mesa dc-3 need info??

[wildrat666]

Im offered to buy a dc-3 for a good price but i never played one before. I know it is a 35 watter but how does it sound????I play some kind of metal
(im using roadster and recotveb) can i get some good saturated tones from it????

 

[edward]

You can definitely ge saturated tones from it ...lots of that in spades. But the DC3 is an EL84 amp with a Celest Vintage 30. This is not the most conducive setup to get you "metal" ...keeping in mind how you define that word may be different from how I see it. It's a great amp, but you may want to hear it first if you can as EL84s have a decidedly different voice to them, and are not the best "metal" amp, IMHO, FWIW, YMMV...

Edward

 

[Monsta-Tone]

The DC-3 is perhaps one of the best amps that Mesa made at that time. I have had 2 and still own one of them.


This guy has my other one: http://www.myspace.com/sadistmotherfolkart

It should answer your questions about Metal tones. He's a bit crazy and the site may be a bit unsettling to most Christians, but he's one of the coolest guys on the planet.

Email him, tell him that Andy sent you to his site, he might send you a shirt or something.

 

[Boogafunk]

i owned one for a couple of years and regret gettin rid of it. for metal i would reccomend a closed back extension cab. with a little use of the graphic eq you'll be in metal land in no time. (be careful with the gain and tone controls though or you'll get some flub and mush. use only as much gain as you have to and be liberal with the bass knob, compensate with the graphic for thump and chunk.)

 

[Monsta-Tone]

I used mine with an EV Thiele for a while. Incredible tones.

 

[fantasyl]

just wondering if the dc-3 is available only as combo or head exists, too?!?
I've seen dc5 and dc10 head but never dc3 and dc2.
Might be useful to many considering a dual caliber head / combo (as myself, actually :wink: ).

 

[Monsta-Tone]

I've seen a few DC-3 heads. It may be a case where they only made combos, but someone along the lines may have put the chassis in a head cab. The DC-2 & 3 will fit in the standard short combo or head cabinet.

They look really cool as a head too. You tell everybody that it is only 30 watts, and it is really tiny, then.....you blast them out of the water with a wall of sound from a tiny 30 watt head. :lol:


Here's a head cab on ebay right now: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=230235429573&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=013


You could always sell the combo cab if you wanted.

 

[fantasyl]

Are you sure the dual calibers share the same exact measures of the mark IV?

No empty space on top, bottom, side?

mhhh....this put fire on my dc gas!

 

[Monsta-Tone]

I used to use my DC-3 in a Mark IV hardwood cab.

It fit perfectly.

http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh235/Monsta-Tone/PICT0671.jpg

 

[fantasyl]

Monsta-Tone.......WOW!!! Amazing pic!

Returning to topic, DC5 and DC10 owners I knew usually don't pass 9 'o clock, and IMHO better tones/harmonics come out when the power tubes are working a bit.

So, my point is.....if you like the el34 sound (as I do :wink: ), and unless you're going the THD route, the DC3 is probably the best dual caliber (toghether with the dc5 for the 6L6 lovers), and will be a good complementary tone machine for your roadster.

Now that I know head mounting is possible, for me it's a REALLY difficult decision between dc3 and dc5....

 

[Monsta-Tone]

I had the DC-2, DC-3, DC-5, & DC-10 all at the same time.

Yeah, I know I have a problem, but it's better than being a Crackhead!


DC-2 - sounds great, but the Contour sucks because it is unadjustable and only works on the distortion channel

DC-3 - great all around amp that is plenty loud enough (especially if you add a Thiele cab). It is hard to find a bad tone in this amp. I have covered anything from the Allman Brothers, to EVH, to ZZ Top with it effortlessly.

DC-5 - did not seem as expressive as the DC-3. I sold it to a Fusion player and he loves it. The tone seems too compressed for my tastes. I tried it as a head & a combo, with many different speaker configs. I just could not bond with this amp.

DC-10 - WOW....Everything that all the other DC's are and it sounds like a Twin Reverb on the Clean channel.




I still have the DC-3 & DC-10, but sold the others.

Also, I had to replace the entire footswitch circuit (LDR's, FET's and 741's) in both the DC-3 & the DC-10. They started acting up, not switching right, switching the wrong things, etc. After the repairs, they work perfectly. I read somewhere that the early ones had too much current being applied to the LDR's, after repairing both of mine, I can believe it.


One last thing, these are so easy to mod, it is not funny. You can do practically anything with these amps and a little know how.

 

[fantasyl]

You really have a problem eheheh!!!

I tried the dc5 and dc10 (dc10 after weeks) and did not notice a great clean channel difference, they both were really sweet and lovely (and fenderish, as far as I can remember)!

Howewer if you tried at the same time all the amps.......wow.....greatest respect!

Ehm...isn't the dc-10 a bit too loud, even at 60w settings :?: ?

Maybe on the largest open stage things will differ, but in our mid-sized practise room (with drums and all the band up, of course), I could not pass the 9.00 - 9.30 on master output!
And it was not for the light drummer touch (at 10 10.30 ear pain was an issue!)

 

[Monsta-Tone]

:lol: :lol: :lol: It's pretty freaking loud, but so is the DC-5.

The main difference that I notice between the 4 tube and 2 tube amps is the headroom. The tones seem larger and have more depth.

I couldn't get mine above 2 on the Output with a drummer, but it was the same with my DC-5.


I might try 6V6's in my 10. I put an adjustable Bias pot in it so I can use any 6L6 or 6V6.

 

[Monsta-Tone]

FWIW: I tried my old Mark IV next to the DC-10 and the DC won.

I thought the Mark had some really great tones, but the DC was way easier to dial in and was much more consistent when it came to finding the same tones in different rooms and on different days.

I don't like to tweak knobs, I just want to play.

 

[alawat]

I am owner of a DC3 bought new in 1996. 12 years later I am still happy of my choice :
- you can play everything from clean to hard rock
- it's easy to use (plug and play)
- it's nice to handle
- it's loud if you want
- it's the best look for a Boogie (combo 1x12)

Perhaps one of the best Boogie ever ...... Like it !

 

[fantasyl]

argh.... monsta....

you really know how to light up gas

 

[geenads]

My DC3 is my main rig. My MKIV is for backup or outside stuff. Monsta's right.. you can dial in great tone without trying. Through my thiele the DC3 is a huge sounding amp for 30 wattws. I had to replace a pot last week, just wondering if the DC2 and DC3 share the same circuit board? My board was stamped DC2 B 1993.. ? Should have took pics when i had it opened. Anyway, you can't go wrong with this amp.

 

[fantasyl]

ok, so for me the hunt for a dc10 starts.......NOW
And if a great deal on a dc3 pop up somewhere, will consider that, too.

I was looking for a mark iv or roadster as a studio 22+ upgrade, but if you both have the mk IV and use it as backup, that mean something to me...

Moreover here in europe mark IV and Roadster are way too expensive.....and even before this 3d I was uncertain if a simpler amp could be a better choice....

 

[Monsta-Tone]

you really know how to light up gas

A friend of mine did that in high school and set his pants on fire. It was freaking hillarious. :lol: :lol: :lol:



It's a bit hard to find a DC-10. It seems like they were everywhere until I wanted one. Then, out of the blue, nosajwp had one for sale. It was serial # 99. It's a keeper.

 

[alawat]

Nice , no ?