Mesa/Boogie DC-5 Combo

Two channel 50 watt all-valve combo with four-band rotary EQ and five-band graphic EQ, 12" speaker, parallel effects loop, slave out with volume control, headphone out, recording out, footswitchable reverb, channels and graphic. Channel one is nominally clean, but has a powerful mid-range rotary which doubles as a drive boost above 4 or so and also a pull boost designed for bluesy break-up rhythm and lead. I like to play jazz and fusion, so in theory more than enough features.

The dirty channel is the amp's main attraction and the thing Boogie are renowned for. I loved it in the shop, but it lacks the smoothness of the drive on my Boogie 22+. It's good for heavy rock, but not much else. Despite the graphic, which should in theory cater for most tastes, I find I like the drive channel best with an external 1.25kHz boost from my Boss GX-700 processor. It's the only way I can get a warm, smooth overdrive with from the amp. The rest is metal and grunge. As for the clean channel, it is weak and characterless. I want to get a warm, responsive, live sound from it to match that on my Roland JC-77 or the Fender Twin emulation on the GX-700 (incidentally a brilliant unit), but again, despite the four rotary tones, the gain/master tonal possibilities and the graphic, I just can't get to it. I might get to it with more external EQ, but this seems to be a long way round the problem. Maybe a Fender Twin is the answer, and that's what I'll try next. As it is, I rarely enjoy playing this thing. The thickness of the drive channel (minus my 1.25kHz boost) and the lifelessness of the clean channel seem to make the guitar feel like hard work. Perhaps a Twin with a GX-700 will do the trick.

No problems whatsoever.

Very helpful with email and fax responses, but I don't think they be too happy if I asked them how to make the DC-5 sound like a Fender.

This amp's main market is probably the metal/thrash fraternity. I need a better clean sound and probably a lighter, more responsive, 'British' overdrive.

Already listed in previous reviews. Mine was modified by the previous owner (a certified Mesa tech) with a new grid voltage resistor which he made variable to accomodate different power tubes. He also replaced the 6l6's with 34LS's.

I bought this amp used from a tube-head who went to all Groove Tubes with 34LS's replacing the 6L6's (with a modified pot to adjust the grid voltage. This not only gives the amp the awesome lead channel, but I feel it may also have fixed some of the lack of headroom in the clean settings on the rhythym channel. This amp has the most awesome sound around.

Silly question, it's a Mesa, i.e. no problems.

Not had to call.

No because this thing will last forever. You get what you pay for. I got it barely used for $850.00, a chunk of change but this thing is worth it.

I won't go into this as it is available from previous reviews, but this amp is very versatile (it's not a Mark IV, but then what is?).

This amp has a great lead tone. The distortion can go from a crunchy brown tone to an absolutely saturated distortion from hell. All of which of course have great Boogie sound. Unfortunately, the clean channel isn't quite as fantastic. It lacks headroom and bottom end, and has been described as kind of "dead, stale, or dull" (another reviewer called it "squashed", which seems accurate). When I bought the amp, I was so lusty for that distortion that I didn't notice the somewhat lifeless clear. Don't get me wrong, the clean tone is still very useable, and is better than many amps I have owned, but I expected more from a Boogie of this price with such a cool high gain channel.

It's a Boogie, so I can only assume it's bombproof. I use it without a backup because I trust it (actually I don't have a backup, so I have no choice!).

I have had a couple of interactions with them, and they've been superb.

I would love to buy this amp again if someone could give me some advice on getting a bit better clean tone (if anyone who may read this has any ideas PLEASE E-MAIL ME!). Mesa makes a great amp, and it's probably overbuilt ten times over. If only the clean were a bit brighter, more dynamic, or something, I'd be in orgasmic heaven.

I bought this amp to replace a stolen .50 calibre that I had become extremely happy with. The amp has two channels, all tube, with 6 preamp tubes in it. The two channels sound COMPLETELY different. According to MESA, the clean channel is voiced like a Mark IV, and the OD channel is voiced like a Dual Rectifier. This amp is loaded with features: the EQ is switchable on either, or both, channels, a "Speaker Off" switch for headphone practicing, DI out, etc. One of my favorite features about this amp is the three volume controls: the preamp/gain, the individual channel volume, and the overall "Output" volume. That means you can play with these three volumes and achieve different amounts of gain vs. power tube compression: extremebly versatile. This, for now, is my main (read only) amp--so it goes to every gig and practice that I do....This is the LOUDEST 50 watts I've heard. It blows out most of the bands I play with, and considering how much the tones can change between low and high volume on a tube amp, the excessive volume is sometimes frustrating (probably should've gone with the DC-3). I play mainly blues influenced rock/soul stuff, so the I don't look for a lot of features. In fact, this amp probably has more than I need, but I heard it was the next generation .50 cal, so I had to have it.

