Marshall DSL20 - How Good Is Marshalls Budget Valve Amp?

Best amp for the money

Finally a proper review of this. All your reviews are art in themselves.

This is just fine for 99% of rock guitarists. No need to push the avg Joe working stiff / non tone snob toward the UK model unless money is no object

Man, no matter what you're playing through, the tones you go for hit me right in the feels. I've learned a lot from your channel as I own a Katana MKII, HX Stomp, and just recently a Spark. I'm grateful for your shared depth of knowledge but I just freaking love your tones.

That amp, in my opinion, is the best Marshall head in the particular price range. I love the sound, and the thinness, actually, makes it easier to place the guitar tracks in the mix, without the heavy load and muddiness (depending on genre), but names alt.rock/rock/punk rock.

Thank you so much for show the gain up on the green channel! So frustrating trying to find someone showing that.

Great review thank you. I would love to hear a review of this amp with just the amp and a guitar. No OX Box, no I.R. no external effects at all. I think you would hear the difference more easily with just the room sound ..... 🙂

Sounds very nice, have the 1watt version and it’s awesome but the clean channel is a little bit thin, I’ll guess the 20 watt version is better in that so I might be getting that one, I could care less where it’s made because it’s a very good sounding amp, and it’s cheap.... Nice demo👍🏼

Great playing/video. Man for that price you get a lof of amp. One important thing to point out is that the tubes int his unit don't require biasing so that is another huge plus for convenience and maintenance costs.

I have the DSL 100 with a Mesa 412 Recto cab sounds AWESOME

Best demo of this head on youtube.

Excellent, extremely helpful review. I own the combo version and absolutely love it. You're right, the volume needs to be turned up to work the power tubes, otherwise it will sound on the thin, fizzy side. This has always been the case with Marshalls. They're made to be cranked. Marshalls are not Boogies. But if I wanted a Boogie I'd buy one. I owned one before. I prefer the DSL to any Boogie. I used to own a JMP in the 80s and it had to be cranked to at least three or four to really work its magic. I would use a pedal to boost it, usually a Boss, Rat, MXR or Tube Screamer. It was all about finding the right mix where you didn't thin the sound out. What I love about the DSL is it has all the gain I'd ever need.

I bought the DSL20 purely as a home amp. Something I can crank the power tubes on without blowing plaster off my walls. It sounds great through my Marshall 2x12 cab. I wouldn't use it live but for home it's perfect. I love the little bugger.

Really nice cleans on this .Good demo ,I want one now . I wish they used the 'tone shift' for something else. Like a clean boost button thats foot switchable .

I'm currently toying with the idea of a dsl40cr would love to see you review that. Great video. 👍

I used to have one, but I since sold it and got a JCM 800 studio. It's a very different beast. It's a great amp in it's own right, but the JCM is definitely a better option if you want that "classic rock" sound. The DSL is a great option for those who want an inexpensive head loud enough for gigging with a bit of a Marshall flavour. The JCM doesn't have an awful lot of gain on tap, but they sound amazing with a good overdrive on the front of it, the DSL has LOADS of gain though.

First: LOVE THAT GUITAR 🎸 MATE! That out of the way, this amp is on my short list of my next Marshall to purchase. I’ve flipped through several of the low-watt DSL’s and this one seems to hit all the marks from most folks I trust reviewing them. Not sure I like the mid scoop tone on it, but hey, we can always ignore that little button right? 😄

You make it sound the perfect Marshall and the sounds you’ve got are fabulous, which is perfect for me. However on buying this amp I was very disappointed. It was lousy. Bottom end was loose, cleans weren’t any where near as good as the dsl 40cr, The effects loop was the worst I’d ever heard, thinning out the pedals no end. Tried this through a 2x12 Marshall cab and my favourite 1x12 orange cab with vintage 30s (which was the best of the two) but still lack lustre. The Marshall dsl 40cr I had had the best clean channel I’d ever heard on an amp (but not the dsl 20hr) effects loop wasn’t bad on that amp either. I then purchased an EVH lbx 111 stealth which was a revelation in overdrive sounds and the effects loop was awesome. The clean channel is acceptable but no where near as good as the Marshall 40cr. I must admit I don’t wind any of these amps up to the max as my neighbours would find it which is probably the case for most people who purchase these amps.

Finally someone pushes the DSL volume properly and demonstrates the difference. Marshalls need to be pushing the power tubes and have done for 70 odd years. Baffles me how people still don't know this. Great review. I own both silver jubilee studio and dsl20. For me the dsl beats the jub for more modern stuff but the jub absolutely excels at all things rock and roll.

I own the dsl40cr , my favorite amp to date .