Mesa/Boogie DC-10

Not sure when it was made, i think sometime in the 90's.
All I gotta say is this thing is the most versitile amp I have ever played. It's a 2 channel tube amp. The lead channel can crank out some sweet gain, the clean, I would put it up there with some of the best fender amps. Seriously. Every feature rules! Mesa Rules! I use it for everything, recording, giging and rehearsing. The 100w setting is almost too loud for all of those.

I play an Epi LP, Gibson LP Studio, and an Epi Dot. (Just ordered a Hagstrom Swede, can't wait to see how it sounds thru this beast!). There are sooo many options with this thing. The EQ on it rules. You can do so much with it, I haven't even explored all the options. I originally was looking at a Dual Rectifier, then I found this baby. Never looking back. This might just be my amp for life.

The only modification I am going to do is switch out the 6l6's for some mesa EL34's (better for a hard rock sound, so I hear).

I have only had it for a little less than a year, no problems thus far! I'm going to give it a 10, because the last guy who owned it said he never had a problem, especially after owning it for 5+ years.

Haven't had to deal with them, however I hear they are awesome!

I have been playing for 15 or so years, played thru numerous Marshalls, Fenders, etc. Mesa is hands down the best, in my opinion. If I ever lost this thing, I would cry. Seriously. As you can tell from the previous reviews (which is why I got this thing in the first place), this thing is amazing. If you ever find one, do yourself a BIG favor and invest. You will not be dissapointed.

2 channels EQ sep treb bass and mid......all the features are listed by others.........GREAT VERSITILE AMP!

I have a LES PAUL and a Fender strat.....both sound excellent on this amp. Crystal clean and dirty crunch. Not as much drive as the recto's but I dont want tnat anyway! Muddy ass dirty mistake coverin sound isn't me. No noise what so ever. This amp will foot the bill in any application! I play anything from Merle Haggard to Jimi hendrix and more and I have no problen getting the sound that I need.

This is my fav section because I have a story to tell!
My house burned down in 2004 this amp and my favorite strat were in there......the guitar got torched but luckily the amp survived.....I DONT KNOW HOW!...... But anyway ...I had to build a new speaker cab and head cab...because the thing was a combo and weighed in at just under 95 lbs.....after all that I bought another les paul and noticed that the sound would fade in and out.....I thought it was the tubes so 180 bucks later and the new tubes installed it still did the same thing. So here we go takin the damned thing apart checkin it with the fluke and couldnt find anything wrong......In the pissed off drunken state i was in I proceded to shot put it off of my back deck into the yard....wasnt satisfied and bodyslammed it on the patio.....thats the end of that......so I borrowed another head from a friend....MARSHALL AND IT SUCKED.....and had the same noise problem.! what the F%^&!!! I thought damned guitar is F$*& up. Sure enough it was the brand new les paul that had the problem! Guess I'M SOL.....so I got the amp out of the trash can put the old tubes back in crunk that SOB UP and Jammed for 4 hours. I have now been playing on this amp every day for at least 2.5 hours a day since january 2005 and the damned thing hasnt given me a single problem yet!!!!!!!! WHAT A F*#@$ GREAT AMP

Havent needed It!!!!

I would not trade this amp for anything. As a matter of fact I am planning on buying another as soon as I get the cash! I have been playing for 20 years and have had some great amps and have played some awesome ones but this one is great. Best suited for anything other than death metal and that new grungy soundin crap!

2 channel
100/60 watt
!!!TUBES!!!
5 band EQ(my favorite feature)
reverb(i disconneted it)
recording out(actually sounds really good)
gain,treble,mid,bass,presence,reverb,and master controls for each of the 2channels, 1 level control for both. 2x12" combo w/celestion black shadows. It was supposed to come w/ a footswitch but mine didn't. I'll give it a 9 just cuz of its weight..

I use a couple of different guitars with this amp(epi 67 V, hamer explorer, electra 1970's tele)all stock except the electra. I play in a band that actively plays shows, we're pretty heavy(ala pre-chaos sepultura).Our other guitarist uses the 'el diablo 100' and I believe this can more than compete. This IS the amp I was looking for....the heavyness(and versitility)is here, i considered a triple rec but the 5-band EQ and sound sold me(plus everyone has a triple,right?). Theres plenty of tones you can acheive with this amp, but i pretty much keep mine on the 'lead+EQ' setting. THe only noise i've encountered has been feedback but thats from my stock pups..
rating; a 10 for me, this is what I wanted.

since i've had it i haven't even lugged around my back-up(a sovtek mig100h), kinda foolish...i know. its been great so far.

n/a

well i've been playing a while now, alittle more than 8 years, my other amps are; sovtek mig100-H, sovtek mig50-H, and a laney ProTube lead 100..If stolen i'd be extremely pissed then i'd find another or two..This thing has the sound i looked for and wanted, my only complaint(s) is its weight(oh and that leather handle on top..side handles would be way better). Before i bought this i looked at a JCM 900, a Triple Rect, and a mark 3..the JCM wasn't enough and i dont like pedals..the triple is over rated in my eyes, and the mark3 almost won, but then i found the DC-10.

NO IDEA WHAT YEAR MY DC-10 IS AND NO INFO ON THE MESA SITE.
THIS AMP IS THE MOST VIRSITAL I'VE EVER SEEN. THAT'S WHY IF YOU LOOK AT THE ARTIST PART OF BOOGIES SITE YOU SEE SO MANY DIFFERENT STYLES. WHO USE THIS AWESOME PRODUCT.

