NAD, take two: Mesa DC-5 edition

M

mysquaredontfit

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Oh, she's a beauty. Mint condition; with a folder full of literature from 1996 and even the display tag that hung around the clean channel Gain knob when it was new. The Slave Out was modded at some point to be a solo boost a la running a cable in and out of the effects loop, essentially doing the same thing separate from the loop, leaving it open for, uh, effects I guess.

First impressions!
My ears are getting used to the 6L6 sound and feel (ran a JSX with EL34's and then KT77's for 7 years) and the bassy nature of the amp presents a challenge, but I knew these amps took some twiddling to dial in before I bought it.
The graphic EQ is incredibly powerful and will keep me busy for a while.
I love, LOVE the texture of the gain on both channels and the lower reverb settings on the clean (I always hated reverb but this one is lovely).

Picture!
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Also, I'm running a closed-back Peavey 4x12 (heavy duty ply, not particle board. It's rather old) loaded with Celestion G12T-75's I rescued from a Marshall. I know these speakers are meant to be a bit scooped and bottom-end heavy, which isn't exactly what I'm going for. Would changing to a V30 or one of it's clones help balance things out at all? Downsizing to an open back 212, maybe? Any input is appreciated, especially from fellow DC-5 owners. Thanks!
 
Re: NAD, take two: Mesa DC-5 edition

nice. i love my DC-5 as well.
Be aware that it order to get more gain out of the lead channel you need to eq the amp with more highs and less lows. Once you get a good heavy tone, you can shape it more with the graphic eq. This amp has a lot of mids, so I would recommend to scoop the mids of the graphic eq a tiny bit.
V30 is a good speaker for this amp. I personally use a 2x12 vertical cab with V30 and CL80 mix.
 
Re: NAD, take two: Mesa DC-5 edition

I miss my Mesa DC-5 Combo–best sounding amp I ever had I just really didn't need it/use it. I loved the different tones you could get with that 5-Graphic EQ. So I traded her off, miss it but just don't really use an amp right now–all going straight from my POD.
 
Re: NAD, take two: Mesa DC-5 edition

Very cool! These amps intrigue me; I have never played any of the DC's and I wonder what the design philosophy is with these guys. For those in the know, are these just an off-shoot of the Mark series? Kind of a Mark/recto hybrid? Completely different than either?
 
Re: NAD, take two: Mesa DC-5 edition

VHTJay said:
Very cool! These amps intrigue me; I have never played any of the DC's and I wonder what the design philosophy is with these guys. For those in the know, are these just an off-shoot of the Mark series? Kind of a Mark/recto hybrid? Completely different than either?
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Basically the amp has two completely separate channels (6 12ax7s–3 for the gain channel and 3 for the clean/crunch.) The gain/drive is based of a Dual Rectifier and the Clean/Crunch (pull knob to change from clean to crunch) is based off a Mark series. Awesome amp--I highly recommend it for guys looking for anything from country to blues to rock.
 
Re: NAD, take two: Mesa DC-5 edition

Yep, was my second real amp after the 900. I also had a DC-10 once, the 100w version. I got the DC-5 about the same time my buddy got the Mark III that I own now. I used it with the matching vertical 2x12 with classic leads and a M/B 4x10 cab, it was a dark and bassy setup. The Mark always sounded a lot better to me, thus the move to the Ampeg. That's how I discovered it was the 4x10 that I didn't like so much (duh).

I got the DC-10 not long before I decided to focus on drums and sold most of my guitar stuff, but it was awesome. I used it with the halfback 4x12 boogie cab I had for a bit. The Mark III was epic with that cab.
 
Re: NAD, take two: Mesa DC-5 edition

treyhaislip said:
Basically the amp has two completely separate channels (6 12ax7s–3 for the gain channel and 3 for the clean/crunch.) The gain/drive is based of a Dual Rectifier and the Clean/Crunch (pull knob to change from clean to crunch) is based off a Mark series. Awesome amp--I highly recommend it for guys looking for anything from country to blues to rock.
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Seriously?! That sounds pretty awesome! So you essentially get a rectifier-ish overdrive channel with an eq? Sounds pretty killer. I see these floating around my local kijiji for cheap.....I may have to try one out!
 
Re: NAD, take two: Mesa DC-5 edition

VHTJay said:
Seriously?! That sounds pretty awesome! So you essentially get a rectifier-ish overdrive channel with an eq? Sounds pretty killer. I see these floating around my local kijiji for cheap.....I may have to try one out!
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Yup, rectifier-ish overdrive with a Graphic EQ and at a price that won't break the bank...well my bank. lol I'd say load one up and see what you think–look up the Owner's Manual online, pretty cool stuff!
 
Re: NAD, take two: Mesa DC-5 edition

They made smaller EL84 versions of it too, but I've seen some people say they have durability problems.
 
Re: NAD, take two: Mesa DC-5 edition

The Dual Caliber amps are just terrific. I have a DC-3 112 V30 combo in my arsenal, and with the 4xEL84 Dyna-Watt power it sounds like a much bigger amp. These came from the .50 and .22 Caliber amps, and then were replaced by the three-channel Nomads.

I use mine as a my small club and jam session "pick up and go" amp. When I use it with my band, I set it on top of a Mesa 112 EVM Theile cab, and that is a potent, and very compact rig. But it is also a fun amp to play when it can be run high, and I've used it at outdoor festivals and never had a problem competing with a 50-watt Marshall halfstack. The DC-5 is even more muscular and these are just great all-around amps for guys that don't have a "rock star" budget yet want a versatile, toneful and well-made amp to do basic "weekend warrior" gigs.

A DC-5 head will work great with a variety of Mesa cabs, depending what you want. As stated above, they do like V30s, so the Mesa 212 Horizontal and Vertical Recto cabs are good choices. If you need more, the 412 oversize Recto is good, though I prefer the Traditional 412 recto. You're going to want either a 4-ohm or 8-ohm cab, so the 16-ohm Marshall cabs wont give you full power unless they are re-wired. I also like the Mesa Half-Back cabs. They had a 212 and a 412, and I'd recommend them with the C-90 Celestion/Black Shadow in the top and the EVM in the bottom. Great cabs. And there are some cool options for the guys with combo versions of these amps; cabs that can really add a lot of low-end punch and projection, while keeping the airy spaciousness of the open-back combo cab.

Cool amp! Enjoy!

Bill
 
Re: NAD, take two: Mesa DC-5 edition

I recently sold my DC-5. I loved the clean channel, but the gain channel was a bit more than I needed. And 50 Watts is much more than I need. I did really dig that clean channel though.

Nice find!
 
Re: NAD, take two: Mesa DC-5 edition

Matt42 said:
I recently sold my DC-5. I loved the clean channel, but the gain channel was a bit more than I needed. And 50 Watts is much more than I need. I did really dig that clean channel though.

Nice find!
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Yeah, the clean channel was awesome! I was able to dial in the gain channel just the way I liked it, but the amp had way too much power for being just a practice amp which is why I sold it.
 
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