New member with DC-3 questions

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bobpick68

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Glad to be here. I have read through the entire sub community here and didn't really find an answer to my questions. I am a new DC-3 head owner (not sure of the year) and I am having a bit of a hard time getting it to play nice in 4 cable method with my Helix. I did find some comments that running my effects in the Helix at 100% wet and dialing back the fx loop knob will help but I am still not quite happy with the results. The amp sounds much different even when nothing is engaged in the Helix. Almost like a blanket over the amp type thing.

I love this amp straight up by itself but would really love to use it with my Helix. Any tips or pointers someone can provide? Would doing the serial fx loop mod help this?

Thanks in advance.
 
The parallel loops in Mesa amps can be a bit touchy. If you turn the mix pot on FX loop up to full that is bascially the same as doing the serial mod (I think technically it goes up 90% wet when fully turned). You can then set your FX unit mix lower instead. Give it a try and see how you like it. I'm not sure what is going on with your Helix in bypass but you might want to look into that too and see if you can change the impedence/level of the device and see if sounds better even if you retain the suggested setting for the FX loop from the Mesa manual.

For what it's worth, I did the serial mod on my Mesa Rocket 44 and put it on a push pull so I could have serial or parallel but I just went back to a parallel loop and learned to live with the beast as it is. The more you turn up the amp the more you have to back off the FX loop level.

There is a good chance that the FX loop in the DC is a cathode follower type. There is info here about that might apply:
https://forum.grailtone.com/viewtopic.php?t=59672
 
One thing about these amps is that the jacks can build up some corrosion, mostly the ones you don't use. Sounds like snake oil but: take an old 1/4 inch cable, soak the jack with detoxit. plug, spin and unplug in each jack socket, wipe off the jack and re do it until the jack comes out clean. move on to the next one. I know it seems silly, but this will absolutely fix/tune up a DC.
 

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