I USE A 1976 LES PAUL CUSTOM WITH DOUBLE HUMBUCKERS AND A CUSTOM MADE STRAT MY FRIEND BUILT WITH ALL PARTS BOUGHT ON E-BAY IT ALSO HAS 1 DOUBLE HUMMER IN THE BACK. THE CLEAN IS SUPER CLEAN WITH THE STRAT THE DC-10 IS RICH WITH TONE AND VIRTUALLY NO UNCALLED FOR SQAULS.

AS LONG AS IT HAS A GOOD SET OF MESA TUBES NO TROUBLES NO NOISE.

THOSE GUYS CALLED ME AT HOME TO DISCUSS WHAT I WANTED DONE.

I'VE BEEN PLAYING GUITAR FOR ABOUT 28 YRS AND TRIED ALL KINDS OF AMPS PLAYING MOSTLY SOUTHERN ROCK AND BLUES I NEEDED AN AMP THAT COULD PUNCH AND GET SUPER CLEAN. WHEN MY FELLOW GUITARIST FOUND THE DC-10 AT A PAWN SHOP. HE WAS NOT GOING TO SELL IT AT FIRST BUT WE WE TEAMED UP WITH HIS MESA MARK 3 AND THE DC-10 THE ALLMAN BROTHERS CAME OUT IN US!I'D WIG PRETTY HARD IF SOMETHING HAPPENED TO IT. IT DID BLOW OUT ON ME ONCE IN THE 4YRS I'VE HAD IT. SENT IT TO MESABOOGIE FACTORY AND THEY MADE IT NEW AGAIN FOR ABOUT $250.00

mostly already covered here. 2 completely separate channels, plus one graphic eq to be used with both or just the lead. INCREDIBLY versatile amp. can comfortably dial out most sounds you can think of. Petrucci Mark IV lead. Santana tones. Blues / Jazz warm clean tones. Sparkling cleans. Old school AC/DC rock. Metallica thrash tones. Death Metal brutalness.

ummm, FX loop, 100w / 60w switch, and built like a tank.

did not have a solo boost, so i had to buy a SD pickup booster and put it into the FX loop and problem solved. 9 'coz of this.

not noisy at all. sounds great at even VERY quiet levels. clean channel stays warm and clean. best boogie clean sounds ever...

incredibly variety of sounds. thus my music style taht sits somewhere between neoclassical, death metal, progressive rock, jazz and bluesy sounding rock is catered for very very well!

i use the amp with Ibanez RG570 and RG7621, Washburn CP2003 (and soon EC29!) and a custom made beast i made myself. needless to say, i can get a pretty wide range of sounds =)

i tried about 7 amps costing over ?1000, and this one beat them all on versatility. furthermore, everything it does do sounds GREAT! unlike 'versatile' marshalls with rubbish clean channels.

well, the amp survived the previous owner who took it round Europe on countless tours. i think it'll outlive me too.. =)

boogie are great. with amps they make currently.

they have precious little about DC-10 on their site, and havent been that bothered when i tried to ask them about its history. BUT the amp works, and sounds great, so thats not an issue.

not like there's any warrantee with them on the amp now anyway! lol

been playing about 4 years. i own a bunch of guitars stated above, all modified by scalloping, adjusting pickups, electronics, etc etc.

my setup is pretty simple, modified Crybaby Wah into the amp, which has Boss DD-2 delay and SD Pickup booster in FX loops. sounds sweet. still the best amp i've played. EVER. beats anything Peavey, Marshall and even new line mesa recto's. not sure how it'd compare to boutique amps, but hell, i cant afford those yet.

i have it set up with one clean channel, this is kinda like a Vox-ish warm clean. then the overdrive channel is sort of satriani / petrucci lead tone. then with the EQ i get the heaviest thrash death metal tone (arch enemy sound here, i think) that STILL sounds awesome for leads. now i have a solo boost... so i really cant complain.

distortion is really rich and cuts through. lots of definition. a clean channel is CLEAN like it should be, though can be easily made to OD with the push/pull gain switch. sounds great even at low levels.

what can i say, my dream amp. if you find one... buy it! you will not regret it.

i probably paid too much for mine, but considering it was still cheaper than anything else (e.g. Peavey JSX) i still think i got a great bargain.

cheers to the best boogie ever. =)

This amp has lots of features, the graphic eq just compliments the two channels, anyone who has seriously played through these amps should know that it has so much balls, ive played at large venues and this will keep up with anything. i only wish the amp has an extra channel and it wasnt so heavy! but the click on wheels are great, so much in such a small package.

ive had a couple of tube amps, 2 marshalls, a fender twin reverb and a sovtek. i found with them you ended up using pedals to increase the quality of sound, not with the mesa. i can honestly say the clean and distortion sounds shit all over marshalls, fender and sovtek.
the clean channel kicks arse, its bright, is twangy in a good way and full, and i find no matter how far i turn it up, even gigging, the clean stays faithful and actually clean, try turning a marshall clean up louder then 5, it shits itself and turns into a $40 fuzz box pedal, not cool! and the fender! it sounded good at lower levels, first gig i had it at, all that could be heard is sloppy muddy poo coming from that amp, didnt cut through the mix. the mesa does.
The lead channel is a world of its own, anything from old school rock to any new heavy band today, its not very hard to dial up and i think anyone who cant get a great sound just cant play, this channel is great for solos and has awesome sustain, i cant find pretty much everything i want on here, its that good. while i find marshalls tend to sound like they have the treb set on about 1000, ear peircing tone. i find with the mesa you can get what you want, its really good espically if you are in a covers band or play lots of styles. if your the type of guitarist that loves playing guitar but sometimes gets sidetracked youll find an amp like this gives you reason and motivation to play all the time.

owned it for about 5 yrs, constant gigs and using the original valves. had beer spills and been dropped a few times, no cracks, the only thing that broke is the power switch and that is easy fixed, i dont carry a backup amp cause i dont belive i need one, a friend has a dc-10 head and box since new and the same thing, never failed.

i love in australia and there is one dealer about 4 hours drive away. so its a pain in the ass to do anything with mesa, no one sells them, hardly no one owns one but ive found the store that does sell them is so helpful, everything answered and is very helpful, if on the chance anything did go wrong id be sure they could help straight away.

