TC Electronic Ampworx DC30 Preamp Pedal Reviews
The sound of the British invasion in a stompbox, TC Electronic’s DC30 authentically replicates the feel, tone, and response of a classic 30-watt British combo amplifier. Even this pedal’s control scheme is heavily inspired by the original, including two independent gain controls (Normal and Brilliant), a 2-band EQ, and the iconic “Cut” control to dial out the treble from your top-boosted tone. And if you’re looking to take the DC30’s clean jangle and transform it into raw, aggressive grit, simply stomp on the footswitchable boost control — complete with its own dedicated gain and pre/post switching options. Top it all off with an official Celestion cab-sim enabled DI and dedicated headphone output, and the TC Electronic DC30 preamp pedal is a pedalboard-friendly way to cop the most iconic chimey cleans and snarling EL84-inspired dirty tones in guitar history.
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Highest Rated Reviews
Cuts Through The Mix
Since my original review, I have used the DC30 in numerous full band rehearsals, and several live on-stage performances. The DC30's clear, sharp, chiming sound continues to amaze me. In my opinion, "cuts through the mix" in a full band situation is one of the most important features of any amp (pre-amp in this case). The DC30 is a definite winner in this category. Its sharp clear sound actually lets me play at lower overall volume and still be clearly heard.
The DC30 produces excellent sound. So, how can they sell it for $? What did they leave out to lower the cost? If you're an interested shopper, here's my list. Still a great value which I highly recommend.
• No Stereo – single channel in and out, plus a DI out.
• No Room reverb – all dry sound
• No indicator lights for saved settings.
• No IR loading – Fixed Cab Sims.
• No MIDI support.
• No power adapter included.
• No 9V battery compartment.
Beatles in a Box! Buy it!
If you're looking for a gorgeous, Beatles-esque broken up clean sound, this is what you need. I run a BOSS multi-effect into this, and then into a Katana. I've played 2,000 seat theaters using this setup and the sound was just massive. If you run solid-state amps and effects, grab one of these and listen to your playing absolutely come to life.
Excellent AC30 Sound
The DC30 sounds great in my rig. Exactly the sharp, clear, chiming AC30 sound I was looking for. In my case, this is live sound through a power amp and speaker. I have not tested the DC30's DI output yet.
I play through TWO amps using an ABY switch. My primary "amp", the A-channel is: a Strymon Iridium (preamp) --> 50W Quilter 101 (power amp, via FX return) --> 1x12 speaker cab with a 12" 150W Eminence Swamp Thang. My B-channel also has a 50W Quilter power amp, and duplicate 1x12 speaker cab. I vary the preamps on the B-channel as called for by the music.
Blending both amps ON at the same time (wet/dry) is something I've been exploring a lot lately My main objective in buying the DC30 was specifically to let me blend the Iridium's Deluxe-Reverb sound with the Vox AC30 sound from the DC30. I have done a lot of side-by-side testing of the DC30 vs. the Strymon Iridium AC30 channel. Not identical, but sure close enough for my wet/dry sound. Bottom-line, the DC30 gives me the AC30 sound I was looking for, at a terrific price. Highly recommended.
Here's some DC30 misc. specs you may be interested in: (a.) Footprint dimensions are: 4.3" W x 5.0" L. (b.) The DC30's current draw is 300 ma.
tc electronic DC30
I received the new tc electronic a day ago. At the price of $ I wasn't expecting to be amazed. I don't think the pedal sounds good. It is fizzy sounding, almost like a transistor radio. The tones in my opinion are barely useable. The Top Boost (bright) channel is awful. The Normal channel is barely acceptable. The Boost function is also not good. It no sounds like a bad mid range pedal, very nasal sounding. To say this pedal is a disappointment is an understatement. I am a fan of tc electronic gear but they really missed the mark with the DC30. Maybe the JIMS45 and the Deluxe Combo are better. If an AC30 sounded like the DC30 it would not be a legendary amp.
