Mesa/Boogie DC-3 Combo

This amp has everything I need. I like simplicity, but I am very into tone. This amp has 2 channels, with completely independent controls, reverb on each, a footswitchable graphic eq, fx loop, jacks for external cabinets, and a vitage celestion speaker. Dual footswitch for channels and eq. Very nice

This category is all that really matters. The clean channel sounds way better than my fender hot rod deluxe, and my stage 100. The contols, along with the eq give you a very versatile pallete of tones. The lead channel is great. Really over the top stuff is what it does best. This has probably the most gain you will find in a 1 12" combo. It is very clear on both channels, and also very tweakable. The graphic eq helps alot, and can really give you a totally differnt sound on each channel. Alost as if it is a 4 channel amp. As someone stated earlier, there is no middle ground. It goes from clean to hi-gain. A little difficult to get a nice mild overdrive. I just throw my Keeley Blues Driver in there, and problem solved. There is not much noise at all. The master volume lets you rock even at bedroom levels. I run this into an old mesa 1 12" closed back cabinet with an electrovoice speaker. This relly gives it that extra thump. I use a Fender fat strat, and a PRS ce22. I have owned many amps from fender, marshall, and from mesa, I have owned the tremoverb combo, and the nomad 100 head, which supposedly replaced the DC line. I like the dc3 better than any amp I have tried.

Mesa stuff is well made. I hope I wont have problems. I didnt with any of their other stuff I owned.

They are very helpful on the phone, especially Tien.

I,ve been playing over 10 years, and have spent thousands on gear. I usually love stuff, then get sick of it, like alot of guitar players. I am keeping this one. For a quality 1 12", it is loud enough, ballsy enough, and light enough for anything. My chain goes like this. guitar-boss tu-2 tuner-Fulltone clyde wah-keeley blues driver. I run a line 6 dealy modeler in the loop. I found this one on ebay for $600. It took awhile to find one, but I am glad I waited. This one is in GREAT condition. I highly recomend this amp to anyone who needs a 2 channel amp with very versatile sounds, in a simple combo form.

You know the drill, 2 channel, 5 band EQ, effects loop, master volume, separte 3 band EQ for each channel and so forth... The same as all them reviewed here.

All it doesn't have is effects, but I don't believe you can buy an amp that has great effects built in.

For what it is (i.e. not a Fender, not a marshall) it sounds amazing. Only a Fender REALLY sounds like a Fender and only a Marshall REALLY sounds like a Marshall, but this thing covers a ton of ground and even comes close to both of these landmarks in amplification.

Using PRS's, Strat's, LesPaul's, Tele's and everything in-between it sounds great. No amazing. It doesn't sound like a Fender amp or a Marshall, it sounds like a very versitile Boogie.

I've been through 5150's, Marshall's, Soldano's, Fender's, other Boogies and a dozen Line6's (there's a reliablity issue!) and I think I've found MY amp after $1000s spent on others.

As with all Boogies there's a lot of tweaking involved to get YOUR sound, but right from the get go it sounds great and can sound amazing if you take the time to tweak. Like all Boogies there's a lot of people out there with "OK" tones cause they don't take the time to tweak.

Clean sounds on channel 1 can go from Sultans of Swing to SRV to Keef and Jimi. Here the reverb really adds a lot, it's not a Fender reverb, but one of the best I've heard on such a small 1x12.

Channel 2 goes from classic rock to the most modern metal and grunge tones. Here I find the reverb sucking tone, but some people can't do without reverb.

The 5 band EQ can be used on either channel and is a great boost, tone tweaker or as a 3rd and 4th channel.

Personally I find myself unpluggging my effects 90% of the time and just using channel 2 and the volume pot on my guitar. The amp just sounds so good on it's own I find effects and reverb only robbing tone, it sounds that great. Clean, dirt, heavy and metal it does it all.

It is one loud mutha! For most applications, including playing infront of 100's I can't turn the amp up past 2 1/2. Any more than that and the soundman wants to kill me.

Is it noisy? Not as noisy as some of the tube amps I've owned and when you see how close those tubes are to the transformer and speaker it's quite amazing.

It's a Boogie! But of course it's a tube amp so keep some spares handy, especially with such volume coming out of a 1x12. Your tubes do a lot of dancing behind that speaker. Let's put it this way, for a tube amp it's a lot more reliable than any Marshall I've owned, even some Valve-states.

A couple years and a couple hundred gigs, most with me and some when I've loaned it out and all that it's needed is new tubes. The thing still looks fairly new, just 1 or 2 dings from falls in parking lots. It's heavy, but that's only because the cabinet is built so good.

When I bougth it used there was no pedal, Boogie rushed one off to me and I recieved it in a few days, can't beat that!

Like I said I think I finally found MY amp.

Everyone I've played with has instantly gone on a search for their own and a few people have found them and are as happy as me. Some of them play in jazz bands, in rock cover bands and metal bands and all have been happy with their own or when they borrow mine.

If I had the cash on hand I'd buy a couple more and hide them away, I think this amp is a hidden gem that is going to become much sought after.

