DC10 user manual-PC
Contents
1. mMM 10026 AC POWER 3ASB TT 2 N N N 6 NI NI Q 2 9 MUTE lt SPKRP ON MESA 60 HZ adiecit dd Vue 160M 8OHM 8OHM 4OHM 40M 2 SWITCH JACK JACK pt JACK pt JACK ptt pu ens 4 ptf 612391 618112 618112 618112 SPEAKER JACKS all 5 pt 618112 on en p 120 V A M ESA BOOGIE The Spirit of Art in Technology Thank yOu for trusting MESA Boogie to be your amplifier company We wish you many years of toneful enjoyment from this handbuilt all tube instrument T he Spirit of Art in T echnology 1317 Ross Street Petaluma CA 94954 USA2. LEAD EQ LEVEL 60OWATTS STANDBY POWER 80Hz 240 750 2200 6600 DuaL CALIBER DC 10 INPUT PULL BOOST amp FOOT GAIN TREBLE BASS PRESENCE REVERB MASTER SWITCH 0 LEAD LEAD EQ LE EL 60OWATTS STANDBY POWER 80Hz 240 750 2200 6600 DuaL CALIBER DC 10 SAMPLE 4 CHANNEL INPUT PULL BOOST BAB QO9000e FOOT GAIN TREBLE BASS PRESENCE REVERB MASTER LEAD LEAD EQ LEVEL 60WATTS STANDBY POWER 80Hz 240 750 2200 6600 CALIBER DC 10 INPUT PULL BOOST 0000e FOOT GAIN TREBLE BASS PRESENCE REVERB MASTER SWITCH LY J LEAD EQ LEVEL 60 WATTS STANDBY POWER 80Hz 240 750 2200 6600 DuAL CALIBER DC 10 PAGE 11 39Vvd Partial View Of Chassis e 000666 REVERB Owe Each 12AX7 contains two separate Triodes LZ REAR OF CHASSIS Description of Tube Functions V1 A First Rhythm V4 A Third Rhythm V1 B First Lead V4 B Second Rhythm V2 A Second Lead V5 A Reverb Send V2 B Third Lead V5 B Reverb Retum V3 A Fourth Lead V6 A V3 B FX Return V6 B gt Phase Splitter Driver TUBE NOISE amp MICROPHONICS You may occasionally experience some form of tube noise or microphonics Certainly no cause for alarm this quirky behavior comes with the territory and the Tone Much like changing a light bulb you don t need a technician to cure these types of minor
3. Reverb amp Footswitch Silent Recording Slave Out Speakers Factory Sample Settings Personal Settings Page Tube Task Chart Tube Noise amp Microphonics Diagnosing Power Tube Failure Diagnosing Pre Amp Tube Problems Bias Adjustment Parts Sheet O O1 O1 O1 FF Www n 7 7 7 8 8 8 8 9 9 9 9 16 amp 17 amp 18 19 D C 10 Operating Instructions MATAH Your DC 10 amplifier was designed to deliver maximum performance in a format based on simplicity Its easy to dial nature allows each of the two channels to deliver a wide range of sounds in both clean and overdrive styles This Dual Caliber uses four 6L6 power tubes to fuel its healthy one hundred watt power section We are pleased by its surprising headroom yet truly musical clipability when pushed The DC 10 s pre amp was no afterthought as you may have deduced by the six 12AX7s tucked snugly away under the swing away tube clamp Two separate sets of tubes are used to accomplish the RHYTHM and LEAD channels It s really like having two separate amplifiers that can produce 4 different switchable sounds built into one chassis Ultimate flexibility is achieved by providing two complete sets of Tone and Master controls as well as the channel assignable 5 BAND GRAPHIC EQUALIZER Looking to the rear panel assures that all your interfacing needs are covered A Parallel EFFECTS LOOP with a MIX control provides tone insurance for even those questionable effect
4. combined with low FOOT GAN TREBLE BASS PRESENCE PRESENCE settings produce the richest roundest lead sounds Try pus setting the RHYTHM channels PRESENCE control at around or for the sweet blend of sparkle and cut This range in the RHYTHM channel also tends to give the impression of more head room Try a LEAD channel PRESENCE control setting of to start with and adjust to taste Avoid setting the LEAD PRESENCE control to D when high GAIN and TREBLE settings are in use This reduces the likelihood of annoying microphonic tube problems Sit The DC 10 has a separate REVERB control for each channel This enables different amounts of the rich ALL TUBE REVERB to be mixed with the dry signal of each channel without compromise It is normal for extreme settings of the REVERB control to slightly alter the character of the channel as the voicing of the REVERB O circuit becomes more dominant in the mix GAIN TREBLE BASS USB The individual channel MASTER controls serve three purposes in the layout of the DC 10 FIRST They serve as level balancing controls for each of the two channels This enables a wide range of front end gain settings to be matched to a given listening L level and the level of the other channel SECOND They act as Effects Send controls for each channel in the EFFECTS LOOP As with many of the controls on the DC 10 the best results for balance and tone are ee EE R
5. tube will pull down the bias for its adjac ent mates but one tube may be glowing hotter and that one is the culprit The other two are often fine unless they ve been glowing bright red for several minutes Because there is no physical short inside the tube just electrons rioting out of control merely switching to STANDBY for a few moments then back to ON will usually cure the problem at least temporarily Watch the tubes carefully now Should the problem recur the intermittent tube will visibly start to over heat before the others and thus it can be identified It should be replaced with one from the same color batch shown on its label Call us and we will send one out to you The severe short is not nearly so benign In the worst cases a major arcing short occurs between the plate and the cathode with visible lightning inside the glass and a major noise through the speaker If this is seen to happen IMMEDIATELY turn the amp to STANDBY By this time the fuse probably will have blown Such a short is usually caused by a physical breakdown inside the tube including contaminate coming loose or physical contact or near contact between the elements Replace it and the fuse with the proper slo blo type and power up the amp using the power up procedure as we described earlier in this manual TUBE NOISE Often caused by contamination within in a tube the culprit can usually be identified and by lightly tapping on the glass you will probably
