Mark Five: 25 - wow

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donnyboiler

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New amp day! Previous Mark V and current JP-2C owner... was looking for a portable package for Central London gigs, also to open up some possibilities for plane and train stuff.

Very impressed! I can get close to my main JP-2C medium high gain sound on IIC+ mode, a little less weighty but very punchy, chunky and satisfying. Cleans up so well which really opens up a lot of possibilities for how you use the first channel.

I don’t use a clean sound for gigging - I’m a volume pot guy and the cleanest I really like is SRV unless you’re talking studio cleans. So on channel 1 I can live on Crunch mode which is punchy, fat, and more Marshally than on the full-size head. It cleans up spectacularly. Or I can dial up Fat mode with the gain and mid boost cranked and it will distort beautifully and cleans up better still. This gives me the same two sounds I use in my JP-2C but in a small, light package.

It’s small enough to carry down the street or wait in line on the tube, it’s incredibly neat and tough, and it has CabClone which I’ve been using a lot live; it performs really well especially when you have a speaker connected as well. I find it better than an indifferently mic’d speaker actually - although for full album quality there are better options.

What has really struck me though is the versatility - you could take this to any session and do something appropriate. The amazing cleans and high gains I was expecting (and Extreme mode is massive) but I did not expect it to clean up so well or feel so musical at mid-gain. I thought I’d miss Tweed mode from the regular V but the mid boost control renders it unnecessary.

Also thought I’d miss the extra girth compared to the JP-2C but it’s so punchy, musical, and palm mutes are so satisfying that I enjoy playing through it just as much - even more at lower levels.
 
Glad you're enjoying it! I almost picked up one to go with my 90w version, but the seller sold it to someone else after we'd agreed on a price and time...
 
I just got mine today after looking for a low wattage professional grade amp.

Watched all the youtube videos, but it wasn't a really hard sell. I already have the Lonestar 100 watt head(that I only run in 100 watt mode, why not, I paid for the 4 6L6s) and it's an incredible powerhouse. Bought the Mark Five:25 for an incredible discounted price on Reverb; new with full 5 year warranty. Driving a PRS Deep 2x12 cabinet loaded with WGS ET90s. My first test drive of the amp exceeds all my expectations. And having the preamp clones of the Mark IIC+ and Mark IV in Channel 2? Wow. And a headphone output too? It's a modern classic, in my opinion, and I've only had it for one day...Everyone needs this amp~!
 
I’m a Mark V 35 owner, but I’ve been getting an itch to try the JP2C. Do you think it’s worth the upgrade? I play metal in a cover band.
 
The JP-2C is definitely fuller and thumpier than any of the Mark Vs. The only trade-off is it doesn’t have such lightning fast reactions but it’s still a very responsive amp by ordinary standards.

For me, the JP-2C is the best all-round package there is. It’s just perfect on every channel and every mode.
 
+1 on donnyboiler's comments regarding the JP-2C. I would definitely respect his opinions. You should read is review on the JP-2C, so far that has to be the best written review I have yet to read.

http://forum.grailtone.com/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=73958

I am more of a hobbyist than a musician so my point of view may not have much merit here. I would also rate myself as a novice going on some 38 years. Too many injuries got in the way along with age so I am over the hill and past my prime, missed the boat if that makes more sense.

I cannot reflect on the Mark V:25 or 35 since I do not have one to comment. However, I believe the JP-2C would be a good candidate for the Heavy Metal style, depending on what variety that is. Its tone and distortion characteristic sits between a Roadster and the Mark V 90W. Perhaps not as responsive as the Mark V in terms of harmonic thrills but definitely an amp that delivers the goods to almost sinister levels that I only wish the Mark V could deliver. On the flip side, it also excels beyond the Roadster in its most demonic tone of the CH4 Modern voice. There is more to the JP-2C than what meets the eye and it deserves the hype that it has gained since its release. Before you jump on it, there is another amp Mesa has recently released that has not yet made its way to the stores and that would be the TC-100. Very much like its sibling (TC-50) it uses the same preamp board but completely populated along with larger iron which may be new or borrowed from its predecessor RA100. I mention this amp only because many seem to be gravitating towards the TC-50 from the Recto arena.

