Marshall TSL100 Triple Super Lead JCM2000 Series Guitar Amplifier Head (100 Watts)
100-watt, 3-channel, all-tube (4x12AX7s,4x Svetlana EL34s) head with reverb, 2 FX loops, and 5-way LED footswitch.
Overall User Ratings (based on 159 ratings)
Submitted February 13, 2005 by a customer from hotmail.com
"The Rock Amp"
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I love Boogie Rects also, but Marshall is Marshall and Boogie is Boogie
Sound
This is the best Rock/Classic Rock Amp I've ever seen. All three channels are excellent. The Overdriven channels are very noisy but if you add a Boss NS-2 in their effects loop and leave it on (the pedal and the loop)the noise is history. Note: You will have to turn the effects loop maste on the Lead Channels all the way to 10 for the NS-2 to do it's job. You can still turn on and off your effects pedals on their own.
Features
Separate tone controls for each channel is great. Two effects loops is a plus. I would recommend to Marshall that the add a boost switch on the two lead channels. Their argument would be...That's why you have three channels. But the Channels are so different that you want them for their individual tones. So a boost would be great. I'm using a Boss EQ and a Punch Factory for that purpose now.
Quality
Amp is built like a brick. Footswitches have problems.
Value
This is the first Marshall I've owned and it will be my main amp for ever.
Manufacturer Support
I went through three footswitches until I got one that worked. My dealer was great though.
The Wow Factor
Classic Marshall
Musical Background:
Semi-Pro...I have a real job
Musical Style:
Rock and Rock/Blues
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Submitted January 29, 2006 by a customer from msn.com
Marshall TSL100 Head Customer Review
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When I first bought the amp I honestly was very disappointed. I've got a Les Paul and a Strat but, couldn't make either one sound good through this amp(1960A cab.). I new that something needed to change with the amp or I was going to sell it (and never realize the mistake that would have been). I bought and installed a new set of "winged-c" svetlana el-34 power tubes(matched quad). I biased the new power tubes and was still very disappointed. It wasn't until I changed the pre-amp tubes that I realized how AWESOME this amp is. I installed a set of groove tubes 12ax7-c's and the amp came to life instantly. I can now easily dial in all the tones that I like. If you're like me and have spent lots of time and money searching for "the sound" then look no further then the tsl-100. Factory preamp tubes suck. Replace them and you've got something you love forever.
Quality
Would rate a 10 if the footswitch were more sturdy.
Value
You get what you pay for. If you want to stop searching for the tones you need and like, this amp is worth every penny.
Manufacturer Support
Never dealt with factory.
The Wow Factor
Looks awesome but who reaaly cares. It's the sound right?
Musical Background:
Have been playing for over 20 years
Musical Style:
rock
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Submitted October 25, 2003 by a customer from hotmail.com
"the crunch is in there you just have to find it"
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Sound
pure money. the clean channel is great. both distortion channels really crunch. it takes a little practice to get the sound you want. some people were complaining about the distortion not being thick enough. if you crank the gain and mid eq up and push that deep switch it gets as thick as any other amp i've heard. sounds best at loud volume settings
Features
all three channels are money. the two effects loops are a plus. plenty of reverb if you want it. banlanced XLR emulated out just in case. the footswitch is well made and easy to use
Quality
built solid
Value
you pay alot for this amp but it's quality. it was worth it for me
Manufacturer Support
no experience
Musical Style:
rock, emo
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Submitted July 1, 2003 by a customer from server.com
Marshall TSL100 Head Customer Review
I wish i could give it a ten but i can't. These tiny mistakes that could easly be sorted out by marshall if they could be asked let the name and the product down.
For the people putting down this amp (most of you mesa lovers) i suggest that you try one wich has been setup with new tubes and attached to an AV/BV cab.
And for the Mesa people: This amp isn't designed with a cascade gain preamp so there is no point comparing it to a Mesa amp becuse it's a totally different thing. I totally agree that when it come to enormous gain, Mesa's sound extremely good even though they are stupidly expensive.