6. OHM 8 OHM 8 OHM 4 OHM 4 OHI OHM PAGE 1 FRONT PANEL INPUT 2606000007 pie FOOT GAIN TREBLE BASS PRESENCE REVERB MASTER e SWITCH n LEVEL 60 WATTS STANDBY POWER 80Hz 240 750 2200 6600 DUAL CALIBER DC 10 First familiarize yourself with the layout of the front panel and locate the RHYTHM LEAD EQ switch on the right side of the chassis between the 5 Band Graphic EQ and MASTER LEVEL control This toggles you between the top RHYTHM channel and the bottom LEAD channel If you don t have the RHYTHM LEAD EQ Footswitch connected this switch will activate the channel switching function Before we get critical about each control let s audition the two channels with a basic clean setting in the RHYTHM channel and a fairly high gain overdriven sound in the LEAD channel Koa Connect your guitar to the Instrument INPUT jack Flip the POWER switch ON while leaving the STANDBY switch set to STANDBY It s always a good idea to practice this start up procedure as at least 30 seconds of warm up time lessens the shock on cold power tubes thus prolonging their toneful life substantially Next set the controls and the Graphic EQ as shown above BATH amp LEAD EQ FT SW 3 AS SB LEAD ONLY RECORDING Flip the STANDBY switch to the ON position and listen to the two channels using either the footswitch or the Channel Select toggle switch found on the right side of the front panel The EQ Footswitch A
7. appropriate match PAGE 13 DIAGNOSING PRE AMP TUBE PROBLEMS Because your amplifier is an all tube design it is quite possible that you will at some point experience minor pre amp tube noise Rest assured this is no cause for alarm and you can take care of the problem yourself in a matter of minutes by simply swapping tubes Let us begin by saying It is a very good idea to keep at least a couple of spare pre amp tubes on hand at all times to insure uninterrupted performance These minor pre amp tube problems can take many forms but can generally be described in two catego ries Noise and Microphonics Noise can be in the form of crackling sputtering white noise hiss and or hum Microphonic problems usually appear in the form of a ringing or high pitched squealing that gets worse as the gain or volume is increased thus are more noticeable in the higher gain HI modes Microphonic problems are easily identified because the problem is still present even with the instruments volume off or unplugged altogether unlike pick up feedback which ceases as the instrument is turned down Micro phonic noise is caused by mechanical vibration and shock think of banging a microphone around and you ll understand where the word came from The best way to approach a pre amp tube problem is to see if it occurs only in one specific mode or channel Then refer to the TUBE TASK CHART located earlier in this manual and it should lead you to the tube n
8. high performance amplifiers And for this we need tubes whose variance is within a narrow range Our warehouse is full of rejects oh they work they just don t perform within our tolerance range We have a very sophisticated computer based tube testing system nicknamed Robotube that matches and measures tubes over seven important parameters It can even predict which tubes are likely to have a shortened lifetime even though they work perfectly during the test Because our business is building quality amps we can afford to reject a lot of wayward tubes The guys you hear complaining because Boogies don t have bias adjusters are primarily in the business of selling tubes not amps They don t want to throw away 30 percent of their inventory so they promote the idea that tubes outside our parameters can be used to customize amplifiers and they criticize us because our amps can t be adjusted to accommodate their out of Mesa tolerance tubes Now you might be thinking But thought you just said that tubes don t draw bias therefore they don t effect the bias supply and thus it doesn t need to be adjustable When you set the bias whether it s by selecting the right resistors as we do or adjusting a trimmer which is quicker what you are doing is establishing the correct amount of idle CURRENT that flows through the power tubes But you can t adjust the current directly you can only change it by adjusting the amount of
9. knob is the DC 10 s final output knob or overall master After the relative balance of the two channels has been set with the channel MASTER controls use the LEVEL control to increase or decrease the listening volume Itis also the Effects Return Level control a point we thought you should know This design element makes processor interfacing a lot easier and gives you one less knob to deal 22 with when you want to adjust your overall playing volume in performance situations O ar Optimum setting depends on the size of the room you wish to rock but generally the Jj V NN e 0 6 DC 10 sounds best with a setting somewhere between and on the output LEVEL control RHYTHM 100 WATTS ON LEAD EQ LEVEL 60 WATTS STAND 500 DUAL CALIBER FRONT PANEL TOGGLE SWITCHES POWER 60 100 WATT The DC 10 may be used in a 100 WATT Full Power configuration or can be switched down to a 60 WATT Half Power harness for smaller venues added power clipping possibilities or simply for different sonic characteristics The 100 WATT position sounds fuller and richer with more defined bass response 100 WATTS The 60 WATT position leans towards a more bubbly brighter sound that can be pushed more easily for power clip overdrive The 60 WATT position shuts down the two center power tubes keeping them in stand by mode for instant power increases and may be switched while the DC 10 is in operation If you prefer the sound of the 60 WATTposition e you may feel fre
10. out of adjustment due to vibration As any honest tech will tell you there s lot s of easy money to be made by sprinkling holy water on amplifiers uh what meant to say is Your amp needed biasing See what mean What customer is going to argue with that It only takes a moment and a volt meter The Fender diagram shows how Adjust this trim pot for 52 volts That s it Nothing more Now don t be fooled into thinking that tubes draw more or less bias they don t The way a bias supply is connected to a tube is akin to a dead end road it just trails off to nowhere without really completing a circuit It s a static voltage and regardless of what tube is in the socket or even if the tubes aren t plugged in at all it doesn t change the bias voltage a bit So the end of the short answer is this Since a bias supply needs to put out the right voltage and never vary wanted to build amplifiers that were individually hard wired to the correct values and NEVER needed adjustment And for 25 years that s how Mesa Boogies have been built Time to change tubes Just plug our tubes into any one of our amps and you re DONE No tech needed NO bills and no BS about biasing And most important The bias is RIGHT because it can t change Now you want the long answer Here s more information on how our hard wired bias avoids trouble Please read on But first let s make an important distinction Our business is designing and building
