DV Micro 50 Ciro Manna Signature Head and DV Neoclassic 212

The amp responds flatteringly to different styles of playing, it’s very satisfying to play through and the EQ responds in a pleasing manner. One thing in particular that I like about the DV Mark brand is that it’s very much plug in and play, there is no messing about, you’re able to get a decent sound right into the head.

DV Micro 50 Ciro Manna Signature Head

MSRP (UK) £279 (US) $TBC

PROS:

Great Tone and versatile to most playing situations

Super light weight

Small compact size

CONS:

None

SPECS:

Two Channels: (clean / lead)

Dimensions: 6.4 x 20 x 22.1 cm

Weight: 1.9 kg

Guitar Interactive star rating: 5 stars

DV Neoclassic 212

MSRP (UK) £479 (US) $TBC

PROS:

Lightest 2x12 I've ever seen

Powerful response

CONS:

Side handles would be a plus

SPECS:

DV Mark custom-made speakers

8 Ohm (mono) or 2x 16 Ohm (stereo)

Dimensions: 70.5 x 46.5 x 27 cm

Weight: 12.4 kg

Guitar Interactive star rating:4.5 stars

Sam Bell returns to the pages of Guitar Interactive Magazine with another exclusive review, as he gives us the lowdown on two more of the innovative and continually compact products from the DV MARK brand in the form of the DV Micro 50 Ciro Manna Signature Head and DV Neoclassic 212 Cabinet.

DV Mark originally found fame within the bass world, providing lightweight, portable amps and speakers that didn’t compromise on tone or quality. Thank goodness the Italian based company also caters for us Guitar players. With a roster of professional session guitarists, artists and virtuosos alike, DV Mark has an artist roster filled with the likes of Greg Howe, Frank Gambale, Eric Gales, Stanley Jordan and Lari Basilio. And in this reviews case, we’re reviewing the Italian virtuoso Ciro Manna’s Micro 50 Signature Head. Before we get stuck in, let’s take a look at the cab.

DV Neoclassic 212 Cab

We’ll be running the head through one of DV Mark’s super lightweight 2x12 cabs which in the video portion of this review has been miced up in the isolation room in the studio with an SM57 and a Condenser 414 mic. This combination proves to not only be super lightweight (with the cab coming in at 12,4 kg!) but it sounds super smooth and articulate. This cab can be used with full powered amp heads made by other brands as well of course. It’s also very slim in size, part of the reason of this huge size and weight cut is the DV Mark made ‘Neo Classic’ speakers which feature very lightweight and small drivers, yet they still deliver a warm, punchy and articulate tone. In fact, a few days after shooting this review, I had the pleasure of seeing Greg Howe live in London and he was using the 4x12 version of this cab in a medium-sized venue and his tone was everything you’d expect it to be, great sounding units! A thin scrawny guy like me can lift the 212 cab above my head with relative ease. The cab alone in this review is well worth checking out for the regularly gigging musician who is all too familiar and tired of the painful load in and load out routine that comes with doing shows and having heavy gear!

DV Micro 50 Ciro Manna Signature Head

It’s worth being aware that it’s based on the DV Mark Micro 50 which is pretty much the same but with some different details. Ciro Manna’s head features the standard two channels of the regular Micro 50, channel one is a clean channel that is very articulate and warm, whilst the lead channel is a smooth, dynamic overdrive sound with plenty of sustain. These two channels are shaped with their own EQ sections and topped off nicely with a lush reverb. The amp also has an AUX in, FX loop, stereo speaker out with a minimum 4 ohms load, headphone out and footswitch option. The power stage is 50 watts at 8 ohms and 60 watts at 4 ohms, the amp features a single 6205 preamp tube and a Mark ProprietaryTechnology power amp. The Pre-Amp section may be small, but it doesn’t seem to affect the overall dynamics and sustain in terms of how the amp feels, this is further accented by the Mark Proprietary Technology Power amp, which allows these articulations to come through the speaker even more so. The original Micro 50 has the option of having an XLR out so you can record silently or send it to a desk without speaker emulation. This is something the Ciro Manna signature head doesn’t feature.