Mark V owner review of JP-2C (multi page post)

[bandit2013]

My experience with the JP-2C: Long Post Warning.
The amp arrived by FedEx today around 1:45PM. I was a bit tired though as I am on Vacation I was up late either due to lack of sleep, could not sleep in anticipation, or had indigestion from something I ate that evening. My back was killing me as I overindulged in yard work and decided to cut my neighbors back yard as he is no longer living there and it is a bit overgrown, had to finish my own yard and it is large for a push mower but I manage. First thing as I was impatiently waiting for delivery of the amp I decided to brows the JP-2C for more information. I noticed a thread on the forums in regards to the FX-loop which jumped over to another forum. Tried to read some of this and ignored some comments from posters who do not have the JP-2C who were taking a stab at a product they do not have a right to complain about. After the 53lbs of amp and packaging arrived in a huge box, I first thought did I get what I ordered or is it something else. Nope, it is the amp. Managed to get the box into the house at the same time the dog was trying to get out and greet the FedEx driver but with unknown intent or disposition. He has a thing for the FedEx trucks but this time he was thrown off as it came in a van and not the boxy shaped truck you see every day. Pulled everything out of the carton, also had to retrieve the bag of candy at the bottom as it came from Sweetwater. At least there is something to handle your woes if what you ordered is a flop.
Unpacking, nice get to keep the box for return if needed, or if I end up moving I have something to protect the amp. I have seen pictures of this amp before and realized it was much smaller than the wide body Mark V, it is tiny but heavy for its size. Chimes in at 40lbs. Not as heavy as the RA100 head as that sucker is 53lbs, Roadster is a bit less at 48lbs and if my Mark V was still a head that would weigh 44lbs. I wanted to look at the plastic wrapped manual and contents of the envelope first before digging into the dirt of the amp. I looked at the addendums first. There it was in print, the official letter of concern regarding the FX-loop. The notice indicated the amplifier has the loop update. Original amps had a different wiring for the FX send return on CH2 and CH3 that was not the same as CH1. The change effects CH1 only and now matches the same scheme as was used in CH2 and CH3. I will eventually get to the FX-loop but wanted to focus more on what makes this amp such a conversational topic in many forums.
Before going into detail on how the amp pales in comparison to my other Mesa Boogie amps (Mark V Combo, Roadster head, RA100 head, RA100 combo) I was not sure what type of cabinet I was going to dedicate to this micro terror. The night before expected delivery, I decided to make a change to the Mark V combo. Against my better judgment, I removed the Celestion Crème 90W Alnico speaker and installed one of the unused EVM12L Black Label speakers. Yeah, had to run it through the paces in the Mark V and ended up tuning the preamp section (basically returning all of the stock Mesa tubes with the exception of two, V2 has a 1990 Mesa 12AX7-A Chinese tube with the square foil getter and V7 has a JJ ECC803s installed as the long plate 12AX7 in the PI spot seems to manage the brittleness of the amp when I have the stock tubes in place. CH2 crunch when pushing the EV speaker is almost nirvana. The goal was to try the JP-2C with a few speaker arrangements so I can find out what I prefer over the other. The lineup is this: 1x12 open back EVM12L black label (closest I have to the Mesa EV black shadow that came in my Mark III blue strip which I sold a few years ago), 2x12 ported back or RA100 combo loaded with Celestion G12H75-16ohm speakers , a 16yr old refurbished OS Recto slant front 412 cab with Celestion G12H75-8ohm speakers (sweet with the Roadster) and a new OS Recto slant front 412 loaded with the best sounding V30’s I have heard to date (primary use is with RA100 head).