11. pull circuit itself to become unbalanced Two wrongs don t really make a right PAGE 17 Some of the other recommended biasing methods such as tubes running red hot increase the bias sounds harsh and runs too cool turn it down are guesswork at best Luckily one of the great things about tube amps is that they can usually stand some abuse without causing any real harm at least not immediately But don t these alterations imply that you are second guessing the amp designer and that there s a better set of operating conditions that the designer missed but the tube sellers have discovered Now some players may like the sound of their amp altered by tubes with extreme characteristics and with the bias set to help compensate But often it is the mere novelty of change that they re really responding to and when the amp goes back to the proper original way we ve seen them be far happier still Because every part in every one of our designs has been meticulously evaluated compared and stressed over no matter how seemingly insignificant it might be And with every design we look for a sweet spot where all the parameters including the bias come together to give the best sonic performance consistently and reliably Every part and voltage is important yet no one complains that these other parameters aren t available for tinkering Consider our patented Simul Class circuitry where there are two different bias
12. situations Dial to taste remembering that the setting of the TREBLE control greatly effects this controls strength To obtain the sweetest clean sound set the Mid to e or below LES This control blends in the lower frequencies and its effectiveness again depends on the setting of the TREBLE control It should be set with moderation as extreme settings in either low or high directions can produce an unbalanced tone Be especially careful in higher GAIN settings of either channel Too much BASS will cause a flabby unfocused sound that can t be dialed out with the graphic because excessive BASS has been introduced to the pre amp in the early stages O O Try setting the BASS to Q for clean sounds in the RHYTHM channel and on can ix acd or below when dialing up high gain overdriven sounds in this channel In the LEAD channel try setting the BASS somewhere between 9 and These settings will vary with the amount of GAIN and TREBLE you have dialed up PAGE 3 CONTROLS Continued 4 4148 These controls attenuate the upper high end harmonics and control dynamic compression in the power section High settings produce more sparkle and cut lending a more open quality to the channel Low settings of the PRESENCE compress the sound and enhance the more vocal qualities of single notes INPUT O O This control can also produce a fatter warmer character especially WZ in the LEAD channel Lower TREBLE settings
13. voltages used for separate pairs of power tubes and changing one voltage also changes the other Great care goes into getting this just right and we think we d be asking for trouble to have it adjustable for the world to play with unless you like paying to have your amp messed up Sorry meant to say Uh your amp needed biasing If that doesn t appeal to you then merely plug a matched set of Mesa tubes into one of our amps and you re ready for tone Guaran teed You d be amazed at the number of service calls we field every day that lead to a diagnosis of out of tolerance non spec tube problems To think these would be prevented by including a bias adjustment is something of an insult to you and us If you put the wrong size tires on your car do you think changing the pressure will make them right Please don t think this is a blanket indictment of the other guys selling tubes it isn t And their tubes aren t all bad either It just doesn t make sense to pay more of your hard earned cash for tubes that were probably made in the same Russian or Chinese factory and which have the possibility of being outside the performance window we select for your amp And it pains us to hear the hype and mystique built up around biasing when twenty five years of evidence affirms our decision to make bias circuits that never need adjustment How much money and trouble that has saved Mesa Boogie players you couldn t estimate Our rigorously te
14. 3 ASB HEADPHONES x e Soi Hz cH This is the A C s Alternating Current main FUSE and provides electrical current protection from outside A C fluctuations as well as power tube failure damage Should the FUSE blow replace it with the same rating in a Slo Blo type package The domestic U S version requires a 3 Amp Slo Blo FUSE A power tube short or failure is often the cause of a blown FUSE Follow the cold start procedure mentioned in the ON Deg STANDBY section and watch the four 6L6 power tubes as you turn the STANDBY to the ON position If a power tube is going bad or is arcing you will see it Flip the STANDBY switch to STANDBY immediately and replace the faulty power tube and the FUSE if nec essary If you see nothing abnormal as you lift the STANDBY it is possible that a power tube shorted temporarily and blew the FUSE If this is the case it may work again nor mally To be extra safe you may want to replace all four power tubes in the shotgun troubleshooting tradition and save the replaced set as spares 3ASB HEADPHONES ZN 120 V 3A 60 HZ NOTE Like tires on a car spare tubes are always a measure of good insurance Your DC 10 was carefully constructed with reliability in mind Given the proper care and maintenance it will deliver years of trouble free service However any pro guitarist who is out there gigging will tell you spare tubes are a must for the fabled cord bag and may someday be worth t
15. AJENG EMASTER usually found in the medium range THIRD The MASTER control is the RECORDING jacks Send Level control When using the direct RECORDING jack found on the rear panel to interface directly to a mixing board or recorder this control will determine the amount of signal you will be sending via this jack In this application it is usually best to start with the MASTER controls set to 0 and gradually increase them to the proper level This minimizes the possibility of blowing speakers or eardrums in the event the engineer has an extremely sensitive input headroom setting in place at the console NOTE Whentrying to use your DC 10 at extremely low volume levels it will be necessary to reduce the far left GAIN control Once the MASTERS and output LEVEL have 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 10 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 setfor a high gain sound the interaction effect is less noticeable PAGE 4 CONTROLS Continued GRAPHIC EQ The 5 BAND GRAPHIC EQ provides limitless additional shaping of the already curvaceous tone It is by passable and channel assi
