New JP2C owner

[jc986]

Been away from Mesa for a while, but have had my eye on the JP-2C since they came out and was able to snag one yesterday. I've only had a few hours to play it so far but my initial impressions are positive for the most part. I had a Mark V and had a love/hate relationship with it and ended up getting rid of it mainly due to channel 3. It just had a midrange honk that I couldn't dial out, and didn't seem to get as heavy of tones as I needed it to.

I started with the Petrucci sample settings and tweaked a bit from there and the amp sounds really good. Obviously still tweaking but out of the gate it seems to be much easier to dial in a nice tone than with the Mark V.

Does anyone here play any of the more extreme metal genres with the JP2C ? I am finding it super easy to dial in Metallica-esque tones and obviously Petrucci tones are there in spades, but was curious if anyone could point me in the direction for some more extreme metal settings. I know the amp is capable as Pat Sheridan of Fit for an Autopsy is using these live and has really crushing tone. I play in two bands, one doing mostly classic rock covers and another original metal band that I am currently using my Peavey 6505+ for. Ideally I'd like to make the JP2C work for both gigs.

Also, does anyone else find it a bit odd that Mesa chose to make the reverb footswitchable and not the FX Loop? I know that it can be done via MIDI, but that is a feature that I am really missing out of the gate with this amp. I only run 2 or 3 pedals in the loop, but the ability to toggle them on/off in one tap is very valuable. On this note, what MIDI switching options are you guys using that don't take up a ton of real estate or cost an arm and a leg?

 

[bandit2013]

Congratulations on your new amp.

I have had mine for a few months now. Love it. I usually do my own thing and do not follow other bands and such but there is much that can be said about the JP-2C that is not as apparent to the initial user. I have yet to learn all of the tricks but there are some things hidden in the manual on how the tone controls work as well as presence and gain. Do not forget about the pull pots on gain and presence as those are sweet to use. One big surprise to me was the use of a grid slammer on the front end. I bought that for a soft gain on the clean channel but it sounds incredible with CH2 and CH3. Even the Flux drive brings out the beast far more than I expected which is similar to using the shred control but without the notch filter effect. I was chasing a different balloon as I wanted to have more of a classic rock tone for the clean channel. I was also surprised how well the grid slammer and flux drive worked with the Mark V (gives it new life in some respects but I still have the love/hate thing going on with that amp, still not sure why I still have it).

As for the FX loop, I would agree that having a switch on the foot board would be ideal. I have been looking into something that could be used as a bypass or means to parallel two effects pedals (parallel to effects pedals would not work, but since I can do that with my recording mixer no need to add additional things). However, the Xblender may do what you want it too and a faction of the cost of a midi switcher... Not sure how well it will work but it is a start in one direction.

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/XBlender

 

[Markedman]

I'm assuming anyone who buys this amp for anything but extreme metal is confused and baffled at the amount of gain that is present even at the lowest settings on ch. 2&3. :lol:

 

[jc986]

I suppose I need to spend a ton more time getting things dialed in because I'm not getting anywhere close to modern metal tones with what I've tried thus far. I am familiar with the Mark series tone stack in general where the treble and presence tend to be the most powerful, with the middle and bass coming into play more as the treble is decreased.

I am running a boost in front of the amp to try and get some more saturation (running the gain at zero and level near max). It helps but I'm still a ways from where I want to be.

So far I've been able to get great classic metal tones, but I couldn't see playing modern metal with it at this point. Hopefully I'm just missing something that I'll discover through trial and error with the settings. Or perhaps the Mark series stuff just isn't for me. I always like the way other guys can make them sound, but not when I'm playing one.

I know there is a lot of gain on tap, but it tends to add scratchiness and harshness without the added saturation I'm used to with most other amps I've owned. At least through my setup, there is a thinness, and a harshness that I am having trouble dialing out.

 

[rich]

On ch 2, try lowering your presence to 9:00-11:00 (depending on room) with it pulled and raise your treble to 3:00; also, pull your gain knob out. On the g-eq for ch 2, leave it engaged in that v shape but drop your last two sliders so the v is slightly offset. Let us know how this works.

Also if there is some flub, lower the bass knob to 9:00.

 

[jc986]

Thanks, I'll give that a go once I'm home from work today.

 

[elvis]

Not sure exactly what you're looking for in "modern metal". If you want tight lows and lots of punch, put it in shred mode and pull the presence. If you want a thicker tone, boosting helps.

I recommend trying to set it with the EQ turned off. Shoot for tight bass and the level of gain vs. clarity you want. It will sound mid-heavy, and maybe you want that. If not, then add EQ. But don't go straight to the V or the JP sort-of V. Set all flat and then boost and cut each slider to get a sense for how they affect tone and dynamics.