Sound
Well, the good old Marshall Sound.. Though in order to get there you have to discharge the plate voltage and re-bias the power tubes. Maybe put some new quality ones (Tesla, Groove?) while you're at it.. Stock tubes could be better to stay polite. Once this is done the clean channel is what you would expect from a marshall head: godly. The crunch channel isn't too bad but could see a lot of improvement if used with 1960AV/1960BV (with vintage 30 celestions) cabs. With G12T-75s it feels as if something is missing in the sound. I would recommend trying different cabs before buying. Though the Lead channel has much more headroom. You can get a really nice natural tube compression when the gain is set high. Great for tight shred. :)
Features
Here no problems.. there are quite a few bits to play around with to tweak your sound. Quite nice to have the options available.
Sadly when the "25w" VPR switch is engaged the cruch channel suddenly lack of every thing and the lead and clean channel sound more like a valvestate.. I would have gladly traded that VPR thing against a proper factory biasing. would have saved me a lot of time.
The mute button though is much appreciated especially when doing some late night recording.. Genius Idea. Took a long time to turn up though.
Quality
Built to last.. that's marshall. The back grill looks like it could take on a collision with a truck. No complaints there.
Value
Well for the money it's not a bad deal. Could be better if it was setup properly in the first place and included better tubes.
Manufacturer Support
Don't really know since i've never dealt with them for support.
The Wow Factor
Looks very hot. Classic Marshall. Black Gold and white. I love it, but then again that kind of a personnal thing.
Musical Style:
Neo Classical, Melodic Metal, Hard Rock.
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Submitted February 28, 2004 by a customer from cox.net
"Lookin for an Amp that will have the voice of God and never fail?"
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I will stick with Marshall forever. Me personnally I believe that I get a better tone and quality of sound for the amount of money I spend on Marshall than anyone else (i.e. Mesa Boogie).
Sound
This amp will knock you on your ass, pick you right back up and throw you off the stage. I wouldn't buy any other amp than this one right here. The power if awesome and the tone is god like.
Features
I couldn't buy another amp that was more universal than this one right here.. You have so much flexability with the 3 independent channels / EQ's.
Quality
Hey it is made by Marshall. Need I say more?
Value
Amps like this are like wine, they only get better with age.
Manufacturer Support
I've never had a technical problem with these amps. But the times I had questions I received an answer straight from the company in no time at all..
The Wow Factor
When you have a Marshall full stack with the JCM2000 TSL100 on top of your two cabinets, there is nothing sexier.
Musical Style:
Rock / Metal / Alternative
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Submitted July 21, 2007 by a customer from aol.com
"The TSL100 Is One Of The Best Marshall's Ever"
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Sound
This Amp is my favorite. I'ved used other marshalls (The new JVM, vintage modern, and older 6100, and 4100) and Mesa Boogies (The road King, and Triple Recitfer) And this amp is the best in my opinion. Just make sure you got new tubes (if one tube is bad, they will all sound bad, that goes for any amp) a good cabinet, and a good guitar.
Features
The only issue I have with this amp is the footswitch. But let me say here IF ANYONE SAYS THAT THE FOOTSWITCH BREAKS IN A MONTHS TIME, THEN THEY ARE ABUSING THE PRODUCT! I gig regularly, and I got this amp when it came out, in 1999, and I have only had one footswitch fail. It took a year and a half before it did too, and I called Marshall and I got a FREE REPLACEMENT!!! And this one has never failed. I bought a 2nd TSL 100 in 2004 and since then the footswitch has been upgraded to a more heavy duty cable, and I have had no problems with it.
Ease of Use
This amp is very easy to use, and great to customize your sound. The Bass boost, mid shift and tone shift buttons are a godsend. ANd this is the ONLY MARSHALL WITH DIAL PRESENCE KNOBS!!! great for adjusting your sound prefectly. Also The VPR is great at home and recording.