16. MESA BOOGIE DUAL CALIBER DC 10 T he Spirit of Art in T echnology ENGINEERING 1317 Ross Street Petaluma CA 94954 Hello from the Tone Farm You smart player and all around intuitive human have put your trust in us to be your amplifier company This is something we do not take lightly Our reward is that we ve designed and built another fine guitar amplifier that is destined to become a classic By purchasing and choosing this unit to be a part of your musical voice you have become part of the Mesa family WELCOME Our goal is to never let you down Your reward is that you are now the owner of a great amp bred of fine all tube amp heritage benefiting from the many pioneering and patented Mesa circuits that led to the refinement of your new instrument Feel confident as we do this amp will inspire many hours of musical satisfaction and lasting enjoyment It was built with you in mind by players who know the value of a fine musical instrument and the commit ment it takes to make great music The same commitment to quality value and sup port we make to you our new friend Your MESA Boogie Amplifer is a professional instrument Please treat it with respect and operate it properly USE COMMON SENSE AND ALWAYS OBSERVE THESE PRECAUTIONS Do not expose amplifier to moisture rain or water direct sunlight or extremely high temperaturres Always insure that amplifier is properly grounded Always unplug AC power cord before ch
17. STANDBY CALIBER neme This switch delivers the A C POWER to the DC 10 Make sure the unit is grounded All three terminals of the A C cord should be connected whenever possible and that the proper voltage is present Follow the cold start procedure as described in the ON STANDBY section above when powering up The total power consumption for the DC 10 is 3 Amps 117 Volts Thus a 15 Amp circuit which is what most house circuitry is wired with is adequate Make sure the Euro style A C POWER cord is firmly seated in the power receptacle before powering up the unit ON e POWER DC 10 PAGE 6 REAR PANEL penus Unplug power bebre replacing fuse or removing EQFTsw ASSIGN SLAVE LEAD ONLY SEND FX MIX HEADPHONES RECORDING REV FTSW RETURN a SPEAKERS e e a pu N 555 ON ERES 16 OHM 8 OHM 8 OHM 4 OHM 4 OHM SILENT RECORDING ANGALIH This Euro style A C power connection is perfect for quick set ups and break downs after the gig Always be sure that the A C power cord is firmly seated in the RECEPTACLE If you should loose the A C power cord that comes with your new DC 10 just give us a call and we ll be happy to send you another one for a nominal m charge or see your local Mesa Boogie Pro Center pover sida re replacing He or removing D 4 bolts mounting 973 chassis
18. This is one of the advantages in having a parallel type SEND FX MIX FX LOOP in your DC 10 amplifier this circuit allows the amplifier to retain its purity with the least T TRE possible degradation due to effects impedance mismatching PAGE 8 REAR PANEL continued This 1 4 jack allows you control of the REVERB remotely when the optional Mesa Boogie Footswitch is connected This footswitch can be ordered by calling us direct or by contacting your nearest Mesa Boogie Pro Center wu 5 WW A 00 SEND FX MIX REV FTSW RETURN SES This rocker switch which is located down under the chassis and selects between the live SPEAKER ON setting and the silent SPEAKER MUTE setting This is a perfect solution for all nighters This switch mutes all of the signal at the power section driver stage removing the need for a speaker load IN THIS POSITION ONLY O 100 ILC NOTE When this switch is set to the ON position a speaker load must be maintained by either FX MIX m SETEN a load resistor of some type or a speaker itself Failure to comply with this instruction could result f in major damage to the amplifier To be safe Leave your speaker connected MUTE lt SPKR gt ON SILENT RECORDING This 1 4 jack and control provide a signal derived from the speaker jack This works great for using the DC 10 asa master send to a processor or when additional power amps are needed for additional power Some p
19. anging fuse or any tubes Avoid direct contact with heated tubes Insure adequate air circulation behind amplifier Keep amplifier away from children Besure to connect to an AC power supply that meets the power supply specifications listed on the rear panel of the unit If there is any danger of lightning occurring nearby remove the power plug from the wall socket in ad vance To avoid damaging your speakers and other play back equipment turn off the power of all related equipment before making the connections Do not use excessive force in handling control but tons switches and controls Remove the power plug from the AC mains socket if the unit is to be stored for an extended period of time YOUR AMPLIFIER IS LOUD EXPOSURE TO HIGH SOUND VOLUMES MAY CAUSE PERMANENT HEARING DAMAGE No user serviceable parts inside Refer service to qualified personnel Always unplug AC POWER BEFORE REMOVING CHASSIS EXPORT MODELS Always insure that the unit is wired for the proper voltage Make certain grounding conforms with local standards READ AND FOLLOW ALL INSTRUCTIONS OF PROPER USAGE Precautions FRONT PANEL Description amp Usage Gain Treble Mid Bass Presence Reverb Master Graphic EQ Mode Select Level Control Toggle Switches 100 60 WATT ON STANDBY A C POWER BACK PANEL Description amp Usage A C Receptacle Fuse Headphone Out EQ Assign Recording FX Loop Send amp Return FX Mix
