Mesa/Boogie DC-5 Combo

1999 Mesa/Boogie DC-5 1x12 Combo. This is a really versatile amp for just about any style. It can go from really good cleans, blues tones, to rip your head off metal/rock. Umm don't know many artitst that use this amp just Jim's Slipknot guitarist uses this amp on the road from 99-present. Has 2 real channels and 3 modes. Effects Loop, Headphones jack, Recording jack. Its loaded w/ neato featues. The EQ is great one thing I love about Boogies is the sensitivty on the amps so you cna get all types of tone. Has a custom "Vintage 30" the black shadow is bascily a "Vintage 90" Just a 90watt version of the 30 watter. But its a Mes exclusive. Sounds awesome! Plenty of headroom for 50 watts its damn loud. But I've noticed it sounds pretty good on 4 and is fine for in house stuff.

This is where the amp shines. I have no IDEA what brand of crack thoose ppl that gave this amp horriable reviews but this amp is killer in everything! I've owned 5150, Mesa Recto, Line6 Flextone II, Crate amps and 2 Rokctron and Mesa preamps, Bandit ect... This thing blows all of them away. THe dynamics are incrediable. Cuts thought like glass but in a very smoooth way. It can go from nice clean to rip your head off dist. I had a Single 93' Rectifier I didn't like that amp at all clean was horriable and the distortion channels were very fuzzy. This amp totally changed my view on Mesa.

Haven't had this amp for to long. Built like tanks. Also the preamp tubes have a holster so they wont fall out. There amps and cabs are all done by hand so thats it right there TOP NOTCH!

Tim over a Mesa/Boogie is awesome!! They've been really helpful even when I had my rectifier a few years back. Great and friendly guys. Most of them are busy but will call you back with in the same day or next morning

I dont give things many 10s but this deserves it. If this was lost or stolen I'd kill the mofo that stole it then throw some crappy amp on him. I've been playing for little over 2 yrs and really great amp I found my "perfect" tone.

I am very pleased with the features... I was gonna go with a marshall tube combo but this delivers a presence knob and EQ (essentials). As far as power... its 10 watts more powerful than the marshall. And i got a bargain so i got it 100 bucks less than the marshall. Although only 50 watts this can pump out some loud sounds while retaining tonal clarity.

Love it... just takes some fiddling with the knobs and then you can create any tone you want... It comes with EQ unlike the marshall combos, which i think makes it that much better.

Never had a problem but i havent had it long... made in US and and built tough.

Never Had to deal w/ 'em

If you can get a good deal with it.. go for it. i find it brilliant!

Cet ampli n'est pas une machine a gaz (comme certains trucs modernes pleins de DSP qui demandent plus de temps a regler qu'a utiliser vraiment) mais il comporte juste l'essentiel:
- 2 canaux (clair et sature) avec tous les reglages independants y compris les reverbes et le contour
- une boucle d'effet de qualite studio
- des extras terriblement utiles: un mute du HP (qui permet de charger l'ampli a la bonne impedance pendant une ecoute casque silencieuse), des selecteurs de choix du fonctionnement de la pedale switch et le truc qu'il est absolument allucinant de ne voir sur aucun ampli, un egaliseur a bandes graphiques!!

Je joue une vigier excalibur original.

1) Cet ampli est une machine a son. Il garde une forte caracteristique MesaBoogie avec des mediums prononces mais garde une plage de sonorites a mon sens inegalee ailleur. Il ne s'agit pas de le brancher et de tout mettre a fond pour avoir le son de sa star preferee (= attitude du pauvre mec qui croit que copier un artiste rend artiste a son tour...), le but est de passer quelques jours a chercher un son original et plaisant ou simplement qui convient tout a fait a ce qu'on cherchait.
Les sons clairs et crunch (pull boost) sont tres precis ou tres cremeux suivant les reglages. Les sons satures vont du doux au brutal et meme si on veut au glacial parfait pour le metal.
Globalement, on trouve beaucoup de dynamique et de precision meme avec des gains eleves, et la plage de son permet de faconner un grain et un timbre presque sans limite (contrairement au cote compresse des rectifiers).
Le bouton de reglage du volume general influe beaucoup sur le son general malgres ce qui est dit dans la doc. Personnellement je le laisse en permanence a 7-8 et je regle en suite les volumes de chaque canaux.

2) L'egaliseur graphique est un outil indespensable pour jouer en groupe puisqu'il permet de modifier legerement le spectre du son de la guitare pour lui permettre de s'inserer dans le mix. D'un geste vous pouvez obtenir une balance exellente sur scene. Il peut aussi etre utilise pour faconner encore plus le son si vous vous sentez l'ame d'un createur.

3) largement suffisant niveau puissance sonore pour jouer en groupe et dans n'importes quelles conditions. Le HP n'est pas trop directif et resonne bien en 3D (Loin, loin, tres loin devant un marshal combo ou meme 4 hp)

super costaud mais a tubes quand meme

pas d'experience

C'est l'un des tres rares amplis a remplir tant de prouesses pour sa taille et son prix (cher par rapport a une merde mais pas cher dans sa cathegorie).Vous pouvez y aller les yeux fermes quelque soit votre style mais attetion, je vous aurez prevenu: ce n'est pas un ampli plug and play!
Cependant, il existe des amplis encore meilleurs soit parce qu'ils conviennent a un style precis (Vox, Hiwatt, Fender, Soldanos, VHT ...)
soit parce qu'ils appartiennent a l'inclassable ( Budda par exemple est aux amplis ce que PRS est a la guitare: tres cher mais au dela des exigeances)

S'il vous plait, soyez creatifs, arretez de copier les autres pour faire bien devant votre femme ou vos potes, faites de la musique. Merci,

The features of this amp have been covered below by others but my combo is covered in a rare red Lizard tolex, looks stunning. I have a complete Hybrid road case for it. Got it on E-bay for $1000. I also own a DC-5 50 watt head and a 2x12 Boogie Cab but i got the combo for smaller bars and and clubs. I have been using it a lot this summer for all types of music but mostly hard rock and metal. It's a very versatile amp, i used to use the Graphic for a lead boost but now i used a separate Boss eq in the effects loop for a boost and i use the Graphic eq for different tones. Believe me, i like to be loud when i solo.

