Herbert or JP2C

Fusionbear

Fusionbear

Well-known member
Just been thinking about some amps I really like and thought I would ask the RT crew their opinions on which of these two amps you would get and why...

My thought on these two is basically which is the best three channel switcher I could use from alt/shoegaze to tight metal and thrash, and throw a little psychedelic prog for good measure....
 
I’ve owned neither and played neither so take this opinion with a grain of salt. The JP2C has always seemed to chase the IIC+ camp but with gig friendly features. I see a ton of them in the classifieds. I don’t see many Herbert’s. Thanks for reading my Ted talk.
 
I'm gonna be the first to say JP2C. I wanted a Herbert for years, finally bought one and was severely disappointed. Maybe the new ones are better, but the Mk I just didn't do it for me. The Mesa has a ton of great sounds in it that I'd use, the Herbert had one 🤷‍♂️
 
I have a JP-2C, I like having the two EQs, and the versatility; mine is set for clean, rhythm and lead; I use my HX Effects in 4CM with it.

For modern tones, I chose Engl over Diezel, so never had an interest in a Herbert, I did consider a VH4 before going with an Engl rack over 10 years ago; sold the preamp last year, use the Engl E212VHB cabs with an Engle Artist Edition 100 now; and the E850/100 power amp with my ISP Theta Pro DSP Michael Sweet.

Before I got my JP-2C I also considered a Mark VII, but after watching JP talk about the features and how he uses the JP-2C it was the obvious choice for me.

I don't think you can go wrong with either; though I'd still go with a JP-2C
 
If you want an amp that does tight metal, Thrash, and Prog, the JP2C is the one you want. As far as guitar amps go, Mesa Marks are practically the face of Thrash, and I don’t think much needs to be said about Petrucci and progressive music. I think its safe to say the JP2C has got that base covered.

Personally I’m not a fan of Diezel amps at all though so take this post with a grain of salt.

However, if you’re going with a Mark amp, I’d recommend a Mark VII as the overall best sounding AND most versatile Mark currently in production though.
 
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JP2C, but both are good. Main reason is because I prefer the Mesa voicing. Really all it comes down to.
 
I had a VH4 for a while. I was never quite happy with it. It was "almost" what I was looking for. I was a Deizel dealer 15 years ago and remember what a beast of an amp the Herbert is. I also serviced Deizel's and can tell you they were designed to be serviced easily. MESA, not so much. Deizel's were solid and very reliable. Most of the time service was for bad power tubes and sometimes preamp tubes...that was really about it....

Servicing MESA amps can be a major challenge...
 
I love the JP2C. It pisses off and makes IIC+ snobs sneer and queer on internet cock. Sorry not sorry. Calling it like it is.

While I've never owned a IIC+, I own a red stripe III and I can get these amps so close out of any cab I own, its laughable to anyone who really hasn't had the resources to compare. Sure...people can talk all the shit they want on me, I welcome it. BUT...if I can get my JP, MKIII and MKIV Rev A to all sound 95% the same as each other, WHICH I HAVE!, I'm almost ready to turn Fricker on people. The amp head matters for sure but the cab matters the same, if not more.

Everyone I know who has actually played a IIC+ says it's a feel thing, just like the Cameron thing. Sound familiar folks??

Internet is a funny place. That's all I'll say.

Out of the two amps you mentioned, I love the MKII Herbie but the III is a tad more compressed which I don't like. To my ears anyway.

JP2C covers all ground. Try 60w mode and redial everything in. It turns into a different sounding soggier amp. British or American flavor.
 
It really is a toss up, isn’t it?

I've owned the Quad, Triaxis, III, IV. Iknow these amps very well. Even had a Coli III when they came out. Killer amps in their own right...

The JP2C seems like the perfect channel switcher. Especially with the midi implementation...

Well, we'll see. It's a 2025 budget idea for now...

And, to throw another monkey wrench in, my FM9T is a killer tool. I've learned how to dial it in very well now and pretty much killed my G.A.S.....lol... I use the 2C+ model in it quite a bit...

I love my Quickrod for what it does. I've even used it in my cover band even though it's not at its best there.... I use that model in my FM9T quite a bit also convincingly...
 
