DV Mark DV40 112 Combo

Unlike most valve amplifiers which weigh a tonne, the DV Mark 40 112 comes in at just under 16kg which is unheard for a full valve amp. The DV 40 112 is a two channel 40 watt all-valve combo with 1 x ECC83 in the preamp and 2 x El 34's in the power amp. The output is also modified by what they refer to as CPC or Continuous Power Control, as well as a pentode/ triode switch on the back of the amplifier that switches between Class A and Class AB operation. In Class A the CPC ranges from 0.5 watts to 15 watts, whereas in Class A/B it operates from 1 watt to 40 watts, so think of the CPC works as a power soak enabling you to get cranked tone at bedroom to stage volume. In addition, a Low/High Bias switch alters the amount of current sucked out by the tubes, so when practicing at home it might be an idea to switch to Low Bias to protect your valves.

I plugged my Strat into the clean channel, set the gain to about “6”, engaged the “Bright” switch and set my EQ to have a lot of bass and lot of mids. The single coils sounded thick and juicy because of the warm gain, and I maxed out the “Reverbero” for some delicious Hendrixy chops. The clean channel was very warm and clear and cranking the volume and gain began to produce a thick, magical drive when switching to my bridge humbucker.

Moving onto the second channel the gain, volume, and EQ response was completely different. It was possible to go from low gain breakup to complete liquid overdrive by messing with the gain. Increasing the gain put the ECC83 into overdrive for a fuzzier sound, whereas pumping the master and keeping the CPC right down made for killer power amp drive full of harmonic response to your playing style. Using the foostwitch to engage the solo function, brought out a nice wide mid boost perfect for clean or driven passages, and you could also use master level to fine tune a sweet spot for perfect feedback. The DV Mark 40 112 Combo is a great, simple to use amp for just about any style other than metal perhaps. The Clean tones are rich and sparkly and the driven tones are thick and juicy. This sort of amp works really well at beefing up single coils and pushes humbuckers into extreme fuzz territory.