I just want to give my two cents about this amp regarding the iic+ debate, because I own a iic+ and can give an opinion that is probably what you think all snobs who own one will only tell you because they're snobs. Just remember we snobs actually know what these amps are like, and seeing as anyone who cares about the amp will praise it to death, those of us who own the things might just be the right people to listen to on the matter, more so than someone who has only watched youtube videos. Firstly, everyone seems to ignore the fact that this amp is based on John Petrucci's favourite amp (much like the Mark V's iic+ mode was based on Doug West's favourite iic+), it is yet another "version" of a specific amp with certain settings which are fixed. In my experience, fixed pull switches, which are hard wired on both the Mark V and the JP2C amps, give the most versatility to the amps, not to mention the Volume 1 settings which heavily shapes the gain structure.
My Boogie background (skip if you want, it's not important): I first got into Boogie amps as a young teenager in the early 2000's, thanks to Metallica. S&M for me was the "be-all-end-all, everything else can **** right off" tone, until I grew up. I assumed their tone came from the Rectifier series, even going as far as to get a similar tone to them through one, only to find out that they used old Mark amps, and that the amp in particular is considered one of the rarest and most sought after amps of all time.
I've owned 4 Boogie amps with the intention of finding a particular sound in my head that is influenced by many artists, most notably Metallica's raw heavy tone from Breadfan (for a specific reference, the main riff after the clean section sums up the response that I'm after from my amp). I have also tried pretty much every revision of Mark amp since the Mark IV, including all the V variants and now the JP2C. It's important to note that I didn't seek these amps for a heavy sound, you can get that from any amp. I sought these amps because the dynamic response and the tone of the Mark amps is exactly what I love. Marshall's, ENGL's, Peaveys, Soldano's, you name it, they have their own unique dynamic response or "feel" to the player, which is almost unnoticeable to the average listener. What you find with amps of the same manufacturer and model line is that some do it better than others, and in the case of Mark amps, the iic+ does it the best, according to most people.
I first bought a triaxis/2:90 combination on impulse as it was a very VERY good deal, and after about 6 months found another very good deal on a like new Mark V which I quickly snapped up on impulse, having already lined up a buyer for my triaxis/2:90 around the same time. I owned both amps at the same time for exactly 3 days, and so I managed to get them side by side to A/B and pray to **** that I made the right decision, which at the time I believed I did. After 6 months with the V, my OCD kicked in and I had to get closer, so after plenty of forum hunting I figured that the closest thing I could ever get was a Mark III with the + mod, which I had lined up with a Boogie certified tech who happens to be the same person I've gone to for many years. So I sold my Mark V, bought a Mark III and a traditional 4x12 Boogie straight cabinet with that money and realized right then that all the amps that are made with "X mode" in the design are flawed. The Mark IV is a beast of an amp, I intend to buy one, but the Mark V and the triaxis are sub-par compared to any of these amps. They "try" to do sounds, which they do not do well, and so I'm glad that I got rid of both, and wish I had known that before spending money on them.
Now the kicker, 3 weeks after I bought the Mark III, I was happy enough with it and ready to move on with my life, when, after working a full day with no sleep the night before, passing out for 12 hours and waking at 4 in the morning, I receive notification that a iic++ was for sale on a local classifieds ad. After patiently waiting so long and then deciding "**** it i'll get the next best thing", this happens. Long story short, I asked the guy to hold it while I got some cash together and eventually bought it. I was not disappointed, this amp is without a doubt the sweetest sounding amp that I've ever had the pleasure of playing. No SLO, silver jubilee, plexi, 5150 or ANYTHING has come close (no I didn't get to try a Dumble). It is the only piece of gear that I will never consider selling, if there is a fire or a hurricane or a meteor crashing it's way into the planet, I will risk my life to get this thing to safety. But I digress.
Just last week, I managed to get about 2 hours of proper play time with a JP2C through the same cabinet I use, trying out all the channels and features (channel 2 IMO is the nicest sounding), I walked out more impressed than I was with any of the modern Boogie amps that I've tried. It really does "sound" like a iic+, and what it lacks in tonal controls of the original it makes up for with features. It still does not feel like a iic+. There is a certain response that you get from the real original amp, and a certain degree of variability that lets you create exactly "your" tone that you cannot get from this amp, which brings me to my point. This amp is being marketed as a iic+ re-issue, it is not! It is the closest they have ever come to replicating the sound of a iic+, but if you sat down with the two next to each other, and had exactly the settings you wanted in both amps, they would feel entirely different ( it's still there in spirit).
To my ears, the early Mark III is the closest sounding and feeling amp you will ever find to a iic+, for two main reasons. The first and most important reason is that those amps shared some components with the iic+, like the transformers and smaller electrical parts (capacitors etc). The other reason is that the amp was not made with the intention of a) replicating an existing sound, and b) packing in a rich set of features to a small chassis. Those amps, like the iic+, were part of an evolution that built on previous designs with the intention of becoming it's own unit that improved on the last. The Mark IV was the last Mark amplifier to do this, except that it did so with it's features rather than tone, and the intention of replicating the iic+ sound.
