Is the honeymoon over already??!!

[GJgo]

After spending some time playing on Shred I do prefer it there- it just took some tweaking. I can get to a similar spot dialing back the gain or the treble, just depending on if you want less treble. Do that first then tweak your GEQ to fine tune it.

To me, "tight" and "sag" are two different things. The amp is very tight. The note separation is unreal. Very musical. The sag to me (concurrent with it being tight) is the absence of attack / speed, basically the opposite of a MkIII. You have to think 3 dimensionally. There's definitely room for both amps in the stable, you just have to recognize it for what it is. Since this is a brand new amp we're just the ones to figure it out.

If I had those two amps plus a Recto, the Recto would be the one to go. A Boogie w/o a GEQ is kind of like a diesel w/o a turbo.

 

[MrSmitty]

I don't want people to get the wrong impression about this thread; the JP2C is not loose at all. It's not saggy and it's not slow. It's extremely tight and aggressive. But for whatever reason, (the smaller cap, or more upper mids) the V just feels ever so slightly faster to play. I strongly recommend anyone interested in this to read pages 14-16 of the mark V's manual. Doug explains this very well.

It's very possible that something cold be wrong with the amp then.

Shred mode will help sharpen things up a bit. But you should start from scratch with the tone controls so you can dial out some of the harshness that comes with shred mode. If you hate shred mode that much then I would also recommend running your 80hz slider lower than your V's. Since the JP2C has more lows, the 80hz slider is more powerful. I can get the JP very close to feel and sound like V. It is interesting to me that this issue took MrSmitty a few weeks to discover that this is a deal breaker. It just goes to show how meticulous we can be when it comes to our tone. :mrgreen:

I will play around with shred mode again this weekend.

 

[Markedman]

You know, it's funny - in that I'm having totally the opposite experience over here. There's a point where I turn up the gain on my lead channel and holy crap I've never played this fast in my entire life.

I know that a lot of gain is supposed to hide your mistakes, but I mean, there's just a massive jump in speed. I just end up gawking at the fretboard while I'm playing, like "where the hell did this come from?"

This review is what I like. When I demo'd the JP2C, it didn't have any attack problem at low volume and I have complained about amps that have that delayed sound. I've got my fingers crossed that it won't be a problem for me and my style of playing. I'm still about 4 weeks away from delivery, uh!!

 

[gibbycustom]

Smitty, in another thread you said that the JP reacts and tracks better than the V. Has something changed? I have a IV b and it's not any tighter than my JP.

 

[MrSmitty]

Smitty, in another thread you said that the JP reacts and tracks better than the V. Has something changed? I have a IV b and it's not any tighter than my JP.

Gibby, that is correct...I said that on the JP vs V thread. It was the second day I had the amp. I still think it sounds better (fuller/richer) than the V. But now that I've had the amp about a month and have actually played loud it at gigs. I can "feel" a difference. As I mentioned before, there is a particular solo I play at all the gigs, and it just felt sloppy like I was playing a Recto.

Just for the record guys: I am by no means bashing this amp. I just think something is wrong with my particular one...or, it's simply not the amp for me. None the less, I'll get it figured out within the next week or so.

 

[GJgo]

I spent some more time with my JP today, for me it was all for the better. It is funny how these amps can sound different to you from day to day. So much of it is attitude & "feel", which is a human problem. I was backing to liking Shred off better today LOL. Good thing I have both options I guess.

- I tried my best Tung Sol in V1. It actually didn't sound right, and that's the first time I've experienced this over 5 or 6 amps. So, back to all Mesa tubes & that's just the way it'll be. I've read a couple other guys say they've tried their favorite whatever tube in theirs & didn't care for it as well.

- I've been playing mostly with the volume in the 9-10:00 range because wife, haven't taken this one out of the house yet. Had an empty house so I spent some time around noon on the volumes pushing my traditional rectifier 4x12. Getting it up there & dialing my settings just right turned this amp into a MONSTER. Typical Boogie form, have to re-tweak the knobs for practice volumes vs. loud. It's still quite different from my MkIII but it's good. The attack didn't change really, but the tone got a lot better- even more musical definition. Maybe there's a break-in period..?

 

[iceman]

I always blame the day to day sound differences on the change in air pressure and humidity. Probably wrong, but thats what I tell myself.

