Review of the Marshall DSL20CR amplifier. Where to buy it?

I’ll tell you how this post is built. First I list the features of the Marshall DSL20CR amplifier. Then you have a video or two, purchase links and useful comments from other users and then you have one of the most useful parts; comparison tables with similar amplifiers so you can compare.

  • Reissue series – authentic DSL sound
  • Power: 20W
  • 2 footswitchable channels with classic gain and ultra gain
  • Equipped with 12″ Celestion Seventy-80 speakers
  • Preamp tubes: 3x ECC83
  • Power tubes: 2x EL34
  • Tone-shift key for center configuration
  • Bass switch that complements a resonant bass boost
  • Independent volume and gain controls for both channels
  • Common sound control for treble, mid and bass
  • Emulated line output
  • Serial FX loop
  • Includes footswitch

review marshall-dsl20cr

This amplifier usually has a price around 429.00 €

Now that we’ve seen the features of this amplifier Marshall DSL20CR watch these related videos to learn more.

Marshall DSL20CR Guitar Amplifier Combo Review and Demo!

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Some comments from people who come to the forum about this model:

Comment:

I use this amp as my home studio amp, practice and noodle amp. It does all 3 jobs well, with the distinctive Marshall sound we know ( and most of us love).
So, the pro’s:
Typcially Marshall. If you have owned a Marshall, the controls will feel natural.
Built like a house. Mind you, this is not a top-of-the-line Marshall, but it still comes in at 20 kilo’s. DSL may be the "affordable" range, but the first impressions do not align with this truth. It feels solid, and like it can handel the road, if you want to use it for gigs.
The Cleans are lovely. It takes pedals with no problem.
Gain channel is good, and many rock/metal players will have fun with it. But I would stick a TS (TubeScreamer) in there, somewhere.
Send/return is handy. footswitchable. No level control for it.
20 watt or 10(ish) watt-mode. Big pro, because 20 watts of tube amp is still a lot of LOUD. Lower power mode is much more workable in a home studio situation. The 20 watt’s can carry you in band practice or even a live situation. This is not a bedroom practice amp 🙂 …
The Tone-shift. Metal players of a certain style will love this: it cuts the mids in a very metal like way, (mid-scoop).

The con’s.
The Tone-shift. Great for metal, not so great for anything else. Make sure it is not engaged the first time you try it, or it will confuse you 😉 .
Reverb. It has it, but it feels more like a selling point than actual effort to put a good, usable reverb in. It is vage, or in your face. No or little inbetween.
It is a very beefy sounding amp. If you are looking for a bedroom or living room tube/valve practice amp, this one is mostly likely too loud for that, even in lower power (10 watt-ish). This is NOT a bedroom practice amp. look at the 1 or 5 watt for that. Really. I mean it. 🙂

For those who like to mod their gear, I do think this amp would like a V30 or greenback a little better than the Seventy-80 that comes with it. But the Seventy-80 does what is asked of it.

This is a very good amp, great tones of it’s own, and takes pedals and fx well. It will take whatever you throw at it, and make it louder, with no issues.

Comment:

I’ve been wanting a Marshall tube amp for a while, but I was never satisfied with the available options. I play mostly at home for my own entertainment, but I would like to at least BE ABLE to keep up with a drummer in band practice. You can hardly do that with 1 or 5 Watts. Then again, 40 or 50 Watt are too loud for me, since I’m almost never on stage (and Marshall tube amps in that range cost more than I am willing to pay). In that sense, a 20-watt amp with reduction to 10W seemed perfect, so I just ordered a DSL20CR. It sounded awesome for my taste! I was really satisfied, until it started to produce weird, rustling background noises. Thomann was AS ALWAYS super uncomplicated and exchanged the amp for me… and then the second unit had the same problem! A quick search on MarshallForum or YouTube reveals that sadly this is not uncommon for these models. From these discussions it was clear that the quality assurance of these made-in-Vietnam amps leaves much to be desired. Thomann sent me a third unit, and made sure to test it before it was dispatched. This one works, and I’m keeping it! The fact that I tried three times until I got a good one shows how much I wanted to have this amp. Maybe I simply had lots of bad luck, but in general people should be aware of these possible issues. In general, if it works (as one would expect of a brand new product), it is a great-sounding amplifier, for at home and in a band situation. Please also beware that 10W might still be too loud for some home environments! In that case, a volume pedal on the FX loop (like the JHS Little Black Amp) can be of great help.

