misterwhizzy
Well-known member
Seriously considering ordering one of these for Christmas. Will it do Plexi tones? JCM800 80s tones? I don’t think there are any nearby to play, but the reviews I’ve seen are almost universally positive.
Talk to me about the DSL20HR
- Thread starter misterwhizzy
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misterwhizzy
Well-known member
If I do end up buying it, I’ll be putting it through a 2x12 with Greenbacks.
NegativeEase
New member
They are pretty great, and can do some plexi-ish stuff (not quite like an SV20) but it's a beautiful 800 through and through.
misterwhizzy
Well-known member
I can think of literally 1,000 reasons why.
Wow, I didn't know prices had diverged that much; when I bought my SC20H, it was $1200, while a DSL20HR was about $600. I'm a firm believer in "buy nice or buy twice"... maybe extend that to "buy nice or buy thrice?"
IMO, the 800 with the gain down does a better "plexi" than the DSL20HR does an 800. The DSL20HR lacks the green channel crunch, which is the channel on the big-boy DSLs that closely matches the sound of the 800.
If you want an amp that *really* does both 800 and Plexis well... you're going to be spending a ton of cash. That's not the JVM for sure. The closest thing I know of is the Bogner Helios.
If you want an amp that *really* does both 800 and Plexis well... you're going to be spending a ton of cash. That's not the JVM for sure. The closest thing I know of is the Bogner Helios.
That depends on if you have a place where you can crank a 100 watt amp.
Securb
One of Jerry's Kids
My DSL 2000 does a serviceable 800 and Plexi.
I think spending an extra $400 for a full size DSL and getting the extra channel is the right answer. If you can't crank it get a power scaler or load box.
BTW, the 20HR has 2xEL34 and the 100HR has 4xEL34. Is it really 20 Watts? Or 50 Watts? And can you pull two tubes on the DSL to make it a 50 watter?
The DSL has enough pre amp gain to be a fun amp at bedroom volume.
BTW, the 20HR has 2xEL34 and the 100HR has 4xEL34. Is it really 20 Watts? Or 50 Watts? And can you pull two tubes on the DSL to make it a 50 watter?
The DSL has enough pre amp gain to be a fun amp at bedroom volume.
FuseG4
Our Neighbor Totoro
The 20w is missing the green crunch mode as mentioned before
when I had a UK DSL50 the green crunch mode with a boost was where I thought the best tones on the amp were.
The preamp gain is not bad per se at low volumes but in general the amp really sounded exponentially better when above 4 on the master volume which is almost as loud as it goes. It was hard playing it at low volume after getting to crank it. I didn't find the low volume tones worth it (compared to the amazing cranked tone) so I moved it along.
I do like the jvm for feeling kinda liquid and juicy even when barely on... The 4 channel with the 412... The voicing and compression seem to not need power tube distortion to the extent the DSL seems to... To me anyways..
The new DSL range is a little better at low volumes... I don't think it would be necessarily a bad choice but there could be other options for sure.
The DSL green clean mode is really nice though... Like hard to say anything bad except that it was tough with the shared eq across channels
when I had a UK DSL50 the green crunch mode with a boost was where I thought the best tones on the amp were.
The preamp gain is not bad per se at low volumes but in general the amp really sounded exponentially better when above 4 on the master volume which is almost as loud as it goes. It was hard playing it at low volume after getting to crank it. I didn't find the low volume tones worth it (compared to the amazing cranked tone) so I moved it along.
I do like the jvm for feeling kinda liquid and juicy even when barely on... The 4 channel with the 412... The voicing and compression seem to not need power tube distortion to the extent the DSL seems to... To me anyways..
The new DSL range is a little better at low volumes... I don't think it would be necessarily a bad choice but there could be other options for sure.
The DSL green clean mode is really nice though... Like hard to say anything bad except that it was tough with the shared eq across channels
I didn't used to be a huge supporter of the whole distorting power amp idealism. How would it be any different than preamp distortion? After having built several amps and worked with just about every major preamp design, I can tell you that there is a difference between preamp and power amp distortion.
I spent my early playing career managing volume. As a result, getting the sound I wanted, meant having an amplifier that based its core sound on the preamp. So a master volume amp was key. From a Crate Blue Voodoo to a 5150 and just about everything in between, they all had one thing in common, a master volume. My current amp design has a master volume, but it does so for a different reason. I wanted to design an amp for both clean and lead sounds. I found that it is extremely difficult to design an amp that does both equally well.
That being said, I think you still have to know for sure where your heart lies as it pertains to how the amp sounds at the intended volume. A 1-watt version of a JCM 800 will sound like a JCM 800 at bedroom levels, but it will not work in a live situation. Conversely, a 100-watt amp will not always do well in your bedroom. I think the magic wattage is around 15-30 watts. Beyond that, you are louder than you need to be, and below that, you are locked into studio work if you depend on the amp to beat stage volume. If you are dependent on heavy amounts of distortion, you are pretty much stuck with preamp-based distortion and master volume designs. So the big question is if you NEED the volume or the sound? If you need the sound, then power amp distortion is where it is at. If you need the volume, then only a 100-watt amp will suffice. If you need both, then you need 15-30 watts.
I spent my early playing career managing volume. As a result, getting the sound I wanted, meant having an amplifier that based its core sound on the preamp. So a master volume amp was key. From a Crate Blue Voodoo to a 5150 and just about everything in between, they all had one thing in common, a master volume. My current amp design has a master volume, but it does so for a different reason. I wanted to design an amp for both clean and lead sounds. I found that it is extremely difficult to design an amp that does both equally well.
That being said, I think you still have to know for sure where your heart lies as it pertains to how the amp sounds at the intended volume. A 1-watt version of a JCM 800 will sound like a JCM 800 at bedroom levels, but it will not work in a live situation. Conversely, a 100-watt amp will not always do well in your bedroom. I think the magic wattage is around 15-30 watts. Beyond that, you are louder than you need to be, and below that, you are locked into studio work if you depend on the amp to beat stage volume. If you are dependent on heavy amounts of distortion, you are pretty much stuck with preamp-based distortion and master volume designs. So the big question is if you NEED the volume or the sound? If you need the sound, then power amp distortion is where it is at. If you need the volume, then only a 100-watt amp will suffice. If you need both, then you need 15-30 watts.
IMENATOR
Well-known member
For the Plexi tone I think the Origin 20 watt head would be better. I was close to try one a few days ago but it was sold
A lot of the sound that 800s are known for only come when you've got the power amp cranked. Given that the DSL's green crunch channel is basically a JCM 800 married to a slightly under-specced power section, you're not going to get the 800 tones you want at low volume...
GuitarStv
Sock Market Trader
For the Plexi tone I think the Origin 20 watt head would be better. I was close to try one a few days ago but it was sold
The origin 20 head is pretty sweet.