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Wouldn't be a toss-up for me.
Any Diesel amp (Engls too) have what I call "German-Mids. No offense, but it's a sound that can't be dialed out.

The JP2C, IMO isn't really a good 3 channel amp. Clean and 2 duplicate lead channels. Neither makes a good "crunch" channel, IMO.
I had the amp and thought it was boxy-sounding. Midrange that HAD to be scooped with the EQ. I owned one about a year and got rid of it.
Not to mention the impossible location of the power plug.

The MK VII is a much superior amp, IMO. Especially in the range of sounds it can get. It's also the first Mesa MK amp that didn't absolutely need the EQ. I currently own the MK VII.

For 3 channels, I still think of the Bogner Ecstasy 101B. Maybe a Freidman amp.
You seem to be looking for versatility. I'd keep looking for something more suitable than the 2 amps you're thinking about.
 
PurityS.L.G said:
I love the JP2C. It pisses off and makes IIC+ snobs sneer and queer on internet cock. Sorry not sorry. Calling it like it is.
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I owned 3 IIC+'s, 1 IIC, and had buddies that I jammed with that owned 3 IIC+'s between them. We also bought JP2C's. The JP2C can nail every bit of that IIC+ aggression and tone. We all cashed out our IIC+'s when they were crazy expensive. The only 2 caveats with the JP2C is it has a different "in the room" feel by way of loudness. Any IIC+ is immediately blisteringly loud when you're on 2-3 on the Master, easily 100db+. The JP2C can get just as loud, just not immediately. It has a lot more options to dial in because of that. The JP2C also sounds nothing like a DRG since it's modeled after an HRG. The Combination of EL34 & 6L6 tubes really makes the clean channel of the DRG IIC+ come alive. I fear it's something I'll always crave.

That being said I'd choose the JP2C over the Herbert. The JP2C was one of the few high gain amps where I didn't need a boost pedal for tight high gain metal. I'd just hit the shred switch, turn up the presence knob or pull the presence knob. You've got 3 killer channels with 2 EQs and each mid knob acts sort of like a mid shift. The amp is killer.
 
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CarlF said:
Wouldn't be a toss-up for me.
Any Diesel amp (Engls too) have what I call "German-Mids. No offense, but it's a sound that can't be dialed out.

The JP2C, IMO isn't really a good 3 channel amp. Clean and 2 duplicate lead channels. Neither makes a good "crunch" channel, IMO.
I had the amp and thought it was boxy-sounding. Midrange that HAD to be scooped with the EQ. I owned one about a year and got rid of it.
Not to mention the impossible location of the power plug.

The MK VII is a much superior amp, IMO. Especially in the range of sounds it can get. It's also the first Mesa MK amp that didn't absolutely need the EQ. I currently own the MK VII.

For 3 channels, I still think of the Bogner Ecstasy 101B. Maybe a Freidman amp.
You seem to be looking for versatility. I'd keep looking for something more suitable than the 2 amps you're thinking about.
Click to expand...
You make a good point when it comes to the lack of a true 'crunch' channel on the JP-2C, which the Mark V or VII would have.
But I disagree partially with lobbing Diezel and Engl together in terms of their tone.
Yes, when you're purely looking at the mids, there are definitely some similarities, but the biggest difference is the Diezel's saturated/congested low-mids to sound bigger, where the Engls will typically remain leaner/tighter. Not saying that Engls aren't saturated or compressed, as they are, and while still owning 3 totally different ones, I owned and played many more... Bloated low-mids is not a thing I'd associate with Engls, but most definitely I do with some Diezels. On paper the Diezel DMoll seemed like an ideal gigging amp for me, 3 channels, 2 masters, footswitchable fx-loop, but I could not dial out that bloatedness in the low-mids. On my Engl Invader, only Channel 4 suffers from this, so I rarely use it (maybe for some thick/smooth leads). And the Engl Savage and Artist series are a mile away from 'bloatiness'.

Now, that being said, the Herbert will give you a great mid/high gain tone on Channel 2 with the Plus-setting. But in terms of versatility and tightness, a modern Mesa Mark would most likely win.
 
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