 

[MrSmitty]

Was playing around with shred mode a little this afternoon. It wasn't too bad, but I think I prefer the shred OFF mode.
If I get a chance this weekend, I might make a quick video or soundcloud clip of playing the same solo exerpt on the Mk V (triode and pentode) then the JP shed off and on.

 

[gibbycustom]

Yeah let us know. I'm interested in your findings only because I've also played mine at gig volumes and didn't find it rectoish at all. I've had a recto and still have a IV. Like you said it may be something wrong with yours. Interesting.

 

[gibbycustom]

Anyone else find the feel too loose?

 

[SamuelJ86]

Just thought I'd share this just in case. You never know.

The first week I had the JP2C I was switching between amps quite a bit. I wanted to use the same cab so I just unplugged the speaker cable from the amp and popped it into the other. Being the stooge that I am, on multiple occasions I plugged the speaker cable into the wrong impedance jack on the JP2C. Now in my defense, the 8 ohm jack is in the middle on the JP2C and its on the far end on the V. So I would forget to glance at the ohms and just plug it in on the far end, which on the JP2C is the 4 ohm jack. That mismatch made the amp very loose. Not so much that I noticed it right away, but after playing for a few minutes I knew something was wrong. I was reading a really cool Prince story about how he had a cab that was wired differently and no one knew. It was a different impedance and giving him fits, couldn't find his feel. He fired a few sound men cause no one could figure it out. Finally Mike B. had to fly out to lend his expertise and he figured it out. So just in case, double check that impedance. lol 8)

And by the way. Did you check out that new mesa video yet? I thought it was a pretty good showcase of how tight this amp can be. Is yours on par with that tone?

 

[GJgo]

In the manual it talks about how when running 60W mode, it's actually more correct to plug an 8 ohm cab into the 4 ohm jack. When I do that it sounds like you describe- to me, just a little loose like something isn't right. They say that's it's still acceptable to leave it in the 8 ohm jack so I have been, sounds a lot better to my ears.

 

[dlpasco]

Just thought I'd share this just in case. You never know.

The first week I had the JP2C I was switching between amps quite a bit. I wanted to use the same cab so I just unplugged the speaker cable from the amp and popped it into the other. Being the stooge that I am, on multiple occasions I plugged the speaker cable into the wrong impedance jack on the JP2C. Now in my defense, the 8 ohm jack is in the middle on the JP2C and its on the far end on the V. So I would forget to glance at the ohms and just plug it in on the far end, which on the JP2C is the 4 ohm jack. That mismatch made the amp very loose. Not so much that I noticed it right away, but after playing for a few minutes I knew something was wrong. I was reading a really cool Prince story about how he had a cab that was wired differently and no one knew. It was a different impedance and giving him fits, couldn't find his feel. He fired a few sound men cause no one could figure it out. Finally Mike B. had to fly out to lend his expertise and he figured it out. So just in case, double check that impedance. lol 8)

And by the way. Did you check out that new mesa video yet? I thought it was a pretty good showcase of how tight this amp can be. Is yours on par with that tone?

Wow, that is some story! The 8ohm jack is indeed a bit of a bear to spot from above and in front of the head, I've had to tilt the amp forward when I get back from rehearsals to make sure I get the right one.

 

[MrSmitty]

Alright folks, Here's the latest comparison video I put together today to see if I'm crazy...about one amp being tighter than the other. Let me know your honest thoughts. Thanks, Greg

https://youtu.be/vQ-AKbusI9M

 

[GJgo]

Your settings are pretty much the same as mine, except you use less treble & presence. To me that makes it muddy but it's all personal preference. I like it bright. That said, over my mediocre computer speakers all your Mark feels sounded pretty similar to me (though the tones were different). The Recto sounded notably looser than all the others IMO.

Have you tried all your different guitars through it? My two are set up damn near the same, and yet one of them is considerably louder & more aggressive. I need to figure out why, but to the general thought.. Different strings, different picks, to me everything makes a change I can perceive.

Listening to your other videos again, compared to how mine sounds, I don't think (FWIW) there's anything wrong with yours, more a question of if the amp works for you or not.

I recorded (loose term here) a heavy chunking clip today comparing ch 1/ 2 / & shred that I was planning on posting but I'm not super happy with how it came out, for a couple reasons. If you guys want to see it I could post it with lots of disclaimers.

 

[dlpasco]

Hey Greg,

I threw together a quick **** on my JP-2C - it was off the cuff and the playing is crap, but in my opinion, my amp is not the weak link here, it's me .