Does a second 1x2 cab add demension, yes, but for a portable 1x12 that covers so many bases it's an amazing value.

Dual Channels are totally independent, and footswitch goes back & forth between them perfectly. add the footswitch for the Graphic Equalizer, and you have a 4-channel amp!

Using humbucker with split coils (yamaha sg700s) sounds beautiful.
Effects loop makes my modulation/delay effects really come alive in the mix.
Love the Lead Channel - the crunch can easily be controlled by the volume knob on your guitar. many people like channel 1 for rhythm - really, what I do is keep it on channel 2 (lead) most of the time, and adjust the tone with guitar knobs...incredibly responsive!
one other thing - as others have stated, this thing is LOUD!!!

no problems with the amp - had it for 3 years with multiple gigs/practices

mesa's customer services is legendary:
when i re-tubed it, mesa shipped the tubes to the wrong address - they figured it out first, called me to let me know, and got the tubes to me quickly.

They don't make these anymore - the new mesa combos in this size just don't have the same vibe. these are great values-grab a used one for under $750 (I paid more).

I think that some of the reviewers here are getting little bit excited and giving this amp a ten for sound. I owned a DC3 for 4 years and gigged it constantly. I have subsequently sold it for a Cornford MK50 stack and an Orange AD15 combo.

The DC3 is a superb amp but ultimately it began to sound very one dimensional to me. To get the best fron this amp you absolutely MUST get a 1x12 Boogie extension cab with an EV driver in it ... your sound will improve 100%. The point is though it didn't seem to matter what guitar I put through it, PRS, Strat etc etc, it always just sounded like a Boogie. If that's what you want, great. But please try some other stuff before you buy.

That said, I loved mine while I owned it (still got the extension cab!) but it isn't the Holy Grail ... it's just a very good, if a little inflexible, working amp.

Addition to earlier review

These folks were incredibly helpful!.. Called and indicated what was wrong with my amp generally and in less than a week, they shipped me the parts. The price was actually low for the parts (EQ inductors were missing... I bought it used and the previous owner had done something to the amp).

It is not working and back to normal thanks to the folks at Mesa. Up in Canada, we are used to lously help from local music stores so it was a real treat to get superb assistance!

A late 90's model DC-3 with a celestion vintage 30. Simple yet all inclusive is the best description. Each channel has 4 rotary EQ's, plus reverb and a 5 band graphic. The foot switch is a really useful addition as you can switch in and out the graphic EQ as well as channels. From the two channels I can get this amp to range in sound from a crystal sounding Fender Twin to a howling Peavey 5150. I can't imagine any amp giving a greater range, with power to spare...

Tube amps can't be beaten for tone or volume per watt. I use a '95 Strat Plus with a Seymore Duncan hot rail in the bridge and an Epiphone Les Paul Custom. I play blues, rock and some modern POP (only the good stuff). To cover the full range of tones I use an Ibanez TS9 and a Boss CH-1 chorus. Without doubt this amp can deliver any sound you want at volumes you can't believe possible from a 35 watt combo.

Only had the amp a few months but who ever owned it before me cared for it like a vintage car. It is in absolute mint condition. I intend to take the same good care of it. I don't expect any troubles. Mesa have a great reputation and you don't get that from making duff gear.

When you need them they're there...don't have any worries on that score.

This amp came before the Nomad 45 which has been a problem amp for Mesa (too many gadgets on it). The new F30 is the replacement but it's too early to tell if it's as good as the DC-3.
I've been playing for 20 years and never hear a better sounding amp. Some as good...but none better. I always wanted to own one and now I wish I'd spent the money 19 years ago!
If you're prepared to buy a good guitar (Fender, Gibson, PRS etc.) do yourself a favor and get an amp that will do it justice.
I've owned Fenders, Marshalls and Peaveys...they're all GOOD but the Mesa is GREAT!!!

I bought this amp used so I haven't found out the manufacture date yet. I have played everything from the Allman Bros Band, through Van Halen on this amp. Extremely versatile. This is a dual channel amp, footswitchable from rythm to lead channel. Has effects loop and you can control the mix of effects from the amp, slave, extra speaker inputs 4 ohms and 8 ohms. This is an all tube amp, 4 el84's for power and 6 12ax7's in the preamp. 35 watts, loud enough for what I need, the Mesa Dyna-Watt thing freakin cranks. Has a five channel eq, dual controls for treble, mid, bass, presence, reverb, gain and one master.

I have a 78 Custom Les Paul, a 90 Ibanez RG 760, two Raven RP350's one with Dragon II pickups and one with Ibanez V7 and V8 pickups. All wail through this amp. My style is Classic Rock, Bluesy rock, Hair band rock, shred meister rock. This amp hanndles all of these very well.
Amp can be very noisy, but it's tubes, thats what give you the screaming power. Sounds range from a diesel train to the smattering of rain against a window. Anything you want you other words. As far as the clean channel, I don't play clean that often, I have no use for Fender amps. This has all the clean I infrequently need. The distortion is perfect. I have heard other people here claim that the distortion is so brutal it's unuseable. To them I say practice your technique, and learn proper muting. I freaking love the distortion on this amp. I use the clean channel for a totally different crunch and overdrive than the lead channell, but it's still distortion nonetheless. Of course you can get pristine clean if thats your bag.

