I put the full set of MM transformers in my DC-3 yesterday.
Choke 1st - This warmed up the tone a lot and took the shrill edges off of the distortion channel. It also made the distortion (gain on 10) much creamier!
Output Transformer - I used the standard DC-3 Fat Stack. I usually have them make something for me or use something that they already make for a different amp to get the characteristics I'm looking for in a certain amp.
I'm very pleased to say that the Fat Stack sounds well......FAT!
The cleans are much warmer now. I use the channel like this:
Master - 9
Treble - 5-6
Middle - 5-6
Bass - 5-6
Presence - 4-8 (depending on the guitar)
Reverb - 3-4
Gain - 2-4
The cleans are very warm and articulate. If they are too dark, I just roll up the Presence a little. Lots of sustain too!
Distortion channel has much more sustain and crunch now. The crunch is smoother and less raspy, much more refined sounding. I used to love the DC's for their raw tone, but this is really sweet!
Master - 3
Treble - 6-7
Middle - 6-7
Bass - 6-7
Presence - 4-6
Reverb - 0
Gain - 10 (will go higher soon!)
Power Transformer - This is really the icing on the cake! I always install the PT last just because I want to test the amp between changes and see what the results are. The new PT really smooths everything out and makes the whole amp just run cleaner. There is a lot more bass thump and high end sparkle now!
I had to drill 2 new mounting holes though. The MM power transformer is just slightly larger than the original. Not really a big deal since I had to drill 2 mounting holes for the choke anyway.
It's really unfortunate that these amps didn't come with a Choke. I realize that this was a cost cutting measure, but I really think they would have sold so many more of them if they sounded like mine did after just installing a simple part. I know that I'm talking about a $40 Mercury Magnetics choke, but I'm positive that they weren't paying very much for Schumacher chokes back then. Probably around $5-10. When I look at the board layout and the fact that there are 6 resistors meticulously placed on the board instead of a choke, I can't help but think that they only saved $20 or so per amp in installation and materials.
I'll try to post some pics right after Christmas. This will help anyone else looking at installing a choke, it's really simple if you know where to place the wires and what resistors to remove.
Choke 1st - This warmed up the tone a lot and took the shrill edges off of the distortion channel. It also made the distortion (gain on 10) much creamier!
Output Transformer - I used the standard DC-3 Fat Stack. I usually have them make something for me or use something that they already make for a different amp to get the characteristics I'm looking for in a certain amp.
I'm very pleased to say that the Fat Stack sounds well......FAT!
The cleans are much warmer now. I use the channel like this:
Master - 9
Treble - 5-6
Middle - 5-6
Bass - 5-6
Presence - 4-8 (depending on the guitar)
Reverb - 3-4
Gain - 2-4
The cleans are very warm and articulate. If they are too dark, I just roll up the Presence a little. Lots of sustain too!
Distortion channel has much more sustain and crunch now. The crunch is smoother and less raspy, much more refined sounding. I used to love the DC's for their raw tone, but this is really sweet!
Master - 3
Treble - 6-7
Middle - 6-7
Bass - 6-7
Presence - 4-6
Reverb - 0
Gain - 10 (will go higher soon!)
Power Transformer - This is really the icing on the cake! I always install the PT last just because I want to test the amp between changes and see what the results are. The new PT really smooths everything out and makes the whole amp just run cleaner. There is a lot more bass thump and high end sparkle now!
I had to drill 2 new mounting holes though. The MM power transformer is just slightly larger than the original. Not really a big deal since I had to drill 2 mounting holes for the choke anyway.
It's really unfortunate that these amps didn't come with a Choke. I realize that this was a cost cutting measure, but I really think they would have sold so many more of them if they sounded like mine did after just installing a simple part. I know that I'm talking about a $40 Mercury Magnetics choke, but I'm positive that they weren't paying very much for Schumacher chokes back then. Probably around $5-10. When I look at the board layout and the fact that there are 6 resistors meticulously placed on the board instead of a choke, I can't help but think that they only saved $20 or so per amp in installation and materials.
I'll try to post some pics right after Christmas. This will help anyone else looking at installing a choke, it's really simple if you know where to place the wires and what resistors to remove.