Probably because in the combo the valves stay upside down, and in the head it doesnt happen. So they just turn the whole head upside down in the combo lol
Am back here myself a year or so after first view trying to decide between this or a fender bass breaker 15.... I’d def go w the fender but I dont think it has a line in for phone / mp3 etc and this does . I know most people dont give a crap about that but I’m not very computer literate and dont need the line emulation stuff as I dont run stuff into a laptop... it’s so important to me to have a way to get my phone to play through that I like most everything in the bass breaker more but haven’t seen any mention of any type of mp3/ phone input on it ....& and that’s a deal breaker .... unless someone knows another way to get my phone to play through the bass breaker !?!? Lol long shot in the dark I know
I just got one. Love it. Sounds better than my old Boogie combo. I've owned Marshall stacks before, but became a combo user in 1989, before the fall of the Berlin Wall. The thing gets big clear chords and singing leads and a nice clean sound too. Love it. I play classic rock and prog and it's got all the tones I need, certainly all the volume! Great demo, as always. Nice playing too. You're a true bluesman.
After watching your reviews on the DSL 20C and 40C, and I hate to admit, a youtube video sold me on the DSL 40C. For Marshall to have created an amp that a lifetime Fender amp'er has switch to after many years with Fender is good enough for me to buy one. Thanks!
I’ve got the older version of this amp. That amp had waaaay too much treble, so I swopped the 70/80 with a creamback 65watt and that balanced everything out including the disparity between the two channels! Sounds killer now!
@@vladonutyj I would say yes but I didn't read the info. Since there is an EQ for the pre amp, resonance must come from the amp section with no negative effect on the pre amp tone controls. To be verified...
Great review. The clean channel is definitely brighter. But I found the trick to match the two channels. Set the clean tone by backing off the treble, then set the crunch tone by upping the presence. Love this amp. The clean channel is better than the new Blues Jr.
The clean channel is a nice pedal platform and the gain channel sounds great with the gain at about '3'. Killer little amp with el-34's and a nice half power option. Sounds better than any high gain pedal, and I've tried a bunch.
Man this one has a lot of bells and whistles! LOL, my high school marine biology teacher played bass in .38 Special at some point before they got big in the 80s! Greetings from Jacksonville, FL! Nice track! ✌🏻
13:40 Or... you could dial in the tone you want on the ultra gain channel and then roll off the top end with your guitar's tone knob when you switch to the classic gain?
FAAAARRRKKKKKK! Your tone and playing rocks man. I'm running a wet/dry rig at the moment and wanting to jump over to a wet/dry/wet. This is now my third amp of choice to complete the unit! Thanks man
Just got this amp today. I will be the first to say. I’m still very inexperienced after 17 years of playing on and off. I still haven’t cranked it yet because I have very close neighbors but I will say I’m not disappointed. I was cross shopping it with the bassbreaker 15 and just decided to go Marshall because I didn’t think the bb15 had that Fender clean like a blues jr. does. The blues jr, is definitely my favorite clean but I play a lot of compressed distortion rock and I did have it breaking up before reaching my preferred sound which the dsl20c can achieve at bedroom level noise. I will consider a speaker for better clean tones. I just don’t want to lose the bright highs to gain the dark lows. I want them both.
I have change´d the speaker, in my DSL20CR, to a Jensen 10" model C10q 16 ohm. To my ear it sounds better at home practice volume ( less boxy ). I came up with this, because i conected the DSL20 to the speaker in my Princeton reverb-Amp. I run the two amps in stereo now.
Here I was listening to you on the ultra gain channel thinking 'that sounds like there is a chunk of invisible carpet over the amp', but that mostly went away when you went to the Tele on the clean channel.... and then I saw where you had the treble control set.... Hmmm...
As I mention at the end where you need to set the treble for each channel is very, very different. Knock the treble a dial too far and it's way too bright on the Classic Gain channel.
I've never tried turning the gain way down on the ultra channel while using the neck and middle pickups. Makes that channel usable for me. Great sustain without too much low end.
Great review again Shane! I would use it to play out with. I know it gets pretty loud on the Dirty Channel, but it sounded like there wasn't enough Head Room on the Clean Channel especially it using Humbucker Pickups. I switch between two Humbucker Guitars and a Telecaster and a Gretsch. It just sounds like it would be a little dirty on the Clean Channel at a Stage Volume. And of course I'm OLD so I like a really Fendery Clean! LOL!! Good Job Sir and please Keep Up the Good Videos!!
I am a big fan of this amp series. It does take pedals nice, owned mine for almost a year and I gig out with it almost every weekend. Liked the tune you were jamming on in the beginning of the video, great lead work!
