-
I've got the Quilter and I enjoy it a lot. It's really my first good amp. I will be the first to admit that my interest in the DV is a mix of curiosity and GAS.
There are a couple used available so the price isn't a big issue. For sale are both the CMT with the micro tube and the Micro 50
Power isn't the issue since I'm playing at home.
For those who have tried both does either DV small head offer anything I can't dial into my Quilter SBUS?
-
04-23-2026 07:51 AM
-
I’ve gigged with a SBUS, a Little Jazz, a Jazz 12, and an EG250 (a much more powerful DVM head than the micros but with a similar tube front end).
Originally Posted by Sigmund451
That little tube really makes a difference. It adds a warmth and fatness to tone that’s not quite there in the SBUS or the DVMs without the tube in the preamp. My EG250 is one of the best sounding amps I’ve ever heard, and the little brothers in the line have similar tonal character.
My DV Marks have all been 100% reliable. But reliability, repairability, and longevity of the DV Marks have been questioned by many. There seem to be more reports of trouble with DVMs than with Quilters, and Quilter seems far better at customer support. So I wouldn’t buy a used DVM to rely on. If it’s cheap enough and works fine, the tube version is worth experiencing - I love the sound. But if it breaks, it may be a brick depending on where you live, whether parts & service are available, and how much the repair would cost.
-
I bought a DVM EG250 about a month or so ago. I run it through my RE Stealth 110.
As a comparison, I also have a Henriksen Blu 10. The DVM EG250 with my Campellone is so good. It really is just my guitar only louder. It's clear and warm without being at all clinical. It's hard to describe but I really like the sound of this amp with my guitar.
-
I'm another fan of the DV Mark EG 250. Mine is an original first iteration.
It's small, portable and sounds great for jazz, rock, RnB, etc.
^Great sound but somewhat limited EQ
^Excellent clean power (No overdrive)
^Easy connections
^Reliable (so far)
^Reasonable customer support (once you get a local contact)
-
I've had my DV Mark "Silver Gen" amp for close to 10 years and never had any issues with it, it's been put through the paces in all kinds of gigs. I have 3 friends who own the DV Mark "Jazz 12", and none of them had any issues to speak of.
I've never heard the reliability, repairability, and longevity of the DV Mark amps being in question on any forums.
Cheers,
Arnie...
-
Sadly, there are many unhappy owners and former owners, e.g. here, here, here, here, and here. The last one underscores the common problem of not being able to get schematics or other tech support from DVM or dealers. Originally Posted by arnie65
We had a Jazz 12 at the club in which I played 2 shows weekly for several years (jazz on Thursday nights and blues Sunday afternoons). It sounded great, and I loved using it (although the touring acts who came through shunned it). But it quit on me after about 6 years of intermittent use (almost all by me - no one else wanted to use it except one harmonica player). It went to a local tech,who got it up and running again. I left that gig and those bands in Dec '24, but a few of my bandmates stayed on. The J12 operated intermittently after that, and I believe they gave up on it.
I've never had a problem with a DV Mark product, and my EG250 is one of my favorite amps. I'd buy another DVM new, but I don't think I'd take a chance on a used one because so many of the problems described on the web are intermittent. As much as I love the EG, I carry a BAM200 as backup when I gig with it, just in case. I don't think service and support are readily available (at least in the US). Maybe it's easier to find in Italy and nearby.
-
I also had issues with DV Mark stuff. A few years back I was looking for my first amp solely for jazz guitar and bought a DV Mark Jazz 12 brand new. When it arrived it had an insanely high noise floor, like I could barely hear my guitar's signal. It's left a sour taste in my mouth and I've never bought another DV Mark product since. I understand a LOT of people like their products but I really need a guitar amp to be reliable.
-
My history with DV Mark started in 2016, when I bought a 1st gen. Little Jazz in attendance of a Micro 50 I still have. What has happened during the decade since is little progress. Micro has become Macro by comparison. Quilter, trying to out-Fender Fender then for cleans and twang, has since advanced by leaps and bounds - at least until Mach 3. DV Mark's website contains 29 discontinued heads and only four active; five combos and 17 discontinued versions. I've talked to their Finnish importer. It looks like the brand is on its way out. This would enable the parent company Markbass to focus entirely on bass amplification.
Comparing a DV Mark (they all share the same clean channel) to a Quilter SuperBlock is apples to oranges. All DV Marks are far heavier, louder and also darker. I actually like their sound a lot. The reverb is notoriously chorusy-tipsy ("a drunken intellectual" as someone put it), but you need only a tad in jazz. Regarding serviceability, I've never had an issue with my four DV Marks. Not with my seven Quilters either. Yet, a fading overseas brand vs. a domestic leader with great service reputation should speak volumes in USA.Last edited by Gitterbug; 04-23-2026 at 02:23 PM.
-
I've had my LJ for five years or so, in near daily use with a lot of time in and out of car trunks in a canvas shopping bag.
Looks and functions like new. No problems. I like the sound, especially for single note work. Lately, I found that I like the Joyo>JBL Eon One Compact chain better.
The reverb is very chorusy if you turn it up. But, when I leave it around 9 o'clock I get a sound I like and I don't hear it as chorusy.
-
As a bass player, I've gigged my Mark Bass amp for many years and never had any issues with it. This EG250 sounds great. Although, it's bigger than many other amps on the market but it's not that big.
-
Well damn, I just read that DV solders in the tubes in the cmt preamp so its not at all self servicable. No socket...direct wires soldered to the pcb. That for sure kills the idea of a used one. Im not interested enough to shell out for a new one. IMHO thats a boneheaded design flaw.
Oh well, I will just keep enjoying what I have.
thanks!
-
Probably part of the calculus of the modern age: it cost us less to build a new one than it does to fix the old one, so let's make them disposable. If it breaks, the dear customer buy another one and landfill the busted one, because we'll make more money on that. This is not specific to DV Mark but true of practically every consumer electronic product on the planet at this point.
I'll join the chorus regarding the EG250. It is a great sounding amp and flatters all of my guitars. I always run the EQ flat (assuming noon is flat) unlike every other amp I've owned at home; when playing out with others I roll the bass down to about 10:00 o'clock to reduce interfering with the bassist.
-
Almost all amps with those little tubes have them soldered in. You could work on it yourself - it’s just harder. Not being able to get a schematic further compounds the problem. Originally Posted by Sigmund451
The tube is rarely a trouble source anyway. It's usually on the board or in the connections to it. But I agree with you - it’s not a sustainable design. I wouldn’t buy a used one either, unless I knew the owner well and could be sure it was babied.
-
Yeah, its a can of worms I dont feel like opening.
Those tubes do last but only until they dont
I saw the inside of one of those. My soldering skills wouldnt cut it. Id have to farm it out.
That sort of counts out used. Im curious but not 500 bucks curious.Last edited by Sigmund451; 04-24-2026 at 07:57 AM.
-
No, no, no! Originally Posted by Sigmund451
Reply With Quote
Recommandations for Hollowbodies for $600 and under?
Today, 05:20 AM in Guitar, Amps & Gizmos