NAD : Marshall DSL combo

[Tim S]

Speaker choice is a personal thing. Unless I find it horrendous, I try to use the speaker the builder provides.

Here’s a great video made by @c_tecks that compares 10 different Celestion speakers

10 Celestion speakers compared (video)

For those interested in buying new speakers or just wanting to check out how they sound, I made a big comparison using two different cabinets. First cab is a 1x12 I made myself and the other cab is a Mesa Oversized. Do keep in mind this is a high gain comparison, so this might not be for...

www.tdpri.com

 

[yakacm]

I guess still making their expensive stuff in the UK is something, but you don't expect to get the 'British' sound from Vietnam. So many of these companies that trade on their Britishness, don't actually make their stuff here, like Vox for instance. I know Vox isn't the same company it was in the 60's and it's just someone who's bought the name, but those things ain't cheap. The one that gets me is Dyson vacuum cleaners, those things are heck a expensive, and they are all made in the Far East, you'd think at that price they could afford to make them in the UK still. But back to amps, Marshall, Vox, Laney, Hiwatt and Orange none of them are completely British made anymore. Does it make any difference, apart from price, IDK. I have Laney and Marshall stuff which is UK made, but old, even my cheap Laney LC15R was on of the ones made here, before they moved production east.

 

[puddin]

Happy NAD! I've come around on my DSL40CR quite a bit after some tube suggestions from @Tim S and a tweak to the bias. I also put a Creamback in mine instead of the V-type and really love it now. Enjoy!

when you refer to tube selections, are referring to the split tube in the V1? Also tweak to the bias..I have mine at 32, and I also went with a Creamback 75. This amp is absolutely killer, for my needs. Tim S knows his stuff, Cheers..

 

[DannyBigShots]

when you refer to tube selections, are referring to the split tube in the V1? Also tweak to the bias..I have mine at 32, and I also went with a Creamback 75. This amp is absolutely killer, for my needs. Tim S knows his stuff, Cheers..

Yep! Per Tim's suggestion, I swapped in an ECC823 in V1, brought the OD channels gain down and made it much more useable. Mine came biased pretty hot (38 and 40), so cooling that down to ~32 helped quite a bit as well. Final piece of the puzzle was the Creamback, and man it sounds awesome now!

 

[chris m.]

If you already have a good Fender-sounding tubh=e amp, you can get a pretty convincing Marshall sound with a good MIAB pedal, IMO. Certainly for home playing. I'm a big fan of the MI Audio Crunch Box. I have this generation version, V2, I think--

 

[11 Gauge]

I guess still making their expensive stuff in the UK is something, but you don't expect to get the 'British' sound from Vietnam.

Why don't you expect to get the British sound from Vietnam?

It's a British design, but it doesn't matter where in the world it's actually manufactured, as long as it's done properly, IMO. This really goes for any guitar gear, to include guitars themselves. It's not like the manufacturing process is rocket science-grade stuff.

I got a MIV Origin 20H a couple of years ago, and it's actually my favorite Marshall amp acquisition of all. It actually blows away the '82 MIUK 4210 that I have. Even after converting the 4210 to a straight-up 2204 head, the O20H is still better, IMO.

 

[codamedia]

Why don't you expect to get the British sound from Vietnam? ...
... I got a MIV Origin 20H a couple of years ago, and it's actually my favorite Marshall amp acquisition of all.

I still can't believe the Origin line is as good as it is... at the cost that it was.

Sadly, here in Canada the prices have gone up a lot on this line (about 40%), and it is nearly impossible to get anymore. Luckily, I already have my Origin 50h

 

[BobbyB]

If you already have a good Fender-sounding tubh=e amp, you can get a pretty convincing Marshall sound with a good MIAB pedal, IMO. Certainly for home playing. I'm a big fan of the MI Audio Crunch Box. I have this generation version, V2, I think--

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Great Marshall in a pedal tones! I have the version 1 and it kills going threw my Princeton!

 

[Dismalhead]

Congrats!

 

[DLReed]

Nice! I really like my DSL5, but like you find the reverb a little bit lacking. It may have been better just left off from the amps (one less knob cluttering things up!)
Sounds great with a Telecaster but even better with an SG! haha

 

[Tim S]

Nice! I really like my DSL5, but like you find the reverb a little bit lacking. It may have been better just left off from the amps (one less knob cluttering things up!)

