DV Mark, based in Chieti, Italy, may
not be a household name to American
guitarists, but it’s a growing brand with a
reputation for excellent tube guitar and bass
amps, the latter of which are sold under the
Markbass name. Players from jazz/fusion
axeslinger Frank Gambale to rock studio stalwart
Danny Kortchmar have made DV Mark
amps part of their rigs over the last few years.
Much of the company’s success may have to
do with its ability to build tube amps that
sound great while deviating from the classic
tube-amp templates that dominate the market.
The DV40 is fine example of that strategy.
Not Your Typical Tube Amp
The DV40 looks more like a 2x12 cabinet
than a combo at first glance. Covered in an
attractive, smooth black vinyl with black plastic
corners, the DV Mark looks rugged and
built for gigging guitarists—there’s no retro-minded
fussing or overwrought concessions
to the boutique crowd to be seen anywhere.
At slightly more than 37 pounds, the
DV Mark is surprisingly light for a 2x12
combo. Its tube complement consists of
a pair of EL34s and three 12AX7s, and it
features cool, practical features—like a rear-mounted
Pentode/Triode mode and a top-panel
Continuous Power Control that dials
up power settings ranging from .5 to 40
watts—that add flexibility to the power section.
Another nice feature is the Advanced
Tube Control System (ATCS) Interface,
which features a USB jack for connecting
the amp to your computer, where you can
view data about tube performance. There’s
also a Bias switch around back that changes
the bias from high to low for even more
tonal options.
In an unusual design move, DV Mark
placed the DV40 chassis on the bottom of
the cabinet and used a ribbon cable to connect
the chassis, power section, and the top-mounted
controls. The unique approach
to weight distribution makes the amp feel
solid, balanced, and relatively light. The
12" speakers feature custom neodymium
magnets made specifically for the DV40.
From left to right, the control panel has
high- and low-impedance inputs, a Norm/
Bright switch, Gain and Master controls
for channel 1, Drive and Master for channel
2, and global Bass, Middle, High,
Riverbero (reverb), and Presence knobs. The
Continuous Power Control goes from 40
watts to 1 watt in pentode mode, or 15 to .5
watts in triode mode. As the control’s label
indicates, about halfway through the knob’s
throw, power switches from class AB to class
A operation. The DV40 212’s Pre Out, Amp
In, and Footswitch jacks, as well as the Power
and Standby switches are conveniently placed
on the top panel. Another very thoughtful
touch is the red LED that flashes when you’re
powering up to let you know the tubes are
still warming up. When the tubes are ready
to crank, the LED glows a solid red.
The bottom back panel has the standard
IEC input for power, and in addition to the
aforementioned USB jack, Pentode/Triode
and Bias switches, there are speaker outputs
for 16, 8, or 4 Ω.
Out on the Range
While the DV40 pumps out tones that
run a wide gamut, it regularly—and
impressively—evoked at least four of my
favorite tones: a 1980s Jim Kelley combo,
Ty Tabor’s
Gretchen Goes to Nebraska tones,
Sheer Heart Attack-era Brian May saturation
and sustain, and the sounds of a cranked
’70s Orange OR120.
Channel 1 is a good clean channel, but
a great gain channel. There isn’t a lot of
headroom there, but with the Continuous
Power Control set to full pentode power
you can get syrupy cleans and really mean
grind by playing with the guitar’s volume
knob, which I did with a ’50s Tribute Les
Paul Studio.
Channel 2 engages an extra 12AX7 stage
to add more gain—which effectively makes
it more like a single-channel amp with a
boost. You have to be careful with the bright
mode in this channel, though, because
distorted sounds don’t work nearly as well
with channel two’s added top end as they
do for the cleaner channel one. Further, on
channel 2 the bottom end has a compressed,
crunchy character that’s simultaneously tight
and loose—it’s almost as if there were a germanium
boost engaged. Even with the drive
at the lowest settings, there is an interesting
grind in the distortion that separates notes
and lends a compressed, sharp-edged attack.
The flute-ish, chopping quality of notes
with this setting were what reminded me of
the previously mentioned Orange. It’s fat
and juicy, with a spitty quality that’s simultaneously
raging, sonorous, and billowing
with sustain.
The Continuous Power Control is a
great feature that works quite well with
both channels. In pentode mode, it’s ideal
for, say, a club situation where you have to
bring the volume down at minimal expense
to your tone. In triode mode, volume can
be drastically reduced, but at the price of
a more compressed sound that has some
unpleasant artifacts as the sound decays. I
didn’t hear a big difference in the two bias
modes: There was a little more clarity in
the high setting that many players would be
hard-pressed to notice, but tubes will likely
last significantly longer in low-bias mode.
No matter where you set the tone controls,
the DV40 retains its voice—but the
EQ is effective for refining it. Presence and
High have great range, and Middle provides
plenty of cut and boost—but it isn’t great
for scooped hard-rock or metal sounds.
The Verdict
The DV40 inhabits a unique place among
tube amps. It’s rich, even though it doesn’t
have a lot of headroom, and there’s tons of
gain on tap—though it comes at the cost of
some low-end definition. However, sustain
and harmonics are plentiful, and I found
myself really enjoying the experience of playing
it—in fact, I used it on a variety of projects
to good effect. It isn’t a Marshall, Fender,
or Mesa/Boogie, and it’s a better amp for
that individuality.
Buy if...
you want a light, unique-sounding
combo with smart new features
and many tonal options.
Skip if...
you need more clean headroom.
Rating...
