Mesa/Boogie DC-5 Combo

Not sure what year my DC-5 was made in - I bought it second hand around 4 years ago. 2 channels is adequate (though 3 would be nice!). I have a problem with the FX loop - its a parrallel FX loop and it works fine when its fully off or on. When its set in between it rolls off the high end response - which is a pain. I thought it might have been a faulty pot on the FX loop but I've had it checked out and its supposedly fine. I've used the recording out a few times and it gives an okay sound into a mixing desk. As with most boogies with graphic EQs - they make a heap of difference - but this can be a pain as its too easy to adjust things slightly and go from a good sound to a horrible one.

The style of music I play is, I guess, a hard rock. Mostly original Australian music in a similar style to bands like The Butterfly Effect, Ochre, Superheist. These guys tend to use 5150's, Recto's, etc. to get their sound but also have a lot of lighter ambient sounds as well - ala Tool etc.

The DC-5's sound seems very dependant on the guitar you use. I use a guitar I made - which is similar to a PRS in appearance with a Brazillian body/neck with a dimarzio tone zone in the bridge position. I changed to the tone zone after I made a guitar for a friend with that pickup. That guitar was mahogany with a rock maple top and sounded quite different (and quite good) through the DC-5. However I generally struggle getting a decent clean sound (it tends to sound very sterile - but I have been using a Behringer virtualiser in the FX loop recently which improves things). I've got the tone zone setup with coil taps etc. as well. I also tried it with a hotted up Strat one time and it sounded great. I noticed a lot of strat players have given high scores for the sound quality of this amp. There's probably something in that - I think the body wood/pickup combination may make a significant difference.

The distortion can be prety good sometimes - but I find it often looses some definition on the low end (I always have it running into my Ampeg 4x12 celestion loaded quad). I previously used a 5150 head through that quad which had a rediculously punchy low end. But that was a 120 watt amp.

When I bought the amp I spent about 4 hours in the shop A/B'ing this amp and a VHT-45. They are different animals - the VHT is very much a blues amp but it was a hard to find a bad sound. With the DC-5 I found plenty of bad sound but some really good ones as well. Once again very easy to bump a setting a ruin a sound.

I think I might have to try changing the valves to see what difference it makes (or build another guitar!).

Good so far.

No issues so far. You hardly ever much from Mesa Boogie in Australia so I'm not sure how I'd go if I had a problem with it.

I've been playing around 15 years. I sold my 5150 after I got the DC-5: which I now regret. Admittedly when that amp's pre gain was >5/10 it became too saturated but it had a better low end than the DC-5.
Overall the amp seems a little too variable - some days its sound it good other days it can be pretty awful (without adjusting anything). Its certainly loud enough for most applications.

Early 90's for the reasons that the guy below me listed. It's quite a versatile amp, but like everybody else has said, you really need to tweak if you want a specific sound. I bought it used and the guy that I bought it from gave me 2 matched sets of russian 6550s and 1 set of the stock 6L6's. I found the combo of the 6550's and the amp's naturally bassy cab to just be way too much low end. I have the 6L6's in there right now. It's a fun amp though and is a real workhorse; if you can dream up a certain tone, chances are you'll be able to find it. My mistake was buying this particular amp though. I had a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe 1x12 combo (~40 watts) and I could crank it up to 7 and have fun with the creamy tube distortion. Don't count on it with the DC-5 unless you have either a) GREAT/no neighbors within miles b)hearing or c) you're playing an arena. This thing is 50 tube watts, and it is LOUD. The master volume is at 2 1/2 and it's loud enough to cut through a drummer. Maybe some day I'll turn it up to 4 or 5....I find that I never use the graphic eq, but maybe that's just me.