Awesome crunch, and not harsh. With the Graphic eq you can really tweak your sound. I really cant believe someone below thinks this amp does not cut through a live mix. I play out 3-5 times a week, i July i played 18 shows with this amp and i have let other people go up and jam on my stuff so i have heard what it sounds like out in the crowd and i always ask soundmen of their opinion on my sound. Believe me, this amp cuts through. I just recently jammed with a guy who is a Marshall user and he liked the amp a lot. The clean sound i ok, not as good as many Fenders i have played on. The gain boost on the clean channel is nice but it boosts the volume too much and there is no way to channel switch it. I do agree with someone who said that the dirty channel does not clean up when you lower your guitar volume, but for my needs i can live without that and I'll use the clean channel whenever i dont want the dirt, but this amp sounds like a mean tube amp to me, nothing like a solid state amp.

I have had the head for 1 year, no problems.
I have had the combo for 2 months, no problems.
Why is it that people who dont like the way this amp sounds are the only ones who have something go wrong with it?

I e-mailed Boogie a few times because i had some questions and they always send me a reply.

Been playing for 16 years and this amp works great for my style, i like the aggresive nature of this amp, mean and loud. They dont make these amps anymore and if it was stolen i would hunt down another one since i like it better than rectos.

The features have been listed many times over. They are part of why I bought this amp.I spent an afternoon trying amps at the famouse House of Guitars and put it up against 4 or 5 other amps including the Twin and Marshall jcm 900. The DC5 cut thru the Saturday music store din of teenage hackers better and with more tone than all the others.

I play a Clapton Strat with an ART ECC and a whine-o-wah in the effects loop. We play everything from oldies to top 40. This amp suits them all. I only use 3 settings in the ECC, 1 clean with reverbe & a touch of delay, 2 flange with reverb & delay and 3 a light distortion with reverb & delay for rythms. I've had the amp 5 years and have repalced the 6L6's with boogies and just replaced the pre-amp tubes with the low noise electro harmonix 12ax7's. The tone on the clean channel is even more warm & creamy while sparkling clean. The dirty channel I'm still tweeking. I've found the secret to the DC5 is in the sound shape via the gain & graphics. Having no experience with tube amps when I bought it I spent a lot of time trying different settings until I got where I kept it until the new preamp tubes. I think those that didn't like the DC5 didn't give it the time or effort needed to make it sing. My one complaint...why have a boost that's not foot switchable. I don't have time during songs to push or pull a knob!

I've had it 5 years and have never had a problem. It's still so quiet I have to hit a string to know it's on.

I've never needed a repair but I recently asked for schematics so I can figure a way add a boost footswitch and the send them right out.

This wide body amp is the loudest 50 watts Ive ever heard. The wide body covers a room as well or better than the 2 x 12's I've had or tried. Kille tone with the EC Strat. The first gig I used it on several people who had heard the band before asked what we change because the sound was great. The only change was my amp. Tone is everything and this amp has it.

I bought it in 1997.
There are two channels, a boost in the first channel and a 5 bands EQ. One effect loop. I use this amp everywhere (live, in my bedroom...). I love the versatility of this amp: I can do all what I want.

I play on an ESP M-II deluxe with EMG pickups and on a PRS custom 22.
The rhythm channel is very dynamic. All the controls are very accurate so you can find all the type of sound you want. The boost is very effective. In fact, this channel is perfect for... all the clean and blues sonds you want to ear!
The lead channel is amazing: like the rhythm channel, this one is very dynamic; it also has a lot of bass. The distortion is VERY BRUTAL!! With the EQs, you can access to a lot of powerfull distortion sounds : Metallica, Testament, Vai...
I wanted to be more critical but I love this amp...

All right.

I have been playing a little over 7 years: I've played on a lot of amps and my prefer is this one. I LOVE IT. I think that it was the better in this category: you can't find a better lead channel in a 50W combo in a same price.

read previous reviews

awesome clean. great headroom. modeled after mark 4. pushed channel is ok. add a ts-808. perfect blues. lead channel modeled after dual recto. it sounds better. i use it with a u.s. masters and a buscarino tele. lets each axe shine through.

few chips do break. constuction is very good. worth the repair for this tone.

kinda slow. they do e-mail you.find out tricks on your own.

secret (1). retube with lord valve chinese 12ax7's and svetlana 6l6's.he sets voltage depending on amp type. 30% improvement. secret (2)buy an extension cab.2x12 or 1x12 widebody. huge increase in projection and low end.secret(3)always leave the graphic eq on! tone suffers without it.secret (4) only use a vintage chandler digital echo in loop. no reverb of any kind, even the onboard reverb sucks tone.secret(4) buy a real ts-808. on the clean channel, use a mild overdrive boost for killer tone. in the lead channel, set gain on ts to zero for great clean boost. improves sustain and clarity plus harmonic structure. i searched 100's of amps trying to get a great clean, blues and metal tone out of one amp.except for the $4,000 diesel, this is as close as you will get. do not be swayed by some previous tone deaf reviewers. this amp sounds great "in the bedroom" and does"cut through on stage". with the ext.cab this amp combo can hang with any stack.

First of all let me say that I giged for two years with this amp, in a loud rock band, so I think this is a damn good refernce. As far as features go this amp has got a lot. Mesa definatley packed in every feature you could ask for in a amp, but this is also why I the tone suffers, see below. I also think the tone is weak unless you have the EQ engaged on both channels, which takes away any lead boost. this amp doesn't like a overdrive pedals added to the gain channel, unless you have the pedal gain turned all the way down, so your limited with pedal boost options, you have to buy a line driver/booster pedal to get a lead boost. I think they fixed this on the Nomad

Yes I truly think this amp gets a two and I have sound reasons. My first issue is poor dynamics. This is a tube amp but it doesn't respond as well as a pure tube amps like a (JCM 800 2203 for example). This amp responds more like a solid state amp. (i.e. no picking dynamics,) This is why it didn't cut thru the live mix as well as other amps I've owned. It's ability to cut thru the mix is also happered by the distortion (2nd ch) on this amp, it's a wash of gain. It's very dark, and heavy. Sure it's sounds killer in the music store and in your bedroom (if you want to sound like KORN...) but live you sound like heavy mush. You've got to turn the gain way down. This amp has almost too much bass. You have to take lower the second bass eq (2nd from left on the five band eq)and lower it to get back some midrange cut. The clean channel is a poor fender at best, my Hot Rod Deville had a better clean. The pull boost is thin sounding.

