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Thanks, I'll try that then. Can you recommend good replacements for the output tubes? Mine are still the fairly new (but probably cooked) Mesa-branded EL84s. You probably mentioned good replacements before, but tell me what you use. I still mostly use the clean channel. - Jake -

So I shouldn't worry about possibly shifting 2.3V PI voltage? (just making sure...) Also, I now get why you said that output tubes could go in a hurry in the DC-3. Back on the other thread it didn't make sense to me, but now that I am aware that it runs soooo hot, that probably explains it...

Bendo: Some time ago you answered my post on resurrecting a neglected DC-3. You may not recall, but I eventually took the amp to a good tech, and it sounds great. You were convinced that output tubes were a problem. Well, you may have been right in a sense, because despite sounding good...

Thanks! That mod should be within my capabilities.

I am interested in being able to switch the reverb. The user manual and schematic that I have is for the earlier version of the DC-3, I think. If I am reading these documents correctly the reverb was switchable in the earlier DC-3 models, but is not on mine. As shown in the schematic I have, V5...

Bendo: That's a nice looking strat. I love the cover on the humbucker. Mine's a little plainer, standard tobacco sunburst with a white pick guard; see below. The pickups I put in are: bridge: Custom Stack Plus (stk-s6), highest output middle: Classic Stack Plus (stk-s4), lowest output neck...

Greetings. I am the original poster on this. After my last post on this thread I reconsidered whether I really wanted to try to fix the amp myself. I decided against doing so, and took the DC-3 to the local authorized Mesa service technician. I just got the amp back from him today, and it...

Would the new Mesa Boogie tubes cause these problems immediately? The symptoms did not change at all right after I stuck the new EL84s in. If the Mesa-branded tubes are the problem, I wonder why the amp ran for a couple of years after purchase without problems? Thanks. - J -

Below are some pics of the DC-3 mentioned in my original post. I don't see much that looks suspicious. Maybe someone with a keen eye can spot something. I also posted a video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyWCPvyRRtA . This shows the hum and hiss problems, but I could not get the amp to...

Greetings. A couple of days ago I stated that I would post some photos of the inside of my DC-3 chassis. I still intend to do that, but I decided to take a few days to set up a better environment for trouble-shooting the amp. To that end I am building a fold-out workbench in my garage, with...

Bendo: BTW, on one of your earlier points, I watched the video comparing the V30 and the C90 speakers. I found the difference to be quite striking. If I can get the amp working, the C90 would go a long way toward making the DC-3 sound like I want. It does indeed seem to be at least partly...

I'll take some photos and post them. At the moment the amp is assembled again, but I'll take it apart tomorrow. I don't recall any funky looking parts, but this time I'll use the fine-toothed comb. The amp has been in storage in a sealed wooden crate that I built to ship it across the country...

Sigh. The amp now has new Mesa-branded tubes in every socket. All of the problems described in my earlier post are still there: hiss, line hum, intermittent rumbling, and of course a dead reverb. So, having bought the tubes from my local guitar store here near Toronto (probably at premium...

I have decided to take your advice. A complete re-tube will happen this afternoon. It is worth the price just to avoid days and days of speculation. If it doesn't work, I am no worse off than before, and have a new set of tubes at least. Thanks.

Bendo: Well, ok, I can try new power tubes. That would be simpler than fiddling with filter caps. That may solve the hum and rumble problem, but it seems unlikely to me that power tubes are the source of the white noise, since that is channel specific. On the other hand, I am a bit puzzled...

Thanks for the tips, guys. I have been offline for a while, so did not get a chance to reply. It turns out that I have a couple of more serious things to get fixed on my recently resurrected DC-3. First, I am getting a tremendous amount of hiss on the clean channel, even with the gain at zero...

Greetings. My DC-3 has been packed in a crate in the garage for about 6 years. My son talked me into buying it new (for myself) years ago because he was learning guitar and was really into Metallica. It is one loud little devil, but I never succeeded in getting tone that I like from it. At the...