Mesa/Boogie DC-5 Combo

Features have been pretty well covered elsewhere here. I will say that, in theory, the minimalistic controls seem like a good thing. The less stuff in the signal chain, the purer the signal, right?

I primarily play a Jimmie Vaughan Fender Stratocaster. I also have a "Frankenstein" Squier Tele. I have a Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound in the bridge, and a Rio Grande in the neck position. Both guitars have been professionally set up, and they sound great.

Now on to the amp...

The clean sounds shimmer. Really, it's not hard to put together a glassy, beautiful clean sound. Not particularly Fender-y, but good nevertheless.

The distorted sounds though... THIS is a "refined" distortion? Yeah, there are a ton of sounds in there, but in each distorted sound has this very square fuzziness that really muddies things up. It's maddening. It's not so noticeable when playing chords, but when soloing -look out! It's this sort of bleating, burping, unbelievably buzzy and fuzzy distortion. This is not pleasing at all. To make sure I wasn't losing my mind (or my tubes), played a pair of F-30s at two different guitar shops. Nope. I made the mistake of buying this amp based mostly on reputation, and that was a mistake.

It's also nearly useless for woodshedding purposes (okay, that's my fault for buying too big of an amp). There's about 1/32 of an inch in which all "bedroom" volumes can be found. Don't slip, or your sleeping kids will be awakened rudely.

AND, by the way, with any distortion at all there was no way to coax that great "woody" Strat sound out of the neck position. How crazy is that? I played a late 60s Deluxe Reverb for years, and I guess that amp spoiled me. It was full of SR Vaughan tones. The DC-5 is not. I took this sonofagun in and traded it for a Fender Cyber Deluxe. Yes, you read right. It's got a million more bells and whistles than I need, but if you set it for one of the old tweed or blackface models, buddy, you're in business. I dare anyone in a blind test to tell difference between that amp and a tube amp.

Sounds are subjective, though, and I don't claim to have great ears. All I can say is to choose very carefully when looking at this amp. Don't do like me and try it quickly in a Guitar Center full of wanking 12-year-olds. I could not hear a thing, and I paid dearly for it. Get this amp into a side room with a guitar like yours. If clean sounds are your bag, this may be your amp. But if you think you're going to get great distortion tones, I personally think this amp is the most overrated tank on the planet.

Had it about 48 hours. Couldn't comment. Weighed about 530 pounds I think. Perhaps all the guts are made of lead.

N/A

I've been playing about 20 years. I'm a rootsy guy, likely to play blues, zydeco, old country, and the occasional noisy punk rock. I would not own another of these amps on a bet.

The DC-5 has just about all the features anyone could want for either live or studio work. The simple layout belies its capabilities and every control actually has an effect on the sound - which is more than can be said for many other amps I've used over the years. It's certainly loud enough for any application and, frankly, if you need nore volume than this you should be miking up the backline.

My only gripe, like many others, is that the boost on channel one is not foot-switchable. Now here's a plea to Mesa Engineering - why not publish a circuit modification diagram that facilitates this requirement? After all, the amp is not in production anymore so you wont lose out. That apart, it would have been a 10.

I use a Strat with Van Zandt pickups, a standard Telecaster and a Dick Knight handbuilt 335 replica. Each guitar sound completely different but individually brilliant through this amp. However, I believe that the DC-5 needs an experienced player to get the best out of it. At the risk of repeating what others have said, you benefit enormously from taking some time to set up the EQ. The fact that it's very sensitive to change is, in my opinion, a distinct bonus but if you seek instant gratification you will be in for a disappointment. The dynamics and response are just brilliant and, once you've sorted the tone, it's a joy to play through.

I play jazz, country, blues and rock so the amp has to work for its living but it's never failed to deliver. I can only award maximum marks in this section

Apart from one, isolated fuse failure the reliability has been 100%. I gig without a backup apart from stuffing my POD into the bag. However, that is a fallback for any member of the band (drummer excepted, although some may say it would be a viable alternative!)and not specifically for me.

