Matchless DC30 Tone

[kaiburns]

Hello, everyone! Here's my question

 

How can I get the breakup/overdrive sound that you can get from a Matchless DC30 with the gear I have?

 

I've got a Fender USA Tele Pro (with a humbucker in the bridge), and a Vox AC30C2. I also have a Pro Co Rat, Moog MF Drive, and an MXR 10 Band EQ, but I don't really want to use the Rat and Moog, but if I have to use the EQ to achieve the tone, then that's fine. I'm asking to see if I can achieve the tone with the gear I have, so I don't want to buy anything new.

 

You can get a good glimpse of the tone I'm looking for in this video, and you can clearly see that Matt Bellamy (the guitarist) is using a Matchless DC30.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1VF_dpl1LY​

 

So, with the gear I have, how could I get a tone like that? And if I can't, how close can I get to it? Thanks for helping!

 

 

[Chris Loeffler]

The audio in that video is so atrocious I couldn't say I have an idea what particular aspect of his tone you enjoyed, but I've had some hands-on time with a DC-30 before. That said, having an AC30 is a good place to start, since that was the inspiration for the DC-30. Is it the clean or distorted tone you like? I'd use the EQ as a boost to drive the amp a little bit and play with frequencies.

[kaiburns]

Here's a better video:

 

 

 

I know the DC-30 is a recreation of the top boost channel of the AC30, but with different preamp tubes and a thicker sound. I've found out that by taking all my pedals out of the signal path gets me a good DC-30 type sound, but I need to figure out how to get the same sound with all the pedals in the signal path.

[Chris Loeffler]

" "I've found out that by taking all my pedals out of the signal path gets me a good DC-30 type sound, but I need to figure out how to get the same sound with all the pedals in the signal path."

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• Hmmm... sounds like a buffer issue. What other pedals are you using? You could identify the culprit(s) by pulling them out of the signal chain one at a time.
  
• The tones on that song sound more compressed and have a tad more low end then what I've found in a typical Vox AC-30 when cranked (I love the Vox tone, but I confess I find the CC2 great for rhythm but a little weak for leads, so don't spend that much time north of mid-gain with them). I would assume the Tele with the humbucker could thicken and darken it up a bit.
  

 

[kaiburns]

Yeah, the humbucker darkens it up a little bit. The tone is REALLY close.

 

I'll bring my pedals in one by one, and see what's causing the "tone suck." I'll message you once I've done that.

[WRGKMC]

Those videos have AGC compression so you cant make out the actual dynamics going on. He's using a bunch of foot pedals, and without knowing exactly what those pedals are you can only guess. Its kind of sounded like a wah being used in there some place, but with a cell phone recording like that there's simply no way of knowing what he was using. Add to that the amps likely miced up and the tone is going to change with whatever the soundman tweaks it up to needing.

 

If they have a commercially recorded album match your sound to the studio recording and then just crank the main volume up and you'll likely nail the tones they are getting live. Unless they are using different gear in the studio vs live you should be able to match the tones but just realize, just because you have the amp tones set the same, it doesn't mean you're going to sound like that guy. If he handed you his guitar with his settings you're still going to sound different then he does. He has his own style of playing use of dynamics and emotions when he plays. The best you can do is maybe clone a bunch of his stuff but you'll never step into his shoes and be that guy. You can only be yourself.

[kaiburns]

Yeah, I know. I will use the tone in my own ways