The Official Marshall DSL40c Information Thread

[USAPatriot]

That's all true. Today I added a BOSS RV-5 reverb and so far as the spatial aspects of the tone go, I'm very pleased. The DSL's reverb just doesn't do it and I'm playing in a small space. The new reverb solved that nicely. It still needs fine-tuning, but with a better perception of the room now, I'm better equipped to work on the other things. If I had the money, I'd rent a large climate controlled space where I have more freedom to play. But alas. -Rod-

 

[solarburn]

I call it sonic fatigue and believe it's caused by making too many changes in a short period of time, to the point that nothing sounds good. If I've been playing on the treble side and then swap, everything sounds muddy, even if yesterday those very same settings were perfectly fine. I try to make minimal changes and just play what I have set for that day. The next day...or after a few hours rest...maybe I tweak it a little bit and go again. But lots of changes is just a recipe for disappointment. I agree with you. -Rod-

Use your phone and record it to see if you hear the same audio translations. My phone does well enough I've found...if in the right spot which I've settled on. I usually do this if I suspect a mechanical or my ears. I'm using the same gear now day in and day out. I experience those changes still.

I agree Rod. I go through the same stuff just demoing over drives on the same channel. I even sent a pedal back only to find out it was fine and sounded like his other ones. Got it back and it sounded the same to me...not so good. Next day I found the sweet spot again. Did a clip and others commented on how good the pedal sounded. I felt my recording demonstrated good tone first. Then I shared it. Turns out others did too. I don't get upset with guys not liking it either. I just figure their ears are shit. I keed.

 

[solarburn]

Also I've noticed how much my ears change when I play in my room at high volume...while I'm playing. They take it for about 5 minutes then I start losing frequencies. Makes my tone go bad hehee!

 

[solarburn]

That's all true. Today I added a BOSS RV-5 reverb and so far as the spatial aspects of the tone go, I'm very pleased. The DSL's reverb just doesn't do it and I'm playing in a small space. The new reverb solved that nicely. It still needs fine-tuning, but with a better perception of the room now, I'm better equipped to work on the other things. If I had the money, I'd rent a large climate controlled space where I have more freedom to play. But alas. -Rod-

I've heard good things about that reverb pedal. Congrats!

 

[USAPatriot]

I don't have a phone to record with but do have a digital camera. I'm not sure how good the audio will be for something like this, but I can try it. I'm looking forward to cranking the knobs on the reverb and getting some really dark and interesting sounds out of it. The Blackstar HT-40 was really good at that.. It's fun to step outside the box on occasion and just fart around. These little strange things can sometimes add to songs in a big way. My ears ring and hiss...mostly hiss...24/7, so that's a challenge as well. Too many concerts as a kid, too much gunfire as an adult. I wish I could dial it out lol -Rod-

 

[Pumpkin88]

I really love the clean sounds of this amp, forget ever needing a Fender. Sounds near perfect at gain 6, volume 7.5 on the classic gain channel.

 

[Pumpkin88]

Also I don't know how some of you guys run next to nothing for treble. The amp needs to breath so to speak. Cranking up the treble and matching it close with the bass really lets it sing IMO.

 

[USAPatriot]

Also I don't know how some of you guys run next to nothing for treble. The amp needs to breath so to speak. Cranking up the treble and matching it close with the bass really lets it sing IMO.

I dunno. When I crank up the treble all I get is more treble. It's the Trouble with Treble I guess. Adding an equal amount of bass doesn't offset it because the frequencies aren't the same...it's not like they cancel. I just get more bass along with too much treble. The trick is to have enough mids and bass in there, with the treble down, so there IS a balance...IF balance is what the user is looking for. I like chords to have punch, which is more low-mid than high, but losing too many highs results in mud, or dense fog at least. I've seriously thought about removing both the E/e strings a gazillion times over the years. -Rod-

 

[Pumpkin88]

I dunno. When I crank up the treble all I get is more treble. It's the Trouble with Treble I guess. Adding an equal amount of bass doesn't offset it because the frequencies aren't the same...it's not like they cancel. I just get more bass along with too much treble. The trick is to have enough mids and bass in there, with the treble down, so there IS a balance...IF balance is what the user is looking for. I like chords to have punch, which is more low-mid than high, but losing too many highs results in mud, or dense fog at least. I've seriously thought about removing both the E/e strings a gazillion times over the years. -Rod-

I don't know man I just treat my amps like every other piece of audio equipment I've ever owned. In a way I think a guitar amplifier is very similar to setting the EQ on a high end stereo system. Turn everything up to get the most out of it before it becomes too saturated than make the fine adjustments. Also I probably should have mentioned I have my mid range set less than 5 (4.5) as well as the tone shift pushed in that likely makes a difference as well. Than of course you have your presence an resonance controls to adjust. I guess my point was this particular amp is not as bright as some make it out to be you just have to make the appropriate adjustments to get the most out of it. For example, I've experimented with different settings and I think it sounds better when the preamp section is breaking up over the power section. At least that's what I think of when I listen to a DSL. When I here something like a JCM800 I think its sounds better when the power section is breaking up. Though I don't really like JCM's with EL34's and much prefer 6550's or KT88s as I think they have a much fatter sound.

