It's here

[dlpasco]

Howdy!

Would you say it has a more "open" or less compressed sound compared to a Mark V? Is that what you mean by "looser" feeling strings? I love my Mark V but when I play live it's always my Road King II because it's a bit more open...which to me means less compressed and a bit more "organic" sounding....and yes this gives this strings a bit more of a "loose" feel, which is why I ask.

It would be nice to have a Mark series amp that's a bit more raw and less compressed. If that is what you're getting at than I'm a bit more optimistic about trying this amp (I don't know why, I was just preparing to be disappointed).

"Open, a bit more raw, and less compressed" are very good ways of describing the JP-2C feel compared to the Mark V, in my opinion.

I'd definitely recommend sitting down and playing with one somewhere for a bit. It'll be a hell of a lot easier to dial something in you will like compared to the Mark V.

 

[dlpasco]

Edit: just noticed what you said about this clean channel. What is it you didn't like about the Mark V, or maybe rather, what is it you prefer about the clean of the JP-2C? Sorry for the inquiries, just the price one must pay to be one of the first (and publicize it :lol: )

The Mark V cleans felt very stiff and cold to me. The amps I've liked have tended to have warmer cleans. My favorite cleans prior to the JP-2C were actually on my Recto Reborn. I discussed this a few months ago on the forums over here if you're interested http://www.grailtone.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=70716.

For the JP-2C, if you listen to the clip I recorded here https://soundcloud.com/dlpasco/reckon, the clean guitar starting at about 5 seconds feels very warm and round to me. Likewise, the clean stuff later in the song, especially the compressor pedal + wah stuff, felt a lot more musical and, uh, interactive, than anything on the Mark V or on my Road King.

Hope that helps.

 

[JOEY B.]

If these were all things people liked about the IIC+, I can see what all the fuss was about.

Be careful, you'll be called a snob.

 

[stephen sawall]

Just played the JP2C with my LP and a Thiel Cab and it sounds great. Clean, crunch, lead all right there. I played it over two hours. I did not really turn it up because they were doing lessons there. But sounded great at medium volumes. I got a little short of band volume.
The clean just stays super clean no matter how you set it. Even maxed it was just getting very mild distortion.
The two lead channels are voiced crunch and more creamy. Great having separate GEQ for each channel. The pull on gain gives more fur. The pull on the presence adds a almost English crunch. The voicing switch also adds harmonics. The voice is not the one from the Mark V. I thought it sounded great.... and yes it thumps.I would have no problem doing a gig with this amp. Being able to switch between no EQ and mild scoop and full scoop was more useful than I imagined. Way more usable live than a II/III/IV for my taste.

 

[dlpasco]

If these were all things people liked about the IIC+, I can see what all the fuss was about.

Be careful, you'll be called a snob.

 

[kramerxxx]

Congrats on the amp!

I have a few questions, if you don't mind sharing. You and I have similar experiences/histories with the Mark series amps. I recently let my Mark V go, I have a Mark III Blue/Simul, and I have a Voodoo modded Dual Rec that is probably close to what you describe from your Reborn Recto. I also have 2 Stilettos Stage IIs and an Electro Dyne head. I like the Stiletto and Electra Dyne cleans much better than I liked the Mark V cleans.

1. How well does the amp respond to 'cleaning up' by rolling the guitar's volume down, in the Gain channels?
2. Could you play with a single channel set to a Lead setting, roll back a bit for rhythm, a bit more for clean?
3. How well do the gain channels do with Low to Medium Gain?
4. Does the gain channels allow for the sounds of Different guitars/pickups, etc.?
5. Have you tried any pedals/rack gear with the amp yet?

 

[dlpasco]

Congrats on the amp!

I have a few questions, if you don't mind sharing. You and I have similar experiences/histories with the Mark series amps. I recently let my Mark V go, I have a Mark III Blue/Simul, and I have a Voodoo modded Dual Rec that is probably close to what you describe from your Reborn Recto. I also have 2 Stilettos Stage IIs and an Electro Dyne head. I like the Stiletto and Electra Dyne cleans much better than I liked the Mark V cleans.

1. How well does the amp respond to 'cleaning up' by rolling the guitar's volume down, in the Gain channels?
2. Could you play with a single channel set to a Lead setting, roll back a bit for rhythm, a bit more for clean?
3. How well do the gain channels do with Low to Medium Gain?
4. Does the gain channels allow for the sounds of Different guitars/pickups, etc.?
5. Have you tried any pedals/rack gear with the amp yet?

