DC-5 EQ before or after the gain?

[fusguitar]

Hi guys.
I read in another forum that DC-5 has the eq before the gain in the clean channel but after the gain in lead channel.
Is this true?
any opinions?
thanks

 

[Rob Lockwood]

Yes I think so, I seem to remember reading that in adverts when the DC's first came out. Also an old Mesa brochure I have from that time says that the rhythm channel of the DC series is based on the MarkIV and the lead channel is based on the Rectifier series. I'm pretty sure that one of the big difference between Mark series and Rectifier is the position of the EQ.

That only applies to the Treble Mid & Bass knob EQ. The Graphic EQ is always after all the gain stages in both channels.

 

[fusguitar]

hmmm...if this is really true it's led me to think that maybe the lead channel it's really on the recto side (as DC line has been advertised), since mark series has the eq stage before the gain and the recto after, right?
But a lot of users here claims that it's more on the mk side.
I tested one a few days ago and to tell you the truth it seemed to me that it was in the middle...

 

[Rob Lockwood]

Well thats what the brochure says but I agree from what I remember the DC is somewhere in the middle.

When I bought my first Boogie in the mid 90's my (stretched) budget ran to a new DC5 or a used MkIII. I spent quite a while A/B'ing both in the same shop. I was looking at Boogies because a great guitarist in a local band was getting a great thick vocal lead sound out of one that was not like anything I had heard before and it just stuck in my head (turned out his was a MkIIb but I didnt know that then or even what the different models were). I came away with the MkIII because that was the closest to the sound I had in my head. I did like the DC but it didn't really have that thick vocal 'yowl' to me. But thinking back I dont remember it sounding much like a rectifier either.

 

[rfrazee]

I own a DC-5 and yea its in the middle of a Recto and MK. Its like a saturated tight tone.. I don't know really how to explain it.

 

[fusguitar]

But thinking back I dont remember it sounding much like a rectifier either.

Maybe we have in mind the modern side of a recto, the super saturated scooped gain and obvious DC-5 it's not in this side.
But rectos has also a vintage/orange channel and DC-5 probably has a part of it.

 

[Rob Lockwood]

I have not really played with a rectifier myself so I tend to think of the sound they are best kmown for. But now you say it I have heard a couple of people in local bands using them for Classic /Blues Rock type stuff and getting a very different sound. I dont think Mesa would have said the lead was based on a Rectifier if it wasn't, so seems like that is the explanation.

 

[fusguitar]

The funny thing is that if the eq on the lead channel is after the gain stage then the DC has 2 post eqs. One the regular and one the graphic with 5 slides....