20. bble wrap also works well but please DON T use styrene peanuts they will shift during transit and get lodged inside your electronics as well as allowing your amp to end up at the bottom of the box unprotected and possibly damaged Pre amp tubes don t normally wear out as a rule Therefore it is not a good idea to change them just for the sake of changing them If there isn t a problem don t fix it If there is no result from your substitutions it may be possible that you have more than one problematic tube Though rare this does happen and though it makes the trouble shooting process a little more intimidating it is still possible to cure the problem yourself NOTE Itis normal to hear a slight metallic ringing sound when tapping on the preamp tubes As long as the tube does not break into oscillation or start crackling or any other form of bizzare noise it is considered normal and functional PAGE 15 BIAS ADJUSTMENT Part of a continuous series BEAM CONFINING CATHODE ELECTRODE GRID SCREEN GRID gt PLATE Here s a question we often hear Why doesn t Mesa put bias adjustments in their amplifiers Structure of a 6L6 5881 Beam Power Pentode Well there s a short answer and a long answer to this question The short answer is that during my 12 years of repairing Fenders one of the most frequent problems saw was bias controls that were either set wrong or that had wandered
21. bias VOLTAGE that goes onto the tubes control grids PAGE 16 Voltage and current are NOT the same Current is the AMOUNT of electricity the quantity and is measured in amperes Voltage is the degree of electric charge like the pressure to use the old water analogy Let me illustrate how different voltage and current are When you scrape your feet across a carpetted floor in dry wintery conditions your body can become charged with 50 000 to 100 000 volts of static electricity And when you reach for the door knob a spark jumps and you feel it The voltage is super high but the current measured in micro amps is tiny otherwise you would die from electrocution Contrast this with your car battery which puts out a mere 12 volts You can lay your hands right across the terminals and not feel a thing Yet the amount of current available can run to several hundred amperes enough to turn over a cold engine and get it started So current and voltage are two totally separate electrical parameters though when you multiply them together you get POWER which is measured in watts When you set the bias of an amplifier you are adjusting the static VOLTAGE at the control grid of the tube in order to produce a desired amount of idle CURRENT flowing to the tube s plate A small change in grid voltage produces a large change in the amount of current flowing and that s basically how a tube works Say that again because it s sup
22. e roll off that occurs in the output section with a speaker connected The send level strength is determined by the GAIN and MASTER controls From the RECORDING jack adequate signal level will be HIG available for most of your recording needs and live performances EQ FTSW 6 ASSIGN DAG E LEAD ONLY HEADPHONES RECORDING e NIH These two 1 4 jacks are the patch point for external effects processors The EFFECT LOOP is a patch point between the pre amp and power section and is wired in parallel with the normal signal Connect the SEND jack to your effects Input jack Connect the RETURN jack to the Output jack of your effect The RETURN jack can also double as a Power Amp Input jack When the RETURN jack is used as an input only the 5 Band EQ the PRESENCE control of the active channel and the LEVEL control are being utilized all other controls are inactive la SEND FX MIX REV FTSW RETURN AIME This control determines the dry wet blend of the FX LOOP signal in relation to the unaffected signal Set to 0 you will experience only the dry signal none or very little effect and at a setting of 100 the entire signal will be wet total effect For the best results Set the mix control of your effect processor to 100 wet Then dial in the amount of effect that you wish to hear starting at 0 with the FX LOOP MIX control The drier closer to 0 N ox signal you use the better your tone should be
23. e to use it all the time with no penalty You may then swap the two center 6L6 s for the outer pair in 6 DUAL 12 months or so in order to prolong the re tubing intervals In the unlikely event you should ever have a power tube failure you may pull the faulty tube s and run the DC 10 with only the outside pair until you can replace the faulty tube s If you ever have to resort to this procedure be aware that you will notice a slight hum but don t worry it won t hurt your amplifier at all and will cease when you have replaced the center pair with two good tubes NOTE To obtain the maximum headroom for clean sounds when using the DC 10 in the 60 WATT position it is recommended that you remove the speaker cable from the 16 ohm jack and connect it to the 8 ohm jack This is not mandatory but will insure the best impedance match giving you the maximum power If you prefer the sound of the 16 ohm jack or wish to clip the DC 10 at reduced volume levels by all means leave the speakers connected to the 16 ohm output EIE Perfect for set breaks this toggle switch also serves an even more important purpose In the STANDBY position the tubes are at idle so that during power up they may warm up before being put to use Before POWER is switched ON make sure the STANDBY switch is in the STANDBY position Wait at least 30 seconds and then switch the STANDBY to the ON position This prevents tube problems and increases their toneful life substantially
24. eeding replacement Then all that remains is to swap the suspect tube for a known good performer If you cannot narrow down the trouble to a specific mode or channel the problem may be the small tube that drives the power tubes which is operational in all modes and channels Though rare a problem with the driver tube would show up in all aspects of per for mance so if you can t narrow the problem down to being mode or channel specific you may want to try replacing the driver tube Driver problems generally show themselves in the form of crackling or hum in all modes of performance and or weak overall output from the amplifier Occasionally an anemic driver tube will cause the amplifier to sound flat and lifeless but this is somewhat uncom mon as worn power tubes are a more likely suspect for this type of problem Sometimes making the diagnosis is more trouble than it s worth and it s faster and easier to merely replace the small pre amp tubes ONE AT ATIME with a replacement known to be good But MAKE SURE you keep returning the tubes to their original socket until you hit the one that cures the problem You ll notice that tubes located nearer to the INPUT jack always sound noisier but this is because they are at the start of the chain and their noise gets amplified over and over by the tubes that follow The tube that goes into this input socket usually labeled V1 needs to be the least noisy of the bunch The tube that goes at the end
