JCM 2000 DSL (Page 3 of 4)

Hi, with regard to fattening up the dsl lead channel with a strat, I've had good luck running my dsl 50 with Svetlana winged "C" EL-34's biased LOW (34-37 m.a.) and running an E.H. 12ax7 in the V1 position and Ei 12ax7's in the phase inverter (matched phase inverter tube) and V3 BUT the secret is a 12dw7 in V2. The 12dw7 is a low gain tube with 100/40 gain factors as opposed to a 12ax7's 100/100. I used to run all 12ax7's in the preamp but things got REALLY fuzzy and I couldn't take it.
I also run the presence nearly off and the treble really low. Crank that mid and bass and stay away from the deep/tone shift buttons! I have to use one amp live so there's compromise in terms of what I can get away with sonically.
I run the amp through a palmer DI which sounds absolutely fantastic and NO FEEDBACK or phase stuff through the p.a. I'm also using a pedalracks pedal board to keep all those tone-sucking pedals out of the signal path. That and the palmer can make any guitar rig really sound great and true.
Hope this helps!

oh yeah, I never crank the amp past 2.5 so the bar owners love me!

Thanks for the advice but this info was for those out there who don't like the idea of chopping components out of their amp. Changing tubes is easy (and fun) and doesn't remove the amp from stock condition. Re-sale value is important to some folks especially to those who move through a lot of amps/gear.

Hmmm. Ever bias an amp?

Ok man, you win.
b.t.w. you might try tubedepot.com for tubes if you're paying 100 bones for a set of p.t.'s.

Bless you, monty!

Hi thanks for nice welcome man.....yeah lots to read up on...great site this....

Many Thanks

Martin

The EQ in the effects loop lets you sculpt the preamp more....at lower volumes in particular....as all Marshall always tend to be bright down to the bright cap...which is designed to make the amp stay clear when at high volume....thats when things can get mooshy......hence at lower volumes amps tend to sizzle too much or have too much treble......

Try the EQ in the effects loop....most DSL users do this.....and JCM900 users....you'll find some awesome lead tones on the red channel....and just use the green channel boosted for more classic tones.....

Cheers
Martin

For some reason Marshall put a 440 ufd bleed cap in the dsl's.  I guess they thought at extreme volumes it would help with clarity.  This high of a cap...yeah you have clarity...but ZERO tone.  So they subbed clarity for character and tone to me.  I guess they think us young players don't know what tone is and therefore won't miss it.  I've talked to so many people about why Marshall did this and most just scratch their heads.  It is a ridiculous value on the treble.  This amp alone has just too much treble and tinny highs at any level...and at high levels is sometimes where treble can get away from you anyway.  To me the amp in the red channel wide open...dimed...had too much  treble even with presence and treble just about at "0".  I made a mod of eliminating the c12 capacitor which was 440.  The amp is responding exactly how I thought it should have since I got it.  You can switch between the green and red channels and it just kicks a hell of alot more gain but with that punchy goodness of the green channel.  At high volumes it maintains clarity.  Right now I am running treble at 5-6 mid 7-8 bass 8 and it roars just with a guitar plugged straight in...no pedals, eq, etc.  I want to try different values at the c12 position on the board to see how it responds.  I was thinking of replacing the 440 with a 100 or something along those lines. 

here's an excellent site about anything and eveything related to all marshall amp models

http://marshallampforum.com