Mesa/Boogie DC-3 Combo

If you judge this amps versatility on the merit of knobs and switches alone, it would be very versatile, but I personally feel that the dirt channel is too muddy and dark and therefore limits this amps applications in a live setting. I use a Lovetone Brownsource pedal to open up the sound and get a bluesy crunch sound and then use the dirt channel as a lead channel. Maybe this is how Mesa wants us to use this amp?
accutronics springreverb, efficient five-band equalizer which is a great feature!!! CHANNEL EQ: Trebble: You have to open it up to atleast 7-8 before things start happening. Bass: This pot is more efficient than the trebble pot. You do not have to open up this pot as much as with the trebble. Midrange: There is not too much happening here. Prescense: Why is this pot included at all? There is no sonic justification for this pot being included at all. MASTER SECTION Output Level/Channel Master pots: GOOD! It is great to separate output level from channel master. Why is this is a feature left out by a lot of manufacturers?! It is an essential feature, especially if you have different sound-engineers who might not be very experiensed. It's usually friends of the band who do the honours in my case. Effects loop: Good! I only throw in a BBE Sonic maximiser in there and it works fine. I use pedals a lot so, which I don't want to keep in the loop. (Lovetone pedals) They sound much better plugged straight into the amps input jack. Slave out: I never Used it but I guess it could be usefull but not for regular giggs down at the booser I don't think. Additional features: A lot more features not listed, that I have not used and can therefore not remember. ****************************************** General Statement of Features: I compare Mesa Boogie products to a Swiss Army knife: Thera are knows and switches in abundance, but some of them seem to have been included without adding any extra functionality of significant value. I give it good marks though because of the good springreverb and the 5 band EQ which works great!

I mainly use a Fender LoneStar Strat (I think it is called that). I alternate a lot between the 2nd, 4th, and humbucker positions. I play in a cover band which cover pretty much all styles of popular music except for extremely heavy music. I mostly use a crunchy open sound which I achieve with the help o my BBE and Brownsouce pedal. Clean Channel: This is a great sound especially with some reverb! I give it a nine out of ten. Dirt Channel: If dirt is what you are after, then this is it. I find the lead channel in this Mesa amp to be too distorted from the outset and I can describe the sound as wearing a woolen sweater at times. The sound is extremely focused but not open enough to my own personal taste. However, I have to say that I find it very warm and inviting. This is where you have to use the 5-band EQ to clean things up. The sound thats missing is the open crunch sound. This really is a two sound amp. Either clean or dirt. No in between sounds available here. *********************************************** Sound Comment: I give it good marks based on the clean channel alone and the warmth of the leadchannel, even if it can sound muddy and too compressed at times. The DC-3 is not going to give you the open character of, say a Marshall or Laney. But thats not why you buy a Mesa amp for now is it?

A-grade workmanship here!!! What can I say! I have gigged this amp regularly for 3 years now, without a flight case and it still looks good and has never failed to deliver. In my dictionary, MesaBoogie means top drawer quality.

I have called the company several times and they really stand behind the product and let the customer feel like he/she is top priority. I specially have to give Tien Lawrence credit. He is really helpful! MesaBoogie made me feel like I am their most important customer and that is the best reception any company can give their customers

Overall Mesa has made a good product in the DC-3, but in Sweden we just end up paying way too much for these amps. The price I mentioned is an approximation of the 12.500 (SEC) I payed for it in early -97. I am now buying an Elmwood amplifier to upgrade in the sound department. However, even if I have bitched and complained about this amp in this review I would never be able to sell it! Its dependability and good sounds has made me appreciate it to no end, despite the drawbacks that I mentioned. I could not sell an old and reliable friend. This amplifier will be kept as a backup just in case something goes wrong with my new gear.

the DC3 is the most versitile amp i have ever tried, one of the best sounding too! Has tones for jazz, blues, rock, fusion, metal, etc. there are two channels, but theres an assignable 5 band EQ, so you can drastically alter the sound. got lots of goodies, like footswitch, external speaker jack, effects loop, slave, etc.

really good sounds outta this sucker, I dial up some cream era clapton, slash, srv (well darn close), petrucci, and definetly HOLDSWORTH! if you like holdsworth, this here is the s**t! 35 watts, but is just as loud as the JCM900 i sold to get this puppy! killer sounds

thing is heavy as a mofo for its size, better be tough

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good

This amp has FEATURES! There are plently of knobs to keep you busy for hours. I play Metal and some clean songs and this amp has it all. It has a footswitch and LOTS of power. It was only a 35 watt but it blew my 120 watt Crate away when it was just set to 3!!!!!

