Marshall electronic TSL100, TSL122 manual Mode Select Treble, Middle, Bass Controls, Gain Control

CLEANCHANNEL (Please refer to diagram A, Page 26)

1. Mode Select 5. Treble, Middle, Bass Controls

To access the Clean channel (if the foot controller is NOT connected) - release the Clean - OD1/OD2 pushswitch. If the footswitch IS connected both mode switches MUST be pushed in, and then press the Clean pushswitch on the foot controller. The Clean LED (green) on the front panel and the clean LED on the footswitch should now both be illuminated.

As you can see, the controls available in the ‘Clean’ mode are: Gain, Volume, Treble, Middle, Bass rotary controls and Mid Boost pushswitch (preamp) and Reverb, FX Mix, Presence rotary controls and Deep pushswitch (at master level).

Two more pushswitches are available, but remember these affect the whole amplifier as well (these are marked PowerAmp V.P.R. and Output Mute).

FUNCTIONS

2. Gain Control

As with most amplifiers, this controls the sensitivity of the input section of the preamp. At low settings the preamp will be ultra clean with a very bright character. As you turn the control up, the sound will become fuller and warmer (some may say ‘fatter’), with a more pronounced bottom end. Set at the top end of the control’s range (depending on the type of guitar and pickups, etc) a very warm sustaining breakup will start to occur, depending on the EQ settings, as described below.

3. Volume Control

This sets the amount of signal generated by the preamp out into the power amp section. When using very clean ‘Gain’ settings, you may want to turn this up higher than when using higher ‘Gain’ settings to achieve a suitable stage sound level. The FX loop comes after this control, which will help you balance the FX level with the other channels.

NOTE : Many different ‘clean’ amp textures can be created by balancing the ‘Gain’ and ‘Volume’ controls.

4. Mid Boost Pushswitch

This works in conjunction with the passive EQ controls by disconnecting the Mid control from the circuit, then reconfiguring the way the Treble and Bass controls work. One way of using this function is to set the Gain control high, Treble and Bass midway and with sufficient output volume setting, you will be rewarded with a very singing, sustaining Blues / Jazz Rock lead type tone, as characterised by many Chicago, Texan and Californian players, particularly those using more vintage type amps. This tone can then be modified by using the Treble, Bass and Presence controls.

These are the time honoured passive type of network that help make a guitar amp what it is. By being before the gain stages these controls work in a slightly different way to being after the gain stages, as you would normally find on a distortion type preamp (and as pioneered by Marshall). By instead of processing an already formed sound, the EQ helps form the voice of the sound. For instance, turning the Mid control down will clean up the body of the tone and help give the characteristic ‘twang’ of country music (coupled with a Txlxcaxter of course !).

Also turning the Mid down will help when undertaking funkier rhythm work, to enable the treble to cut through and not muddy up the frequencies needed for the lead instrument(s). Obviously, altering the Treble and Bass controls will have the affect of tailoring the high and low frequencies in your tone. When playing at high levels (gain as well as volume) turning the Bass down will help maintain note definition and aid projection. Try turning the Treble down and Mid up a bit for the solo in that warm romantic ballad, with the right amount of gain, you will be rewarded with some sweet clean sustain.

Master Section Controls

At the other end of the panel you will find the ‘Clean’ master section with the following controls :

6. Reverb Control

This will vary the inbuilt Accutronics spring reverb from a faint shimmer to deep and luxurious, this will affect the ‘Clean’ channel only.

7. FX Mix Control

When using the extensive FX looping facility on the rear panel, this control will adjust the FX mix for the clean channel only, from totally dry (0) through varying degrees of parallel mix (1-9) to a full series connected loop (10). For more information see FX Loop section

8. Presence Control and Deep Switch

The presence control will boost the upper mid / lower treble part of the tone giving it more up-front brilliance, great for cutting through overactive cymbals. The Deep switch gives the tone a very resonant texture as it interacts with the low frequencies of the loudspeakers. This is great for filling out the bottom end at low volumes but will also give a resonant but controlled growl to the tone at high volumes.

9. V.P.R. and Mute Pushswitches

Please see later section.

ENGLISH

CRUNCHCHANNEL (Please refer to diagram B, Page 27)

1. Mode Select 4. Tone Shift Pushswitch

To access the crunch channel (if the foot controller is NOT connected) - front panel pushswitch marked ‘Clean - OD1 / OD2’ should be depressed and the one marked ‘OD1 / OD2’ should be released. If the foot controller IS connected both switches MUST be pushed in and then press the Crunch switch on the foot controller. The Crunch LED (yellow) on the front panel and the Crunch LED on the foot controller will now be ON.

The controls available in the ‘Crunch’ mode are Gain, Volume, Treble, Mid, Bass rotary controls and Tone Shift push-button (on the preamp section), Reverb, FX Mix, Presence rotary controls and Deep pushswitch on the master. These are also shared with the ‘Lead’ channel.

FUNCTIONS

2. Gain Control

Again this controls the input sensitivity of the channel but with the effect of being capable of much more gain and hence more dramatic distortion. At low settings, the channel is relatively clean (although darker in tone than the clean channel) and makes a good alternative for gentler, bluesy style solos. With a bit more gain the tone becomes more aggressively traditional Marshall rock with the emphasis on chunky power chords. Take the gain control to the limit and we enter modern high gain crunch territory, with probably more gain and dynamics than other manufacturers would put on their lead channels!

This takes the traditional, slightly middly Marshall passive post distortion EQ network and reconfigures it to produce a more mid scooped tone. Whilst mid-scooped tone is usually associated with ‘Metal’, please do not be afraid to experiment with the shifted tone settings even if metal is not your thing, as it is very useful in deepening the tone at low volumes.

5. Treble, Middle, Bass Controls

As stated above, these are the traditional Marshall post distortion EQ controls and as such affect the character of the distorted signal. It is suggested that initially you set the controls midway and experiment from there, rather than the ‘everything on 10’ method favoured for the earlier non-master Marshall amps. Remember, increasing the treble is going to make the distortion more ‘fizzy’ and ‘cutting’, whereas increasing the mid will make the distortion more fluent and sustaining but probably not as dynamic (in the modern sense). Try what you will, there are many textures to discover.

6. Master Section Controls

As with the Clean channel the Reverb, FX mix, Presence, and Deep functions can be adjusted independently of the Clean channel but remember these controls are also used in conjunction with the Lead channel.

3. Volume Control

Again this controls the balance and level of the crunch channel against the rest of the TSL.

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