Marshall JCM 2000 DSL 100 or Laney AOR 50 II?

[Ace117]

I am looking to achieve a pretty generic 80's hard rock/metal tone, I think most of you will more or less have in mind what I mean right away with me saying that, with my current budget I have narrowed down myself to two options, a Laney AOR 50 and A Marshall JCM 200 DSL 100. Both of them are around the same price mark (Approximately £250), plus the Laney comes with a loaded Marshall JCM 800 series 4x12, the DSL 100 does not come with any extras.

I know most people will straight away suggest the Marshall, because the simple fact of it's a Marshall and the DSL 100 is a pretty killer amp if I must say from what I have heard, but will it be able to completely nail that 80's tone compared to the Laney? Right about now you may be thinking 'well if you are having doubts about Marshall then go for the Laney', but the next problem arises. The seller has notified me saying he has tested the Laney is working, but only tested at low volumes due to neighbors and this was his first time firing it up in over 10 yrs, so this suggests it has not been serviced in well at least 10 years, should this be a worry? Apart from maybe burnt out tubes, is there a high possibility with this amp being so old, considering it is from the 80's could have other unexpected problem due to this? Or am I over-thinking here? I know the DSL 100 is completely fine and have no worry about any problems with it, I'm just worried if I did choose this over the Laney weather I would be fully satisfied with it. - The seller also said the Laney has some scratchy volume pots, I guess this is expected from such an old amp, but could this be a sign of any other problems that could be going on with the amp inside?

What do you guys think about this one? Would appreciate some advice, thanks in advance!

 

[SirJackdeFuzz]

Re: Marshall JCM 2000 DSL 100 or Laney AOR 50 II?

A VERY WELCOME TO THE DUNCAN FORUMS ACE !!!

I VOTE Laney AOR50 every single time.

One of my fav bands rock a AOR's, in the form of UK band, Electric Wizard.

Liz also plug straight in, no pedals.

LOVE her tone !

 

[JeffB]

Re: Marshall JCM 2000 DSL 100 or Laney AOR 50 II?

Had 3 Laneys from the 1980s.

Overrated, IMO to put it kindly. I Would take a whole lotta amps over them.

 

[Securb]

Re: Marshall JCM 2000 DSL 100 or Laney AOR 50 II?

Had 3 Laneys from the 1980s.

Overrated, IMO to put it kindly. I Would take a whole lotta amps over them.

Played a Laney in the 80s also, Good amp but it couldn't hold a candle to my JCM 2000. IMO the Marshall is superior on all aspects, tone, flexibility and overall construction.

 

[Dr.Mavashi]

Re: Marshall JCM 2000 DSL 100 or Laney AOR 50 II?

Laney AOR, but its not for everyone ... on the greatest tones ever in metal were done with Laney AOR - Savatage's "Gutter Ballet"/"Streets"

 

[Kamanda~SD]

Re: Marshall JCM 2000 DSL 100 or Laney AOR 50 II?

What speakers are in that cab? If their 65's I'd jump all over it

 

[Little Pigbacon]

Re: Marshall JCM 2000 DSL 100 or Laney AOR 50 II?

Why is the Laney called an "AOR"?

 

[JeffB]

Re: Marshall JCM 2000 DSL 100 or Laney AOR 50 II?

Album Oriented Rock

Back in the day when Rock Radio was worth listening to.

 

[Little Pigbacon]

Re: Marshall JCM 2000 DSL 100 or Laney AOR 50 II?

I was thinking that, but I didn't actually believe it could be anything that awesome.

 

[Dave Locher]

Re: Marshall JCM 2000 DSL 100 or Laney AOR 50 II?

Album Oriented Rock

Back in the day when Rock Radio was worth listening to.

That is funny - I know exactly what AOR stands for (grew up in the '70s) but still had no idea what it meant as an amp model.

 

[JeffB]

Re: Marshall JCM 2000 DSL 100 or Laney AOR 50 II?