25. er important A small change in voltage at the grid causes a large change in current flowing to the plate See that s the essence of amplification A small change causing a large change And here it s a small voltage change causing a large current change The bias conditions are what determines how much current flows through the big power tubes when you re not playing And what drives your speakers is flucuations in that current flow when are ARE playing If the amount of current increases and decreases 440 times per second then you ll hear an A note If the fluctions in current flow are large and still at 440 per second you ll hear an A that is LOUD But for purposes of biasing it s the amount of plate current flowing with no signal applied that s important Unfortunately current is hard to measure because the circuit must be interuppted as in cut the wire and the meter spliced in series with the broken circuit But measuring VOLTAGE is easy It is not necessary to interrupt the circuit because a voltage reading can be taken in PARALLEL with the circuit intact Thus as a matter of convenience most bias settings are given in volts at the grid even though current through the plate is the important factor In fact plate current is so inconvenient and dangerous to measure that Fender doesn t even state what the correct value should be They only give the grid voltage that will produce that current That s the
26. gnable These assignment choices are menued on the rear panel around the mini toggle switch located next to the fuse The three choices are RHYTHM amp LEAD LEAD ONLY and EQ FOOTSWITCHABLE ASSIGN The GRAPHIC is not a necessity to amazing tone but can greatly enlarge the scope of sonic possibilities If you never turned it on you would still have one of the most amaz ing 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 due to its wideness and spread Below are some other sample settings that we see used quite often but by all means experiment 80Hz 240 750 2200 6600 80Hz 240 750 2200 6600 80Hz 240 750 2200 6600 80Hz 240 750 2200 6600 80Hz 240 750 2200 6600 This three position toggle switch located on the front panel lets you access the DC 10s three different mode choices when you do not have the Footswitch connected or there isn t one available RHYTHM The choices are RHYTHM up LEAD center and LEAD EQ down To use the CHANNEL SE y LECT FOOTSWITCH make sure the MODE SELECT toggle is in the center LEAD position Qj O LEAD EQ LEVEL 6600 PAGE 5 CONTROLS Continued This lonely
27. hear the noise change Hearing some noise through the speakers while tapping on the 12AX7 s is normal however And the one nearer the INPUT will always sound louder because its output is being further amplified by the second 12AX7 The power tubes should be all but quiet when they are tapped If crackling or hissing changes with the tapping you have probably found the problem To confirm a noisy power tube merely put the DC 10 on Standby remove it from its socket and turn it back on It will cause no damage to run the DC 10 briefly with one power tube missing You may notice a slight background hum however as the push pull becomes unbalanced Whenever you are trying to diagnose a suspect tube keep your other hand on the POWER and STANDBY switches ready to shut them off instantly in the unlikely case you provoke a major short If you think you ve located a problem tube but aren t sure we recommend substituting the suspect with a new one just to be sure of your diagnoses You will be doing yourself and us a big favor by just following the simple guidelines previously mentioned regarding tube replacement You ll probably be successful with much less effort than is required to disconnect everything and haul the unit to a technician who will basically perform the same simple tests If the tubes are still within their six month warranty period we will happily send you a replacement Just note the color designation on the tube label so that we can send you the
28. heir weightin gold Spare fuses are also a very easy way to insure an uninterrupted performance aN ale This stereo jack enables you to hear the DC 10 through both sides of the headphones even though the amplifier has a mono power section This is achieved by connecting the tip to the ring internally thereby duplicating the sound in both channels e DOYS EQ FTSW 6 ASSIGN Use the MASTER volume control located on the front panel in either channel depending on which Was channel you are using at the time to adjust the listening level Keep in mind that the type and quality 3 ASB LEAD ONLY RECORDING of headphones that you are using greatly affect the performance of this circuit with the fully en closed studio type producing the best results WZ WZ PAGE 7 REAR PANEL continued This two position toggle assigns the 5 Band Graphic Equalizer to either of the channels and overrides the EQ Footswitch With the toggle in the RHYTHM amp LEAD up position the Equalizer will be on all the time As you might surmise when the toggle is in the LEAD ONLY down position the EQ will be automatically engaged whenever the RHYTHM amp LEAD LEAD channel is selected e DOYS D 4 EQFTSW ASSIGN DAZ 3ASB LEAD ONLY HEADPHONES RECORDING 12400 This jack provides direct to console interfacing for recording or sound reinforcement applications It is a circuit dedicated to reproducing th
29. layers use this patch point to derive an FX Send Signal and go to other amps for their wet sound leaving the DC 10 dry for definition SF suave NOTE Once a signal is taken from the SLAVE it can not be inserted back into the FX LOOP SPEAKERS RETURN jack or a feedback loop will occur Much like holding a microphone into the PAsystem s cabinets a loud high pitched squeal will result NN SPEAKERS The DC 10 Combo contains two 90 watt custom designed Celestion speakers and these are wired in series producing an impedance load of 16 ohms Obviously the optimum speaker connection scheme for headroom and power would be the 16 ohm jack but feel free to try connecting the speakers to any of the speaker output jacks Sometimes a mismatch will lend sonic character LA ea I am EN that you may find interesting or even preferable When using two speaker cabinets rated for 16 ohms it will be necessary to use a Y cable to con nect both of these loads to the 8 ohm jack in order to maintain a proper 16 OHM 8 OHM 8 OHM 4 OHM 4 OHM impedance match NOTE Always use a load on the DC 10 when playing unless you are recording direct and have the silent recording switch set to the MUTE position Even then it is advisable to leave the speaker connected to avoid possible damage to the amplifier Now that we ve reviewed all the controls and features of your new DC 10 it s time to play The following are so
