Whoa, I’ve never seen a brown one in the wild like that!! I’ll have to give them a listen. (mine’s got the Wilkinson tremolo and I swapped out the pickups :) )
This is the most underrated pedal channel around. The host (don't know his name) is personable, produces excellent demos with just enough tech talk to give us more insight into the pedal than from just listening. Like, subscribe and tell your friends (and enemies) about this channel!
My dad has one of these from decades ago. Pretty much the only chorus type pedals I've ever had access to my entire life, and the only one I've ever needed
Signals and grace under pressure in particular were fantastic, after grace I felt there was a sharp decline in their music... it just became less fun to listen to and harder to enjoy. But grace under pressure is a powerhouse.
@cygnusx-1862 power windows, Hold Your fire, wonderful albums. Manhattan Project, Middletown dreams, and the amazing Emotion Detector. Then time stands still, prime mover, mission... and I love the Atlantic years as well. Presto and roll the bones are a ton of fun to listen to
@@cygnusx-1862agree completely,.,being a fan since ‘79 grace under pressure was the last album I loved….the songs were strong and playing still intricate
I picked one of these up years ago at a pawn shop for $80, with the box! It's a cool effect, and at the time, I'd never heard of it, so I picked it up, no regrets.
Thanks for covering this pedal! There weren't a lot of good demos of this one on YT. Seems this one goes best at mild-moderate rate settings, much like a typical chorus. Such a great sound! You nail it with the word glittery. I'd love to get a DC-3 one day, but for now I'm more than happy enough with my waza DC-2. Also, 80's-90's Rush!
Waza DC-2 is so good. Between the Standard and SDD modes, plus the ability to select two modes at once, and it having premium components, it's never disappointed me. But after spending so much time playing around with the DC-3 just now, I'm thinking it might have to go back on my board. Also heck yeah Rush, so many great themes and sounds in there.
Just wanna drop a heartfelt thanks for your unapologetic love for Chorus. Your enthusiasm for the effect all over this channel makes me heart sing because I don't think there is any other effect that is so expressive, so emotional. Thank you kindly and sincerely! BTW, one of my fav Chorus tones EVAR is that of Alex Lifeson's contribution on "Mystic Rhythms" since you gave Rush a shoutout :)
Thank you so much! That era of Rush probably has my favorite Alex Lifeson sounds of his career in Rush. He put emotion into music where others were really trying to just offload it all to technology. I've got a video coming out this Friday that I think you'll *really* enjoy :)
I tend to buy these older boss chorus pedals direct from Japan these days. They are usually in excellent condition and at a half reasonable price vs local pricing (Australia). The DC-2/3 are both still on my short list for my collection. Have also chased up some of the lesser known chorus pedals of the same period, including the Korean PSK CR-1 which is pretty much a dead on clone of the CE-2. Really enjoying your channel, you as a presenter and the excellent content - keep it up!😀
Nice demo! I’m glad you included a stereo clip, as to me, that’s where chorus and dimension effects really come alive. I managed to get a DC-3 for a decent price some time ago, before the asking prices began to shoot up. Definitely a keeper.
My buddy Vito (the guy in the Lizard Queen video) had a DC-3 on his board for a long time, and I always thought it was pretty magical. Glad you enjoyed the video
Thanks for watching! I initially bought mine because before the DC-2w became available, these were the only ones remotely affordable. Nowadays they're all kind of in the same area, but I still think they're a deal.
I bought the DC-2 in early 2015 and instantly fell in love. It’s the best chorus ever. I bought the DC-3 in 2018 and was disappointed. It’s very synthetic and sterile. It seems to be very fast even on low settings. These are true stereo units and sound best with two amps. I have that Ibanez model too. Lovely pedal. I’d like the Ibanez Bi-Mode chorus. Hard to find at a reasonable price.
My guitar teacher had a DC-3, and it was his secret weapon for chorus that didn't sound like chorus. I picked one of those up because at the time, the DC-2's were astronomical in price. Gotta agree, I prefer the sound and simplicity of the DC-2w.
Your channel is so awesome. I love this pedal. I have an original DC-2 as well but there is something about this one that is so lush in stereo. Instant Cocteau Twins.
Oh man, what a pedal that is. Never owned one, but I think every guitarist over a certain age remembers when these things were available for next to nothing. What were we thinking!?!?
Wow, this is great. I have genuinely never heard of this Boss pedal. Which is saying something; when JHS did their 4 Boss pedals you’ve never heard of video, I was familiar with those, but somehow the dimension C passed me by. Super cool pedal. Thanks!