I didn't like it all that much I 2019 the 1st one I purchased, although maybe it's because I played it through a 4x12 5150 cab this time..!!!? I, luved it when I demoed it at Guitar center this time? I, think that some guitarist forget its a 20 watt English amp ..(well designed in England),.. and I think people expect to much from it ..I think I did In. ..2019 and I bought it again...? So, it was loud enough for you to gig with? Awesome! Thx 👍
@shauncrissc Yeah, it was loud enough to gig with as long as it was mic'ed thru the PA. Mine is a dsl 40 though, that might be why it works. I run it thru the classic side of the amp with a Wampler Tumnis. I balance out the second channel of the amp with a little more gain, depending on the song that I am playing. That way I can switch back and forth between the two. They are set at the same volume. I use an EP boost thru my effect loop for solos. Hopefully this is helpful.
Also, I forgot to add, I run the Wampler thru the front of the amp with everything else. The only thing I use my effects loop for is my boost and a Vox Delay(the Satriani one). Everything else is thru the front. And I changed the speaker to a Mesa Black Widow. Been playing out with this amp since 2017 or 18. It's been thru a lot of gigs. Hope this was helpful.
This is the best demo and review of the DSL20C I’ve seen on TH-cam. Well done. Question: have you used the effects loop on it and if so what’s your judgment?
Great Review Shane. I've been intrigued by this series of amps, but after seeing this review it's confirming I am probably better staying with what I have (a few fender amps.). You're a much better player than I am but style wise you play more bluesy style like I do, and I think you're playing really shines on more Fender type amps. Nothing wrong with this sound just sounds more right for people who are more rock style playing oriented, which I want to sound like it's just not what I gravitate towards. Good review, and the playing was great, thanks Shane!
Yeah.... there’s something about amps that have the 70 80 speakers in them that just rubs me the wrong way. And I have to agree, the DSL1C sounds better overall to my ears, the speaker just meshes with that amp better. Really looking forward to hearing you do the Origin seiries when they come in.
Shane, keep up the reviews, I love this channel, as you review older gear as well. However, please review a Marshall Origin 20w head as soon as one becomes available to you. I'm dying to hear an unbiased opinion on these. Keep up the good work.
I have a Marshall DSL40C, I replaced the speaker with a brand new Celestion Vintage 30, left it to run in on a high volume with plenty of base. Now this amp rocks!! It is great on the the clean channel, plenty of volume when required and very articulate when needed but with plenty of great Marshall grunt when you wanna rock. Build quality is great, but...it does weigh some. I have several good amps including a mint Peavey Bandit 112 Silverstripe which I love. But there is just something about the DSL40C amp that raises my goose pimples!
Adrian Valentine I have the same one, mine came with a celestian creamback..... there's nothing I can't get that thing to do....it's awesome. I was wondering, ive heard a lot of people talking about breaking in the speaker somehow.....did you?
Josh Carter yes, depending on your circumstances, for example...where you live, or can you plug it in somewhere where you can turn the volume up. But what I did was with mine was, I recorded some decent base riffs on to my looper. Turned up the base to between half and three quarters on the knob, same with the mids and treble about midway. Turned up the volume to about 7 on a clean channel and just let it run for the afternoon while I went out to my caravan for a chill out. When I got back it was still playing away, I switched it off and left it till the next day. Then I plugged it in and it was just great, it had loosened up, was more responsive and articulate and warmer. No harsh sound just a world away from the stock speaker that it came with, which was a celestion 70/80 I believe. The vintage 30 16 ohm is a much more substantial speaker with a much larger magnet. And weighs more too! :))
Awesome review man, seems like you had a lot of fun with it. That speaker is the first thing that gets binned. Those take forever to break in. I'm currently on the fence with the head vs the combo. Might just get the head as it's easier to sell when and if I fall out with it! Cheers mate!
Nick in the States dude....couldn't fkin agree more. I just ordered one of these and I saw it had a celeation 7080 in there....I'm like oh hell nah. I have those in a blackstar ht60 I have....and they sound like shit! I ordered a celestion classic lead 80 with the dsl20cr, knowing that 7080 is getting pitched immediately.
Paul Mitten (mbvglider) oh fuck bro! Me 2! Good taste 😁 Paul how do you like the 80 in there? My shit hasn't showed up yet. But it was a tough call between the vintage 30 and lead 80. Was the improvement immense? Any regrets? Thx
Sounded good. I actually liked the clean on it and sine I’m in the market for a new amp I’ll check it out. Great channel btw Shane, glad I found it and subscribed.
Goddammit, every time I see and hear that 70/80 speaker I want to break something. If Fender can chuck a V-Type into their Bassbreakers, Marshall got no excuses.
