DSL vs Silver Jubilee Debate

[HeftyMetalGuitar]

I have a friend who is a big Slash clone who has an 80's Silver Jubilee, AFD 100, and Ceriatone AFD clone (the JCM 800 Slash version). He reminds me of this other friend I have who is a huge EVH clone. Every time one of them plugs into an amp it's like sitting in front of Slash or EVH and I am a little envious that they always have great sound. Recently the Silver Jubilee has been advertised but most people seem to be dogging it and saying it doesn't sound authentic. There isn't much to go on yet but from what I can make out causes me to entertain the thought of what a JCM 900 would sound like with EL34s.

The prestige of it gets me though. I can't help to be snared into kind of wanting one because of all the great recordings made with it and the used value it holds. There are 6 more months until they are to ship to stores and I am contemplating a preorder. What causes me to pause is that I have had my DSL next to my friend's Jubilee a few times and always seemed impressed that this mid budget amp appeals to me more. My DSL is an older one made in England and I never played the new ones they make now in China or wherever in case you are wondering.

The crazy thing is that I do not need another amplifier sitting in my home but I want that legendary sound all my own too. Before I decide something on this scale then I want to know if the general consensus is that the DSL is indeed equally good as the Jubilee the way my ears hear it or if the Jubilee will be a welcome addition to my amplifier family. Please tell me what you think of them side by side and if you too are intrigued with the reissue or impressed that the DSL is not respected enough.

 

[JeffB]

Re: DSL vs Silver Jubilee Debate

JCM dsl> jooby any day of the week if we are talking tone.

The jooby has a couple of nice tones, especially In the rhythm clip mode, but imo it's mostly tone hype based on low production numbers, and it's aesthetics. BitD, they sat around shops why people still picked up 22xx 800s.

That's all imo, ymmv.

 

[FuseG4]

Re: DSL vs Silver Jubilee Debate

I used to own a DSL 50 and liked it a lot.
Never played a jube myself but a lot of people tell me the DSL has nicer cleans but the Jubilee sounds more organic in crunchy or high gain settings.

They are both quality amp and the DSL is impressive but if the Jubilee is "that sound" for you then get it NOW!!!

edit: I read JeffB's post, and I see not everyone thinks the jubilee is all that.
I've had jubilee amps blasting in my face before and with high gain I think they sound really intense, and rather unique.
If YOU like the sound get the amp but if you can get it from a DSL then more power to you.
I'd love to have both so that's where I;m coming from

 

[HeftyMetalGuitar]

Re: DSL vs Silver Jubilee Debate

I used to own a DSL 50 and liked it a lot.
Never played a jube myself but a lot of people tell me the DSL has nicer cleans but the Jubilee sounds more organic in crunchy or high gain settings.

They are both quality amp and the DSL is impressive but if the Jubilee is "that sound" for you then get it NOW!!!

edit: I read JeffB's post, and I see not everyone thinks the jubilee is all that.
I've had jubilee amps blasting in my face before and with high gain I think they sound really intense, and rather unique.
If YOU like the sound get the amp but if you can get it from a DSL then more power to you.
I'd love to have both so that's where I;m coming from

They have a very similar sound depending on what channel you click on the DSL. The cleans do seem a bit better, and the Jubilee is a little more aggressive or crunchy as you say, but I never sensed that it was more organic. In fact the DSL seems a bit warmer and smoother but still very similar. You are probably right though and it all depends on what the reissue sounds like.

 

[Nacho8807]

Re: DSL vs Silver Jubilee Debate

Disclaimer: I've never played a Jubilee.

But I do love the sound. I've heard it a lot lately since the reissue was announced. But what keeps me from having major GAS is that pretty much any tone I hear from the Jube, I can dial in on my DSL and be satisfied with the results. Now I know this is nothing like plugging into both of them and A/B comparing them. And maybe you will be much more discerning than I. I am using a 40w combo after all, so there are differences. But I've yet to hear a tone I liked from the Jubilee that I couldn't recreate to my liking with the DSL.

YMMV.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: DSL vs Silver Jubilee Debate

I know the Jubilees and DSL's very well, and can tell you that if you like highgain Marshall tone, it's worth owning both.

This is the last opportunity to buy a new 2555, and its a great amp that will hold value.

 

[HeftyMetalGuitar]

Re: DSL vs Silver Jubilee Debate

I know the Jubilees and DSL's very well, and can tell you that if you like highgain Marshall tone, it's worth owning both.

This is the last opportunity to buy a new 2555, and its a great amp that will hold value.

I'm thinking you are right. Marshall site says it's limited edition but I read somewhere else that it's going to be part of their Vintage Reissue series once the white ones are gone.

 

[DankStar]

Re: DSL vs Silver Jubilee Debate

Why is the silver jubilee going for $700 less than the 800 reissue? When they were originally released, wasn't it the other way around?

