DC Developments (Denis Cornell)

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Has anyone bothered to check out amps made by Denis Cornell (DC Developments). Denis is based in Southend Essex and has been buiding and repairing amps for Donkey's years plus he's a really nice bloke too.

Denis built the amp that Clapton (yes EC) used at the Queens Jubilee party at the Palace last year.

I guess hand made amps don't come cheap, but neither do Ferraris!

Here's the URL to Denis's site that covers it all:

http://www.dc-developments.com/index.htm
 
Denis is a tone expert and builds may 'styles' of amps as well as the classic EL84 design you speak of.

I've had a go on the Journeyman and one of the amps he designed for EC. To be honest I preferred the Journeyman as it made all he right AC30 noises that I like.

I want to try the ?Plexi? head that Denis has started to manufacture. I?ve heard very good reports about it from a couple of mates who tried it at Holiday Music.

Denis could probaly sort your Fender. He has my old Domino head at the moment that's in for a service (remember those?).
 
Cor!

If Denis is from Essex
then he's doing very well!!! :lol:

Just another wiseass :roll: from across the pond

Sorry, I couldn't help myself :D

Steve

p.s. please give us poor cousins a report on DC's amps. I'll bet they are great! [/u][/i]
 
Hey Barry

Well, I do know that "geezer" in the mother tongue slang connotes something of a lout or idiot or soccer hooligan, but I look at it in the American sense of just being an old and harmless geek. I am after all approaching my sixth decade of being ahead of my time, so I am anticipating several decades ahead of me, luxuruiating in the sheer blessed state of hapless geezerhood, that is, of being a harmless old coot shuffling around the family manse in my slippers and robe, occasionally playing guitar in my aimless sort of way.

And of course I know very little about Tokais, so that qualifies me to be something of an idiot anyway, or such is my reasoning.

Besides, Tokaigit was already taken!! :wink: Believe me, I tried.
:roll:

Here is what I discovered on the Internet, which confused me even further:

Geezer: Noun. 1. General term for a man, however the word can imply more specific qualities, see version 2.
2. A confident man with earthy masculine qualities, very much 'laddish' in nature.

I am probably the least laddish person I know, although I enjoy reading stories about hoolliganism, national and international, in general. I mean, you've gotta have some hooligans. Well, maybe a few.

Hope that clears that all up.

Steve

P.s. I just bought another Silver Star on E-bay from AP Mechling, and am awaiting its arrival. It was the silver colored Silver Star he was hawking last week. I can't wait as my other Silver Star is da bomb. Now I must sell some others myself, to make room for it all.
 
There was a song called 'Johnny Reggae' that charted over here with a line in it that went:

"He's a real tasty Geezer".

So it can't be that bad :wink:


Yup, me too just bought a guitar from Mr. Mechling. Super fast shipping...
Japan to the UK in 4 days! Very nice chap and a nice plank too.
 
Well I've just picked my amp up from Denis today. All nicely serviced and apparently the original EL84 Mullard was working just fine (quality).

Denis told me that new valves are a bit hit and miss nowadays. Apparently even he has problems finding good matched sets. There?s no telling when one might go down. It could be weeks or never.

Denis explained that the Mullard was the Rolls Royce of valves. If you have 2 or maybe even 4 good ones pumping away in your amp then make sure you look after them. Good examples are very difficult to find and some purists have paid silly money for pairs of NoS EL34?s etc.

Anyway, as a matter of interest, Denis was busy building one of the 'Clapton' amps. I had a quick shufti inside and it all looked very neat and tidy. Very high spec components and point to point everything.

I asked a couple of questions but he lost me after he said "phase splitter" so no help there I?m afraid.

The 6L6 power tubes lay horizontally (say like a Boogie 290 or 50/50) so the chassis is physically very small. There isn?t much in the way of tone controls but this is how EC likes it apparently. A very neat and simple package
 
That must be a Dominator then. I have a few of them too, great little amps, they sing all nite'
 
Yeah just a few. Most of them are Mk3's. A couple of 1x15's, a 1x12 and 2 heads that were combos in a previous life.

Jesse Hoff has moded two of the combos.

They both have standby switches fitted. Jesse just moved the fuse carrier to the back of the amp and used the carrier hole to house the standby switch.

Also, one of the 15" combos has been fitted with a GZ34 tube rectifier. You can switch between the old solid state rec and the tube on a 3 way switch which is cool (tube/standby/solid state - again where the fuse carrier was situated). Gives the amp a slightly more spongy sound. It was an experiment really but it seems to work okay and I use it a lot.

Funny you mention that 15 watter because I have another similar WEM head that isn't a Dommy. The circuit looks the same in parts but I really don't know what model it is. It was a recent find and sounds great with a 25w Greenback in an open back cab. I?ll send you a pic Barry, perhaps you can identify it.

I have also experimented with different speakers in the 12? combo. I?ve found that an old G12H 30 watter I have seems to be a good match for the amp. You can get a little more clean volume from the amp before she starts to break up but when you start to push the amp harder the speaker breaks up real nice. I've tried an old 25w Greenback that goes real early and a Vintage 30 too but the V30 has a little too much middle (don't forget basic tone controls on the Dommy).

I?m not a great fan of the original speaker (Elac?) and to be honest it was a little tired anyway.
 

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