 

[bandit2013]

First impressions: I was not expecting to be blown away with this amp as it is new to me and some time will be needed to find all the sweet spots. I looked in the manual for recommended settings and opted to start with the Punch, Classic & Solo settings found on page 34. Had I seen the “INSTANT GRATIFICATION” settings on page 6 or the John Petrucci sample settings on page 33 my first impression would have been everlasting. After setting up the channels found in the manual, everything hooked up and ready to go, powered up and waited the 30 seconds or more to warm it up before blowing out my ear drums. Well, I had all of the masters dialed down as my past experiences with Mark amps it does not take much to be at full power with the volume master control. Started with CH1 and had no sound at all, WTF? No worries, I am sure that some of you had this minor inconvenience too, also my first amp that has the cab clone, found the speaker turned off probably set before the amp is packed out. Hmm, I was remembering why I did not like the Roadster first off due to lack of familiarity. Moved onto CH2 sound is okay, sounded like the Mark V with terrible settings but weaker and almost lame. CH3 was the same thing. I know the amp has potential untapped at the moment but wanted to start simple first. To note at this point I wanted to go more to the roots of the amp so I was running it into the Mark V combo speaker (I have a modified speaker cable with an adapter on it for use with my attenuator that I used to make the connections.) Before I adjusted settings on the controls, the tone of the amp though the EV speaker was less than desirable. ***** comes to mind. I did not expect this as I found the converse to be the case with the Mark V when I started with the V30 a few years back. The EV speaker does complement the Mark V in the combo format. The Celestion Crème 90W alnico does a great job too but with more mids but I did not want to chance of voice coil damage to the expensive Celestion which is the reason behind the temporary swap. On to the next cabinet choice, the RA100 Combo 2x12 with G12H75s. What a dramatic improvement. Now I was beginning to see the light. Now it was time to boost the gain and make some adjustments. Ah, there it is.., that iconic character that is deserved by most and possessed by the few that have the IIC+. Talk about a time shift to the late 80’s when I was in a band running my Mark III full tilt, the difference from then to now is that I can get what I had been seeking the past 30 years. Once I was able to release the Dragon from the amp I went back to the EV speaker. I am sure I could dial in something great with the EV but just did not seem to be the best match for this amp. At least I know now vs. finding out later. So in other words, I was not impressed with the JP-2C thought the EV. We all know that the final filter of the amp signal chain is most important and can be very subjective. If you have an EV equipped cab and found the golden settings let me know what they are.
412 cabs: On to something much larger than the first two and something more recent in my inventory (not to say the RA100 combo is not recent as this was the last amp I bought and found the G12H75 to be ideal for an open or ported back enclosure), the Mesa Boogie OS Recto 412 with V30. Not bad, a bit on the bright side when sitting directly in front of it. Now it was time to explore this mini monster of an amp. With some minor adjustments of the GEQ and other settings, the OS Recto 412 loaded with the V30 is a winner. Needles to say I dialed in the “instant gratification” settings before I found it in the manual. Having some prior history with the Mark amps in my past, tweaking is the key to success in getting your tone the way you want it. I did take some time to review the manual, not long enough though as I will eventually read though it. However, right off the bat I was able to find what is incredible without having to discover this by digging thought he manual and attempt to interpret what is in writing. Back in the day found the Mark III difficult to dial in and often returned to the manual in hopes of finding the brass ring of tone. I was not running a 412 cab in those days, just a 1x12 combo. In that regard, the Mark IV was also something that did not come natural but much easier to find a tonal character that fits the mood. Then the Mark V came into the picture. Back to the manual on that but what the issue with that amp that did not take long to discover was how to tame the ice pick tone. Things have changed with this amp over the few years as well as its form changing from head to combo. That increased the flexibility of the amp as well as increased the weight. It sounds much better thought the newer recto 412 than it did thought he old one. For some reason original V30 just did not satisfy me with that cabinet. I swapped the V30 with the EVM12L black label speakers which did make some difference. Shortly thereafter I decided to buy what I originally went after when I bought the Mark V, the Roadster. It was impressive with the EV speakers but yet had too much drone with palm muting. Long story (yeah that is a joke by the way) finally settled on the Celestion G12H75 (Roadster bliss). The G12H75 have a mid frequency shift towards a lower mid vs. the higher mid of the V30. Improved tightness and response with the Roadster was obtained. The Mark V also sounded great when channeled into it. So how is this going to perform with the JP-2C? It is a perfect match to the JP-2C. Ooooh yeah baby. I like it much better than the V30 loaded cab. Still has the top end so you will not get lost in the mix.
Had to try drop D tuning as well has half step down tuning. This is where I found the Roadster to wake up the most, so how does this fare with the JP-2C (by now you already know this but I had to find out for myself). The JP-2C did not disappoint in alternate guitar tunings. Actually the Roadster was the pale performer here compared to the JP-2C. For those that want a more classic character out of your JP-2C I would definitely recommend the Celestion G12H75 speakers loaded in a 412. Not that the original V30s are bad, they are awesome to start and hard to outperform, no reason to wonder why they have become the staple and speaker choice of Mesa Engineering and many other manufacturers. The G12H75 is similar but different and will produce all the grunt for chugging and palm muting as well as ring out power chords and singing lead notes quite similar to what I have heard in videos of the original IIC+ though the V30 loaded cabinets. With the Stock Mesa cab, you will get that cutting edge in the mix. It is a win-win for either choice. Have more learning to do with this amp and getting a feel for its character with either cab loaded with V30 or G12H75. Not sure what is better for me but at least I have both, blame it on my tone quest. I am not done yet as I have one more cab to try out that is a traditional sized cabinet. At the moment it does not have the V30’s in it, instead it has the original speakers Celestion elite 16 ohms private label for Egnator. I originally bought this cab under budget and installed the old V30 speakers so I had something to use the RA100 head with until I had funds to get the real deal. I will definitely get another Mesa speaker cabinet, but not sure what. I believe I found the best for me to use the JP-2C but will be competing with the Roadster (old recto cab with G12H75). However, I was thinking of a 2x12 so I could use my other heads with it. I think the Royal Atlantic 2x12 cab would be worthy but loaded with the G12H75.

