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Marshall DSL40C vs Fender Blues Deluxe/Hot Rod Deluxe


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Posted

You guys sound GREAT, Mark! Really dig the compressed, overdriven, darker tone. I take it he WASN'T using the amp's internal "drive" or "more drive" options. Not the best features of those amps. Nor is the plastic input jacks Fender uses. Other than that, I dig 'em. I've had a couple of Hot Rod DeVilles over the years, and got rid of them because I'm a dip$hit.

Posted

Nah, I'm not in the recording. I've known these guys from various bands from a long ago.

 

Darrel uses Tungsol tubes towards the front-end and it seems like he dropped in a V30 for the speaker.

 

BTW, the drummer is the singer and they probably recorded this in one run through it live..

Posted

That seems crazy you need the bass rolled all the way off and the treble/mids all the way up to get a good tone out of the amp.

 

Don't get me wrong, the DSL40C sounds great on its clean/overdrive channel. The super-lead channels seem to be way too compressed yet doesn't sound full at all. The reverb is nearly completely washed out when you move the gain up past 9 o'clock.

Posted

That seems crazy you need the bass rolled all the way off and the treble/mids all the way up to get a good tone out of the amp.

 

 

 

You really don't NEED to roll it all the way off.....it's just a little trick I picked up from Trucks and Simo rig rundowns. It works.

Posted

DB~ I like the HR Deluxe for loud cleans, but prefer the warmer Blues Deluxe for my style of playing. Plus, like others, I've upgraded the preamp tubes and replaced the speaker with a Weber Alnico for an old school tweed tone. Never tried a Marshall DSL40C.

Posted

 

You really don't NEED to roll it all the way off.....it's just a little trick I picked up from Trucks and Simo rig rundowns. It works.

Rolling off the bass cleans up the mids where guitar tone IMNSHO lives. Guitars sustain much better with an amp

when they aren't battling woofy mids!

 

That said, the HRD and Blues Deluxe models had reliability issues, especially with the jacks being hard mounted to the

circuit boards!

Posted

Rolling off the bass cleans up the mids where guitar tone IMNSHO lives. Guitars sustain much better with an amp

when they aren't battling woofy mids!

 

That said, the HRD and Blues Deluxe models had reliability issues, especially with the jacks being hard mounted to the

circuit boards!

 

Yup, including mine. I still consider it an excellent work horse amp though, big tones on a little budget.

Posted

Here's a demo of my HRD 40W 1x12, no pedals, clean channel gain 4, bass 0, mid 10, treble 10, presence 3, reverb 3.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLoY6iVK4tY

 

Here's a demo of my HRD 40W 1x12, no pedals, drive channel gain 4, bass 0, mid 10, treble 10, presence 3, reverb 3.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uf5QXluls7U&feature=share

 

Heh, heh, heh...! Well...that sounded like fun.... ; )

Posted

Rolling off the bass cleans up the mids where guitar tone IMNSHO lives. Guitars sustain much better with an amp

when they aren't battling woofy mids!

 

 

Different genre, but Grant Green reportedly set his Twin with Treble and Bass as close to zero as possible and the mids on 10. And his tone cut through anything. But as a mere mortal, I just sound like shit whenever I try this.

 

Kenny Burrell in a recent interview said he also jacked the mids, but left the bass in the middle and the treble turned down (to 3-or 4). IMHO the jacked mids are what give his tone that characteristic snap versus the dreaded blanket over the amp polytone sound. Though when I've tried it myself as a mere mortal I've had to dial back the bass to 4 to cut down on the boominess.

Posted

@ Redsand - you got some nice jazz tones out of that, like your chops too, by the way.

 

At DB: I used to play through HRDs when I was playing in a rock ensemble at Jamspot a few years ago. I didn't really like these amps, but one time I did bring in my 535 and got some beautiful singing, sustaining tones with blooming harmonics out of that. Personally, I would not buy an HRD.

I think the Blues Jr is a great little amp, highly portable, with great tones and potential if you want to modify, and a very gigable amp.

Posted

@ Redsand - you got some nice jazz tones out of that, like your chops too, by the way.