If your after an amp that is versitile and youll love, buy it, it has everything, sound, balls and looks (the blue light just does it). every amp is different buy ive played 3 dc-10s and all are very very similar and played like a dream. id get another mesa anyday. its a great gigging amp and bedroom amp, only problems is youll want to crank it at home and its so loud and touchy. Definently one of if not my favourite amp

Just sold a newer 3 channel dual recto for this thing. Lots of features reverb is great I love playing around in surf style once in awhile and it adds a little depth to the clean. Wish the pull boost was a third channel(footswitchable) but oh well. EQ is an awesome bonus and a headphone out is also not seen very often on 100 watt amps very nice. Coming from a recto it would of been nice if this amp had 6l6 or eL34 switch and actual tube rectification but again not a biggy.

Play schecter c-1 elite works great thru this amp. The amp is way more dynamic compared to the recto, and still has the ability to pound some pavement when needed. I found with the rectifier I still needed an external eq for super metal chunk, yet the dc has one build in which rocks. So far this is the best mesa head Ive owned, Ive had a dc-5, rectoverb 50, and the 3 channel recto. I enjoyed the musical sound of the dc-5 and that why I sold my recto and went back to the dc series. The 100 watts just makes it sweeter more bass and headroom. Oh yeah all my amps have pushed the same mesa 4x12/ v30's so the contrast between amps is on a level playin field.The clean channel on the dc-10 is hands down the best since my twin reverb days and in ways better (more flexible than the twin was). The dc-5 I had was great but broke up to quickly when playing loud and just didnt have quite enough bottom end for the 4x12 (my band plays loud, not treble loud but thick loud lots of lower mids and bass) The recto was to dam sterile in the clean channel and the 2nd and third channels were pretty much identical..so whats the point. ALthough I did enjoy all the modes the recto had it was just missing that older mark series liquidy tone, just to brash and sterile, plus no reverb. oh and overall the rectoverb I had sucked ass. (yes I always try a variety of tubes and play around for countless hours before making an opnion so dont give me shit plz.(it is my opinion after all)

Its mesa. I have had four of there amps over the past six years no problems ever not even tube problems, shit I had a marshall jcm2000 that smoked power tubes every six months or so...

I have dealt with them a few times, just dumb questions, they rock, I live about 3 hours away and the dude Mike even invited me down to get a factory tour and mess around with some of there amps (we got along pretty good)Anyhow when I bought my brand new dual recto head I called before hand and talked to him about how it sucks ass that I would have to drive 4 hours one way just to spend 1600 bucks and drive back, no problem he said, we'll ship one up to you via zone music (right up the street from the factory... That says enough...

My fingers are tired if you have read this far then you get the gist of my review. Highly recomended, not a one trick pony, Dont steal it from me I own guns and enjoy them...Oh yeah its fuckin heavy so look out, I may try some of those new century light weight celestions, shave a few pounds off her. Enjoy

1997/1998 Mesa Boogie DC-10 2x12 combo, switchable between 60 and 100 watts,graphic EQ, clean & dirty channels, standby switch, footswitch, effects loop, speaker outs, 2 12 in. Mesa/Celestion black shadow speakers, as with any 100 watt tube amp... LOUD!

I use this amp with a PRS CE24, Gibson Les Paul Custom, and G&L strat. I play mostly rock/hard rock/metal/blues/ punk & funk styles. It's a very quiet amp, which is nice. Some tube amps hum a lot, but not this one. The DC-10 is so versatile that it will cover just about any musical style. Its got lots of gain for metal heads, yet it cleans up nicely for more blues & jazz minded players. This is as close to a DO IT ALL amp that I've ever played. It really makes the tonal characteristics of your guitars shine. There's lots of clean headroom, and the distortion can be brutal or smooth, so prepare to shake the walls and annoy the nieghbors.

I bought this amp brand new at the end of 1997 / beginning of 1998. It's been 100% reliable and solid the entire time. It's played a few gigs, and has taken many a ride in the back seat of my car(yes it will fit!)...not to mention the countless hours of practice. I can't say enough nice things about this amp. It's heavy weighing in at around 90 something lbs. but I'd rather have high quality and heavy over light junk any day.

Boogie has great customer service, unlike some other amp manufacturers that are too big to care . Boogie stands behind what they sell.

