JP-2C sellers - what's missing?

This amp does everything for me, I think that there is nothing it can't do. I know some of you sold your's, what was it that you thought this amp couldn't achieve? It goes places I've never been before, off the chart tone. I'm completely confused. Please school me, if there is something I'm missing out on, I want to know! I'm sure curious perspective buyers would like to know also.

I almost traded mine for an Axe Fx II rig but decided to stick with it. My problem is that I have to play at low volumes most of the time, and to me is the worst sounding Mesa Mark amp at low volumes. The low end at low volume seems a bit too much for me, but cranked the low end sounds pretty sweet to me. I had a chance to crank it a couple of weeks ago and it was glorious lol. I decided to keep mine and just wait for the inevitable chance to move to a place where I can play a bit louder.

As a person who buys and sells gear all the time (I'm not sentimental about gear), I love my JP-2C and have no intention of selling it.

However, I would probably sell it very quickly, if I wasn't lucky enough to be in a position to be able to own my other higher-end gear simultaneously (Mark V, Axe FX II, Kemper). The JP-2C is not as versatile as these other amps. It does what it does superbly, but it can't do everything I need.

Something like the Axe FX can do everything I need, but it doesn't do it perfectly. Same with the Mark V.

It's like this:

I own a sportbike. It's crazy fast and handles like a dream; but sometimes the whole family needs to go on a trip. So I can get a high performance car, not quite as fast, but can do things the bike can't. Then again, sometimes I need to move large items, so I get a truck. I've never seen a vehicle that can do each of those things, as well as each individual vehicle can do its specific task.

I've never found this trait in an amp either. Or a guitar, for that matter.

It's the realization that I shouldn't expect to find perfection that's allowed me to more fully enjoy each amp. I was always fighting with my Mark V because it couldn't fully do what the JP-2C can do. If I had gotten rid of my other amps, I would be fighting with the JP-2C.

If I wasn't the kind of person who cares about going fast and having great handling, I could buy a truck, be perfectly happy, and never want for another vehicle.

Unfortunately, that's not how I'm wired.


~Icarusuki

I believe you have options to consider. When I got my JP, I started out with an OS Recto 412. Still in awe with the character of that cab and the JP. A bit too loud for me for every day playing. Actually the cab sounded great a lower volume levels with amp at 100W setting. Yes the bass does seem to dominate at lower volume level but you can compensate with the EQ slider to reduce the influence of the bass as that will have more effect than the bass control on the gen eq. Recently I bought a Mesa Vertical 2x12. Best move I ever made. I really love the Vertical 2x12 as it is not as dark as the 412, a tad bit brighter though but not harsh at least with the JP. The 212 may be loud too but not over the top like the 412 when you push the amp into higher levels.

There is the wide body 1x12 cab to consider (does not have a V30) but from what I was told sounds great with the JP as the local Mesa dealer wanted me to try that since they did not have the Vertical 2x12 cab. I would probably use 60W power with a 1x12 unless your cab has a higher rated speaker than 90W.

The other option would be to get an reactive attenuator so you can drive the amp harder without shaking the envelope and disturbing the peace. I did notice that the midrange seemed to be more enhanced but did not explore the use long enough but I will eventually as I use the attenuator for recording.

One needs to explore this amp thoroughly in order to find out if this is right for you or not. It is difficult to get a nice clipped clean with CH2 or CH3 but those two channels are quite useful for classic rock more than I originally thought. If you are after the southern rock tone or early 60s type clip you may need to get an OD pedal to push the clean channel. I am waiting on delivery of the Mesa Flux Drive pedal to explore its use with the JP. I will definitely be able to use it with the Roadster or RA100 but would like to see if it will benefit driving the clean channel of the JP for a different gain character. I really like the low gain character of the RA100 or even the Roadster tweed voice of CH1. Totally different type of amps but looking to increase the versatility of the JP. There is a lot of character with this amp using CH2 or CH3, experiment with the two pull pots (gain, presence). I am learning more about this amp as I am finding it is more than a one trick pony that if first seemed to be when I first plugged in my guitar and strummed a chord. That was not a blissful experience as I set up the amp with some lame settings. (Best to start with the instant gratification settings in the manual first). Since then I have been tweaking the settings to explore the hidden potential beyond that of the John Petrucci settings found in the manual. Also have been exploring the character of the amp with different guitars. My honeymoon is not over yet and probably will not be for a long time.

