Got my DC-3 today!!!

[GregN]

Finally received my DC-3 today! Holy crap! It really sounds awesome!!! I was concerned about what kind of shape it'd arrive in as the seller wasn't a musician type (more a pawn shop type apparently) but it's almost spotless and still has the Mesa inspection tag on the power cord. I was skeptical of how loud it was going to be even though I"ve read posts saying they're loud and you know what? Those posts are right! Really loud! Anyway, I thought I'd share and I've got a question. All of my amps are tube so I'm quite familiar w/ them and four of 'em are EL-84 amps but I'm just wondering what is everyone's experience w/ the heat of these DC-3's? Is it of any concern? I guess my other one's run hot too but I just never paid much attention and I've read some posts in regards to heat w/ these things. I guess a fan couldn't hurt but it's just one more thing to lug around and hook up. I'm all about minimizing these days!
Thanks for any info!
Greg

 

[nosajwp]

Congrats on the DC-3, and welcome to the DC family! You can get all kinds of sounds out of them, and many people feel they are the most versatile amp ever made by Mesa, including myself. I have a DC-10.

The DC-3 will get kinda hot, but as long as there is some space behind the amp for air circulation, everything should be fine. A fan at home couldn't hurt too.

 

[plumptone]

The amp will definitely run hot almost all the time. Mine does the same thing. It's a minor drawback when you consider the sound that you're able to get out of these little monsters though. I agree with the previous post - just keep sufficient space back behind the amp and you'll be fine. Because mine runs so hot, I seem to go through power tunes quite quickly (I usually end up swapping out all four at least once every 12 months, but it's a price I'm willing to pay). I don't use a fan, and I never have. Frankly, I think one of the resons these amps sound so good is that you have to drive them hard, which obvioulsy makes them run hotter.

Good luck with your amp, and have fun with it.