How to increase bass on DC 3

hello all,

I'm new here and recently purchased a DC-3 head. I'm using it with a 2 12 Marshall cab. It sounds excellent with both of my guitars. My only desire is to have slightly more bass. My Marshall DSL 100 head has the perfect amount of bass for me. I used to own a Dual Rectifier years ago, and that had way more than I needed. The DC-3 seems to have very limited bass.

Will changing to JJ tubes with increased bass help? I currently have Mesa tubes in, which I know aren't the best. I use my marshall though the same cabinet and it has a bit more bass than the DC-3. Is the EQ the only way to go? Any other ideas?

I know the DC 5 has more bass, but I really like the sharp, focused sound of the DC 3.

It is possible to mod the voicing, but I am not familiar with DC-3 mods off the top of my head. Maybe Monsta-Tone has some worked out for a DC-3. Bass frequencies require a lot more power to create the perceived volume increase than mid and treble frequencies, so power section has a small part to play as well.

The DC-3, like a Vox AC-30, uses EL-84 power tubes. These typically have less bass than an EL-34 or 6L6 based amp. The trade-off is they do have a focused and punchy midrange.
Try an EQ pedal in the loop.

Sounds like an additional EQ is my best option then. It's actually not that huge of a problem, just a minor thing I noticed. Thanks though.

The SIMPLEST way to reduce bass would be to lower your treble and mid EQs, and turn the volume up. The guitar you use makes a good difference, too.

Try a ported cab like a Mesa Thiele

GD_NC said:

Try a ported cab like a Mesa Thiele

Click to expand...

I second that. When shopping for an extension cabinet for the DC-3 combo I tried the Mesa wide body 1x12 Thiele ported cabinet. It isn't the classic Thiele design but it does produce a good low end for a 1x12. I wound up getting a used Mesa Thiele with a EVM 12L because if matches up well with the combo and offers I nice balance in tone. Never going to get a Recto chug though.

change the coupling cap from were the output level of the preamp goes to the input of the power section.Stock it is a .01 cap,change that to a [email protected] will get you there.It will give you some thunder.

In the "racks" forum there was a thread about a "deep" mod for the 20/20 power amp that can also be performed on the DC-3.

I use a deep V in the EQ setting for this with the second slider from the left down a bit too. With fresh tubes and just 2 1x12's I get some pretty aggressive bass. Its the punchiest,loudest EL84 amp Ive heard. If i closed my eyes or didnt know better Id figure it had big bottles.
Anyhow-This is important
Dead tubes wont give up the goods!

Make sure you have fresh tubes as the DC3 will eat a set in a month-unless you perform a simple bias mod. Bob