I've been playing guitar for about 12 years now. I own various guitars, a bass, and a DW drum set. If my DC-10 was lost or stolen, I'd try my hardest to find another one, but the DC series is no longer made. If I had to get a new amp, I'd go with Mesa Boogie because 1. The amps they make sound great 2. They're solid/reliable 3. good customer service = BIG brownie points for me. When I spend my hard earned cash on an amp or guitar, I expect A LOT. I won't put up with loose wires, bad tubes, or poor workmanship. Life is too short for such annoyances...I'd rather just plug in and rock. This amp has allowed me to play my heart out for the last 7 or 8 years. The DC-10's tone is the same as the model #, a 10 all the way. I got this amp when I was in high school. It was a big step up in tone from my lifeless Crate 1/2 stack. I had to save up my cash for a long time to get it, but it was worth it. If you happen to stumble upon a DC-10 somewhere, don't hesitate to plug in and give it a test drive. You won't be dissappointed.

This amp is supposedly one of the first ones made, serial # 000078- 1996? This amp is the most versatile hig-gain amp I have ever owned. I play Heavy Rock and some Blues and Jazz and this amp handles all of my styles with ease. 2 channel amp, blah, blah. This amp does not have a 100/60 watt switch like the later DC-10's have and It is fine because it sounds great at low volumes so I cannot see the need for the switch , personally.I gave it a 9 for features because the "Pull boost" switch on the clean channel is cool, but you loose some tonal control over treble, mids and bass when using this feature.

I am playing a 2001 Les Paul Classic with stock ceramic pickups, 1997 Fender Strat Plus with gold lace sensors and a Carvin DC-127 wit m-22 Carvin pickups and they all sound terrific through this amp. This amp suits my music styles perfectly. The distortion is brutal...c'mon it is a Mesa Boogie, the distortion is awesome!!!Clean channel is perfect.

Never had any problems, only had this amp for a week. Always gig with a backup, you never know what could happen.

I called Mesa the day I bought this amp to find out everything I could about it and the person I spoke with was helpful and very knowledgable about the amp.I left a message for them to call me back and they did within 30 minutes!

AWESOME!

I have been playing for almost 20 years and I have yet to find a better sounding amp. I have owned the following; Marshall JCM 800, JCM 900, JMP 2203. Carvin X-60, X-100, Legacy. Peavey 5150,classic 50.
Laney pro tube. After playing all of these amps for years,Mesa Boogie sounds the best to me. I can get Jazz, Blues and Metal sounds out of this amp and none of the amps listed above have been able to accomplish this task as well as Mesa Boogie has.There is no comparison when it comes to the tone and thick powerful distortion this amp produces and the clean channel is nice and warm sounding, the warmest I have ever heard.

This is an extremely versatile amp. Two separate, COMPLETELY independent channels (unlike "other" two channel amps that share EQ and reverb). Each channel w/ gain, treble, mid, bass, presence, reverb, and volume controls. Separate Master volume, 100/60 Watt switch, FX loop, one 16 ohm jack, two 8 ohm jacks, and two 4 ohm jacks for speaker cabs. The highlight of this amp is the on-board 5-band EQ (which is footswitchable). This EQ gives you total tonal control. Most tone seeking guitarists end up buying EQ pedals or rackmount EQ's - there may be only 5-bands on board, but it is all you will ever need - they are very responsive. I only knocked one point off because I wish the "pull boost" on the clean channel was footswitchable, because it is a fabulous tone that would be wonderful to access quickly. Also, the footswitch only has a 10 ft cable (what's up with that - guitarists need space away from their amp on stage!).

Yes! Yes! Yes! Tonal heaven, almost orgasmic! I primarily play an American Double Fat Strat (Duncan Pearly Gates Plus in bridge and '59 in the neck), but also use a Les Paul Studio with 2 Duncan Alnico II Pro's and a PRS Custom 24 w/ stock p/u's. My typical rig is as follows: Fender Double Fat Strat>Dunlop 535Q Crybaby>Boss TU-2 Tuner>Boss CE-2 Chorus>Dunlop MXR Micro Amp (clean boost)>DC-10. In addition to driving the on board 2X12 Black Shadows, I also drive a Mesa 2X12 Rectifier Cab w/ Vintage 30's. Everthing I plug into this thing sounds phenomenal. Tonally, I like to keep one foot in the past and one foot in the future, and that's the best way to describe this amp. Classic, almost (dare I say) Marshall JCM-800, Silver Jubilee type warm distortion tones are there as well as almost Mesa Rectifier-ish overdrive. This amp has a lot of natural warm mids, even at low mid settings, which i love, and which rectifiers lack. However, w/ the on-board EQ, you can suck them out if you'd like. (One note, MIDS ARE A GUITARISTS FRIEND!!! All you new jacks that think SUCKING mids makes you a metal god are WRONG!!! If you want to be heard in the mix, give your mids a little boost - your tone will shine - unless, of course, YOU suck and really don't WANT to be heard). Anyway, this amp can do it all. My band covers everything from the Doors, to Skynard, to Pearl Jam, to Alice in Chains, to Creed, to metallica, to Disturbed, and I can do it all with this amp without using any crappy tone-sucking distortion pedals. This distortion is very heavy and smooth - not fuzzy or ear-bleedingly tinny sounding at all. Very quiet amp - virtually no noise that you don't want to hear. Oh yeah, the clean channel is the best I've heard short of a Fender Twin. And it can get VERY LOUD, although it also sounds good at reasonable levels. Lastly, DO NOT overlook the "pull boost" on the clean channel. With that gain knob pulled and set at 10, I can get some of the nastiest vintage blues sounds I've ever heard. Bottom Line: the absolute best sounding amp I've ever played and/or owned. My quest for MY amp has ended.

I gig weekly without a back-up (knock on wood). It has not let me down in 6 months (knock on wood). It is built like a Mesa - nuff said. However, i refuse to give it a rating out of fear of JINXING myself.