The first thing I noticed about the amp is the individual note definition: you can hear EVERY NOTE you play (so play the right ones!!). However, I've had a lot of trouble dialing in the right overdrive tone for me; there seems to be an offending low mid-range frequency that I just can't dial out no matter how I adjust the EQ section. I prefer using amp distortion, but I've had to look for pedals to give me the overdrive tone I want (by the way, the clean channel sounds very nice: bright, with a lot of head room--depending on how you set the gain, of course). The distortion gets incredibly massive, but I never use that much. I use this amp with an American Standard Strat and a Les Paul Standard, but I pretty much have to re-tweak the amp when I switch guitars. Overall, the amp is relatively quiet.

My amp was broken when I bought it, actually, but it was fixed, and I haven't had any problems since, and don't anticipate any. Would I used it without a backup? Sure, but I don't have $$ for a backup either.

I've not had to deal with Mesa, and I'm not sure how long the warranty is, but the place where I bought my amp is an authorized service center, and took care of me very well.

Overall, I think Mesa/Boogie has done a decent job of providing a feature-laden amp. However, for my purposes, I probably would NOT buy it again--maybe a different Boogie, but not this one. I bought a Fender Hot Rod Deville before this amp, but wanted that tight, in-your-face Boogie tone, so I went with this. I also prefer 50-watt amps, so I chose this over the DC-3. Due to the extreme volume, however, and the problem with the OD tone, I think I would shop a little further.

This is a 50 watt combo with 1x12 Meas speaker. It has 2 6l6gc tubes in the power section and 6 12ax7s in the preamp. It has 2 channels seperate eq for both and seperate reverb settings for both and a shared graphic eq which does a great job at shaping tone. The clean channel has the standard bass, mid ,treble dials with one cool exception, the mid works as a gain dial past its #2 setting. The clean also has a pull-boost knob. The lead channel has the standard bass, mid, treble dials. Channels are footswitchable. I use this amp in clubs and have found it to be loud enough even if not miked.

I play in a cover band playing rock and this amp does everything I need just fine. Everything from clean to soft blusey distortion to high gain lead with plenty of clarity between notes. I have found this amp does not have much headroom on the clean channel and when the clean channel is pushed the sound gets kind of squashed. Maybe this is because it is an open back, I am not sure. The lead channel sounds great at all settings, from a good crunch to high gain without any noticable hum. I have used both a Strat with gold lace sensors and my current PRS with dragon pickups and the amp sounds great. I would say it is pretty hard to get a bad tone just a little difficult to keep the pristine clean sound.

I have used this as my only amp in at least 30 gigs and have had no problems at all. I have owned it for almost a year and am very pleased with the durability so far.

I have talked about different issues with this company, not problems with my amp, and they always seem glad to spend time with me.

I would probably buy this again. I wish it had more headroom but it is only 50 watts.

The amp features 2 footswitchable channels (rhythm/lead) with independent pre-amp tubes and controls, two 6L6GC in the power section, and a 12" 90W Celestion speaker. With its graphic EQ, pull boost(rhythm channel)and powerful midrange control it's possible to achieve any sound from dark, mellow jazz to classic boogie lead. Additional features are parallel effects loop, slave out, reverb and D.I. out (with speaker mute). The amp is VERY loud with huge clean headroom. With output master set to 4 it cuts well through a very powerfull horn section even in larger venues.

I play jazz/blues related stuff in a big band context. The DC5 delivers a great clean jazz tone and really amazing light crunch/blues sounds, which is all I need. It's very easy to create dozens of slightly overdriven sounds with the pull boost and the mids control in the rhythm channel. The clean settings work well even at low volumes (don't use in your livingroom - you'll blow out the windows). The lead channels sounds best at low gain settings while really pushing the power tubes (LOUD!). There are usefull high-gain settings also from sweet to death-metal. The lonely 12" Celestion creates more punch than I've ever heard in a medium size combo.

With proper use this amp will last a lifetime. I never had any problems. I'm used to play it live without a backup.

Never dealt with them.

I'm used to keep my rig small and simple (and easy to carry around without hiring a truck). Since I own this one it is my live set-up.