I've never used customer support from Mesa so I can't offer any opinion. However the amp was bought unseen, over the phone from Charlie Chandler's shop in Kew, London and delivered to me on approval. It was in pristine condition, exactly as described and the service I received from them was exemplary.

I've been playing since the sixties and, in my time, have owned an example of every significant UK manufactured amplifier and quite a few from the USA. On single, "nailed" sounds, Marshall, Fender and Vox perhaps have the edge but nothing comes near the DC-5 for versatility, adaptability and sheer "balls".

This is my first Boogie and I would have no hesitation in replacing it with another. My only regret is that I didn't turn on to these amps sooner. Now the cynics out there may be thinking that this review is too good to be true and that I have some connection with Mesa. Absolutely not the case. If the amp has been poor I would have said so but it deserves the accolades in spades.

However, I will end on a note of caution. In a mass produced environment not all examples are equal. I know of people who have had less rewarding experiences with Boogies than I have, so be careful out there.

Features already covered . . . and had some of the same issues about touchy tone tweaking. Got around most of them by learning how to really make use of the excellent post preamp EQ. Now just a quick adjustment on the sliders (if necessary) handle guitar changes and music styles.

To make this amp into a gigging monster it should be, I had the holy grail mod done - pull rhythm knob is now foot switchable and we placed a pre and post gain pot for the rhythm boost. It is now a three channel amp.

With this mod in place, the sound is tremendous. I can dial in strong clean channel settings, adjust the new pots for killer crunch rhythm sounds and volume boost, and then get the lead channel set for ideal lead sound. I use the EQ footswitch function to further shape each channel sound for more pronunced upper mid and high frequency range with a tighter bass. Wow. Six sounds all useable and satisfying. With a blues driver in front, it kicks everything up a notch for another set of sounds.

Also replaced the stock speaker with a Mesa EV.I wanted the rich harmonic tones from the amp to come through. Also play with a Marshal 1936 or 1960 underneath to get the full range of closed cab speaker distortion tones. It's a 10 now with these mods.

As said before, it is built like a tank. Only problem ever had was at an outside show when the portable generator decided to surge and blew both the DC5 fuse and the little MOV. So . . .no boogie. At the time also A/B'd into a Peavey Classic 30 so that was the main amp for the gig. Every other amp took the surge with out any problems. No complaints though, Mesa mailed out a supply of MOV's to me with a higher rating.

Otherwise, it delivers at every show and I continue to get compliments about the tone.

Outstanding customer support since 1988

I've owned Mesa's since 1988. Also play/record with a Fender Pro Reverb, Hot Rod DeVille, Sound City HD150, Peavey Revolution, Classic 30, DanElectro, etc.

The DC5 does it all right now for gigging. It got heavier though with the EV.

As mentioned in other reviews, this amp has distinct tone shaping capabilities from the preamp EQ tone knobs, and the post preamp slider EQ. It takes time to work them out and get sounds down.

This amp has plenty features. Complaint is that the knobs are overly sensitive. Every little tweak changes your sound too much. When you are playing live and need a slightly different tone for your next song, forget the good sound you had in your last song. In bedroom situation you can take your time to change the settings of the knobs, but in live situations: Good luck! You will not feel comfortable with this amp in your backup. Reverb switch did not work well.

I'm using a gibson lp special with P90's. When settings are optimal the clean sound at best is a neutral. However in not studio / bedroom situatons it's abit too weak for me. Rating between a 4 and 7.
The lead sound can be very good as for all settings rating between 6 and 9. Versatility in direction of crunch is not satisfying to me. Rating 5. Dynamics. This amp has very smooth dynamics in the distorted range which suit my playing style very well. You can very well play heavey melodic lines under a voice. Rating 8.

Apart from reverb switch (I don't use much of it) it worked all right.

I bought my amp used. Reverb switch did not work well from the start. It took monts to hear that they could not get it right. Probably the importer (Never had complaints about the shop where I bought it).