Marshall DSL20CR vs Marshall DSL40CR

The amplifier Marshall DSL20CR is usually 140 € cheaper than Marshall DSL40CR.

Marshall DSL20CR

Marshall DSL40CR
  • Reissue series – authentic DSL sound
  • Power: 20W
  • 2 footswitchable channels with classic gain and ultra gain
  • Equipped with 12″ Celestion Seventy-80 speakers
  • Preamp tubes: 3x ECC83
  • Power tubes: 2x EL34
  • Tone-shift key for center configuration
  • Bass switch that complements a resonant bass boost
  • Independent volume and gain controls for both channels
  • Common sound control for treble, mid and bass
  • Emulated line output
  • Serial FX loop
  • Includes footswitch
  • Reissue series – authentic DSL sound
  • Power: 40W
  • 2 footswitchable channels with classic gain and ultra gain
  • Assembly: 12″ Celestion V Type loudspeaker
  • Preamp tubes: 4 x ECC83
  • Power tubes: 2 x EL34
  • Independent volume and gain controls for both channels
  • Clean and Crunch Modes in the Classic Gain Channel
  • Lead 1 and Lead 2 modes in the Ultra Gain channel
  • Classic sound control with bass, middle and treble
  • Presence control
  • Tone-shift circuit
  • Variable resonance control
  • Pentode- / triode switch
  • Digital reverb independent for each channel
  • Speaker outputs: 2 x 16 ohms, 1 x 8 ohms and 1 x 16 ohms
  • Includes double footswitch (channel selection and reverb on / off)

And then a video of the amplifier Marshall DSL40CR

Marshall DSL40CR Demo and Review..is this the best amp at this price???

If you want to know more about this option, click on the following link to see the Marshall DSL40CR review

Marshall DSL20CR vs Fender Blues Junior IV

The amplifier Marshall DSL20CR is usually 137 € cheaper than Fender Blues Junior IV.

Marshall DSL20CR

Fender Blues Junior IV
  • Reissue series – authentic DSL sound
  • Power: 20W
  • 2 footswitchable channels with classic gain and ultra gain
  • Equipped with 12″ Celestion Seventy-80 speakers
  • Preamp tubes: 3x ECC83
  • Power tubes: 2x EL34
  • Tone-shift key for center configuration
  • Bass switch that complements a resonant bass boost
  • Independent volume and gain controls for both channels
  • Common sound control for treble, mid and bass
  • Emulated line output
  • Serial FX loop
  • Includes footswitch
  • Hot rod series
  • 1 Channel
  • Power: 15W
  • Speakers: 1x 12″ Celestion A-Type
  • Tubes: 3x 12AX7 and 2x EL84
  • 1 Jack input
  • Controls: Reverb, Master, Middle, Bass, Treble, FAT Switch, Volume
  • Chicken Head Style Buttons
  • Dimensions (H x W x D): 40.8 x 45.72 x 23.31 cm
  • Weight: 14.3 kg
  • Design: Black textured vinyl and slightly aged silver-coloured front grille fabric
  • Suitable optional case: Art.318741 (not included)

And then a video of the amplifier Fender Blues Junior IV

Fender Blues Junior IV Valve Combo - New Features, Review & Demo

If you want to know more about this option, click on the following link to see the Fender Blues Junior IV review

Marshall DSL20CR vs Marshall Origin 20C Combo

The amplifier Marshall DSL20CR is usually 61 € more expensive than Marshall Origin 20C Combo.

