Bill Z Bub's..Peavey JSX VS VHT Pittbull review

[akoch]

"I strongly urge anyone with a DSL/TSL..to sell it pronto and do yourself a favor and trade it for a JSX..NOW!!"

Sorry, not going to happen. I liked the JSX, and for a while was considering one, but it wined down eventually. Still a very nice amp. I'm not necesserilly a 'marshall-only' kind of guy, but consider this - the JSX does not sound like Marshall. So for me there is a reason to keep my TSL around, in addition to the other amps. To my ears it does sound like a good Marshall, I must have a very 'special' TSL since just about everyone puts them down

[horns666]

"I strongly urge anyone with a DSL/TSL..to sell it pronto and do yourself a favor and trade it for a JSX..NOW!!"

Sorry, not going to happen. I liked the JSX, and for a while was considering one, but it wined down eventually. Still a very nice amp. I'm not necesserilly a 'marshall-only' kind of guy, but consider this - the JSX does not sound like Marshall. So for me there is a reason to keep my TSL around, in addition to the other amps. To my ears it does sound like a good Marshall, I must have a very 'special' TSL since just about everyone puts them down

Then more power to ya bro ans I hope you do well and kill with it..

But I couldn't get a dog fart from my DSL...we just didn't get along, and it didn't get along with my bro John either..We found it completely unusable in every way..but players better than I are doing great with them ..Like Reb and Doug Aldrich..but even their tone isn't my gig..but it works for them..so..

I have my ultimate "Marshall" tone I bought new in '96..after owning more Marshalls than I can count or remember..my Marshall rig is as about good as it gets..for my style..and it has treated me very good and help shaped me become a pretty damn good player..

But your right only a Marshall sounds like a Marshall..but I didn't think the DSL really sounded like a Marshall..not the Marshalls I always knew and loved..

You gotta go what works for you..you may kill with your TSL..but that fucker killed me..

Rock On my man..

If you like what ya got and it works great for you well by gum keep the fucker..

I just wanted to give MY review and praise to the JSX is all..after hearing so many good things about 'em..which I have validated with myself.

Bill Z

[akoch]

"But I couldn't get a dog fart from my DSL."

Bill, you are spot on in your review. I don't argue any points there, you clearly found something that works for you. I think I even can guess what went differently for you with the TSLs - the gain. The most usable gain (and likely for a bit different style of tone) in these Marshalls is aroud 4-7 range, on both abmber and red channels. If you go full-tilt, sounds like this is what you are after - yup, I can see you being entirely dissatisfied. I would, especially with the hotter pickups. This also explains why you like the JSX which is a great match for a medium-to-hot pickups, sounding even across the range. And it has WAY more gain than the TSL. More mid-lows as well. Here you go, just my 1c...

[GodWentPUNK]

I strongly urge anyone with a DSL/TSL..to sell it pronto and do yourself a favor and trade it for a JSX..NOW!!
.

I've been giving serious thoughts about the JSX. Many of the reviews I've read have been great. I guess I need to get out and try one.

joe...

[horns666]

I've been giving serious thoughts about the JSX. Many of the reviews I've read have been great. I guess I need to get out and try one.

joe...

It doesn't hurt to try it. I've played alot of gear for many years to discover the gear I own and love..I never second guess my gear..like when I was out chasing that elusive tone I been always looking for..I've found my unholy grail quite a few years ago..and haven't bought a piece of gear since..being genuinely content is a GREAT thing, and inspires creativity..it allows you to focus on your playing/writing instead of that time chasing your tail trying to find your "tone"..

Also..a very important thing I forgot to mention..The JSX is also MUCH more versatile than the 5150, especially for gigging cover players..because the 5150 has a worthless clean channel IMO, even the clean tone with the 5150 II w/ it's own EQ section sounds like crap to me..The JSX covers SO much more sonic territorry and delivers it all in spades..I don't play "clean" but know a good clean tone when I hear it and the JSX has it!!

You don't see me praising alot of amps here..besides the usual standards..Soldano, VHT, Bogner, Mesa, 5150 and yada yada..right??

Well, the JSX has earned my respect and that don't come easy..that should say something..

Bill Z

[Cleveland Metal]

I go for CONSIDERABLY less gain than Bill does (I assure you). And I still think the TSL/DSL stuff is pretty dismal sounding, and that is aside from their low build quality and poor component quality.

They are just too pricey for what they give you. Definitely better amps for less money out there.

