Which Combo Has Best Design/Reliability?

Bellycaster

Yorkie said:

Bellycaster said:

Yorkie said:

Bellycaster said:

I don't know if it's a Marshall thing but they say it can be quite shrill until the Master volume goes past 12 O'clock?

Not mine, but I clipped C19 and changed the speaker to a Creamback. It sounds amazing with master on 2-3. 

Not sure what that means but I'll definitely consider speaker swap. Might give the 70/80 in the DSL a chance first (I think the DSL20 will suffice for me). I'm sure I can get a decent tone for live gigs, we'll see.

C19 is a treble bleed cap on the high gain channel’s gain pot (only applies to DSL40C at least with that name). 

Right, when you said clipped, it sounded like you go in with a pair of snippers and kill it. I assume it means something else

Yorkie

Bellycaster said:

Yorkie said:

Bellycaster said:

Yorkie said:

Bellycaster said:

I don't know if it's a Marshall thing but they say it can be quite shrill until the Master volume goes past 12 O'clock?

Not mine, but I clipped C19 and changed the speaker to a Creamback. It sounds amazing with master on 2-3. 

Not sure what that means but I'll definitely consider speaker swap. Might give the 70/80 in the DSL a chance first (I think the DSL20 will suffice for me). I'm sure I can get a decent tone for live gigs, we'll see.

C19 is a treble bleed cap on the high gain channel’s gain pot (only applies to DSL40C at least with that name). 

Right, when you said clipped, it sounded like you go in with a pair of snippers and kill it. I assume it means something else

But that’s exactly what you have to do. Vasectomy. You either clip a leg off or remove the cap completely. 

Bellycaster

Yorkie said:

Bellycaster said:

Yorkie said:

Bellycaster said:

Yorkie said:

Bellycaster said:

I don't know if it's a Marshall thing but they say it can be quite shrill until the Master volume goes past 12 O'clock?

Not mine, but I clipped C19 and changed the speaker to a Creamback. It sounds amazing with master on 2-3. 

Not sure what that means but I'll definitely consider speaker swap. Might give the 70/80 in the DSL a chance first (I think the DSL20 will suffice for me). I'm sure I can get a decent tone for live gigs, we'll see.

C19 is a treble bleed cap on the high gain channel’s gain pot (only applies to DSL40C at least with that name). 

Right, when you said clipped, it sounded like you go in with a pair of snippers and kill it. I assume it means something else

But that’s exactly what you have to do. Vasectomy. You either clip a leg off or remove the cap completely. 

OK, I had no idea that was an option. I have no electronic experience, I just assumed if something was removed from the PCB or circuit, that result in a non functional item

Yorkie

Bellycaster said:

Yorkie said:

Bellycaster said:

Yorkie said:

Bellycaster said:

Yorkie said:

Bellycaster said:

I don't know if it's a Marshall thing but they say it can be quite shrill until the Master volume goes past 12 O'clock?

Not mine, but I clipped C19 and changed the speaker to a Creamback. It sounds amazing with master on 2-3. 

Not sure what that means but I'll definitely consider speaker swap. Might give the 70/80 in the DSL a chance first (I think the DSL20 will suffice for me). I'm sure I can get a decent tone for live gigs, we'll see.

C19 is a treble bleed cap on the high gain channel’s gain pot (only applies to DSL40C at least with that name). 

Right, when you said clipped, it sounded like you go in with a pair of snippers and kill it. I assume it means something else

But that’s exactly what you have to do. Vasectomy. You either clip a leg off or remove the cap completely. 

OK, I had no idea that was an option. I have no electronic experience, I just assumed if something was removed from the PCB or circuit, that result in a non functional item

The cap is there to bleed treble into the signal regardless of gain level. There is no equivalent on the newer CR version, yet some people have complained that the CR also has that shrillness at low volume – no idea. In any case, all DSL seem happiest with (a) green/cream back speaker(s). Which doesn't mean you can't enjoy the amp with the stock speaker. I tend to re-record unreleased stuff if I feel new gear would make a difference to the sound, but with the Seventy/80 -> Creamback change I felt no need to do it. To me, the difference in sound was obvious in the room at recording levels, but less obvious on solo recordings, and virtually pointless in a mix. Different story at gig levels though. 

Bellycaster

I get it @Yorkie ;

Do you rate Eminence Speakers, they appear to be more budget friendly? Cannabis Rex, Private Jack etc. Do they have Celestion equivalents, opinions seem to be divided on the subject.

ICBM

Bellycaster said:

Do you rate Eminence Speakers, they appear to be more budget friendly? Cannabis Rex, Private Jack etc. Do they have Celestion equivalents, opinions seem to be divided on the subject.

In my opinion, no. They're good speakers, and some of them are in the same sort of rough sonic ballpark, but even the ones that are supposed to be similar actually sound quite different. In the past I've generally preferred Celestion for guitar and Eminence for bass, but there are some that go the other way now, especially in the neodymium models - I really like the Eminence Li'l Texas (12", guitar) and the Celestion B10N-200s (10", bass) for example.