Just seemed worth comparing https://soundcloud.com/dlpasco/sprechen-sie-shred

Oh, this was played on a $200 Made-in-Indonesia Epiphone Les Paul I picked up at the Seattle Guitar Store while I was sniffing around one of their Mark V combos last week. The guitar surprised me with how much I liked it compared to my Gibson Standard LP, so I picked it up on a whim as a gigging guitar.

To me, the amp sounds and feels tight and urgent, certainly tighter than anything I have around here now (blue stripe Mark III and multi watt recto). I need to piece together a better solo and cut a better mix because I do NOT think I'm doing this amp any justice.

-Dan

 

[MrSmitty]

Hey Greg,

I threw together a quick **** on my JP-2C - it was off the cuff and the playing is crap, but in my opinion, my amp is not the weak link here, it's me .

Just seemed worth comparing https://soundcloud.com/dlpasco/sprechen-sie-shred

Oh, this was played on a $200 Made-in-Indonesia Epiphone Les Paul I picked up at the Seattle Guitar while I was sniffing around one of there Mark V combos last week. The guitar surprised me with how much I liked it compared to my Gibson Standard LP, so I picked it up on a whim as a gigging guitar.

To me, the amp sounds and feels tight and urgent, certainly tighter than anything I have around here now (blue stripe Mark III and multi watt recto). I need to piece together a better solo and cut a better mix because I do NOT think I'm doing this amp any justice.

-Dan

Not bad for just throwing that together. It's funny, the opening riff reminded me of System of a Down (B.Y.O.B). Your amp sounds pretty tight though. Is your presence pulled?
I just can't put my treble or presence that high on any of my amps, it's to shill for me ears.

 

[MrSmitty]

Your settings are pretty much the same as mine, except you use less treble & presence. To me that makes it muddy but it's all personal preference. I like it bright. That said, over my mediocre computer speakers all your Mark feels sounded pretty similar to me (though the tones were different). The Recto sounded notably looser than all the others IMO.

Have you tried all your different guitars through it? My two are set up damn near the same, and yet one of them is considerably louder & more aggressive. I need to figure out why, but to the general thought.. Different strings, different picks, to me everything makes a change I can perceive.

Listening to your other videos again, compared to how mine sounds, I don't think (FWIW) there's anything wrong with yours, more a question of if the amp works for you or not.

I recorded (loose term here) a heavy chunking clip today comparing ch 1/ 2 / & shred that I was planning on posting but I'm not super happy with how it came out, for a couple reasons. If you guys want to see it I could post it with lots of disclaimers.

I tried all the guitars with the JP. The RG7 and RG3120 sounds the best (to me) because the mahogany is tight and punchy. After making the comparison video today and hearing other people's clips, it's probably safe to say my amp is working as intended.

It's kind of interesting but, I almost hear some Mark I in the JP2C. I don't know...maybe it's because they are both fat, singing and have that "tubular" voice. I first noticed that this morning when I watched that newest Mesa video with the all white JP and 4x12.

That's up to you, if you feel comfortable posting your video/sound clip. I'd be interested in hearing it.

 

[dlpasco]

Not bad for just throwing that together. It's funny, the opening riff reminded me of System of a Down (B.Y.O.B). Your amp sounds pretty tight though. Is your presence pulled?
I just can't put my treble or presence that high on any of my amps, it's to shill for me ears.

Here's a shot of the controls

I basically did this: https://youtu.be/g-NhdjTRD1A?t=20s

What I mean is, I threw everything at it: everything's pulled and I used an OD-808 with the overdrive all the way down, tone at noon, and balance all the way up.

I didn't use Shred, and I might have been able to lose the OD-808 if I did, but this seemed easier for now.

 

[MrSmitty]

Not bad for just throwing that together. It's funny, the opening riff reminded me of System of a Down (B.Y.O.B). Your amp sounds pretty tight though. Is your presence pulled?
I just can't put my treble or presence that high on any of my amps, it's to shill for me ears.

Here's a shot of the controls

I basically did this: https://youtu.be/g-NhdjTRD1A?t=20s

What I mean is, I threw everything at it: everything's pulled and I used an OD-808 with the overdrive all the way down, tone at noon, and balance all the way up.

I didn't use Shred, and I might have been able to lose the OD-808 if I did, but this seemed easier for now.

LOL, "gave 'em both barrels" huh? Is the presence pulled too? I can't really tell from the pic. If your presence was NOT pulled...I'd say that would only be a "barrel and a half", just saying.