Have never needed them (knock on wood). I have spoken w/ them about tube replacements for a trem-o-verb, and they were very helpful.

I've been playing for roughly 15 years. I have owned the following amps: Peavey Butcher (very under-rated amp), Peavey Ultra-Tube (ehh-OK), Marshall JCM900 Dual Reverb (gettin' there - but still OK), Line 6 Flextone II (sounds great direct, live is shit - it AINT the real thang), Mesa Trem-O-Verb Dual Rectifier (very cool - still not there), Marshall 100W SLP Plexi Re-issue (vintage tone one trick pony, but awesome at that), and the DC-10 (BINGO!!!). It's pretty much everything I want in an amp. It is a true PLAYERS amp. It ain't gonna hide your bad playing or technique. Yes, you can hear all the notes clear as a bell. A lot of "clean" distortion. if you want to hide behind a wall of FX and over-distortion, this ain't gonna do it. But if you want to stand out and get an amp that flat out kicks major ass, this is the one. One more note, I hate to beat a dead horse, but I go into these guitar stores and keep finding these "players" who think ultra-distortion pedals with all bass and highs with no mids is the secret to sounding heavy. It's NOT!!! Listen to Zakk Wylde, Kerry King, James Hetfield, Jerry Cantrell, Tom Morello - Get a good guitar, a good amp, and most importantly learn to play!!! You'd be amazed how much of sounding heavy is all in your right picking hand and palm.

My DC was from the last year they made them, 1998. I'm sure you know the features already, there is a ton of stuff to use on this amp but it is laid out in an easily accessible manner. I've played some amps that can be extremely confusing. This one has lots of great features, and they all are useful: no junk or mystery knobs. 100 watts, 2x12 Celestion 90 Black shadow speakers, 6 12ax7 preamp tubes, 4 (2 matched pair) 6L6 tubes. BTW: Use the mesa boogie tubes in the power amp. They are already biased at the factory. If yours sounds like crap probably you don't have great power amp tubes, or they are replaced with something other then MESA. MESA/Boogie tubes and amps are computer matched for each other. Now in the preamp you can put in anything, it doesn't need to be biased. But of course high quality is better. Also has 60/100 watt switch which i find very useful. 2 channel, pull boost on the clean, very nice graphic eq, master volume, etc. Mine also has custom installed side handles and casters which significantly help with the weight issues! (85 lbs!)

I use the amp with a Les Paul Classic, it has the ceramic humbuckers in it. I have been impressed with the clean channel. MESA/Boogie circuits were originally derived from fenders, hence the 6L6's. I don't know whether this amp has retained any of that lineage or not, but the clean sounds are very good. They get much better if you use the graphic eq on it, but since i play live i usually save the graphic for the distortion channel. Pulling out the boost can get you a beautiful blues tone! Don't let anyone tell you this is only a metal amp! You can get a suprising number of tones out of it. I think the only tone i haven't been able to nail (yet!) is the Vox Ac-30 Top Boost overdrive sound. Still working on it though! Then for the distortion channel i have it set so that it has a beautiful classic high gain sound without the graphic eq, then when i punch the eq in it scoops it out for a modern drive sound. In effect this sounds like 3 channels. 3 very good channels. The distortion on this amp is excellent, somewhere between the mark series and the recto series. I would say you can make it sound like either... but it definately has a sound all its own. I think without the graphic eq though it has a little too much midrange. This may annoy you in your practice room but live it really cuts through and sounds great in a band. The one problem I have is that if the bass is up past five and the graphic eq is v'd with the bass all the way up and the volume is up a bit, it really flaps out the low end, and I think it makes the tubes rattle which causes wierd noises. Granted this is really an extreme setting and I think it would go away with a 4x12 cab. Thats just the nature of a big loud combo. I'll take off a point for this cause its annoying.

has been pretty good, although i've blown a couple of preamp tubes, more then i would have expected. Anyway i guess thats just a tube amp. Built like a tank though.

haven't used it yet.

I've been playing marshalls, but I switched to MESA. They are much more versatile, you can pull just about any sound out of one, whereas a marshall only makes marshall sounds. MESA also has a better sound for leads in my opinion. If you don't believe me listen to John Petrucci from dream theater. The only amp I would rather have would be the MESA/Boogie Tremoverb, but i haven't really tried one, they just sound nice from other people i've heard with them. This amp is a real gem, and is cheaper then many of the new MESA's. Pick one up! Highly recommended!

My amp is a Mesa Boogie DC-10 2x12 combo, purchased in 1996/97. It has 2 Mesa 90 watt Celestion speakers, and is affectionatly known as the blue light special because of the blue colored jewel light that is illuminated when the power is on. In terms of features available for an amplifier, the DC10 2x12 combo is very well equipped although I personally don't use them all. Features like silent recording out, headphone jack (why would you ever want to use this?), multiple speaker ohm out jacks, effects loop with mix control to vary the amount of effects utilized with the natural sound of the amp, direct recording output and this is just the back of the amp. On the front side; there are numerous combinations of sound shaping and control. No matter what style you are into this amp will do it and do it well. For over 20 years I have played guitar and experimented with different amps, the DC 10 by far is the most versatile. Many amps are versatile but they tend to be more "gimmicky" than useable in the real world. Some of the features I rarely, if ever, have used. Like the silent recording or the power output toggle switch on the front; this allows you to selct either 60 or 100 watt output. A very cool feature but I personally have never used it for anything other than experimenting. 100 watts works for me...For a 2 channel amp with graphic eq it is very versatile and packed with usable features, I do wish that this was produced as a 3 channel amp with the third being a lead channel, like the currently produced Mesa Nomad by Mesa Boogie.