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: DSL vs Silver Jubilee Debate

I'm not a Marshall expert, and I have only owned a couple, but I can say that I have always loved every tone that you can get from a DSL. Other than esthetics, nostalgia, or cork sniffery, I can't see a reason to get the Jube if you've already got a DSL.

 

[Lake Placid Blues]

Re: DSL vs Silver Jubilee Debate

The Jubilee has a unique high gain sound. Its very thick and rich, while also being very articulate and dynamic. The tone stack is unique. Interesting that the marketers at Marshall now don't know this and describe the Jubilee as based on the 2203. Nope. Neither is it a transition model from JCM800s to 900s.

One problem with the Jubilee is that the input gain is shared between high gain and clean settings. I can get just as good a clean out the Jubilee as I can my point to point JTM45 but I have to use a different input gain setting than would be used for a high gain tone-the reason the amp exists. So its not really a channel switching amp like the DSL. You set it up to get the tone you need and use it for that. I do believe that it gets a superior high gain solo tone than any other Marshall or typical modded Marshall.

 

[Maggot]

Re: DSL vs Silver Jubilee Debate

I've not played a DSL50, but I've played a Jubilee a bunch of times, and I really, really like it. Fuller and smoother than a JCM 800 with sweet, sweet tones, but it still has that crunch. It probably doesn't have the versatility that the DSL50 does, but of the Marshalls that I've tried, it's one of my favorites.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: DSL vs Silver Jubilee Debate

Plus they're so damn pretty! Here's my mint 2550 fullstack. I wish I also had the 2555 I bought brand new when I was a kid. I played a lot of gigs with it till I sold it in the 90's for $650......dammit.

There's a part of me that wants to get one of the new reissues, just to have it. Even though I'm more into my Bogner, Matchless, Bad Cat stuff nowadays, I still have a nostalgic love for Jubilees.

Here's how to tell a vintage 1987 Jubilee from a 2015 2555x reissue.
Handle. 1987 is all black. 2015 has chrome ends.
Input Jack and jacks on the back. 1987 is all black. 2015 is chrome input and red jacks on back. 87 had 2 speaker jacks and a selector. 2015 has 5 and no selector.
The 87 has a 25/50th Anniversary Badge on the upper left front. 2015 doesn't have it.
The vented back on the 87 is galvanized steel. It's painted black on the 2015.

 

[75lespaul]

Re: DSL vs Silver Jubilee Debate

Owned a 2555 and my bud has a brand new DSL stack. The DSL is a great sounding amp, but I think of all the Marshalls I've owned, I miss the Silver Jubilee the most. It is all preference, but I'm not a Slash head, nor did I get it because I wanted a Jubilee. I got a bargain on it, and wanted to see what the fuss was all about, so I bought it for around eight bills in the late 2000s. Holy....what an amp. I just prefer the distortion of that amp to any other. Have owned a first year JCM800, the blue 30th anniversary amp, reissue plexis, original plexis...you get the idea. Just love the Jubilee the most.

 

[Securb]

Re: DSL vs Silver Jubilee Debate

I used to own a DSL 50 and liked it a lot.
Never played a jube myself but a lot of people tell me the DSL has nicer cleans but the Jubilee sounds more organic in crunchy or high gain settings.

I have never played the Jubilee but I must +1 on the DSLs cleans. I have been a Fender guy for years and the DSL cleans are just as sparkling.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: DSL vs Silver Jubilee Debate

One thing that's very different are their clean channels. To put it in a way players can understand, the DSL is like a fat JTM45, while the Jubilee is like a cranked AC15.

 

[Lake Placid Blues]

Re: DSL vs Silver Jubilee Debate

One thing that's very different are their clean channels. To put it in a way players can understand, the DSL is like a fat JTM45, while the Jubilee is like a cranked AC15.

I was able to get that deep, tubby JTM45 type clean from my Jubilee, but that was through a 4x12 with Greenbacks.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: DSL vs Silver Jubilee Debate

In 87, the Jubilee cabs were usually G12-75T, but they also offered V30 in lesser numbers.

I think the V30's sound better, and so does Marshall, which is why the 2015 Jubilee cabs come with Vintage 30's. Nowadays, there's a lot more choices for speakers than back in 87.

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: DSL vs Silver Jubilee Debate

I dunno man. its only a reissue. Its a big call buying one sight unseen on preorder.
If you really want a sweet sounding marshall, try out a bunch and if you can, get an old one that has already settled on a steady resale value.
New amps are like new cars.

 

[hydro]

Re: DSL vs Silver Jubilee Debate

I didn't care much for the V30 based 4x12 Mesa cab I had, until I heard a Jubilee driving it. Then I kind of "got it".

 

[Demanic]

Re: DSL vs Silver Jubilee Debate

Nothing wrong with Marshall. But I don't want to sound like others. Rather I want to sound like me with a sound that would stand out amongst all the others.