It is the greatest sound I have heard! The distortion is great. The clean is clear and crisp. I play a Les Paul and even with the rhythm on and the tone at its deepest the amp doesn't fail. The ditortion has a wide range on tone. Form Metallica & Megadeth to Korn and some punk. I didn't get to try it at full blast but I'm sure it would hold up.

I only got to try it out in the store, but it was built tough and I have heard that it will stand up to almost anything. ( I heard it can with stand falling off a 6 foot stage at full volume!!!)

As I said unfortunatly I don't own one yet.

I have been playing for a year, and own a peavy and a crate. the peavy is just pure crap, The crate is good but doesn't sound as good on really high volumes. I love the versatility of this amp and I think it is the best I have ever heard, and will probably be the best for a long, long time. (until Mesa/Boogie comes out with a new one!)

It is a 1997 DC-3 With a celestion. I play jazz, rock, dream theater, blues all kinds of stuff. This IS the most versatile amp on the market IF you play a wide variety of stuff. It has 2 channels that are foot switchable plus you can add the famous Boogie EQ to get 4 foot swutchable sounds. I added a over drive so now I have clean, dirty, and STAND BACK. It also has a parallel effcts loop, tubed reverb and it's LIGHT WEIGHT.....well compared to a haft stack or even a 212. I love the clean channel, it chimes. The lead channel comes from their Dual Rectifier and is the best. BUT...it is loud...I mean hurt something type of loud. So it has enough power for anybody out side of a staduim. I do wish this amp had a little more bottom end, but it can be dialed in with the EQ. The sound of this amp is unbelievable. I shoped around a long time anbd felt I got the best amp I could.

The amp is great for anything but the best for rock. The lead channel is alittle hard to rein in but can be controled. The clean channel is really clean but can be pushed with the mids cranked. The distortion is brutal.

No problem.

The speaker broke and Boogie called ME and was very helpfull.

I would recommend this amp to anyone who wants power, tone, versitility and portability in one amp under a grand.

This amp is very versatile. Each channel has its own preamp volume, power amp volume, bass, midrange, treble, presence, and reverb controls. In addition, there is an overall volume control. It has a parallel effects loop, DI, and has channel switching. The newer ones also have built in switching for the standard Mesa/Boogie 5 band EQ. This category would get a higher rating, but like all Mesa/Boogies this amp needs some serious tweeking to get good tones. The controls are all there to do it, but finding the tone is often nonintuitive.

The 'DC' label stands for Dual Calibre. That's a very accurate description of this amp. Each channel is completely independent and has a unique voice. Only the effects loop, 5 band EQ, and overall master volume are shared by the channels, so I'll discuss each channel separately below.
The clean channel on this amp is very good. It can be a bit sterile when going for a straight clean sound. This can be helped with some reverb and chorus. I'm not into ultra clean sounds, so YMMV. This amps strongest sound is edge of distortion IMO. Set the preamp gain to 3-4 and the power amp to 7-9 and adjust both EQ's to taste. The midrange control is unique on this amp. Through '5' it's a standard midrange control. Above '5' it adds distortion/compression to the sound.
The distortion channel on this amp is good for single note leads, but it doesn't do crunchy rhythm work very well. It's simply too high gain for that. Even with the preamp gain turned down low, this channel is too distorted for any rhythm work except for power chords. I set this channel up with the preamp at 2-3 and the poweramp set to match volumes with the clean channel. Keep the midrange down or else everything gets severally compressed.
My major complaint about the sound of this amp is the tonal distance between the two channels. This amps clean channel seems best suited for blues (maybe jazz?), and the lead channel seems aimed at over-the-top metal. This conclussion is supported by the Mesa/Boogie literature. The clean preamp is straight from a Mark IV and the distortion preamp is from the high gain side of the Solo head. On the positive side, both channels do what they're designed to do. The effects loop is excellent at preserving tone. My only other complaint is that the reverb on this amp is weak. I always used off-board reverb.

Typical Mesa/Boogie quality. No complaints here and I had it for a couple of years.

Called them before and they were very helpful.

