JP2c bedroom volumes?

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T85

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Hi all. Im new here and I have a question I was hoping some one could help me with. I may have the chance to get the JP2C soon but I was wondering how it performs at low volumes when it comes to modern high gain. It doesnt have to be whisper volumes but low enough to keep form blowing up the house or pissing the wife off. It'll be played through a Recto 2x12 if that helps any. Any input would be appreciated, thanks.
 
I actually have mine on a 2x12 Mesa cab and play in the house without bothering the wife at super low volume and it sounds good. I use the shred feature at super low volume, now at about 11-12 O’clock on the volume you’ll get a completely different feel and it’s absolutely incredible. For me I was running a Mark V 25 for low volume stuff and actually sold it in favor of the JP2C since it didn’t do low volume any better. You’ll have to twist your eq settings around a bit to accommodate the lower volumes but it’s quick and easy. Best of luck.

Mark
 
UpNorthMark said:
I actually have mine on a 2x12 Mesa cab and play in the house without bothering the wife at super low volume and it sounds good. I use the shred feature at super low volume, now at about 11-12 O’clock on the volume you’ll get a completely different feel and it’s absolutely incredible. For me I was running a Mark V 25 for low volume stuff and actually sold it in favor of the JP2C since it didn’t do low volume any better. You’ll have to twist your eq settings around a bit to accommodate the lower volumes but it’s quick and easy. Best of luck.

Mark


AWESOME! thanks! Thats what I was hoping to hear. I plan on using a boost to but the shred function may be enough.
 
My MarkV35 doesn’t really open up until the master is at least 9:00, which is loud. I’m using an attenuator at home and I’m getting excellent low volume tone. I’m sure you could do the same with a JP2.
 
How amps perform at bedroom volume is very subjective. If that's what you're used to or if you seldom ever play at loud volume and it's your first mesa/tube amp and you're really pumped about it, it probably sounds awesome. If you mostly play at loud volumes you probably don't think it sounds too good at bedroom volume. You can play it at bedroom volume and its passable, but it is exponentially better loud.

If it were me, and you told me I could only play my JP2C at bedroom volume, I would sell it and buy a fractal. Your mileage will definitely vary.

Also, for what it's worth, the mark v 90 watt is much better at bedroom volume. Haven't played the little ones enough to have an opinion.
 
SamuelJ86 said:
How amps perform at bedroom volume is very subjective. If that's what you're used to or if you seldom ever play at loud volume and it's your first mesa/tube amp and you're really pumped about it, it probably sounds awesome. If you mostly play at loud volumes you probably don't think it sounds too good at bedroom volume. You can play it at bedroom volume and its passable, but it is exponentially better loud.

If it were me, and you told me I could only play my JP2C at bedroom volume, I would sell it and buy a fractal. Your mileage will definitely vary.

Also, for what it's worth, the mark v 90 watt is much better at bedroom volume. Haven't played the little ones enough to have an opinion.

I rarely get to play at loud volumes but it does happen sometimes .I've never had a Mesa Boogie amplifier before, though I've been wanting one for years. I played through a roadster years ago for maybe about 10 minutes but that was it. I got the evh 5150 III lunchbox as my first tube amp and I'm really impressed with it but since I have the chance to get something this high-end, I don't want to pass it up. If all else fails, I guess I could always just get an anttenuator.
 
If you really want the JP2C, and you've done your research and slept on it, then go for it. Life is short and there is nothing like having the best. Learn for yourself if it works for you or not. Time will tell. You'll always be able to trade it for about anything. Mesa's usually hold their value well compared to other brands.

Since attenuators are on your mind; I would not recommend the thd hotplate. I own one and can say that it's just not worth the price for what you're planning on doing with it. It's more for amps that power amp overdrive is the major part of the sound. And most attenuators are. If you're just trying to get a good signature mesa high gain tone at bedroom volumes, an attenuator isn't going to make a big difference. Tone for dollar, it's just not worth it in my opinion. There is no substitution for good old volume. You get the interaction and feedback with lots of volume, because the sound waves are talking to your guitar strings and you get this beautiful dance between your guitar and amp. Most modern high gain amps utilize a fairly clean power section and all the drive comes from the preamp. With the JP2C, the sweet spot seems to be right when the power tubes are working just hard enough to compress the signal a bit. If you turn it up louder, and overdrive the power tubes, you get a loose, over compressed and flubby tone.

Just my experience. But if you're set on it, find out for yourself. Only you know what you like. Report back if you get it, tell us how you like it. Good luck!
 
Mine works out just fine at bedroom volumes. Sure, it's always better to crank it, and it's absolute overkill, but I'm pretty satisfied.
 
From my experience, Mark series Mesas are great at low volumes. You have to tweak a recto a bit for a low volume sound, but Marks are a bit easier to dial in a low volume sound. Just turn the master volume down ! :)
 
Thanks for the feedback, everyone. This will be my very first Mesa and by far the highest end piece of gear that I've ever owned. Aside from the little evh 15 watt lunch box that I just got about a year ago, I've only ever had solid state practice combos (line 6, peavey vypyr etc) And I've got to say, making the switch to that little 15 watt blew me away so I'm more than positive something like the JP-2C is going to flip my wig.
 