 

[bandit2013]

In conclusion: if you made it this far…. The JP-2C is a must have amp. It has all of the MOJO that is hard to dial in with the other Mesa amps with the exception of the IIC+ original and some of the other vintage Mesa amps. Can it do the Mark V crunch? No it cannot do the Mark V crunch but once you get your hands on the JP-2C you will not miss it as it has its own crunch that has surpassed my expectations. I can understand some of you that found the JP-2C satisfied you to the point you feel your other gear is obsolete. I too see no reason for my other amps anymore. However, they all have their own character and tonal qualities that makes them unique. I have no reservations on thinning out my gear but if I did I could always find it in the JP-2C or get close enough to be happy without regrets. The Roadster is a keeper and would be an awesome complement to the JP-2C. The RA100 has the vintage flavor I like from an EL34 amp but I can also dial in similar tone with the JP-2C (6L6 only, no provisions or bias switch for EL34, not really needed with JP-2C as the stock STR440 6L6 tube seems to have a similar character to the EL34 but more low end. This amp is not loose and has the tight response you may get with EL-34 tubes in another amp, definitely an OMG achievement by Randal Smith and the Mesa Engineering team.) As for the Mark V, it is a great amp to have as some of its characteristic voice settings on each channel may make it hard to replicate with the other amps and JP-2C. If you can hold on to your Mark V along with the JP-2C that would be great to do so, I can understand due to cost of ownership reason for parting with the V to get a JP-2C. I personally would not miss the Mark V now having experienced the some of the potential of the JP-2C. Just a note on the 60W power setting: with an 8 ohm load on the 8ohm tap, the volume definitely be reduced a small amount and performance will be more spongy. Manual recommends (but is not mandatory to do this) to move the 8 ohm load to the 4 ohm jack as this will retain the punch and boldness of the amp with the 60W operation. Particularly due to the oversized output transformer it helps to keep the amp loaded similar to the 100W power mode with the speaker in the 8 ohm position. I tried it both ways in the 60W power mode. Spongier in the 8 ohm and much tighter when moved to 4 ohms, that is good to know, so the safe miss match works and does not seem to alter the tone of the amp, in the case of the Mark V there is a difference in tone doing the same. Once you find the sweet spot of this amp, it will be loud. Unless you have an attenuator suitable for good performance (reactive type) this amp is not your bedroom friendly Mark V. Keep that in mind, it does sound good running low volume but you also reduce the punch and chug too. The Mark V and its variants would be more suitable for low volume venues or for that late night practice session you want to get in before the end of the day. The JP-2C shares similarities to the Roadster and RA100, sounds great at reduced volume levels but seems to lose some desired character unless you increase the volume that will definitely disturb others. I have not tried it yet, but the cab clone does offer some relief to others as you can run the amp in silent mode and use headphones (best to keep speaker load connected as that is recommended to prevent damage in the event you accidentally turn the speaker on). So easy to want to compare this amp to that and what is best for you. That in itself is a difficult question to answer, one may excel in one style of music (Lone Star or Atlantic series i.e. RA100, Electra Dyne come to mind) so if you like country style Lone Star would be favored, classic Rock RA100 and or ED, as well as the rest of them, just about most can do the heavy stuff but what seems more geared towards that style would be the Rectifier and Mark amps. In my opinion with my limited experiences with the Mesa amps, the JP-2C is on top of my list.

