Mesa DC-5

[eeviac]

HI - this is my first post here, although ive been reading this board for while.

just picked up my first mesa boogie - a DC-5 (version without the LED's).

I was considering a mark 3 but this came up and the straitforward 2 channel approach appealed.

Ive only had it for a few days and it is awesome - i love smooth heavy distorted rhythm sounds and this amp pretty much nails it even at low volumes. It also makes my marshall practice amp sound like a buzzy bee trapped in a cardboard tube. I also think that most of my pedals i used with the marshall to get a remotley passable sound will now no longer be needed.

I am astonished at the power, definition and clarity of the sound even thoughg the 1x12. The amp is running stock mesa 6L6 with the m90 (?) black shadow speaker.

I have a few questions though so if anyone can help that would be great

1. tried some of the settings in the manual - the cleans sounded great but the dirty setting had the output level on about 2-3. I found that putting up the output to around 7.5 and then controlling the volume with the channel master improved the distortion quality no end much deeper and smoother - less harsh - presuambly this is pushing the power section? i always thought that boogies tended to get the sound in the preamp section only?

2. I am starting a new band with a mate - we have booked a studio for next week - he is running a new jcm900 head with 4x12 and a pod xt pro - i am hoping the mesa will keep up in terms of volume and sound quality?

3. im on the lookout for an extension cab - any reccomendations for speaker type - i like the idea of a closed back thiele to compliment the open back of the combo - are these the same width at tghe dc-5 whic i think is about 23 inches wide

cheers

 

[edward]

Funny to me how this "lowly" DC amp has really gotten lots of attention in the past several months or so ...that I've noticed on this board, anyway. Owned mine for almost a decade now and while I had flirted with replacing her (in moments of weakness over the years), I am now firmly committed to never letting mine go; they are killer amps, and wildly underrated/ignored, IMHO. Better for us who own them, eh? Welcome to the DC-love fest!

1. Yes, much of the Boogie "signature" lead tone is from the preamp section. But there is no right/wrong here: drive ("push") whichever section you think gives you the better OD tone: either the initial gain or the master output, whichever you prefer. Just a thought for you: I once had the GEQ set to "on" for both channels; now it's assigned only to the Lead channel. I found that I could get a killer clean ch tone with just the tone stack, and assign the GEQ for finely shaping the OD ...this may help you as you experiment with gain settings and getting just the right OD grind/tone you're looking for.

2. hehehe, just my humble opinion, but your JCM friend will have nothing over your DC! Maybe a bit of bottom and fill, courtesy of his 412, but your tone even from only your combo's 112 will, ahem, surprise him

3. Now here is where you will catch ANYONE with a 412 off guard: get the Thiele with the EVM. The thunderously tight bottom and focused mids, and clear, defined top end is astonishing. Honestly, not hyperbole: no one who hears one (that I know of) can believe how huge it sounds. It's voice compliments the warmer, more mid-voiced open-back MC90 perfectly, IMHO. I have been running my EVM-loaded Thiele on top of my DC Combo like this for years and the two together will easily keep up (or squash, depending on one's perspective ) others' tone despite their 412s. Aesthetically, though, since the DC5 cab is a widebody, the Theile cab sitting on top does not look as "tidy" as would a matching cab. ...but you just cannot rival it's tone IMHO.

Hope this gives you a few things to think about

Edward

 

[Mrmot]

3. Now here is where you will catch ANYONE with a 412 off guard: get the Thiele with the EVM. The thunderously tight bottom and focused mids, and clear, defined top end is astonishing. Honestly, not hyperbole: no one who hears one (that I know of) can believe how huge it sounds. It's voice compliments the warmer, more mid-voiced open-back MC90 perfectly, IMHO. I have been running my EVM-loaded Thiele on top of my DC Combo like this for years and the two together will easily keep up (or squash, depending on one's perspective ) others' tone despite their 412s. Aesthetically, though, since the DC5 cab is a widebody, the Theile cab sitting on top does not look as "tidy" as would a matching cab. ...but you just cannot rival it's tone IMHO.

Hope this gives you a few things to think about

Edward

sorry for hijacking this thread, but i've got to ask something - what's so special about Thiele cabs? I've read pretty much the exact same thing on a lot of places, everyone says that they sound amazing, much bigger than a "normal" 1*12 cab. So, what's the secret? :lol:

 

[edward]

No secret. Just a well designed cab, where the Thiele-Small parameters of the EVM12L were part of the cab design, itself. So where the EVM in its own right is a very balanced and "large" sounding speaker, it is no where near as potent in an open-back cab ...IMHO anyway; it's nice (I've got one), but just not anywhere near as powerful a cab as the EVM-Thiele.