I have no issues with the digital reverb in the DSLxxCR amps. I like just a touch of reverb (at most). Reverb is like Rouge — if people can clearly discern that you’re using it, then you’re using too much.

 

[Maguchi]

Don't give up on that speaker, until you've really put some hours into it. You may be pleasantly surprised.

I had the same experience. It took about 2 or 3 weeks of playing the amp 2-3 hours a day and the speaker broke in and woke up. Big difference in sound qulaity after the speaker got broken in.

 

[JohnnyThul]

But back to amps, Marshall, Vox, Laney, Hiwatt and Orange none of them are completely British made anymore.

How do you define "completely British made" ?

I know for a fact, that Marshall still builds their cabinets in the UK, with parts mainly sourced from UK suppliers, not much different than how they worked in the 60's.
Celestion even moved back production of a few speakers from China to UK again.

You could make an appointment at their factory in Milton Keynes and have a factory tour where you will see, how they work. They populate their pcb boards and have a wave solder machine to finish them. They do not hide anything.
The cab department still works the same, as decades ago.
When they still had their Astoria and handwired line running, you could see people handwiring these amps.

Same goes out for Orange and Laney, their products which feature "Made in UK" designation are in fact: made in UK.

If "completely" includes parts, then, okay, that is impossible in this world to have all parts used sourced as being Made in UK. But even in the glory days they would use parts from outside the UK (think about wood!).

 

[mikecorey]

Hello,

Even if I am sold to VOX & in love with my AC15C1, I need an amp with "modern" features : playable clean, crunch and classic overdrive with only a Telecaster straight to the amp, without pedal, volume compatible with a domestic use in the family house, capability to enter a MP3 signal to jam along alone and, cherry on the cake, usable with headphones... and not too expensive.

Hard to find... since today (in fact last week)... with a Marshall combo : the DSL20CR.

Yes, it is branded Marshall (not so usual with a Telecaster isn't ?) but made in Vietnam instead of UK (to reduce costs).
Yes, the factory installed Celestion is a simple Seventy 80 but I plan to swap it with a Celestion V-Type (I think those Greenback, Creamback even if classical are too expensive for this combo and the V-Type is a kind of bargain) if, after burning in for several weeks, the Seventy 80 continue to sound harsh.
Yes, there is some "hiss" (this hiss sounds "like" the wind) that come from the digital embedded reverb if you set it after noon but I will not use this reverb because it sound liveless (I plan to use a pedal, Fender Tre-Verb that do reverb and tremolo, through the FX loop).

For a Marshall, the clean are really beautiful and perfectly usable even if they not reach the quality of my VOX clean.
Crunch is almost vintage sounding and the high gain channel, typically Marshall sounding (more like a JCM800 sound than a JCM900).
I can play all styles (mainly jazz, blues and very classic rock & surf for me, no metal) with it.

Therefore, to practice at home, jam alone with MP3 backtracks, just for pleasure, it is a perfect workhorse.
I am not in love with it like I am with my VOX but this MARSHALL is more versatile and useful daily. A perfect fit for my needs and helps where the VOX reach his limits (headphones, MP3 in).

If money were not matter, my first choice after listening was the Marshall Silver Jubilee 2550C combo... but it is between 2 and 3 times more expensive than the DSL20CR ... and don't provide 2-3 times as much (moreover it can not be used with headphones and lack the MP3 input feature).

It seems that the DSL20CR is a well thinked and marketed product, with a good construction and a very good sounding (except the crap embedded digital reverb).

I need to learn it because of settings that are very different than the VOX approach. But it sound at my taste already.

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If you haven't done it yet, you ight want to rethink the speaker. I've got the V in my 40 watt and it's not that great. It can get flubby on low notes and fizzy when hit with some high gain.

 

[Frenchy_JC]

If you haven't done it yet, you ight want to rethink the speaker. I've got the V in my 40 watt and it's not that great. It can get flubby on low notes and fizzy when hit with some high gain.

Hello mikecorey,

The speaker remain the original Seventy-80 for the moment. I decided to let it a chance, patiently breaking / bruning it and afterwards only my ears will told the verdict : keep or change.

Nevertheless, I will certainly change tubes in V1 and/or V2 to calm the Ultra Gain channel.