 

[bandit2013]

Here are a few pictures of the JP-2C that I took with my phone while I was experimenting with speakers.

Mark V combo loaded with EVM12L black label. The Mark V sounded better with the EV than the JP-2C. Still prefer the Celestion Crème 90W Alnico for lower volume playing. The EV does excellent job at elevated levels. Tone of the JP-2C did not complement the EV for some reason. Perhaps I could dial it in but there seem to be better options. One thing to point out, if you want your Mark V to get close to the JP-2C the EV works, gets close but still missing something.

Next up was a trial run of the Celestion G12H75 I had loaded in the RA100 Combo. These really sound great with the RA100 and the Roadster. Since the RA100 combo is open or ported in the back, the original V30s got too muddy to appreciate. What a huge improvement with the JP-2C as the G12H75 seem to sit in the right balance of frequency response to the JP character.

The last and hard to decide which best fits the JP-2C was a challenge. I liked the open/ported G12H75 character I got with the JP-2C running through the RA100 combo speakers. Had to experience the full sound of the V30 412. The cab on the right is a recent (2013) OS recto slant front 412 with the stock England V30 as it comes from Mesa. Salt and pepper grill cloth to match my RA100 head. On the left is my very first 412 cabinet I ever bought. Got it in 2000 and used it a bit with my Mark IV. I gave up playing for some time, some use but not enough to break in the speakers. Cab spent most of its time in storage Definitely found some use for it when I purchased the Mark V in head form. Things change and so do speakers. Fell in love with the G12H75 in the RA100 combo I had to try a full complement of those in the 412. A perfect fit for the Roadster head. I think it is definitely my pick for the JP-2C too. Note, image has the JP-2C sitting on both cabinets. This was a staged picture and not the way I would set up the amp for use or even just for storage. I would not want this amp to fall to the floor by any means. So during my quest to find the speaker/cab combination the amp was only on one cabinet and not as shown in the following picture.

 

[SamuelJ86]

My horizontal 2x12 with mesa's V30's is a wonderful match with the JP2C. And running it together with the C90 in my V's combo is like icing on the cake. Running open and closed backed together is tonal bliss.

I'd like to experience the OS 4x12 with the JP2C! I'd would have to think the low end from that would just be too much and hard to control. But it'd be fun!! The JP has a lot more low end on tap than the mark V and you actually have to put a leash on it to get it where you want it. Not the case with the V. You can see how the shred feature is such a handy thing to have on the JP2C, especially when you go low on the tuning. Going back to the V after playing the JP2C I find that I actually like running the bass knob a lot higher in c+ mode. Not to the point of flub but a little bit lower, you'll hear the rip, almost thunderclap like crunch that I think is so special about the JP, and part of that has been in my V all along, I just never ran the bass that high to find it. Now it doesn't do it anywhere near as good as the JP but it slows the V down a bit and gets a little bit closer to the God like tone in the JP.