Nice! I have the DC-2W. It's cool to hear about this Digital Dimension pedal. I had never heard of it. These kind of remind me of detune pedals but maybe with more depth. Maybe not. It is very funny how 'digital' was a selling point in the 80s and 90s. One of my favorite delay pedals is an old DOD digital delay pedal. It has a very soft kind of sound to it even for having some digital components. I would think it's mostly analog with some digital parts.
Yeah, a lot of early digital pedals were analog pedals with the digital chips just for the time shifting. Compared with todays entirely DSP-centric effects.
That’s a beautiful Reverend Mister. If you don’t have the Descent I strongly encourage you to acquire one. Running it through chorus and some shaky tremolo is just pure splendor. Think, Robert Smith tones without the lipstick
Thank you! Is the Descent basically a Jetstream with a longer scale length? I love my Jetstream, though I’m thinking about checking out something Jetstream-adjacent.
@@StompboxBreakdown yes, basically it’s a Jetstream with a 26.75” scale length that makes it feel like a you’re playing a guitar because you don’t have to reach as much on those lower notes near the nut. It’s tuned b to b.
I like how you get right to the demo and not have a lot of tech talk 30 minutes of nonsense. Its on a nice chimey clean channel, not overly distorted where you don't hear what it really sounds like.
Thank you! Yeah, I wouldn't really think to use it with overdrive, it'd get a bit too busy. For me, Dimension and Chorus are good effects to keep clean guitar from being too... just there.
I love how it isn't another blues/rock noodling gear demo channel playing the same minor pentatonic stuff. Like they are amazed when another overdrive pedal comes out
I searched high and low for one of these back in the 1990s, and it turned out when I got it that I didn’t like it as much as the CE-3. I was a little disappointed, because my board back then used an RV-2 Digital Reverb, and a PS-2 Digital Pitch Shifter/Delay, so i thought the DC-3 would be the logical companion, but for my sound, the CE-3 was what I wanted to hear.
The Dimension pedals use 2 separate LFO out of phase compared to stereo chorus have 1 LFO in sync with either 1 delay line or 2 delay lines. Some Rack mount chorus units have polarity switches for the output ports and also the he Dimension rack mount to flip the polarity 180 degrees. Try making a YT lesson using paper and a pen diagrams showing the differences in the block diagram forms because the output sections have a crossover network stage to combine the output ports which shifts the frequencies around also.
@@StompboxBreakdown it's a little niche, but most digital modeling amps attempt these kinds of sounds so there must be market for it. Normal chorus type effects only do so much, and sometimes need help
I'm an old fart, I love some old stuff but I just don't have a problem with things being digital. In fact, I really do prefer digital representations of analog delays over a real analog delay. Chorus, I really don't know but my flangers are digital and I feel no need to get another one. I did however have a real Dimension C which I only ever used on setting one. REALLY nice.
I subbed after 1 minute. Pro player over 30 years, retired (by a 78 LP pro deluxe, gold P90s.) I see I like the sound of the DC-3 more than chorus and never really cared for the DC-2 then at 11:11 you played the last chord on the 2 and I could swear, it did some swooshy univibe analog thing as if it were triggered by playing and now I'm so torn..(I'm sure it was "guitar player imagination syndrome" I learned how bad I had that charting songs and hearing things at practice like "you're wrong" lol) Of course I played that 78 anchor through twins and crap so I am deaf. Love the video, and I don't even like modulation stuff that much.
A 78 LP Pro with P90s sounds absolutely glorious. I think the Dimension effects bring something really hard to pin down, and you tend to hear the effect “bloom” across frequency ranges when notes are decaying at just the right time. It’s almost like a phaser in that way (not saying it’s a phaser just saying you hear that frequency/time interplay in both sometimes) I initially got my DC-3 because I wanted a DC-2 and couldn’t justify the cost. Figured I’d get it and it’d hold me over. Today, I have a DC-2w and it’s great, but this is the modulation pedal on my board. It just satisfies that need for depth without adding too much movement.
Such a beautifully subtle effect which you only really notice once it's been turned off. Great video as ever. Do I detect a Maxon or and Ibanez video on the way 🤔??
It really is. I used to use it all the time when I was playing in a 2-person soul/blues act. Sometimes I felt like my guitar was dull just strumming chords while the singer was doing their thing. It gives that shimmer. The only Maxon pedal I have is a CS505, and other than the CS9, all of my Ibanez pedals are either Tubescreamers or ToneLok pedals.
