JP-2C and Mark V back to back video
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Well done, and nice playing. I assume you dialed them in as close as possible, because it's hard to tell them apart! I had to break out the headphones. Because I own both of these amps, and know them so well, I know the differences to listen for. In person, the differences can more easily be heard.
The first thing I noticed, besides how similar you got them to sound, was the midrange in the V. The V sounded more focused, more narrow. Like a laser of ripping tone. And has almost a chalky sound, if you will.
The JP's low end gave it a warmer, fuller tone. Bigger. In person one would find the same differences, just more exaggerated, so job well done! That was fun to listen to!
The first thing I noticed, besides how similar you got them to sound, was the midrange in the V. The V sounded more focused, more narrow. Like a laser of ripping tone. And has almost a chalky sound, if you will.
The JP's low end gave it a warmer, fuller tone. Bigger. In person one would find the same differences, just more exaggerated, so job well done! That was fun to listen to!
It might be my network connection, but I would have never known there were two different amps in a blind test. Certainly not with the backing track in any case and I doubt a lay person would ever notice at all.
Since my eyes WERE open I wish the mark V was available in a short head format :/.
Great video and great playing. Thanks for putting this together,
Since my eyes WERE open I wish the mark V was available in a short head format :/.
Great video and great playing. Thanks for putting this together,
Markedman
Well-known member
Wait, Elvis said there is no Mark V inside. I didn't respond to him because of my limited experience with the Mark V but I swear I have been able to match most every amp and tone known to man with my JP2C. Of course they're not "perfect" but blindfolded nobody here hears a difference. If an amp does black face Fender and Marshall JVM good, what, it can't do silver face or JMP, something the Mark IV did well? This amp is a super tone freak chameleon in my hands! It really excels for medium gain players and if you play metal this amp is very evil sounding if wanted. I could see Howard Roberts trading in his Mark lll for one of these because the clean channel is to-die-for. The thing that sets the Mark amps apart is the GEQ and if you make that an extension of your soul, you'll never say, "there is no _____ amp in here." They're all in there, you can collect them all if you just try.
Very similar sounding, had to hear the isolated tracks to really tell them apart, and I think the biggest difference was a little fuller low end on the JP-2C and a bit more mid focus on the Mark V. I'd be really curious to hear the same test, but in Mark IV mode (as the Mark IV mode switches to the larger GEQ cap and activates the Pull Deep, like the JP-2C has.) Also, I'm assuming these were both run in Pentode as that's the wiring the JP-2c uses.
Ytsejammer777
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Wow. That's amazing!
gnjlee said:
They definitely feel a bit different to play. The first day that the JP-2C arrived I plugged it in and made it's CH2 sound as close as possible to my Mark V's CH3. I figured that I would start tweaking from there. After a few months of getting to know the JP-2C I really did notice that it felt quite different in a way that's really hard to put in words. It's really a subtle feel thing. I think I've subconsciously dialed them both the way I want tonally. But no matter how much I tweak and get the sliders within a hair of each other. I can never seem to make them feel the same. But now that I play the JP-2C much more than my Mark V on a daily basis. I've done the opposite! I've tried to tweak the V to sound like the 2C. It's there but not quite. I feel like it needs another extra slider or something to get them to feel the same. I don't really prefer one to the other. I use them both for different things. My V is mainly to cover as much ground as possible. The JP, well... let's just say It's the ultimate Dream Theater in a box monster. Oh and that glorious MIDI. Although, the JP-2C affords me to "specialize," if you will, the drive channels. I set CH2 just primarily for my rhythm sounds, and CH3 just for that liquid lead. Maybe it's a simul class vs AB thing? Maybe it's that ginormous transformer that they crammed into the JP-2C? Maybe it's me losing my mind? Maybe Randall Smith is an alien?
:lol:SamuelJ86 said:Well done, and nice playing. I assume you dialed them in as close as possible, because it's hard to tell them apart! I had to break out the headphones. Because I own both of these amps, and know them so well, I know the differences to listen for. In person, the differences can more easily be heard.
The first thing I noticed, besides how similar you got them to sound, was the midrange in the V. The V sounded more focused, more narrow. Like a laser of ripping tone. And has almost a chalky sound, if you will.
Thank you! It's my first time posting here and everyone seems super cool! I've been lurking on this forum for years and finally decided to post something. And yes! I have some isolated Dream Theater guitar tracks and literally tried to get them as close as my ears will allow. The V definitely has an edgier general feel to it. But the JP-2C just baffles me every time I plug into it. It's just too perfect!
gnjlee said:
In person, you'll understand what those reviewers were saying. Mesa did a video with JP himself where he got his original c+ to sound just like his V. Recorded tones don't capture the whole story, just most of it. :mrgreen: Mark amps can all sound pretty close recorded, but they're all unique in their own way.
Ytsejammer777
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If I could get a Mark V short head w/MIDI, I'd snag one in a heartbeat...