Happy honeymoon!! :mrgreen:

 

[bandit2013]

Coming from the Mark V camp (as well as Roadster and RA100) it was time to explore the FX-loop. I was not concerned with the Strymon products as they are compatible with line level and instrument level signals and work quite well with the Mark V and my other amps, not to mention they also work interestingly well in the FX loops of the TASCAM digital recorder. Many times it is asked will my Line 6 DLP4 work in a Mark V loop. It will but will compress the signal considerably and dramatically effect the tone of the amp, in essence it is not compatible with the line level FX-loop of the Mark V. The JP-2C with the obvious differences to the Mark V, does not use line level signal. So first off I tried the Line 6 DLP4 in the loop. Sounds really good. No loss in tone on any of the channels. Also had to see if the tails would ramp up on the clean channel as that was the initial complaints from what I recall reading. I was playing on CH2 at a lower level and changed to CH1, did not notice anything or jump in volume in the loop. Tried it from CH3 to CH1. No issue there. CH2 to CH3 no issue. Perhaps the implemented upgrade does the trick. One more thing about the JP-2C, the amp really sounds just like what you hear in the Mesa Demos with one exception, it sounds better in person.

 

[Bruceta]

Exceptional review!
Thank you!

I read it all!

 

[bandit2013]

Exceptional review!
Thank you!

I read it all!

I was looing at your signature, JP-2C Custom (have any pictures ?)
I had always thought what amp would be worthy of a hardwood enclosure due to the high expense involved. The JP-2C seems to fit the criterial.
I have been experimenting with some pedals later today. I thought this amp sounded great dry, WOW it sound really F*&$(NG awesome with some delay, or modulating reverb. I do not even need a compressor/sustainer on the front end. Will have to try it with one just for the experience.

I also spent more time on the clean channel. It has a really nice character to it. Some have said the reverb sounds week. I thing it sounds fine. I am noticing some similarities of this amp to my other Mesa amps. They are starting to sound the same (sort of). :lol:

 

[bandit2013]

I like both V30 and G12H75 creambacks. Last night I was exploring the character of the JP-2C with the V30 loaded cab and may side with that for now.
I am on the fence actually, both sound great. V30 just a bit brighter and mid hump is a higher frequency than the Creambacks. This may sound odd but I had been comparing the JP-2C (if resonance is an applicable term) to the RA100. They seem to have similar tone and forward pick attack. Almost comparable sag when pushing the amp with a power chord. JP-2C is definitely tighter but it is there. I have yet to push my limits (hearing wise) to find out where the sag becomes apparent. That may change after some use after the power supply ages (few years ?). So far I have not noticed any high temperatures on the chassis, sure it gets hot from the tubes being right there on the outside of the back of the chassis, I believe the position of the fan aids in heat removal more efficiently than either RA100 or Mark V (when it was in head form). The Mark V was getting so hot I could not touch the chassis let alone any of the transformers. However it runs much cooler after I converted it to a combo as the speaker helps to move air in and around the tubes. The other amp that would be comparable to the Mark V other than the JP-2C would be the RA100 combo relating to inverted chassis and tubes hanging from bottom of amp vs the RA100 head or Roadster head where the tubes are facing upward with each having top vent. The RA100 uses a fan primarily for cooling the power soak resistor, also has EL34 that radiate tremendous amounts of heat. Quite different than the Mark III or Mark IV combos with the large box fan at the bottom of the chassis. While I am on the subject of older amps, I sort of miss the 'mains out' that was on the back of the Mark III.

Those that say why not pick up a Mark III head instead. That would be cool come to think of it. The JP-2C does remind me of the Mark III in some respects. I did favor the EVM12L black shadow speaker in the Mark III combo over the V30 412 cab. Too bad I did not have a chance to hear it through the new recto cab as that one is amazing. Must have been a bad year for Celestion. Both the MC90 in the Mark IV combo and the V30s in the Recto cab were flub masters. Even with the bass dialed out they would flub out on certain notes unless the amp was running at a minimum volume level. As for the new OS Recto cab, I have yet to hear it fart out. The cabinets are same size externally but are different in some respects. I had transplanted the original V30 in an inexpensive traditional size 412 and they sounded spectacular, did not fart or flub out. I will have to rebuild it again and give it a try with the JP-2C.