So what you get is a small footprint and small cab that sounds much larger than one would think. I know it sounds like ad copy, but it's for real ...this old-school skeptic is a believer and have used (and trusted it) for years. Alone, the EV-Thiele cab is very nice. But in conjunction with any other cab, especially the open-backed MC90 cabs, the combo is stellar as each compliments the other superbly. Again, all is IMHO. But I have yet to hear of a small rig that sounds anywhere near as large as these two together ...and there is no feeling shortchanged when a guy and his 412 shows up.

Edward

 

[LEVEL4]

1. tried some of the settings in the manual - the cleans sounded great but the dirty setting had the output level on about 2-3. I found that putting up the output to around 7.5 and then controlling the volume with the channel master improved the distortion quality no end much deeper and smoother - less harsh - presuambly this is pushing the power section? i always thought that boogies tended to get the sound in the preamp section only?

I have a DC-3 and noticed the same thing. I thought maybe I was imagining it. But setting the output pot to 7+, and turning down the master to control level (as opposed to the other way around), does seem to make something really nice happen to the character of the distortion.

Funny to me how this "lowly" DC amp has really gotten lots of attention in the past several months or so ...that I've noticed on this board, anyway.

Yeah, I think it's funny, too! I just stumbled onto this DC-3 on Ebay a couple months ago, and thought, "Well, it LOOKS like a Mark, it MUST be kind of a good amp." I had no idea what a DC-3 was. I had never heard or seen one. I paid $650 for it using, "buy it now," but, when it arrived, it was in DEAD-MINT condition! It was my first Boogie, and since then, I bought two more Mesa amps. I initially went through a love/hate releationship with my DC-3, due to an out-of-spec preamp tube, and was a bit taken aback by its somewhat dark voicing, but now, it's my MOST favored amp. I play it more than either my brand new Mark IV, or my Recto Solo 50. I am never selling this amp.

 

[Esromeron]

Funny to me how this "lowly" DC amp has really gotten lots of attention in the past several months or so ...that I've noticed on this board, anyway.

I've noticed more and more since I've been here, and I haven't been here long! I couldn't believe it when i came across my DC-5 Combo, its so amazing. I've never been this excited over an amp, and really can never see myself parting ways with it.

And as everyone has said eeviac, the DC5 will keep up with that JCM no problem.

 

[jman7272]

2x12 Vertical Recto cab loaded with v30's is the ****. Sound huge and smooth.

Visually it looks like they were made for eachother by putting the combo on top of the cab since they are the same width.

Good luck. Great amp.

 

[herrball]

Not to hijack the thread either but I've had a Thiele cab since 1987 with both MK III heads and recently a DC-5 and the Thiele is a killer. Very up-front sound with clear crushing bass response.Two Thieles or a combo and thiele will certainly surprise people at most gigs and doesn't weigh as much as the 4x12 cabs. ( Maybe I'm just getting too old to carry that stuff around too ;-) )

New DC convert as well here; truly underrated amp and simple and clean to use. Have fun.

Herrball

MK III
DC-5
Carvin XB-100 ( to fill out the stereo field)
delays, comps, and an old 1985 RAT, yeah!

 

[JOEY B.]

Boogafunk cabs can build a 1x12 thiele that is the same width as your DC-5 combo. It will make your mini-stack a monster if it is EV loaded. :twisted:

 

[edward]

Boogafunk cabs can build a 1x12 thiele that is the same width as your DC-5 combo. It will make your mini-stack a monster if it is EV loaded. :twisted:

Excellent point! His workmanship is stellar ...look him up in the archives. This way you can custom build your your thiele cab to your DC5's dimensions. And post a pic if you get it done ...would love to see that beauty!

Edward

 

[tetsubin]

But don't count out a nice 4x12. In some settings, especially heavier music, it's just best to have a halfstack behind you; and it changes the tone of the amp, too. It reduces the boxiness and nasal mids that 1x12 combos pronounce.

 

[JOEY B.]

Boogafunk cabs can build a 1x12 thiele that is the same width as your DC-5 combo. It will make your mini-stack a monster if it is EV loaded. :twisted:

Just now realized that the OP is located in the UK. Maybe the Genz Benz 2 G-flex 2x12 extension cab would be an easier score? 8)

 

[eeviac]

yeah

been looking for an EV thiele for sale here in the uk without much luck

plenty of 2x12 v30 used recto cabs though...

 

[Monsta-Tone]

Yet another convert!!!!!!