I'm using a Fender 70's RI strat and Mexi Tele, both stock. It suits what I'm playing (rock, blues and maybe a little country) and just about any other musical style. Unless you're standing there, not playing anything with the distortion turned up loud, this thing doesn't make a sound. It is exceptionally quiet for a tube amp. Like I said before though, don't count on getting the clean channel to break up with out using a power brake. The distortion on the amp is killer, you can get however much gain your little heart desires. I bought this amp for the distortion, but I find that more and more I'm using the clean channel where I get wonderful bell tones with my strat on the #2 position.

It works fine. My only complaint is that when I turn the volume up on the the channel volume on the dirty channel it cuts out for a second. I knew this when I bought the amp though, and what are the chances that I'm going to be turning up the channel volume on my amp while playing a song.

I've talked to some of the reps. The guy that I dealt with (I think that his name is kevin, I haven't dealt with them since sept/november) was very nice. I just needed a replacement knob.

As of right now my chain goes like this. Strat--->Dunlop orig crybab--->DC-5. I'm getting a tremolo, and a small clone chorus as well as a holy grail reverb (the reverb on the amp is decent however). If it were stolen, I'd punch the theif in the nuts. If I had the money to replace it I'd do it, or I'd get a trem-o-verb. Great amp though, I love it to death. I got a very good price too.

I bought this amp used about 8 mos. ago. I am not exactly sure what year this amp was made, but I know it was in the mid to late 90's because "Original DC amplifiers have a two position toggle switch on the front panel that provides manual switching from Rhythm to Lead. These models also feature a five position rotary switch on the rear panel for manual EQ selection. Later model DC's have a three positon toggle switch on the front panel which is labeled(top down): Rhythm - Lead - Lead/EQ. These models feature a two positon toggle switch on the rear panel for EQ channel assignment" Mesa/Boogie homepage. Here is a run down of the features on this amp, if I miss something sorry, but the amp isn't in front of me: 3 channels, EQ, reverb, effects loop, silent recording, slave out, input for more speakers, 2 6L6's and 6 preamp tubes. I've owned a couple of different amps to include a 1x12 solid-state Peavy something or another and a laney, also solid state, none of which compare. Then again solid-state -vs- tube, no contest. I have to say that I really like this amp. Three separate channels along with an Eq really do provide for alot of vesatility. You can spend many hours tweaking this amp. I can't imagine packing more features into one amp, at least I would have problems if there was any more stuff to tweak. Unfortunately, I rarely get the chance to really open this baby up and let it breathe, but on occasion I do and boy it sounds great. I really can't imagine needing more than 50W. However, I do plan to buy a 2x12 cab to go with it, just because I worry that when I do begin to play out that I might damage the single 12"
I have to give this amp a nine only because for those who need more knobs Mesa Boogie has a new Recto with more Features than thought possible.

I play a 2001 Les Paul Classic. Hell I am not sure which pickups came stock but they sound great. I also use a Fulltone CLYDE wah w/ a BOSS PH-2 Phaser. This amp is prefect for the style of music I play, which is that emo/altenative stuff. I hate classifying music into genres, I feel like a dork. Anways, My only complaint is at low volumes I can hear the tubes vibrating, which I am told is a common issue with combo amps so I've stopped sweating it. As far as I am concerned this amp has a very nice clean channel, however I will admit it is not a Fender. ( But do fenders have a kick-ass Lead channel...NO) I don't ever use the Bluessy/Drive channel, obtained by by pulling the Clean channel gain knob. To me it is kind of worthless. The Lead channel is also a very nice channel. If you are into Metallica it nails their sound to a T. I am not going to say you can get any sound out of this amp, but with patience you can definately find one that fits you. Someone in these reviews once said that this amp takes patience, they could not have been more right. I use the lead channel constantly. If I feel there is to much gain I'll turn the volume down to 3 or 4 on my guitar or tweak the Eq or maybe. That's the beauty of this amp, the Eq. Bottom line is that I get alot out of this amp. I get a good clean channel and a very versatile Lead(distortion) channel. I've had the output to 2-21/2 and the Master to about 3 and it was so loud that it didn't take long for my ears to hurt. I very clear loud though. No distortions or cracking or anything, very solid.
Man, this amp may not be the best, although who is th true authority on sound. My ears say it is a nine.

