New amp day coming next week....

minerman

minerman

Tonetard
So, I know a lot of you guys are gonna do this: :facepalm: (especially you Greg...:p) when you read what I bought, but I think it's gonna be a great addition to my small arsenal, & will keep everyone else that lives in my house a little happier..... especially me ;)....

Before I tell you guys what it is, lemme give you the details/features....

2 channels, gain & volume for each, footswitchable (included)
bass, mid, treble (of course...)
deep switch (bass boost), tone shift (mid scoop)
fx loop, emulated line out, 8 or 16 ohm speaker out
3- ecc83/12ax7 pre-amp tubes, 2- ecc82 power tubes


I'm sure you guys know what it is by reading this, but if not, I bought a Marshall DSL-1H.....

(ducks flying objects....:D)

First, I wanna say I didn't pay the full retail price (which is $800 :eek:), I got it new, with warranty for $600.....and yes, that is a lot of $$$ for such a small amp, but I've really been wanting one ever since I made the switch from ampsims to real amps/cabs...These 1w amps were a big part of me even making the switch. I tried a Blackstar HT-5 (which was ok, but just sounded "generic" to me for lack of a better description), a Marshall micro-stack (which actually sounded as good/better than the HT-5 to me....), & the Egnater Tweaker 15H (which I still have, & would not part with at all)....

I've done some more work to my ISO box this week, & have gotten the noise level down a little more than it was, so I should be able to use the new amp at night after work. That's been my whole plan all along, so in a few days, I'll actually be able to track guitars after work (which I can now, using ampsims, then re-amp the tracks, but to me, it ain't the same)...

Of course, I'm keeping the T15, as to me, it's got more of a vintage sound/vibe to it, & the Marshall should give me a little more "modern" sounding tone, without peeling the paint off the walls & pissing everyone in the house off.....

I couldn't decide on the DSL-1 or JVM-1, but the 2 channels (with gain for both, the JVM has 2, but only a volume for the clean) are what made me decide between the two. The presence knob on the JVM is something I wish the DSL had, but other than those 2 things, the DSL is was best choice for me....

There were a few more amps I was considering, like the DSL 40 C (which if it came in a head would be great, but only comes in a combo), the DSL 15 H (no fx loop was a big thing for me), Blackstar HT-1 or HT-5 (already had the HT-5, & again, it was ok, but sounded "generic" to me...), & a couple more I won't bore you guys with....

Another "big" thing for me was it's only 1w, & could be switched to 0.1w. I know a lot of you guys here slam these little amps, & yes, they are expensive as hell for what they are, but again, I don't have the luxury of using a big amp (even at low volume) here, & probably won't ever be able to (I truly eny you guys who are able to use your 50/100 watters, but that's just something I can't do here).....

But, again, I've been wanting a Marshall for over a year now, & while it's pretty expensive, will suit my needs really well. And, if I don't like it, I can always send it back, & get something else.....

So, the amp will be here about Tuesday next week, & I'll post some pics & clips when it arrives......

Oh yeah, let the shit storm begin.....:laughings:
 
I hope you enjoy your new amp, I'd certainly be interested in how you get on with it having personally developed a bit of an addiction for small valve heads, especially ones with DI out and power soak for discrete late night recording. I've been using an 18 watt a fair bit, but have a 5 watt head permanently hooked up with a small cab option or large for during the day.

All the best, Tim

Amp.jpg
 
Phrasemaker said:
I hope you enjoy your new amp, I'd certainly be interested in how you get on with it having personally developed a bit of an addiction for small valve heads, especially ones with DI out and power soak for discrete late night recording. I've been using an 18 watt a fair bit, but have a 5 watt head permanently hooked up with a small cab option or large for during the day.

View attachment 79331
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That's a nice photo, Tim!
 
Thanks guys,
The new amp will be here Tuesday, but I don't know if I'll get to even see it before I go to work, Fed Ex usually runs after I leave, but I'll definitely get some pics & clips either Tuesday night, or the following morning...

Sam: I almost bought the DSL 40 C, but opted for the 1w because of the loudness/noise factor. Feature wise, the DSL 40 C walks all over the 1w, but even with the 20w/half power switch, it'd be too much for me here. Late at night is when I have the most time to play/record, so the 1w was the best choice for me......

Of course, this isn't gonna be my last amp by any means. I'm still waiting to see what Marshall has up their sleeve this year, but I got tired of waiting, & I've really, really wanted one of these 1 watters for over a year now.....

'Couple days & I'll let you guys know what I think about the 1 w DSL......

Thanks again!!!!
 
Congrats man. Yeah it's no secret that I'm no fan of the Marshall one watters, but not for any reason other than value. I personally really like the JCM-1, but the pricing is stupid. Good luck with your DSL-1. I'm sure you'll make it rock.
 
Thanks Greg,
I originally had my heart set on the JCM-1 (a year ago), but the DSL has a loop, & 2 channels. I should be able to get JCM type tones from the DSL, plus I'm gonna order a few pedals before too long, & the loop will be nice for those, & my POD's modulation/delays....

Yeah, the prices are crazy, I agree, but I had to have one......I think Marshall will come out with new 1watters sometime this year, that don't cost as much, but again, I couldn't wait any more, it was get it now, or don't get it at all.....

Thanks again!!!!
 