This is my second DC-5. The first was send back to Mesa because it broke in one week, the channel switching died. Really poor quality assurance for a $1000 amp.

Back in 98, when it broke I wanted a new amp, not a repair. I had to speak to the head of customer service (Jim Shrou..sp) to get them to send me a new amp. You decide if escallating to him should have been necessary. The new one worked fine and it lasted two years worth of giging.

This amp does only one sound well. The Korn Limp Bizkit, "wall of heavy noise" tone. Plus it really falls down as a tube amp when it comes to dynamics and ability to cut through the mix. Sure it's got tremdous bass reponse but your treading all over the bass player's frequency. In live situations, it's can be a dark amp that dosn't let your guitar's own tone come thru. I will say that I recently played with another band and the guitar player had a Single Rectifier and that sounded much better. Take my advise and pass on this amp, unless you want to spend a lot of money sounding like Korn in your bedroom.

Este amp es muy versalil puedes tocar desde merengue,bachata,salsa,hasta las oscuridad y pesades del metal, tiene dos canales totalmente independientes,effects loops,entrada de grabacion y muchas funciones mas,muy facil de usar

tengo tom anderson clasic con tres single una steinberg y una gibson les paul,no tengo un estilo definido detocar le prgo a todo lo que venga y este amplificador me da muy buen resultado no importa que estilo sea,el canal clean suena vintage un poco distorsionado el secreto es bajarle la media frecuencia hasta 2,3 ,la distorcion no hay que hacerle nada eso suena bien como sea a muy importante nunca tendras problema de que to te oyes pues este animalito suena duro y mientras masalto lo pones mejor es el sonido

nunca me ha dado problema (y donde vivo la electricidad es mala osea que esto aguanta)

muy atentos es la compa?ia

he tenido de todos los equipos amp de todas las marcas de todos los sabores y colores,y nada suena mejor que los amp de tubos y con este amplificador no nesecitaras multiefecto ni nada de eso para sonar bien solo un buen cable y una buena guitara y nos fuimos a la guerra

I have a 1995 combo and it is the sweetest amp I have ever heard. This amplifier is so versatile, you can read all the features on some of the more motivated reviews. I will just say it is loaded!! I agree with a lot of the reviews that say people should mess around with the rythym channel more, There are tons of different sounds you can get with it. The lead channel can be used for anything from blues to country to black metal. The only problem I have with features is that the push-pull pot is not footswitchable... but hey, you can't win em' all.

I play through an Ibanez Iceman with an Ibanez AH-1 pickup in the neck slot, and a DiMarzio Vintage Air Classis at the bridge. The amp fits all of the styles I play(which is any that I can learn). I don't have an extension cab yet but the clean channel hasn't distorted at any level I have put it up to. The distortion is not the meanest one I have heard but it sounds better than something that is just overdriven into mud. I will put it this way, I have a Boss MT-2 pedal collecting dust.

I have never had problems with it, not even a tube. I trust the amp alot but I would always have a backup.... just in case.

Ive never really dealt with the company about anything but finding an extension cab. So I have no opinion.

I have only been playing this amp for about a year, but I will never sell this amp. I compared this amp with a lot of other amps in the same price range, but the mesa has that American made sound which I think blows away all the other amps away. The only comparable amps were the Fenders, they have just as good of a clean sound but the gain on this amp knocks their dick in the dirt.

this is where the amp comes into its own, but im a simple man
tweakin takes time

this amp distortion is all in the eq and its got some punch
dont get me wrong this thing has a decent clean channel, but it wasnt singing enough for me
plus the reverb wasn't my particular fav, i like it lush just like my ladyfriends

owned it for over a year not one problem yet

it was not the exact sound i was looking for
but im weird and im infatuated with my 66 fender bassman 50
$340 and the old enough to be grandmotherfucker is the most beautiful thing ive ever heard
pure tone, but not many options so you may need another amp
but thats just me

1995 both DC's were purchased at the same time. I play a stereo guitar rig on stage and in hte studio.

1-84 Fender Tele w/EMG Pick-ups
1-90 Fender Tele w/original pick-ups
1-68 Fender Strat w/original pick-ups
1-68 Les Paul Custom (all original)
1-Paul Reed Smith Custom 22

I was having trouble with amps distorting because I was using a volume pedal to do steel guitar parts and when the volume pedal would cause a volume swell the amps did what they were suppose to do and would overdrive. Due to the fact that I really like the amps I had to find a solution to my problem. So I bought a PEAVEy 1400 watt digital power amp and by passed the power amp section on both Boogie's and now have headroom for days. I also changed both speakers to PEAVEY black widows and now I have my rig sounding great for stage and studio. I do a variety of music but have been playing Cajun,R&B, and Country for the last 20 years.

I am fortunate to be playing through 2 Mesa Boogie DC-5's and would have no trouble playing just one without a back up. Neither of the amps have ever been in the shop. The effects loop is just great because I also use 2 Lexicon MPX 100 proccessors and everything is totally AWESOME !!! THANKS MESA !!!!

I have contacted Mesa several time and they were very helpful with the questions I asked but weren't too excited about the PEAVEY amp thing!!! hahahaha!! But it works for me and they were still very helpful !

I have been playing over 30 years and I would definately buy another set of Mesa Boogie's.

Typical DC-5 features you have read.

Using Ibanez S-540, Carvin DC-400, Ibanez Holdsworth Model guitar, AH-10. The reverb is almost non-existent. The distortion (channel) is true "mudd" at stock settings. The rythym channel is dry and hopeless at stock settings...so, what do you do? TWEEK!...So I got an RP-2000, tweeked the Vai patch, plugged it straight into the DC-5 clean channel and voila...instant Marshall tone. Better than Marshall stock tone, because of the RP's effects. It's a combination of Marshall and Boogie. Low volumes, high volumes, it doesnt matter. Satriani, Vai in a box. There is slight "tinniness" to the tone because the rp2000 is a modelling unit, but believe me, it blows any stock amplifier in its class with this combo. Cant wait to change the tubes! Ruby, you say???