I've only had this amp for about 8 mos. now. I've replaced all the tubes, which I recommend to anyone buying a used amp. Other than that I have had no problems. I can't, in good conscience, rate in this category because I haven't even had this amp a year.

I will say that Mesa Boogie has the best customer service I have ever encountered! I bought this amp used, and the people at Mesa Boogie treat me as though I bought new with some kind of Gold Star, Valued Customer, Rock star Warranty. I know that sounds a little ridiculous but I am so impressed with them. I live in North Dakota and They have always called me back within 24hrs just to answer questions about which tubes I should put in my amp to helping me identify noises(turned out to be the tubes vibrating) to even explaining effects questions and finding a web site that could answer my questions, mind you they are in California and these calls are long-distance. My point is they don't have to treat people this way but they do.

I rate these guys a 10+++++++. Without a doubt!

Overall, this is a very solid reliable amplifier with an overall great sound. I suppose if you want the best clean sound along with the best distortion and don't mind owning multiple amps then this isn't the amp for you. On the other hand if you aren't a Pros. and want a quality amp with a more than respectable sound, then I would recommend the DC-5.
For the price to quality of sound and features ratio I have to rate this a 10-fantastic value.

I bought it new about 4 years ago. You know the features, but I had mine modded so the pull/crunch was foot switchable and now has its own seperate volume. So its basically a 3 channel but the clean/crunch channels share the same bass, treble mid.revb. I wish it had a seperate eq for all modes.

It does everything I need it to do. From High gain to clean. It aint no Fender in the clean channel but its damn good. Fender cant come close to the lead channel so its a slight trade off. The crunch and lead channels are great. I think it has plenty enough gain and if you scoop out the mids on the graphic eq you can get that super sturated drive.

Dropped it 4 feet out of my roadcase fron the stage loading dock onto a concrete floor. Works like the day I bought it. Mesas are built like a tank and they can take a direct hit.Gig after gig its there to work like a champ.

There are no better support people IMO. I have never had a breakdown but have called them for assistance and parts (cosmetic, when I dropped it) and they were most healpful. They didnt bat an eye when I told them it dropped 4 feet and still works perfectly. I guess they are used to their amps being able to withstand a plunge.

I rate this amp a 10 cause of all its features and sound quality and reliability. I have had a dual rectifier and the distortion on the DC-5 is smoother and creamy. The Dual rectifier was grainy but still had its nitch. Mt Marshalls all sounded thin and I could never get a good tight bottom without extra effort. This boogie soudg great righ from the amp, and I believe thats what its all about.

Specs and features have been amply laid out in other reviews here, so I won't go into too much details here. It's a full-tube 50W open-back black combo amp with a 12" Black Widow driver. The regular clean/crunch/lead thing with the usual tone amenities, plus extra post-eq. As far as combo amps go - or should I say as far as I go with combo amps? - more than enough. Sturdy cabinet, although the rubber gripcover wears out easily. Furthermore, the floorswitch assignment route always confuses me somhow. No MIDI.

I play on humbuckers most of the time, only occasionally single coil when I need that specific 'phased' sound. I use the DC-5 for backup and as jam session stage gear so it's not my prime rig. To my personal opinion, combo amps all have a poor sound as nothing compares to a full stack driven by the components of your choice. The DC-5 is no exception, but it still had the best sound of em all in the combo dept. It has a rich clean tone and that's where I think the amp's at its best. Distortion ain't all that much to brag about, but that's an overall Mesa/Boogie thing in my opinion - Marshall is even worse for me, both are pretty muddy yet without ever getting truly devastating. Other reviewers have said this amp to be loud and believe me, it is. Set the pre-amp section to the extreme, and you'll be having a hard time getting the master volume over '3' without entering the headache zone. As for variety, this combo is a tone-tweaker's paradise.

