software

OK....
I am looking to pick up a Marshall.

I am thinking the DSL or the TSL heads but it seems they are getting some bad and good press.

I am wanting to get a good AC/DC, GNR, SRV, Hendrix kind of sound. Clean is good and I want to be able to play clean but i really want that nice classic Marshall sound. I can live with OK clean

Is the DSL or TSL the way to go?

JCM 800 or 900? if so which?

Now for a real curve ball, would a good '59 bassman re-issue be a good way to go????????????
Any help!!

I think I'd go for a JCM if you want that classic kind of sound. The amps you have aren't bad- have you considered changing your pre amp tubes to true ecc83's?

Out of those i would go JCM800, but cleans will probably be a problem with all of those marshalls, the clean channel on my marshall, and others from what ive heard, really isnt that 'clean' if you know what i mean. I would say the cleans are passable, but im probably only playing clean 10% of the time or less, so its not a problem for me. Defiantly try before you buy.

For what you're asking aaronl, it sounds like you'd like the DSL. It has better cleans than a lot of the other Marshalls and a can definitely hit some of those classic tones.

I like the curveball Idea You'll need a good O.D. pedal for your Marshall
crunch, But you will have all the cleans you need on tap w/t a Bassman.

OK...I m not a fan at all of te 900's and to be honest I dis like most of the 800's too. I also feel that Marshall had a good thing with the DSL but mnessed it up with the TSL...the DSL is one of the best Marshall amps in years...a lot of guys get down on it but to be honest I have no idea why...every time I try one out I like it a lot. The Plexi reissues are amazing if you don't need a master volume (that said if you want crunch from a Plexi you will need an attenuator or a dirt box), you could also do well if you looked for a metal front from the 70's...the earlt metal fronts were hand wored and bring a pretty penny but the later ones are on a PCB and go for a lot less money. All that said it is hard to loose with a Tweed Bassman! The Bassman LTD's are real nice but you can pick up an older (90's) BAssman reissue cheep (I have seen them as low as $425.00 on ebay, and it was a clean one too!)...the 90's reissues could use new speakers and new tubes but if your lucky at least some of that would have already been done by now.

Why not go both ways. Get the Fender for your cleans and the Marshall for your Crunch. I use a '68 SFSR for all my cleans (and I have a'67 Deluxe Reverb also). I have a CE2, a DD3, and a TS9 running into this amp.

I then have a Marshall 900 50watt Combo... I have a Bluesbreaker Pedal Chorus and Delay running into this. All this comes together to a A/B box so I can switch between them.

This gives me a lot of versatility and the Ability to go from Saturated OD to crystal clean instantly! This works well for me, However with The DSL you may not need to be this extensive. The Cleans on the DSL are a lot better than the cleans on the 900. IF I could have found a relly good clean channel Marshal back when I bought the 900 I would probably just use this. I am very happy overall with this setup, but it is a lot to carry. Having one Amp that will give you everything you need is going to be hard to find without spending big bucks!!