This amp is designed for someone who only owns one amp and has to cover a lot of ground. For that purpose, it's a good amp. It goes from bedroom to gig volume levels better than any other amp I've owned. I'm lucky enough to own several Marshalls that I like more for tone. They lack features compared to the Mesa and they sound terrible at bedroom levels, but they do what I need at stage volume. I sold the DC-3 because I just didn't play it anymore. If I could have kept it and bought new stuff I would have.

Well I finally found an amp I can give at least one '10' rating to. Tons of features, really like the completely separate channels and the switchable 5 band eq.

Has almost as good a clean channel as my Ampeg Reverberocket, but a much better lead channel. I like the way you can 'push' the rhythm channel with the mid and gain controls. I use 5 different guitars and play styles from light accoustic to blues to metal. Works great for all of them. The only thingt I see as a problem is it's sensitivity to voltage fluctuations. This is bad if you play some very small venues (cafe's and the like)and are already at very low volumes. You can't get it over '2' in the bedroom as it is ETREMELY loud for a 35 watt amp. Put the lead gain on 10, the master on 10(volume adjusted with output knob), treble and bass on 10, mid on 0, and scoop the eq and you're WAY into metal land. This tone blows away my old 100 watt marshall valvestate. It'll put you through the back wall, and the speaker doesn't break up on low E chords.

Hop it's as good as it's reputation.

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I've been playing 20 years and gig 3-4 tmes a month now. Have assorted electrics and an RP-20 that I just love (I don't need it's distortion boost now). I would probably buy it again although it's retail is really high for an ICB amp. Tried fender, marshall, Peavey, Ampeg, Laney, and others and this is the one in my living room. I wish it had a half power switch so I could really get the sound from those tubes. Buy the best you can afford and you won't have to say "I wish I would'a".

The features have already been detailed, however one big plus for the DC-3 is the separate EQ for the clean and lead channels. Most other small combos use a shared EQ, which makes it virtually impossible to to set a good lead and clean tone.

I'm mainly from the Robben Ford-Carlos Santana school: The fat, warm tones of humbuckers, yet also with a clear, "wet" definition to the attack. For this kind of sound, I feel the DC-3 is unmatched in its price range. I tried many different amps, but the DC-3 has that elusive tube "forgiveness," meaning that it never sounds brittle or harsh even on high gain or with the treble/presence boosted. I would describe it as a kind of "liquid," or "wet" quality. NONE of the solid-state amps have this quality.The only reason I'm giving it a 9, is that the clean channel is not really all that clean, but it sounds very good anyway. If your sound depends on a sparkling clean tone, get a Mark IV, etc.

I've only had it for week...but I do have 3 other Boogies, one of which is about 15 years old (Mark IIa). They've never given me any problems other than tube changes.

They've got great support! The only reas

Those posts that complained about the lead channel's high gain apparently don't know their Boogies; it says right in their catalog that the DC-3 has a very high gain channel right out of the Dual Rectifier series. This is for players wanting "Modern High Gain" (like me). For those more into Blues, country, retro, etc., Mesa makes the Blue Angel and Maverick, which have less gain. I tried those amps also, but couldn't get the enough sustain (ala Santana, etc). That's what the DC-3 does very well.

Best bang for the Buck that I've ever encountered! Two channels, EL-84's, 5 band EQ, effects loop, record out jack with speaker mute switch, Celestian 12" Vintage 30 speaker, foot switch, 30 watts RMS

The loudest 30 watt amp that I have ever heard! Very versatile in the tone dept. The rhythm channel has a tonal range from Fender Clean to Boogie Crunch. Controls are the same for both channels: Gain, Treble, Mid, Bass, Presence, Reverb, Master volume. There is also a overall volume control as well, In the rhythm channel the mid control, when turned up past 6, becomes an added gain control, adding a warm melodic Blusey drive to the tone.. Gain at 8, treble at 7, mid at 7, bass at 3, presence at 2, reverb at 4, master at 3 and overall at 3 will "Kick out the jams" with a sound that is both loud and full. The drive channel is a little hot for Blues playing, but super for early Cream, & ZZ Top stuff. It is not a very progressive channel . Kind of hard to find the "right" spot on the dial for the amount of drive. I'm still fooling around with it, the amp is only 6 weeks old The 5 band EQ really sounds great with my 57 Strat Reissue, especially in the clean channel. My best sounding guitar is a Fender Jerry Donahue Tele that has a hot wound Strat neck pickup. Both clean and drive channels really crank with this axe. The hot set up for this combo is the fact that each channel has it's own preamp, thus the name Dual Caliber. The EL-84 power tubes gives that Class A sound that I so loved from the early 60's. The effects loop works great with my Alesis Nanoverb processor and Dunlop Cry Baby Wah. This is the last amp that I will have to ever buy. It is the most versatile piece that I have ever owned. My main rig is the DC3 for Blues Crunch and drive and a 1974 Fender Super Reverb for the clean retro and Blues lines. Mesa has always made a very high quality product over the years and the DC3 is just proof positive of what a fine guitar amp should be.