My nice blue power-on light doesn't shine anymore... :(
Like I said, I use it as backup and as jam session stage gear. As a result of the latter, the poor thing knows abuse. It never failed on me though, and I've been having it for 4 years now. Way to go.

I didn't bother to change the light yet. Otherwise, I never needed them so I couldn't tell.

I've been playing guitar for more than 30 years now, currently on PRS standard, Gibson LP, Blade R4 and Ibanez JS 1000. My prime rig is Engl E-530/Z11 pre amp, TC G-Force fx proc, Peavey Classic 50/50 power amp, and 2 BagEnd S 12-D monitors. This setup smokes any combo amp including the DC-5 but that's not why I got it. It's a good COMBO and it serves its purpose for me. It has everything it needs but if it were stolen I'd probably leave it.

1995, USA Handmade. 2 Channels, with pull boost on clean channel to get more dirty tones. All tube. Spring reverb. Footswitchable Reverb (not included), channel switch & EQ (included footswitch). 5 Band Graphic EQ. Channel 1 & 2 have independant 4-band EQ (bass-mid-treble-presence). Serial/Parallel FX loop with level control, slave out with level control. speaker outputs. Headphone jack. Tons of features, and I don't use all of them.

I have three main guitars, a Fender 2001 Jeff Beck Signature Strat, a Carvin Bolt with duncan '59 humbucker in the bridge and two Duncan vintage single coils, and a Les Paul with Duncan '59s. I play in a blues/country-rock band and an emo band (my main project), and this amp fits all the styles well. For playing country I do use an MXR Dynacomp Compressor, and I also use a Vox Wah. That's it for effects. Not incredibly noisy unless gain is cranked to 8 or above on the Drive channel. I love the sound of this amp, it tends to be fairly dark sounding, but that complements my bright sounding pickups immensely. Great distortion- my settings are Gain: 6.5 Treble: 8 Mid: 6 Bass: 5 Presence: 7, output volume at 80% all the time, channel volumes set to fit the room. On clean, I just set everything around 5 except for the treble which I crank up to 8 as well as the presence up to 7.5. The 5-band EQ is set to cut the mids a tiny bit, just for an extra tweek. It's good peoples.

Good stuff.

Dunno

Buy one now!

Check other reviews.Effects loop sounded thin when used with my rotosphere,sounded better in front.Love recording out.

With standard Tele for blues and R&B?Start with everything on 5,on Ch1,except reverb to taste,and I'm sure you can get there.I get compliments from other guitar players I work with,which is nice.
With PRS CE22 for heavier sounds?Ch1 needs some adds(treble)and cuts(Gain,bass)and Ch2 can be very musical with the right EQ choices.Using Ch2 as lead channel is cool,but with PRS I use it as Crunchy rhythm and use a Klon or Dynacomp or TS9 for the level boost for solos.
Overall,versatility is very good,and although I would not call this an organic unit(like a Deluxe),it has been pretty good to me,and I can do anything in my ability with this amp.Clean sounds?Pretty good,esp.with in between P-up selections on the PRS with the Dynacomp.No one who hires me has ever complained or made suggestions,unless you count being called "loud and proud".I have lived with this amp for a long time(5 yrs) and still enjoy it.

