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Mesa Boogie DC-5

Posted: Fri Mar 30, 2012 2:08 am
by kiramdear
I have a possibility of trading for one of these with 1 12" speaker. Should I go for it? What say ye, tonesters? Please relate your opinions and experiences with this amp.

Re: Mesa Boogie DC-5

Posted: Fri Mar 30, 2012 9:07 am
by jps
I had a DC-2 for a couple years, and a friend of mine currently has it. These are really nice and get quite loud (to me, anyway). I always thought the Rhythm channel sounded better than the Lead channel, which got a bit too midrangy for my tastes, YMMV of course.

Mesa Boogie DC-5

Posted: Fri Mar 30, 2012 4:03 pm
by 8mileshigher
By way of brand recommendation (but another model then the one you reference) I have a Mesa Boogie Subway Blues with 1 x 10" and its a powerful little amp with great tone for its size.

Re: Mesa Boogie DC-5

Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2012 5:51 am
by whojamfan
I would check it out and see what you think. I'm not a Mesa fan, but that's a preference thing. They are well constructed and their fans are rabid about them. I would think this amp might be a bit of a boat anchor, but maybe you'll luck out and get the sound you're looking for and a manageable weight to boot.

Keep us posted! :D

Re: Mesa Boogie DC-5

Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2012 9:16 am
by ken_j
Great amp. Outstanding for cleans (think blackface), blues and beyond. This will not get to the high gain territory of a recto. It has an all tube driven reverb. The pushed sounds are all tube not clipped diodes. This amp will play very loud, but due to master ouput control will easily play at bedroom levels. It had I used one of these with my Ricks and loved it. I later went with a lower wattage Subway Blues but just could not live with the 10" speaker. I built that into a head and ran it with a 2 x 12" cab.

There are a couple versions of the DC-5 depending on their date of manufacture. The first ones had rocker switches then toggles for on off, standby etc. They have a single control footswitch to change channels and LEDs on the amps front panel to indicate which channel is on. Also there is a rotary switch on the back that controls if the graphic equalizer is in the circuit when the lead channel is active. The second version does not have the LEDs on the front panel but has them on the foot switch that controls channel switching and the reverb. The switch on the rear panel for the graphic equalizer is a toggle switch with slightly different options. The second version also has a headphone amp. The second version is a little more flexible and seem to be worth a bit more on the used market.
Mesa Boogie DC-5B (second version)
Mesa Boogie DC-5B (second version)

Re: Mesa Boogie DC-5

Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2012 1:39 pm
by kiramdear
Ken, thank you for the detailed response. If all goes well I should have a DC-5 in my music room by day's end. I'll let you know my feelings about it in due course. :)

Re: Mesa Boogie DC-5

Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2012 5:54 pm
by ken_j
The tone controls on these, as well as most Boogies, are interactive and do effect each other. If you turn the mid control past #4 (11 o'clock on some models) it adds gain. The gain control on channel one can be pulled out for even more push, and when cranked up tends to overlap the lead channel with the gain at 1 or 2. Keep the master output above 4 to not loose bottom end. This is a heavy amp, get a doly and save your back.

Sent me your email address via PM and I will send you schematics (PDF) and an owners manual if needed. A big plus for you is that the factory will service these amps and it is not too far from you in Petaluma.

Re: Mesa Boogie DC-5

Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2012 6:14 pm
by jps
ken_j wrote:A big plus for you is that the factory will service these amps and it is not too far from you in Petaluma.
Shari & I had a very nice visit and tour there in '07. 8)

Re: Mesa Boogie DC-5

Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2012 7:05 pm
by kiramdear
Here to report that the factory did a great job getting the DC-5 back up to spec, they did it in just one week, and they didn't charge me an arm and a leg. Kudos to the nice folks there.

I dialed it in according to the suggestions in the book - that was easy enough. Suffice to say I'm in love. Sparkling cleans all the way to massive distortion and everything in between are mine to command. No more distortion pedals for me; this amp really sings when you push it. Plays well with my Janglebox, too. And LOUD, OMG if this is only 50 watts I dare not wish for more.

Just wanted to quickly check back in - I'm off to annoy the neighbors some more. Toodles. :)

Re: Mesa Boogie DC-5

Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2012 7:09 pm
by ken_j
I can send a few sets of ear plugs from the neighbors and a back brace for you. :lol: :lol: :lol:
I knew you would like it. :D

Re: Mesa Boogie DC-5

Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2012 7:16 pm
by kiramdear
ken_j wrote:I can send a few sets of ear plugs from the neighbors and a back brace for you. :lol: :lol: :lol:
I knew you would like it. :D
LOL! :lol: :lol: :lol:

Mesa Boogie DC-5

Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2012 7:27 pm
by 8mileshigher
Cool ! Glad your amp is sounding great and received a factory check-up.

Re: Mesa Boogie DC-5

Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2012 9:39 pm
by kiramdear
Thanks, Rich!

I just gave it a shakedown with my JB'd Carl Wilson. Wowee wow! Crystal clean, but with jack boots on. I never heard it sound this good.

Re: Mesa Boogie DC-5

Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2012 9:55 pm
by jps
ken_j wrote:I knew you would like it. :D
+1! 8) I thought my old DC-2 was loud!