I've had the DC-5 for 5 years it's all stock, original tubes, etc. no problems.

average. talked to a tech guy there once about what the best signal processing to use with, he had no preference. He didnt sound enthused, informative or friendly from what I remember.

I have played this amp for 5 years each night for an average of about 2 hours. No problems. I let it warm up for a few seconds before turning the standby on. If anyone has any other tweeks with tubes, signal processing or speakers, let me know!

Mine was made in 1995, 1-5-95 to be exact, says Bobby C, the man who hand-signed (and wrote the date on) those two blue capacitors on that meticulously-wired Mesa Board.. Look elsewhere for features, It's 1:20 AM, and there's no way I'm gonna go on and on about the features... Oh what the hell... Two channels, Rhythm channel from the Mark IV (with pull boost on the gain knob), Lead channel straight outta the mighty Rectos.. Both channels have Gain, 3 band EQ, Presence, Reverb, and master volume control.. This puppy also comes with an assignable, footswitchable 5 band eq, and an Output volume knob.. This controls the overall volume of the amp so your 2 channels will keep their balance when you wanna get louder. The Output volume also acts as an effects loop master level control... Good luck with that. This bastard is too loud to put past 3!! On the back of the amp, we have a parallel effects loop with return control, speaker mute switch, Recording output (which sounds fucking amazing), Slave out with level control, the 5 way rotary switch to assign the eq, the Reverb/EQ footswitch, and one 8* and two 4* speaker jacks. And since mine is the original DC-5, it also has the ground switch, which was removed on later models because it proved to be an unnecessary feature.. I think that would be a first for Mesa! And, just like the other DC-5's, this one has the 90 watt 12" Celestion Black Shadow Speaker. Apparently mine is a widebody combo.. I thought they all were!!(??)

So in short... All the features I could ever want or need. I would like to have the gain boost on the Rhythm channel on the footswitch, but you can have the EQ set to do the same thing. So this puppy gets a 10 hands down for versatility.

I play Stratocasters almost exclusively.. Either DiMarzios or Seymours for pickups... I also have a Steinberger Spirit GU Deluxe that gets the call for the wacky dive-bombing shredfest kinda stuff.. I play with different bands live and in the studio, whether it be shred, blues, big band, country (ick), Hard Rock, Jazz, whatever.. I don't even think twice about reaching for another amp.. I am amazed at the pure tweakability of this amp.. It does clean better than any Fender I have come across (Bassmans, Blues Deluxes, Blues Devilles, Vintage to New to Reissue Twins, Super Reverbs, 66' Deluxe Reverb, Reissue Deluxe Reverb, you get the idea).. I also own a Vibrolux Reverb, which is supposed to have one of the best clean sounds ever, and it can't measure up to the Mesa... Strange, no? And those slightly overdriven sounds are pure heaven, the rhythm channel has unbelievable versatility, and you should definitely check this out, as most players when they get their hands on a Boogie just head right for the lead channel and dime the gain.. If you take the time to explore the rhythm channel, you will find it is just as enjoyable (if not more so) as the lead channel.. And by the way... Lead channel??? WHOA!!!! I actually prefer this channel over channel 2 on the Dual Rectifier.. It seems to sing more and have more openness than your run-of-the-mill recto. I know the open back helps this too. You can do Vai, Satriani, EVH, Hendrix, Bon Jovi (if that's yer thing), Malmsteen, and even to Ritchie Blackmore territory.. You can even pull off a convincing Eric Johnson lead sound if you tweak the EQ juuuuuust right!! Tremendous lead sound out of this thing (especially when you punch in the EQ). Another great thing about this amp is the headroom. The clean stays clean as loud as your (and anyone else's) ears can stand it, the gain settings retain clarity and never get muddy or diffused, and the amp keeps its trademark Boogie punch as loud as you can stand to set it.. You can also do the Korn, Metallica, Creed, Limp Bizkit thing with this amp... But why would you want to?? This amp is for players who WANT to sound amazing and really turn heads. And in the right hands, the DC-5 will do anything.

This fucker is built like a freakin tank!!! But here's my little horror story..

I bought this amp used quite a few months back from a place in New York.. I live in BC, Canada, which is on the West Coast (think California, but way way way north!). The idiots decided to ship it standard ground, which is not something I would think a VHT, Bogner, Top Hat, Mesa, etc. dealer would do.. It took forever for my 60+ pound Mesa to get here, due to a customs holdup and what have you, but the happy day did finally arrive.. I took it outta the box (which looked like it was packed by a bunch of autistic monkeys) and plugged it in. To my horror, this amp that I spent over $1,000 Canadian Pesos on was cutting out right before my anticipating ears!! I traced it to the Effects loop return pot... Turns out my amp got the shit kicked out of it by UPS on the way here (Thanks, guys), and the effects loop return pot got bashed in and busted.. Needless to say, I was choked. This is no fault of Mesa, however, because the rest of the amp stayed 100% solid through all the abuse those retarded UPS Autistic monkeys could put out.. and after the new pot, this puppy is running solid... New pot, you ask?? Read on.

Here is where Mesa would get a 100 if I could give it to them.. They are absolutely the most amazing folks you will ever talk to..

I was horrified at the thought of having an amp that I bought from a place 5000 miles away that was cutting out on me.. I thought I was fucked.. Then I called Mesa.

I got through right away, and Georgia put me through to Tim's voice mail, I left a brief description of the problem I was having, and what I thought it was.. He called me back first thing the next morning and talked to me about it.. Now, keep in mind that this amp was made in 1995 (which means the Mesa 1 year warranty was long gone) AND I bought the amp used. I was told I needed a whole new pot for my effects loop return, and that there were only a few wires to solder and I could probably do it myself.. So not only did they send me the pot (and an owner's manual) free, they also picked up the shipping bill AND Tim told me that if I needed some assistance wiring in the pot, he would walk me through it PERSONALLY step-by-step on Mesa's phone bill!!!

Now ladies and gentlemen.... Customer Service does NOT get any better than that. If 10 is the highest I can go.. Then 10 it is..