30. me sample settings that should get you well on your way to exploring the possibilities of your new instrument Thanks and Enjoy PAGE 9 DUAL CALIBER DC 10 SUGGESTED SAMPLE SETTINGS Sparkling Clean Rhythm INPUT PULL BOOST RHYTHM 100 WATTS ON r sw FOOT GAIN TREBLE BASS PRESENCE REVERB MASTER e SWITCH M N i LEVEL 60WATTS STANDBY POWER LEAD EQ ae 80Hz 240 750 2200 6600 DuaL CALIBER DC 10 Pushed Bluesy Rhythm Solo NNa Rhythm INPUT PULL BOOST RHYTHM 100 WATTS ON t SW w FOOT GAIN TREBLE BASS PRESENCE REVERB MASTER e SWITCH I Q9 9 9 LEAD go LEVEL S0WATTS STANDBY POWER 80Hz 240 750 2200 6600 DuaL CALIBER DC 10 SUBS Crunch Rhythm PULL BOOST OUT EQ Optional e LAWAN Rhythm ad PULL BOOST RHYTHM 100 WATTS ON t sw Q FOOT GAIN TREBLE BASS PRESENCE REVERB MASTER SWITCH 1 s P LEAD Eq LEVEL 60OWATTS STANDBY POWER 80Hz 240 750 2200 6600 DuaL CALIBER DC 10 Jism High Gain Lead Crunch EQ T tes VIAE Lead pud PULL BOOST RHYTHM 100WATTS ON SW 3i FOOT GAIN TREBLE BASS PRESENCE REVERB MASTER 0 SWITCH 56 ene LEVEL 60 STANDBY POWER WH LEAD EQ 80Hz 240 750 2200 6600 DuaL CALIBER DC 10 PAGE 10 DUAL CALIBER DC 10 PERSONAL SAMPLE SETTINGS SAMPLE 1 INPUT PULL BOOST 50000000 FOOT GAIN TREBLE BASS PRESENCE REVERB MASTER SWITCH LEAD
31. minus 52 But that only happens if the tubes being used are in spec As long as the tubes ARE in spec the right bias voltage will always give the correct plate CURRENT but then there s no need for the bias voltage to be adjustable If the tubes are NOT in spec then the only proper way to re set the bias is to cut the circuit and measure the current while adjusting the bias but no manufacturer know even STATES the desired current value Be that as it may when the original bias voltage is altered far enough it will compensate for the tube s abnormal performance and the correct amount of idle current flow may then be restored Clearly this is something most repair techs should not attempt Some newer amps have LED indicators connected to the circuit which will turn on when the right threshold of current flow has been reached This is an improvement and almost worthy if you re willing to except resistors and lights added into your amplifier s audio path which we aren t The other advantage of this system is that it allows some amp manufacturers to avoid matching their power tubes The thinking is that adjusting the bias to each tube separately eradicates the inherent differences between the tubes by insuring that the same current flows through each one Again this has some merit but it s still not as good as using tubes that are matched in the first place because compensating for the mis match causes the push
32. of the preamp chain just ahead of the power tubes can be quite noisy without causing any problem at all The tubes in your amp have already been located in the most appropriate sockets and this is why you should NEVER pull them all out at once and ALWAYS swap them one at a time ALWAYS return a perfectly good tube to its original socket Also it s a good idea to put the amp on STANDBY when swapping tubes to reduce the heat build up in the tubes themselves and to prevent explosive noises which can still occur even if you are pulling the tubes away from their sockets gently from coming through the speaker Remember take your time be patient and chances are real good that you can fix your amp yourself by finding and replacing the bad tube It kills us to see someone who has shipped their amp back to us and all it needed was a simple tube replacement If you must send back your amp unplug the power cord speaker and reverb cables then remove the chassis from the cabinet by unscrewing the four mounting bolts on top The chassis then slides back like a drawer and comes out Remove the big power tubes and mark them according to their location from left to right 1 2 etc They need to be wrapped separately with plenty of wadded up newspaper around them and put in a smaller box within the larger carton To wrap the chassis use plenty of tightly wadded up newspaper so there is at least six inches of crush space between the chassis and the cardboard box Bu
33. s A RECORDING circuit dialed for direct to board sessions provides accurate reproduction of the DC 10 s pre amp When the session goes late into the night the SILENT RECORDING MUTE switch comes in real handy To use the DC 10 in larger rack systems or to interface to other power sections the SLAVE jack and LEVEL control are welcome features Three combinations of speaker jacks one 16 ohm two 8 ohm and two 4 ohm are provided for proper impedance matches to the many different types and makes brands of speaker enclosures The mini toggle switch located next to the fuse on the rear panel enables you to decide whether the 5 BAND GRAPHIC EQ enhances the RHYTHM amp LEAD channel the LEAD channel only or an assignable position that can be remotely controlled via the footswitch The REVERB can also be footswitched in or out As you can see the DC 10 provides all the features any demanding pro could need and at the same time remains simple to operate FRONT VIEW DC 10 A0 7 Cay Marr RHYTHM 100WATTS ON Vy QV f je ao a z LEAD EQ LEVEL 60 WATTS STANDBY POWER xy xy 80Hz 240 750 2200 6600 DuaL CALIBER DC 10 REAR VIEW DC 10 RHYTHM amp LEAD 3 e mimm 3ASB LEAD ONLY SEND FX MIX HEADPHONES RECORDING REV FTSW RETURN SPEAKERS 9 90 0000 MESA 9 xx MUTE4SPKR ON SILENT RECORDING CN 16 0H