It might be worth mentioning the previous generation DSL15 that this appears to replace. Last year I purchased the DSL15H (head not combo, though there was a DSL15C combo available) which was similar but some differences. In a way I wish I'd waited a year. Similarities: approximately similar power; 2 channels; 12 inch speaker; half power mode; footswitch mostly similar EQ shared between channels; tone shift. Differences: DSL15 has: slightly lower power (15W/7.5W); half power mode is by using tubes in triode mode; half power switch on the back; 6V6 power tubes; no "resonance" EQ; reverb only in the combo not the head; no FX loop; no headphone/emulated out; no audio in. DSL20 has: slightly higher power (20W/10W); half power mode via lower voltage; half power mode switch on the front; EL34 power tubes; resonance added to EQ; reverb in both combo and head; FX loop; cab emulated / headphone out; audio in. Not sure if speakers are the same. I like the tone of my DSL15H (which I play through a Hughes & Kettner TubeMeister 112 1x12" cab, no idea how much difference that makes) but from youtube reviews here and elsewhere the new DSL20 sounds like an all-around improvement. Dissatisfied with the lack of FX loop on my DSL15H I got a PRS Sonzera 20 which might be interesting to compare with the DSL 20CR shown here, but if I'd waited a hear and gotten the DSL20CR I might not have gotten the PRS amp. I'm not sure if the speaker has been upgraded in the new model.
Got one today, tried plugging intonthe FX Loop. Not sure how it works. There is also an FX Loop button on the footswitch. I tried plugging pedals into it. The instruction manual doesn't say what to do with the FX Loop, people claim its a good feature to have. Not sure what it does though
I have this amp. After upgrading the tubes to JJs and the speaker to a Warehouse Invader 50 I like it. Except for the reverb, its so faint you barely notice it
when i played professionally i used a dsl 100 with a cab, this seems to have kept the same characteristics in a smaller combo , dsl is excellent in my opinion and i used them for decades professionally
Great amp. I've been waiting for Marshall to do a proper low watt EL 34 amp. Presence, resonance, effects loop, and headphone out. Awesome. And by the way, turn up the treble a bit, not down. Unless your playing some stoner rock. For the love of God.
Been playing with a Boss katana mk2 100w, just got the DCL20 combo, just curious if anyone noticed how little of a sweep the reverb on the marshall is vs all 3 types of reverb on the boss katana (ex, the boss reverb if dimed almost sounds like a delay, marshall i dont really noticed the difference in a pronouced way, i hear a very suble not too noticeable sweep on the marsh. reverb knob, vs the boss katana mk2 where the reverb was much more senesitive. Question being , this is my 1st tube amp, is rhe reverb much more suble then an amp like the boss spring/hall/digital Reberbs that were built in, or do the from of tube amps have weaker (leas fouced on reverb effect?) the sound is much more crisp & beefier thru the mashall DSL 20 no (clean & with gain). Also on the tube marshall, is vol.2-3 loud enough to wKe the house at midnight, cuz mine is lol hard…gets loud very easy (no issue just wondering & especially how the reverb sweep is on the marshall dsl 20 Thanks for any help
The DSL series use digital reverb, which has a nice "plate" feel, but it is not as pronounced as a fender spring reverb. I really like it myself. I'd played Fender and MusicMan amplifiers for 20 years, but in 1992 I picked up a Studio 15 for my recording studio. I've been a Marshall fan ever since, and my DSL20CR sounds amazing as a pedal platform, after I made a NEO Creamback speaker upgrade.
@@timothybailey2119 thanks, even with the standard speaker i like tones (mostly i play with gain & chruchy tones) which sounds great thru this amp, just wasnt sure why the reverb knob was so sublte compared to the options of spring/hall/plate reverb i have access to with my boss katana 100 amp. I do have a pedal board, no reverb pedal, but a boss delay (red, dont recall what type of delay) but for home playing/plug & play, i generally dont bother to hook up all the pedals/cables unless im gonna be jammin for a while…maybe guilty of pluggin the cry baby wah pledal in more often since i have that not attached to my boss pedal board. Anyways got my Gibson SG & dsl20 which sounds pretty damn good for my 1st tube vs the fender frontman & boss katana mk2 100 lol
Oké, but can you svp explain the speaker outputs? I have one cab. with the celestion G12H-55 (8 ohm) in it. Can I use it and which output can I plug it in?
Wondering the comparison between this and the Hughes and Kettner Tubemeister 20. Seem similar speced amps - but possibly different voiced amps. HK has EL84. This Marshall has EL34s. Years Ago I owned a DSL 40.... wish that one had EL34s for that classic rock tone. It was a little bright for me - this new DSL20 seems smoother... nice tone.
Looks cool. The thing about balancing the tone between clean and dirty tones is pretty common in amps. It's best to just use the tone control on your guitar to take the excess brightness away
Nice video thanks. Got a chance to trade for one. To my ear it has that classic EL34 tone to it that Boogie tries to make transparent with their pre amp circuitry. Still a fatter valve fan ie. 6l6 &6v6 but I think having an EL34/84 tone in your studio gives you needed variety. Keep up the good work!
Great review here! I'm getting to much crunch and fiddling around with controls to get a good classic rock lead sound. I may get the G12 Celestion Greenback, or Vintage 30? Thoughts
I'm in the fence between the DSL40CR and the Origin 50c. What do you suggest for someone who plays rock from 70's to the 90's. Guns N Roses , Led Zep, Sabbath...