 

[Bruceta]

This is my custom:

Btw, I believe no other tube amp that I've had is more quiet than the JP-2C.
Even with the Shred mode on and very high gain settings, this thing is very quiet!

 

[screamingdaisy]

Nice review.

I currently have no desire to buy another Mark, but if I do I suspect it'll be the JP2C. Two lead channels with separate graphic EQ's is exactly what I would've liked in previous Mark's I've owned.

 

[bandit2013]

Hey that is sweet looking! embossed leather looks great.
If I get a second JP-2C I may opt for the whole thing made out of Sapele or perhaps a walnut shell with Sapele face plate. I like the build your own custom shop on sweetwater, gives you an idea what it would look like.

I have noticed the silence or lack of supply noise, hiss, or your general white noise with no input signal. I can hear a little noise with the gain pushed even when using a really good cable. Depends on what room I am in with the amp. The Roadster is also quiet in terms of no signal noise. I thing that was one setback I had with the Mark V, CH1 clean has the most hum and was difficult to filter out, my bet it was 120Hz from the power supply such that majority of the heaters on the preamp circuits including the power tubes are AC sourced. This may be common with most amps. I was able to cure the noise issue with some old Mesa Chinese tubes, however, they tend to add compression especially on CH3.

I am not looking forward to replacing preamp tubes on the JP-2C. Space inside seems more limited than the Mark V head. I am still tying to get over how huge the output transformer is on this amp. V3 may be tricky depending on how much room there is between the reverb transformer and the reverb tank. I guess I will get there some day. At least V1 is not hidden somewhere behind one of the transformers.

Time to explore this amp. I was playing around with the clean channel. Had to play some Pink Floyd on my super strats (Carvin Bolt with Floyd Rose, SSS but loaded with Seymore Duncan mini humbuckers that fit a single coil. I have the "everything Axe" set on one, hot rails, cool rails and vintage rails on another Bolt.) Slid into some blues riffs. I thought the Mark V had a nice clean channel, the JP-2C is amazing.

 

[bandit2013]

Nice review.

I currently have no desire to buy another Mark, but if I do I suspect it'll be the JP2C. Two lead channels with separate graphic EQ's is exactly what I would've liked in previous Mark's I've owned.

I can understand you quite well Screamingdaisy. I was getting to the point of freeing myself from the Mark Amps as I was moving towards the RA100 avenue, either that or get another Roadster or something in that line. There are some similarities to the Mark V... as well as some similarities to the Roadster, even the RA100. I did not have the opportunity to test one before buying. I am glad I took the chance though, not sure why I did it but I did. It was either that or get another guitar.

If you had two of these amps, you can link them together using the onboard midi controller, at that point you would be able to control two amps with one footswitch, or manage two amps and effects with a midi switcher. Not sure on how many amps you can daisy chain on the Midi but manual indicates more than three as the description was written.

Would I sell my Mark V for another JP-2C, yes.
Would I sell either of my RA100s to get another JP-2C, No, but if I did I would have to keep at least one.
What about the Roadster, probably not but would have to mull it over for a long time.

 

[bandit2013]

Nice review.

I currently have no desire to buy another Mark, but if I do I suspect it'll be the JP2C. Two lead channels with separate graphic EQ's is exactly what I would've liked in previous Mark's I've owned.

I can understand you quite well Screamingdaisy. I was getting to the point of freeing myself from the Mark Amps as I was moving towards the RA100 avenue, either that or get another Roadster or something in that line. There are some similarities to the Mark V... as well as some similarities to the Roadster, even the RA100. I did not have the opportunity to test one before buying. I am glad I took the chance though, not sure why I did it but I did. It was either that or get another guitar.

If you had two of these amps, you can link them together using the onboard midi controller, at that point you would be able to control two amps with one footswitch, or manage two amps and effects with a midi switcher. Not sure on how many amps you can daisy chain on the Midi but manual indicates more than three as the description was written.

