New member with some DC-5 questions

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jdonegan

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I was pointed in the direction of this forum by someone on sevenstring.org, looks like a nice place 8)

I've owned a DC-5 for over a year now and while it does sound awesome it seems to have some issues:
1. The volume cuts randomly while I'm playing with the GEQ on. I haven't notice any volume drops with the GEQ off but I usually leave it on so I don't know if it's part of the issue. Could old tubes cause this? I haven't re-tubed it and I don't think the old owner has either (I have most of the receipts with the amp somewhere so I could check).

2. It gets really really loud really fast, I heard there's a volume control mod you can do to help alleviate this issue. I'm assuming this is done to the master volume? Can someone point me towards a diagram or video of the mod?

Thanks
 
jdonegan said:
I was pointed in the direction of this forum by someone on sevenstring.org, looks like a nice place 8)

I've owned a DC-5 for over a year now and while it does sound awesome it seems to have some issues:
1. The volume cuts randomly while I'm playing with the GEQ on. I haven't notice any volume drops with the GEQ off but I usually leave it on so I don't know if it's part of the issue. Could old tubes cause this? I haven't re-tubed it and I don't think the old owner has either (I have most of the receipts with the amp somewhere so I could check).

2. It gets really really loud really fast, I heard there's a volume control mod you can do to help alleviate this issue. I'm assuming this is done to the master volume? Can someone point me towards a diagram or video of the mod?

Thanks

The first thing sounds like tubes. It's cheap enough to re-tube that there's no reason not to. If a tube arcs it can take other stuff out so I'd do that right away.

second, the volume mod is mandatory. Depending on the revision you have it's either the resistor soldered right to the pot or the resistor on the board right where the master volume leads come in. Once photobucket is back up I'll post a pic of the latter.
 
madryan said:
The first thing sounds like tubes. It's cheap enough to re-tube that there's no reason not to. If a tube arcs it can take other stuff out so I'd do that right away.

second, the volume mod is mandatory. Depending on the revision you have it's either the resistor soldered right to the pot or the resistor on the board right where the master volume leads come in. Once photobucket is back up I'll post a pic of the latter.

Thanks dude, any recommendation for tubes (I try to play death metal influenced stuff)? This is my first tube amp so my knowledge is definitely lacking in that area.
 
jdonegan said:
madryan said:
The first thing sounds like tubes. It's cheap enough to re-tube that there's no reason not to. If a tube arcs it can take other stuff out so I'd do that right away.

second, the volume mod is mandatory. Depending on the revision you have it's either the resistor soldered right to the pot or the resistor on the board right where the master volume leads come in. Once photobucket is back up I'll post a pic of the latter.

Thanks dude, any recommendation for tubes (I try to play death metal influenced stuff)? This is my first tube amp so my knowledge is definitely lacking in that area.

Svetlana winged =C= power tubes. Get a Jan GE NOS 12AT7 for V6 and JJ's or 9th gen chinese for the rest of the preamp and you'll be fine. Call up Dougs Tubes (google it) and you're golden. Don't waste your time messing with "High Gain" tubes as 12AX7's are pretty much all the same. Some are brighter than others. The 9th gen chinese are really solid tubes for the money.

To get into Death Metal style gain you're going to need a boost. I'd recommend an Xotic BB preamp.
 
madryan said:
jdonegan said:
madryan said:
The first thing sounds like tubes. It's cheap enough to re-tube that there's no reason not to. If a tube arcs it can take other stuff out so I'd do that right away.

second, the volume mod is mandatory. Depending on the revision you have it's either the resistor soldered right to the pot or the resistor on the board right where the master volume leads come in. Once photobucket is back up I'll post a pic of the latter.

Thanks dude, any recommendation for tubes (I try to play death metal influenced stuff)? This is my first tube amp so my knowledge is definitely lacking in that area.

Svetlana winged =C= power tubes. Get a Jan GE NOS 12AT7 for V6 and JJ's or 9th gen chinese for the rest of the preamp and you'll be fine. Call up Dougs Tubes (google it) and you're golden. Don't waste your time messing with "High Gain" tubes as 12AX7's are pretty much all the same. Some are brighter than others. The 9th gen chinese are really solid tubes for the money.

To get into Death Metal style gain you're going to need a boost. I'd recommend an Xotic BB preamp.

What the difference between the 12AT7 and the 12AX7? What about the power tubes? I actually get enough gain to play death metal the way it is now. I'd prefer not changing the tone.
 
jdonegan said:
What the difference between the 12AT7 and the 12AX7? What about the power tubes? I actually get enough gain to play death metal the way it is now. I'd prefer not changing the tone.

The Svetlana Winged =C= 6L6's are pretty much the industry standard for new tubes. They sound great and they hold up really well. Much better than the stock mesa stuff which are pretty much the same as Ruby's.

The 12AT7 has lower gain but produces more current so it's great for the PI (Phase Inverter) as it'll drive the power section a bit harder. It really doesn't change the tone but more the feel. As far as tube selection in the rest of the preamp... V1, V2 and V4 are arguably the only tubes that are going to change the sound any. V1 is probably the only one you can honestly say you'll see any real change. So buy solid well made tubes like the 9th gen Chinese for the bulk of the preamp and try a couple of different tubes in V1 till you find something that sounds like it works for you. I'm betting you're going to be happy with a Tung Sol in V1 as they're fairly bright but really nice sounding.

