1W Marshall's?

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1W Marshall's?

Post by Kloppsta »

hey team,

just wondering if anyone here has tried the 1W Marshall mini heads before? i am interested in the DSL1HR for example.

i like the fact is is 2 channels and has an fx loop and recording out.

my main interest is just exactly how loud is a 1W tube amp when cranked up and say running through an 8Ohm 2x12 Mesa cab with v30's?
would anyone with experience say that it would be loud enough to jam with a drummer for example? (understand clean headroom will be impossible at full volume)

the second thing is the thing i love most about playing through tube amps. the "thump" that an amp running through a good closed back cab can give you when hitting that F# power chord ;-) I know there are a lot of factors to getting a decent "thump" and i have heard that the size of the OT has a lot to do with the low frequency reproduction and thump of an amp, even more so than the size of the bottles, be they EL34, EL84, or whats in the 1W Marshalls which i think is an ECC82 or similar, in the power section.

do you think its possible to get a decent, albeit, lower volume "thump" out of this amp? would it be possible to upgrade the tranny's and install a choke to get an even more authentic "big amp" tone/feel at lower volumes?

this is what the DSL1HR looks like inside - Here is a link to the schematic - http://guitar-gear.ru/forum/index.php?a ... h_id=40987

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Re: 1W Marshall's?

Post by AiRdAd »

I had the JTM one. I liked it, but it needed be louder. It had a great sound, but was too quiet, it needed to be a touch louder.

When marshall did this range, I think they should of made them 5 watts and put a 12 inch speaker in them.
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Re: 1W Marshall's?

Post by Kloppsta »

AiRdAd wrote:I had the JTM one. I liked it, but it needed be louder. It had a great sound, but was too quiet, it needed to be a touch louder.

When marshall did this range, I think they should of made them 5 watts and put a 12 inch speaker in them.
Cheers Danny. Did you have the head or combo? Also when you say was too quiet.....for what exactly? like home playing or playing with a live drummer etc.? Appreciate your input
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Re: 1W Marshall's?

Post by Mattallica »

Does it have to be Marshall?

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Re: 1W Marshall's?

Post by Kloppsta »

Mattallica wrote:Does it have to be Marshall?
Nope, not at all. I just like the feature set of the DSL1 for example. I also used to play a DSL100 back in the day and liked its overall tone and gain structure. I tend to prefer the "Marshall" style of overdrive/gain. I also like the price point of the DSL1, or even the bigger DSL20, yet i think 20W is again too much for what I need.
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Re: 1W Marshall's?

Post by Kris »

unless your drummer is using celery for drumsticks i would say no.if it has an out just slave it to something else?
Although i was genuinely surprised at how loud the 0.5w mode was on the katana there's no way it would keep up with drums.

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Re: 1W Marshall's?

Post by Kris »

I should add i did try the 0.5 at practice to confirm.Bedroom loud is one thing,band loud another

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Re: 1W Marshall's?

Post by Single coil »

Bloke I know has a 1w head wot woz an Andertons limited run a while ago.

Quiet wasn’t in the design brief.
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Re: 1W Marshall's?

Post by The Scarecrow »

I test drove one of these when I bought a guitar off a guy last year.
It kind of felt/sounded like a very good practice amp to me, but to be fair, I couldn't crank it that loud. I doubt you'd get that punch you're seeking personally.
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Re: 1W Marshall's?

Post by Mattallica »

Kloppsta wrote:
Mattallica wrote:Does it have to be Marshall?
Nope, not at all. I just like the feature set of the DSL1 for example. I also used to play a DSL100 back in the day and liked its overall tone and gain structure. I tend to prefer the "Marshall" style of overdrive/gain. I also like the price point of the DSL1, or even the bigger DSL20, yet i think 20W is again too much for what I need.
Hmm, those features are hard to beat at that price. The only other similar option i can think of would be a 2nd hand* Vox Night Train (cheaper than the Musicplanet clearance price, unlike this one):

https://www.trademe.co.nz/music-instrum ... e851e883bd

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Re: 1W Marshall's?

Post by Bigdaddy »

I have the DSL1H and the JCM1H. I love it for what it is; a 1W or 0.1W version of the respective amps. Keeping my eye out for the JTM1H and the JMP1H, so if there is any for sale, please send me a PM.

It's not going to give you that "thump". It's perfect though for plugging in at home.

Can't see it being used in a band context...
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Re: 1W Marshall's?

Post by griff »

A depth mod pot will raise the thump and volume a bit. But may not be enough

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Re: 1W Marshall's?

Post by Kloppsta »

thanks for all the input guys! i think that 1W is probably going to be sweet as for home and recording etc. but not going to cut it if/when i ever play with other muso's in a live context. thats probably still a compromise i am willing to make as if i need it to be louder i can always mic it and put it through the PA.

as for the "thump" aspect, i probably need to compromise on that too. i suppose a lot of the thump comes from moving lots of air at volume which is just not going to be doable with a 1W amp driving 2x 70W speakers. i can always experiment with an EQ pedal in the fx loop to boost and tighten up the low end.

as for modding though, i am still curious about these little DSL 1W heads. there are two versions, the limited run 50th anniversary JCM2000 DSL1 that was made in the UK a few years ago and the more recent DSL1HR which is slightly different circuit wise and is Vietnam made.

Some people say that the "classic gain" channel on the new one is too bright and thin sounding. @Bigdaddy - which version do you have and what is your experience?

I really want a 2 channel amp with at least a decent clean channel and a nice "hot rodded" plexi style channel. i wonder if upgrading the OT, installing a choke and putting in some nicer quality tubes would make a decent difference? also, there is bound to be a simple mod to improve the clean channel tone?

this "depth mod pot" that @griff7628 mentioned sounds interesting too. what does that do exactly? is it just like a "resonance" control?
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Re: 1W Marshall's?

Post by griff »

In a way I suppose it's a resonance thing. I installed one in my jet city 20 watt and I actually have to roll it back a fair bit when playing small pubs because it's too powerful at times. As the night goes on, the depth goes up haha
It increases bass, punch and transients quite a bit. Also volume goes up 15% or so, I love it. I got the schematic from a jet city modder in the states.
Funnily enough my amp has been modded to an AFD marshall with a Plexi switch that drops out a gain stage. 20 watts and it kills man. If you wanted to go down that road I can suss ya something. Its dual channel too.

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Re: 1W Marshall's?

Post by griff »

Also my amp has a built power dampening dial for low volume jammin

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