I mentioned the DV Mark Little 40 at the end of my previous post yesterday, which was a review on the DV Mark Galileo 15. That Galileo is a great little amp, but the DV Mark Little 40 is what I’m really taking a serious look at right now. If you want more information and specs on this great little amp, then read the product page on it. But what I’m going to discuss here goes beyond just the plain old facts and talk about why I think this amp deserves such a serious look.
What about the title? Well, it’s something that I brought over from my web engineering background, and that is that the best web sites aren’t the ones that are the prettiest or the most technically robust. They’re the ones that are so obvious to use, you don’t have to think about it. With the Little 40, DV Mark has lived up to “Don’t Make Me Think” in a variety of ways.
First off, while DV Mark offers the amp in L34 and L6 models (for EL34 and 6L6), the amp can take either, and will even do 6V6’s (though I think it may have to be JJ 6V6’s that’ll take a higher plate voltage – but I’d have to confirm that). But here’s the kicker: With the Little 40, you’ll never have to bias tubes again! The Little 40 sports smart circuitry that will auto-bias AND match your power tubes (so long as they’re within 20% of each other). How convenient is that? I don’t have the equipment to bias tubes myself – frankly I’m scared to death of working on electrical stuff – so every time I get new power tubes, I have to have someone bias them for me. With the Little 40, I just need to get reasonably matched tubes, and the amp will bias them to their optimal settings. Damn!
In addition to automagically biasing the tubes, there’s a switch on the rear panel that lets you set Low or High bias settings, which means you have even more tonal capabilities at the flick of a switch. This is a really huge thing in my opinion because again, instead of having to do this by hand, you need only toggle a switch to find the right bias setting for what you’re playing.
Also, the Little 40 is absolutely versatile, with its patent-pending Continuous Power Control that allows you to vary the output power of the tubes – not just for volume, but to break up the power tubes early. Full out to 40 Watts, you’ll get maximum clean headroom. But you can dial down the power to 1 Watt, and get breakup a lot earlier. Plus, you can switch between pentode and triode tube operation to get different tones on top of bringing the power down. Then on top of all that, you have a 0/6dB pad to compensate for passive and active pickups.
Finally, at $799, which is only $200 more than the Galileo, getting this amp is absolute no-brainer! And mind you, these amps are all hand assembled in Italy. How DV Mark is able to sell them so inexpensively is beyond me, but we players can definitely reap the benefits. This is my next amp!
Here’s a nice demo video of the DV Mark Little 40:
Guitar Gear 
at the end
I bought them both
the two heads could appear really similar by just looking at them
but, trust me, they do have really different souls
i where looking at a pedal-friendly head and i wanted it to be compact, light-weight and with a clean tone that i like (too many times, to have a pedal-friendly base the clean tone tend to be poor and sterile to my ears) which can be fat and smooth and with a great response on all frequencies without loosing the possibility to be sparkle on top and definite…ok…maybe the holy grail…
well, too me the L40L34 it’s been the landing to Never Land!!!
but i couldn’t resist to buy the Galileo15 too
the L40 is the paradise for a pedal user but the G15 it’s a completely different universe; sounds bigger and fatter, with more own personality which, however, influence the response of pedals in a way that could like or not (and i love it but to me the L40 is more “anonymous” wich is better when i plug in twelve different od/dist) so it could suit perfect for who use just a couple of od/dist
cit. ” I imagine that the speaker is voiced with a fairly robust bottom end, which is probably why the amp sounds so huge”
well man i really don’t think so!
to my ears those speakers sounds quite like “hifi-ish”, the Galileo it self have tons of bass and mids (even in flat but more or less at the twist of a knob)
however, one thing i suggest is to try the DVmark heads even on “more traditional” ceramic speaker loaded cabinets, i’m not excited the way how the neodymium responds on distorted sounds, of course, imho! (i’m dreaming every night of seeing a NAMM DVmark stand with new light-weight cabs loaded with ceramic speakers, i’m in love with their 2X12 vertical XD)
p.s. sorry for the english…it’s 6am here XD
Bad English? Who cares? That’s a great endorsement and further convinces me that the L40 is my next amp!
I’ve been playing for over 40 years, and doing a lot of homework recently, looking for the elusive “holy grail amp”. I think I found it right here with the DV Mark DV40.
I have the DV40 212 combo – It’s lighter than my Ampeg Jet with one speaker! I am having a lot of fun with this amp – I really need a LOUD clean for my baseline tone, and this amp delivers. I can use my pedalboard to cover everything else. I play pop, blues, country, and some classic rock. The stock 12AX7 and EL34’s deliver a nice clean tone, Mesa to British sounding when playing with the presence knob; just make sure the gain is below 9 o’clock. Plenty of volume, EQ, and attenuated wattage tweaks to satisfy the “One Guitar, One Amp” guy who just wants to run out the door with a plug and play setup. Reverb is different than I am accustomed to, but very usable spring tone is available. Dark or bright, you can mold this guy to fit your particular situation, and space you happen to be in at a given moment. Lots of headroom available.
I did order some 6L6’s and high end 12AX7’s, and I can’t wait to try them out on this amp.
I have played this amp both quietly and at full authority, and it can be made to fit in almost any live situation. Not for the metal guys, but I don’t go there anyway. I can play jazz, country, blues and rock on this thing just fine. The sag and response on this amp is a little different than I have been accustomed to as well, but very easy to work with. I do like these speakers, and the whole unit is so lightweight!!! GREAT PLUS for the gigging, older than 25 crowd!
BIG PLUSES: The 6dB boost on both channels, light weight, Self biasing tube function, 0.5 class A to 40 watt Class AB tube tone!!!
Eddie, ever since I got this amp, it has been my go-to amp. I swapped out the EL34’s for some NOS 6L6’s. Now I get Fender to British tones which are much more my speed. 🙂 The thing that makes it possible – at least for me – is the self-biasing function. I don’t have a tube bias adjuster, so having one on-board is a god-send.
+1 on everything you said. This amp rocks!
Just put winged “C” 6L6’s and “preferred series” 12AX7’s. I am very happy with the Fender-like tone I am getting. Non-matched pairs self biased well, and played on Pentode mode, low bias for about a half hour. very nice soulful cleans and can get that “hint of snarl” if I play loud enough. Absolutely fabulous amp!!!
I need to gig with this a few times before I wet myself too much.
If you get a chance, try out those Groove Tubes 6L6’s (Gold Series). I was a bit skeptical about GT tubes, but these have a fantastic sound. When I want a Fender sound, these tubes deliver. They work fantastic with the my Little 40. You can get them at Brent Jesse recording.
Sent from my iPad
Just bought the head. Was going to re-tube it to 6L6’s as I use a Zendrive and previously had a HR Deluxe (shooting for a ‘Dxumble-like tone). Tried the EL34’s first – best tone I’ve had in over 40 years of regular pro and semi-pro playing (using an Ampeg cab with V30 speaker. Light weight amp with a balanced, clear and sweet tone. Grab one if you can find one. Mike
This is truly a fantastic amp. I’ve gone back to the EL34’s as of late. They seem to work better with my 1 X 12 with a Jensen Jet Falcon speaker. But when I play larger venues and use my 2 X 12 with a Celestion Gold and Jensen Jet Electric Lightning, I switch out and use the 6L6’s. They’re a little punchier than the EL34’s. Can’t beat this amp’s versatility!