The Official Marshall DSL40c Information Thread

[BanditPanda]

Quick Google search (it's your friend):

http://www.thetubestore.com/Tubes/12AX7-ECC83-Tube-Types/RFT-ECC83-12AX7

Thank you Len.
B.P.

 

[stevezodiac]

Hi I'm new to this forum. I've just bought a DSL15H which I like very much but the gain channel seems to be unusable above setting 2 due to the amount of white noise generated. Is this normal due to the very high gain or should I take it back to PMT manchester where I bought it new last week?

 

[Jethro Rocker]

Likely normal. Which setting is above 2, the gain or the volume?? If the volume is up at all, the gain should be usable in the 3 to 4 range for sure but will have some noise associated with it. The 40C has another gain channel that is less gainy as well as a crunch mode on the clean.

 

[Micky]

Hi I'm new to this forum. I've just bought a DSL15H which I like very much but the gain channel seems to be unusable above setting 2 due to the amount of white noise generated. Is this normal due to the very high gain or should I take it back to PMT manchester where I bought it new last week?

In all reality, the 40c and the 15h are two very different beasts.
Both have incredible amounts of gain, and on the Ultra II channel you can expect a bit of noise/hiss on gain settings over 3.

You have to understand that increasing the gain beyond that and expecting it to be quiet is an unreasonable expectation.

There is of course, the possibility that a tube has excessive noise, and the only way to tell is to swap them out with known good ones to see if there is a problem.

 

[batmanrb89]

Fast question, I'm at work and need to stop and pick up fuses for my dsl40c. Going on the road and want to have backups of all of them just in case. Does anyone have a list of the fuses used on this bad boy? I left the list at home....

 

[Micky]

For 120V (you did not state where you are...)
FS1=T2AE250V
FS2=T500ma250V
FS3=T1AE250V
Mains=T2AE250V

 

[batmanrb89]

For 120V (you did not state where you are...)
FS1=T2AE250V
FS2=T500ma250V
FS3=T1AE250V
Mains=T2AE250V

Thank you so much. I'm in the USA

 

[Micky]

Thank you so much. I'm in the USA

Members should fill out their profile info.
Sometimes it helps a lot.

 

[BanditPanda]

For 120V (you did not state where you are...)
FS1=T2AE250V
FS2=T500ma250V
FS3=T1AE250V
Mains=T2AE250V

You mean the amp has more than one fuse!?

 

[IRG]

Got my new tubes installed today, biased and all. Too soon to tell how different it sounds. My power tubes had gone microphonic. Seems early for them to go bad, bought it new in August, and maybe use it 3-4 hours a week, sometimes more, sometimes less (sigh). Not driven hard most of the time.

What I have noticed is not the brightness, from going green to red channel, but rather the lack of low end, going from green to red. And it's fairly noticeable. The green/clean channel sounds great. Red is thin sounding without any balls to it. But I gotta break them in, tweak it some more, and then decide. But I'm thinking it might be time to move on, to be honest.

 

[Jethro Rocker]

Have you broken in the speaker? If you play at lower volumes, say, under 4 on the volume, you may want to try the C19 clip. I did it and the red channel sounds like the green channel. Lead 2 also has more low end than Lead 1 mode.

 

[IRG]

Have you broken in the speaker? If you play at lower volumes, say, under 4 on the volume, you may want to try the C19 clip. I did it and the red channel sounds like the green channel. Lead 2 also has more low end than Lead 1 mode.

Speaker is broken in, it's the Creamback version. As I said, too early to say with the new tubes. Will have more time hopefully this weekend. I'm just surprised at the lack of bass now - on the red channel, compared to my pedals. The green channel is very full and nice. I don't gig out, play with others at the moment. So good low end is important to me. In a band environment, the lack of lower end is probably a good thing to stand out in the mix a bit better.

I'm not sure the c19 bright mod clip would help would it, if I perceive a lack of bass, versus it being too bright?

 

[ken361]

Got my new tubes installed today, biased and all. Too soon to tell how different it sounds. My power tubes had gone microphonic. Seems early for them to go bad, bought it new in August, and maybe use it 3-4 hours a week, sometimes more, sometimes less (sigh). Not driven hard most of the time.

What I have noticed is not the brightness, from going green to red channel, but rather the lack of low end, going from green to red. And it's fairly noticeable. The green/clean channel sounds great. Red is thin sounding without any balls to it. But I gotta break them in, tweak it some more, and then decide. But I'm thinking it might be time to move on, to be honest.

measure plate voltage? whats your bias at?

 

[Greatwhitenorth]

Speaker is broken in, it's the Creamback version. As I said, too early to say with the new tubes. Will have more time hopefully this weekend. I'm just surprised at the lack of bass now - on the red channel, compared to my pedals. The green channel is very full and nice. I don't gig out, play with others at the moment. So good low end is important to me. In a band environment, the lack of lower end is probably a good thing to stand out in the mix a bit better.