They also had the SuperGroup, so Laney seemed fond of using trendy music Industry names for their models at times.

 

[NecroPolo]

Re: Marshall JCM 2000 DSL 100 or Laney AOR 50 II?

As it's said, if you're into more generic functional rock sounds, you'd better walk the Marshall way. If you want something little different, go with the Laney AOR50.

I abused one for approx. a decade and sold it because of spine problems, I cannot lift such weights anymore. I'm not saying that I regret selling it (my spine says "hi" with a smile) but apart from practical logistic reasons I loved that amp. It is built like a tank and despite the super heavy abuse that I threw at it (at the time we had 50+ gigs per year, an ample of road tear & wear) I can confidently say that it was my most reliable and consistent tube amp, ever. I had a JCM800 and a JCM900 as well at the time. I liked their sounds a little better but they had some cheesy soldering, toy pots and some toy components that tended to zap until they were replaced with higher grade ones. Compared tot them the AOR was built like some military equipment, never a single breakdown for a decade. I sold it to a blues rock player guy and he loves it. As far as I know the amp works perfectly to date.

Sonically it is not as edgy as a JCM800 or a DSL in case, it has a pretty different attack but the texture is great I think and it is among the 3 loudest things I've ever played. It is a superb gigging amp, cutting through anything.

Unfortunately I did not use it in the studio much (I stuck to my Marshalls at the time), there is just one track where it was used all along:



Rhythm sound is a Squier '51 straight into the AOR50 Super Lead + a 4x12" Greenback cab, solos were shot with a BOSS SD1 and JH1S Cry Baby. Apart from mastering processors (exciter, limiter, multiband EQ) and gentle hi-pass filtering that ate some of the messy low frequencies the guitar tracks go quite raw into the mix so you can hear the amp here and not some soundtech doctoring.

 

[Dr.Mavashi]

Re: Marshall JCM 2000 DSL 100 or Laney AOR 50 II?

Advanced Overdrive Response

 

[Red_Label]

Re: Marshall JCM 2000 DSL 100 or Laney AOR 50 II?

Laney AOR, but its not for everyone ... on the greatest tones ever in metal were done with Laney AOR - Savatage's "Gutter Ballet"/"Streets"

Despite the fact that I LOVED Criss' tones on those albums (I still listen to Gutter Ballet often), I'd still have to pick the DSL100. There's a reason that amp has been part of so many backlines around the world.

 

[Red_Label]

Re: Marshall JCM 2000 DSL 100 or Laney AOR 50 II?

Album Oriented Rock

Back in the day when Rock Radio was worth listening to.

Yup. The good ole days. Radio is soooo... FORGETTABLE these days.

 

[mwalluk]

Re: Marshall JCM 2000 DSL 100 or Laney AOR 50 II?

Gotta vote for DSL.

Quality amp. Useable cleans. Orange channel goosed will get you those 80s tone, but still retain an organic feel. Problem with DSL is shared eq. If you're just using the orange channel (clean pushed), it wouldn't really matter. Not to mention, DSL will retain more resale value and have a greater market of interest (not that this should be a deciding factor).

 

[mwalluk]

Re: Marshall JCM 2000 DSL 100 or Laney AOR 50 II?

Marshall JCM 2000 DSL 100

The JCM 2000 line is the working man’s amp and worthy of the title WORKHORSE. It’s rugged, durable and rock solid. The DSL is capable of producing sonic overtures from previous Marshall Generations at a budget friendly price. The channels are designed to range from a Plexi to Hot Rodded JCM 800 to beyond.

However, It will NEVER be in the ball park of any of those Marshall staples. What it is though, it is capable of getting you close sound wise. It won’t get spot on, you will notice the differences, but for comparison sake it’s close enough.

The JCM 2000 line was a great line for what it’s worth. It’s a shame they discontinued it. They are respectable amps and nothing to be ashamed of. On the other hand, Street Cred and bragging rights do not come with the amp. It is what it is and what it is, is a good amp.

