All user reviews of 2/5 for the Marshall DSL401

Purchased in 1999 for $550 new in a local shop. This was my first full tube amp. This amp is loud and has the signature Marshall sound however is ridden with quality flaws. See below for details.

That Marshall roar. It's distinct. Go for a dsl head though.

Known quality problems.

Some of this amp's flaws are due to design, some due to workmanship. For example let's start with the design flaws. This amp gets hot. Very hot. So hot you can warm up left-overs by placing them on the amp. Because it gets so hot this model has earned a reputation for solder joint cracks. Tube placement on the PCB is the cause of this. Another design flaw is the bias prongs are located directly on the PCB meaning you have to fight casing fit and tolex to get to it and then it's still a pain with a digital manometer. The best tubes I've found that will bias are svoltecs (forgive my spelling). Groove tubes will never bias right and with full twist will still be very cold. Ready for the workmanship flaws? I've typed enough so I'll just mention the spring reverb is barely screwed in to the casing and should have longer screws. And the footswitch has a faulty cable that will break VERY easily.

This is an amp that should've been more in quality. It was rushed to the masses. Before purchasing I highly suggest either saving for a dsl head/cabinet or going elsewhere. Just too many times this amp's let me down. Since you're reading this you're obviously online so do yourself a favor and search the amp reviews with sense.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

40 amp w all lights
An HP 12 "celestion
8 lamps: 4 in which a preamp in a cylinder, 4 el 84 for the amp.
Reverb (on mine she walked in)
2 channel with a double:
Knob-clean with gain, equalization
OD1 and OD2, with volume, gain, equalization
Master volume, fx loop (effects loop), tuning the reverb.
Possibility to set external baffle extension.

Otherwise a good place to Marshall, the lamps are being protected.

UTILIZATION

Simple rules, manuals simple but useless.

I could not get a good distortion with some setting gives a clean sound, but always more boring and without rel.
For cleans cons are obtained by a sound rock, jazz, crunchy blues easily, but I find it no more.

Note that the equalization is effective clean trs in distortion should be dropped.

SOUNDS

The clean sounds are not bad but it sounds a little dry with accoutumence must add effects, and I find that the amp or worse (mostly distos I try to add (num America and analog). Domage my reverb silent cass

By distortion, I found it dirty, greasy and slimy in exs gain, and too flat and characters DO 2, and 1 OD is the same thing in less strong (l 'od 2 adds 20db, that's all the same a little disappointing!)

OVERALL OPINION

I purchase, jou 2 months with and I sold recement to buy a Peavey Classic 30 nine this time, cheaper and better now TElement

Unless we find a sound that only this amp gives (rock sound with crunch), which is not my case it's not an amp phnomenal. For a little cheaper, better now need a good hybrid transistor / lamps, and for that price, there is much better now.