I' ve been playing since 1980 and I' ve been playing on echolette 50 w tube, yamaha 50w transistor, marshall jmc 800 50 w, crate stereo 60 w (yek)laney tube vc 100 an vc 50w (very good), this boogie most I hate the sensitivity of the knobs.I loved the lead sound. Now I have both in the peavey classic 50 w 4 x 10, combined with v-twin for lead.

Lots of feature already discussed here. All of them are useful. Tons of good, clean headroom (don't have any idea what others are complaining about with this), and plenty loud, really!!! My only gripe, albeit a small one, is that the "Boost" circuit in the Rhythm Channel should be footswitchable.

I've got a Strat with Bartolini single coils and play "generic" rock and pop (from Christian to radio play rock, no metal nor country) and the DC5 simply sounds outstanding!
Seriously versatile. Like others here, actually I took THEIR advice: read the manual (truly useful) and live with the amp for a while; tweak it judiciously, and PLAY! Mesa's knobs just can't be tweaked like other amps...you have to know "what" the eq really is designed to do; once the Mesa rationale is understood, it's easy and intuitive to dial it in exactly to your liking. I've learned that Mesa's tone shaping is all about subtlty, but patience and understanding really pay off with great tone.
The clean channel is really warm and chimey: shimmery, bell-like tone and focused bottom end MAKES me want to play clean more often that I normally would. Lots have compared it to Fender's clean...I wouldn't know, except that this DC5's clean just sparkles, even when LOUD! Great bluesy crunch "breaks up" just right, and is sooo controllable and versatile. The notes stay defined and distinct, and it "cleans up" well with a twist of the guitar's volume knob while still retaining its warm, tonal character: truly nice! Though I don't play jazz, round, jazzy chords and licks are equally impressive. Distortion is smooth, liquidy, warm, and most of all REAL! Nothing "sterile" about it (forget about all other overdrive/distortion processors). It ooozes "soul" with defined, focused notes that sustain to your liking. Take care not to dial in too much bass as it will sound flubby; add bottom on the graphic (which is after the preamp) and the low end stays tight. I'd give it a 10, but then I haven't tried any of the really esoteric "boutique" amps (at prices I can't touch, so what's the point).

No problems so far, and I don't anticipate any. My 2-yr old stuffed coins in the graphic EQ which prompted me to open it up: it's seriously well constructed from good electronic components to neat/uniform wiring to a heavy steel chassis.

Yeah, go ahead and try to get a hold of ANY technical support from Fender, Roland, or any mainstream company. Even if you do get a human being, their "technical" advice is far from technical, let alone helpful. Then there's Boogie: I got friendly, knowledgable help/advice when I was asking them a hundred questions even BEFORE I bought the DC5 (trying to figure out which amp best suited me). Then I had tube questions, noise questions, cabinet questions, even design/theory questions. I really believe that these guys love their jobs and the gear they make and enjoy just talking about them. A rating of 10 really is an understatement here.

It's simpy an amazing piece of musical equipment. I've tried much, and I can't remember when I've ever been this excited about a piece of gear, even when the "new" has worn off. For years I've heard of many musicians extolling the virtues of Boogies, but I was always skeptical: now I KNOW!

50 watt dual channel combo. Two completely independent channels. 5 band graphic EQ. Mesa/celestion black shadow speaker. Slave out, effects mix/send return, 2 speaker extention jacks, one to speaker in cabinet. Pull boost on the clean channel. D.I. input on rear pannel. I think there's a few more, but these are the main ones.

