DC effects loop mod

[espexp]

Wow, I haven't visited this site in almost 2 years! I can't believe all of the DC love now. 2 years ago there wasn't much DC talk on this board, but now it looks like more people have seen the light!

Anyway, Ive owned my DC-5 for 12 years and have finally decided to get an effects unit. I just ordered a G major and was wondering if the kill/dry mode on the g major works good enough for home use ( I don't play in a band ), or should I mod the effects loop to series?

 

[espexp]

I guess my question wasn't very good. Well now that I have my G major I can answer it myself.

Answer: Yes, I need to modify my effects loop to series. The parallel loop is terrible even with the kill/dry engaged. I lost a lot of volume if the mix was turned up past 50% and the effects just didn't sound right.

I couldn't find any instructions on how to do the mod so I just figured it out myself. It is really quite easy. Anyone with electrical knowledge including a novice should be able to do it.

Here are some instructions for anyone who wants them.

1) Remove the 2 orange wires from the send jack. One wire goes to the mix pot, the other goes back to the board. Remove the one that goes to the mix pot completely. It is not needed.

2) Remove the red wire from the mix pot and connect it to the orange wire that goes back to the board. This eliminates the parallel circuit and makes it series.

3) Cut the white wire from the mix pot and tape off the end.

That's it! It took me about an hour and I had no instructions.
If anyone sees anything wrong with what I did please let me know.

Anyone who is running effects in their loop should do this mod. The difference is amazing!!

 

[MusicManJP6]

Hey bud, glad you got it figured out. The DCs have a pretty good sounding loop, but you just can't beat a series loop for effects (especially delay)!

 

[kartoffel]

your method works or you can just 1 cap off white wire and 2 move the red wire on the pot to the center terminal on the pot the one with the two orange wires

like monstertone said though you can always put the wires right on the jacks and bypass the pot to get another hole for something else

 

[BoogieRandy]

Thanks for the instructions. Ive always hated the loop on my DC-3!!

 

[Monsta-Tone]

Right on!

I've never looked back since I changed mine over.
On my Maverick, I installed a switch where the pot was to toggle between parallel and series. Since I use it for more bluesy stuff, I thought it couldn't hurt. Never know when I might just buy an old analog delay or something.
Plus, since it's cathode biased, I don't need a spot for a bias pot.


I installed a bias pot on my DC's though. Great place for it!
Or...a 5-way mid sellector switch for the lead channel?


Anyway, sounds like I need some coffee! Congrats!

 

[mrkxx]

I am very interested in the series loop mod for my DC5 and would like to see the diagram, could someone forward to me? Thanks Mark

[email protected]

 

[espexp]

Sorry, I don't have any diagrams or pictures of it. If you have any experience with a soldering iron then my instructions should be pretty easy to follow. It actually took me longer to get the amp out of its shell than it did to do the mod.

If you can't figure it out I'll take a picture of what mine looks like now and you can compare it.

 

[mrkxx]

it sounds easy, I would just like to have a frame of reference and thought there maybe a diagram floating around.

Thanks

 

[billboogie]

Thanks for the easy instructions. If I can do this mod believe me anyone can do it. I use delay and chourus and what a difference. Thanks :mrgreen:

 

[edward]

OK, dumb question here, but may I ask why those of you who use the fx loop why you do so instead of going through the front? Please note I am not referring to using a rack setup where it makes obvious sense, but just the use of pedals or a multi fx unit like the Boss GTs. I tried using the loop long ago and just didn't get what the plus was? What is it I am missing? (and please, no 4-cable methods ...ugh ).

And as a corrolary, why would one choose parallel over serial ...is there a rationale or specific use behind it that Mesa would build it this way? Thanks!

Edward

 

[espexp]

Time based effects like delay and chorus sound better after the preamp.
The reason why series loops sound so much better is because the entire signal passes thru the loop, where as in a parallel loop some of the signal goes directly to the output stage of the amp. This causes issues with time based effects because the dry part of the signal goes to the output faster than the wet part of the signal. That very small difference in the time it takes for the wet signal to pass thru the loop screws up what you hear at the output.

