DC-5, Will I ever be able to stop tweaking and play?!...

[stevie savage]

So, I've had this DC-5 combo for over a year now and got it as I needed something portable that sounded HOT. The weird/Good thing about this amp - and perhaps this is a Mesa thing - is that it can sound OK to very good in a live setting, yet never sounds GREAT, then when you hear a recording of it, it just totally rocks and really cuts through! In other words I've never had an amp that records as well as this and just can't put my finger on why. I also have a JCM800 Marshall which is the other way round - sounds awesome live and cranked up, then when you listen to it back recorded it's sort of dull and uninspiring! Speaker characteristics maybe?

So that's a sort of intro to my question which is this: Why is it so tricky to get a GREAT sound from this amp? I'm forever playing around with controls, but just never quite seem to get there somehow. Maybe I still don't quite 'get' how the tone knobs interact yet or something :? . With the Marshall it's just sort of already there, the downside being it really is a one trick pony - '80's brit rock or, erm '80's brit rock!

Also, does anyone here have any sound diagrams for the DC-5, maybe or something I can use to try as a starting point to get the sound in my head? I've got to be honest, I've been thinking about giving up and selling, but there are way too many fans of this amp so I want to give it one last shot before I get rid.

Cheers for any help....

Guitars:
'69 LP Custom
Gretsch 5120
Ovation Deacon
Custom LP Special

 

[screamingdaisy]

Could be the combo format.

Unless you're listening through the monitor you're getting the direct off the combo sound, which in Mesa's tend towards sounding a little congested. However, the mic listens to the speaker directly and doesn't get the congested effect.

 

[MarshMesa]

I also noticed that my DC 3 sounds better after it's been recorded than in real life. I can't figure out why. I mean, it sounds great in real life, but sounds even better when recorded.

 

[stevie savage]

Doing a simple A/B test with the Marshall, a lot of the JCM's live sound seems to come from the fact it has 2 12" speakers to the Mesa's 1, and just sounds sort of bigger and more open. In comparison the DC sounds sort of nasally, like it's got a blocked nose! I know it would open up with an extension cab, but it's a non-starter as I have a bad back, and it's bad enough carrying just the DC-5 combo!

What I wondered was if anyone had diagrams of their tone settings I might be able to copy to see if I'm getting something wrong, which I suspect I am. Also, I've downloaded the manual which I'll work through tomorrow.

Cheers so far...

 

[crguti]

what speaker do you have?
Have you tried the DC-5 with a closed cab with V30s?

 

[bhsbhswarp]

To get more open sound out of my DC3 lower the "Preamp"gain and crank the "Master output" and control the over all volume with the "Channel Master".Doing this gives my amp a much more open rich powerful sound.It actually gets quite heavy.Try it,you may be suprised.