DSL20CR: Finally Have a Tube Amp

[Springfield Scooter]

The people that say Boss Katanas sound like/as good as tube amps are huffing glue.

Thats funny!
I remember when these were released.
Everyone on TGP was hyping them up.
So I had to try one for myself.
Major disapointment,
I could not get that thing back in the box, and returned soon enough.
To this day, there are still people that swear by them.
I dont get it!

 

[Moony]

To this day, there are still people that swear by them.

I would swear too if I had to play one of these Katanas...

 

[Springfield Scooter]

Generally speaking, I use no reverb, and the best attenuator Ive ever discovered, is a basement in the middle of nowhere, and a tube amp with the volume turned up to 11.

 

[december]

So I've had this amp for 17 days now. I was using it on 10W until yesterday, I've been trying 20W... I can smell it. It's not like an alarming burning smell or anything, just the smell of hot something. I could smell it right at the back of the amp at first but now I smell it from several feet away. Is this normal for new amps like this?

 

[fitz]

So I've had this amp for 17 days now. I was using it on 10W until yesterday, I've been trying 20W... I can smell it. It's not like an alarming burning smell or anything, just the smell of hot something. I could smell it right at the back of the amp at first but now I smell it from several feet away. Is this normal for new amps like this?

There is an odor of hot tubes and transformers that a SS amp just does not have.
Probably more so when new when heating up all the new amp and cab componants.
Hard to say if it's just normal or the start of a problem.
You could pull the chassis, flip it tubes up and set it on the cab.
Look for anything odd - see if you can isolate the odor source?

 

[ITburst]

So I've had this amp for 17 days now. I was using it on 10W until yesterday, I've been trying 20W... I can smell it. It's not like an alarming burning smell or anything, just the smell of hot something. I could smell it right at the back of the amp at first but now I smell it from several feet away. Is this normal for new amps like this?

Now that’s why you need a Katana.

Ok, joking aside…my DSL20HR never gave off any sort of odour and I’m on my third one waiting for my fourth. There are definitely other issues with these off shore built amps, mostly the gyrator issue, but I’ve not had any smell of something too hot.

Take it back if you can. Most shops are experienced with returns of this model

 

[ITburst]

Thats funny!
I remember when these were released.
Everyone on TGP was hyping them up.
So I had to try one for myself.
Major disapointment,
I could not get that thing back in the box, and returned soon enough.
To this day, there are still people that swear by them.
I dont get it!

So first off, I absolutely love my DSL20HR and MX212 cab. It is my favourite amp, my go to amp, the best sounding amp I own. At its price point it is one amazing amp. Out of all my amps, which include a Vox and the greatly maligned Katana, it’s the one I use all the time with the Katana gathering dust.
However, I honestly do not see why the Katana is getting so much hate. I find it a bit unfounded, in my humble opinion. I think to say it’s a good amp but in no way compares to a Marshall would be a more honest statement.
I’m just saying.

 

[december]

So first off, I absolutely love my DSL20HR and MX212 cab. It is my favourite amp, my go to amp, the best sounding amp I own. At its price point it is one amazing amp. Out of all my amps, which include a Vox and the greatly maligned Katana, it’s the one I use all the time with the Katana gathering dust.
However, I honestly do not see why the Katana is getting so much hate. I find it a bit unfounded, in my humble opinion. I think to say it’s a good amp but in no way compares to a Marshall would be a more honest statement.
I’m just saying.

I was recording with a Katana for 18 months and could not get it to sound right. Recording the same songs over and over, change EQ, record again, EQ, record... nothing acceptable. It has excessive bass and boxy low-mids, but cutting them makes the higher frequencies unbalanced. Digital EQ doesn't react the same as analog. The digital distortion is such a nasty, hideous sound. The digital flanger and chorus are terrible, they sound like a swirly sound added over the guitar instead of an effect that grabs and shapes the guitar sound, like analog pedals do. The phaser was ok. The slicer was neat but unusable because it can't be synced to the tempo. No matter where I set the speed, it would be off-beat after a few bars. The reverb is dull, and what good is having 3 reverbs if you can't have different settings for each? Same with the boosts: the settings apply to all 3 boosts. Some are twice as loud as others but you can't set them at different levels so they sound at the same volume. The natural OD has to be at 100 to be the same volume as the Centa OD at 45 and the clean boost at 54. Use natural OD at 100 then switch to another and the amp is suddenly twice as loud. The pitch-shifters and harmonizers sound like an out of tune mess.
It's muddy without any presence but turning up the presence makes it harsh. It has no definition in the upper midrange, but boosting those frequencies makes it sound quacky.
The power amp input sounds so bad without any EQ. I spent way too much time fiddling around with Tone Studio, and the USB connection added a lot of noise, so I had to connect, tweak settings, save presets, disconnect USB, record, connect again, etc. I gave up on the built-in FX pretty quickly, and got pedals, so I was only using Tone Studio for the parametric EQ. I made countless EQ presets, tried all the sneaky amps, tried every possible setting, and could never get a usable recording with mics. It shouldn't be that hard to dial in an amp.
I could never get it to sound balanced as a stereo pair with a 12" 40W Valvestate. No matter how they were EQd, at equal recording levels the VS always sounded louder, more present and articulate. The Kat sounded dark and buried next to it.
It's probably the best (and possibly the only) 50W amp you can get for $230, but it's a toy. It sounds decent enough to play with but if you record and take it seriously it just doesn't cut it.