Has been great,always fired up for me.Many gigs,many miles,seems to like the JJ tubes.I have not babied this amp,but I did buy a dolly to help my hands.

n/a

Playing for 20 yrs,and have blamed my gear for plenty of things,have even tried to sell this amp,but time has vindicated my choice.I'm always looking for better sounds but until my income changes, i will hopefully enjoy many more trouble free gigs.If you have this amp and feel stuck or frustrated,set the EQ flat,and set everything else at 5,turn master up slowly,and tweak again.This amp sounds much better at louder settings(master on 4,gain at 7 and channel volume @ 3 or whatever you need).Then you can add or cut on your 5 band to smooth things out.Remember,if you think it sounds muddy,it does.Dont worry if your bass seems set low or treble is whatever:trust your ears.And if you want to cut a live mix,you will need mids.Bedroom sounds may not be great in a live setting.I thought I would offer some feedback for guys who are leaning towards a purchase to consider this amp in this price range,and have to travel light like I do.

wow a head phone jack and a recording output...you can turn off the speaker.....rare stuff. i think you all know the standard multizillions of pots and switch selections...i think this is easier than a mk iv to set up...but that amp is way complex...
the slider EQ is worth the price of admission. you can change to a groove tube kt66 hp 5 or 6 rating ...no biasing this amp per groove tubes...that will be interesting.

brutal to medium distortion is why you buy this amp. forget about clean sounds my dr z or top hat or fender amp destroys the clean.
not quite as bad as the dual triple recto clean but nothing to write your mom about. stick a les paul, singlecut, anderson with H2+ hum in front of it and hold on for the ride. Godsmack comes to mind.
ever wondered what it's like to be a rock star? Plug your PRS in and sound pretty much exactly like Santana....you know he plays boogie exclusively. The heavy local blues acts use the 50 cal+ with extension speakers and a les paul. this amp descended from it. mesa says this has a sweeter overdrive channel than the 50+. bedroom players better have some earplugs or you'll be disappointed...very fizzy at low levels. headphone output is really fizzy with my AKG's.

mesa's don't break. 90 watt celestion is indestructable.

helpful but never live usu. always a message same day. hmmm wonder if i have a warranty? will call them up.

high gain blues to heaviest metal. basically this a rock/metal amp that also plays blues. jazzers and clean freaks gonna be disappointed! buy a polytone or fender or top hat ambassador.
i've had lot's of mesas...triple, dual, tremoverbs. this is a portable powerhouse....it's about 60lbs i think. no point to point tastey juicy cleans but rockers and bluesmen with humbuckers will have found their holey grail.

The other reviews spell out the features. My DC-5 is a 1997 model...I've been playing it regularly for the last 4 years. It covers every basic style I need to play (rock, metal, blues, pop, even country!) Like everyone else, I think it would be cool to be able to control the "pull boost" on the clean channel with a foot switch...does anyone know about a mod to do this? I play mostly in my church, but we cover an extremely wide range of styles...the volume level is relatively low, so my DC-5 rarely gets to shine. I also play in a classic rock cover band...that's where the gain channel really comes into it's own. It's loud, man! I've never, ever turned the master any higher than 5...

I use a 1989 model Fender Strat plus -w- "gold" Lace sensor pickups. I think the DC-5 would kick a little better with a higher gain pickup in the bridge position, but overall I can get all the various tones I need by switching pickup selections, going from channel 1 to 2 on the amp, using the pull boost & tasteful guitar volume-knob adjustment.

I can honestly say that I'm 100% pleased with the sound of this amp. I agree with the other people who say it takes time to dial great tones in...the first few months were a little disappointing. But once I stopped being lazy & really dug in, I realized what a great amp I had. Using channel 1, I can get great blues, clean-Hendrix (which I use a lot), and out-of-phase country type tones...pull out the "pull boost", and then a wide range of classic overdrive sounds emerge. Channel 2 gives me Van Halen "brown" type sounds (esp. when I plug in a Les Paul or other humbucker-loaded guitar), Hendrix, Metallica, Creed..you name it. Everything from classic to modern hi gain tones. I have noticed that the graphic EQ is key here...turning it off really makes things sound weaker.

After a few months, I was getting a wierd "overtone" on the clean channel. It went away on its own after a while, but still pops up time & again. I suspect the problem would disappear with new and/or different tubes (just haven't taken the time to replace them yet).

