forget the valvestates. i don't know why chuck got along with them so well, i guess it was because he always had the other guitar player use one, too. the other guitar player of my old band has one (huge chuck fan there), and while it's a decent let's say practice or beginners amp, it just does not hold a candle whatsoever when in the band mix with any halfway decent tube amp.
as for the dsl/tsl line, a few years ago i used a dsl100 for a couple of shows, and it was OK sounding. suited the style of music we were doing (thrash metal), had no trouble with cutting through or getting enough clarity either. granted, that is as long as you don't go crazy with the gain, that's really the key to the jcm2000 line. some of you guys who bash the jcm2000 would be surprised how little gain you actually need to sound heavy. i *think* back then i had the lower gain mode of the drive channel around 5-6 or something. didn't care for clean and crunch, so i can't comment on that one.
regarding the tsl, that's what said other guitar player is still using afaik. i'm willing to bet that all of you who call the tsl muddy harsh and undefined used the lead channel for rhythm sounds. DON'T DO THAT. it's for LEAD playing, that's why it's called LEAD channel...duh! sure, it's not the very best marshall lead sound either, but it gets the job done. the crunch channel however i think is an often overlooked gem. iirc the other dude always had his gain around 3 o'clock or something, going straight in without any boosts whatsoever, and it was plenty for the style of music (thrash metal, mind you), was tight, clear, and had a nice edge. once again, there sure are better sounds out there, but for the price (600euro used or something) and the fact that it also has a decent clean channel, 2 fx loops, reverb, dedicated lead channel for a lead boost, you can't really go wrong there if you ask me. i'm still tempted to get one just for shits and giggles to see how it stands up against my cobra and the powerball the other guitar player in my current band is using.
"Don't expect Mesa versatility out of the tone controls on an old Marshall, either. There's pretty much one tone to be had in there, but it's a good one."
not *quite* true. sure, you're right about the mesa part, but saying that there's only one basic tone doesn't do the amps justice. i can't comment on the very early models, but the jcm800 2210 i own sure has a certain amount versatility to offer. it can go from schenker singing leads to something along the lines of carcass necrotism...i'd call that versatile. would you?
the both gain controls (channel volume acts as a gain boost when set higher) alone deliver tons of different gain textures, from more classic marshall OD crunch to a fizzier almost fuzz style preamp based tone. keep in mind that you got to have them BOTH pretty high to get into modern metal territory, so that kind of versatility doesn't really apply there. however, i also find the mid control to be VERY effective...up high it's more like the cobra's crunch channel (without the notch engaged), while the scooped sound is reminiscent of recent exodus. also, playing with the presence vs. treble controls you can go anywhere from smooth to sizzly.
of course, you don't have all those sounds available on the tap of a footswitch, so i can definitely see why people don't want to call it versatile.
i also don't want to deny that, while the controls actually shape the sound a LOT, the basic sound always remains marshall...but inside the marshall realm there's a whole world to discover. just my .02$ though...
ah, and before i forget it, +1 on the sd1 vs tubescreamer comment above
