Talk me out of (or into) a JP-2C

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Bardagh

Bardagh

Well-known member
I've never had a Mark series amp, have just about always wanted one but have only ever played the Mark V 90 watt and 25 watt. I liked both of those but there was a lot more going on with the V than I would probably ever use, and I really like the idea of having the two assignable graphic EQ's and the two high gain channels on the JP-2C.

I currently have a Friedman JJ-100, VHT Deliverance 60, EVH 5150III 50 Watt Stealth and a Peavey 6505. What I'm looking for with the JP-2C that I am not getting with these other amps is a really liquid lead tone, tight high gain rhythm with fuller/more detailed/cutting mids than my 5150 amps, and I guess I just have the notion that, never having been able to really put one to use, that the Mark "sound" could be the ticket for some of the stuff I'm doing that particularly the 5150's aren't quite getting.

I like 5150's generally speaking but sometimes it seems like the highs are a little above and the mids are a little below what would be useful in the mix. This was less true for the 6505+ I used to have. It's mids seemed to cut through a little more but it lacked the balls of the original and the newer Stealth - and again, the Mark sound is one I've always enjoyed and it's one thing I have never actually had.

If I have a concern about buyer's remorse it would probably be that I found the Mark V in 2C+ mode to have less gain than I expected. I'm generally not someone who uses gobs of gain, but when I fiddled with the 90 watt Mark V, I didn't think I could get the right kind of saturation going to get that liquid lead sound. Could have been operator error because I didn't understand at the time how the preamp circuit and EQ worked together. However, I have heard from people that the JP-2c doesn't really compare to the 2C+ mode on the Mark V and has more gain on tap.

Of course people are charging stupid prices for used ones but I heard this week that some retailers are expecting to receive some new inventory from Mesa in December, so I'm considering pre-ordering. Oh yeah, I have considered getting a Mark IV instead but I don't think so at the prices they're going for now.
 
The 'cutting mids' part of what you are looking for just don't really exist with any Mark. Sorry. Just the way it is. That said they are killer amps that will cut fine EXCEPT if the other player has a Marshall; in that case you'll get buried. I boosted my C+s with an upper mid flavored pedal and it was still a struggle to get them to cut anywhere near like a Marshall cuts. But, liquid lead tone for days.
Short of a real C+ the JP will do the job you want it to. But it will struggle to get cutting mids.
 
Racerxrated said:
The 'cutting mids' part of what you are looking for just don't really exist with any Mark. Sorry. Just the way it is. That said they are killer amps that will cut fine EXCEPT if the other player has a Marshall; in that case you'll get buried. I boosted my C+s with an upper mid flavored pedal and it was still a struggle to get them to cut anywhere near like a Marshall cuts. But, liquid lead tone for days.
Short of a real C+ the JP will do the job you want it to. But it will struggle to get cutting mids.
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I dunno man. My III has never been buried by any amp.
 
Well, not Marshall cutting mids, but I guess fuller, more detailed sounding mids compared to the 5150, which for some things is perfect and for others is missing something you can’t really add back in. The Mark amps seem like they have a very broad midrange you have to sculpt.

I think of stuff like Dream Theater - Awake where you can really hear lots of detail on the guitars and they’re real crunchy.
 
headlessdeadguy said:
I dunno man. My III has never been buried by any amp.
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Ever play it with a Marshall along with it? Whenever I ran my C+ with a Marshall(2203, 1959T) at the same time in my W/D/W setup the Marshall overshadowed it with the upper mids; you could only hear the Mesa well if I scooped the mids on the Marshall.
Marks are great amps; but if there's a Marshall in the mix at the same time it's gonna be difficult for the Mark.
 
As some background I have owned or played basically all the amps you listed. While I have not owned a JPC2C I have played one extensively and also own a IIC+ for reference on quality of the JP2C.

I think the JP2C is an excellent amp and it is a contender for best live amp given its versatility. It will have more gain on tap than the 2C+ Mode in the Mark V. I think the Mark sound is a unique one that really comes across differently than any of those other amps--simply because the gain structure is so different. It can do a liquid lead sound better than just about anything. I will also say the JP2C is fairly different than the Mark IV and the IV comes across as a bit more compressed and the eq a bit darker in the mids. I own a IV and love the amp but it has a different voicing than the JP2C and think it is less suited towards the liquid lead thing. I think the JP2C is a great sounding amp and I think having a mark amp in your arsenal is worth it.
 
itsgoodnow said:
As some background I have owned or played basically all the amps you listed. While I have not owned a JPC2C I have played one extensively and also own a IIC+ for reference on quality of the JP2C.

