...New DC-3 head owner has several questions... Please read!

OK, so i've owned several Mesas (Mark IV, Roadster, F-30 combo, RoV combo, Stiletto) but never a Dual Caliber.

My questions are:

1) Can I pull the outer tubes to cut the wattage in half for less volume?
2) Will the DC-3 need the volume knob mod? The seller said it seems to have a fairly smooth taper...
3) What seems to be the best speaker/cab pairing for the DC-3? ...I have a lead on a thiele with an EV - thoughts?
4) How long do I have to own a DC amp to become a member of the DC/Cartel? :wink:

The head won't come be here until next Friday (coming from CA) so give me any good info you have to help me fill the void until then )related or unrelated to the questions above)!

Man, you got a steal on that amp!


1) Can I pull the outer tubes to cut the wattage in half for less volume?
I asked George Mueller about this, he said that it is not recommended. The DC-3 has a very strange bias circuit, so this is probably why. It's also the only amp I've ever seen where the power tubes are biased really hot instead of really cold.

2) Will the DC-3 need the volume knob mod? The seller said it seems to have a fairly smooth taper...
All of the DC's have the 220k resistor across the "Output Volume" pot. It is easy to find on the 3, right behind the Output on the circuit board. Simply cut it or unsolder 1/2 of it. This is one of the best things you can do for this amp!

3) What seems to be the best speaker/cab pairing for the DC-3? ...I have a lead on a thiele with an EV - thoughts?
I used mine with the stock Vintage 30 and an EV Thiele. They sound incredible together, but terrible with just one of them. So far, the C-90 is my favorite speaker with a DC. It really lets the clean channel stand out. I would like to try a DC-3 through a Mesa 3/4 2x12 loaded with a C-90 and a Heritage 30. I think that would be the goods. Although, I do still keep a Thiele around, just incase I get my hands on another DC-3! :lol:

4) How long do I have to own a DC amp to become a member of the DC/Cartel?
Don't know. It may be a matter of, 'How long do I have to keep the amp to join!' :lol: :lol: :lol:

Thanks, Monsta! A 3/4 back 2x12 with a C90 and V30 would be killer! Any other cabs/speaker you would recommend? I alrady have a V30 and wondered what it would sound like in a thiele cab!

You know me and my amp turnaround too well... I'm hoping I find home with this amp!!

:lol: You know where to send it when you're done! :lol:

Monsta-Tone said:

:lol: You know where to send it when you're done! :lol:

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Any other 'nuggets' of info you want to divulge about the DC-3?

Replace the tone stack caps in both channels with a Silver Mica treble cap and Orange Drops and the tone will drastically improve. I use the 715 & 716 series. The 716 sound a bit more hi-fi than the 715's.

Mallorys sound really good on the clean channel tone stack too! More 'Vintage.'

Also, change the loop to series and your delays will love you!


I just changed the output transformer in my DC-5 to a Mercury Magnetics. I'm pretty sure that the DC-3 uses the same tranny. What a dramatic improvement! The clean channel is seriously beautiful now!

The head showed up two days early! WoohoO! Now I just gotta wait for the cabs to get here (recto 1x12s). I'll be using my Tech21 cab until then...

Don't let the Tech 21 cab form your opinion of the tone. Those little amps are really great with the right cabs.

Monsta-Tone said:

Don't let the Tech 21 cab form your opinion of the tone. Those little amps are really great with the right cabs.

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Well, I love the tone through the Tech21 (bypassing the power section of the cab mind you) so i'm sure it will sound even better through the 1x12 recto cab w/ V30 speaker I have coming next week!!

Right on!

Does that mean I can start the stop-watch?

All kidding aside, let me know if you decide to sell it!

Haha! Feel free to start your stop watch! I'm in the honeymoon phase so there's no telling what will happen after that wears off. I hope nothing! It's a very nice Mesa sound. Me likey! Not too tight, loose, dark, bright, mushy, compressed, etc, etc. It's really a nice balance of all the different tones I've heard from my numerous Mesa amps...

It's always cool to get something early

Sounds like you're seriously excited there, dude!!!! Enjoy and keep us posted...

Adam, do you think the DC-3 needs the volume control mod or fine as it is?

All of my DC's have needed it. There is just too much jump in volume at lower settings and I rarely get the chance to crank it.

On the other hand, when I was playing in a band a lot, I never noticed the need for it.

I think it may need to mod the volume knob but i'll play with it again and make sure. I wasn't paying much attention as I was trying to get a feel for the amp otherwise... I did notice that the FX mix knob had no effect on output volume which makes me wonder if the loop has already been modded... I'll pull the chassis this weekend and take a look...

I noticed the preamp tubes have a protective bar or something over them - i've never seen something like that on a Mesa before...

MusicManJP6 said:

I think it may need to mod the volume knob but i'll play with it again and make sure. I wasn't paying much attention as I was trying to get a feel for the amp otherwise... I did notice that the FX mix knob had no effect on output volume which makes me wonder if the loop has already been modded... I'll pull the chassis this weekend and take a look...

I noticed the preamp tubes have a protective bar or something over them - i've never seen something like that on a Mesa before...

Click to expand...

The fx mix doesn't affect volume, just the ratio of the wet/dry signal.

ANIMATED SUSPENSION said:

MusicManJP6 said:

I think it may need to mod the volume knob but i'll play with it again and make sure. I wasn't paying much attention as I was trying to get a feel for the amp otherwise... I did notice that the FX mix knob had no effect on output volume which makes me wonder if the loop has already been modded... I'll pull the chassis this weekend and take a look...

I noticed the preamp tubes have a protective bar or something over them - i've never seen something like that on a Mesa before...

Click to expand...

The fx mix doesn't affect volume, just the ratio of the wet/dry signal.

Click to expand...

Seems like this was not the case with my Stiletto and Rectoverb...

In any case the FX mix knob is inactive now that the loop is series!

Just the loop mod makes a hell of a difference!

Although, I modded my DC-5 and then noticed that the jacks were not letting signal pass. I had to resort to the jumper patch cord fix. :lol:

Monsta-Tone said:

Just the loop mod makes a hell of a difference!

Click to expand...

Yeah, my delays have never sounded so good!