Axel1991

Hey guys i've been searching fora sturdy amp to buy for a long time now and i think i found it ,

Its a Marshall DLS 401 , my other options were
Blackstar HT 5 or the new Orange Thunder 30

i play Guns N' Roses mainly , some led zeppelin , but i'm looking for a harsh hard - rock tone. I have around 600 euro and i needed a tube amp with fx loop that i can play at home volume.

I have some questions-
1. Is the Marshall DSL 401's Fx loop good , does it take pedals / multieffects well?
2. Will i be able to get good overdrive at home volue ( say loud TV ) ?

3. Also what is the difference between the dsl 401 and haze 40 , which will suit me more?
Thats pretty much it - is DSL 401 my best choice of all kinds of amps for 600 eu ?

Thanks.

Marshall Amps

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pugachev

dude ive seen you on so many different forums lookin for a good gnr tone, its crazy, but im in the same boat as you. ive really really been considering a ceriatone jub clone but the reviews are mixed as to whether they sound anything like a real jub or not. none of the clips on youtube are very good. so ive been considering a dsl 401 as well, real jubs are insanely expensive.

thrawn86

401's are good amps, and they get the classic rock sound pretty well. Also sounds good at lower volumes. I love mine. FX loop is parallel (IIRC), doesn't take OD pedals well, but they do good through the front.

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Axel1991

I can't immagine how taking pedals through the front is any better than in the loop.
What are the differences between the haze and the dsl and which do you think will suit me more?
oh and will i be able to get good overdrive at home volume ?
@pugachev
Yeah i've just been trying to get the right one mate

JohnH

Both 40w 1x12’s
Haze is new, made in India
DSL401, first sold 1998/9, and recently finished, built in UK
Haze has lots of built in effects, DSL just has spring reverb
I have a DSL401 and tried a Haze in a shop. Both have a nice clean channel, the DSL being clearer and brighter, with more control of clean to light crunch on the clean channel
Haze has a thicker sounding overdrive channel, DSL is sharper, punchier, with higher max gain. For lower gain drive I would prefer Haze, for higher gain I would prefer the DSL. DSL works really well with an extra cab.

I put my OD pedals in front otr eh DSL clean channel, and they sound good with clean gain turned up. Haze does not have such a gain control on clean, though I think there is a boost button.

DSL loop is parallel, it works fine but you cannot get 100% wet unless you mod the amp – so tuirn your delays etc up to max wet.

As to your GNR tone, and you mention wanting a harsh hard rock tone, I would say that the DSL is spot-on, so far as a 1x12 combo can be.

If this is a big purchase, then I’d advise going to considerable effort to listen to both before you buy.

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DSL401
Crate Powerblock
1 x 12 Vintage 30 cab
'76 Shergold Masquerader
'91 Les Paul Studio
'83 Roadstar
'10 American Special Strat HSS

Armann

The DSL401 is a great little amp.

See this thread:

DSL 401 buzzy sound - help needed!

Mine was a older model, bought new in 2003, maybe they have "fixed" the sound of the od channels, I never really did like them all that much.
It did take pedals well so I just used that instead of the od channels.

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Axel1991

OKay so DSL 401 it is.
Do all the amps have this fuzzy noise on the OD?
Am i going to be able to use the od at low volume at home ?
Do you think it will take multieffects pedal well ( like vox tonelab )?
thanks for the replies

bhm1905

u might need a eq pedal for some extra bass on the od channels as it can get very thin

Armann

Yeah thin is how I would describe it, maybe a eq pedal and a tube screamer

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Let's talk about some conspiracy things. Let's go back to the grassy knoll. Who actually shot J.R.?
Ali G.

Axel1991

can someone answer my questions from above?
also when changing tubes - do i need to bias them or something when getting the new ones in or its just a simple swap?

Axel1991

Oh and sorry for the bump but is there any way i could make the DSL 401 work with headphones , some pedal or transformer or whatever ?

Lespaulnmarshall

Well this amp wouldn't be my amp of choice because:

- I think it sounds a little harsh (Maybe a few mods will help?)
- The stock speaker sucks
- It's a 1x12, and I want a 2x12 at least if I'm not using a cabinet.
- It sounds a little thin
- Many 401s have rattleing issues
- It's only 40w

Maybe I'm gonna like it after modding it till death.

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JohnH

OK - I think i gave my thoughts on the loop above. On home volumes, its fine at TV volume, but gets better louder.

Speaker replacement is a common mod - im not keen on the stock speaker.

The circuitry of the master volume is designed to keep some character at low volume (post phase invertor MV)

At the low volumes, thats where eq in the loop can add some fullness, which you dont really need at high volume with a band.

OD pedals work very well, on the clean channel. A great, well built, good sounding very cheap option is a Digitech Bad Monkey, which is a classic TS type pedal, but with seperate bass and treble controls, and works nicely at the front. I also use my DSL401, at home and with the band, with a Zoom G2 processor at the front.

If you need to use headphones, you take a jack cord from the cab-emulated line out into a mixer line input, then run the amp with speaker plugged in but Master volume at zero. I sometimes do this with either our band PA mixer, or a very small Behringer. It sounds OK with tweaking.

John

__________________
DSL401
Crate Powerblock
1 x 12 Vintage 30 cab
'76 Shergold Masquerader
'91 Les Paul Studio
'83 Roadstar
'10 American Special Strat HSS

Axel1991

Thanks man,
So for this price range of around like 850$ the DSL 401 is my best bet for GnR tone at home?
I was also looking at JCM 800 ( 50 or 100W) - could you tell me real quick if its going to sound as good as the DSL 401 at home volume ( like loud tv ) ?
If so i'd rather take a JCM 800.

oh and also JohnH , does the dsl 401 "buzz" a lot , like a feedback sound ?
Thanks for the replies again ,

JohnH

Cant really comment from experience on the JCM800. Thats a much more classic Marshall amp, highly regarded, probably much better at loud volume. It might be a better buy but I dont know how it will be at low volume. You might find you can work with pedals or processors to get you a decent low volume sound, then unleash the beast if you play with a band.

Back on the DSL - i dont find it buzzy, but it is clear and bright.
You really need to try these amps for yourself

John

__________________
DSL401
Crate Powerblock
1 x 12 Vintage 30 cab
'76 Shergold Masquerader
'91 Les Paul Studio
'83 Roadstar
'10 American Special Strat HSS

Axel1991

If i could try them id go do it right away :/
its either DSL 401 or JCM 800 50W combo for me.
Just want somebody to tell me if the JCM will sound as good as the DSL at low volume. And basically what are the differences in sound from the JCM and the DSL - which will suit me more for GnR.

Also what about using something like tonelab le / vox xt live multieffects pedal through the fx loop for the OD so i will be able to play quietly? is this a good option?