1. I think it responds well, but that might just be "well for me". I wasn't able to really get channel 2 CLEAN without rolling the volume to low that it the volume jumped noticeably when rolling it back up, but it went from Metallica to Keith Richards and moderate volume levels, if that makes sense.

And really nicely Keith Richards, I might add. The crunch the amp has at high gain seems to still come through a little bit on the rolled back dirty stuff in a really good way. I need to do something more around this.

I've played my OD in front of the clean channel (sounds great) but that's about it so far

 

[stephen sawall]

It was very easy to set up for me. I felt it was easier to learn than most amps. Might have to do with always having a Mark around for 34 years. But felt right at home with it. I'm not really a Dream Theater fan. I don't know how to play any of the material. I was doing more Tool, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Early Aerosmith, Rolling Stones....I had no problem getting jazz, country, funk, R&B out of it also. Besides my Les Paul with a JB.... I plugged in several other pretty different guitars and all worked equally as good for me. I had no problem getting a good sound at low volumes. I was getting sound out of it I have never heard from any amp. The big transformer gives a big voice. The clean channel sounded great and if you like the lead channel on a Mark amp your going to like what this amp can do. I found it way easier to control than any of the previous Mark amps from the II thru the V. What I am saying here is not blowing wind up your dress - honeymoon nonsense..... I truly feel this is a great amp. Beyond my personal expectations.

I don't feel it rolls back or does very good clean with the two high gain channels. But does medium gain great and reacts to guitar volume controls fine.

 

[Tone Jones]

How do higher gain sounds clean up when rolling back the guitar volume and changing pickups?

 

[FlapJack]

Edit: just noticed what you said about this clean channel. What is it you didn't like about the Mark V, or maybe rather, what is it you prefer about the clean of the JP-2C? Sorry for the inquiries, just the price one must pay to be one of the first (and publicize it :lol: )

The Mark V cleans felt very stiff and cold to me. The amps I've liked have tended to have warmer cleans. My favorite cleans prior to the JP-2C were actually on my Recto Reborn. I discussed this a few months ago on the forums over here if you're interested http://www.grailtone.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=70716.

For the JP-2C, if you listen to the clip I recorded here https://soundcloud.com/dlpasco/reckon, the clean guitar starting at about 5 seconds feels very warm and round to me. Likewise, the clean stuff later in the song, especially the compressor pedal + wah stuff, felt a lot more musical and, uh, interactive, than anything on the Mark V or on my Road King.

Hope that helps.

Thanks for the feedback. Can't wait to judge one for myself.

 

[Elpelotero]

How do higher gain sounds clean up when rolling back the guitar volume and changing pickups?

excellent. i had no issues

 

[dlpasco]

Taking the JP-2C to band rehearsal for the first time today. Super excited.

 

[dlpasco]

Rehearsal went really well! I finally decided to just plug straight from the cabclone into the PA.

We played a lot of Nirvana, some Tom Petty, Blue Oyster Cult, AC/DC, Alice In Chains, and Led Zepplin. We messed around with a little more metal as well in between the regular set list.

The amp sounded amazing on channel 2 without anything pulled, I moved over to channel 3 a bit but kept switching back to channel 2, which sounded great with the eq off and like a fricking wolverine with the eq engaged.

Cleans were awesome. I spent more time playing with just the lead pickup (I'm playing a Gibson SG with humbuckers) because it gave a nice contrast to the other guitarist's playing.

Speaking of which: the amp sat well in the mix, even with another guitarist without much fussing around. It was easy to dial in tones that were distinct from Mike's guitar sound that also made a great contribution to the overall sound of the band.

After rehearsal the drummer said "The new amp is a winner. It sounded really great, I was *really* surprised how good it continued to sound after you switched to the PA."

 

[Markedman]

Can you use both GEQ's at the same time on one channel?

 

[stephen sawall]

Can you use both GEQ's at the same time on one channel?

No

 

[dlpasco]

Quickie cover of Sliver recorded today on channel 2, pretty tame settings https://soundcloud.com/dlpasco/sliver.

 

[dlpasco]

And a brief channel 3 **** I call "Mister Hooper's Revenge Upon Us All" https://soundcloud.com/dlpasco/mister-hoopers-revenge-upon-us-all.

Dodgey playing. Lovely amp.

 

[stephen sawall]

Sounds like fun...

 

[dlpasco]

Sounds like fun...

You are, in fact, correct. I'm having a blast.

 

[kreatorkills]

And a brief channel 3 **** I call "Mister Hooper's Revenge Upon Us All" https://soundcloud.com/dlpasco/mister-hoopers-revenge-upon-us-all.

Dodgey playing. Lovely amp.

that sounded pretty cool. what effects did you use on that?