Bring extra fuse and tubes if you don't have a backup, it's a tube amp. Tube blew up once. Other than that the tubes have been fine. I change 'em often though. The chassis rattles a little bit. Crank it up and you can't hear it anymore, but I'm going to have find out why some day.

I have been playing for 30 years. I also own a Gallien-Krueger 250 ML 100 watt solid state combo. If it were stolen I might look for a 2X12 mesa amp. Or I might buy this one again If I could find one. I am going to have to buy a 1X12 speaker cab for this. There are a few amp companies out there that make fine amps, my brother swears by Fender, I sold mine to avoid have to plug in all those effects. This amp I might use a wah pedal and that's it.

The features are already coverd by everybody.
I play experimental rock on a band...writing new stuff everytime.
It has quite everything i need...it's a very cool amp...35 very impressive watts of pure tube sounds.
I only wish it had a footswich for his nice reverb...and this is one of the reasons i dont use reverb much....except in studio situations...i guess it's built this way maybe because u have one reverb dial for each channel right?...cool?

This amp is perfect for me...it's a very sensitive amp but once you get your settings ....u can trust him ...i feel it fits every playing style from jazz to metal...very versatile and very musical.
My band includes two guitar player..me..and another guy who ones a JCM900 stack...we've been playing live and this amp cuts just as good...cause it's impressively loud for is size...
i'm using a PRS style guitar made in France...and one old but very gooood souding strat copy from ibanez..

I only have this amp now...bought it 6 years ago..and only needed to change tubes...

Just needed some info about tubes and they answerd me very very fast...i believe that if i need them to help out on a major problem...they would help me out.

I have 15 years of guitar playing and this amp helped me out a lot...it can be sweet as a baby and rugh as a beast...
it's very portable and that's realy important for jams or gigs...when u need to carry him yourself...but its still a heavy son of a b###.
I only wish it had 2 speakers for thickness( like those 30watts vox combos) ...and maybe 50 watts just for confort .
In the future i will buy a box with those 2x12" speakers on... and use this amp as a head....maybe! :)

The amp was made on 1997 and came with a footswitch and a slipcover. It could do with another footswitch for the EQ and the reverb to be honest. It has two channels but given that the EQ can be independently assigned to both channels or to neither it is effectively a four channel amp. There is an FX loop which seems very sensitive; there's no headphone jack but this is no bedroom toy. There is a mute switch. It's powered by 4X EL84's and five 12 AX's. The Boogie tubes are crap; I've replaced them with NOS MUllards and they sound great. The reverb is only average and I prefer to use an old copycat anyway; that or a decent digital delay. (Boss DD5)

I use an American Standard Tele and a Strat; single coils sound fine but a HB really does growl some! I play Classic Rock and this amp has what it takes. It is incredibly loud for 35 watts! The Boogie Dyno-Power thing really puts it out. However as with ALL Boogies you have to hunt for the best sounds and they exist where you would least expect them to be. Trust your ears and look for subtle settings; unlike Marshalls for example you will not be able to max everything and get a great sound. It will stink! There is loads of sustain in the lead channel but it can be a little "in your face" at higher settings. The rhythmn channel breaks up early to give a good Stonsie keef Richards crunch but there is a clean sound in there. The bespoke Black Shadow speaker is very, very, dark. I replaced it with a Celetion Vintage 30 which is brighter and single notes carry much better through the mix. It really does make a hell of a difference so I would recommend this. Do some DC3's come with V 30's fitted!
The distortion is very, very brutal so be sublte with your settings and ther are some great sounds in there. I use mine with a Boogie 1X12" extension cab with a 200 watt EV. This seems to move plenty of air and the amp sounds like a killer stack!

never ever let me down.

never dealt with them.

An excellent amp for the rocker in us all!

Bought it used... See features in other posts.

Use a strat and a LP and play mostly rock. Clean can get quite crunchy with the mids set high and sounds very good. The clean clean sound is better than the Marshall TSL I had. Distortion is what I love as it is very liquid and sustained! I had a TSL122 and hated the distortion. No sustain, very buzzy (hey, it was 100 watts and I could not use 1/10th of the power). I hate the marshall TSL sound.

I had Peavy's, Marshalls, Fenders, Line 6, Rivera and lost a bundle trading them in for other amps. I had a Boogie Nomad and traded it in for the TSL and regretted it within a few days. For me, the DC3 is the perfect blend of power and tone. Does it sound like anybody? Yes, ME! I chuckle when folks say they sound like (pick a person). I can pick up a guitar and amp and sound like me! Anyway, if you like smooth distortion with tons of sustain, this is a great amp. It sounds like a Boogie, very different from a Marshall and Fender.

Too new to tell

I've dealt with Mesa in the past and have no concerns.

It's perfect for my style. I traded my TSL straight across and probably lost a few hundred in the deal. The Marshall was not usable and I did not like the sound as it was too one dimentional. Had GAS and that's been cured by my wife.....