The Official Marshall DSL40c Information Thread

[ken361]

what are the dark tubes your using OP?

 

[Screamin Willie]

Some folks consider the JJ tubes to be on the dark side. There may be others.

Willie

 

[ken361]

JJ 83's are dull IMO I take those right out every amp I owned lol. The stocks are JJ BTW

 

[TheCrunge]

Anyone using the "Tone Shift" button on your DSL40C?? I tried it and it seems ti take away all those high harsh upper tones. Just curious??

My band just started practicing in my finished basement. We're switching between mine & the drummers un-finished basement every week or so.
Over at his house my amp sounded great. I dialed it in pretty good with my Schecter. Then at my house it was totally off. I had to tweak almost all the dials. I tried the tone shift and I might have to go with it just at my house.
It's amazing how different this amp can sound depending on it's surroundings (carpet, drywall/brick, cieling tiles, etc..)

 

[ken361]

My band just started practicing in my finished basement. We're switching between mine & the drummers un-finished basement every week or so.
Over at his house my amp sounded great. I dialed it in pretty good with my Schecter. Then at my house it was totally off. I had to tweak almost all the dials. I tried the tone shift and I might have to go with it just at my house.
It's amazing how different this amp can sound depending on it's surroundings (carpet, drywall/brick, cieling tiles, etc..)

I say that all the time how much my amp sounds better at the girls condo finished basement, more fuller and fatter sounding. My house unfinished basement older house,lacks the bass

 

[Bownse]

Thats interesring, i have my mids set at 5 treble at 3.3 bass at 6 presence at 4 and resonance at 6 play with a less paul with treble on 5 and it still seems sreatchy when cranked up and i have a creamback and the darkest tubes I can find. I just dont get it other than i am losing the love for this amp and it may go down the road soon.

Try placing the amp where it is on the floor and "bridges" a corner (45º to leave a good air gap at the back). This works on all kinds of speakers.

Adapting to the room is normal. Acoustics (and sound "men") are a big business for just that reason. Think it of another facet of learning your instrument.

 

[MarshallDog]

what are the dark tubes your using OP?

Well, Ive tried almost everything but right now I have a Jan 5751 in V1 (to help reduce some gain), V2. V3 & V4 EH and JJ KT77's for the power tubes.

I bias at 70% based on voltage of course. I wonder if going to 60% might help???

 

[ken361]

Cant hurt lowering a tad should warm the red a little, is yours bright? EH are decent but prefer old stock warmth. Sovtek LPS is a good tube too for the PI

 

[MarshallDog]

Cant hurt lowering a tad should warm the red a little, is yours bright? EH are decent but prefer old stock warmth. Sovtek LPS is a good tube too for the PI

Yes, bright...I may have to try that Sovtek LPS I ve read many places they are great for the PI. What do you mean in reagrds to the TAD???

 

[ken361]

Meant lowering it a bit, running anything in the loop? found my echo/delay was making it brighter

 

[MarshallDog]

Meant lowering it a bit, running anything in the loop? found my echo/delay was making it brighter

OK got it lowering the bias a bit...may try it. Running nothing in the loop. What I mean by bright is maybe more harsh when playing up on the neck on the high E string. My other amps do not sound this harsh at all...

 

[ken361]

Sounds like somethings wrong maybe, check the bias and plate voltage/chart and set it just near the hot side. Could play one at a store and see if its any different

 

[Snow and Steel]

I can tell you on mine I turn the presence completely OFF, the amp doesn't need any more highs.

I also turn the resonance OFF - that's bass player region. It takes more juice to push lows than anything else, and its not helping the sound at all in a band context.

I run the bass and lows about '4', and the mids at '10'. try it.

 

[ken361]

RCA,v1 RFTv2 sounding good

 

[SteelLucky]

RFT in v2 is the ticket. Just do not put them in v3, I burnt 2 of them up in v3 tube rolling as they went microphonic very quick there (still crying about that.) I run Mesa SPAx7 in v1,v3 & v4 now with a Celesion V-Type for the speaker and just love to crank this amp now. Makes me want to play more.

 

[Tomteriffic]

Can someone give me some feedback on the DSL40C at Sweetwater with the Creamback speaker? I've heard the regular DSL40C. Is there a big difference?

Thanks

I tried both, side by side, in person at Sweetwater. Now, there's no getting around the subjective nature of language but... The one with the Creamback sounded softer in the top end, more refined, if you will. I found the 70/80 to be extremely harsh in comparison. But the 70/80 amp sounded more muscular, tough, immediate, responsive and a better amp all around, in spite of (rather than because of) the speaker. The Creamback one sounded entirely too civilized, and I'm not a flame-throwing, death-dealing, Mount Doom kind of player at all. Really, there was a drastic difference between the two.

However, I'm pretty sure that what I was hearing, beyond the simple frequency response issues, was the variability of the build quality, component tolerances, that sort of thing. I wound up bringing the 70/80 amp home and changing the speaker to a Warehouse Guitar Speakers Veteran 30. I'm happy. Although I'll probably succumb to some tube futzing and tail-chasing at some point, I don't really see a need to fix what ain't broke right now.

And I do wish they made a head.

 

[Knopfler]

Can someone give me some feedback on the DSL40C at Sweetwater with the Creamback speaker? I've heard the regular DSL40C. Is there a big difference?

Thanks

 

[ken361]

Anyone using a boost pedal with single coils? prb causes more noise huh? I have Fat 50's there pretty quite most of the time,depends were im at. Not sure on a clean boost or a mild OD pedal. Prefer a true bypass BTW. There is a cheap Boss ds1 at GC for 20.00 not true bypass though.

 

[wolfpack]

I tried both, side by side, in person at Sweetwater. Now, there's no getting around the subjective nature of language but... The one with the Creamback sounded softer in the top end, more refined, if you will. I found the 70/80 to be extremely harsh in comparison. But the 70/80 amp sounded more muscular, tough, immediate, responsive and a better amp all around, in spite of (rather than because of) the speaker. The Creamback one sounded entirely too civilized, and I'm not a flame-throwing, death-dealing, Mount Doom kind of player at all. Really, there was a drastic difference between the two.

I also prefer the 70/80 to the creamback for the same reasons.
Breaking that stock speaker in, biasing the power tubes & changing a few of the pre's made mine a kick ass rock machine.
The harshness is completely gone.

 

[BanditPanda]

Anyone using a boost pedal with single coils? prb causes more noise huh? I have Fat 50's there pretty quite most of the time,depends were im at. Not sure on a clean boost or a mild OD pedal. Prefer a true bypass BTW. There is a cheap Boss ds1 at GC for 20.00 not true bypass though.

Hi Ken. I have 2 Tele's ( one with Lollars & one with Bill Lawrence Microcoils ) and the boost I use is the EH LPB-1. Check it out. Clean power boost. Put it in front of your fave OD pedal and prepare to be wowed.
No noise what so ever.
B.P.