I have been playing a little over 14 years, enough to know that this amp is freakin amazing. I can't think of a tone it can't produce.. It has really taught me the patience of tweaking, because there is so much this amp can do.. Customer Service is nothing short of astounding, and it was well worth the $1,100 used price tag of this amp.. If anybody ever stole this thing from me, they would NOT be having an open-casket funeral.. And I don't know anybody stupid enough to LOSE an amp... Unless it's in a poker game or something.. If anything did happen to it where it would be unusable, I would definitely panic.. The Dual Calibers were replaced By the Nomads in 99/2000, and my DC-5 was near impossible to find.. Took me 3 months to find one in New York (and that was the closest location to where I am!). I know I am not the only one who thinks these amps sound better than the Nomads, because if I was, everyone would be trading their Dual Calibers for Nomads.. This is not the case.. DC owners hold onto their amps, because they know that these are probably the most underrated amps Mesa has ever made. 10 10 10 10 FUCKING 10!!! If you don't believe me, then contact me.... I'll show you the meaning of tone.

I'm going to tell some of the people in this review that don't like the 'pushed mid' sound how to get away from it and enjoy a truly remarkable piece of equipment.
First, the controls to do it are there...to do ANY kind of music. The effects loop is one of the best I have ever found.
Second, it's portable, and with a second 1x12 cab, you can go against a stack, still be there and you don't need a hand truck to take it to gigs.
Third, you have to realize it's up to YOU to fiddle-fart with this thing because it's a musical instrument. The manufacturer cannot tell you how to set it up (apart from the basic settings) just like a guitar manufacturer can't tell you how to play.
I spoke with a few amp experts about this and even they could not tell me what to do aside from changing the set point of the EQ. The standard response was, "Sell it and buy something else."
I knew something could me done to get me closer to what I wanted to hear but they could not help me.
I tried different preamp tubes (12ax7) at the factories urging, (which I changed back to 12ax7s). I even tried to contact Randall himself for suggestions but was unsuccessful. Face it, he probably has heard a million variations of "How do I...?"
So I experimented, and the solution I found was fairly simple and made a great product even better.
I have sent in a couple of reviews on this amp in the past and along with other reviews here, decided to depart the format so that I could share what I found.
The purpose of this review is to expand the 1x12 DC-5 combo in versatility and sound.

It really doesn't matter what guitar you use if you follow these guidelines you should be able to compete with any amp.
Read some of the other reviews to understand the likes and dislikes.
Now, if this is your only amp and you want to play with the boys and you kind of like the clean Fender sound read up.
The Boogies were derived from the Fender Bassman circuit. I had read this years ago in product reviews and was told this personally from Bill Carson, a texas swing player who co-designed the Fender strat.
Enough of that.
This is one of the few high-gain amps that won't get noisy when it's slaving or being slaved (driven) to a Bassman. Usually, you get ground loops and such. Still, if you decide to go stereo and/or drive another amp, a hum eliminator from EBTECH will take care of hum.
I have been experimenting with this amp since '94. This upgrade is going to require that you keep going in the Boogie direction and spend a little more money, but it may be worth it to you.
1) Find some commercial grade matched 6l6gc tubes(NOS). They are pricey, $75-up but it will clean up noise problems and give you more reliable operation.
2) Read the owners manual but only for basic operation, if you contact Boogie and ask how to improve or change the sound they will read you parts of the owners manual. (No help there).
3) Buy a second 1x12 cabinet, this amp requires it, if you don't you may blow the speaker.
4) Now the important part. Replace both speakers with Fender Twin speakers. Todays cost is around $75 each. As an option, find a Antique electronics catalog, (They sell tube radio parts.) Review their speakers. They sell Weber speakers, one of them is a selectable voice coil magnet, it adjusts the reactance of the speaker. This option is expensive ($160 ea?). If you're not into this and want a more inexpensive approach, buy the Fenders. The benefit with the Webers is you can dial in the exact best sound I guess. I tried Carvin, Celestion G75's, Fender, and EV s. In my opinion Fenders worked for what I was trying to do.

Here's what happens to the sound.
By using the 5 band built in EQ, you make a "V", but drop the 6600k (high one) down to the middle area. Don't make too big of a "V". More like a flattened "V". If you boost the high and low all the way up, you will get a large bass with too much treble. Some players seek this tone.
Put the tube screamer in the closet you won't need it for this rig. To boost the mid (for tube screamer sound), turn the mid dial up on the clean side.
***These settings mean nothing with the stock Black Shadow speakers which are voiced for a lower treble.***

If you say that you still cannot get the sounds you want,
1) Consider piano.
2) Have your hearing checked.
3) Sell the amp and speakers separate.

Here are some settings:
left to right.
clean channel: gain,treble,mid,bass, presence, reverb, master
G=2, T=4, M=6, B=6, P=6, R=8,
gain channel:
G=5, T=5, M=2, B=4, P=7, R=4, m=3

You should be able to get a much better Fender sound on clean. To get a Boogie sound, push the 750k slider (middle) on the EQ up. I like gain but I find myself just loving the clean side with this arrangement. (Think Bassman). Also with these settings you can pull out the boost knob on channel 1 and leave it out to get a TS-808 sound. Push it in if you do music that requires a clean setting.
The distortion is amazing, you can hear nuances of picking that sound muffled with the stock speakers.
This amp is truly a work of art which far outweighs my humble setting information and mods described here.
In retrospect, I guess Mr. Smith (Boogie designer) decided that the "Black Shadow" speakers were the best choice at the time because it gave this amp a classic "Boogie" sound. They sound great on the gain channel which is more impressive (from a sales perspective) than the clean setting, I guess.
It was a good choice for on their part but I like an amp that amplifies the string ring and harmonics. Changing the speakers won't give you the 'sag' in a '65 twin reverb, (but it's very, very close) but it will still give you that ripping gain that just leaves a Hot Rod Deluxe on the side of the road.
I have seen guys freak out and dump their DC-5s for half of what they paid because they just won't deal with the tweeking that is required on this unit. They can't dial in a scooped mid sound to their liking, or complain about the clean settings, so they take a $500 loss and spend $$$ on something else. You can bring this amp to a amazing level for that price.
As a sidenote, I did try it through a JCM900 cabinet with 4x12s but I don't like to haul my 4x12 to a jam session, it's just too big. In smaller rooms this sounds better. When I play in a large place I bring the plexi.
If you don't have the money to do this all at one time, you might want to experiment with speakers as I did even if you only buy one at a time.