Would I sell my Mark V for another JP-2C, yes.
Would I sell either of my RA100s to get another JP-2C, No, but if I did I would have to keep at least one.
What about the Roadster, probably not but would have to mull it over for a long time.

I will retract my previous statement, would I sell my Mark V for another JP-2C, I said yes, but after putting the Celestion Cream 90W Alnico speaker back into the Mark V combo along with my array of preamp tubes, I would now say: probably not but would have to mull it over for a long time.

There are features that I wish was on the Mark V that are on the JP-2C. If I were to sum it all up for those who have a Mark V, think about what would happen if you were able to use Mark I mode on CH2 with the Extreme mode on CH3. It sounds like a blend of those two voices together. I believe the Mark V has more to offer tone wise considering the different changes you can get. Today after discovering the "brown sound" with the Mark V, I tried to dial in a similar tone with the JP-2C. Nope, not yet anyway.... That does not end my relationship with the JP-2C as it is completely different. I have only played an Electra Dyne briefly, it is sort of similar to that just as much as it is to the RA100. But yet different. It can be comparable to the Roadster on CH2 in vintage mode. I like the JP-2C as much as I like the Mark V (but that took me a while to get there). At this time, I will not be selling off my gear to get another JP-2C but the having two would be cool especially with the midi control feature. So the Honeymoon is not yet over for me, lots to figure out with this amp as it does have lots of potential. One thing for sure, the 5 band EQ is more responsive on the JP-2C compared to the Mark V. I read in someone else's post but may not have been in this forum on the mid control not having much of an effect. It does and it works similar to that of the RA100 so dropping the mid all the way will not give you a scooped tone. The presence control is very reactive too. For the moment I have gotten lost, or have lost my hearing as this amp is probably the loudest compared to any of my other mesa amps. I believe I need to get a 2x12 or something in that line. Hmm... I did put that Celestion Cream 90W Alnico speaker back in the Mark V combo. Will have to see how it wounds at 60W. One last thing... when I tried the attenuator, it has a power meter that you can monitor on the load. With either the Roadster or RA100, the meter remained at 100W or just below. Not the case with the JP-2C as it was peaking at 150W. Mark V would jump or peak to 110W. Yeah I know, it is just a few blinky lights and probably not calibrated for accuracy. What the actual output power is probably does not matter. May use the attenuator just in case when I plug into the Crème speaker as I would hate to loose it.

 

[bandit2013]

Well, having done the Celestion Crème 90W Alnico test. That what works for the Mark V combo did not thrill me with the JP-2C. Definitely a V30 match made in heaven. What I cannot get over just yet is the woody character of this amp through the OS Recto 412. Very tight but yet has a woody character to it. Perhaps that is not the best term to use as it may mean something else entirely. Sure I can hear the different character with different guitars made of different types of wood. If you ever heard the difference between a paper voice coil and a modern voice coil I would recommend going to the sumback website and explore the various construction of the speakers with sound clips.

The attack and response is enough to give you goose bumps as I simply fail to describe how it sounds in person. I only wish my Roadster had this characteristic as it seems a bit loose on the bottom end. I can get close to similar character with the Mark V but only through the Celestion Crème Alnico speaker as that changes the response and attack nature of the amp as it seems more forward than with the MC90 or other. Even though it is vintage voiced it can really manage the high gain crunch so I can definitely hear the roots of the gain structure of the Mark V as it is very similar to the JP-2C. No simul-class and it is not needed as to what I understand, the JP-2C was designed around JP's Mark IIC+ which was a coliseum 100W head.

Hoping the Recto Vertical 2x12 will sound close to the OS Recto 412 is that is what I am thinking for primary use. I can use the 412 any time but do not need the mass of air pushing volume to satisfy me.