The idea of using a parallel loop is in my opinion out dated because the reason for a parallel loop is so when using effects your amps tone comes thru uncolored by the effects. These days effects are so transparent that it is just not needed.

 

[Setzer]

Another dumb question re the series loop mod.

If I do the series mod what then does the mix pot do? does it still have a mix function for dry/wet?

I guess it still functions but I had to ask :?

Oh and another question, I have an old Rockman rack setup with the distortion/chorus units in it which I really like the sound of but it just doesnt sound good thru my DC5 would the series mod make it sound better or worse or just the same? I dont use the delay on it just the chorus.

Cheers..........

 

[Monsta-Tone]

The pot will do nothing after the mod. That's why I end up just bypassing it altogether and making all solder connections on the jacks themselves.
On my Maverick, I installed a switch to change the Loop from Series to Parallel so that I can choose. It has much less gain than my DC-10 and I like the idea of being able to use pedals instead.



The Rockman unit should sound better with a Series loop, but if you are using the distortion on the unit, it should go in front of the amp. I haven't found a distortion pedal that works very well in the loop. It's simply too much signal amplification for this stage of the preamp.

 

[espexp]

I realized something while installing a new send jack today. I forgot to solder the orange and red wire to the switch terminal on the send jack. If you don't do this you will have to use a patch cable thru your loop when you are not using it or you will get no sound. My instructions in the 2nd post doesn't say to do this and I'm sorry for any headaches this has caused anyone.

 

[jutsin]

hmm if someone could send me the file with the directions for this it would be great, and I would be forever grateful! I would just follow these directions, but on my DC-3B there are no orange wires at all from the send jack! of course mine is set up so that I can't follow the simple directions haha

 

[Chrissmoth]

Just followed the instructions but haven't had time to test it out yet

Could you not leave the second orange wire (the one to the board) and the red wire in place on the mix pot?

Then you could still use the mix pot

Or am I missing something...?

 

[Monsta-Tone]

Well...the point is to bypass the Mix pot altogether so that all of your signal flows through the FX.
Otherwise, you are missing out on a lot of great delay and chorus sounds that are getting lost or covered up in the Mix knob.

 

[johnr]

I never found a complete how-to for this and had to figure it out for myself, so here's the deal...

At first, I just removed the white wire from the pot and bridged the other two terminals of the pot with a jumper wire. But, as others have described, this caused the amp to go silent if the loop wasn't in use. If this is all you do for the mod, then you have to use a cable to patch the send and return jacks together. The solution is to move the bare wire that comes from the positive "no-plug-inserted" side of the return jack so that it connects to the positive terminal of the send jack.

So here's the complete how-to for the FX loop mod:

1. Remove the white wire that goes to the mix pot and tape it off. This wire seems to connect back to the FX send positive terminal, but it goes through the circuit board in-between for some reason.
2. If you're leaving the mix pot in place, just put a jumper wire between the orange wire and the pink/red wire on the pot to effectively bypass the pot. If you're removing the pot, connect the orange wire and the pink/red wire. The red/pink wire is the positive lead from the FX return jack (from the side of the jack that's active when something is plugged into the jack). The orange wire goes to the power amp.
3. At least on my early 1991-ish DC-5, there's a bare wire coming from the FX return jack that normally meets up with the orange wire at the mix pot's middle terminal. Move this wire to the positive terminal of the send pot. This wire is the alternative route of the FX return when there's nothing plugged into the jack. When there is no plug in the return jack, the jack bridges that no-plug-inserted positive terminal to the plug-inserted positive terminal (which is where the pink/red wire is). So when no plug is inserted, you now have a circuit connecting the send positive terminal to the pink/red wire, which connects to the orange wire, which goes to the power amp. So we now have a proper bridge between send and return for when nothing is plugged into the loop. No patch cable required.

Enjoy.

 

[Gerax]

Hi all,

I looked into my DC3 to convert the loop to serial, but obviously the color coding of the wires is different...

Here's a pic I snapped of the gut of the amp at the FX loop point.

Can anybody tell me what to disconnect/re-solder?

Thanx

L.