This amp was purchased in August 1999. The last year of the DC series. My musical style is Blues, Country, Rock and some Jazz especially standards. This amp has all the versatility I could ever need. Channel switching, efx loop, headphone jack with an option to mute the speaker, pull boost, 5 band graphic eq etc, etc, Oh yea, 2 6l6's and 6 12ax7's

Each channel has gain, mid, treble, bass, presence reverb and a master volume. I especially like the output gain that acts as an overall volume for both channels. I set my tone and if I need more headroom I dial it it. No scrambling between channels. A problem I had with one of my previous amps.

I use this amp mostly in small clubs. I've done some recording with it and have played a few auditoriums with a sm57 in front of it. It sounded great. Very powerful. Have no idea what it's threshold is. Can't imagine needing more headroom than this.....

Here's the rundown of what sounds good to my ears. Everything sounds clean in the clean channel and stays clean in the clean channel (unless of course you use the pull boost). There are varying degrees of sparkle and depth depending on the guitar and where you choose to place your settings. For instance, my Tele is crisp (as a tele should be) my hollowbodies have a nice jazz warmth (as a hollowbody should be). I even have a 63 Gibson L-7C with a stock DeArmand pickup that completly resists amplification that sounds good through this amp.

The pull boost is in the clean channel. Good for breaking up bf deluxe type tones. I especially like the way my strats sound here.

The distortion channel is all distortion. Humbucker (especially hot ones) players will enjoy the sustain bath associated with this channel. Lately, my favorite tone is running my tele in the neck pu position through the distortion channel with the gain set around 5. Sort of the same effect I get with the pull boost and strat but with more of a woman, chickenbone, hootchie Kootchie "good mornin little schoolgirl" tone. Really nice.......

Things I don't like, the tone wihout the 5 band eq on. Seems thin but there again another opportunity for tone exploration. Sometimes the reverb sounds to glassy and in a box. Wish it had tremalo.

I'm still gonna give it 10 for diversity, warmth and presence. I never grow tired of my sound.

A month before the warranty was expiring some resistor or something went bad. The shop I bought it from discontinued there relationship with Mesa (suspicious) and directed me to some local turntable repairman to have it repaired. Didn't communicate with me. Had to be an ass with the nice lady at the other end of the phone who kept lying to me. The guy kept it a month. I thought I was gonna have to take his @%#@!* to court to get my lovely tone machine back! The good news, it didn't cost me anything. The bad news, now I'm suspicious of what the future holds. I'm already having a problem and it's not even a year old? Maybe I shouldn't but I expect more from an amp in this price range and from this company. A friend of mine had 3 uninspirational experiences with the dealer and mesa over the problems he had with his Rocket. Hear alot of good things on this site and would like to believe them but.....

Occasionally use it without a backup but not with a great deal of confidence.

Never dealt directly with the company. Had to have it repaired (see reliability) in the last month of the one year warranty. No complaints on finding my authorized service center. The former dealer was happy to direct me. Will NEVER use the authorized sc they sent me to again. Will be sure to pass along my bad experience to anyone who will listen. Disappointing and unfortunate.

Been playing 35 years. Professionally the last 29. Won't be waving my equipment around. Like it all. My favorite instrument right now is a 86 mij tele with some minor modifications. All tone. As stated earlier it sounds great with this amp which kind of surpised me. I looked at alot of other amps before choosing this one simply because I loved the sound of it. The tonal diversity shut the door on the sale.

I'm giving an overall rating of 9 despite my Rip Van Winkle experience with the local 8-track repairman. Fortunately, Their are other capable shops in our area that I've had great experiences with.

Last word, Charlie don't surf!

The combo is from '97 and I've worked with it since the week I got it. I added a 12'EV to clean up the sound. I think this fattens up the tone but I still would like more clean headroom. The gain is good. I've used it with R&B, funk, and jam bands

I have a PRS hollow body and an Ibanez artist. The amp is flawless at home, but breaks up a bit much a high stage volumes.

I'm on my third set of tubes, not bad. I don't bring a back up. I'm too tired after lugging this thing arround. I've had consistent problems with the foot switch.

I never delt with the company, only my local dealer.

Great clean sound that can't be pushed. Even though its not crystal clear I haven't found anything that could replace it. Any suggestions would be great. I've been considering a Mark series 100w

Read the other reviews for features. I've played Peavey, Marshall, and GK amps over the past 20+ years and nothing has met all of my needs as well as the DC-5. I wish for a footswitch for the boost on channel one instead of or in addition to the push-pull gain knob. I use an Alesis Quadraverb in the effects loop. It sometimes adds noise but I think it's the way my Quad is rack mounted (working on figuring that out). One cool feature is the ability to dial in the amount of influence the effects loop has on the overall sound. The DC-5 is loud as hell and sometimes hard to get it to sound good a real low volumes. It's definitely built to play no lower than moderate volumes. I use the DC-5 for personal playing, rehearsals (in a studio and a home), and live gigs. I stack it on top of a 2X12 cabinet when playing live for some added oomph.

I'm playing Ibanez, Washburn, and Hamer guitars through the DC-5. These three guitars are so different and add to the tonal versatility that the DC-5 provides. I play everything from Metal to Rock to Blues and this amp makes me sound good. Plugging straight into the amp is the best way to go as the sounds are clear and powerful. I have to use effects on some songs so I need the Quad in the effects loop but wish I didn't. When I record, I plug straight in and add the effects offline. The clean channel is crispy clean so you need to watch the treble and presence settings. When I add the 2X12 closed-back cabinet on bottom, I need to really roll off the bass. The truth is that this amp probably does more than I'll ever understand but that's what keeps it fresh right?!?

I bought the amp used so I didn't know what condition the tubes were in. The lead channel started sounding way too distorted so I replaced the power tubes with Mesa 6L6s. It seems to have warmed up the tone a bit. I think I'll replace the pre-amp tubes too just so I know when they were changed. I haven't had any problems with reliability at all. It's been great. I still wouldn't go to a gig without a backup amp though. I did this with my Marshall once, it blew, had to use the monitor amp and a distortion pedal all night (YUK).

N/A but from what everyone says, it doesn't sound like an issue.

