Marshall JCM800 vs JCM2000 Series

[shredaholic]

Re: Marshall JCM800 vs JCM2000 Series

Good post Jeff. Def agree.

DSL can get some classic or 80's sounds if as stated you don't get into the mid shifts/scoops. As Jeff said It doesn't quite rumble (or sparkle) like an 800 or previous series Marshall, but it's a good amp. And the DSL IMO is a better amp than 99% of the 900 series amps I've played/heard.

I don't care for the TSL at all though. They do NOT sound the same as the DSL.

whats so bad about the TSL range?

[JeffB]

Re: Marshall JCM800 vs JCM2000 Series

whats so bad about the TSL range?

Different voicing. Darker. Mids are focused differently. All gain, no personality. Less Marshall-like.

Just not my thing. The DSL is voiced a bit more to my liking. Honestly though, my Rivera and a whole bunch of other amp companies do the Marshall thing better than Marshall 2000 series amps do. The only Marshalls I really like being produced today are the RI series (HW, 19XX, 800 etc).

[guitarsrock5]

Re: Marshall JCM800 vs JCM2000 Series

which is the best head from marshall that is for speed metal, thrash, 80s metal?

[deftgala]

Re: Marshall JCM800 vs JCM2000 Series

which is the best head from marshall that is for speed metal, thrash, 80s metal?

the TSL and DSL have the lead output PLUS an extra "lead 2" button for extra saturation, if that's your thing...

I prefer the lead channel for soloing and the clean channel for most guitar work. The Crunch button puts the amp in perfect tube overdrive mode and with the band, it's perfect. I find that when I use the lead channel for hard rock rhythm parts, it muddies the overall sound of the band. The Crunch button just adds the right amount of dirt, and when the volume on my guitar is put down about half way, the DSL cleans up real well. The thing with my DSL is that I can play a variety of styles with it; everything from classic, new rock, pop music and R&B/hip-hop.

[guitarsrock5]

Re: Marshall JCM800 vs JCM2000 Series

well then which one is cheaper?

[deftgala]

Re: Marshall JCM800 vs JCM2000 Series

DSL 50 watt is the most affordable of the 2000 series. not by much though

[MikeS]

Re: Marshall JCM800 vs JCM2000 Series

The DSL is definatly cheaper than the TSL. I think the DSL is made in a combo. Head wise, the cheapest would be the DSL50. Only 50 watts, but when are you ever going to need 100 watts? (the DSL50 runs ~50-100 bucks cheaper than the DSL100). The TSLs run about $200 more than the DSLs if memory serves. You can always look them up on musiciansfriend just to get an idea of the prices for new amps.

[stevie_bees]

Re: Marshall JCM800 vs JCM2000 Series

I love the diversity of sound I can get from my TSL, even more now I'm using SD pickups.

[benjaturner]

Re: Marshall JCM800 vs JCM2000 Series

Wow, what a really cool thread. I've learnt loads just flicking through this now. Thanks to everyone who contributed.

[guitarsrock5]

Re: Marshall JCM800 vs JCM2000 Series

yah me too thanks for the advice!

[JeffB]

Re: Marshall JCM800 vs JCM2000 Series

Wow, what a really cool thread. I've learnt loads just flicking through this now. Thanks to everyone who contributed.

heh..jes a marshall freak here..but YW...

I had to mention though. The amp in your sig? IMO thats a better sounding amp than any of the 2000 series (in the general sense at least). I had a JTM60 combo, and it was similar to my 800 series channel switcher when compared gain channel to gain channel (stock), and the clean channel on the JTM was better than the 800. Got really good tones out of it. Unfortunately I had one of the POS ones that fried, but by the time it did I had already purchased my 1987X..and after that there was no looking back... NMV's RAWK

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Marshall JCM800 vs JCM2000 Series

I'm a big fan of Marshalls, and have owned all of the ones mentioned in the thread, and have tried all the ones I never owned. I won't say that certain ones are better or worse, expecially if they were designed completely different. They all suit a particular Marshall flavor perfectly....you just have to pick the one that is closest to what you want.

Plexi ZZ Top, Free, Hendrix, Page type of sound. Levant, no corner caps, small logo.

JMP Metalfront cleaner with sweeter OD than 800's...think Yngwie, Blackmore, early Aerosmith tones, most early 70's rock. Levant, no corner caps, small logo

Late 70's Mastervolumes. black levant front panel, big logo, plastic cornercaps. Think Indie Rock, Punk, Garage Rock. Ramones and Monster Magnet.

JCM 800. Think Kiss, Motley, Judas Priest, Ozzy, etc 80's metal that's not superhighgain. black cloth front, big logo, corner caps.

87 Silver Jubilee, 88 Black Jubilee, Slash Model. Cloth front, corner caps, channel switching between clean JCM 800 tone and super hot rodded 800 tone. It's basically an 800 with a diode clipping Tube Screamer circuit built into it's gain stage. Tonally, it'll give you everything between Slash's tone and Zakk Wylde's tone. Enough gain for liquid sustain and tight palm muted chunk. Sounds sweeter and slightly more vintage than DSL's, but has the same kind of gain. The prices for all these models is climbing quickly, so buy soon!

JCM 900. Their second stab at putting 6L6's in an amp, but without the tone the JTM 45's had. They added reverb to both channels. Kind of a cold sterile sounding tube amp with crappy reverb. Still has the JCM 800 sound, but doesn't sound quite as good on either channel. The EL-34 versions are better, but still not as good as most Marshalls. Tubed and biased right, they can sound decent, but I'd only buy at rock bottom prices for these......and that's about all they fetch.

DSL. The Drake tranny versions (early DSL's) were the better ones, although the Axiom tranny ones are pretty good too. These are the most versatile 2 channel Marshalls to date, and cover all the bases very well. Well worth buying for highgain Marshall fans. If you want a highgain tube Marshall, the DSL and Jubilee are the ones to get.

TSL. A few too many bells and whistles made them sound a bit lesser than DSL's.
They have 3 channels, but the tone is just......OK. Known to have channel switching problems that need warrantee service, from what I've heard from owners. Still, a good versatile 3 ch. all tube amp, so it's worth buying used at a decent price.

I won't even mention solid state Marshalls. Different strokes for different folks.

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Marshall JCM800 vs JCM2000 Series

bump

[deftgala]

Re: Marshall JCM800 vs JCM2000 Series

great breakdown GJ... now I've learned a couple things myself from this thread

[Mephis]

Re: Marshall JCM800 vs JCM2000 Series

The JCM800 is a great rip roaring monster for just about any tone I can dream of. (That is, anything 80's rock)

The JCM2000 sounds like something off the alt rock station that we have programed out of our stereo's and blocked on our digital TV.



Thats the impression I got from the one at the local guitar store.