34. ssign located on the left side of the rear panel next to the fuse controls the EQ assignment This popular V type curve works well in both RHYTHM and LEAD channels but most players tend to use it more in the LEAD channel finding the RHYTHM plenty sweet by itself without the use of the EQ see page 5 for more information on EQ Again these are merely examples of the two channels Experimentation leads to finding many different sounds in each channel and understanding the controls and the way they interact can make this much easier and more fun Now that you have heard the DC 10 s two channels let s move on to understanding the controls and their interactive roles in achieving the sounds that you want to hear CONTROLS This is by far the most powerful control in each channel It not only determines the overall gain amount shape and sensitivity of the channel but it is also a powerful Tone control Generally speaking whatever is dialed here ultimately determines the channels personality Set low it allows cleaner brighter sounds with enhanced dynamic response especially in the higher frequen cies Set high the whole personality of the channel becomes darker fatter and more overdriven INPUT In the DC 10 we worked hard to make sure the entire range of GAIN available is usable and more n importantly musical Don t think for a moment that this simple one knob la
35. sted and hand selected tubes are available at your nearest Mesa Boogie Pro Center or from us directly Nobody offers better price quality or warranty than we do so why swerve Next time we ll talk about our part in developing the great Sylvania STR 415 type 6 6 and how we re on the verge of seeing something fairly close reappear on the market Remember we still have some of these super rugged mondo bottles available for older amps Boogies only please Until then Relax Breathe and Nourish your soul Cheers Mesa Boogie Ltd Randall Smith Designer amp President PAGE 18 61 39Vd PARTS SHEET pc 10 Front Panel SLIDER BUTTON SWITCHES all 3 JACK pt 610120 KNOB pt 409108 pt 408535 NN pt 601073 T BOTH ROWS OF KNOBS INPUT iam POT ptt POT pt POT pt POT pt POT pt POT pt POT pt on Wy 591842 2148 2737 2148 2148 2151 2737 FOOT GAIN TREBLE MD BASS PRESENCE REVERB MASTER POT pt SWITCH ve 591047 ff N POT pt POT pt POT pt POT pt POT pt POT pt POT pt 60WATTS STANDBY POWER 2148 2738 2737 2739 2148 2151 2737 LEAD EQ 80Hz 240 750 2200 6600 DuaL CALIBER DC 10 JACK 610123 KNOB pt 409115 PILOT LIGHT GRAPHIC EQ BULB pt 793047 pt 588535 PILOT LIGHT HOLDER pt 703900 PILOT LIGHT LENS pt 703784 PARTS SHEET pc 10 Rear Panel FUSE HOLDER KNOB Pt 790342 MINI TOGGLE pt 408004 KNOB pt 408004 SWITCH JACK ptit FUSE OT JACK pt POT pt 2737 2A pt 607101 618102 pti 2737
36. u an added bonus Through endless daily tone dreaming the if only design dictum led to the dial in gain boost MIDDLE control In the DC 10 a third over the top crunch sound was made possible by the inclusion of the RHYTHM channels dual purpose MID control From to about the taper is adjusted to act as a very effective MID control As you increase the MID to and above you will hear the lower MIDS getting more pronounced and fatter At about the MID leaves behind the old notion of being a 9 E x tone control and becomes a truly usable gain control This upper range is a smokin addition to the RHYTHM channel s GAIN control for all kinds of higher gain rhythm sounds Try the MID set high and the GAIN control at about 9 for a cool blues solo sound If this still isn t crazy enough for you Max the GAIN and TREBLE controls and set the PRESENCE control to or turn on the Graphic and give it the old V curve Then plug the DC 10 into a 4x12 with some Celestion Vintage 30 s or 25 s This should be sufficiently heinous for even the most serious crunch fiends The versatility that this dual purpose MID control lends to the RHYTHM channel greatly expands its usefulness as both a clean and overdrive channel NOTE The lower region of the MID control determines midrange punch and boldness in lower gain sounds and a smooth vocal blend in high gain sounds It can be very effective acting as a cut through the band control in certain
37. user serviceable annoyances and in fact you ll be amazed at how easy it is to cure tube problems by simply swapping out a pre amp or power tube First may we suggest that you set the amplifier up on something so that you can get to the tubes comfortably without having to bend down It also helps to have adequate lighting as you will need to see the tube sockets clearly to swap tubes Use caution and common sense when touching the tubes after the amplifier has been on as they may be extremely hot If they are hot and you don t want to wait for them to cool off try grasping them with a rag and also note that the glass down around the bulbous silvery tip is considerably less hot which makes it easier to handle Gently rock the tube back and forth as you pull it away from its socket DIAGNOSING POWER TUBE FAILURES There are two main types of tube faults shorts and noise Both large and small tubes may fall prey to either of these problems but diagnosis and remedy is usually simple If a fuse blows the problem is most likely a shorted power tube and shorts can either be mild or severe In a mildly shorted tube the electron flow has overcome the control grid and excess current flows to the plate You will usually hear the amp become distorted and begin to hum slightly If this occurs quickly look at the power tubes as you switch the amp to STANDBY and try to identify one as glowing red hot It is likely that two of a pair will be glowing since the shorted
38. yout limits you as to the amount FOOT GAIN SWITCH and texture of GAIN Long neurotic hours were spent to ensure the ranges of GAIN were stylistically accurate It s probably a good time to mention that most of the great sounds can be found by setting the WZ GAIN control moderately especially in the LEAD channel For example somewhere between o thru 0 In the RHYTHM channel try setting this control somewhere between thru Use of moderation here will reduce the likelinood of pesky microphonic tube problems ever occurring while at the same time making the two channels easier to balance in relative listening volume and effects send signal strength PAGE 2 CONTROLS Continued As with most guitar amplifiers the TREBLE control is the strongest of the three rotary tone controls It adjusts the blend of high frequencies in a wide band between the midrange and presence frequency ranges Its setting on the DC 10 also determines the blend and strength of the MIDDLE and BASS controls Set high it is the dominant control minimizing the amount of MID and BASS that would be possible in the mix Set low the TREBLE becomes the recessive control and mi a warmer darker blend is produced Dial with care Subtle tweaking of this control tends to produce the best results iN eoQ9 FOOT GAIN TREBLE SWITCH 2006 COPIES vou new Dual Caliber uses a unique MIDRANGE circuit that not only blends in rich warm MIDRANGE but goes beyond to give yo
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