Help my friend pick a new amp; Mesa Mark edition

[MadAsAHatter]

My friend; this is the one who's had only a Peavey Transtube Supreme all his life, came over the other weekend to play some of my amps.

Quick sidebar... This was the first time he spent any real time with a tube amp. It was an eye opener for him. He started off bitch picking and getting a wimpy tone. I had educate him on how tube amps respond to playing style and pick attack. "Now play like you mean it!" He hit a couple of notes with some emphasis and had his "holy shit" moment. I just find it amusing that almost every single person has this reaction to playing a tube amp for the first time after coming off SS and modelers.

Anyway, of everything he played he liked my Mark III red stripe the best. He said he was really into that tone and liked the way it played. Not surprising he liked the Mark since he's a big Metallica fan. The only thing that was off-putting to him was the age of the Mark III series and what kind of service an amp that old would need. I could help him find a clean, recently serviced one, but he said he would likely prefer to buy something new.

I'm semi-familiar with the Mark VII and JP2C but haven't played either one in person. Unfortunately there are no shops around that carry either in store to try. Given he likes the Mark III...
Do y'all think he would like the Mark VII or JP2C better?
How to the III, VII, and JP2C compare to each other?

 

[dead-pan]

MKVII would be my choice. I have both. The IIC is cool but not versatile like the VII.

I really like the VII.

 

[ners]

Given his unfamiliarity with tube amps and tone chasing I'd assume the VII would be a better choice as its got more options for him to fiddle with and learn over time (VII, IIB, IIC+, or IV).

Where as the JP2C is just a duplicate channels of a IIC+, no?

 

[TheGreatGreen]

The VII is a great amp. I wouldn't have any problem recommending one to anybody who likes Mesa Marks.

Just make sure you clearly explain the concept of the pre-distortion knobs and post-distortion GEQ to him, as he's likely never needed to deal with or understand those things before, but they're vital to being able to dial a Mark series amp.

 

[rsm]

Either VII or JP-2C would work; when making my choice I went with the JP-2C; the dual, assignable EQ; and three channels I use for Clean, Rhythm and Lead. Simple and easy.

Mark VII more versatile, but also more things I don't want or need.

 

[GJgo]

If he's new to tube amps he'll likely be thrilled with any of them. That said none of the new ones have the push that an older Mark does.

The V and VII have a ton of options where the JP is a 2 trick pony. Does that matter to him?

Is he gigging or bedroom only? If bedroom only (or gigging where you don't need massive volume) I'd steer him towards a Five 35 (specifically). Crunch is worth the cost of admission and IMO it's the best tone of any of the modern Marks.

That said I know of a clean III green combo for around $1800. Hands down I'd take a clean III over any modern Mark.

 

[Techdeth]

Just get mark 3 . This is when the mark sound was perfected .3 perfect channels

 

[DanTravis62]

Honestly all Marks are versatile amps. He'll find plenty to play around with with any of them - the multiple channels, pentode triode, etc.

If he digs the III, I would imagine if service stuff is important, the VII would be the way to go.

I personally would get a III or IV, but I'm more comfortable with a soldering iron.

They're all super versatile and he's opened up to a whole new world

 

[67mike]

I'd just buy a Marshall.

 

[Neptical]

Speaking as an owner of some Mark IIIs, few Rectos and F50/100 - I think a Mark VII is on the menu. If not the VII, it's definitely a TC ( Triple Crown ) which is absolutely amazing. Still haven't decided on the Badlander.

 

[Kōbra]

Mark 7

BADLANDER

Triple Crown


All nice of tone.

 

[MadAsAHatter]

Great responses from everyone. I think he'd like either one, but I'm slightly torn on which one to recommend more. I think he might like the tone of the VII more, but be intimidated by all the options/features. A bit of the opposite with the JP2C. He would prefer the that it's "simpler" than the VII, but may not like the tone as much. I'm leaning more toward recommending a VII. Even if he doesn't make full use of its versatility he should be able to dial in a set and forget tone he's more than happy with.

The VII is a great amp. I wouldn't have any problem recommending one to anybody who likes Mesa Marks.

Just make sure you clearly explain the concept of the pre-distortion knobs and post-distortion GEQ to him, as he's likely never needed to deal with or understand those things before, but they're vital to being able to dial a Mark series amp.

I'll definitely help him dial in a good tone to start. I don't think he's ever played around with putting a GEQ in a loop. So a Mark would be a new experience for him. I'm confident once he gets the hang of how it works he'll be able to get some good tones on his own. Probably more a matter of getting him to a good starting point.

Either VII or JP-2C would work; when making my choice I went with the JP-2C; the dual, assignable EQ; and three channels I use for Clean, Rhythm and Lead. Simple and easy.

Mark VII more versatile, but also more things I don't want or need.

Tone control wise he'd probably prefer the JP2C since it's more straight forward than the VII. But I think he could make use of a couple of the VII's features like the 25 watt mode for better bedroom volumes.

If he's new to tube amps he'll likely be thrilled with any of them. That said none of the new ones have the push that an older Mark does.

