DSL vs TSL

[JonnyG92]

Hey guys, been noticing that a lot of my favorite bands run Marshall DSLs. I haven't yet tried one out, but it I'm making it a plan.
With that in mind, I've also been looking at the TSL. Is the TSL a DSL+ or in essence, are they two different amps?
I watched a few vids on the 'Tube (Yes, I realize how unreliable they can be, but it's just to give me an idea) and it sounded like the TSL's Lead Channel needs a little push to get it to some ballsy metal levels but it might just be YouTube playing with me.

There's no way I can get both amps so which one would you pick if price was not an option? (Based on sound and features)

To give you an idea of what my desired sound is, my favorite bands to cover are Megadeth, Lamb of God, Amon Amarth (Just the sound, not actually the songs), Pantera, Our Lady Peace, Third Eye Blind, Muse, and The Goo Goo Dolls.

I love versatility and I know Marshalls are known for their Crunch channel mostly, but I like a bit more than Crunch. Would I just need a good pedal board to even that out?

Any feedback is much appreciated!

 

[FuseG4]

Re: DSL vs TSL

I went through this and wound up with a DSL50. I liked it quite a bit but its best sounds were all at volume levels that would get me evicted.
The DSL's red channel has more gain than most people need, but it might not seem like it until you crank the master to about 5, it's like the amount of gain doubles and at about halfway on the gain knob you get a really saturated tone good for metal. Quite thick and sometimes a lil muddy on this channel.

Adding pedals on the green channel gets you the same thing but with a different EQ. Not so much low mids but a strong, punchy bass, and more upper mids and treble. A very "pushed marshall" kind of tone with a little added brightness.

The DSL50 is the punchiest of all the JCM2000 line, or so I've read from numerous people. The TSLs go for more gain and subsequently they lose that tightness, and some complain that the gain is indeed fizzier than the DSL. They do the metal thing but they lack the balls to really excel at it.

Beware the channel switching scheme on the DSL, it has the infamous "shared EQ" where if you EQ it for one channel, the other one's totally off. If you treat the amp as two totally separate amps and you never use the footswitch, you wouldn't be wrong.

There's a lot, and I mean a lot of cool tones in there, but sometimes they can be hard to fish out of there. I traded mine for an eganter but trust me, I miss that loud-ass all-out roar that the DSL can churn out. and I was playing it through a 1x12. Imagine a 4x12. Yikes.

 

[FuseG4]

Re: DSL vs TSL

BTW if you're looking into DSLs, also look for the JSX or whatever they just renamed it. Similar range of tones but with a better EQ setup. Quite British in the crunch channel, but the DSL still has a more Marshally flavor (go figure).

 

[JonnyG92]

Re: DSL vs TSL

So DSL + Noise Compressor and private property FTW?
(Unless the British Crunch from the JSX sells me?)

 

[stevie_bees]

Re: DSL vs TSL

You'll probably get a few TSL haters, but I used mine for 8 years and got great tones from it. The DSL is probably the more traditional sounding Marshall. My TSL 601 was quite dark and compressed, but with a tubescreamer-type drive in front I could get some great sounds. The TSL's are quite picky about which speakers they work best with as well. The combo's came with the Wolverine speaker, which most owners change. Don't discount the TSL's, but unless you really need the 3rd channel the DSL will get the job done.

 

[JonnyG92]

Re: DSL vs TSL

I was thinking that same thing. And because I live in a private residence, I was looking at the 4x12s or a 2x12 with Celestion 30s, G/B or not. I do like to go to balls-deep with my metal sometimes, would the Lead Channel on the TSL give me a very saturated metal sound or would it give me a really "Woofy" distortion? I want a very tight controlled and defined distortion; Not a generic sounded flub fuzz for a distortion (I hate solid state OD).
The DSL looks like it's winning because I can find a 1/2 stack for $1000 in San Antonio, but the TSL would be an extra $200-$300 and I'm trying to see if the extra Benjamins are worth it for what I'm going for.
My intent is to use this amp for a long, long time and just tinker with pedals if anything.

 

[stevie_bees]

Re: DSL vs TSL

The problem with the drive channels on the TSL is that they share EQ, so you can get a blistering high gain sound, but the crunch will be a bit of a compromise and vice-versa.
There are fab tones in the TSL, but they take a bit of dialing in as it's not as immediate as the DSL. I'd be intrigued to hear the TSL60 through a 4x12 rather than the 1x12 TSL601 I had.

 

[richard parker]

Re: DSL vs TSL

I recently played through a re-issue DSL and thought it was terrible but I think I remember others on this forum saying they sound very different to the originals. I'd definitely avoid them.

