Marshall DSL 100 vs. JVM410H

[PowerTube]

The older Marshall DSL (JCM 2000) seems to be a good platform from a service standpoint. A friend of mine who is a tech mods them for customers. The newer DSL, well the only experience we had with one so far is when we walked into a store to try out a new one. It would power up but otherwise was dead, no sound no matter what we did!

The new ones are made in Vietnam. Not making a judgment either way about that, but still......

[Radiohead]

Between the JVM and the EVH I would consider the following:

- Both have a distinct tonal flavour - Marshall sound like... well Marshall and the EVH sounds "Brownish" but unfortunately, the amp will not turn you into Ed. You will sound like yourself. You will likely be able to pick one quickly after plugging in.
- Pickups matter - Do you have one guitar or several? I would try to use one of my own guitars to evaluation the two tones
- What are you using the amp for? Are you a hobbyists, play in a cover band, or touring musician? The midi versatility on the JVM should not be underrated. I would say the JVM has a larger tonal pallet via midi switching. If you need to jump through various tones quickly (ie - one foot stomp) then the JVM will have its advantages.

[PowerTube]

Okay, I went to GC today because they have a new DSL100H in stock. I grabbed an LTD off the wall because it has EMG's and I knew it would be hot. I don't really like EMG's but they do have the type of output I'm used to with my Duncans.

I tried the amp across a Marshall 1960A cab. The hottest I could seem to get it was a medium type of crunch. I asked one of the guys there and he said, "Well, you only have the volume on about "1." You have to really crank it up to get that hot lead sound." I told him that I've seen video demos of it where they got really hot lead sounds at a room listening level. So that made no sense to me. But then I got suspicious so I grabbed an Ibanez with a bridge humbucker. Tada! There it was. So apparently, the LTD had a battery that was either weak or dead. I told them this. Do they give a shit? I doubt it. I also ran a Fender Mexican Strat HSS across it. It sounded even better.

The verdict is...... I like it but I don't. The cleans were just okay, the crunch was very nice, and the lead was also just okay. Yes, there's enough gain but I couldn't seem to dial in enough warmth. It sounded somehow fake. I like that warm, stinging type of sustain and I'm also very familiar with Strat humbuckers. I would also like to try the JCM 2000 DSL, the JVM, the EVH 5150 III, and a Splawn.

One trend I've noticed is this, though: the Marshall cabs seem to have a life of their own. I think they make almost anything sound good. So I'll probably go ahead and pick up a 1960A cab soon and try it with my Vetta. I bet it'll sound good. I might even decide that the cab tone is the only thing I'm lacking and leave it at that, so we'll see. If not, then I'll have the cab ready when I find the right Marshall head.

[PowerTube]

Between the JVM and the EVH I would consider the following:

- Both have a distinct tonal flavour - Marshall sound like... well Marshall and the EVH sounds "Brownish" but unfortunately, the amp will not turn you into Ed. You will sound like yourself. You will likely be able to pick one quickly after plugging in.
- Pickups matter - Do you have one guitar or several? I would try to use one of my own guitars to evaluation the two tones
- What are you using the amp for? Are you a hobbyists, play in a cover band, or touring musician? The midi versatility on the JVM should not be underrated. I would say the JVM has a larger tonal pallet via midi switching. If you need to jump through various tones quickly (ie - one foot stomp) then the JVM will have its advantages.

I respect Eddie and I've played some of his stuff, but I don't follow him style-wise. I do love that early brown sound, but not for the purpose of playing his music. Therefore, I'm thinking that the JVM will be more my speed. In the videos I've watched, the JVM also seems to have a very respectable clean sound, which I also like and use on occasion.

To answer your question.... I'm a hobbyist and I haven't played in a band in years. I've played the national anthem a couple of times to open a public event.

[jdr94]

yes the jvm has great cleans and pretty much does it all. i loved mine when played thru a v30 cab. i personally dislike gt-75s

[Big Al]

yes the jvm has great cleans and pretty much does it all. i loved mine when played thru a v30 cab. i personally dislike gt-75s

+1 on the Gt75's. They sounded too mid scooped with my JVM so I got a 1960AV cab. Maybe fine with the Vetta but just a warning if you think you may get a JVM in the future.

Not easy decisions!

[ps43203]

Jeff Beck tours with the new Vietnam made dsl100h. Nuff said, I have a dsl-100 and it does everything I want it too. Best thing to do is play it first!

[PowerTube]

Jeff Beck tours with the new Vietnam made dsl100h. Nuff said, I have a dsl-100 and it does everything I want it too. Best thing to do is play it first!

In case you missed it above, I tried it out yesterday. It's better than I was expecting, but not quite what I'm after.

[leftykingv2]

You guys should hear a JVM when it's played through 25 watt green backs. It's killer.

[Radiohead]

Interesting, from what I have read the EVH Speakers in his Signature 4x12 Cab are basically tweaked Greenbacks. The EVH cab hooked up to the JVM is killer and sounds better than the 1960 by far IMO.

[PowerTube]

Thanks for the tip about the cabs, guys. I plan to pick one up from Guitar Center's Used Gear site online.

What indicates that a cab has the 25's, other than them specifying?

[Radiohead]

Sorry, I don't have an answer on that one other than check the specs.

If you pick up a 1960 cab I'm sure you will be happy and you can always switch out the speakers if you wanted too. Easy job if you are reasonably handy. Since the 1960 cab can run stereo I always thought about selling off 2 of the V30's and putting to 2 Greenbacks. V30's on the Left/Greenbacks on the Right. You could run either side or both.

[leftykingv2]

Thanks for the tip about the cabs, guys. I plan to pick one up from Guitar Center's Used Gear site online.

What indicates that a cab has the 25's, other than them specifying?

The cabs I have with green backs were all loaded by my tech. They're both 1960B's and I bought the speakers from a friend of my fathers. The new cabs that come equipped with the green backs are called the 1960TV or 1960AX or 1960BX. They also usually have the vintage 70's style checkered grill cloth. Also if you're going to use one of these cabs as a half stack with a 100 watt head they say you should use a power brake. I personally do not but some people have told me they've blown them out.

[PowerTube]

The cabs I have with green backs were all loaded by my tech. They're both 1960B's and I bought the speakers from a friend of my fathers. The new cabs that come equipped with the green backs are called the 1960TV or 1960AX or 1960BX. They also usually have the vintage 70's style checkered grill cloth. Also if you're going to use one of these cabs as a half stack with a 100 watt head they say you should use a power brake. I personally do not but some people have told me they've blown them out.

That's one thing that's been bugging me; if the cab has four 25-watt speakers for a total of 100 watts, I could totally see a 100-watt Marshall blowing them, since the Marshalls can actually peak around 190 watts, or so I've heard.

Either way, I love the tone of the 1960 cabs I've heard. I don't know what speakers they had, but they were the modern style cabs.

[leftykingv2]

That's one thing that's been bugging me; if the cab has four 25-watt speakers for a total of 100 watts, I could totally see a 100-watt Marshall blowing them, since the Marshalls can actually peak around 190 watts, or so I've heard.

Either way, I love the tone of the 1960 cabs I've heard. I don't know what speakers they had, but they were the modern style cabs.

The 1960 A and B come stock with the G12T-75. It's not a bad speaker but I prefer the 25 watt or V30's speakers personally. I have cranked a Marshall TSL through a green back loaded cab and never had a problem. The TSL is 120 watts. I didn't turn it up to ten but I've had it at about six and a half and it sounded fine and the speakers handled it without a problem.