Based on Mesa's past I'm sure that this amp will hold true.

Can't comment on this one, but the store that I bought it from told me that Mesa is very easy to deal with, and respects the customers concerns

Looked at many different amps before buying the Boogie DC3. This is the last amp that anyone should ever have to buy. The quality of the components and materials used, the superb craftsmanship, and the Versatility of performance, puts the DC3 at the top of the list for "Best Bang for the Buck"

There are lots of submissions regarding this amp, most of which outline the features of this amp in pretty complete detail. 35 watts, two channels,effects loop. EL84s. As a longtime owner of a Mark III, I got this amp as my emergency backup, even though my Mark III has never ever given me any problems. Pending some practice sessions with this amp with the various bands I play with, this amp may take the place of the trusty Mark III. It's far lighter, has more complete control over relative channel volume, and seems to be a bit easier to dial a sound into. It's an incredibly loud amp, and requires a certain volume level to really bring out its character. Masters at about 4 and the output at about 3 start dispelling the low volume fuzziness I encountered. Bedroom levels do NOT do this amp justice at all. Earlier posts indicated that the gain levels aren't gradual enough, but I haven't really encountered this. I play in three bands, with a range from original power pop to blues to classic and southern rock, and the distortion levels sound like they'll do just fine in any of those settings. My PRSs probably help a lot, too.

As noted above, I play a PRS Standard and a CE24, with stock humbuckers. It suits my style pretty completely so far... I tend to integrate my playing into the music as opposed to allowing the music to dictate my style, so there's lots of leeway there. A low noise amp, although it had a microphonic input tube. As per the awesome customers service rep's advice, I swapped one of the other 12AX7s into the input position and solved the problem. The clean channel breaks up very nicely at around 6. I've always had trouble dialing in a bona fide great clean sound on any amp I've ever owned, but the key here was some volume, which allowed me to have a fat, warm clean tone without the clankiness I usually wind up with. The lead channel's distortion may not have as much to spare as the Mark III, but it has plenty of sing to it. I'm sure one could easily dial up a fierce metal tone without much trying at all.

Admittedly, I haven't gigged with it or played it consistantly at work volumes. Previous experience with Mesa, combined with common sense would be my guide here. It was bought as a backup, after all. I've never had reliability problems with Mesa, and I don't expect to start now.

There's a one year warranty here, 6 months on the tubes. Many people have problems with Mesa customer service the difficulty of reaching a live human. I've had few of these problems myself, although once I had to wait 48 hours for a callback. The handling of my tube problem was very quick and friendly, and I was promised a new SPAX7 as soon as Mesa handles a backorder problem with them. For my money these guys are great. But a lowered grade because of understaffing and long callback times.

I've been playing for 25 years now, 10 as a dedicated Mesa guy. For backup equipment I've dabbled in Peavey and Sovtek, but there's no comparison here. I'd have a very difficult trusting anything OTHER than Mesa at this point, so I almost certainly would replace this gear with comparable Mesa stuff if I had to. For customer service, quality, and balls out SOUND I just don't think there's anything out there quite like Mesa.

I demoed it a brought it home that day. I have ok credit I guess. It is a two channel amp with a great tone. But the overdrive seems to be almost too much for most rock. It gets a little old fast. I have to say I returned it after a weekend gig because it just didn't have enough clean headroom. I guess I expected too much.

With all pickups it has a good sound esp humbuckers. It is a fairly clean amp for the high gain. But it is limited, one good clean tone and one fuzzy tone. Effects loop on this seemed noisy because you can't switch the db levels. This is basically a dc5 with el84s, which sound spongey to me.

Mesas don't even compare to most amps, very well laid out and built. I haven't heard many bad things out of them, but they should offer DIRECT deals to us, I mean why should I have to deal with a guy who doesn't give a care about me or my business.

They used to be better but I guess the demand is high. They should get a receptionist that doen't sound like she has to pee and can't talk right now. I did go back with Mesa despite the chick, I got a dc5, had it 3 years now, and, it really grows on ya.