 

[WhoFan]

Re: DSL vs TSL

i own a 2006 TSL 100 head... took a chance on it and bought it cheap from a pawn shop... sent to my tech and he said all it needed was tubes as some monkey had stuck in some really old mismatched tubes... not sure why since the amp was only a few years old... i would figure someone thought that old tubes would sound better, in this case they did not... the tech just put back in what comes stock from Marshall for me as a starting point to see how it sounds stock first....

basicly i love the TSL for some tones... i'm an Iron Maiden fan and the 2000 series does that well since the band themselfs use DSL's... firing up my TSL with my Jackson and Charvels, and my 70's Les Paul kind of has that whole Maiden thing going...

i was talking to various people and chat rooms about the TSL after i bought it... the DSL amps where more popular.... but a lot of people have said that the TSL is a DSL with just the added Clean Channel...

the Clean Channel is cool to have... but it's not the best Cleans i've ever heard... i run a 2 head set up with my Peavey's... a 5150 for the 2 channels of dirt, and a Classic 50 head for cleans... so the TSL seemed like it could do all in one package...

i have not found much use for the TSL with stock strats and teles... my Custom Shop 66 strat does not like that amp.... yet my 1988 American Standard with a JB in the bridge sounds great... go figure... To me it just seems this TSL only wants to do the high gain humbucker sounds only no matter what you do with the buttons and knobs with stock strats and teles... that being said plugging my Wolfgang into it and hitting the gas is fun!!!!

in the end i like the TSL 100.... i have never owned a DSL... i'm sure there is fans of both... a lot more pros used the DSL versions on the road...

 

[WhoFan]

Re: DSL vs TSL

ps... the TSL has more heavy metal gain then most people will ever need... love it

 

[SirJackdeFuzz]

Re: DSL vs TSL

BTW if you're looking into DSLs, also look for the JSX or whatever they just renamed it. Similar range of tones but with a better EQ setup. Quite British in the crunch channel, but the DSL still has a more Marshally flavor (go figure).

I also want to sugest the Marshall VintageModern.

The Modern side is pretty "modern-sounding", and deff an amp worth looking into, imho.
FWIW, i would spen my money on a VintageModern, (or even on a RockerVerb 50) before i go for a DSL.
Saying that, i heard most prefer the DSL over the TSL.

Good luck

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: DSL vs TSL

The DSL is an alright amp...not being a jerk here but I'd put a DSL near the bottom of my Marshall amps I like list...however it is a better amp IMO than many amps they've put out since the DSL...

On the subject of the TSL...again, not being a jerk but Marshall really messed that one up...

 

[LuredMaul]

Re: DSL vs TSL

I also own a TSL 100 head w/1960a cab(got both for $795 used,near minty). You will hear alot of ppl crap on the TSL as the early models had resister issues, mine is a 2006 and has none of those issues. I run JJ E34L's(slightly different EL34) and NOS preamp tubes; Good NOS tubes really take the said fizz out of this amp and last longer than current production tubes. There is no shared EQ on a TSL each channel is it's own It has a 1/4 power VPR switch which is cool for home use. There are 2 effects loops. being able to bias this amp yourself is awesome. I agree that this amp doesn't like classic Strat tones, it even didn't like Gilmour EMG's, but, it does love modern humbucker tones.
I use mine for cleans and George Lynch "Back for the Attack" Type tones and I haven't tried the DSL. The EQing is not as straight forward as say a classic Marshall and I think that's where it freaks most ppl out. I like my TSL and I don't think there is a video out yet that really shows it's true colors

 

[Jessie's ghost]

Re: DSL vs TSL

I run JJ E34L's(slightly different EL34) and NOS preamp tubes; Good NOS tubes really take the said fizz out of this amp and last longer than current production tubes.

Is there anything specific you'd recommend in a NOS tube for this amp? I find it a little fizzy at times, which is probably my main gripe about it.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: DSL vs TSL

Is there anything specific you'd recommend in a NOS tube for this amp? I find it a little fizzy at times, which is probably my main gripe about it.

I wouldn't bother with NOS tubes in a DSL...

It's a LOT of money for LITTLE improvement...

A Marshall DSL is fizzy at time because the amp is a little fizzy...

A tube swap won't do anything really to correct that...

 

[ErikH]

Re: DSL vs TSL

The DSL is an alright amp...not being a jerk here but I'd put a DSL near the bottom of my Marshall amps I like list...however it is a better amp IMO than many amps they've put out since the DSL...

On the subject of the TSL...again, not being a jerk but Marshall really messed that one up...

I have to agree here. The DSL isn't the best. The TSL.... blah!!! Aweful, IMO. If it were between a DSL and TSL to choose from, I'd pick the DSL.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: DSL vs TSL

I have to agree here. The DSL isn't the best. The TSL.... blah!!! Aweful, IMO. If it were between a DSL and TSL to choose from, I'd pick the DSL.

Yeah, the TSL just didn't work out right to me...

The DSL is not my fav by a good mark but I can and have work with one.

 

[ErikH]

Re: DSL vs TSL

Yeah, the TSL just didn't work out right to me...

The DSL is not my fav by a good mark but I can and have work with one.

The TSL is probably my least favorite. I'd rather have a Valvestate of MG over one of those.....LOL.

I like the DSL50. It has a really nice character about it and is just more Marshall to me than the DSL100. Still, I prefer my 900 MkIII even over that.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: DSL vs TSL

The TSL is probably my least favorite. I'd rather have a Valvestate of MG over one of those.....LOL.

I like the DSL50. It has a really nice character about it and is just more Marshall to me than the DSL100. Still, I prefer my 900 MkIII even over that.

We part ways here...I'd rather have a DSL over any 900 anyday...

 

[ErikH]

Re: DSL vs TSL

We part ways here...I'd rather have a DSL over any 900 anyday...

Ahh, the MkIII is unlike any other 900, even its sister amp the SL-X (which came later). It has that big roaring Marshall tone. Blows a DSL out of the water, IMO.