Whatever you do tube wise isn't going to radically change the sound of the amp.
 
Whatever you do tube wise isn't going to radically change the sound of the amp.


:shock: Sorry man, I have to disagree with this. I can totally change my amp's tones just by changing preamp tubes.

Ryan's right though. The Master Volume mod is definitely a must.

As for the sound cutting in and out, try a couple of things:
1. Try placing a short jumper cable from the Send to the Receive of the FX Loop. Mine started doing this and the jumper cured it.

2. Definitely give Doug's Tubes a call. My amp has tons more gain now with his setup. I didn't like what it did for the clean channel, so I put a Sovtek LPS in V4 and it sounds great now.


Also, I tried the AT7, but prefered the AX7 for V6. I think this will be a personal taste thing.
I don't like AX7's in the PI of my Twin, but I don't like AT's in the PI of my DC.
 
Monsta-Tone said:
Whatever you do tube wise isn't going to radically change the sound of the amp.


:shock: Sorry man, I have to disagree with this. I can totally change my amp's tones just by changing preamp tubes.

Ryan's right though. The Master Volume mod is definitely a must.

As for the sound cutting in and out, try a couple of things:
1. Try placing a short jumper cable from the Send to the Receive of the FX Loop. Mine started doing this and the jumper cured it.

2. Definitely give Doug's Tubes a call. My amp has tons more gain now with his setup. I didn't like what it did for the clean channel, so I put a Sovtek LPS in V4 and it sounds great now.


Also, I tried the AT7, but prefered the AX7 for V6. I think this will be a personal taste thing.
I don't like AX7's in the PI of my Twin, but I don't like AT's in the PI of my DC.

I'd encourage people to hot swap preamp tubes so you can do something like a back to back comparison. The thing with preamp tubes is that all the tubes that meet the 12AX7 spec are going to be similar with regards to gain. The differences will be in the realm of tone and will not only happen from brand to brand but also from tube to tube within a specific brand and model. I'm not saying it doesn't change the sound but it's not going to change the voicing. A Mesa mark series isn't going to sound like a Marshall no matter what you do tube wise. However, a brighter tube will sound like it's higher gain.

I pulled the chassis and powered up the amp and swapped tubes through V1 till I found one I liked the best. Turns out it's a 5751 which is barely a 12AX7 at all. That's in this amp. My Orange hated that tube in any spot and while the Sovtek that ended up in V1 of my Orange sounded like crap in my DC-5 it sounds great for the clean channel of the Orange which is what V1 does in that amp. It's easy. Lay the amp out and warm it up and jam through it a bit but not too loud or you'll fry your ears and won't be able to tell any meaningful difference. Put the amp on standby, pull V1 and replace it. Let the tube warm up for 10 or so seconds and take it off standby and see if you like it better or worse. Do this till you find the tube that works best in V1. If you're like me, you'll then just run a solid tube in V2 and not worry about the sound. You may want to swap tubes through V2 to see if there's any difference. Same with V4.

You own a DC-3 which is a much different beast so I'm not surprised you like a 12AX7 in the PI. You're already going to be driving those little bitty bottles harder. In a bigger amp with more headroom I find a 12AT7 just makes the amp feel so much better and sound more articulate.
 
:lol: Not trying to pick a fight.

I do agree with all of that, except the part about me owning a DC-3, it's a 5. Although, I really do wish I still owned a DC-3, that is a great amp too!

That is basically what I do too, to find the right tubes for my amps. And, it is very true that just because a tube sounds like crap in one amp, it may just be what another amp needs to sound spectacular.


I would caution anyone trying this with the chassis opened up and out of the amp. There are some seriously dangerous parts inside your amp. It is very easy to get hurt, even if you know what you're doing.
 
Monsta-Tone said:
:lol: Not trying to pick a fight.

I do agree with all of that, except the part about me owning a DC-3, it's a 5. Although, I really do wish I still owned a DC-3, that is a great amp too!

That is basically what I do too, to find the right tubes for my amps. And, it is very true that just because a tube sounds like crap in one amp, it may just be what another amp needs to sound spectacular.


I would caution anyone trying this with the chassis opened up and out of the amp. There are some seriously dangerous parts inside your amp. It is very easy to get hurt, even if you know what you're doing.

DOH! For some reason I thought you owned a 3 (Obviously) so I stand corrected sir. I could never bond with EL-84s. Totally agree about the dangerous voltages in the amp. The DC's aren't too bad as the board is small and smack in the middle of the chassis with flying leads so it's easy to handle the chassis without inadvertently dipping a finger in and contacting a capacitor or some such.
 
:lol: Everytime I find myself growing complacent, I shock myself! :lol:

I've been an electrician for 20 years and still find inventive ways to sneak a shock in once in a while!
 
I imagine that's a danger in your line of work.

So last night I'm jamming with some folks I play music with and I was having a blast doing that whole harmonic feedback thing with my DC. I could get the note to fade into different frequencies of feedback just by how I picked it. I've never owned an amp that was so easy to do this sort of thing on.

I'm going to end up with the DC-5 built into a rack case with my Orange Rockerverb. I'll use the cleans on both amps, the Orange for Crunch and the DC for leads. It'll be epic. Full MIDI switching including a switcher to run to the same cab so I'm not lugging tons of stuff around.
 
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