I would set 750 and 2200 where you want first. Then set the lows and 6600.

 

[bandit2013]

What others have said.... but one exception, I did not get this amp for heavy metal as I do play other styles of music but with a harder tone or character to it. I personally love the sound of this amp more than I expected too. There may be other tricks to use to get the tone and gain structure the way you want it to be. I can understand the importance of doing a cover song and it not sounding like the real deal. The 5BEQ is quite responsive in this amp (more so than others I have played in the Mark Series amps). I would definitely experiment with change in the eq as suggested by others. There is a lot of tone shaping character there and it may surprise you. Note that the general tone controls are not like the previous Mark amps, similar but yet there is some influence based on where the mid is set even though it is not the most responsive control compared to treble and bass. There is a lot more to this amp than what meets the eye. If you discover a setting that you like during your experimentation with the amp, take a picture of the amp controls and settings with your cell phone so you can return to it later.

At what volume are you running the amp? Lower volume settings will give you more bottom end but a bit on the loose side. Between 11 o'clock and 1 o'clock on the master volume brings the amp closer to the sweet spot. Also you may try reducing the gain and see if that helps. I have also tried different speakers (EV, Celestion G12H75, Celestion Crème 90W alnico) only to find the cabs loaded with V30's sound better to me than the others. I had to move over to 212 cabs as I found the 412 to be too loud for general playing. Even the 212 is very loud but a few dB lower than that of the 412.

What I have found, the JP-2C out of the box is well rounded amp. Does not have insanely maxed out gain but has plenty for most such that the integrity and definition of the guitar signal remains audible. The amp does take the grid slammer and flux drive quite well. (Flux drive will definitely bring out the beast if you need that acidic tone without ice). All of my guitars have passive pickups ( a few do have active tone controls though).

 

[jc986]

Thanks guys. I'm getting closer to what I'm going for with your suggestions. I'm finding that I prefer the tone with the presence pulled but almost completely turned down, otherwise the tone just gets way too thin/nasal. Boosting helps, and I greatly prefer my one guitar with active pickups through this amp. Kind of strange, as I have 7 guitars and usually always prefer the six with passive pickups.

My original band is playing death metal / deathcore. Influences are Thy Art is Murder & Fit For an Autopsy if you wanted a reference for the tone I'm shooting for. I've been using my 6505+ for that band and have been pretty happy with the tone for that stuff. My cover band plays all kinds of stuff from 70's rock up to current rock stuff. The JP2C is definitely going to be handling the cover band without any issues, and I figured why not see if it can get heavy enough to just replace the 6505+ all together.

 

[bandit2013]

Since I am not familiar with the reference bands, I had to take a listen. Unfortunately I do not have a 7 string guitar but I could probably run my cross over bass thought the amp (if I stay off the lower 4 strings so I do not tax the power tubes too much) to see if I can dial in the tone. From what I heard in the videos of the two bands, it does not seem it is out of reach with the JP-2C but you will need to run the master about noon or higher (ouch that is loud). Drop the center slider all the way for the "thy art is murder" tone. However Fit for autopsy may need some more 750.

Another fix may be in the power tubes, Mesa 6L6GC STR440 has a distinctive tone that may be difficult to iron out. A change in power tubes may be the trick. Almost has that Tung Sol 7581A tone to it. I have a set of those but they have been cooked quite well in the Mark V (that amp eats tubes easily). Perhaps the SED =C= would be similar but on the bright side. I would personally prefer not to change my tubes. One would think it may be easier to get closer to the tones with EL34 variety but the JP-2C is a 6L6 only amp. (one reason why the TC-50 is looking very interesting to me). Makes me wonder what the Mesa 5881 would sound like in this amp. A few said they work great in the Roadster. Perhaps I have become tone deaf due to playing too loud over the years.

What color code is on your power tubes? My amp came with Gray's which is closer to the ideal tube as it sits in the center of the Mesa color codes.
From low to high where the center is the ideal tube the list is like this:
red
yellow
green
gray
blue
white

Having green or gray means you are closer to the ideal, blues and whites would run hotter, yellow and red would be colder. With a fixed bias amp, I would assume there would be more headroom with the reds and early gain onset with white. I would assume that the JP-2C has a colder bias than the Mark V and a bit hotter bias than the Roadster. Having all three amps, the JP-2C works better with the Roadster vs the Mark V (mine does not sound as good as one I recently played though, perhaps it is a dud).

 

[jc986]

Thanks for the detailed response.

My power tubes are the green color code.

I'm getting tones I'm happy with for the death metal stuff, but ultimately the think the 6505+ is just better suited to those genres so I will most likely just continue with the 6505+ for my original stuff and use the JP-2C for my cover band.

I do appreciate the tips though, I feel more comfortable going after different tones now.