The V and VII have a ton of options where the JP is a 2 trick pony. Does that matter to him?

Is he gigging or bedroom only? If bedroom only (or gigging where you don't need massive volume) I'd steer him towards a Five 35 (specifically). Crunch is worth the cost of admission and IMO it's the best tone of any of the modern Marks.

That said I know of a clean III green combo for around $1800. Hands down I'd take a clean III over any modern Mark.

I caught your JP2C to III comparison video. Both had the core Mark tone, but the JP2C sounded a bit smoother and more modern to my ears. I think he's like the JP2C just fine, but might like a a couple of specific tones of the VII more. He's not much of a knob turner and mostly a bedroom player.

The V-35 may be a good option. This is just me, but I've always found EL84 don't sound quite as full compared to the same amp with big bottles. How does the V-35 compare to its big brothers?

I'm not sure if he's ready to buy or needs to save a little, but I'll let him know bout the green stripe. If he's ready to buy and is interested I'll hit you up for more info on it.

Just get mark 3 . This is when the mark sound was perfected .3 perfect channels

Honestly all Marks are versatile amps. He'll find plenty to play around with with any of them - the multiple channels, pentode triode, etc.

If he digs the III, I would imagine if service stuff is important, the VII would be the way to go.

I personally would get a III or IV, but I'm more comfortable with a soldering iron.

They're all super versatile and he's opened up to a whole new world

If it were me I'd go for a III first hands down over a JP2C or VII; I obviously did getting a red stripe. I don't need perfected clean or light crunch form a Mark and like the more aggressive nature of the III's lead channel. I think he'd like a III best of those three amps for the same reasons. It might be more a matter of reassuring him the age of a III isn't that big of a deal as long as it's a clean one. And if it needs a tune-up its well worth the cost.

 

[MadAsAHatter]

I'd just buy a Marshall.

He played my Skeleton Key, Alta and, Hellion. Oddly he wasn't as into them as much as I would have expected. He's never really played anything with the Marshall upper-mid grind tone so I think that may have been too far away from what his ear is used to.

 

[MadAsAHatter]

Mark 7

BADLANDER

Triple Crown


All nice of tone.

I've been interested in a Triple Crown myself. It's a little harder to tell from YT videos, but several have said it sits somewhere between a Recto and Mark. Maybe at some point I'll come across a good deal on one and grab it.

 

[Kōbra]

I've been interested in a Triple Crown myself. It's a little harder to tell from YT videos, but several have said it sits somewhere between a Recto and Mark. Maybe at some point I'll come across a good deal on one and grab it.

It is, and it personal favorite Mesa. I sold mkIV after I played TC100.. mk iV collect dust.

Truly a very special amp and it was way much quiet compare to mk amp. Great control dialing.


Edit: have many rectifier.... it like best quality of rectifier meet mark.

Highly recommend. Super versatile.

 

[67mike]

I've been interested in a Triple Crown myself. It's a little harder to tell from YT videos, but several have said it sits somewhere between a Recto and Mark. Maybe at some point I'll come across a good deal on one and grab it.

The other guitarist in my bro in laws band has a triple crown......he likes it.

I had a royal Atlantic......it was good, just preferred my marshalls.

 

[ners]

He played my Skeleton Key, Alta and, Hellion. Oddly he wasn't as into them as much as I would have expected. He's never really played anything with the Marshall upper-mid grind tone so I think that may have been too far away from what his ear is used to.

If you haven't tried it yet, you can dial the Hellion in to get Mark-ish tones (mostly with with the modern voicing). It's actually the main reason I picked one up.

 

[Racerxrated]

Just get a III. That's what he liked, that's what he should get. The lower wattage/newer amps are cool, but have the limitation of being new and having little punch compared to the vintage versions.
He might, every once in a while, want to open it up for fun. With a III he'll enjoy it more than the newer versions.
Only parts on those amps that 'might' need servicing are the big caps. Any tech can change those.

 

[MadAsAHatter]

If you haven't tried it yet, you can dial the Hellion in to get Mark-ish tones (mostly with with the modern voicing). It's actually the main reason I picked one up.

Yeah, I've gotten pretty decent Mark tones from the Hellion after getting the V2 updates and KT66 tubes. But I generally stay in classic voicing to keep a bit more of the characteristic Marshall upper mids.

Just get a III. That's what he liked, that's what he should get. The lower wattage/newer amps are cool, but have the limitation of being new and having little punch compared to the vintage versions.
He might, every once in a while, want to open it up for fun. With a III he'll enjoy it more than the newer versions.
Only parts on those amps that 'might' need servicing are the big caps. Any tech can change those.

Overall that's what I'd really recommend to him. I think the Peavey SS starting to crap out spooked him. It's a little harder to ease someone's mind about swapping out caps when tube amps still seem a mystery to them. We know it's not a big deal, but when they don't even know about biasing tubes, changing caps can appear to be a major ordeal. I may just need to pull an amp out the shell and show him you just put new ones here if needed and you're good to go.

 

[Meanjoegreene]

If he can find a good one in person hard to go against what he liked from actually playing

If that’s not an option the VII is really, really good