It is really difficult to go to the two locations within 20miles as opposed to any guitar C. And try to see what you like at your house or house get togethers, I need help getting one and seeing what it does at home without making companies mad for returning something I'm not pleased with. Hey please read, because you mentioned blues Jr . I have the monoprice Stage right 15 tube amp and I love it and it's supposed to be a comparison to the blues Jr and now possibly this dsl20. I just look and look for amps with a 12in speaker and fills up the room living room,bigger company room? What is your suggestion or do you like my amp, I'm not going to name pedals, butsy e one could be better or all setup better. But I just want a Gretsch nick 13, or any great cleans, blues and rock and who don't want to know their rig will chug,but not what I'm about
Im choosing between this and the origin 20 head not combo. I play 70's and 80's rock. Some early 90's and blues. The heaviest thing i would play would be like black sabbath. Is it worth the extra money or the origin suffice?
the speaker gives an overall "muddy" tone to the dirty channel. and a 6 or 10 band eq helps a lot to shape and round the top and cut some of the bottom end (the amp eq can't do that). in other words, imo, it doesn't stand on its own feet.
At $650, this was a good vaue. A little high, but worth it. Marshall has jacked the price, and us, up to $900. That is a 40% increase in one swoop. It is despicable, Marshall. Just plain and painfully despicable. This video is great, though. I loved how you came around to the DSL 20. I think the 70/80 works well in this model. But, I like the clean tone on the DSL 20. If my "sound" was in a different field, I'd be wanting a different speaker, too.
I recently started playing a Gibson Les Paul and played Stratocasters previously. I have a Fender Tweed Amp but I want that classic Marshall Les Paul tone when soloing which I can’t get with my Fender Amp. I want an amp to give me the tone as mentioned, obviously a tube amp. Can I get that tone on a 20 or lower watt Marshall? I do t really need a 100 watt amp
it's a lefty front panel compared to the dsl20hr! all the options are reversed. cool! 👍😁🎸🎸
I gotta say I prefer the input on the left for whatever reason it just feels more normal haha.
lando27music It's based on which side of the road you drive on :)
Funky Monkey1886 ah k!
Does that make it a left handed amp?
Probably because in the combo the valves stay upside down, and in the head it doesnt happen. So they just turn the whole head upside down in the combo lol
You are one of the few reviewers I can truly trust for honest opinion on amps, much appreciation to you!!
Wow, classic Marshall tones all day, just tried one yesterday and I was so blown away!
Go buy it right now.
I like how you get right into the sounds straight off the bat, man.
Just went back and rewatched this review this past weekend and pulled the trigger on one
Am back here myself a year or so after first view trying to decide between this or a fender bass breaker 15.... I’d def go w the fender but I dont think it has a line in for phone / mp3 etc and this does . I know most people dont give a crap about that but I’m not very computer literate and dont need the line emulation stuff as I dont run stuff into a laptop... it’s so important to me to have a way to get my phone to play through that I like most everything in the bass breaker more but haven’t seen any mention of any type of mp3/ phone input on it ....& and that’s a deal breaker .... unless someone knows another way to get my phone to play through the bass breaker !?!? Lol long shot in the dark I know
I just got one. Love it. Sounds better than my old Boogie combo. I've owned Marshall stacks before, but became a combo user in 1989, before the fall of the Berlin Wall. The thing gets big clear chords and singing leads and a nice clean sound too. Love it. I play classic rock and prog and it's got all the tones I need, certainly all the volume! Great demo, as always. Nice playing too. You're a true bluesman.
After watching your reviews on the DSL 20C and 40C, and I hate to admit, a youtube video sold me on the DSL 40C. For Marshall to have created an amp that a lifetime Fender amp'er has switch to after many years with Fender is good enough for me to buy one. Thanks!
Its wild that the clean sounds as good as it does. I didnt expect that part
I’ve got the older version of this amp. That amp had waaaay too much treble, so I swopped the 70/80 with a creamback 65watt and that balanced everything out including the disparity between the two channels! Sounds killer now!
Creamback is a GREAT speaker.
That’s exactly what I was going to do with this combo😄
"Presence" is a treble that works in the "power" section of the amp (EL34). Std treble acts on preamp.
With Resonance same thing?
@@vladonutyj I would say yes but I didn't read the info. Since there is an EQ for the pre amp, resonance must come from the amp section with no negative effect on the pre amp tone controls. To be verified...
As always, great review sir.
Anyone else notice that when Shane really likes a sound, he just gives that "Yeah!"? Lol
Nice Marshall DSL20C Amp. I love the sound of EL34 power tubes.
I put a G12H-75 Creamback in my DSL40C and the improvement was amazing.
Great review. The clean channel is definitely brighter. But I found the trick to match the two channels. Set the clean tone by backing off the treble, then set the crunch tone by upping the presence. Love this amp. The clean channel is better than the new Blues Jr.