I think the JP2C is an excellent amp and it is a contender for best live amp given its versatility. It will have more gain on tap than the 2C+ Mode in the Mark V. I think the Mark sound is a unique one that really comes across differently than any of those other amps--simply because the gain structure is so different. It can do a liquid lead sound better than just about anything. I will also say the JP2C is fairly different than the Mark IV and the IV comes across as a bit more compressed and the eq a bit darker in the mids. I own a IV and love the amp but it has a different voicing than the JP2C and think it is less suited towards the liquid lead thing. I think the JP2C is a great sounding amp and I think having a mark amp in your arsenal is worth it.
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So how different are the jP and real 2c+ to you ?
 
Techdeth said:
So how different are the jP and real 2c+ to you ?
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Well, I wouldn’t sweat leaving a lot of tone on the table buying a JP2C. The JP2C is based on a non GEQ HRG (like the IIC+ Mode on the Mark V) but they’re all a bit different.

I think the JP2C comes across as a little more compressed than a IIC+. I think it’s got that flavor and is almost there but not quite as good. The JP2C is more versatile because it has 2 EQs and different modes and all that. I think the IIC+ has a bit better note definition and is a little tighter. Again the JP2C is a great amp and is 90%+ of what’s going on with my IIC+s.

Even the IIC+ are a bit different from each other. My sixty watt non geq is the tightest and most responsive one. Stupid open sounding and not compressed. Maybe the best version for liquid lead? My HR (long head factory C+ with a 105 PT) felt more responsive before I added the GEQ than after I had it modded with the GEQ and did the switchable ++ mod. I did the GEQ to make it more versatile and all that. I may have liked it better without the GEQ and an EQ in the loop. Has a bit more headroom. Still very open sounding. I have never owned a DRG but have played one. It’ll be a sin to say but it was my least favorite version. It was less open, more compressed, and didn’t come across as raw—smoother to my ear.

Any of them are good and this is all super subjective cork-sniffing but that was my impression of the differences and my preferences haha.
 
itsgoodnow said:
Well, I wouldn’t sweat leaving a lot of tone on the table buying a JP2C. The JP2C is based on a non GEQ HRG (like the IIC+ Mode on the Mark V) but they’re all a bit different.

I think the JP2C comes across as a little more compressed than a IIC+. I think it’s got that flavor and is almost there but not quite as good. The JP2C is more versatile because it has 2 EQs and different modes and all that. I think the IIC+ has a bit better note definition and is a little tighter. Again the JP2C is a great amp and is 90%+ of what’s going on with my IIC+s.

Even the IIC+ are a bit different from each other. My sixty watt non geq is the tightest and most responsive one. Stupid open sounding and not compressed. Maybe the best version for liquid lead? My HR (long head factory C+ with a 105 PT) felt more responsive before I added the GEQ than after I had it modded with the GEQ and did the switchable ++ mod. I did the GEQ to make it more versatile and all that. I may have liked it better without the GEQ and an EQ in the loop. Has a bit more headroom. Still very open sounding. I have never owned a DRG but have played one. It’ll be a sin to say but it was my least favorite version. It was less open, more compressed, and didn’t come across as raw—smoother to my ear.

Any of them are good and this is all super subjective cork-sniffing but that was my impression of the differences and my preferences haha.
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Thanks for the response. That actually makes a lot of sense . My friend described his DRG same as you and that’s why he likes it . El34s causing that right ?
 
Techdeth said:
Thanks for the response. That actually makes a lot of sense . My friend described his DRG same as you and that’s why he likes it . El34s causing that right ?
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Good question. I get the impression it’s kind of always there. I asked Mike B about it and he said the HRG is just a more open amp. I suspect it would still remain smoother and more compressed than the other models because of how the simulclass influences the other parts of the amp
 
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Racerxrated said:
Ever play it with a Marshall along with it? Whenever I ran my C+ with a Marshall(2203, 1959T) at the same time in my W/D/W setup the Marshall overshadowed it with the upper mids; you could only hear the Mesa well if I scooped the mids on the Marshall.
Marks are great amps; but if there's a Marshall in the mix at the same time it's gonna be difficult for the Mark.
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Last band I was in the Mark was the amp I recorded/gigged with. Other guitarist played a JVM. I always got compliments from other guitarists on my tone. Somebody was hearing it.
I run it together with my Silver Jubilee or Monomyth Origin and it has no problem cutting through. YMMV.
 
