TexasFM3

I have a chance to buy either the JCM2000 DSL100 or the JCM900 Hi Gain Dual Reverb 50 watt head. They would both be the same price 600 and I am wondering which I should get. both are in very nice condition.

Any insight is much obliged.

FM3

HOT TUBES 70

Jcm 900 ! Imo !!

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MonstersOfTheMidway

If you think you'll need the 100 watts, then I'd say the DSL. But, if you can do you thing with 50 watts, the 900 is a great amp, too.

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jcmjmp

Dsl100. More versatile, better tube tone overall (IMO)

TexasFM3

Wow... I feel like I opened a can of worms... It seems that both are decent amps... This is what I had a feeling on. I just needed to confirm that I was not a lunatic on maybe choosing a really wrong one over a really right one for this price.

FM3

Apula Mawanga

Well, both are good amps, for different uses. The 900 is better for 80s hair metal and 90s alternative rock, but the 2000 has a more 'Marshally' tone, which is better for rock music. The 2000 also delivers a better normal metal tone IMO. It's also more versatile. I'd play them both, as they're both good amps and it's just a matter of taste.

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jcmjmp

DSL has a modern voicing in the mids but still retains the Marshall signature to its sound.

Boosting the mids can yield a convincing 80's metal tone but you're right, the '900 might have the edge there.

ProfChaos

I would make sure that you have an affinity for the tone and character of sound of the JCM 900--which for some is fine, for others not so fine. (There isn't that much flexibility with the JCM 900, so you tend to either like it or not.) Everyone's aesthetic preferences are going to be at least a little different from someone else's, so your ears and your tweaking-fingers are your best friends in making such an important decision.

The discontinued 65-watt JCM 2000 I find to be my favorite of the recent Marshall amps--even over some current Marshall amps that cost a great deal more than it did. But, alas, Marshall discontinued the 65-watt option for the JCM 2000. (My theory is that Marshall was onto this much more affordable option being qualitatively superior in some ways to the current top-of-the-line amps, and they thus gave it the nix in favor of only one option: the more expensive 100-watt JCM 2000 with a new-fangled auto-adjusting power circuit. Why not offer both?) Whatever the case, I find the 65-watt JCM 2000 to be the "King Bee" of that particular line: It has just the right amount of Marshall honk while offering also both unique character and a rich palette of tones.

theflyingmat

"It seems that both are decent amps... This is what I had a feeling on. I just needed to confirm that I was not a lunatic on maybe choosing a really wrong one over a really right one for this price."

I think you need to make your own mind up on this one. However, I feel that I know where you are coming from, it's nice to think you have picked an amp that most other think as being a good amp.
I like my DSL50 and my SLX, but I've been told the SLX is not the same as a DR. The DR's I've tried have not impressed me that much that that does not mean they are bad amps. I'm friend has used one for years and swears by it. He just plugs straight in the amp and goes for it.

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LesBalls

I am a big fan of the 900 series amps. However, without knowing your playing style or what you want to accomplish in regards to your tone, I would suggest the DSL. The 900's are awesome and I love them, but they are definitely not for some people.

steelhorse

Either amp is good, however if you need channel switching then the DSL may be the better option.

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(war)thrash5150

I've owned both and really I prefer the 900. Having found it for $300 helps too, though. It has the thrash tone that I like of the late 80's, early 90's. It is missing a little bottom end, but you can fatten that right up with an eq thrown in the loop.

TexasFM3

Thanks for all the insight everyone... I went with the DSL and I must say that this freakin thing is perfect... We do a lot of switching from clean to dirty in the band and this amp has already proven to be just what the doctor ordered. last night we got together and had a practice session. It was amazing. I must say this amp which our singer guitar player now uses combined with the sounds I get from my Mesa Dual Rec make a great combination. It is working out very good. Thanks for the insight again.

(war)thrash5150

post some clips for our efforts!!!

rockinr0ll

DSL100 because I would.

steelhorse

Congrats!

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noise5150

I have a DSL50 watt head and I love it because it has 2 channels and its very versatile. Great cleans and great tone at low volume IMO. Really great crunch sound! A friend of mine has the JCM900 and I like the tone but you have to really crank the volume to get there. If you get the JCM900 get a THD Hotplate to compensate.

rockinr0ll

Glad you went with the DSL man.

Ken

+1

The DSL does lots of things well, the 900 does just one thing well. I think you can get a 900 vibe from a DSL but you'll NEVER get the DSL vibe from a 900.

Ken