Marshall DSL20CR

Marshall Origin 20C Combo
  • Reissue series – authentic DSL sound
  • Power: 20W
  • 2 footswitchable channels with classic gain and ultra gain
  • Equipped with 12″ Celestion Seventy-80 speakers
  • Preamp tubes: 3x ECC83
  • Power tubes: 2x EL34
  • Tone-shift key for center configuration
  • Bass switch that complements a resonant bass boost
  • Independent volume and gain controls for both channels
  • Common sound control for treble, mid and bass
  • Emulated line output
  • Serial FX loop
  • Includes footswitch
  • Gain boost function
  • Two voicings (Normal, High Treble), which can be mixed steplessly via the tilt control
  • Switchable power reduction for full sound in any environment
  • 1 channel
  • Power: 20 watts
  • Preamp tubes: 3x ECC83 (12AX7)
  • Power tubes: 2x EL34
  • Equipped with: 1 x 10″ Celestion V type speaker
  • Controls: Gain – Tilt – Bass – Middle – Treble – Master – Presence
  • Switches: Power On / Off – Output Low / Mid / High – Gain Boost (Pull Volume)
  • Serial effect grinding path
  • Connectors: Input (6.3 mm jack) – DI Out (6.3 mm jack) – FX Send & Return (2 x 6.3 mm jack) – Footswitch (6.3 mm jack)
  • Speaker Outputs: 3 x 6.3 mm jack (16 ohms / 8 ohms)
  • Dimensions (W x D x H): 520 x 440 x 240 mm
  • Weight: 13.9 kg
  • Includes footswitch

And then a video of the amplifier Marshall Origin 20C Combo

Marshall: ORIGIN 20C Combo. The proper demo.

If you want to know more about this option, click on the following link to see the Marshall Origin 20C Combo review

Marshall DSL20CR vs Blackstar HT-20R MkII Valve Combo

The amplifier Marshall DSL20CR is usually 170 € cheaper than Blackstar HT-20R MkII Valve Combo.

Marshall DSL20CR

Blackstar HT-20R MkII Valve Combo
  • Reissue series – authentic DSL sound
  • Power: 20W
  • 2 footswitchable channels with classic gain and ultra gain
  • Equipped with 12″ Celestion Seventy-80 speakers
  • Preamp tubes: 3x ECC83
  • Power tubes: 2x EL34
  • Tone-shift key for center configuration
  • Bass switch that complements a resonant bass boost
  • Independent volume and gain controls for both channels
  • Common sound control for treble, mid and bass
  • Emulated line output
  • Serial FX loop
  • Includes footswitch
  • Full tube
  • Power: 20 Watt
  • 2x EL84 power stage tubes
  • 1x 12″ Custom Loudspeaker
  • Front inclined 3° for better audibility
  • 2 Channels with 2 voicings each
  • Clean: “American” and “British”
  • OD: “Classic” and “High Gain”
  • ISF Tone Control
  • Studio-quality reverb
  • Switchable power reduction to 2 W
  • XLR and Jack Emulated Outputs
  • USB Audio Out
  • MP3 In
  • Effect loop
  • Dimensions (W x H x D): 503 x 455 x 271 mm
  • Weight: 16.2 kg
  • Includes 2-fold foot switch for channel switching

And then a video of the amplifier Blackstar HT-20R MkII Valve Combo

Blackstar HT-20R MkII Combo Valve Guitar Amplifier Review

If you want to know more about this option, click on the following link to see the Blackstar HT-20R MkII Valve Combo review

Where to buy this amplifier Marshall DSL20CR

Thomann

  • Free Shipping.
  • Full warranty. If you have any problems, they take care of everything.
  • 100% reliable payment.
  • Leader in trouble-free shipping.
  • Usually Best price.
  • Best Reputation: They are the leading online store in Europe and have the best catalogue and information.

Amazon

  • Free Shipping and possibility of shipping in one day with Amazon Premium.
  • Full Guarantee but they are no experts in music equipment.
  • Sometimes better price.
  • He’s got worse stock than Thomann.

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Jaime Echagüe

Hi! I'm Jaime Echagüe, a musician and an authentic fan of musical instruments. With this blog I want to give general information about musical instruments in an easy, direct and honest way. I hope you enjoy my website and that you find it very useful.

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