There have been confirmed reports
from individuals who play Wizard amps
for years lose a chunk of body fat from
those Tyrannosaurus mids eating the
players ass every night.
Think about it.
These days we got millions of individuals
addicted to "digital dope" but there's no
physical substance being eaten.
They got us by the short hairs with that one huh?
Much luck with those MIDS!!
 
Have you tried boosting the blue EVH channel with a Maxon 808? That has a mid-range bump for what is already an amp with a mid-range bark. It sounds good. Red channel has so much gain on tap it's like a lead channel.

I would consider adding a Marshall. That is what I found missing from my high-gain amp collection. A medium gain Marshall and then hit the front of it with a Boss SD-1 set as a boost.
 
TheToneDig said:
Have you tried boosting the blue EVH channel with a Maxon 808? That has a mid-range bump for what is already an amp with a mid-range bark. It sounds good. Red channel has so much gain on tap it's like a lead channel.

I would consider adding a Marshall. That is what I found missing from my high-gain amp collection. A medium gain Marshall and then hit the front of it with a Boss SD-1 set as a boost.
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I always boost the Blue channel. The Stealth has the best of the blue/crunch channels to me for boosted chugging type stuff, but if you compare it to the blue on the original III, it’s definitely leaner in the mids. It’s got mean low mids and more treble bite.

The red channel for me is only good for leads, which is weird because I feel differently about the Peaveys. I prefer the red channels on the Peaveys and for my tastes find the 5150 2x12 combo to have the best version. But I don’t really think any of them do a “liquid lead.” The gain character is more ripping/grainy/chunky.

The Friedman already has me covered on some different Marshallesque tones. The Deliverance probably comes the closest out of the amps I have to offering the kind of detail I’m looking for.
 
Boogie Marks cut thru anything. Brad Gillis is a great example. When in Night Ranger w/ Jeff Watson, Jeff used Marshall, Hiwatts. Didn't matter. Brad cut right thru the mix.
 
The JP2C is one hell of an amazing sounding amp, it's one of my favorites and top 3 I've ever played. All 3 channels sound so good! The 2 graphic eq's and different presence voicing with shred mode (if your into more modern downtuned metal tones) really help have a 2 different high gain tones. I would say the only negative I find is that it doesn't excel at mid gain, crunchy type tones from my experience. If I was comparing it to my 5150III stealth, is that the JP2C is more polished sounding, cleaner and clearer tone. It's an amp I'll never get rid of along with my Stealth.
 
Bardagh said:
I always boost the Blue channel. The Stealth has the best of the blue/crunch channels to me for boosted chugging type stuff, but if you compare it to the blue on the original III, it’s definitely leaner in the mids. It’s got mean low mids and more treble bite.

The red channel for me is only good for leads, which is weird because I feel differently about the Peaveys. I prefer the red channels on the Peaveys and for my tastes find the 5150 2x12 combo to have the best version. But I don’t really think any of them do a “liquid lead.” The gain character is more ripping/grainy/chunky.

The Friedman already has me covered on some different Marshallesque tones. The Deliverance probably comes the closest out of the amps I have to offering the kind of detail I’m looking for.
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Fair enough and I tend to agree with you.
 
I've thought about buying a JP myself as I own a 1984 mkiic+ and have to use a head switcher to add more versatility.
I also used my mkiii red stripe coli while the other guitar player used a 2203 jmp fortin modded head. Our mids cut thru equally in the mix.My 84 miic+ has the " blanket lifted off" feel and vibe tho.
You have to really tweak the 5 band graphic eq,along with the mks tone controls to get the mids to settle in right when gigging..But once you get that figured out,it's a killer tone and also feels great under the fingers!
 
Honestly, in the decades of amp carnage..
Liquid lead tone is in the fingers and how the
amp is set up and most important..volume.
Make that bitch sing!
Does Santana sound like SRV?
It's the way he touches the strings and
gets up under the note with patience.
Go play one of those King Snakes
you'll still need the touch.
I've had multiple DRG'S, 2C, 2C+, 2C++.
The best for the liquid lead?
Mesa Stilletto Ace, channel 2, Fluid Drive mode,
Orange 2X12 with V30'S.( the Orange cab bevels
that strident upper mid range bite like shaving off
frog hairs).
Oh, hell yeah man.

I want to have my cake and eat it too..
I've discovered the only way to do this?
Is to make the cake.,
with radical acceptance & perseverance being the ingredients.

I say find a way to combine all those amps at once or mixed, with a switcher, find what your looking for and start JAMMING dude!!
 
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