 

[solarburn]

So first off, I absolutely love my DSL20HR and MX212 cab. It is my favourite amp, my go to amp, the best sounding amp I own. At its price point it is one amazing amp. Out of all my amps, which include a Vox and the greatly maligned Katana, it’s the one I use all the time with the Katana gathering dust.
However, I honestly do not see why the Katana is getting so much hate. I find it a bit unfounded, in my humble opinion. I think to say it’s a good amp but in no way compares to a Marshall would be a more honest statement.
I’m just saying.

My 100 watt Katana sounds just like my Marshallz.

Cause I tune every amp to sound Marshally.

Seriously though I get some fun sounds out of mine. Especially plugged into my 412's.

 

[solarburn]

I was recording with a Katana for 18 months and could not get it to sound right. Recording the same songs over and over, change EQ, record again, EQ, record... nothing acceptable. It has excessive bass and boxy low-mids, but cutting them makes the higher frequencies unbalanced. Digital EQ doesn't react the same as analog. The digital distortion is such a nasty, hideous sound. The digital flanger and chorus are terrible, they sound like a swirly sound added over the guitar instead of an effect that grabs and shapes the guitar sound, like analog pedals do. The phaser was ok. The slicer was neat but unusable because it can't be synced to the tempo. No matter where I set the speed, it would be off-beat after a few bars. The reverb is dull, and what good is having 3 reverbs if you can't have different settings for each? Same with the boosts: the settings apply to all 3 boosts. Some are twice as loud as others but you can't set them at different levels so they sound at the same volume. The natural OD has to be at 100 to be the same volume as the Centa OD at 45 and the clean boost at 54. Use natural OD at 100 then switch to another and the amp is suddenly twice as loud. The pitch-shifters and harmonizers sound like an out of tune mess.
It's muddy without any presence but turning up the presence makes it harsh. It has no definition in the upper midrange, but boosting those frequencies makes it sound quacky.
The power amp input sounds so bad without any EQ. I spent way too much time fiddling around with Tone Studio, and the USB connection added a lot of noise, so I had to connect, tweak settings, save presets, disconnect USB, record, connect again, etc. I gave up on the built-in FX pretty quickly, and got pedals, so I was only using Tone Studio for the parametric EQ. I made countless EQ presets, tried all the sneaky amps, tried every possible setting, and could never get a usable recording with mics. It shouldn't be that hard to dial in an amp.
I could never get it to sound balanced as a stereo pair with a 12" 40W Valvestate. No matter how they were EQd, at equal recording levels the VS always sounded louder, more present and articulate. The Kat sounded dark and buried next to it.
It's probably the best (and possibly the only) 50W amp you can get for $230, but it's a toy. It sounds decent enough to play with but if you record and take it seriously it just doesn't cut it.

Yah after reading all the tuning/recording you went through I prolly would have shot the amp with both barrels.

 

[Moony]

@solarburn

No need to get angry.
The Katanas are not that bad - but a nice tube amp is just a league above.
I also would prefer a Blackstar HT hybrid amp over a Katana.

Here are some nice Katana sounds:

 

[solarburn]

@solarburn

No need to get angry.
The Katanas are not that bad - but a nice tube amp is just a league above.
I also would prefer a Blackstar HT hybrid amp over a Katana.

Here are some nice Katana sounds:

Nah it's all good. You know what else is cool though is the built in speaker on the 100 watt head. Makes for a great sit on the living room couch jam and not get punched in the head from my lady love next to me!

 

[Moony]

You know what else is cool though is the built in speaker on the 100 watt head.

I bet they got inspired by this:

 

[Old Guitar Player]

My 100 watt Katana sounds just like my Marshallz.

Cause I tune every amp to sound Marshally.

Seriously though I get some fun sounds out of mine. Especially plugged into my 412's.

I bet they got inspired by this:

View attachment 121622

I've worked with sound guys from the 1980's who would have tried something like that;
"Hey, Somebody needs to turn up that logo speaker!"

 

[-BOOGIEMAN-]

Congrats on the DSL, it’s a great amp as is the Katana. I can can get excellent Marshall tones from patches. I dig the tones I’m getting so much that I’m considering an Artist model.

 

[steveb63]

I've had the "odor" issue in the past with my 2061, (now long gone).

Thought the insides were burning. A local tech tracked it down to the glue in the tolex.

Went away on it's own after about six months.

Food for thought?

 

[Derrick111]

my DSL20HR never gave off any sort of odour and I’m on my third one waiting for my fourth. There are definitely other issues with these off shore built amps, mostly the gyrator issue, but I’ve not had any smell of something too hot.

It could be the power tubes getting excessively hot from a bias issue and the paint is cooking. Though it may be nothing, I certainly do take these cues to check on things to be sure nothing is an issue. Does the painted logo on the output tubes seem to be discoloring? Do you see any faint red plating... you may need to turn off all the lights in a dark room and watch them as you play hard to see if they begin to show metal plates getting any "hot spots".

 

[december]

I've had the "odor" issue in the past with my 2061, (now long gone).

Thought the insides were burning. A local tech tracked it down to the glue in the tolex.

Went away on it's own after about six months.

Food for thought?

Yeah that's what it seems, like glass, metal, & plastic getting hot for the first time. It's not a bad smell and isn't a burning smell.