Your amp will definitely keep up with the JCM, and it will sound much better.

An extension cab will definitely add some ooommmppphhh! I haven't tried mine with a Recto cab, but I have tried it with a 3/4 back 1x12 Mesa cab and will soon have an EV in my Thiele cab to try it with.

These are really great, underated amps. They respond very well to tube changes too. Try an NOS Mullard in V4 and your cleans will be much better.

I have a Mojotone Greyhound speaker in mine, which I like much more than the C-90 that it came with.

 

[LEVEL4]

Not to hijack the thread either but I've had a Thiele cab since 1987 with both MK III heads and recently a DC-5 and the Thiele is a killer. Very up-front sound with clear crushing bass response.Two Thieles or a combo and thiele will certainly surprise people at most gigs and doesn't weigh as much as the 4x12 cabs. ( Maybe I'm just getting too old to carry that stuff around too ;-) )

New DC convert as well here; truly underrated amp and simple and clean to use. Have fun.

Herrball

MK III
DC-5
Carvin XB-100 ( to fill out the stereo field)
delays, comps, and an old 1985 RAT, yeah!

Not to hi-jack this thread either, but seeing as you have both a DC-5 and a Mark III, I wondered if you cared to comment on the differences between the two? I have a DC-3, which I assume is very similar-sounding to the DC-5, since my DC-3, if cranked enough, can get SURPRISINGLY close to the sound of my Mark IV, despite their differing power tubes (they don't seem to make as much as a difference as you may have expected). But, I've never heard a Mark III. I use an A/B/Y switch with my DC-3 and Mark IV, and I'm in heaven with that combination of tones (I've always kinda wondered how a Mark III would sound with a my Mark IV). How would you compare the differences and similarities of the tonal characteristics of the DC-5 and Mark III?

 

[sweatyk]

I'm new to the Boogie Board and was referred from another forum I use. I'm not a Boogie owner but are looking at one right now and would like an opinion. It's actually for my son. He's into metal and looking for something other than a Marshall. I've come across a DC-5 for $650. I'm trying to get him to trade for my 4x10 Hot Rod Deville. I've never had the pleasure of playing or for that matter hearing a Boogie in person. Would this be ideal for his needs? It's a combo and I have a ext. cab for stage use. I recently tried to get my hands on a Mark II but he wanted too much for the condition it was in. Please O grand masters of the Mesa realm....lend me your wisdom. I'm actually excited at the thought of me or my son owning what I have always considered the amp of amps. (was that enough boot licking....lol). But I do seriously feel that way towards the Mesa even without ever owning one. Total respect for the quality.

 

[sweatyk]

I'm new to the Boogie Board and was referred from another forum I use. I'm not a Boogie owner but are looking at one right now and would like an opinion. It's actually for my son. He's into metal and looking for something other than a Marshall. I've come across a DC-5 for $650. I'm trying to get him to trade for my 4x10 Hot Rod Deville. I've never had the pleasure of playing or for that matter hearing a Boogie in person. Would this be ideal for his needs? It's a combo and I have a ext. cab for stage use. I recently tried to get my hands on a Mark II but he wanted too much for the condition it was in. Please O grand masters of the Mesa realm....lend me your wisdom. I'm actually excited at the thought of me or my son owning what I have always considered the amp of amps. (was that enough boot licking....lol). But I do seriously feel that way towards the Mesa even without ever owning one. Total respect for the quality. :?:

 

[tetsubin]

The DC-5 is a great amp for metal: great lead, heavy rhythm, classic rock, cleans for ballads - it's all in there. But keep in mind that an open-backa 1x12 combo will always lack in some respect for a metal setup. But if you get a good 4x12 (mine's loaded with Eminence Legend V12s) to complement the DC-5 you'll have a real mean metal machine.

 

[Esromeron]

As tetsubin said the DC-5 is a GREAT metal amp. Its actually extremely versatile, and can nail about anything with enough tweaking. I play a lot of older metal, nothing very detuned though (mostly Dream Theater, Racer X, Metallica kind of stuff), and it nails it, while having even more gain on tap if needed. I do use a Maxon OD808 overdrive now to tighten up the amp some, but its definitely not required. If its in good shape I'd say $650 is a great price. By far my favorite amp I've owned over the past 11 years, I'm sure your son will love it!

 

[edward]

At risk of sounding conspiratorial, or that we all drink the same kool aid, I will say that the DC5, my main amp for nearly the last decade, is an extremely versatile amp that covers clean to metal with aplomb. It is a marvelous amp that will do metal very well in its own right; add a cab that has bottom and you'll be in shred or chunk heaven.

Edward