+1 with what others have said. At reduced volumes the bass seems to dominate. Shred mode corrects the frequency response quite well and sounds very similar to the amp running at elevated volume levels without shaking the house down. There is also the 60W power switch (manual suggests using the 4ohm tap with 8 ohm load to compensate). Other pedals that may work would be the grid slammer or Flux drive. I have both and tried it with the JP-2C. The grid slammer almost does the same trick as the shred mode. Also you can use that for a softer clip on the Clean channel if you need to have a different characteristic of distortion than you can get with the other two channels.
 
FWIW, I am a rookie. I literally JUST got this amp on Friday and have only had a few hours with it.

However, I am finding the opposite of what some are saying. I play modern metal, I like high gain, saturation, brutal tones and this JP2C brings the goods.

My issue is, I get the absolute perfect tone at bedroom volume. (my bedroom volume is 10:00 or so) But when I play with a drummer I have to turn up a bit and I lose that tone.

I am brand new to this amp and hopefully I can dial back the settings and keep my same tone at a louder volume but to me, this amp excels at lower volumes. Like small club, being miked up and gigging volume. The struggle for me is band practice with a drummer. I guess I prefer pre amp distortion with this amp.


Edit: This is with my 2x12. Have not been able to run to my 4x12 yet which may yield different results.
 
I too use this at "bedroom" and live volumes. To my ear the performance of the speaker is what's really changing. The feel and gain levels feel about the same - but the "saturation" of the speaker seems much smoother at lower volumes. That said, it's probably just that Fletcher-Munson thing going on. Personally I'll just dial out a few frequencies that might be annoying me (or lacking) and then move on and just accept the fact that it's going to sound different "at volume" and in the room. Sometimes , stepping to the side or placing amps in another room (and mic'ing) can get back some of that lower volume "goodness" that seems to go away when playing loud. But there's still nothing like blasting a 100w through a couple of 4x12's ... drummer? what drummer?
 
yeah if you get the perfect tone at bedroom levels then try bringing up mids to compensate when you play loud as the fletcher munson curve will dictate that the highs and lows get louder faster than the mids as you increase volume.
 
Ok. So I did it. It should be here between March 6th and March 13th. I'm so excited. This is the first Mesa amplifier I've ever gotten and by far the most high end piece of gear I have EVER owned.
 
T85 said:
Hi all. Im new here and I have a question I was hoping some one could help me with. I may have the chance to get the JP2C soon but I was wondering how it performs at low volumes when it comes to modern high gain. It doesnt have to be whisper volumes but low enough to keep form blowing up the house or pissing the wife off. It'll be played through a Recto 2x12 if that helps any. Any input would be appreciated, thanks.

Have you considered getting or trying an attentuator?

From my limited tests low volume is fine. But if you're open to an attenuator I can highly recommend the Torpedo Reload for this. I typically run mine at 60w with the channel masters around 9:30 to 10o'clock and the Torpedo reducing that to about 1/4 to 1/2 depending on if anyone's home. Works amazingly well and allows the amp to drive as it does but keep the volume to as quiet as you need.

For this amp specifically, it works great as an overall master since balancing the 3 can be a bit of annoying since it doesn't have an overall volume.
 
Thaymz said:
T85 said:
Hi all. Im new here and I have a question I was hoping some one could help me with. I may have the chance to get the JP2C soon but I was wondering how it performs at low volumes when it comes to modern high gain. It doesnt have to be whisper volumes but low enough to keep form blowing up the house or pissing the wife off. It'll be played through a Recto 2x12 if that helps any. Any input would be appreciated, thanks.

Have you considered getting or trying an attentuator?

From my limited tests low volume is fine. But if you're open to an attenuator I can highly recommend the Torpedo Reload for this. I typically run mine at 60w with the channel masters around 9:30 to 10o'clock and the Torpedo reducing that to about 1/4 to 1/2 depending on if anyone's home. Works amazingly well and allows the amp to drive as it does but keep the volume to as quiet as you need.

For this amp specifically, it works great as an overall master since balancing the 3 can be a bit of annoying since it doesn't have an overall volume.


It's definitely something I'm thinking about just in case. I'm hoping I won't need one though.
 
Yeah I definitely don't think you will need one. For the first time I tried bypassing the attenuator and I reduced the Ch2 master to 0. Volume was well below conversation volume and still sounded great.
 
Count me in the minority that does not like the JP2C at bedroom volumes. I run my master volumes for channels 02 and 03 at about 10:30 each into a Soldano 4x12 loaded with Celestion G12H30 70th Anniversary speakers. I have had mine for about a year. It's loud but I live in an old farmhouse and I can turn up my amps louder than I can stand before the neighbors can even hear it. It's loud. At first I did not like the 60W setting but I recently tried it again and now I like it. It takes a little volume off the top (not bedroom volume) and since I don't move the speaker cable when I do it (the cab is 16 ohm) the slight mismatch cuts a little more volume and softens the top end in a manner that I dig. I tried moving it to the 8 ohm jack at half power but I prefer the 16 ohm jack. It's nowhere near bedroom volume but it does tame the beast a bit. I just could not enjoy this amp at bedroom levels but honestly I don't dig any amp at bedroom levels. I used to live in an apartment where sub-bedroom level was required and my main amp was a Johnson J-Station and a set of nice headphones. I would not have laid down $2600 on a JP2C (I got mine new for $1900 plus tax, but still) to run it that low. That's just me. Your mileage may vary.

It is really an incredible amp. I owned a Mark IIC+ combo (wood cabinet/wicker grill) back in the late 80s / early 90s. I do not recall it sounding this good. If it did I'd still own it. Would love to track it down (I think it is still locally owned) and A/B them.
 
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