Be aware that Eminence ratings for both sensitivity and power handling aren't quite as conservative as Celestion, so the spec figures can be a bit deceptive if you're comparing based on those.

Yorkie

Bellycaster said:

Do you rate Eminence Speakers, they appear to be more budget friendly? Cannabis Rex, Private Jack etc. Do they have Celestion equivalents, opinions seem to be divided on the subject.

False economy: buy Eminence, sell Eminence, lose money, buy Celestion. Not worth it  

Bellycaster

Yorkie said:

Bellycaster said:

Do you rate Eminence Speakers, they appear to be more budget friendly? Cannabis Rex, Private Jack etc. Do they have Celestion equivalents, opinions seem to be divided on the subject.

False economy: buy Eminence, sell Eminence, lose money, buy Celestion. Not worth it  

I've got a nice Heritage Greenback in my Zilla Cab, I was going to plunder that and put the 70/80 into the larger Zilla, but found the speaker to be hard wired (soldered)  I'm no good with a soldering iron.

ICBM

Bellycaster said:

I've got a nice Heritage Greenback in my Zilla Cab, I was going to plunder that and put the 70/80 into the larger Zilla, but found the speaker to be hard wired (soldered)  I'm no good with a soldering iron.

Swap the wiring and the jack as well .

Dave_Mc

I agree with @ICBM about the Eminence speakers- they're definitely good speakers, but they don't really sound the same ass Celestions, even when they're supposedly direct equivalents (at least any I've tried). If you know you want a Celestion type of sound, they're not really the best choice. (Conversely, I've quite often found that amps which come with Eminences, which are presumably voiced to sound good with them, sound better with Eminences!)

snowblind

Agreed. I have an Epiphone BC30 which comes with Eminence Lady Luck speakers, apparently tweaked especially for the BC30. Sounds good to my ears. I had Seventy-80s in a Laney which I wasn't a fan of (the speakers not the amp). Replaced those with HiWatt speakers and it's a big improvement.


psst - anyone wanna buy a pair of 70-80s?

Bellycaster

ICBM said:

Bellycaster said:

I've got a nice Heritage Greenback in my Zilla Cab, I was going to plunder that and put the 70/80 into the larger Zilla, but found the speaker to be hard wired (soldered)  I'm no good with a soldering iron.

Swap the wiring and the jack as well .

I think I'm gonna give the stock speaker a chance. Having tried it, it's totally possible to dial in a good tone. It may have been broken in a bit with it being used.

Yorkie

Bellycaster said:

ICBM said:

Bellycaster said:

I've got a nice Heritage Greenback in my Zilla Cab, I was going to plunder that and put the 70/80 into the larger Zilla, but found the speaker to be hard wired (soldered)  I'm no good with a soldering iron.

Swap the wiring and the jack as well .

I think I'm gonna give the stock speaker a chance. Having tried it, it's totally possible to dial in a good tone. It may have been broken in a bit with it being used.

It’ll be fine until you turn it up loud, then it might start farting out heinz beanz style. 

Bellycaster

Yorkie said:

Bellycaster said:

ICBM said:

Bellycaster said:

I've got a nice Heritage Greenback in my Zilla Cab, I was going to plunder that and put the 70/80 into the larger Zilla, but found the speaker to be hard wired (soldered)  I'm no good with a soldering iron.

Swap the wiring and the jack as well .

I think I'm gonna give the stock speaker a chance. Having tried it, it's totally possible to dial in a good tone. It may have been broken in a bit with it being used.

It’ll be fine until you turn it up loud, then it might start farting out heinz beanz style. 

Might not have to go that loud for our backline volume. Usually mic up and have wedges as well.

Yorkie

Then you’ll be fine  

Bellycaster

ICBM said:

Bellycaster said:

On ereviewer changed his pre amp valves to 12AY's and was pleased.

That would be unwise without knowing which ones to change. At least one is a cathode follower, which will blow a 12AY7. Likewise 12AT7s, although perhaps surprisingly a 12AU7 would be fine - but also possibly a risk to the plate resistors. The types are not as interchangeable as a lot of people seem to think, you need more information.

A bit late back here, but the reviewer was going to change V1 and V2 to 12AY7's, Groove Tube brand. Don't know if that helps.

It was this review anyway.

Marshall DSL20 Instant Upgrades - Tubes and Speaker (youtube.com)

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guitarmanessex89

I find both the small DSLs and Bassbreakers fizzy. My Cornford Roadhouse 30 combo is my main pub gig amp. Sounds fantastic and hasn’t missed a beat. Also seems to feel more like a 50ish watt amp, possibly due to the type of valves, beefy enclosure and V30. Pisses on both of those, frankly. I have and have owned many serious amps that are multiple times the value, and really rate the Roadhouse. Absolute bargain. Boost in the loop, delay and reverb if you want. Punches hard and gets over a 2 guitar band with a fairly loud drummer easily. £400 very well spent 

Boromedic

Eminence Redbacks are great, the Red Fang in particular, very Celestion Blue. Greenbacks are the best for Marshall though.