Also, this amp is so stinking heavy! My only real gripe has been that the carrying strap (handle) is rubber with a metal strip inside, and mine has split, causing the metal piece to dig into my hand when I carry this 100 pound monster. The DC-100's came with a nicer leather strap, which I plan to try to retro-fit onto my DC-5.

Never called them...the dealer I got the amp from was great, though.

I've been playing for over 10 years...I had a Marshall JCM 900 50w half stack & a 1950's-era Fender brown-face Vibro-something-or-other...also a 1970's silver-face Fender Bassman head -w- 2x12 enclosure. I used to A/B between the Marshall for distortion & a Fender for a clean sound...I replaced all this stuff with the DC-5 & have no regrets. It sounds just as good, if not better, PLUS it fits in my car! I love the way it pretty much covers all the bases in a loud, compact package. If it got stolen, I'd definetely buy another Mesa...maybe a different model (since this one's discontinued).

In my quest for the elusive range of tones, I'd probably add a Les Paul to my arsenal...a strat, a les paul, a boogie and possibly a marshall 2x12 combo & you could pretty much grab any tone you want.

This amp has some pretty good features. Everything that you need, while maintaining a level of simplicity in a two channel tube guitar amp. The first channel is clean (with a boost switch to add more gain), and the second channel is a modern distortion with lots of gain. It has independent reverb on both channels, an effects loop with a mixer for it, and a graphic EQ. You can change channels and bypass the Graphic EQ from the footswitch.
The amp uses two 6L6s in it power section.

Overall, I would love to see some more features out of this amp, but that's just me, i want my amp to be decked out with features..... no SLO for me...... I think that a bias switch would be a good feature to add, and a solo feature that would increase the volume and be footswitchable...... three channels would be good too

My opinion on the sound quality of this amp is really two seperate opinions,,,, one for the clean this amp gives and one for the distortion.
THE CLEANS KICK ASS!!! ok, maybe i've never played the roland jazz chorus, or even a fender amp, but i know a good clean when i hear one. Its kind of a hard clean to describe..... almost liquidy? does that make sense to anyone,,,, i guess you just have to hear it, i love it..... it not that sensitive either, just go with the suggested settings in the manual.

The distortion on the amp is a different story. For the first couple months that i owned the amp, i hated the distortion channel on this amp, i felt that it was just not modern enough. I needed my distortion to be as heavy as possible. I was quite dissapointed, but after much tweaking, i finally found a distortion that i am for the most part, happy with. IF YOU TAKE ANYTHING FROM THIS REVIEW REMEMBER THIS-----> DO NOT GIVE UP ON THIS AMP WITHOUT MONTHS OF TWEAKING! TWEAKIFY, TWEAKIFY, TWEAKIFY!!! i dont know if that's a word or not, but maybe it'll make you remember to TWEAKIFY!!!.......... if you dont like the distortion on your DC-5 try this:
gain=8, treble=8.5, mid=1, bass=6.5, presence=6.5, reverb=1
for the graphic EQ go with the fabled 'V'

but if that doesn't work for you..... keep trying,,, sooner or later you'll find something........ but yeah,,, i can't give this a '10' just cuz i've recently heard a dual rectifier.... nothing can compare to the dual rectifier's distortion

ummmm...... i dunno..

ummm.... i dunno..... BUT i've heard good things.... if that means anything

i play a gibson gothic explorer directly into the DC-5, no effects.....i expect my amp to give me the tone that i want, i dont need any stompboxes to change my tone....... except that i would like to get a noise suppressor soon too...... i get too much feedback on this amp, its annoying, but what can you expect? its a high gain amp,,,, i hope the noise suppressor takes care of it

so yeah.... if you're pressed for cash, get this
if you're not pressed for cash, get a dual rectifier
if you have a lot of cash,,,, umm.......i dunno get a bogner ecstasy i guess,,,, i've heard that's good.....
AND if you own microsoft or something get a diezel......