The clean channel is a nice pedal platform and the gain channel sounds great with the gain at about '3'. Killer little amp with el-34's and a nice half power option. Sounds better than any high gain pedal, and I've tried a bunch.
I have this amp. Absolute beast. I push the clean channel with a DOD preamp. I added a DOD gonkulator ring mod for the specific distortion option.
the tele sounded so sweet and bright, better than the strat and LP to my ears.
Good demo. That ultra gain does sound cool.
Good job and review! I'll thank 38 Special for the backing track and your solo!
Amen!!!
Really liked the 38 specialish, southern rock blues intro backing track. The amp seems versatile .🎸🎸🤔
Hold on Loosely! 👍
I was hearing Overkill, lol. Either way, loved it.
The emulated output also works with headphones
I was thinking of getting the 40 but based on this review I’m getting the 20.Well done!
Man this one has a lot of bells and whistles! LOL, my high school marine biology teacher played bass in .38 Special at some point before they got big in the 80s! Greetings from Jacksonville, FL! Nice track! ✌🏻
Thanks Craig :-)
This amp sounds seriously nice.
13:40 Or... you could dial in the tone you want on the ultra gain channel and then roll off the top end with your guitar's tone knob when you switch to the classic gain?
Man your video quality and content has been killer! Great work
FAAAARRRKKKKKK! Your tone and playing rocks man. I'm running a wet/dry rig at the moment and wanting to jump over to a wet/dry/wet. This is now my third amp of choice to complete the unit! Thanks man
Just got this amp today. I will be the first to say. I’m still very inexperienced after 17 years of playing on and off. I still haven’t cranked it yet because I have very close neighbors but I will say I’m not disappointed. I was cross shopping it with the bassbreaker 15 and just decided to go Marshall because I didn’t think the bb15 had that Fender clean like a blues jr. does. The blues jr, is definitely my favorite clean but I play a lot of compressed distortion rock and I did have it breaking up before reaching my preferred sound which the dsl20c can achieve at bedroom level noise. I will consider a speaker for better clean tones. I just don’t want to lose the bright highs to gain the dark lows. I want them both.
I have change´d the speaker, in my DSL20CR, to a Jensen 10" model C10q 16 ohm. To my ear it sounds better at home practice volume ( less boxy ). I came up with this, because i conected the DSL20 to the speaker in my Princeton reverb-Amp. I run the two amps in stereo now.
Nice demo 😎 sounds sweet with the Strat & Tele but the tone from your LP to my ears sounds incredible!
The classic channel sounds pretty good.
Here I was listening to you on the ultra gain channel thinking 'that sounds like there is a chunk of invisible carpet over the amp', but that mostly went away when you went to the Tele on the clean channel.... and then I saw where you had the treble control set.... Hmmm...
As I mention at the end where you need to set the treble for each channel is very, very different. Knock the treble a dial too far and it's way too bright on the Classic Gain channel.
@@intheblues can the amp be connected directly to a cabinet? If you don't want to replace the seventy 80 speaker?
I've never tried turning the gain way down on the ultra channel while using the neck and middle pickups. Makes that channel usable for me. Great sustain without too much low end.
Great review again Shane! I would use it to play out with. I know it gets pretty loud on the Dirty Channel, but it sounded like there wasn't enough Head Room on the Clean Channel especially it using Humbucker Pickups. I switch between two Humbucker Guitars and a Telecaster and a Gretsch. It just sounds like it would be a little dirty on the Clean Channel at a Stage Volume. And of course I'm OLD so I like a really Fendery Clean! LOL!! Good Job Sir and please Keep Up the Good Videos!!
Rick Hill how did the tele sound through it when attempting a giggable clean sound? I definitely want loud clean tones but I’d be using a strat
Excellent review and guitar playing. Thank you.
I am a big fan of this amp series. It does take pedals nice, owned mine for almost a year and I gig out with it almost every weekend. Liked the tune you were jamming on in the beginning of the video, great lead work!
I didn't like it all that much I 2019 the 1st one I purchased, although maybe it's because I played it through a 4x12 5150 cab this time..!!!? I, luved it when I demoed it at Guitar center this time? I, think that some guitarist forget its a 20 watt English amp ..(well designed in England),.. and I think people expect to much from it ..I think I did In. ..2019 and I bought it again...? So, it was loud enough for you to gig with? Awesome! Thx 👍
@shauncrissc Yeah, it was loud enough to gig with as long as it was mic'ed thru the PA. Mine is a dsl 40 though, that might be why it works. I run it thru the classic side of the amp with a Wampler Tumnis. I balance out the second channel of the amp with a little more gain, depending on the song that I am playing. That way I can switch back and forth between the two. They are set at the same volume. I use an EP boost thru my effect loop for solos. Hopefully this is helpful.
Also, I forgot to add, I run the Wampler thru the front of the amp with everything else. The only thing I use my effects loop for is my boost and a Vox Delay(the Satriani one). Everything else is thru the front. And I changed the speaker to a Mesa Black Widow. Been playing out with this amp since 2017 or 18. It's been thru a lot of gigs. Hope this was helpful.