Sound...This is why I own this amp and still use after almost 7 years. When I first heard this amp I was in Pontiac, MI and had just finished playing a marshall 1/2 stack, and a couple of misc. Mesa amps. Then it happened, I plugged onto the DC-10 and I was blown away! The drummer I was with actually stopped turned his head and jaw dropped, I actually think I was having heart palpitations! After about 15 years or so of playing guitar I had found the one. I have played several different guitars through this amp and all have sounded excellent. Currently I am playing a PRS MCCarty, using Lexicon effects, and run the amp into an old Mesa Full back 4x12 cab. All I can say is this sounds like General Patton coming over the hill... I currently play in a progessive hard rock band and utilize sounds from very heavy to very clean. This amp does both extremely well. I notice theat the controls are very useable , meaning; that you should use small adjustments when turning knobs, they are very sensitive and have a wide user range. My only beef is the low end can get a little sloppy when playing through the 90 watt celestions, you have to really watch the eq curve and the bass level, listen to the sound not what # the bass or treble is set at. The bass defintitely tightens up with contolling the settings and when I run through the 4x12 cabinet.

Let's face it no matter what amp you own, at some point you will have to do the maintenance and repairs, if necessary. That's the way the real world operates. I have changed the tubes several times, and repaired the cable that connects the speakers to the output jack located on the back of the amp, twice. Overall this amp is built like a tank, and almost as heavy :-). I have used the amp in playing numerous gigs and has NOT failed me once. It is my only amp, I do have a Preamp processor as a my "B" rig but have never had to use it live. After almost 7 years the DC-10 is still going strong and I have had never had any adverse problems other than routine maintenance and repairs.

Mesa customer support is top notch, I have called to pick their brains more than once and they have always been friendly, polite, helpful, and professional. I have really appreciated them over the years.

I have been playing over 20 years now and have owned many different types of guitars, effects, and amps. In my quest for an amp that had that "sound" I was looking for, I tried and used many different kinds; Fender, Marshall, Laney, Etc. The Mesa Boggie DC-10 has become part of my sound and part of me in a way. If this were stolen I would have to hunt this individual down and dis-embowel them with my bare hands, just kidding big brother. I would try to find another one(used, they don't make this model any longer)or would seriously consider either the triaxsis pre amp and Mesa Simul 2:90 amp or the Nomad 100 watt head. If you have found a DC-10 amp and are considering buying it and as with any purchase, check it out thoroughly and make sure it hasn't had the crap beat out of it. If you have found a DC-10 in Good to excellent condition BUY IT! No matter what style your into; from country to bone shaking metal, this amp will be a faithful comapnion to you and your musical signature.

As MESA amps are hand made and they cost something outrageous you definitely get what you pay for. It's 100 watts of balls-out tube power. You could easily run 4 - 4x12 cab's off of this thing with the volume under 5 and deafen the entire neighborhood.

I primarily use a Gibson Les Paul for my sound. When you combine this guitar with any MESA amp you will enter "tonal bliss". NOTHING will compare and I'm talking any style of music. I practice with the master volume on 2 and I come close to drowning everyone out . My music is emo/metal/alternative style so I need to have a range from bluesy clean tone to all out grind. I tried it out against a dual rec when I got it, this one by far destroys the Dual Rec.

All MESA amps are built like tanks. I had an old MESA 4x12 cab one time with the BIG steel grill on the front, this thing took a tumble down a whole flight of stairs and still proceeded to deafen half the universe . I've never had a reliability issue with MESA head's or cabinet's I've ever owned and I've owned a few!!!

I called mesa one time about replacement tubes when I had a 50 caliber plus. They were extremely helpful and were willing to sit with me for as long as I needed to talk.

I can't stress enough that you get what you pay for.
I've been playing guitar for about 8 years now. I've owned pretty much every type of guitar, amp, and effect there is. When it comes down to it you just can't go wrong with a Gibson pumping through any MESA setup. It's like a match made in heaven one of my friend's told me. Some of you know what I'm talking about and some of you will learn soon enough!!!!!

This is probably the most versitle head out there. It has three independent channels that can produce a wide variety of sounds. Each channel has its own master, bass, treble, mid, presence, reverb, and gain. It has 4 6l6's and a whopping 6 12ax7's. Also has a slave out for external power amps and a fx loop, and a 60 or 100 watt power option.

Ok, this category is a little shady. When i first bought this amp I swear nothing could touch it, not even a rectifier could even come remotley close producing the thick and heavy sound that the dc could. I really thought that I would probably never have to buy another amp again. After having it for about 8 months I started to get alot of problems with it. The sound quality totally turned to shit and I even had it repaired a couple of times and that still didnt fix the problem. I must have changed the tubes on this thing at least 8 times over a 1 and a half year period. I really dont know what was happening but to say the least my amp turned to a piece of crap. My clean sound became very thin and the distortion channel could probably be challenged by a tubescreamer. I gave it a seven because when it was sounding the way it was supposed to, it is by far the best head out there, but be warned, it may not be like that for long. I never wound up getting it fixed and eventually sold it. Now i am playing a tri-axis and a simul 2:90, damn, and i thought the dc sounded good!

Piece of shit, bottom line. Had it seviced numerous times and still couldnt fix it.