I would also take note to what color code tubes your amp came with. Reds and yellows may have more headroom (assumed) than green, gray or blue. Reds and yellows may be more suitable for Simul-Class amps but the JP is not Simul-Class. If your amp came with Red or Yellow I would consider trying green, gray or blue if you can find them. Green or blue would have more early distortion than the Gray. Mine came with Gray color tubes and I am loving that. As for color coding, some may say there is a difference and some may not. Perhaps it is subjective or the differences in gain character is not that much. I ordered a quad of mesa tubes for replacement of the same color I have in my JP. If and when they arrive, I will have to try them in my Roadster to hear the difference if any as it has yellows in it. I may try swapping tubes in the JP from gray to yellow to see if there is any difference to note.

In other words but lacking any content or detail, what was the primary reason one has bought the JP and decided to sell? Lack of experimentation or getting to figure out the different character of the amp? Too expensive? not versatile enough? or you really wanted a Lone Star but bought the JP-2C instead. I found the JP really brings me back to my roots with Mesa as there is a lot of the Mark III tone packed in there but has more some characteristic of the Mark IVb that I really like. Fits well with the Roadster when pushing the limits of tolerance but may not have the proper character to blend with the RA100. As for the Mark V, when I compare the two amps, the V sounds more sterile than it did before I got the JP. Some features of the other maps may have more to offer in terms of versatility. I am finding there is more to the JP that what my first experience has provided.

Thanks bandit, as always you're very good at this writing stuff.
The primary reason for not liking the JP-2C is not that the amp has a problem, the owner had a preconceived notion that this amp was similar to the Mark IV, V & MV25 in flexibility at low volume. This amp was designed for JP, with JP's actual input. It's JP's everything amp, so if JJ or JK or JL plays in his bedroom and declares the JP-2C is not the amp they thought it was, I'd sell it too and buy an Axefx or kemper myself.
Bottom line, I'm getting the answer to my question, thanks.

MM, I think you nailed it right there. Too much amp for a lot of folks.

I would also tip my hat to Bandit on the experimentation, at least in the dialing. I watched the latest JP vids and his tone sounded HUGE and thick and sustainy. I set the amp to his settings and got thin and tight and a bit anemic. That could easily make for some buyer's remorse right out of the gate.

JP likely had the amp CRANKED, plus his guitar, effects, pickups and fingers are all part of the mix.

After spending some time A/B/C'ing the JP with my Archon and Shiva, I got it dialed to a tone that really suits me, and sounds a lot more the way I heard the JP tone in my head. Now I think it's a keeper.

In order to get the tone I got, I had to use the knobs in ways that are not intuitive to me. I think a lot of people have the same problem. I did eventually start to get the hang of the controls, presence in particular, but I still have a ways to go before I really understand the thing. Many people do not have the patience for that.

milin_im said:

I almost traded mine for an Axe Fx II rig but decided to stick with it. My problem is that I have to play at low volumes most of the time, and to me is the worst sounding Mesa Mark amp at low volumes. The low end at low volume seems a bit too much for me, but cranked the low end sounds pretty sweet to me. I had a chance to crank it a couple of weeks ago and it was glorious lol. I decided to keep mine and just wait for the inevitable chance to move to a place where I can play a bit louder.

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I've been having great success with Cab Clone for bedroom jamming (The headphone jack is all but useless, and I hate jamming through headphones anyway). I'm running it through a Focusrite Scarlett interface with JBL Studio monitors. Its much closer to my real cabinet sound than I anticipated - so much so that I can dial in amp settings while using cab clone (vintage setting for me) and it transfers well when I use my 2X12 vert. The nice thing is with this setup I can run the power amp tubes to saturation without destroying the neighborhood. (Although once in a while I do crank up the real cab just so everyone knows I'm still alive).

The other nice thing about this is I'm always a click away from recording when I'm coming up with new riffs.

Markedman said:

Thanks bandit, as always you're very good at this writing stuff.
The primary reason for not liking the JP-2C is not that the amp has a problem, the owner had a preconceived notion that this amp was similar to the Mark IV, V & MV25 in flexibility at low volume. This amp was designed for JP, with JP's actual input. It's JP's everything amp, so if JJ or JK or JL plays in his bedroom and declares the JP-2C is not the amp they thought it was, I'd sell it too and buy an Axefx or kemper myself.
Bottom line, I'm getting the answer to my question, thanks.

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I agree 100% with this. I went from a Mark IV to a JP2C expecting it to sound at least as good as the IV at low volumes, but was dissapointed at first. This amp just begs to be unleashed. I feel the gain is a lot more organic sounding than my previous Mark IV when cranked, and I find the tone to be more balanced between the highs and the lows, with more clarity and definition but always with that balanced sound. I still haven't tested the cab clone on this amp, but will try it this weekend.