To sum this up, the JP2C will get closer to the iic+ than any current modern amp including modellers/profilers. It is essentially JP's iic+ with 21st century features and less flexibility in tone shaping. If you asked me to recommend anything, it would be either a Mark III or a JP2C, but don't expect to get a bonafide iic+ from either package (or any!), no matter what JP tells you in his promo videos.
If you are that much of a perfectionist and want a iic+, get a iic+. I did it, and I have no regrets. Don't buy a V or a JP2C or a III and say "this is a iic+", because they're not. They are their own amps.
My Boogie background (skip if you want, it's not important): I first got into Boogie amps as a young teenager in the early 2000's, thanks to Metallica. S&M for me was the "be-all-end-all, everything else can **** right off" tone, until I grew up. I assumed their tone came from the Rectifier series, even going as far as to get a similar tone to them through one, only to find out that they used old Mark amps, and that the amp in particular is considered one of the rarest and most sought after amps of all time.
I've owned 4 Boogie amps with the intention of finding a particular sound in my head that is influenced by many artists, most notably Metallica's raw heavy tone from Breadfan (for a specific reference, the main riff after the clean section sums up the response that I'm after from my amp). I have also tried pretty much every revision of Mark amp since the Mark IV, including all the V variants and now the JP2C. It's important to note that I didn't seek these amps for a heavy sound, you can get that from any amp. I sought these amps because the dynamic response and the tone of the Mark amps is exactly what I love. Marshall's, ENGL's, Peaveys, Soldano's, you name it, they have their own unique dynamic response or "feel" to the player, which is almost unnoticeable to the average listener. What you find with amps of the same manufacturer and model line is that some do it better than others, and in the case of Mark amps, the iic+ does it the best, according to most people.
I first bought a triaxis/2:90 combination on impulse as it was a very VERY good deal, and after about 6 months found another very good deal on a like new Mark V which I quickly snapped up on impulse, having already lined up a buyer for my triaxis/2:90 around the same time. I owned both amps at the same time for exactly 3 days, and so I managed to get them side by side to A/B and pray to **** that I made the right decision, which at the time I believed I did. After 6 months with the V, my OCD kicked in and I had to get closer, so after plenty of forum hunting I figured that the closest thing I could ever get was a Mark III with the + mod, which I had lined up with a Boogie certified tech who happens to be the same person I've gone to for many years. So I sold my Mark V, bought a Mark III and a traditional 4x12 Boogie straight cabinet with that money and realized right then that all the amps that are made with "X mode" in the design are flawed. The Mark IV is a beast of an amp, I intend to buy one, but the Mark V and the triaxis are sub-par compared to any of these amps. They "try" to do sounds, which they do not do well, and so I'm glad that I got rid of both, and wish I had known that before spending money on them.
Now the kicker, 3 weeks after I bought the Mark III, I was happy enough with it and ready to move on with my life, when, after working a full day with no sleep the night before, passing out for 12 hours and waking at 4 in the morning, I receive notification that a iic++ was for sale on a local classifieds ad. After patiently waiting so long and then deciding "**** it i'll get the next best thing", this happens. Long story short, I asked the guy to hold it while I got some cash together and eventually bought it. I was not disappointed, this amp is without a doubt the sweetest sounding amp that I've ever had the pleasure of playing. No SLO, silver jubilee, plexi, 5150 or ANYTHING has come close (no I didn't get to try a Dumble). It is the only piece of gear that I will never consider selling, if there is a fire or a hurricane or a meteor crashing it's way into the planet, I will risk my life to get this thing to safety. But I digress.
Just last week, I managed to get about 2 hours of proper play time with a JP2C through the same cabinet I use, trying out all the channels and features (channel 2 IMO is the nicest sounding), I walked out more impressed than I was with any of the modern Boogie amps that I've tried. It really does "sound" like a iic+, and what it lacks in tonal controls of the original it makes up for with features. It still does not feel like a iic+. There is a certain response that you get from the real original amp, and a certain degree of variability that lets you create exactly "your" tone that you cannot get from this amp, which brings me to my point. This amp is being marketed as a iic+ re-issue, it is not! It is the closest they have ever come to replicating the sound of a iic+, but if you sat down with the two next to each other, and had exactly the settings you wanted in both amps, they would feel entirely different ( it's still there in spirit).
To my ears, the early Mark III is the closest sounding and feeling amp you will ever find to a iic+, for two main reasons. The first and most important reason is that those amps shared some components with the iic+, like the transformers and smaller electrical parts (capacitors etc). The other reason is that the amp was not made with the intention of a) replicating an existing sound, and b) packing in a rich set of features to a small chassis. Those amps, like the iic+, were part of an evolution that built on previous designs with the intention of becoming it's own unit that improved on the last. The Mark IV was the last Mark amplifier to do this, except that it did so with it's features rather than tone, and the intention of replicating the iic+ sound.
To sum this up, the JP2C will get closer to the iic+ than any current modern amp including modellers/profilers. It is essentially JP's iic+ with 21st century features and less flexibility in tone shaping. If you asked me to recommend anything, it would be either a Mark III or a JP2C, but don't expect to get a bonafide iic+ from either package (or any!), no matter what JP tells you in his promo videos.
If you are that much of a perfectionist and want a iic+, get a iic+. I did it, and I have no regrets. Don't buy a V or a JP2C or a III and say "this is a iic+", because they're not. They are their own amps.
