it was versatile and relatively cheap at the time. Over the years, I have added many amps to my collection, including some of the "dream" amps like 2203's, SL-X, 6100, as well as a pile of high end non-Marshalls too. I listed my TSL for sale a year or so ago for what I thought was very reasonable at the time and it sat for a while. A member here sent me some messages about it and we talked about settings, I hadn't really given it the true test in a while, so I plugged in and was immediately wowed by how nice the amp was. I've since spent some more time with it tweaking the settings and using an A/B pedal to compare and honestly, it can keep up with any of the other high end Marshalls I have. One of the keys was moving away from Vintage 30 speakers and using a vintage JCM800 cab with G12T75's (old version, vented, not the new ones).

In short - if you don't *have* to sell it, you might be surprised by how much you like it later on with different guitars, rooms, speakers etc. over time. That said, I also understand why it's unrealistic for most people to have a stack of amp heads sitting around not doing much and if you have your eye on something and you can sell it for a fair amount, there's nothing wrong with that at all. I'm glad I didn't sell mine, but if push came to shove and I had my eye on something I wanted more, I wouldn't hesitate to sell the TSL (compared to my 2203 which I intend to take to the grave)

Appreciate the insight, very helpful stuff. I’ve had it this long there is no sense in getting rid of it. Like you said with tubes and some tweaking of settings or speakers I may change my mind for sure.

Now I guess I’ll need to do a ton of research on tube selection ( which usually leaves me more confused than when I started)

 

[BatmansMarshall]

Buy a line splitter ABY and play through both. No need to get rid of any amp unless it's really totally terrible. Collect an amp farm. Rig them all up. Marshall and Egnator together should sound fine. Almost like stereo. Different cabs of course.

 

[dro]

Sell it Don't sell it
Sell it Don't sell it
Sell it Don't sell it