If you love the Mark V:35, you will get more of that tone with the JP-2C in spades and probably more than you bargained for. It is definitely a worth while investment and a good asset to have if Heavy Metal is your passion. It is versatile in some respects especially if you learn to use the volume pot on your guitar as effectively as other techniques one should have at least mastered to some extent. I used to be a set it to max and leave it there but now have learned the volume pot is a valuable tool to make use of. At reduced master volume the amp does seem to drown in the lower frequency but that is easily compensated with the shred switch or use of a OD pedal like the flux drive or grid slammer. I am really impressed on how the JP-2C responds with either of those two OD pedals. I am not much for using OD pedals but the additional enhancement works really well but is generally not necessary. I have other preferences in terms of flexibility but the JP-2C is my top list amp in my possession. It was so tempting to get another but I am holding out for the TC100 to makes its way into my domain. In short, the JP-2C is much easier to dial in than say the original IIC+ or even a Mark III.
 
bandit2013 said:
+1 on donnyboiler's comments regarding the JP-2C. I would definitely respect his opinions. You should read is review on the JP-2C, so far that has to be the best written review I have yet to read.

http://forum.grailtone.com/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=73958

Thanks dude! I enjoy your contributions too :)
 
Mine will be here Saturday.

Pairing it with a Marshall Silver Jubilee Cabinet. Basically a Silver 1960AV with the Marshal V30's.

Excited to say the least :) My 1st Boogie after dreaming about owning one in the 80's when I was a kid!
 
Got my V 25 a week ago.
Couldn’t be happier with it.
Great versatile amp.
 
Got my Mark V:25 last week and got a chance to A/B it with the JP-2C and it is pretty impressive for being so small. I will say i had one when they first came out and sold it becuase it was not quite what i wanted. This time around I am in a position to have multiple amps and more cabinets thankfully. Long story short this little guy running through my ported 1X12 with the EVM on the crunch channel with the mid boost engaged can hold it's own, it's got massive low end with this cabinet and it also seems to be perceivably louder than channel 2. Running stereo with my JP-2C into the 2x12 and the 5:25 into the 1x12 on crunch mode is an incredible tone, so full and the amps compliment each other nicely. It is amazing sometimes what a different feel you can get with different speaker and cabinet options.
 
Congrats to all you dudes!

I’ve now done five or six gigs with the 25 and it’s coming with me to Soho tomorrow night. An amazing little package and I can walk half a mile down the street with it no problem. Plus it makes the best practise/rehearsal amp ever :)
 
donnyboiler said:
An amazing little package and I can walk half a mile down the street with it no problem. Plus it makes the best practise/rehearsal amp ever :)
Couldn't agree more. It is easily my favorite little amp. Have owned the Mark IV, and the current 25, 35, and 90 Mark Vs.

While the 90 has the best and widest range of sounds (and is huge even at low volumes), I'm just too much of a wuss to haul it around. Don't wanna carry it. Don't want somebody else's beer spilled on it. Don't want to have to watch it all night to make sure nobody runs off with it. So it stays parked in the studio all day, and that's fine.

The 25 sounds as good or better than any smaller amp I've ever played, though, while also providing more volume and portability. And the sheer number of personalities you can dial into it is staggering. In my case, the 25 didn't compete with a second guitarist or keyboardists, so there wasn't a lot of shared sonic real-estate to worry about, but it had zero problem keeping up with drums and bass in 25 watt mode. I've literally never had an amp that did everything it was supposed to do... and do it so well. I'm currently using a Blues Jr. with several pedals to fill the small n' portable amp niche, and while it does an admirable job, it can't hold a candle to the 25.
 

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