No where near enough information about your playing style and guitar and effects you play to even begin to offer an opinion. Comparing the DSL 40h to the JCM 800 is apples and oranges. A combo vs a Marshall head? What kind of bottom will you match the JCM 800 with? 40w vs 100 w is again night and day. I play screaming rock blues and my JCM 2000 head in a half stack set up is quite orgasmic to play through. I also have a Fender 40 w combo amp that is portable and serves me well when I have to jam out and about.

Yeah I hadn’t considered that. I play rock of all kinds from 50s to now. Love classic rock though. The sound I’m mostly going for is the glam metal sound such as poison or the crue. For the past 13 years I’ve been playing through a fender fm212r. My axes that I’d be plugging into the new Marshall will mostly be my Gibson Lea Paul Custom Silverburst, which has an ebony fretboard. And maybe sometime my schecter s-1 elite. And on occasion and epiphone Lea Paul special ii.

Oh and I don’t tend to use pedals, but as far as those go I have (all mxr) super badass distortion, chorus, and analog delay.

JCM800 that was the 80’s metal powerhouse.

@mineown Well then I would go for the JCM800 assuming you would partner that head with a 4×10 bottom at the minimum. For 30 years I played the Fender 40W and loved the sound but I relied on pedals to kick the sound up a notch to get the metal sound I was looking for. I got the JCM 2000 and a 4×10 bottom and it rocked my world sound wise. I play 80% of the time with out effects. That said go play both and let that be how you decide which to buy as I know the 40W would be a rock solid choice and offer portability as well.

Hubby plays through a Marshall 3310 MOSFET from 1988. Plugs directly into the head, no pedals or any of that nonsense.

Won’t touch anything else.

He plays trash/technical metal…

I would defitenly be getting the 1960s cabinets. First one then the other. But another drawback to the jcm 800 or a plexi is that my use for the new amp will be in a home in a room with my small studio. Though it would still be fukfilling to have one.

And let me correct the amps I am considering. They are the dsl40c, dsl100h, jcm800, and the plexi.

Does anybody have anymore advice?

Go to the music store in play the amps and buy the one you like the best

If you are not playing out or with a group you don’t need much. Honestly I just use a 20w practice amp and a pod these days. It’s not an axe fx but it models different amps well enough for me.