@@pcbullets8726 well ya thats what I meant stage volume and I really had a 40 like 2o13 or 2014 lost it stolen..thx for getting back to me brother
I hear the Celestian Green back is a great speaker upgrade
Can attest to that
I think the speaker sounds great stock and I like the demo in general thanks man!
Thank you Sky Music & Shane. Nice demo. Blues On....
This is the best demo and review of the DSL20C I’ve seen on TH-cam. Well done. Question: have you used the effects loop on it and if so what’s your judgment?
I've never got my FX Loop to work
I had enough for 10 seconds of your perfect guitar playing
Shane, could you get a scale to weigh stuff like amps and guitars?
You could look it up at the maker and vendor websites. Sweetwater is good about listing instrument's specifics.
Great Review Shane. I've been intrigued by this series of amps, but after seeing this review it's confirming I am probably better staying with what I have (a few fender amps.). You're a much better player than I am but style wise you play more bluesy style like I do, and I think you're playing really shines on more Fender type amps. Nothing wrong with this sound just sounds more right for people who are more rock style playing oriented, which I want to sound like it's just not what I gravitate towards. Good review, and the playing was great, thanks Shane!
Yeah.... there’s something about amps that have the 70 80 speakers in them that just rubs me the wrong way. And I have to agree, the DSL1C sounds better overall to my ears, the speaker just meshes with that amp better.
Really looking forward to hearing you do the Origin seiries when they come in.
Shane, keep up the reviews, I love this channel, as you review older gear as well. However, please review a Marshall Origin 20w head as soon as one becomes available to you. I'm dying to hear an unbiased opinion on these. Keep up the good work.
Thanks man. As soon as they arrive I’ll start filming them. They aren’t in yet. ☺️👍
I have a Marshall DSL40C, I replaced the speaker with a brand new Celestion Vintage 30, left it to run in on a high volume with plenty of base. Now this amp rocks!! It is great on the the clean channel, plenty of volume when required and very articulate when needed but with plenty of great Marshall grunt when you wanna rock. Build quality is great, but...it does weigh some. I have several good amps including a mint Peavey Bandit 112 Silverstripe which I love. But there is just something about the DSL40C amp that raises my goose pimples!
Adrian Valentine I have the same one, mine came with a celestian creamback..... there's nothing I can't get that thing to do....it's awesome. I was wondering, ive heard a lot of people talking about breaking in the speaker somehow.....did you?
Josh Carter yes, depending on your circumstances, for example...where you live, or can you plug it in somewhere where you can turn the volume up. But what I did was with mine was, I recorded some decent base riffs on to my looper. Turned up the base to between half and three quarters on the knob, same with the mids and treble about midway. Turned up the volume to about 7 on a clean channel and just let it run for the afternoon while I went out to my caravan for a chill out. When I got back it was still playing away, I switched it off and left it till the next day. Then I plugged it in and it was just great, it had loosened up, was more responsive and articulate and warmer. No harsh sound just a world away from the stock speaker that it came with, which was a celestion 70/80 I believe. The vintage 30 16 ohm is a much more substantial speaker with a much larger magnet. And weighs more too! :))
I wonder how it compares to the 15 watt model. Probly work around the clean being to nright turn the guitar down
Awesome review man, seems like you had a lot of fun with it. That speaker is the first thing that gets binned. Those take forever to break in. I'm currently on the fence with the head vs the combo. Might just get the head as it's easier to sell when and if I fall out with it! Cheers mate!
If you don't like the speaker it seems you'd be better off with the head.
How do you know this speaker will get binned? Isn’t this the first appearance of the 10” V-Type?
Oh wait my bad. I got confused with the Origin 20. Yeah those Seventy 80 are horrid. I’d put a Lead 80 in this thing.
Nick in the States dude....couldn't fkin agree more. I just ordered one of these and I saw it had a celeation 7080 in there....I'm like oh hell nah. I have those in a blackstar ht60 I have....and they sound like shit! I ordered a celestion classic lead 80 with the dsl20cr, knowing that 7080 is getting pitched immediately.
Paul Mitten (mbvglider) oh fuck bro! Me 2! Good taste 😁 Paul how do you like the 80 in there? My shit hasn't showed up yet. But it was a tough call between the vintage 30 and lead 80. Was the improvement immense? Any regrets? Thx
Sounded good. I actually liked the clean on it and sine I’m in the market for a new amp I’ll check it out. Great channel btw Shane, glad I found it and subscribed.
5cr or 20cr??i dont know much things about footswitch or different channel useage
Comment on the selection of Texas heat compare to cream back in changing speakers from 70/80
Goddammit, every time I see and hear that 70/80 speaker I want to break something.
If Fender can chuck a V-Type into their Bassbreakers, Marshall got no excuses.