Never dealt with mesa. My band gigs very often and I dont have the time to send it to them. I have no back up and most of the problems they could of helped me with i already had checked out.

Its a gamble to play this amp. Mesa did discontinue this series and the problems that i just explained could be the reason why. Like i said earlier, when this thing is on there is no head out there that even comes close to this thing, i dont care what you play. I play extremely heavy music and this thing was more than enough to satisfy my likings.....BUT, its a piece of shit and will give you tons of problems especially if you plan on buing it used (which you would have to). Too much of a risk. Save up for the tri-axis, its probably the only thing on the market that I have heard that blows away the dc.

This amp has two channels, clean/rhythm and lead. Both channels have
the same controls: Preamp gain, treble, mid, bass, presence, reverb,
and master. The rhythm channel has a pull boost on the rhythm. In
addition, there is a master assignable 5-band graphic EQ and a master
volume control, a 100/60 watt power switch. It's gone 4 speaker outs
an effects loop, heaphone out, slave out, and a switch on the back
to assign the graphic EQ.

I bought this amp used and I've had it for only a few days. I've never played with Mesa Boogie before, only Marshall, Fender, Carvin,
and Peavey. One thing I loved about my marshalls, is the master volume controls, this amp has them which is what drew me in. I wanted
that real live pushed amp sound but I wanted it to be full, like a fender. I think I found what I am looking for. First of all this amp
has more power than any amp I've ever played. (It is also heavier!) So there is plenty of clean headroom. To get a pushed sound you have
to have both masters on the clean channel at least past 5. It increases as you turn both up. With them both on channel, you have a
pretty distorted tone. You have to keep the Master master volume low though. The Treble is very sensitive, I usually keep it at 5 or 6. Past 6 it gets noisy. The mid is powerful as hell, I turn up just to
the point I can tell a difference and stop. The bass is flabby all of
the way up but sounds great up to about five. The presence adds sparkle without noise even all of the way up, the graphic eq sounds
best in a V-shape and it is not noisy at all.(A great feature) In sum,
I get all of the clean/pushed sounds I want from the channel and,
I believe is suited for all styles, seeing that it brings out the tone
of your guitar very well without coloring it with "brand name" textures.(Marshall, Fender) The pull boost feature is nice, it adds
a rhythm crunch to the clean. One thing though, with it pulled, for
some reason the bass and mid knob seem to not do anything at all. My
guess, because I don't think it's broken, is that since it almost doubles the preamp gain, I think it masks out the active juice the
tone controls can provide. The treble alightly changes the sound but
I think this is because it's first in the chain and very powerful.
The good thing here is that there is no tonal loss and the graphic eq
works great in relation to the pull boost mode.
Than lead channel has a very think and creamy tone when maxed with a
slight crunch to it. It think it's very usable for leads and less
usable for rhythm distorted parts. You get better crunch from a Marshall. But all in all, I think the range you get from the lead channel is more versital than other lead channels of other manufacturers. My boss blues driver sounds great through the clean channel by the way, and I use a tech21 gt2 pedal for my crunch sounds
which sounds best in this amps clean channel than my Carvin MTS3200,
Marshall JCM 900, and my Fender Twin Reverb reissue. These are all
great amps but the all have very distinctive tonal colorings.
I haven't used the recording outs, nor the headphone out, nor the effects loop, so nothing to say here. By the way, the celestions sound great, not as good as vintage 30's but celestion none the less.
I give this amp a rating of ten because I think it deserves it, although I want to take a point off because of the pull/boost tone
control problem, but I want, because it really isn't a problem.
I recommend this amp to anyone who wants a loud amp, with always a
new tone waiting to be dialed in just around the corner.

Within the first hour the output crapped out and came back in. Sounded like a tube problem. I put new Mesa Boogie 6l6's in and
Groove Tube 12AX7R's. Since then I have had no problems and it has
also sounded amazingly better. One of the power amp tubes had a loose
base and I noticed corrosion in the area between the plastic and the
glass, in fact it was crumbly, like the adhesive was dry and coming
apart, I think this tube was the culprit, but you never know. I always go ahead and replace all the tubes to avoid "missing the problem" If I have any other problems I'll post a backup reveiw.

Haven't dealt with Mesa Boogie yet.

I think I've already covered everything here. The one thing I can
say is that I've tasting the Mesa Boogie tone, I think I can never
turn back. I'll always buy used though because they are too damned
expensive new.

OK, This is a two years after followup. After the original problems this amp has been dragged up and down stairs, rolled around in the back of my truck, stuffed in snowbanks while loading up, and has worked 100% flawlessly through it all. Kudos to Mesa Engineerng.

After a couple of years, I MAY have this beast figured out. I play mostly blues and "American Music" and this amp has got the chops for it. But- forget everything you know about Fender amps.I never run my gains past 2 1/2 on either channel. Its a real tweaker. You need to be able to think of the sound you want in your head,and then reproduce it with he amp.Its not built in like a Marshall or Fender. With the others you may tweak the sound a little, but you still get the trademark sound. With the DC-10, you start with a blank piece of paper and go from there. Its more akin to using an effects processor than a tube amp. To get a sound, set EVERTHING to "0" Slowly adjust each control individually until you hear what you want - THEN STOP! Write your settings down before you go in for the final adjustments. These coarse adjusments are great for a starting place if you go to a different hall.The gains are for compression and sustain, the channel outputs are for overdrive and warmth, and the main is for "bark". Then there's the whole EQ thing! I'ver heard people say it sounds like a Boogie no matter what, but I beleive these folks just don't have the courage to run the gains so low, I can attest to this because I had the same problem. When set with low gains and mids (sometimes "0") the amp takes on a beautiful sponginess, which allows you a dynamic range I've not found in any other amp. This means the nuances you play are transmitted to the listener. Thats a good thing.
The lead channel can be prone to "honk" but carefull tweaking of the tones and EQ will remove this. Additionally, I read comments that the DC-5 is too loud. Hmmm... at 50 watts more this amp doesn't have that problem. Very intersting

takes a lickin', keeps on tickin'

Still the best anywhere.

