• Guys, we've spent considerable money converting the Les Paul Forum to this new XenForo platform, and we have ongoing monthly operating expenses. THE "DONATIONS" TAB IS NOW WORKING, AND WE WOULD APPRECIATE ANY DONATIONS YOU CAN MAKE TO KEEP THE LES PAUL FORUM GOING! Thank you!

I made an interesting video comparison: '69 Plexi vs DSL 15 green channel

Guitar Magic

Active member
Joined
Apr 16, 2015
Messages
97
In the following video I compare two amps that I think can sound surprisingly close to each other despite being in a very different league, but you decide.

- My 1969 JMP 50 is my treasure. I have it for 10 years now. It's a beautiful amp inside and outside, it motivates me to play non-stop. It has all original (or NOS) caps and resistors. It's point-to-point Mustard goodness. The amp is currently wired in a 2204 fashion so that I can have a master volume (it's a half an hour mod - 1987 and 2204 amps have almost exactly the same basic construction).

- I purchased the DSL 15 about 7 years ago and I've been using that one too extensively. I find it incredible that such a cheap small amp can sound so good even compared to its legendary big brother. I did some small mods to the red channel (snipped two caps if I remember correctly) but the green channel is untouched. The green is the "plexi" channel, so you have to set it up like a plexi when it is fully cranked: Bass at 0, Treble, Mid, Presence at 10. The strange thing is that I don't like DSL amps, but the 15W version is unique - it runs on 6V6 tubes and even fully cranked, the lows won't get flabby and loose.

- This is not a professional recording, I used a very cheap dynamic mic placed almost center to the speaker so the sounds you hear are overly trebly and have not much to do with the real thing that I hear in the room (much more bass, mids and overall punch in person). I adjusted the volume of the two amps in the mixing software to be equal. I wanted to mix in the camera's room audio to make the sound a little more like in person but for some reason I couldn't pair the tracks precisely and I was in a hurry. I play on a Gibson LP.

Tell me guys which one you prefer. I find them incredibly similar especially from 4:10 with the heavier drop-C riff.

 

Tim

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 15, 2001
Messages
1,860
I like the midrange of the 69, just sounds more open to me, but they do sound very similar. Thanks for posting!
 

Jethro Rocker

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 6, 2022
Messages
273
I agree with above. Interesting that Gain and Volume at 10 on DSL yet fairly clean sounding. Very similar though, yes. Suprised the Plexi has more gain, given it's settings. What does it sound like with gain cranked? Like a 2204?
 

Amp360

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 16, 2012
Messages
852
I got a DSL 15 head for free when they came out. I thought the green channel sounded great but didn’t like the red channel. I have a JMP (79 maybe?) they sound different but in the same ballpark. I gave the dsl to a friend of mine who really liked it,
 

Wally

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 27, 2003
Messages
3,535
I would have picked the old 50 watt out as my favorite in a blind test, but the little amp does
A fair job of mimicking the JMP.
 
Top