MARSHALL DSL40CR

The best Marshall combo under $2K.

RRP: $1,549

Type: All-Tube

Speakers: 12-inch Celestion V-type

Output: 40 watts (with low output settings) No. of channels: Two

Tubes: Four 12AX7, two EL34

Weight: 22.5 kilos

PROS

• It’s a Marshall

• 40 watts is loud enough for most settings

• Surprisingly impressive emulated output

CONS

• FX loop isn’t the best

If you’re a fan of Marshall, you’ll definitely be familiar with the DSL range. A near perfect blend of quality and value for money, the DSL40CR is one of the best combo amps we can find for less than $2,000.

With ‘classic gain’ and ‘ultra gain’ channels p resent, it won’t shock you to hear that this amp truly sings when overdriven – but while Marshalls are not especially known for their clean tones, this DSL really pulls something special out of the bag. The three-way EQ is powerful and exceptionally intuitive, and onboard reverb helps give your playing a bit of breathing room. Dirty, this amp comes to life – and the low output setting provides access to these tones much more easily. 40W of all-tube power is monumental, after all.

Independent presence and resonance controls allow some pretty in-depth tone tweaking, perfect for studio use. This thing sounds great mic’d up, but when that’s just not possible the emulated output comes to the rescue. Marshall has teamed up with Softube to provide an exceptional emulation of the 1960 cabinet – meaning that you needn’t make any noise at all while laying down your guitar parts. All in all, the DSL40CR is a much welcomed update to the DSL line, and definitely worth looking at.