I'd consider a DC-5 since the beast is so heavy, but it would be missed.

I believe that it is a 1997 model, it is loaded with features, 100 Watt All Tube 2x12 combo, daul channel with EQ that is assignable to lead or both channels which makes it possible of having 4 tones available at once. The footswitch is really simple a channel select and a EQ button. It is a great recording amp with direct out for a mixer and a headphone out. This amp is loud! The clean channel has a pull boost feature that drives the clean channel to a great crunch channel. Very versitile amp I play mostly blues , and rock/metal and this thing can do it all,and well.

I own a Roadhouse Strat, A tele with sd pickups, a PRS McCarty, And a Jackson Dinky(also with seymours). I play all of the guitars through this amp and they all sound great! Very quiet at least at apartment levels(havnt really cranked it yet). I can get any sound I can think of out of this amp,sparkling fenderesque clean, Bluesy mid gain, and high gain sounds comparable to the Rectos. Have yet to really drive it so i will only give it an 8 but I love it......

I always go out with a backup and the amp has yet to give me any trouble, I would say that it is very reliable because the man I bought it from played on it steadily for 2 years or so and never had a problem from it. I will know more over time.

I have called them and recieved a reply the same day both times....thats more than I can say for other companies. Never had a problem with it.

Been playing for about 8 years and have owned many amps but I consider this my first "real" amp. I would try to find another if it were stolen, they dont make the DC series anymore but you can still find em'. I wanted the 50 watt DC5 but I got such a great deal on this one I had to get this. Besides, to much power is not a bad thing. I love this amp!!!

This post is a follow-up to my original. One of my original gripes was it didn't have channel indicator LEDs. Turns out dealer had given me the wrong footswitch. Got the right one and it does have channel and EQ indicators.

Still sounds great.

In my original post I rated this (rightfully) very low. Since then MESA's outstanding tech support has pretty much sorted things out. May I humbly suggest that MESA Engineering is an outstanding company to do business with. Haven't had any problems since a bad power tube for past two months. Amp gets moved around and gets a 7 hour workout every weekend. Yeah, I'll take it out now. Rating will stay kindof low for now because of past history.

I wish everything I bought was backed up by such excellent support

Two channels. Graphic EQ. Any feature you could ever want. The DC has the MARK IV rythym channel and the Rectifyer lead channel. Pretty good pedigree!
The EQ switches in and out so its like having 4 channels in one amp. Power is insane for a combo. Would probably be just as hood if they left the second pair of 6L6's off and ran it at 60 watts.
The reverb is outstanding. My only complaint is that there's no channel or EQ indicator lights so you really have to keep track of things onstage. Its too easy to push in the EQ while your just channel switching. LOVE the detachable castors. Should be a law requiring wheels on all amps over 20 pounds.

Strat+ delux with 3 gold Sensors, Explorer with 496R/500T humbuckers. I can make it sound like a Fender twin, a Marshall , you name it. If it had a tremelo I could probably make it sound like a my old Silvertone!
What great tone. Nicest, you can get really good tone at studio volume levels.
I rarely ever run the masters past 3 and the output past 2-1/2. For best results- set every control to "5" and go from there. back out the midrange until the tone is clean enough and go. If the room is big push up the treble. Run the EQ in a "modified Vee", with the middle to "0" and the high and low end up all the way.
The speakers are too high wattage to get any help from them. You need to get all the dirt from the amp itself. Sounds mucho better when connected to a trusty old Ampeg 4x12 cabinet

Unfortunatley, this amp has been a real pain in the ass. Hasn't worked 100% since the day I bought it (new). Bad tubes from the factory. And lots of them. This amp has 6 12ax7's and 4 6L6s, so when it comes time to troubleshoot, you better have all day. The preamp tubes are a real pain to get to. A real pain! You need to flip down a cover and you can still only see the ends of them.
I wouldn't dream of taking this amp out without a backup. No way. It just isn't reliable enough. Hey, I know you'll flame me, but this amp just doesn't hold up to everyday playing. Boogie or not, its not a reliable amp. Not to say all Boogies are bad- we know better- just this particular one. I've got a feeling this amp sat in the music store too long, and got beat on by kids. But I will say the service dept at Boogie is doing everything it can to keep me happy. Good people.

Well, here it gets lots better. These guys actually care. For all the problems I can say this: They answered the phone and they helped. They have sent me replacement parts at no cost, and even listened too the amp over the phone! Class organization. They know the problems I'm having and seem really concerned. I'm sure we'll work things out and this amp will be with me for a long time. Still, its kind of frustrating to plop down cash for an amp and not have it work.

Been playing- heck I can't remember- since disco! I've had problems but other Boogie owners haven't, guess I'm just the lucky guy. I'm eyeing a Heartbreaker with crododile and wicker. I compared a lot of amps and you just can't get the versatility AND tone of this amp in a combo anywhere.
I truly believe in the folks at Boogie. As soon as we get this amp debugged I'll update my overall rating to a 10.