I’ll try but I’m on my phone, and I’ve been more into short pithy comments lately.
It’s a really really boring amp.... at first. Les has gone to great depths to describe the amp, and most, or all of his posts are pretty spot on. So rather than repeat his analogies and superlatives, I’ll try and offer my own.
It’s like the straight man of an ensemble. Dick Van Dyke and Jerry Seinfeld never took the funniest lines, they let Carl Reiner or Jason Alexander do the outrageous bits while they remained subdued. Their names were in the title of the show... and yet at first glance, they were like, the least funniest dudes.
This amp is kinda like that. On its own, it’s not terribly exciting. But what it does, where it’s true genius resides is in making everything else around it so much better that you kinda don’t recognize its brilliance.
The bass control is ample, yet no matter where you place it, it doesn’t hate the bass player or kick drum.
You need a dirt pedal for it, even totally cranked you’re not gonna be playing Judas Priest licks. But it’s also not a typical pedal-platform amp that just amplifies what’s already there either.. like a great straight man, it enhances and influences what you throw at it with such subtlety... you’re mistaken into believing it’s not doing anything. I went through a few excellent dirt pedals that sounded f@cking good through other amps but, nothing like they do through the DG30. I have a somewhat similar amp at home (el 84’s) and the difference when I plug them in is easily apparent.
At volume, with a band, and in a mix, is the only way to appreciate the amp. Demoing it alone or playing it at home will leave you uninspired. I actually had some of you offer condolences in private when I made the trade for the amp!
The midrange seems to be centered in the wrong space, the high cut (lpf) after the reverb makes it seem dark, and you’re kinda left wondering why an amp with almost no (metal) gain, spartan controls, and a bright switch needs effectively three other treble controls... it’s a little odd at first... until you crank the master and start playing.
Those treble controls are there because it’s an amp that doesn’t hate cymbals or vocals. The (lower-ish) power rating is perfect topped out within the context of a band for rehearsal, basic tracks, or stage.
It just lets your guitar and pedals (and playing, of course) appear to get all the glory. You know how you set your amp up at home and then have to tweak it wildly when you start playing with a band or start recording? Well this amp doesn’t really require that... it bores you to tears alone, and you kinda have to resign yourself that that’s as good of a tone as you’ll get outta it... and then all of a sudden as soon as you’re in the action of a band or a mix you’re like....Holy Sh!t I sound great!!
I’ve also never had so many positive remarks or genuinely curious questions when showing up with an amp before, and this when I haven’t even plugged in yet. And when I do plug in, I’m generally asked to turn down.... until I say “nope” and the band starts playing. Then, regardless of how loud everyone thought I was gonna be, the amp just magically adapts and melts into the band, it’s crazy! 30 years of being told to turn down and I’ve never had this happen before.
The amp just f@cking works. The West St. with a 57/08 in the neck, through a Bogner Red and an H9... all sh!t that shouldn’t sound this “vintage” “organic” or “mojo” laden, pick your superlative that PRS haters use... it’s all there. It makes sounding good and fitting in easy.