 

[bandit2013]

After burning the voice coil on the Celestion Cream 90W Alnico, I figured out what happened here, when I swapped the speakers I must have moved the FXloop setting as I found it all the way maxed out. So it was not the JP-2C that caused issue, it was the Mark V. I was wondering why it seemed louder and was enjoying that for a little while. Now I have the EV back in the Mark V combo. Decided to run the JP-2C thought that again after getting used to the amp. Sounded much better, in fact, sounded way better than the Mark V did though it when using the higher gain channels. The odd drawback was with the clean channel comparison. JP-2C sounds superb though the V30 on clean and was comparable to the Mark V clean though the EV. In retrospect, the Mark V sounds better though the EV when clean, than it did with the Celestion Cream speaker as that had more of a warmer tone clean, but when driven it had more grit and grind than the EV on CH2 and CH3. Still I prefer the JP-2C though the V30 speaker in a sealed cabinet. To each their own when it comes to speaker choice. Since I smoked the Celestion Cream 90W Alnico speaker, no point in keeping the Mark V. It is okay with the EV but a bit sterile, sound icey through the V30 loaded cabinet. To be honest, I started experimenting with speakers as I felt that was a lower cost alternative than getting another tube amp (already had the EV) like the Jensen Jet Blackbird 100W Alnico, WGS BlackHawk HP100, and the Celestion Cream 90W Alnico. I think I am done with ALNICO speakers in general. If I could have settled on one speaker that would have been ideal, but considering the cost a different amp that I would find pleasing to play though would have been a better choice.

Some have owned the JP-2C expecting it to be something it is not and perhaps returned to owning a Mark V. I on the other hand love this amp for what it is and would not miss the Mark V if I sold it unless I bought another Celestion Cream 90W Alnico speaker to replace the one that died. So again I change may thoughts on the keeping the Mark V, it just does not have the value to me any more and I am back to square one with that amp. The JP-2C, yep that is a keeper, no flub, no ice pick, well balanced and incredible. It is fun to play guitar again! Actually never lost the fun with the RA100 or Roadster.

 

[sloanthebone]

Thanks for all the testing you are doing and the write ups to go along with it. It has been interesting following along!

I have a Fryette Power Station coming next week and just picked up a Mesa Mini Rectifier 1x12 cab to try with the JP2C. I will try that with my Thiele with a Mesa Fillmore and see how they all sound together.

 

[bandit2013]

No problem. I am trying to figure out if I want to spend more money or settle with what I have. So much would I like a smaller cab to use with this amp. It just sounds so good with the stock Mesa OS Recto 412. Since I am seeing what works for me, why not share it. However, considering speakers, enclosure formats, etc... it all becomes subjective. What I am trying to find out if I like the V30 for long term. Roadster sounded great but for a short time as I got tired of the tone. The speakers in the other cab sound ideal with that amp. Mark V had similar trait, I would stat with the V30 but after a while of playing I was getting tired of the tone or abundance of the top end. Perhaps things would be different if I was not sitting in front of the cab when I play. well Duh...

Thought about getting the horizontal 2x12 so I could use it with the Roadster too, does not mean I can't plug the Roadster into the vertical cab, but it will not sit on top of it as it is a large size head, not medium or small. Roadster fits quite well on top of the RA100 combo and sounds great through those speakers. JP-2C similar but would rather plug into V30 in sealed cab.

Now I am probably going to go through a comparative test between all of my amps at a more personal level. Sooner or later I will get back to my project I had started and finish it with the JP-2C. I think the accompanying amp will be the Roadster. If I was creative enough and any good at replicating what I play, perhaps I can get them all in a single recording using each amp for different roles.

 

[bandit2013]

Output transformer is huge compared to my other Mesa amps. I never really compared the relative size of the Mark V to the Roadster but they seem to be about the same, the RA100 is a little bit larger than those two but not by that much. The JP-2C is very large. The lamination stack of the core is very thick. The laminated plates sit parallel to the amp chassis. As for the Mark V in the picture, the lamination stack is perpendicular to the chassis and both end caps covering the primary and secondary windings are visible. Similar shield is used on the side of the core where the laminations overlap to cover the small air gap on the plates that is also found on the RA100 OT. I took a picture for reference with the JP-2C sitting on top of the Mark V combo. The size is hard to gauge unless there is something to reference it too.

 

[JOEY B.]

That is the power transformer on the JP-2C, not the output transformer.