TSL60 vs DSL50

[MC Groves]

My band just got back from the studio and although my guitar sound was fairly good to my ears (using an AVT150H), I've decided to get an all-valve amp for the next time I go to the studio to give my guitar sound more life. At the moment I'm looking at another Marshall: either a TSL60 or a DSL50. At the moment I'm just wondering about the differences in sound so forget about power and extra channels and features unless you think they are really important. My band plays a sort of hardcore punk/reggae type of music so it needs to have good distortion and clean channels. Suggestions for any other amps in this sort of price range would go down nicely too.

Cheers

 

[Radiohead0709]

I've heard

that the DSL beats out the TSL as far as tone goes, but thats just from word of mouth and I dont know if it's the truth. I have the DSL 100W that I managed to get a good deal on, and I do like the sound of the amp very much. Although the DSL technically has 4 channels, you can only switch between two at a time with the footswitch. You may want to check musicians friend.com, american musical supplies.com to see if they have anybody that reviewed the amp, so that way you can see what others think, and find out if they recommend something else.

 

[Hard2Hear]

I'll disagree cause I own the TSL100 myself (in my avatar). I think the TSL is more versatile, depending on what style of music you play. The 3 switchable channels come in handy, though I don't use the 3rd channel very often. I'm not a lead player, and that channel lends itself to lead mostly. Ive played the DSL and to me they're similar enough. The TSL gives you that extra modern sounding 3rd channel to play with.

I personally really like the clean on the TSL100, but some people don't so thats really up to you when you hear it. I think the DSL has the same clean sound, but I can't remember.

Are you looking at a head/cab, or a combo? Because that decision will have more of an impact on tone I believe. I don't like the combo versions of either very much. But I like a vox-ish sound in a combo amp.

H2H

 

[donkeystyle]

the dsl is supposed to sound really bad. i've never personally used one, but the other guitar player in my band has a tsl60 and it sounds good. i hate the clean, but he loves it.

i dont like the switch though. there's a split second where your signal actually gets cut when it's switching. it's pretty annoying. i'm told that it's because it's true bypass though and i'm sure the dsl does the same thing.

 

[MC Groves]

Thanks for the replies. I'm looking for a head, since they're a lot more convenient for live shows (cabs are usually supplied and heads are easier to transport). What I've got from this thread is that really the two are quite similar sounding? Obviously I will read around more before making my decision but if this is the case I'll probably go for the TSL60, just because of the features it has that the DSL doesn't.

 

[Hard2Hear]

One thing I'll toss at you, cause its not often talked about. The TSL100 which I have has a low power setting for 25 watts. This comes in VERY handy very often. I don't think many non-owners know about this feature, but I use it in low power more than high power. But you've always got that 100 available if you need it....

like if you're playing a stadium show without a PA.

H2H

 

[Outlaws]

I will read around more before making my decision but if this is the case I'll probably go for the TSL60, just because of the features it has that the DSL doesn't.

Trust me, you don't need a Marshall yet.

 

[Kryptik]

One thing I'll toss at you, cause its not often talked about. The TSL100 which I have has a low power setting for 25 watts. This comes in VERY handy very often. I don't think many non-owners know about this feature, but I use it in low power more than high power. But you've always got that 100 available if you need it....

like if you're playing a stadium show without a PA.

H2H

What do you use for a cab with the lower setting?


My guitar player has a TSL100 running a 1960A cab and it sounds decent live. I don't know where his settings are though. Keep in mind that this setup is LOUD. Gig volume lately has been at 1.5-2, and even lower than that at some places. I've only done a very rushed recording with it once when he first got it and the sound was really only ok. If you're in a studio where the volume can go beyond that, it may sound better though. I think the problems we were having with it a while back was the speakers not being able to work well. It's a 300W cab and we were probably only putting in about 20W .

Trust me, you don't need a Marshall yet.

He's right, you really need to listen for what you are looking for and try stuff out as much as you can, preferably with your guitar. If you ask a thousand people on the internet whether this amp sounds good, you will get a thousand different answers. You should also try the head out with different cabs. You'll be able to make a much better decision trying stuff out than you ever will by reading posts on the internet.

 

[Kryptik]

Oh and I should also say that a lot of your sound is going to come from you fingers and pick. Try and get something good with what you have. Try picking at a slightly different angle, make sure any pulloffs you have are clean, make sure that you're not muting too hard or too soft, etc. These are some of the biggest problems I've had with my own playing and no amp is going to help that.

 

[Hard2Hear]

What do you use for a cab with the lower setting?

Same 1960A cab. It has 2 V30's and 2 Greenbacks in it.

H2H