I have this and really like it, but I will say I wish I had more depth. If it was the same pedal, but with a bit more depth, it would be perfect. I pretty much play it with the depth all the way up. Otherwise, it is very, very subtle.
Great video. I never understood why boss brought out these beautiful 80s stereo choruses, but didn't have stereo inputs on any of their delay or reverb pedals until the 2000s 🤔
Thank you so much! I assume it was a board real estate issue, or just them trying to make sure they didn't shoot themselves in the foot with regards to SDD-320 sales (assuming they were sold at the same time)
Eventually effects will all be VST downloaded to a scalar upgradable RISC processor that links to the brain using haptic wireless connectors, and the upgrading process will not produce scar tissue like the versions tend to do. Right now, I use weed to achieve the same Dimension C effect along though a Boss GT-3 rocking and rolling at the same time.
@@StompboxBreakdown It's fun to theorize during elements of the imagination and the potentials of reality. Perspectives seen, potentially modified as innovation finds methodology. MPE midi2 pickups, pickguards, even the neck itself can be an array of ribbon cables and editable durometer pressure adaptive and proximity sensors. The fretboard could adjust to be scalloped, then adjusted back from convex to flat and concave, all by electron flow coordination, amperage, and the principles of how a transistor could actually have more than 2 selection switching ability, that can even be powered using photons instead for bring layers of depth to gradience, such as simple automation written into the music. Shapeshifting material surfaces can be achieved borrowing from already existing materials and hybrids thereof. In theory, the surface area of a football stadium can be condensed down to a sugar cube in volume,, if to consider graphene being thin enough and electrons having their multi level parking lots and tributaries. This means batteries could see alot more density. Remember, everyone has the ability to be creative, and we define syntax within lexicon.
The Dimension effect was in a mate of mines Roland GP16 unit, super cool. A few months back i scored the Boss SE-50 half rack which has this effect under the Space Chorus name, its the best thing the SE-50 has & i picked it up for way less than this pedal goes for.
Recent Dimension C convert here. I had to stop and appreciate the irony of the analog pedal with four preset tones vs. the digital pedal with its infinitely variable knobs. Technology, what you gonna do? 😅
It's cool. It just reminds me of chorus with a very light long delay or shimmer reverb until you add the ring modulation, and then it gets a little cooler. All in all, I'd say if you're really into chorus and you want to add something different, that is it.
So you are saying in stereo both channels are affected? It’s not one wet and one dry? Interesting, I have this pedal. I will have to try it in stereo now.
That's correct. Some chorus pedals have A:Dry/B:Vibrato, or more commonly A:Dry+Vibrato/B:Dry+phase-shifted-vibrato. The CE-3, if you plug into the second output only, you get a kind of "technically a vibrato" effect. With the phase-shifted-vibrato, it sounds amazing in the room, but if you record both channels and then sum them together, the effects cancel each other out, making it sound like the pedal isn't even on at all. There are separate pins for the Left and Right outputs of the DC-3 coming off of the DSP chip, which leads me to believe each output is directly tied to its own modulated delay line... mostly because that's how the DC-2 is implemented with its bucket brigade chips. It's definitely a beautiful effect in stereo, worth dragging out a second amp just to hear it at least once.
The CE-3 went to a lighter blue sparkle as compared to the CE-2, but this might be the most drastic color change within a model line for Boss. Also a shame they didn't use it anywhere else, it really looks amazing, the BF-3 should have had a deep bass boat sparkle finish.
It's two chorus-type modulation effects arranged with their LFO's 180 degrees out of phase, so as one is pitching up, the other is pitching down. When combined, they create what's sometimes called a "motionless chorus", so you get the depth but without the pronounced vibrato/swirl which turns some people off to standard chorus. The reverb you're hearing is probably just the reverb from my amp.
Saying it's not a chorus effect sounds an awful lot like Vanilla Ice defending the Ice Ice Baby riff. Yes, I can hear the difference, but in practical application, especially in a full band setting... it's a fucking chorus pedal.
I have over 70 pedals now and really I'm just chasing a tone I already have, I tweak things back to how i sounded before... and sound like me, whatever i do... I'm so tired of pedal love and my account is empty lol
The last post in this thread has them attached as a PDF: music-electronics-forum.com/forum/effectification/guitar-effects/977930-boss-dc-3-digital-dimension-schematic