I'm not sure the c19 bright mod clip would help would it, if I perceive a lack of bass, versus it being too bright?

I had the same issues as you with the Red channel until I clipped the C19 cap. Let's put it this way. I used pedals on the Green channel for all of my distortion before the C19 mod and now I don't. I really liked the results with the cap out of the circuit and I love it with a 120 pF cap in place. Good luck with your amp.

 

[rlowe]

Speaker is broken in, it's the Creamback version. As I said, too early to say with the new tubes. Will have more time hopefully this weekend. I'm just surprised at the lack of bass now - on the red channel, compared to my pedals. The green channel is very full and nice. I don't gig out, play with others at the moment. So good low end is important to me. In a band environment, the lack of lower end is probably a good thing to stand out in the mix a bit better.

I'm not sure the c19 bright mod clip would help would it, if I perceive a lack of bass, versus it being too bright?

I have the Celestion 70/80 in my amp and after break-in the amp has lost most of the ear piercing treble. Doug's preamp tube mix for Marshall and Eurotube JJ E34L's not EL34's. E34L's gave my amp more of a low end volume boost, more punch, more balls. The green channel is much louder, stronger. Also check your bias, I have heard of mixed ranges of the pair being 27,34 etc. After checking my power tubes, and I know I should have shortly after purchase, the bias was equal but registered at about 54.00 ea. and tubes lasting about 5 months.

 

[IRG]

measure plate voltage? whats your bias at?

I had a well known (in the vintage guitar/amp community) do it for me. He explained the process to me, but he runs the tubes hard for a bit to get the actual correct bias, not sure what the numbers are. But he does more than just run a volt meter to it. I trust him. He works on $250k guitars and some rare amps as well. Far, far more experience than I will ever be. Reasonable rates too. The downside was I was in the store for 5 minutes dropping off the amp, and I got a ticket that was the same price as his fee. Doh!

 

[IRG]

I have the Celestion 70/80 in my amp and after break-in the amp has lost most of the ear piercing treble. Doug's preamp tube mix for Marshall and Eurotube JJ E34L's not EL34's. E34L's gave my amp more of a low end volume boost, more punch, more balls. The green channel is much louder, stronger. Also check your bias, I have heard of mixed ranges of the pair being 27,34 etc. After checking my power tubes, and I know I should have shortly after purchase, the bias was equal but registered at about 54.00 ea. and tubes lasting about 5 months.

Well I'm definitely going to spend more time with it this weekend, hopefully. On the clean channel, I get a really nice, deep, impactful, ballsy low end. Highs are good too, but not piercing or shrill. When I switch to the red channel, the highs are a bit more present, but the bass is clearly not as impactful. Mids seem a little shallower too. What I was hoping I could do, is set the green channel as is, and then switch to the red channel for a similar tone, but with more bite and crunch, without having to change EQ settings or anything else. I might still get there, will just take more time.

I should also say, since I got this amp in August, I have since changed almost every guitar in my lineup. Really weird binge I went on these last 4-5 weeks. I got a new Gibson Tribute in December for my birthday, then recently I traded my PRS CU24 for a Gibson Traditional plus cash, and with some of that cash and an Epi LP for trade, I picked up a new Eastman T-386 335 type, very nice guitar. Then last weekend I traded a PRS S2 Standard for a mint '14 USA Fender Strat standard, which has me totally in love with single coils again. But all of these changes means I need to spend more time integrating the amp with these new guitars, and pedals. And I have a bunch more changes with my pedal lineup in the weeks ahead. Never ends.

 

[IRG]

I had the same issues as you with the Red channel until I clipped the C19 cap. Let's put it this way. I used pedals on the Green channel for all of my distortion before the C19 mod and now I don't. I really liked the results with the cap out of the circuit and I love it with a 120 pF cap in place. Good luck with your amp.

I remember reading early on in this gargantuan thread about clipping the C19. I'll have to go back and see how it's done. Not sure I want to yet, and void the warranty. If it's really simple to do, I might try it. Hesitant I'll f*#k it up.

 

[ken361]

Raise the pole pieces up towards the middle on the bridge pup to the contour of the bridge, if you never done it your missing out! say the 3rd and 4th string the screws should be a bit higher in then the rest like 2 full turns. Watch how your red channels smooths out, especially on Gibsons. Most red channels on amps wont be as warm on the crunch because its not high gain. I believe 6505 was like that too if I remember right and most amps.

 

[IRG]

Raise the pole pieces up towards the middle on the bridge pup to the contour of the bridge, if you never done it your missing out! say the 3rd and 4th string the screws should be a bit higher in then the rest like 2 full turns. Watch how your red channels smooths out, especially on Gibsons. Most red channels on amps wont be as warm on the crunch because its not high gain. I believe 6505 was like that too if I remember right and most amps.

Certainly worth trying!