Quality
The only thing I would want to change about this amp is to update the controls in the back. The JVM has a great feature, the wet/dry control for the FX loop, which I wish I had on my TSL for my dial FX loops, plus a true bypass on it that you see on the new JCM 800 reissues. Also Marshall's idea on the JVM and Vintage Modern, to use a regular guitar chord as your footswitch cable is AWESOME!!! Come on Marshall!!! DO THIS FOR ALL YOUR AMPS!!!!
Value
The BEST, bar none
Manufacturer Support
Marshall has always been easy to deal with for customer surport.
Musical Background:
I play professionally, live gigs, recording, band and home practice.
Musical Style:
Rock, punk, metal, hard rock, blues, jazz, reggie, ska, etc.
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Submitted May 11, 2007 by a customer from msn.com
"BOUGHT MINE YEARS AGO."
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This review has been selected by our experts as particularly helpful.
Sound
I bought mine when this amp first came out. I've had it about six years. Nothing sounds like a Marshal. With its three channels it is thee perfect amp for playing a variety of musice. Tone is fantasic played with my LP Deluxe or 335.
Features
For you folks with the foot switch comments. I got backup footswitches and the only failure I've experiecnced is the cable. Buy extra cables from Part-Is-Parts and simply fix the foot switches yourself. Also, treat the jack on the back where it plugs in gently. That my experience
Ease of Use
The three channel switching is happening.
Musical Background:
Active Musician
Musical Style:
Classic Rock
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Submitted January 29, 2013 by Michael J in Winnipeg, MB
"Even better than Advertised"
There are a lot of old school marshall snobs who knock this amp.. Honestly I think they're crazy. I bought one today. A used one made in 2002. This thing is now 11 years old and it's just so nice. I can barely articulate it. I did what I always do with a new amp... all the dials started at 12 O'clock. Played one G chord on my Vox SSC55 and knew instantly that this would be the last amp I ever buy. Hadn't even dialed anything in yet and I was already so excited. I read all the negative reviews and was ready to spend the night fighting with it... nope. Within maybe an hour I had all 3 channels dialed in. A crystal clear clean tone with shimmer to spare, a super crisp crunch tone that sounds very modern but also makes you think of some very vintage tones. And the lead channel... more gain than I know what to do with. I sold a different 3 channel all tube head to purchase this one (Wont mention the make because I really liked that head) but this Marshall just absolutely destroys it. In every way I can think of. I have owned a Vox AC30, A Fender Twin, Carvin, Marshall, Traynor, Bogner, Line 6, old Yamaha 70's tube amp, Peavey, Roland. Lots of experience with both low end and pro quality gear. Solid State, Tube and Hybrid. This is my favorite amp hands down. Quality? 11 years old, looks super beat up... but still feels like a tank and sounds AMAZING.
Musical Background:
Semi Professional. Playing 12 years. Live and Studio
Musical Style:
Rock, Punk, Grunge, Indie.
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Submitted September 28, 2003 by a customer from comcast.net
"If you want marshall tone, get this amp!!"
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Overall this is the only amp you will need for playing rock n roll. Any kind of rock n roll.
Sound
It's pretty funny when I play on the weekends the sound guys always compliment my rig because it's so easy to get good tone. mesa is only good for saturated overdrive for new metal, as for any other tone there a piece of crap. Way to expensive also!!
Features
The cool thing about this amp is the features. Although don't use the vpr switch. The dual effects loop is an extremely cool added feature!
Quality
It's a marshall. Of course the quality is going to be good.
Value
Great value for the money you spend. Alot less than a Boogie.
Manufacturer Support
I have not had to use support yet.