[Fragle]

the tsl crunch channel can cover any metal rhythm sound short of total death metal annihilation, without any stomp boxes whatsoever, i can assure you that. same thing goes for the lower gain mode of the dsl's lead channel. i played thrash metal going straight in with the gain on the low lead channel set around 1 o'clock, even less when the venue was big enough to crank the volume some more.
while it surely was a less brutal sound than e.g. the 5150 delivers, it got the job done, that's for sure.

for all you dsl/tsl haters, the latest NILE record (annihilation of the wicked) is all DSL for the rhythms...quad tracked, if you can immagine that considering the intensity of nile's music

[Cleveland Metal]

Hmmm... You can play anything with anything. Whether it sounds like ass, is another and also somewhat more personal concept.

After seeing Nile live, they have absolutely no credibility. They were terrible when I saw them. And why would you quad track anything? To make it sound better maybe?

Again, there are just better amps that cost less out there, and Marshall is only running on name, their product has been less than stellar for years.

I really dislike MESA (just personal sound thing) But, seeing them live up against the DSL was seeing a serious difference in tone quality. MESA slayed the Marshall every time.

Keep in mind, I love old Marshalls... I just have to call it how I hear it.

[akoch]

Guys, I can only applaud you if you manage with just one amp you really love. Admittedly I'm less luckly here, I'm able to get certain types of sound only from the original amps... For the life of me, I will not be able to get a DualR sound from the TSL, or dial out the signature Soldano something from his amp, or match VHT's transparency with the Mark IV. I realise this is a very personal JSX review, and a good one. I think I am only trying to say that when you say 'go and dump all your amps and get the XYZ amp' is a bit of a stretch. My initial point was that you cant get say TSL's sound out of it, even if you dont like this sound (others might actually love it...).

Again, I seem to be defening a TSL in a JSX review, which I think is stupid I like the JSX quite a bit, just don't see it replacing certain amps, more like complimenting. Bill mentioned the pricing, I think I saw a TSL head for 1100-1200 a number of times at GC and used these go for 800? Pretty comparable to the JSX if not a bit less? Certainly not like x3 more.

Just a question at you then - don't you find that the lead channel on the JSX is fairly compressed? And you can't dial it out? This was my impression.

[horns666]

"Just a question at you then - don't you find that the lead channel on the JSX is fairly compressed? And you can't dial it out? This was my impression."

Yes, A little..when I really pushed the gain level to its limit without mushing up..but that's what gives you the overtones and "push" neccesary to get those kinds of harmonics without the need for a stomp to make them really jump out..which is a really big part of Satch's style..

If you dig the kind of squeals and divebomb that Ed, Dime, Satch, Vai, Zakk, Herman Li and myself like to do..the JSX really excels in this area..without the need for a stomp in the front.

My Marshall rig actually does this better than my Uberschall..the Uber is much more heavier, organic and modern but my Marshall is much more "squeal" friendly and does them without effort..I couldn't coax those squeals at all with the DSL for the short time I owned one...not without a stomp...and I can squeal on a acoustic geetar or bass..true!

I just don't like the idea of having to rely on a $50 stomp to do what a $1000+ amp should be capable of doing on it's own..but that's just me..

But If that is not a big part of your gig..and you're content relying on a stomp for that stuff...then you're not really missing out or shouldn't be too concerned with my opinion...

Bill Z

[akoch]

Hmm, we must be playing different TSLs then. Artificial harmonics are as easy on the lead channel on it as anywhere else... with a bit of a volume.

I do like to use a stomp box on the low-gain channels, on pretty much all amps (except Decatone). Including my old JCM800. But I don't use them on the lead channels, ok - seldom. And my use for them - not to necesserily get more gain (though this is a side-effect), but to even-out the response from low-end to the highs and compress the leads if it is called for. And also to change the character of the sound, the combination of that solid-state tightness is tube saturation is what I am looking for. I think you achieve exactly the same with your JMP preamp, where this stuff is just built-in prior to the tube saturation stage. So it is not like you don't need it, it is just a bit hidden from you.

I mean who am I to say anything, but I also see Satch, Vai, Yngwey etc still use the stomps, so there must be a place for these little boxes. Satch's setup with his JSX did include a DS1 and a few others when I last saw him a year ago.

You know what I would love to hear? A bit more on the VHT CL or Ultralead vs Ubershall. I have no experience of the Uber side...
Thanks! Great discussion.

