Guitarbloke

I tried out the Haze 40 in a music store on Saturday and personally I thought it sounded crappy. I coudln't get anything other than a very muddy sound from it after tweaking for a good 30mins.

I then tried out a DSL401 combo which was sooo much better and I'm now thinking of splashing a little more cash - the DSL401 is a good price range for me, but I was wondering if there was anything else you guys might recommend that I look at in this budget.

As far you know, is the DSL401 a good reliable/versatile amp? After playing it in the store I felt it was just what I needed (for 80s rock), but obviously I formed that opinion after spending a very limited amount of time with the amp.

Are the TSL combos much better in terms of sound? Are there any major differences between them and the DSL - other than there being an extra channel?

Thanks guys

Sean

Marshall Amps

__________________
This advertising will not be shown in this way to registered members.
Register your free account today and become a member on Marshall Amp Forum

steelhorse

The TSL combos are usually more reliable. The older DSL401's have been known to be prone to over heating and other issues.

The JCM and JVM series combos kick ass and are rock solid as far as I know. The JVM is probably in the higher price range though.

If you can, try to check those out as well before settling on the DSL401. Do you know the year of the DSL401?

__________________
www.ricojronline.com
760-956-6619
Garmopat Pedal Mods

"I wouldn't mind hearing your head smash through a glass door. That would be cool..." luekmeyer

JohnH

I’ve had my DSL401 for 3 years, and it has been fine and I appreciate it more and more as I use it. The main heat issues were on those pre August 2003. But my 2005 model also got very hot. It never caused an actual problem but I added fans to reassure myself – which fixed the (possible) problem. Others have successfully added vents to the top. Actually, I’m worried about the heat design of the Haze combo too, which seems to less venting than the 401.

The DSL401 is a great combo for blues, classic, and hard rock. It has a particularly good clean channel, with dedicated EQ and gain controls in addition to the master volume, which I understand the Haze does not have. The OD channels will get up to very high gain indeed if that is what floats your boat.

Criticisms of the DSL401 sounds are usually based on:
Lack of low end bass grunt, from this open-backed combo. The Haze is closed back and so should have more bass.
Stock speaker also lacking in Bass – frequently owner-upgraded to a Vintage 30 with good effect
Parallel FX loop, which some find unsuitable since it always lets the dry signal through and cannot do 100% wet. I don’t use mine often, but when I do it does what I want, I just turn my stomp box delay level up to max. This loop is a very good place however, for adding extra bass through an EQ box, which I do.

The DSL401 will drive an extra cab very well, but those who have stepped up to a DSL head usually reckon the heads are better. With or without a cab, it gets up to very high volume but also can work well at quiet practice levels.

Bottom line – I’m keeping mine long term. I’ve got it working so it does everything I need in my classic rock cover band.

__________________
DSL401
8412 cab
Crate Powerblock
1 x 12 Vintage 30 cab
'76 Shergold Masquerader
'93 Les Paul Studio
'83 Roadstar

Guitarbloke

Thanks Guys,

With the DSL401, you say you added fans - do you mean you plugged a small fan in and pointed it at the back of the amp? Does this cool it effectively?

I'm a bit concerned about the heat issue now that it's been mentioned. Is there an easy way of checking the year of the amp? Will it be stamped on the back? Do you know if the heat issue might something that Marshall would fix if I were to take the amp into them?

I read today that there were reliability issues with the TSL series of combos, but I don't know how widespread this is.

The Vintage 30 would definitely be an upgrade that I'd go for, I've read articles on several websites recommending this upgrade.

Thanks again for the help here!

Sean

JohnH

You can tell the year by the serial number eg 1998-35-1234 was built in week 35 of 1998. They changed the bias setup to reduce heat in week 17 of 2003.

My fans are 80mm case fans which I bolted inside the rear grill and run off the mains switch.

The heat issues are not show stoppers because they can all be easily addressed, if necesary. There are heaps of these amps around with no changes at all. Even the pre 2003 can have a simple fix done to convert them. But if they work fine and theres no problem then its OK.

John

__________________
DSL401
8412 cab
Crate Powerblock
1 x 12 Vintage 30 cab
'76 Shergold Masquerader
'93 Les Paul Studio
'83 Roadstar

riffdrive

Buying an amp is really like buying a used car, if you think about it. Some cars are rated higher for reliability, but there's still people out there who swear by their 300,000 mile Gremlins. The key is buying a good one. How do you know if it's good? Part of that comes from knowledge and experience, but I think most of it comes from plain ol dumb luck. One thing I always do that trips people out when putting an amp through it's paces - I like to smell the amp. You'll probably get varying opinions here on whether that technique will help you at all, but I think everyone would agree that if you poke your nose around the back of the amp and smell solder or ANYTHING that smells like something burning, you don't want that particular amp - plus it makes you look like you really know what you're doing.

If the 401 trips your trigger, I say go for it. As some have said there may be heating issues, but that's easily resolved with fans that take 10 minutes to install.

__________________
-----------------------------------------------------------

2001 Marshall DSL 50
2005 Marshall Mode Four
Avatar 2x12 (1x Hellatone 60, 1x Greenback)

Taylor Standard Solidbody
Ibanez RG2EX2

Guitarbloke

Thanks guys - you've all been so helpful with this!

I really appreciate it.

All the best

Sean