The new amp finally arrived this evening (while I was at work, of course), haven't had a chance to try it out yet (just opened the box literally 5 mins ago, I'll do some clips in the next little while....), but here's a pic:

 
Nice, congrats. I'm thinking about getting the DSL 40 for jamming with my imaginary friends so I won't have to lug my 1/2 stack around.
 
I plugged it into my Greenback cab (which is in the ISO box w/SM57), plugged my H-S-S strat into it and....wow!!! Dialed in a crunchy AC-DC type tone right out of the gate with this thing, even with the crappy stock bridge p'up that's in my Strat...Green channel is great too, I'm surprised how clean it is. And, if I want a little breakup, it's there too....Enough gain for my use, & I always have my pedals if I need more, but so far, I'm really impressed with this little amp!!!!

The real test was to crank it & see how much noise was in the room/house, & even on the 1w setting (w/the vol about 5-6), I can still use it at night to record, with the 0.1 w setting, the strings on my guitar are louder than what can be heard in the room (same volume setting, 5-6....I can dime it on the 0.1 w & barely hear it in the room), so I've finally found an amp I can use at night to record with, I'm stoked!!!!

I'll put it through some more things tomorrow (pedals, loop, V30, tube rolling) but again, so far I'm impressed with this thing!!!

I know this is probably the "new" factor talking, but I wish I'd went ahead & bought one of these last year, instead of the Blackstar & the Tweaker. While the T15 is a great little amp (which I'm keeping), & does a pretty good Marshall type sound, this little DSL-1 H walks all over it on crunchy/gain type sounds (again, this is my first impression, & might be the "new" factor)...
 
Cool. Yeah if those DSL-1s sound anything like their big brothers, it's gonna be a good amp. I really like the DSL line. Congrats again.
 
Congrats on the new amp hope it rocks! Never owned a marshal myself as the only one's I've played that I really liked where the really big wattage ones and I just don't need that much power, and would have a hard time getting into the sweet spot for the small gigs that I do.
But some of their new lower watt stuff looks interesting, could be time to re evaluate
 
Thanks guys,
I've had a few minutes with the place to myself this morning & again, I'm blown away by this little thing. Ran through my Orange cab, it sounds phenomenal!!!! It's loud enough to piss everyone here off cranked in either mode, but again, the tones are great!!!! I now know what I've been missing for the past year or so, I should've just bought one of these to begin with, instead of the HT-5 & T15. While the Tweaker has it's own vibe/sound, there's no comparison on the crunch/dirt sounds. The DSL-1 just has "that" tone I've been after all this time in spades right out of the box, with minimal tweaking....Of course, getting "that" tone recorded is another thing, but again, minimal fiddling with the tone knobs & I'm already hearing it in the room.....

Overpriced, yeah I'd say way overpriced, especially when you can buy a 100w version of this that has more features, but the tone is there with these little amps......

If Marshall released a "regular" low/1w amp this year, I'll most likely buy another, & if I could afford another of these 50th anniversary amps, yes, I'd buy another without hesitation, to me, they sound that good....
 
minerman said:
they sound that good....
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I'm with you there, miner - the JCM-1 I tried out sounded killer. They just don't have any clean headroom, so another amp for cleans is good, but for overdrive, the sound is right there by the bucket-load. And they're still too loud for bedroom levels at 1W!
 
Hey guys,
Here's a short & sloppy little clip of a song I'm working on, with my new DSL-1 H ran through a 1x12 Greenbcack cab, mic'd w/SM 57.....

Forgive me for the shitty playing (especially the lead guitar, I was just screwing around trying to "find" some licks that fit...), this is just scratch tracks, I'm gonna re-track everything in a few days....

Rhythm guitars are my Strat, & the lead is my Ibanez....

Lemme know what ya think about the new amp....

http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=12301567
 
Congratulations!

The clip sounds pretty good. Nice crunch and all that. That sounds like a lot of gain, but it's under control pretty well I guess. I thick the thickness of it.

Interesting to me that despite the different guitars used, the rhythm and lead tones were awfully similar. Could you get a little more bite out of the lead tone if you wanted?
 
Thanks guys,

heatmeister: Yeah, I could dial in a little more treble, or move the mic a smidge, or both to get a little more bite. Or I could use the V30 cab I have, which is extremely bright with this amp, very different from my Tweaker (which is great, just different), I usually have the treble pretty low compared to the T15....

seeker: Thanks man, love the little amp, it's got the Marshall tone, just at a volume level I can use here at home, which is great for me.......

Did a little more playing/test recording today, & while I'm still in the "honeymoon" phase with the new amp, it sounds fantastic to me. I can't decide which cab it sounds best with, the Greenback or V30, both have their good points, just different.....

I also did a little tube swap/rolling in V1 today, tried the Mullard, GE & Sylvania out, it seems to like the Mullard best, it's not a huge difference, but might've give it a smidge more gain, & smoothed the top end a little...I'll still try the different tubes again though, as I only had a couple hours today, I had to work tonight, sucks, but it's extra $$$ I can always use.....

I'm really impressed with this amp, & being only 1w, it'll surprise you how loud it is. This is the best gear choice I've made in a long time, so glad I didn't get the DSL 15 or DSL 40 C, while I probably could've used the 15 watter, the 40 watter would've been overkill for my use.....

Now, to finish up all those songs I've been fucking around with for the past year or so.....
 
The tones in the clip are good - you've found something that works for you - well done. Now get back in & nail the recording.
 
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