[horns666]

Hmm, we must be playing different TSLs then. Artificial harmonics are as easy on the lead channel on it as anywhere else... with a bit of a volume.

I do like to use a stomp box on the low-gain channels, on pretty much all amps (except Decatone). Including my old JCM800. But I don't use them on the lead channels, ok - seldom. And my use for them - not to necesserily get more gain (though this is a side-effect), but to even-out the response from low-end to the highs and compress the leads if it is called for. And also to change the character of the sound, the combination of that solid-state tightness is tube saturation is what I am looking for. I think you achieve exactly the same with your JMP preamp, where this stuff is just built-in prior to the tube saturation stage. So it is not like you don't need it, it is just a bit hidden from you.

I mean who am I to say anything, but I also see Satch, Vai, Yngwey etc still use the stomps, so there must be a place for these little boxes. Satch's setup with his JSX did include a DS1 and a few others when I last saw him a year ago.

You know what I would love to hear? A bit more on the VHT CL or Ultralead vs Ubershall. I have no experience of the Uber side...
Thanks! Great discussion.

Exactly, with the diode clipping in the JMP-1, a built-in distortion box so to speak..warmed up by the two 12AX7s in there..well I'm not hip to the whole physics of the whole process..nor really care.

It is my favorite Marshall tone..I actually traded two 2210s I ran in stereo for this rig when it came out in'96 ..it actually sounded just like the two 2210s but just "better" to be honest..that's why I practically gave up my left nut and my 1985 Hustler with Traci Lords for this thing..

I certainly went thru my fair share of Marshalls and always loved a great Marshall tone..which can't be duplicated..even one Marshall can't duplicate the other..they all sound the same but different..even between my two 2210s..Marshalls are funny like that..well to my ears anywhoo..

I never tried a TSL..but a DSL 100 just fell into my lap..it was just months old when I got it..The guy just lost his job and needed the money..and I snagged the half stack for 800 bucks..I really gave it more than a fair chance to be my keeper..Cleveland John and I both did..we were bandmates at that time and his VHT 2150/CAE+3 rig just ate it alive without mercy..making me feel totally helpless and I sound like a transitor radio..I knew I had to get serious just to be heard with my bandmate, bro and fucker..

Which was cool to be honest..because that led me to do much investigating with amps..I didn't want to depend on the Marshall rack..with my bad back, and I didn't really want to beat on it..besides I always run that in stereo with the minimum of two 4-12" cabs..that's just a rule.

I needed a Half stack..I was going for another 5150, when I came across the DSL half stack. There was a buzz about the Uberschall going on here at the time, when I was a noob. A ol' JCF member "Thingman" posted his clips..I don't put much merit in clips..but his were pretty fuggin'good, better than the Bogner site IMO. After a quick Ebay search, one fell into my lap with a guy who live just a couple hours away..I went to his place with the cash , played his buds VHT first for whatever reason ..then I played the Uber, and threw 2K at him faster than shit..Took it right to rehearsal.. fired it up and it certainly held it's own against John's monstrosity..in fact they sounded great together..

Before all that, I used to buy and sell any cool amp I came across..I used to have four different half stacks going at once via a custom made 4 way a-b-c-d switch..I had a Ampeg VL-100 Lee Jackson, A Recto, a Soldano HR100 and a 5150..and discovered that I was partial to 5150s and 2210 Marshalls...and kicked the other amps to the curb..there was alot of amps in that shuffle along with a Mesa mrk III..That's when John first started to come over and heard the 5150..He was using a Marshall JCM 900 that he had sounding pretty good with a wireless boost slammin' the front end and eqs and whatnots in the loop...this had to be around '89-'90, the 5150 just came out..and I already had a BBE 422 in the loop..

Fast foward to today..the JSX is one the best sounding "newer" amps I've played in a long time..

Ummm..that's my entire life story..

BTW..I'm a "OK" bass player..

[akoch]

LOL

Thanks Bill. Cool story.

[GodWentPUNK]

Regarding the JSX's effects loop... One BIG issue I have with my TSL is that the FX loops sucks a lot of my gears tone when in serial mode. If you hook up nothing but a guitar and switch between loop/no loop, can you hear a difference? There really shouldn't be but on my Marshall there is. Accordingly to Marshall, what I am experiencing is 'typical' of TSL's.

joe...

[horns666]

Thats a important question there Joe..akoch may share his insight on that one.