I've been playing for 35 years but seriously for only 27 ;) I also still own a GK 250ml that I use for back up and small space rehearsing (it's a killer amp by the way). I use the Alesis Quad, an AKG UHF wireless, Korg rack tuner, vintage Vox wah, Morley volume, and some other stuff from time-to-time. I sometimes run into the DC-5, into the Quad, then split the return between the DC-5 return and my 250ml pushing a 2X12 cab. This is an awesome stereo setup and fun to mess with. I can't imagine a better rig for what I do now. Sure I'd like what John Petrucci has on stage but he probably gets his stuff for free (and deservedly so). For me, the Mesa DC-5 is so versitale, so portable, so loud, so tonal, so everything. I'll never sell it and my kid will be playing it soon.

There are 33 other reviews that tell you the features. Features are great except the pull-boost, which is great but it changes the volume drastically.

I play a Les Paul Standard with this amp and get a great sound. I traded a Marshall JCM Dual-Reverb head and 2X12 cabinet for this amp.
One of the smartest things I've done in my amp trading history. This amp really does put the dual-reverb to shame. One thing I would like to say is I've read that some people are having trouble with this amps
clean channel, I had the same problem with the amp breaking up to quickly. I heard that Santana uses Ruby GCSTR 6l6's in his Boogie so I tried them out. This made the DC-5 such a better amp than it was with Mesa tubes. In my opinion Boogie tubes suck! What the Ruby tubes did is gave me great tone and gave me a lot more headroom. The Ruby tubes make this amp much cleaner, even when you pull the pull-boost on channel 1. This is no problem since this amp has gain to spare. Buy Ruby tubes and stick them in this amp, great tone.
I've owned this amp for three years and I find new sounds in it all the time. Another thing I read often is this amp is only good for metal. I think this is so untrue, it does just about anything you can dream up and yes it does metal great but I don't play metal at all.
I can play a Billy Gibbons type of solo and then hit a rage against the machine riff and it works for both great and then after that nail the famous Santana tone all on channel 2. I usually only use channel 2 for solo's. If you want early Clapton with the bluesbreakers you have to use channel 1, put the gain on 8, volume on 3 and your rippen just beautiful.
I can hit any Jimmy Page riff and it sounds almost identical.
Tips on getting a clean sound: 1)Don't use the EQ
2)gain on or below 5
3)bass on 3 or 4
4)middle on 4 or below
5)8 ohm load on speaker
)Buy Ruby tubes

The tubes it came with are Boogie's and they suck. I had a lot of trouble with microphonics in the pre-amp tubes and power tubes rattling like a light bulb.
The Ruby tubes seem much better, I'm gonna try rubies for the pre-amp tubes also. Only tube problems not the amps fault.

Great, they know what they are making and can tell you a lot about it.
It takes them a day to get back to you but it's kinda cool to tell your bandmates Mesa/Boogie is calling you.

I've been playing for 12 years or something like that. I love how this amp looks innocent but it will rip your head off in a very good way. My biggest gripe is that they didn't make this amp three channels instead of two. The Nomad series is out and I've tried them, yes they have three channels but they made the same mistake by putting switches on it that make the volume change tremendously. You get your clean set up beautifully and you hit that damn pull-boast and the amp has to be adjusted again. I think this amp is a lot better than the new nomads, maybe I'm just used to this little guy? But the Nomads don't seem to have the same crunch in them.
I don't know how you couldn't get a sound out of this amp, it's just a journey to refine your sound which is very cool when you get sick of playing a certain way, it lets you change easily. The biggest thing I've learned about this amp is keep the gain down to get different sounds.
By doing this I can nail early yardbirds(jeff beck) sounds and many others. There hasn't been a sound that I can't get close to yet. I can even hit Wes Montgomery if I can hit his notes.

If you have read any of the other reviews I'm sure you are familiar.Basically 2-channels,footswitchable all tube Hi-Gain,Push-Pull gain boost in the rythem channel,effects loop with mix control,slave out,headphone jack,mute switch for silent recording,separate tone controls for each channel and foot switch assignable graphic EQ.

I have read some reviews that just thrash this amp and I believe these are unjust.Most of the reviewers that don't like this amp are either not taking the time to learn how to dial in good tone,or are trying to apply it to the wrong style of music.Make no mistake this is a hard-rock/metal amp,and it does these styles wonderfully.I have been playing for 13 years mostly thru Marshalls and Strats and I relied heavily on my Boss DS-1 for the most part to get my Distortion tones,this pedal is now collecting dust.The gain on this thing is brutal,without question this is THE LOUDEST 50-WATT 1x12 I'VE EVER HEARD!!!I would suggest that if you buy this amp get the 1x12 ext. cab with it or it will blow speakers. The low end is amazing,almost too much,anything over 6 is just overkill.The clean channel on the other hand is very bright and you have to keep the treble down considerably about 4 or 5 or it is way too brassy sounding but with this setting it is very usable.The push-pull gain boost on the rythem channel is great for bluesy and more mellow rock tones.But like I said this a metal amp all the way and that is were it really comes alive and sounds best. I'm not giving it a 10 because the clean channel though it does stay clean at high volumes it is just a little too brassy for my taste.

Unbelievably healthy,but then again it is a Mesa/Boogie!!

Very cool people to deal with if have questions about anything.

This amp has inspired countless hours of pure tone.If lost or stolen I would buy another.And for the price you can't get a better,louder more reliable amp.I can't stress enough though that this is a Hard-rock/Metal amp,you wouldn't buy a BC Rich Warlock with Dimarzio super distortion pickups to play Jazz so use the same common sense when buying an amp.

Bought mine Oct 99.. There's alot to like here but I have to agree with
some of the other reviews that state you have to search out the tone. That alone says volumes. There's so much tone in this thing I don't know if I'll ever find it all. For me that's a dream come true because I'm an old school player with a love for a wide range of music. Also, I prefer to play straight, guitar to amp, relying on the attack of the strings and the amp setting to get the feel and sound.

This aint your fender, marshall, victoria etc. They all have their attributes. This is different. And I wouldn't tell you this is the amp for all mankind. In fact, one of the sweetest tones I ever got was through an old bassman head, 2 jbl's and a 71 hardtail strat. If your looking to emulate tone their are plenty of amps out there made just for that. I add this little soapbox stand because I monitor this database frequently and really get tired of hearing all the bullsh*t about how through some sort of revelation everyones found their amp to be the ho;y grail. Come on!