There are a few reviews listed earlier in which they rated the sounds as terrible. One of which I noticed the guy gave it back after 3 days. You MUST spend some time with this amp. If you tweek it and experiment, you WILL be rewarded. It is capable of MANY different tones. I've had mine for about three years and it took me awhile to find my tone, but I did!! No, the clean channel is not like a Fender, how many high gain amps do you know that are? NONE!! The clean channel is really good though. Way better than a Marshall. The boost does give it more bite, which helps it cut through. If maxed, it gives a really good rock sound. The lead channel? Can purr like a kitten or bludgeon to death. The dual recto's don't compare(IMO). Too muddy. The only Mesa's with a comparable distortion are the Mark IV's (great amp) or the Mark IIc+(this is of course for rock or metal). Oh yeah this amp is FREAKIN' LOUD!!! Have never heard a 50 watter this loud. Never had the master past 5 for fear of sterilization. Sounds awesome through a 4x12 with Vintage 30's. Would confidantly stack up next to any recto. These amps sound better!!

Built like a tank. Has been used and abused and still kicks ass! Aside from the normal tube wear (always carry spares with you!!) I have never needed a back-up. I am currently looking to buy a 100 watt head and plan on useing my DC-5 as a back up.

I haven't had to contact them. Never needed to. That should say something about the constuction and reliabilty.

I'm giving this an eight because I don't think there's a peferct amp out there. Some do different things better than others and there are some great amps out there. This is a quality amp. I have considered selling it in the past, but never could bring myself to do it. It's been there for me too many times and delivered. No this isn't a Soldano, Deizel, or vintage Fender, but I couldn't have got a better amp for the money. These amps are discontinued and their new F series that replaced them sound terrible. Nowhere as as good as these! And the Recto's don't compare in tone either!! A versital and dependable amp with good tone and SERIOUS volume. Yeah, I think I'm gonna keep it.

You know

prs standard 22w/dragon pu's love the sound except amp must be turned up at least past 2 on master and output to sound good,no good for bedroom

strange buzzing when loud(3mas.,3output) maybe tubes rattling? Reluctant to send it out as when i had it in shop for mod(6L6/EL34switch) had a 9 week turnaround w/ no amp.

never got through on phone i live on east coast different time zone

as above love tone, but even when jamming w/full band (2 guitars,bass,drums)can't open it up(my friends are volume pussies except for other guitar,of course)

Looking to modify your dc5 for footswitchable pushd mode with seperate gain control, read further.Two channels:Clean (with optional boost), and lead. Footswichable reverb, channel, graphic e.q. With the footswitch, on stage you have four different modes:clean or pushed with e.q. (in or out), and lead with e.q. (in or out). All tube(6 12ax7's, and two 6l6 for power stage) the preamp uses four of the 12ax7's for sound, 1 for reverb and 1 as phase splitter, also fx loop is driven by reverb tube. Mine is an older one so it has 5 way rotary knob (on back panel): footswitch in/out, e.q in or out, and e.q in on rythmn or lead. Also has record out and speaker silence switch for silient recording (when using silient recording the preamp tubes are only used not power amp tubes ,so you do loose the power amp stage sound). Also the amp can be used as a power amp only or preamp only. 1 12" celestion ev200 watt speaker @ 8ohm's and has one 8ohm, and two 4ohm outputs for cabs. Each channel has sperate e.q, gain, reverb, presence, and master output with a final output volume controlling overall loudness. Total output is around 50 watts depending on power tube hardness, and yes as mentioned below its F'ing Loud, really F'ing loud. Did I mention its loud!!!!!!!! Super versatile. One thing though, if the pull boost was footswitchable and had own gain knob,it would be perfect, then you would have six available modes (footswitchable)or otherwise known as a Mark 4.There is rumor of this mod. To do it, first take it to a tube amp man or send it to mesa. What would be done is the input jack on the front would become the gain knob for the (pushed channel) and the footswitch jack on the front would become your guitar input. Then the mono style channel switch would become a stereo style (like the reverb/e.q. one) and relocated on the back. Hence you would have a mark four.

