Mesa Boogie Studio Caliber DC-2 Combo

See above or on the mesaboogie site.
Being an electrician , I can confirm that the components used by Mesa Boogie are of very high quality (unlike many other renown brands).
That allows us to believe in a long and reliable life of such components.
I didn't say reliability of the amp, because the tubes can be the source of other problems.

UTILIZATION

For me, the setup is very simple because it's logical.
2 lines of knobs correspond to two separate amps.
A master volume two lower the volume without fiddling with the individual settings.
Everything is very powerful.
Everything is very good.
No need for a manual, everything is logically and smartly thought-out.

SOUNDS

Fabulous sounds, delicious, dynamic, full of harmonics, which are never too aggressive to the ear. I endorse the other reviews. It's goooood!
You can get any sound you want.
ANY. The controls are really effective.
You can have a very fat or a very biting distortion.
Clean, twangy Fender-like or smooth dynamic jazz sounds.
The reverb is very good.
Jazz, bossa, '60s rock, '80s rock, pop, etc..
It is very versatile.
But it only has 2 channels + a solo Boost controlled by the pedal.
If you are looking for only one unique sound (JCM800, Deluxe), this amp is not for you.
If you are looking for a programmable amp (for cover versions or pop), this amp is not for you either.
If you are looking for an amp that you enjoy playing or for studio, this is a great amp.
Even cheap guitars sound good with it.

OVERALL OPINION

I sold mine a long time ago and ever since I have been looking for its dynamic and tuneful sound full of harmonics, with that toolkit and practical side to it.
I had the opportunity to repair one last year!
It was a job, but I'm truly grateful to the seller for having given it to me.
Small, light enough, hyper complete, it's a jewel and I plan to keep it until the end. I already have the spare parts to repair it .
You'll forget the price and enjoy the quality.

25W, all-tube amp, 2 independent channels with equalization, gain, presence, reverb on very channel, and a master volume. On the rear panel you have outputs for additional cabs and, especially, a recording output that works by muting the cab so you only use the excellent tube pre-amp for recordings late at night. My girlfriend and neighbors love it.

UTILIZATION

It's pretty easy to use, but the controls are very subtle, the EQ is very effective. Even if the control panel is clear, the possibilities are such that they can send your head for a spin. The sound is awesome, it's excellent.

SOUNDS

The sound, ha, the sound. You can do anything with it. The clean channel is amazing, warm to play from jazz to reggae and blues (you can make it crunch without a sweat). The lead channel is also excellent, even if a bit heavy for my taste. I use mainly the clean channel.

OVERALL OPINION

Its secondhand value for money is amazing. I bought it for $800, so for the price of a Fender Hot Rod or a Marshall JCM I have largely superior sound possibilities, and incredible power (with its 25 watts it has nothing to envy a 100W Marshall JCM 900). It's main defect is its weight, you have to consider at least 2 lbs per watt, so its between 55 and 65 lbs. I would definitely buy this amp again, but it's getting harder to get hold of.

It has everything, footswitch jacks on the front panel, line out with speaker simulation. It's a mesa boogie, so there's nothing to say about its built, it features two el84 power tubes and six 12ax7 preamp tubes to deliver 25 watts rms of pure sound.
Both channels have independent controls: gain, bass, middle, treble, presence, reverb, and volume per channel, plus a master volume.

UTILIZATION

It's very easy to dial it in, there's no need for a manual, it just sounds. But, like every respected mesa boogie, you need to take some time to work your sound.

SOUNDS

I play with a gibson les paul dc std and I can get any sound I want for jazz, blues, hard rock, it's an all-around amp with the mesa boogie color, which some people don't like.

OVERALL OPINION

I've had it for 4 years and what I like best about this amp is that it's not bulky and it's perfectly suited for gigs in small cafés and larger stages, as well as for rehearsals. It always sounds great! I have tried marshall, fender...But I have always come back to mesa boogie, it's true that they are not cheap but, man, are they worth it.

Tube amp with a solid-state rectifier. It has six 12AX7 preamp tubes and two EL84 power tubes (22 truly true watts that will rock you violently). Traditionally, Mesa Boogie uses 6L6 power tubes, so this one is different in that respect.

It has 2 channels and a boost (called Contour) on the Lead, which makes the amp a 3-channel combo controllable with the footswitch.

The amp features luxurious connections on the rear: effects loop, headphones out, preamp out with adjustable level, "record" output with speaker simulation, 4 or 8 ohm speaker outputs. The 22 watts are powerful enough to drive a 4x12 cab, try it for yourself.

UTILIZATION

It's not easy to dial in because, like many Mesa Boogies, the tone controls are very sensitive, very powerful and interact with each other, plus, the output level of each channel adds a special coloration due to the power tubes. Finally, the Black Shadow speaker also plays its part as soon as you crank the volume a bit, forcing you to check the presence settings. To say that it's a model without EQ...

The main thing is that you can get a pretty wide palette of sounds and none of them is disappointing. I nevertheless recommend you to download and print the templates from the MESA BOOGIE website (manual.pdf) and write down your settings!

I'm being harsh... 5/10, but this amp is pretty complicated to dial in. As its name implies, this amp can only be used at home or in the studio.

SOUNDS

It's hard to criticize the sound of a Mesa Boogie... I am dumbfounded by it and give it a 10.

What I like most are the clean sounds, which are simply amazing with compression, dynamics, tube warmth... It's an orgasm every time!

You can obviously fiddle with the pots to go from a sweet Bassman distortion to metal... The big Yankee Boogie sound.

To finish, this amp features two qualities that are worth mentioning:
- Regardless of the distortion, the sound is always smooth even at the lowest volumes, it never fuzzes. It's nice to have a superb sound without the need to blast your eardrums.
- THERE IS NO BACKGROUND NOISE! I had never heard an amp with such low noise, even with a run-down Strat copy with lousy pickups. And yet it has no built-in noise gate, which speaks very highly of the quality of the components used by Mesa.

OVERALL OPINION

The Mesa Boogie are expensive, very expensive, but this one is relatively affordable, you can find it secondhand for $900, which is OK for a Boogie. For the price of a Chinese-made Vox AC15, you can get a handmade, quality amp that can be endlessly refurbished (it includes a 7/7 support hotline for life)

It's not an easy amp to dial in, which can be irritating on stage and during rehearsals. But in the studio or at home, there's absolutely nothing in the same size that can do all it does!