Obviously the amp was made to be played loud. Obvious to me anyway :lol: Some people think they will get great bedroom tones out of 100 watt monsters. And while the JP2C sounds ok at low volumes, that's just not what it was designed to do. Mesa should put a disclaimer somewhere telling that to those kind of people. The biggest problem with low volumes is the bass, especially with a closed back cab. Running the JP2C through my mark V combo does help tame the bass a bit. And as far as versatility goes I think mesa missed a chance to make this amp as versatile as almost anything by not not adding the volume 1 control. The gain can be difficult to tame for more classic tones on the lead channels. With that extra gain control this amp would be the be-all end-all of any kind of guitar tone. And it doesn't help having the clean channel so clean as the dirty channels so dirty. But that's what mesa and JP decided on, and I can't complain about the features on someone else's signature amp. A good pedal will solve any light crunch issues anyone is having. But I can't stop thinking just how good this amp would sound doing lighter crunch tones if it had the volume 1 control.

The best answer for why one would sell the amp is up to them, may be personal, may be disappointment.

I could only speculate as to why.

Tip for those who want their JP-2C to sound as close to the louder sweet spot but at near bedroom levels, and costs a fraction of the cost of an attenuator. The Flux drive pedal works quite well, if you adjust the gain on the pedal about 9 o'clock. Sounded very much like it does at higher volume levels.
I got it today. I bought it for using with the clean channel but tried it with CH2 and CH3. Does a great job when using the JP at 100W but at low volume levels as it adds what you loose at low volume and seems to alter the base as the amp would at higher volume level. That was unexpected but worth sharing.

I think that is a good point. The mid focus of the Flux Drive will pull the mids out of the mud. I used to do the same with e BB Pre into my Dyne at low volume until I got a power attenuator.

I am also using the cab clone out of the JP2C into a small Mackie mixer and powered monitors. That sounds quite good at even very low volume and the headphone out of the Mackie sounds good as well, much better than trying to use the CC out with headphones.

Let's not forget about shred mode either. It doesn't seem to be getting as much attention as I think it deserves. Don't let the name fool you, it's not just for shredding. Some great tones can be found in the shred, but you might have to look for them, don't be afraid to do some major tweaking. It can help balance some things out at lower volumes also.

I also recommend using shred mode at low volumes, or crank the presence.

SamuelJ86 said:

Let's not forget about shred mode either. It doesn't seem to be getting as much attention as I think it deserves. Don't let the name fool you, it's not just for shredding. Some great tones can be found in the shred, but you might have to look for them, don't be afraid to do some major tweaking. It can help balance some things out at lower volumes also.

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Absolutely! I hadn't fully experimented with shred for classic rock until recently and Samuel is absolutely correct in writing that it is not just for shredding, it opens the amp up big time by letting me drop the gain down a little on channels 2&3 giving my tone more definition. I also have the presence pushed in. Blanket-off-the-speaker switch basically.

Shred mode, that is a great tip, if it works as you claim, that would cost nothing.
I have not placed much focus on the mini switches to the right of the sliders. I did try the shred switch briefly just to hear how it would change the character. Actually did not even notice the mini channel selector switch above it. I believe I knew it was there but just never thought much about it as I was using the footswitch.

Edit: Tried it out, forgot all about that switch. Sounds great at low volume as claimed. I will have to A/B that to the Flux Drive. Also considering getting the Grid Slammer as I believe the Flux drive had more gain than I thought it would. Still a keeper though. Sort of closes the gap between the JP and the Mark V in terms of gain saturation without sounding brittle but it can get a bit over the top if you set the gain too high on the pedal, had I known the Flux drive was a "Mark in the box" I would have started with the grid slammer first. Also you can pair the two together. Hoping to get a bit less dirt on the clean channel without being too close to the CH2 and CH3. If I were to rate where the JP sits tone or gain wise, falls in between the Roadster and Mark V but sounds better than the two. Also, I could never have dialed in my Mark III to sound this good but the JP does sort of remind me of the III, even the Mark IV was a bit shy but much closer with pentode than triode.

I only tried the shred mode for a short time early on just to hear its affect. I am really loving it now! Actually sounds very close to the Flux Drive pedal when used on the front end to extend the gain range. It seems more effective once you have normalized yourself with the amp without it. Now I am finding it hard to use the JP without it. Call it the Mojo Boost (presence, treble settings if too aggressive may shy you away from the shredder but is one feature I like and it makes sense to have it 8) ) The more I experiment with this amp, the more it becomes adaptive to many possible applications. Too bad there was not a pull pot on the gain of the clean channel, I would love to give it some baby teeth to add some low gain grit. Reason for the Flux Drive but will have to take a step down and get the grid slammer for trial. It is a win for me even if the grid slammer does not work out for the JP as I assume it will thrive with the Roadster and RA100.