 

At DB: I used to play through HRDs when I was playing in a rock ensemble at Jamspot a few years ago. I didn't really like these amps, but one time I did bring in my 535 and got some beautiful singing, sustaining tones with blooming harmonics out of that. Personally, I would not buy an HRD.

I think the Blues Jr is a great little amp, highly portable, with great tones and potential if you want to modify, and a very gigable amp.

 

I had a nice Blue Jr. I foolishly sold to get a Super Sonic 60 that ended up being a waste. I could never turn it up and only its Bassman channel sounded good to me.

Posted

You can pick up a used blues jr. very cheap, got mine used at GC less than $150 I think, have done only minimal mods - like a few caps or something, didn't even change the speaker and it has wonderful tone.

Posted

You can pick up a used blues jr. very cheap, got mine used at GC less than $150 I think, have done only minimal mods - like a few caps or something, didn't even change the speaker and it has wonderful tone.

 

I might... But for the moment, the Valveking rocks just fine. I had a chance the other day to really crank up the Marshall. It sounds so much better when it can breathe than the low volumes I keep it at 90% of the time.

Posted

 

I might... But for the moment, the Valveking rocks just fine. I had a chance the other day to really crank up the Marshall. It sounds so much better when it can breathe than the low volumes I keep it at 90% of the time.

 

DB I had a Peavey Valveking, 2-12 in the 70s 100 watts (back then I could carry such 80 lb behemoths) and yeah, that thing REALLY rocks, and spoiled my ears forever for a BIG sound. That sucker never went above 3.

Posted

 

I might... But for the moment, the Valveking rocks just fine. I had a chance the other day to really crank up the Marshall. It sounds so much better when it can breathe than the low volumes I keep it at 90% of the time.

 

I see some great clips on Youtube of the DSL. Would like to try one sometime

  • 3 weeks later...
Posted

Peavey never made ValveKings in the 70s.

 

Sorry dog, but you're just wrong on this. I owned a Peavey Valveking 212 and bought it new sometime between 1976-1979. It weight 85 lbs. I put casters on it so I could push it around at home.

  • 4 weeks later...
Posted

 

Sorry dog, but you're just wrong on this. I owned a Peavey Valveking 212 and bought it new sometime between 1976-1979. It weight 85 lbs. I put casters on it so I could push it around at home.

 

I tried to find some history on that myself. I couldn't find info on it as I never seen one for sale. I'm not doubting you, but I'm really curious to know what its configuration was.

Posted

Come to the Muster in March and play a few Boogie's. That should put this to rest. :headbang::diablo_mini:

 

There will be a

5:25 1x10

DC2 1x12

a Mark V

MAYBE a 5:50 1x12

 

FWIW...Larry Carlton, a man who seeks Dumble tone when playing, when travelling overseas and doing one-off gigs, always specs a Blues Deluxe and uses a pedal.

 

22 watt combo with EQ!!!

https://indianapolis.craigslist.org/msg/4804198538.html

 

 

same as what RB69 and I have, but in a 50 watt version...

https://indianapolis.craigslist.org/msg/4862806876.html

Posted

 

I tried to find some history on that myself. I couldn't find info on it as I never seen one for sale. I'm not doubting you, but I'm really curious to know what its configuration was.

 

I wrote to the company to settle this once and for all. They wrote back and told me that they never made the 212 Valveking in the '70s. So, the only possible explanation is that my memory is faulty, which is impossible (insert tongue-in-cheek smiley here) , or it was mislabeled, or the company history was incorrect (doubtful). I don't know how I got the term 'valveking' got stuck in my head and I could swear that's what it was, but all objective checking refutes that, so I concede. :icon_scratch: But, I do know it was a two 12" speaker Peavey, 100 watts, weighing 85 lbs, that was a tube amp, and it sounded damn good.

Posted

Quick Wiki Search shows in the 70's there was a Classic Series called the "Vintage Series" being a 2x12, 50 Watt combo. Perhaps it was that? Vintage and Valveking are easy to mix up the names 30+ years later.

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