2001 Marshall JCM2000 DSL-100 – Previously Owned by Gary Moore

A very special 2001 Marshall JCM2000 DSL-100, previously owned by none other than Gary Moore.

Serial number M-2001-21-1351-A, this particular amplifier was used by Gary as a spare stage amplifier during his 2001 Back to the Blues tour, the 2003 Scars / Monsters of Rock tour and subsequent European touring. It was subsequently sold from The Gary Moore Collection at Gardiner Houlgate in 2019 and is accompanied by the original purchase documentation together with a Gary Moore estate certificate.

For us, this is precisely the sort of piece of equipment that makes collecting musician-owned gear so compelling. This is not simply an example of an amplifier of the same model that Gary Moore used; this is the actual amplifier that travelled with him as part of his working touring rig.

Please note, we ship internationally at Motomusic.

The JCM2000 DSL-100 was manufactured at Marshall’s factory in Bletchley, Milton Keynes, during this period, and there is something particularly appealing about the idea that this individual amplifier was selected and put into service as part of Gary’s touring equipment. It has a genuine working history rather than simply a later association with the artist.

There is also a wonderfully practical detail that gives a real sense of how this amplifier was used on the road. The white tape visible on the front panel was applied so that Gary could quickly identify and adjust the reverb controls on a dark stage. It remains in place today, providing a small but very tangible connection to its touring history. This detail is also recorded in the original Gardiner Houlgate auction description.

The 2001 DSL-100

The JCM2000 DSL-100 was one of Marshall’s flagship 100-watt valve heads of the period and became highly regarded by players looking for a powerful and versatile Marshall capable of moving convincingly between clean, crunch and high-gain territory.

The DSL design combines Classic Gain and Ultra Gain channels, providing a substantial range of sounds from open, articulate cleans and edge-of-breakup tones through to the thick, harmonically rich overdrive for which the JCM2000 series became known.

The 100-watt output section delivers the familiar authority of a large Marshall valve amplifier, with substantial low-end weight, strong upper-mid projection and the harmonic complexity that becomes particularly apparent when the power section is working hard.

For the serious guitarist, the appeal is therefore not simply the Gary Moore connection. The DSL-100 is an extremely capable professional amplifier in its own right, offering the dynamic response, headroom, volume and tonal flexibility required for serious live and studio work.

Gary Moore Association

Gary Moore’s association with Marshall amplifiers forms an important part of his equipment and sound history. His career encompassed a number of different amplifier designs, but Marshall remained a particularly significant part of his live and recording setups.

The timing of this particular amplifier is especially interesting. Gary’s Back to the Blues period marked a strong return to the blues-rock territory for which he was so closely associated, before the Scars project and subsequent Monsters of Rock appearances brought a heavier and more aggressive dimension to his live work.

This DSL-100 therefore belongs to an especially interesting period in Moore’s career — and, importantly, its documented touring history places the actual amplifier within that period.

Specification

Marshall JCM2000 DSL-100
Made in England
2001
Serial number M-2001-21-1351-A
100-watt all-valve design
Classic Gain and Ultra Gain channels
Lead 1 / Lead 2 gain voicing
Independent channel controls
3-band EQ
Presence control
Deep switch
Tone Shift
Reverb
Series effects loop
4 x EL34 power valves
ECC83 preamp valves
Multiple speaker impedance outputs

The DSL-100 is capable of delivering a huge range of classic Marshall sounds, from articulate cleans and edge-of-breakup tones through to thick, sustaining overdrive and full-on rock gain. There is plenty of harmonic information and dynamic response available, particularly when paired with a good 4x12 cabinet and allowed to operate at the volumes for which a 100-watt valve Marshall was designed.

For the player

As a working amplifier, this is a serious piece of equipment. The 100-watt power section provides the headroom and authority required for a full-band environment, while the two-channel design offers considerably more tonal flexibility than a traditional single-channel Marshall.

For blues and classic rock players, the DSL-100 has the ability to produce the warm, singing midrange and sustain that works so well with a Les Paul or other humbucker-equipped guitar. With the gain opened up, it becomes considerably more aggressive, delivering the dense harmonic character, punch and projection expected from a large Marshall.

It is an amplifier that can be used rather than simply admired, with enough versatility to make sense as part of a serious working rig. The fact that this particular example has already spent time on the road with Gary Moore only adds another layer to an already very capable amplifier.

For the collector

There are plenty of Marshall amplifiers. There are considerably fewer that can be documented as having belonged to Gary Moore, and fewer still with a traceable serial number, documented touring history, original purchase documentation and a Gary Moore estate certificate.

This is therefore a significant piece of Gary Moore memorabilia, but one that remains fundamentally a genuine professional-grade Marshall amplifier. It can sit comfortably in a serious collection, yet it is equally compelling for the guitarist who wants to own and use a piece of equipment with genuine touring history.

We are particularly proud to have this amplifier here at Motomusic. It represents a fascinating intersection of Marshall history, Gary Moore’s playing career and the practical equipment that travelled with one of the great electric guitarists of his generation.

Provenance

Previously owned by Gary Moore
Used as Gary Moore’s spare stage amplifier
2001 Back to the Blues tour
2003 Scars / Monsters of Rock tour
Subsequent European touring
Purchased from The Gary Moore Collection at Gardiner Houlgate in 2019
Original purchase documentation
Gary Moore estate certificate
Serial number M-2001-21-1351-A

A genuinely special amplifier with documented provenance and a very tangible connection to Gary Moore’s touring history. For the collector, it is an important piece of equipment from a significant period in his career; for the guitarist, it remains a powerful and highly usable Marshall in its own right.

Please study the photographs carefully, as they form part of the description.

Marshall "Gary Moore" 2001 JCM 2000 DSL 100 Dual Super Lead 2-Channel 100-Watt Guitar Amp Head