Ok so theres a discrepency on sounds available with this amp. Let me start by adding my two cents: What sound your after depends on a variety of things:Guitar, pickups, string guage, tubes and cabinet.You cant expect to plug in a factory strat and get super heavy sounds, nor can you plug in a flying v with hot pickups and get a nice clean bluse sound....duh? Hello?!!!! Depending on your style you need to accomodate it with the proper setup.Pickups DO make a big difference in your ability to acheive smooth or heavy sounds, also string guage is important. Want a heavy chunky sound ? your better off with heavy guage strings and a hot pickup, properly intonated with proper deck height and pickup hieght. Tubes: if you use mullard preamp tubes you will tend to have a more smooth warm attack, if you throw in sovtex 12ax7wa's the amp will be brighter with a more crisp/sterile clean and a less muddy distortion out of the lead. So what a person can do is install warmer tubes in the clean channel sockets, and sovtex in the lead, reverb and phase splitter tube sockets. This will give you more versatility. If looking from the back of the amp input tube is first in chain(farthest on the right), both channels use this section as input to the gain stages. The next two are for the lead channels first and second stage, and the fourth from the right side is the true clean stage. The last two on the far right hand side are in order reverb/fx loop, and phase splitter. i installed mullards in socket one and clean socket, then sovtex in the rest. If this confuses you, take the chassis out of the case and follow the fat gray wires from the input plug/ the clean gain knob/ and the lead gain knob to there appropiate tube sockets located on the underside from where the wires contact the circut board.(ofcourse be carefull not to shock yourself). Also power amp tubes make a difference. Tubes have different hardness, that is some "distort" sooner than others. If you plan to play in your bedroom most of the time then try power amp tubes with a hardness of 4 or lower. 5-7 are mid range power and 8 and up are going to give you lots of headroom and clarity. If your playing live the higher the number the better for more "volume" and clarity at high volumes. The differences in hardness will not affect the amount of distortion but more of the volume level in which the tubes begin to saturate.

Sorry, that was more than I expected, but I thought Id give a little advice for the people who think this amp sucks.

Now the Sound. Great cleans from crisp to very overdriven are at a twist of a knob. Lead channel does not contend with the rectifier series but is very close. The rectifiers I've owned seem to be "one trick ponies" if you will, were the dc models have more on tap. It does take time to adjust and fine tune your desired sounds. I highly recommend reading the manual(downloadable from mesaboogie.com) and using it as a starting point for your taste. Also if your looking to buy on of these, reading the manual before hand will inlighten you on your decision. try reading the other manuals of amps your interested in before purchasing.

The quality in these models are extremely satisfying for any tube amp repair man or novice. All capacitors and resistors are of high quality and the circut board is well layed out. High grade pots, switches and relays are found through out. Chassis is well ventilated with easy access to any component. One must be carefull in replacing power amp tubes, because the connecters in the sockets can become loose if force is used. the tubes should be gently worked out of their sockets and the new ones should be pushed in slowy and smoothly. overall they are built tough, and are made to last on the road or off the road.

I have spoke with techs. from the company, they are very helpful and patient. If you have problems they will be more than happy to fix it for you, if you ship it to petaluma Ca. It is well worth it to take your new investment and have them give it a "tune up" and look over. Sometimes a simple resistor blown will cause a deficency in sound quality.

I've played through a number of amps for the last eight years. For what I do its perfect. I have a strong feeling that for most it would be satisfying to play through one. Ofcourse if you want that fender tone....get a fender! if you want that marshall tone uh.... yeah. The dual caliber series are very versatile and dependable, and compliment your dynamics very well. Being able to play a wide range of tones with a flick of a switch is what most of us are looking for now days. good Luck, any questions, comments or sound bytes email me. Please no spammage or viruses.