Can the line out be sent to front of house or is there another way apart from mixing up
A little .38 Special to start off the demo. Not a bad start, Shane.
How mush does it cost?
It might be worth mentioning the previous generation DSL15 that this appears to replace. Last year I purchased the DSL15H (head not combo, though there was a DSL15C combo available) which was similar but some differences. In a way I wish I'd waited a year. Similarities: approximately similar power; 2 channels; 12 inch speaker; half power mode; footswitch mostly similar EQ shared between channels; tone shift. Differences: DSL15 has: slightly lower power (15W/7.5W); half power mode is by using tubes in triode mode; half power switch on the back; 6V6 power tubes; no "resonance" EQ; reverb only in the combo not the head; no FX loop; no headphone/emulated out; no audio in. DSL20 has: slightly higher power (20W/10W); half power mode via lower voltage; half power mode switch on the front; EL34 power tubes; resonance added to EQ; reverb in both combo and head; FX loop; cab emulated / headphone out; audio in. Not sure if speakers are the same. I like the tone of my DSL15H (which I play through a Hughes & Kettner TubeMeister 112 1x12" cab, no idea how much difference that makes) but from youtube reviews here and elsewhere the new DSL20 sounds like an all-around improvement. Dissatisfied with the lack of FX loop on my DSL15H I got a PRS Sonzera 20 which might be interesting to compare with the DSL 20CR shown here, but if I'd waited a hear and gotten the DSL20CR I might not have gotten the PRS amp. I'm not sure if the speaker has been upgraded in the new model.
This is the BEST demo of the DSL 20 on the web!
Got one today, tried plugging intonthe FX Loop. Not sure how it works. There is also an FX Loop button on the footswitch. I tried plugging pedals into it. The instruction manual doesn't say what to do with the FX Loop, people claim its a good feature to have. Not sure what it does though
Mate, I know you like the neck pickup, but please remember that you have another one (or two), to play with.
I have this amp. After upgrading the tubes to JJs and the speaker to a Warehouse Invader 50 I like it. Except for the reverb, its so faint you barely notice it
The little crow raven guitar is amazing!
when i played professionally i used a dsl 100 with a cab, this seems to have kept the same characteristics in a smaller combo , dsl is excellent in my opinion and i used them for decades professionally
DSL20CR is a awesome Marshall Amp
Hi Shane! I know that pass a long time after you released this video, but I'd like to know if you used some noise gate with high gain mode. Thanks!
Great demo, love this amp ... classic gain all day long
Lots of searing sustaining gain on that Ultra Lead channel. I found myself wondering how well that would suit "Still Got The Blues" by Gary Moore.
can you gig with this amp? I have the DSL 15c and it's worthless outside of a small, confined room.
Yes but not too heavy drummer
Great amp. I've been waiting for Marshall to do a proper low watt EL 34 amp. Presence, resonance, effects loop, and headphone out. Awesome. And by the way, turn up the treble a bit, not down. Unless your playing some stoner rock. For the love of God.
Should I go for marshall dsl20c or blackstar ht-20R mk2
Been playing with a Boss katana mk2 100w, just got the DCL20 combo, just curious if anyone noticed how little of a sweep the reverb on the marshall is vs all 3 types of reverb on the boss katana (ex, the boss reverb if dimed almost sounds like a delay, marshall i dont really noticed the difference in a pronouced way, i hear a very suble not too noticeable sweep on the marsh. reverb knob, vs the boss katana mk2 where the reverb was much more senesitive.
Question being , this is my 1st tube amp, is rhe reverb much more suble then an amp like the boss spring/hall/digital Reberbs that were built in, or do the from of tube amps have weaker (leas fouced on reverb effect?) the sound is much more crisp & beefier thru the mashall DSL 20 no (clean & with gain). Also on the tube marshall, is vol.2-3 loud enough to wKe the house at midnight, cuz mine is lol hard…gets loud very easy (no issue just wondering & especially how the reverb sweep is on the marshall dsl 20
Thanks for any help
The DSL series use digital reverb, which has a nice "plate" feel, but it is not as pronounced as a fender spring reverb. I really like it myself. I'd played Fender and
MusicMan amplifiers for 20 years, but in 1992 I picked up a Studio 15 for my
recording studio. I've been a Marshall fan ever since, and my DSL20CR sounds
amazing as a pedal platform, after I made a NEO Creamback speaker upgrade.
@@timothybailey2119 thanks, even with the standard speaker i like tones (mostly i play with gain & chruchy tones) which sounds great thru this amp, just wasnt sure why the reverb knob was so sublte compared to the options of spring/hall/plate reverb i have access to with my boss katana 100 amp. I do have a pedal board, no reverb pedal, but a boss delay (red, dont recall what type of delay) but for home playing/plug & play, i generally dont bother to hook up all the pedals/cables unless im gonna be jammin for a while…maybe guilty of pluggin the cry baby wah pledal in more often since i have that not attached to my boss pedal board. Anyways got my Gibson SG & dsl20 which sounds pretty damn good for my 1st tube vs the fender frontman & boss katana mk2 100 lol
I've had a DSL20 head 212 cab and Ioved it never considered the combo might try 1
Oké, but can you svp explain the speaker outputs? I have one cab. with the celestion G12H-55 (8 ohm) in it. Can I use it and which output can I plug it in?