The Wow Factor
Looks like a Marshall
Musical Style:
rock n roll
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Submitted February 21, 2012 by Steve R in Saratoga Springs, NY
"Marshall JCM2000 TSL 100"
Initially I played through a DSL 100 head but found that it lacked the ability to switch between crunch and ultra channels on the floor. Additionally I wanted to toggle the deep switch between the clean and crunch channels. I found the answer to my problems with the TSL 100. Let me be clear: this is the amp that I've been looking for my entire life. It is not without faults, but it has delivered the greatest overdrive and distortion tones outside of a Soldano SLO. I share guitar duties in a couple local cover bands. In the first I play with another Marshall devotee and in the other I play with a Mesa connoisseur. My TSL destroys in both instances; lots of tones, flexibility, options and headroom. These amps cannot be beat. I wish Marshall was still making them because they're getting expensive on the used market.
Now for the bad: I've had several problems with the reverb (it fades in and out for no apparent reason). I have replaced tubes, pans, and pots. Nothing. My local music store repairman has torn the amp apart and put it back together only to find...nothing. I live in a temperate climate and guess that the move from cold to hot has something to do with my problem. Nevertheless, I would still recommend this amp to anyone looking for crushing Marshall tone (with one caveat, buy a good reverb pedal).
Musical Background:
20+ years guitarist
Musical Style:
Rock, blues, metal
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Submitted June 5, 2004 by a customer from hotmail.com
Marshall TSL100 Head Customer Review
when they give me that chug like mesa mark 4 or metallica circa 1988, i will be absolutely sold on it!
Sound
well, its good for typical marshall fans i guess. i ran it for two hours cranked in the bak of a music store as i was asked to come and break it in by the owner. i was somewhat disappointed.
clean channel- absolutely spectacular by marshall standards, nice and sparkly and just great
crunch channel- great for bluesy soloing work ( i love 2 shred)
lead channel- this is where i feel i was cheated. i was expecting high gain, metallica chug and overall razor sharp bitingness in my palm muting. rather than feeling i had been chewing on a circular saw, it felt more like a boost of the crunch channel. this is the marshalls major flaw.
its a great amp but for metal it just does not cut the mustard, although i will say its the best amp i have ever tried for tracking with a 7 string guitar, brilliant 4 that
Features
great features, lots of eq. the vpr is ok, but a powerbrake is better.
deep switch is kind of a contour and is useful for the 7 string stuff
again footswitchable channels is no burden!
he components were usual british solidity, but how long will thos sveltanas last? ( thats my brtish cynicism speaking)
im very tempted to buy this amp and get a metal zone pedal cos its great 4 lead guitar! and its goin 1/3 off cos the shop has stopped bein a marshall dealer!
Quality
i never trus a tube amp completely. they are very fragle and do not like to b disturbed. buit its a marshall so i guess it should b pretty solid
Value
its gone down in price with a 1960 cab cos the shop is discontinuing marshall!
Manufacturer Support
i dont own it but it didnt blow on its first try, and i really thrashed that bugger. i gotta say she was good 4 a virgin! ot perfect but a little tweak should do it
Musical Style:
metal of most kinds, im a shredder at heart though
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Submitted September 1, 2010
"TSL100--Marshall hits a grand slam!"
If you've been wanting a Marshall, this is a great one to start with. You have such a great level of flexability that you'll just have fun tweaking it.
Sound
I really love all of the channels on the amp. I can honestly go from county clean to 80's metal with a flip of a switch. I did give a sound rating of 9 because the TSL really does not bring out all of the character of the guitars I play. But for some, that might be a good thing.
Features
The footswitch kept on breaking on me, that is the little toggles. I finally came up with a solution that allowed my heavy footedness from constantly breaking the toggles. Other than that, 3 channels with individual EQ's is awesome. I don't think these amps had a master volume with I really like.
Ease of Use
No problems with that with the amp. Plug it in and go crazy.
Quality
After 2 years of gigging, I never had a single problem. I don't abuse my equipment but I do use it.
Value
I think it's a great value for price. Used ones are going well under $1k as of 9/2010 so now's the time to buy!
Manufacturer Support
Never needed it.
Musical Background:
Active Musician
Musical Style:
80's Cover
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