Two channels, four foot switchable sounds, not gonna type the rest, if you're lookin' here, you already know the features anyhow. Loud , loud , loud 50 watt amp. Almost insane loud!! Enough power for just about any venue. If I had to find something to complain about, it would be that I wish the pull boost function on the rhythm channel was foot switchable but that's really not a big deal . I'm told there is a mod to do that anyway. This does not sound like a Fender, this does not sound like a Marshall, ya know why? Cause it's a BOOGIE!!! It sounds like a Boogie is supposed to sound!! That's why you spend big bucks on a Boogie....cause you want the Boogie tone, not Fender tone, not Marshall tone, BOOGIE TONE!!!! If you want that tone ,get a Marshall or Fender! They can't reproduce a Boogie tone either! There are hunreds of different "amp tone " out there but in my opinion, there are all basically variations of Fender and Marshall tones, but there is a third basic tone......Boogie tone. That's why I bought a Boogie.....I like the Boogie tone. I have to laugh at some of these reviews when I read " I can't get a Fender clean out of this thing" or "it just doesn't have that Marshall crunch".

I play in a classic rock cover band and use Strats and Teles in various pickup cofigurations. This amp suits my needs just fine. After playing for more than twenty years, I am tring to get my rig as close to " plug and play" as possible. I can do that with the DC-5. Yeah I can take my Twin and three hundred pounds of effects and get a tone maybe a little closer to SRV or Gary Rossington than it may be with the DC 5 but chances are , those guys (and other guitar players) would probably be the only ones to notice it. However, if Carlos ever came to one of my gigs, he might say something like "Man ...your guitar sounds just like mine!" It nails the Santana sound. I haven't used a lot of effects with this amp becaused I'm so pleased with the sounds from just the amp.
This is quality, pro level stuff, no white noise buzz etc. It presents me with all the versatility I need. I can get a good clean and an awesome dirty sound with this. Plus the eq is footstichable so it actually has four footswitcable sounds.
The controls on a Boogie are more sensitive than on any other amp I 've ever used. Particularly how they interact with each other. It does require tweaking but it's worth the extra effort. Takes a while to learn this, different size venues will require subtle changes as with any amp, but remember, less is more. Just because the knob goes to 10, it doesn't have to. The sample settings in the manual are a good starting point.

Seems to be built like a tank. Bought it used but in brand new condition. Haven't had it that long, no problems yet. After many years of gigging I've learned that stuff happens, so I always take a back up to a gig. as with any tube amp, always have spare tubes available.

Haven't had to use them .....yet, hope I never do, but I'm told that if you need them, they are as good as customer support gets.

Been playing for twenty plus years and know a good sound when I hear it . This has a great sound. Marshalls and Fenders sound great too. These are all good amps but they are different. Ever since I first was introduced to the "Boogie Tone" I always said I'd get one. Took me a while to finally do it but I'll never look back now. Doesn't mean I'll sell my fender, but I 'll definately be a Boogie fan the rest of my life. Bottom line, if you know what I mean by "Boogie Tone" and if you're looking here you probably do, this is a great amp ,I would reccomend that if you are considering it.......buy it. You will not be disappointed . If you are, you'll probably be able to sell it for the same price you payed for it. What have you got to lose? Go for it........get BOOGIED!

My amp is from 1996. I usualy play rock but sometimes Jazz or Blues and the amp is perfect for everything. The six 12AX7 preamp tubes makes a very good sound.

I use a Fender Stratocaster US Standard, a Thinline Tele and my favourite : a S Standard Schecter Strat USA. The amp respect the sounds of all guitars. I use a rocktron Replifex and a Aphex Aural Exciter in the FX's loop. The sound is completly amazing. The clean sound is "hyper clean" but can sound with more bass and medium to obtain a Jazz sound. The distorsion channel is the best I know. I'd bought a Dual Rectifier Head but I've just kept it one month because I had the same sound with my DC-5 combo on a 2X12 or 4X12 cabinet. I sound really incredible. In my band the other guitarist play on a slash signature Marshall 100W head. When I switch to the lead channel my amp squelch his amp. It's really incredible...

The amp is always in perfect conditions after 6 years of concerts and gigs... Very reliable...

I've never dealt with Mesa customer support

The only thing I want to say is that amp is the best amp I've ever play. If you want to buy a Mark 4 or Nomad combo, don't hesitate and buy a DC-5 !!! It's the best combo that mesa ever made.