Mesa/Boogie DC3 Stereo Amplifier User Manual


 
NOTE: When trying to use your DC-3 at extremely low volume levels it will be necessary to reduce the far left Gain control. Once the
Masters and Output Levels has been reduced to roughly 1.5 , reducing the Masters or Output Level below this point causes phase
interaction that prevents a clean signal from passing through this circuit junction. If you must use your DC-3 at whisper levels to
practice late at night etc...get used to reducing the Gain as well as the Masters and Output levels. This effect is most noticeable in the
Rhythm channel set for a crystal clean sound. In the Lead channel set for a high gain sound the interaction effect is greatly reduced
and virtually unnoticeable.
This lonely knob is the DC-3’s final Output knob or overall master. After the relative balance of the two channels has been set with the
channel MASTER Controls, use this OUTPUT LEVEL Control to increase or decrease the listening volume. It is also the Effects
Return Level control, a point we thought you should know. This
design element makes setting up a lot easier and gives you one
less knob to deal with when interfacing to your favorite effects.
Optimum setting depends on the size of the room you wish to
rock, but generally the DC-3 sounds best with a setting some-
where between
2
and
6
on the OUTPUT LEVEL Control.
The five band graphic provides limitless additional shaping of the already curvacious tone. It is bypassable and channel assignable.
It is also footswitchable manually via the stereo 1/4 inch jack located on the Rear Panel. These assignment choices are menued on
the Rear Panel around the rotary control that is used to choose each position. The five choices are: “OUT’ all the time (bypassed), “IN”
all the time (engaged), “IN” on the Rhythm Channel, “IN” on the Lead Channel and “Footswitchable.” The Graphic is not a necessity
to amazing tone, but can greatly enlarge the scope of sonic possibilities through experimentation. If you never turned it on you would
still have one of the most amazing sounding amps around...but it’s there...so you may as well take a crack at some tweaking. One
setting that keeps popping up as a classic Boogie EQ curve is the fabled “V”. This setting increases the bottom, scoops the mids and
leaves the highs to do their harmonic best. Be sure to try this at some point as many Boogie users have found it to be their main sound
with its huge wideness and spread. Below are some sample settings that we see used quite often, but by all means experiment.
PAGE 5
OUTPUT LEVEL:
80 240 750 2200 6600
OUTPUT
LEVEL
2
5
6
7
8
1
0
10
9
3
4
STANDBY POWERLEAD
D
UAL
C
ALIBER
DC-3
ON ONRHYTHM
GRAPHIC EQ:
MASTER:
(Continued)
80 240 750 2200
6600
3.
80 240 750 2200
6600
80 240 750 2200
6600
The fabled "V" shape
2.
1.
80 240 750 2200
6600
4.