How about metal on this amp ? Alter Bridge, Trivium, A7x, Bullet FMV etc.
Wondering the comparison between this and the Hughes and Kettner Tubemeister 20. Seem similar speced amps - but possibly different voiced amps. HK has EL84. This Marshall has EL34s. Years Ago I owned a DSL 40.... wish that one had EL34s for that classic rock tone. It was a little bright for me - this new DSL20 seems smoother... nice tone.
Looks cool. The thing about balancing the tone between clean and dirty tones is pretty common in amps. It's best to just use the tone control on your guitar to take the excess brightness away
Great vid!! Very informative as usual Shane.
Nice video thanks. Got a chance to trade for one. To my ear it has that classic EL34 tone to it that Boogie tries to make transparent with their pre amp circuitry. Still a fatter valve fan ie. 6l6 &6v6 but I think having an EL34/84 tone in your studio gives you needed variety. Keep up the good work!
How does this sound compared to the first version dsl15c? I find the dsl15c too fissy sounding.
Little Crow Raven is gorgeous... I want one!
Is 20 watts enough for a small-medium club?
I have a 20 watt valvestate and it doesn’t keep up with my fender deluxe reverb
I Love it Shane. I want to get that Marshall.Sounds Fantastic.
is that a bit of 38 special going on. Love the channel.
thinking the same thing lol
Great review here! I'm getting to much crunch and fiddling around with controls to get a good classic rock lead sound. I may get the G12 Celestion Greenback, or Vintage 30? Thoughts
I'm in the fence between the DSL40CR and the Origin 50c. What do you suggest for someone who plays rock from 70's to the 90's. Guns N Roses , Led Zep, Sabbath...
Which one doo you prefer, this one or Origin 20C?
Does it have enough clean headroom? I guess it depends on your guitar! It sounded pretty dirty with a Les Paul...
It is really difficult to go to the two locations within 20miles as opposed to any guitar C. And try to see what you like at your house or house get togethers, I need help getting one and seeing what it does at home without making companies mad for returning something I'm not pleased with. Hey please read, because you mentioned blues Jr . I have the monoprice Stage right 15 tube amp and I love it and it's supposed to be a comparison to the blues Jr and now possibly this dsl20. I just look and look for amps with a 12in speaker and fills up the room living room,bigger company room? What is your suggestion or do you like my amp, I'm not going to name pedals, butsy e one could be better or all setup better. But I just want a Gretsch nick 13, or any great cleans, blues and rock and who don't want to know their rig will chug,but not what I'm about
Hi does this amp fit a Heavy Metal gear, I mean guitar and various distortion pedals?
Im choosing between this and the origin 20 head not combo. I play 70's and 80's rock. Some early 90's and blues. The heaviest thing i would play would be like black sabbath. Is it worth the extra money or the origin suffice?
I like this one. How responsive is the ultra gain channel to the volume on the guitar? Thats very important to me
I'd like to know if the clean volume would match that of a Deluxe Reverb...seeing that they're both about 20Watts.
Actually loved the clean channel on this amp, ultra gain not so much. It's better than the 1w but still too much fizz for me :)
Fizzy and muddy and boomy... I don't know if that's the amp, the mic setup or amp settings...
the speaker gives an overall "muddy" tone to the dirty channel. and a 6 or 10 band eq helps a lot to shape and round the top and cut some of the bottom end (the amp eq can't do that). in other words, imo, it doesn't stand on its own feet.
could you please make a review to marshall dsl5cr , especially if is good for bedroom volume
You should check out the warehouse guitar speakers.
At $650, this was a good vaue. A little high, but worth it. Marshall has jacked the price, and us, up to $900. That is a 40% increase in one swoop. It is despicable, Marshall. Just plain and painfully despicable.
This video is great, though. I loved how you came around to the DSL 20. I think the 70/80 works well in this model. But, I like the clean tone on the DSL 20. If my "sound" was in a different field, I'd be wanting a different speaker, too.
Shane, you've just about done every Marshall dsl review except the Dsl5cr. Hope you'll do a review on the dsl5cr soon for the home player. Cheers
this or the blackstar silverline 50 watts?
Jesus, what a pretty guitar!
I recently started playing a Gibson Les Paul and played Stratocasters previously. I have a Fender Tweed Amp but I want that classic Marshall Les Paul tone when soloing which I can’t get with my Fender Amp.
I want an amp to give me the tone as mentioned, obviously a tube amp.
Can I get that tone on a 20 or lower watt Marshall?
I do t really need a 100 watt amp
Would this amp be gig ready? Get over a drum set for a garage band. Thx 🙏
Absolutely