 

[USAPatriot]

I don't know man I just treat my amps like every other piece of audio equipment I've ever owned. In a way I think a guitar amplifier is very similar to setting the EQ on a high end stereo system. Turn everything up to get the most out of it before it becomes too saturated than make the fine adjustments. Also I probably should have mentioned I have my mid range set less than 5 (4.5) as well as the tone shift pushed in that likely makes a difference as well. Than of course you have your presence an resonance controls to adjust. I guess my point was this particular amp is not as bright as some make it out to be you just have to make the appropriate adjustments to get the most out of it. For example, I've experimented with different settings and I think it sounds better when the preamp section is breaking up over the power section. At least that's what I think of when I listen to a DSL. When I here something like a JCM800 I think its sounds better when the power section is breaking up. Though I don't really like JCM's with EL34's and much prefer 6550's or KT88s as I think they have a much fatter sound.

Until I got my current setup, which s the '14 Gibson Les Paul Standard plus the DSL40C, I generally just ran everything dimed on the guitar and tweaked the amp as needed. Now I'm unlearning decades of habit, setting the amp up higher than normal and using the guitar in a more appropriate way. I suppose the downside is that I'm not getting the full benefit of the pickups, but they aren't anything really special...BB1 and BB2, so it's not critical to the tone, but it's a new way of thinking for me. I've also got an MXR-108 EQ sitting in the loop full time and now I'm running the RV-5 reverb into the front end as well. I mostly play the middle switch position on the Les Paul and the tone knobs are currently set at 4 and 6. That was unheard of for me since like 1975. And the volumes are down around 6 and 7 I think as of tonight. I'm not using the volume or gain on the EQ in the loop, they are set at neutral though I may play with the gain a little bit next week. Since it's digital, I don't see it doing me much good and it's sitting on top of the amp too, so not really handy. Things are definitely getting interesting and I've hardly explored the coil taps and phase swapping on the Gibson. -Rod-

 

[Skylarkpilot]

Hi Rod,
It's a little off topic but I'd be interested to hear what you think of the coil tapping stuff on the Standard '14 through the DSL. I play a Standard '08 and like you, I tend to dime everything on the axe and then adjust the DSL40C for the sound I want.
I'd be interested in whether the ability to adjust those sounds on the guitar is like eliminating some effects pedals.
I really don't know much about coil tapping and phase inversion, all sounds like voodoo to me

 

[60Cycle]

Until I got my current setup, which s the '14 Gibson Les Paul Standard plus the DSL40C, I generally just ran everything dimed on the guitar and tweaked the amp as needed. Now I'm unlearning decades of habit, setting the amp up higher than normal and using the guitar in a more appropriate way. I suppose the downside is that I'm not getting the full benefit of the pickups, but they aren't anything really special...BB1 and BB2, so it's not critical to the tone, but it's a new way of thinking for me. I've also got an MXR-108 EQ sitting in the loop full time and now I'm running the RV-5 reverb into the front end as well. I mostly play the middle switch position on the Les Paul and the tone knobs are currently set at 4 and 6. That was unheard of for me since like 1975. And the volumes are down around 6 and 7 I think as of tonight. I'm not using the volume or gain on the EQ in the loop, they are set at neutral though I may play with the gain a little bit next week. Since it's digital, I don't see it doing me much good and it's sitting on top of the amp too, so not really handy. Things are definitely getting interesting and I've hardly explored the coil taps and phase swapping on the Gibson. -Rod-

The out of phase is my most used gizmo on my 2013. I'm coming to the conclusion you can do more with your sound using all the cool stuff they set in the Standard then most amps not including adding pedals of course.

 

[USAPatriot]

Hi Rod,
It's a little off topic but I'd be interested to hear what you think of the coil tapping stuff on the Standard '14 through the DSL. I play a Standard '08 and like you, I tend to dime everything on the axe and then adjust the DSL40C for the sound I want.
I'd be interested in whether the ability to adjust those sounds on the guitar is like eliminating some effects pedals.
I really don't know much about coil tapping and phase inversion, all sounds like voodoo to me