Ytsejammer777 said:
*twitch*
mattymrcd said:gnjlee said:
They definitely feel a bit different to play. The first day that the JP-2C arrived I plugged it in and made it's CH2 sound as close as possible to my Mark V's CH3. I figured that I would start tweaking from there. After a few months of getting to know the JP-2C I really did notice that it felt quite different in a way that's really hard to put in words. It's really a subtle feel thing. I think I've subconsciously dialed them both the way I want tonally. But no matter how much I tweak and get the sliders within a hair of each other. I can never seem to make them feel the same. But now that I play the JP-2C much more than my Mark V on a daily basis. I've done the opposite! I've tried to tweak the V to sound like the 2C. It's there but not quite. I feel like it needs another extra slider or something to get them to feel the same. I don't really prefer one to the other. I use them both for different things. My V is mainly to cover as much ground as possible. The JP, well... let's just say It's the ultimate Dream Theater in a box monster. Oh and that glorious MIDI. Although, the JP-2C affords me to "specialize," if you will, the drive channels. I set CH2 just primarily for my rhythm sounds, and CH3 just for that liquid lead. Maybe it's a simul class vs AB thing? Maybe it's that ginormous transformer that they crammed into the JP-2C? Maybe it's me losing my mind? Maybe Randall Smith is an alien?
Cool thanks for the info! I don't really use the IIC mode on my V. Channel 3 lives on Mark IV, but the 2C is definitely interesting. I do wish the V had MIDI!
I know what you mean. I had a Triaxis and a Mark IV, yeah they do have the sound for sure.SamuelJ86 said:
I am not that much of a JP or DT fan and I don't really share any tone settings with them but I love the Mark series amps. So I always get interested in any new variants. Thank you!
shredi knight
Well-known member
I already saw this on YouTube and left a comment there before seeing this thread, so I'm going to be lazy and just copy and paste it here:
Prefer the JP-2C. The Mark V seems to have a bit of a nasal, slightly muddy quality to it, while the JP-2C sounds fuller and clearer. That being said, they sound super close to each other. What a lot of people don't realize is that the speaker cab is responsible for at least 50% of your tone. So any 2 high gain heads going into the same cab will sound similar, especially when they are designed to put out the same kind of tone in the first place, as with the JP-2C and the Mark V's IIc+ mode.
Also wanted to add that the tones are great in this vid. I especially love the big chords from the JP-2C at 2:30-2:40.
Prefer the JP-2C. The Mark V seems to have a bit of a nasal, slightly muddy quality to it, while the JP-2C sounds fuller and clearer. That being said, they sound super close to each other. What a lot of people don't realize is that the speaker cab is responsible for at least 50% of your tone. So any 2 high gain heads going into the same cab will sound similar, especially when they are designed to put out the same kind of tone in the first place, as with the JP-2C and the Mark V's IIc+ mode.
Also wanted to add that the tones are great in this vid. I especially love the big chords from the JP-2C at 2:30-2:40.
shredi knight said:
Tones were spectacular! Halfway through, when you had just guitar going is what I enjoyed most. The fourth note of the riff, after the three low E's, that double-stop slide... mmmm baby. So much attitude and character to that tone! That's why I love Mark series! I could just listen to those crunchy chords all day!
Marc_Nitschke221B
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I`m not surprised that you can dial in the JP-2C to sound like a Mark V.
But the tone in the video lacks some fullness and is - even for me, who likes brightness - to bright...
The reason for the great reviews is, that there are a lot of tones in the JP-2C that the Mark V cannot achieve.
And that is what I can say. I could`t get the tone I have now with my JP-2C out of my Mark V. No way.
Not "dissing" the Mark V. I liked the sound big time. But I do prefer the JP-2C cause I can get heavier sounds out of it.
The only "sad thing" about the JP-2C is, that the "pull Deep" funtion is activated all the time. It would be great if you had the option to deactivate it... but as others in this board pointed it out, it is JPs variant of a IIC+...
But the tone in the video lacks some fullness and is - even for me, who likes brightness - to bright...
The reason for the great reviews is, that there are a lot of tones in the JP-2C that the Mark V cannot achieve.
And that is what I can say. I could`t get the tone I have now with my JP-2C out of my Mark V. No way.
Not "dissing" the Mark V. I liked the sound big time. But I do prefer the JP-2C cause I can get heavier sounds out of it.
The only "sad thing" about the JP-2C is, that the "pull Deep" funtion is activated all the time. It would be great if you had the option to deactivate it... but as others in this board pointed it out, it is JPs variant of a IIC+...
There is a slight difference - IMO the Mark V is slightly 'narrower' sounding (I use that word rather than 'thinner' because that sounds negative) but would be impossible in a blind test to tell which is which, without visual prompts, when the drum track is also on.
I expect it's a 'venn diagram' of tones between the amps. In a head to head, I would have thought the Mark V would have most unique tones between the two, but they are clearly on the same tone spectrum in the video.
I expect it's a 'venn diagram' of tones between the amps. In a head to head, I would have thought the Mark V would have most unique tones between the two, but they are clearly on the same tone spectrum in the video.