This amp has potential to be a monster if you’re willing to invest in it. Being that this is a middle of the road amp, Marshall decided to cheap out on a few things that would put it in the same league as the SL+, 800, Plexi, JMP, etc.

The question then becomes is it worth putting in roughly around the same amount used to purchase it into upgrading it? Considering the resale value (regardless of upgrading or modding it) is only around $600-900.

A simple addition of a choke, upgraded PT and OT, tube swap and swap out the cheap electronics to quality parts, you would have a Sig amp. For the amount of time and finances involved, you would be able to purchase a different amp that has all that and still have money left over.

Now don’t misconstrue my words, stock this amp is good. It’s just that it could be better.

Anyways, this is a 2 channel amp. It has the standard EQ set (which happens to be shared), Presence, Add Bass button, Sweep Mids button, Reverb and “boost” buttons per channel. The clean is very useable. Sprinkle on a touch of chorus/reverb/flange and it’s fairly lush sounding for a Marshall.

Do not expect a Fender Clean or a VOX clean, rather expect a good clean coming from a Marshall. When a certain song requires a bright, chimmey clean, it can get the job done. Adding gain and/or boost button, the amp transforms to 800 like. You get a nice edge of break up crunch as you add gain you get the Marshall Signature Crunch. You want AC/DC, it’s there. GNR? It’s there too.

Slamming the front end with an OD or Distortion pedal is tonal bliss. It’s hard to describe but it’s def. organic growl which is very useable for more modern rock tones. Majority of players only use channel one on this amp.

Channel 2 has its moments. It’s more compressed, gained out madness. It’s Marshall wanting to be metal and trying to verge into Recto/5150 territory. It needs to be boosted, to get into metal territory. It’s not a metal amp though. This amp makes you work for it. Dialing back the gain to around noon will get you close to the hot rodded 800 sound.

The problem is the shared eq. What you do with one channel effects the other. Adding bass to one, makes the other too boomy. Adding mids/highs makes the other too bright. There’s no trade off. You can’t get a great tone without sacrificing the tone on the other.

The JCM 2000 line is a great line for the gigging musician on a budget wanting the Marshall sound. It will give you a solid rock tone, but will never fill your desire for having something more. It may not be the right amp for you, but it’s the right amp for right now that will get you where you need to be.

 

[Dr.Mavashi]

Re: Marshall JCM 2000 DSL 100 or Laney AOR 50 II?

Despite the fact that I LOVED Criss' tones on those albums (I still listen to Gutter Ballet often), I'd still have to pick the DSL100. There's a reason that amp has been part of so many backlines around the world.

Criss' tones are amazing on those albums, no body really ever tried to go that direction, even Cofferey ... But DSL is entirely different ... I owned it, i did not know back then enough who to tweak the amp to make it yours as i do now, but it is neither marshall nor boogie to me so i dont really understand it .... here is some of my Laney AOR six knobber modded with Vinnie Moore mod, second half of V1 engaged, and some dual pot installed somewhere to lower the noise

http://www.soundclick.com/player/single_player.cfm?songid=13337406&q=hi&newref=1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sv4uOofi2j8

 

[DeadandBuried]

Re: Marshall JCM 2000 DSL 100 or Laney AOR 50 II?

I've only played a JCM2000 so I can't comment on the Laney. Marshall's should get you most rock tones from the 80's through to the 2010's. Rich on the mids and very creamy.

I'm more into modern high gain sounds so I sold my JCM2000 I owned about 5 years ago.

 

[cliffenstein]

Re: Marshall JCM 2000 DSL 100 or Laney AOR 50 II?

There are an awful lot of amps that can do the 80's tones you're after. From the cheap on up to the super expensive.

A Marshall head looks best on a Marshall cab in my view, but since that Laney comes with a great cab the decision is practically made for you.

An 800 cab with stock speakers is killer regardless of which stock speakers are in it. I have one loaded with the oft-maligned G12M-70 speakers and it's a fantastic cab. (I have it matched with the JCM 2000 DSL100.)