Well, you can't just pull the knobs up, putting the pickups into single coil mode or phase inversion and just keep on playing, at least not on the settings I've used. The tone definitely gets thinner and you lose definition as well. Phase swapping or inversion is just odd. The guitar takes on a whole different feel. A thumping low freq pull-off, something I like to do in a few of my routines, just don't work so well. They lose power and I have to "pull harder" to retain the volume of it and the tone is wrong. To me it's kinda like pushing your gain up while reducing the volume too much. I'm sure it can be tweaked around, I just haven't chosen to play with it much, with other priorities in front of me. The "pure bypass" is a complete mystery to me. I know what it does, I just don't know why it's there. Basically it turns everything up to 10 and then disconnects all your guitar controls, leaving you with just the amp and whatever pedals you have. That's okay I suppose if you're pedal heavy and play with everything on the guitar dimed anyway, but losing the other tone control and both volumes doesn't make sense to me. It maybe would have made more sense to retain the controls and simply use the pull position as a boost, but still controllable. But...it's options and I gotta say that it's a far superior guitar than the "normal" Les Paul that it replaced, that being a 2010 Flood Anniversary in blue swirl. Options are a good thing. When not in use they are transparent but are there at your fingertips for when/if you want to take the time to properly learn their use.
The DSL40C definitely complements the Les Paul especially if you like screaming leads and Fender-like cleans. I don't use the cleans much myself except in some slow lead-like intros. It's almost like there's too much of a good thing, which is evident in the crunch being weaker than you'd expect or maybe want. I plan on exploring C-20 once I get some other things out of the way. -Rod-

 

[USAPatriot]

The out of phase is my most used gizmo on my 2013. I'm coming to the conclusion you can do more with your sound using all the cool stuff they set in the Standard then most amps not including adding pedals of course.

Like I said in my other reply, it definitely gives you options, which is good. You just have to learn how to work with them. -Rod-

 

[Skylarkpilot]

Thanks Rod, I really appreciate your evaluation. It's one thing reading what the manufacturer says but another thing to hear what a player thinks.
About two years ago a friend asked me how many guitars I had. I thought that was a bit strange as I really thought the '08 Standard would be the only one I'd ever need. I must admit I'm now looking at others and wondering what I might be able to achieve with them. Still in love with my '08 but...well...

 

[bman]

How would I lower these without just snipping it. The thought of something that drastic scares me. I have changed my tubes to Tung-sol and JJ and have noticed a pleasant change in the gain channel. Want to keep my speaker but reduce a little brightness. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated!

 

[USAPatriot]

Thanks Rod, I really appreciate your evaluation. It's one thing reading what the manufacturer says but another thing to hear what a player thinks.
About two years ago a friend asked me how many guitars I had. I thought that was a bit strange as I really thought the '08 Standard would be the only one I'd ever need. I must admit I'm now looking at others and wondering what I might be able to achieve with them. Still in love with my '08 but...well...

Sometimes you don't know what you're missing until you try it...or buy it. The DSL is good enough to turn up and if it's too much, let the guitar do the fine tuning in the tone. I never appreciated that until I got this amp. The pots in the guitar will dictate how successful you'll be. You may have a narrow or a wide range, depending on what pots you have. -Rod-

 

[USAPatriot]

How would I lower these without just snipping it. The thought of something that drastic scares me. I have changed my tubes to Tung-sol and JJ and have noticed a pleasant change in the gain channel. Want to keep my speaker but reduce a little brightness. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated!

I guess you can sneak the treble down and the resonance up and that may help. If you do it quickly you'll perceive it as muddy I'll bet, but a little bit per day lets your ears get accustomed to the changes. Or tweak your guitar tone down a little bit and play it while you get used to it. It's usually the big changes that you'll hate, so go slow. 3 or 4 changes in a session and I'm done for the day. Nothing sounds good. -Rod-

 

[gibguy]

Got my new Tad EL34STR tubes in this morning. $52 dollars shipped to my door not to bad a price. Threw them in and biased right up no problem. Set one side at 40.1 and other ended up at 39.7. Have to say they are an improvement over the stock tubes. Not huge but definitely better. More clearish I guess articulate even with good amounts of gain you still have note separation. Harmonic feedback is much easier to obtain. Slight increase in midrange. Clean channel is awesome. All in all I would buy these again no problem. Both bias pots ended up set quite a bit higher than where the stock tubes were. Glad it was an easy problem to fix. Thanks all!!!

 

[lordquilton]

How would I lower these without just snipping it. The thought of something that drastic scares me. I have changed my tubes to Tung-sol and JJ and have noticed a pleasant change in the gain channel. Want to keep my speaker but reduce a little brightness. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated!

I can only say what my experience has been, and for me it's "what it says on the can". The Ultra channel offers lead 1 and lead 2. It's just a very trebley channel. I changed the value of C19 to 100pf. You lose some of the high mid range that is characteristic of this amp. I use lead 2 with the gain between 2 and 4. This way you get the increased bass of lead 2 without things getting too woolly. Bringing up the resonance can help for sure, that's a taste thing.
For the older style hard rock I prefer, it's not articulate enough for me that way.

So I prefer to boost the green crunch and use red channel for leads exclusively. I'm more old school though I guess, I don't use the scooped Metallica sound much. Back starting about page 25 of this thread wangchung did some pretty intense tweaking. What he wrote is usually quite condensed but worth revisiting IMO. I recall him saying he felt the amp was quite sensitive to input, because similar guitars with different pickups yielded noticeably different results.

That makes me wonder, because I use Duncan Customs and they're a bit peaky treble-wise. Whereas solarburn was using Dimarzio Super Distortions (iirc) on red channel and it didn't sound too bright to me.
Anyway that's my two cents worth.