I've been performing, writing and recording for 34 years. I play in a blues, rock and jazz group, ballroom/latin group and perform contemporary christian music in my church if my Saturday night gigs don't go to late. So I have alot of styles to play across. I have alot of guitars, and hears the funny part, the guitar that captures my heart with this amp is a 335 knockoff given to me by Kent Borneman in Knoxville. He found it in a pawnshop when he was living here in Virginia Beach. What a work of art this thing is. Clean, it's sweet as honey, gets that edge attack and the sustained distortion keeps going and going...... I drop a grand on the amp and it's soul mate is a $200 dark horse.

Back to the DC-5. Clean channel, lots of room to dial from clean to edge. Even though I've used the push/pull pot, it's of little use to me. Gain channel, violin sustain. Screams!!! Lots of sustain. The reverb took a little getting use to after using spring reverb for a long time but I've found I really like it. The graphic is great!! More tone versatility. Is it loud. You can't even believe!

The push/pull might be useful if it could be kicked in from the box. Who wants to reach back in the middle of a lead and fool with that? I guess it's a mute point since this model is now replaced by the Nomad. ?????????

The tone is there and then some but you have to seek it out. It took me a little while to figure that out.

It's a shame that some of the reviews found here brought down the overall ratiing of this amp. I'm extremely pleased with mine. This things on it like a cheap suit!

Bought mine new in 1998. I'd been unhappy with the sounds from my 2 x 12 JCM 900, and was looking to upgrade. A friend turned me on to Boogies. You can read all the features from the other reviews (some of which are truely ludicrous by the way....). I give it an 8, because the boost function of the clean channel would be great if it was foot switchable.

I can't understand the other reviewers here who rubbish this amp on tone grounds. I can only assume they either don't use the thing on gigs, or they don't know how to use an EQ. It doesn't sound great at bedroom volumes, but it's not designed to. In a gig context, when you can get the power amp driving the speaker, this amp sounds great. For a 50watt amp, there's loads of headroom on the clean channel, and the dirty channel sounds wide open, probably because of the big cab. It has a decent spread which blends well in a band context, not so directional as something like a Mk IV. The Celestion speaker is very musical but, like I said, you need to be driving it to get the best tones(I use mine with a closed back EV loaded boogie cab for extra punch).

I love the 5-band Graphic EQ. (Although I'm not so keen on the classic 'V' setting) It's great for adding mid-range 'honk'. Generally I set it to give the whole amp (clean & dirty) a certain character - I have one setting to make the amp sound like a Twin, One to make it sound like a Plexi etc etc. Learn to use the EQ properly and there's nothing this amp won't do for you.

The footsitch jack broke off in the socket one time, but apart from that, no problems.

You spend a lot of time on hold trying to get hold of them, but it's worth it once you do. Very nice people, lots of knowledge, and no question is to trivial for them to help you with.

This amp does exactly what it says on the tin - it gives the gigging player a reliable source of varied and good quality guitar tones. Like I have said, I can't believe some of the bad reviews posted about this amp. There's no accounting for taste, I suppose. These amps have been replaced now with the new 3 channel Nomad. I've tried them, they're great, and more geared up for instant gratification, but the same tones are there in the DC-5 if you put the time into finding them.

This amp is truly a hybrid NO OTHER AMP gets these tones.
You have to spend quality time with it to get the sounds.

Actives and passive single coils, strat. Gibsons thru this will turn heads. I gotta say something here, some folks have tried the DC-3 and DC-2 and said it's a better amp. This is false! This amp is just POWERFUL. It will get bedroom volumes without a problem...try that with a Fender Blues Delux, a Twin or ANY Fender,...and I LIKE Fenders! It's just such a unique amp. I guess because they don't cost 2 thousand dollars some people discount what this thing will do. The truth of the matter is if you can play half decent, this amp will make you sound better. How many standing ovation have you got just from playing a solo? I got at least one every night I played the DC-5. That's the truth. You HAVE to be able to dial the thing in and it will do the rest. The distortion is BRUTAL. I* will say that Randall Smith should have made this a 2x12 combo because it will DESTROY speakers if you're not careful.
I have several amps, this is my favorite, it is truely a work of engineering art.
This one will do it all, from Hank to Hendrix.

I have never had an equipment failure with it and owned it 6 years.

They were fantastic and I was a pain in the hind end.

I don't think anything could replace the prue fun I had with it.
Any gig I auditioned for I got when I played the DC-5!

set up covered in other reviews here. 2 channel, foot-switchable etc. one point, i would like to see the pull-crunch for more gain available as a 3rd channel. sometimes u want more crunch but not the rich gain of the lead channel - especially when playing live.

use a strat and a les paul mostly. the clean channel is a bit bland - doesnt let a strat/tele sound like they should! probably best with a fender amp for this but it would be nice! lead channel is good for high gain but lacks a bit subtlety. i play blues/country and would like more cruch available. can only get this best with the pull-gain on the clean channel.

overall, the amp doesnt really let the sound of the guitar come thru. ive heard people say it sounds like a boogie rather than the guitar and agree.

10. never had any probs. its a boogie- theyre solid !!

never really need them! live in the UK and the importer have sometimes been better than my local (good) dealer !

been playing for about 15 years. have got some excellent guitars (anderson/schecter) in addition to strat/lespaul.

overall, id say the build quality/reliability is excellent but the sound is a bit bland. i want the sound of the guitar to come thru and i dont think the boogie does it so mixed rating.

all tube 2 chanell 3 footswitchable sounds. celestion speaker..oversized cab.50 watts

i use this amp with a classic paul....srats and deans.. for a variety of styles,blues,rock,metal....great distortion pretty good clean..but here is the deal....you must get to know this amp.its a tweeker.dont just turn knobs wildly....you might just scroll right bye the sound your looking for.

its a tank

cool people when ever i call for some advice

ive been playing 20 years and im a die hard marshall fan...so i feel like im going against my own religion bye reccomending this amp...but its really an instrument in its own right so play it like one.it has more bottom end than just about any 4-12 cab ive ever heard and this is in a 1-12.the only bad thing is a useless 3rd foot switchable voice that sounds like a megaphone....but its not in the way....the distortion rips and the clean is not bad.....its better than 75% of the clean channels ive played through i guess my point is it would be pretty hard to find a more verastile 1-12 combo....yea it rocks