The JP honeymoon re-visited...

MrSmitty · Jun 5, 2018

Hey everybody!
I'm back with a new JP2C. It's been 2 years since I parted with the first one. I decided to get another one a couple weeks ago and give it another try. This time around, it's a MUCH better experience. Not sure what happened with my first amp, maybe I had a bad head (the amp, not MY head

...ha ha) or the first amp had a tube issue or something else going on. None-the-less, this second JP amp is frickin' amazing and sounds/feels like it's supposed to. This amp is very tight and responsive with just the right amount of sag, unlike the first one I had. I took a different approach this time when I dialed the amp in. Instead of using JP's or Mesa's suggested settings, I used my ears to dial in my preferred sound, rather than using my eyes. I then found my JP settings I wrote down 2 years ago and compared them to what I have now. Surprisingly, they are very close except now, I run the mid knob a little higher and the bass knob and 80hz slider lower. I'm sure that helps with getting rid of that bloated, overly fat tone. I also noticed that even a slight adjustment of the channel knobs make a significant difference in the way the amps sounds and feels. Again, I did a side-by-side comparison to my beloved MkIII+ and **** it, they are SOOO close. Much happier now!

Here's the link to my original post: http://forum.grailtone.com/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=71876

rich · Jun 18, 2018

Nice, I'm glad you're having a better experience this go around! The JP is a great amp and I just got a red stripe III to compliment it; in comparison, I think the red stripe is more aggressive while the JP is more smooth/"looser" (in a good way).

MrSmitty · Jun 20, 2018

rich said:
Nice, I'm glad you're having a better experience this go around! The JP is a great amp and I just got a red stripe III to compliment it; in comparison, I think the red stripe is more aggressive while the JP is more smooth/"looser" (in a good way).

Thanks Rich!

bandit2013 · Jul 2, 2018

I would agree that the JP-2C is very close to the Mark III (blue stripe), at least in memory anyway as I do not have it to compare. I had a combo but would often run it through a 412 or pair it up with a cab loaded with an EV classic. However, what caught my eye and perhaps raised my level of ignorance, what is a Mark III+? Would that be a Red stripe with some tweaks or the first Mark III that came out?

MrSmitty · Jul 3, 2018

bandit2013 said:
I would agree that the JP-2C is very close to the Mark III (blue stripe), at least in memory anyway as I do not have it to compare. I had a combo but would often run it through a 412 or pair it up with a cab loaded with an EV classic. However, what caught my eye and perhaps raised my level of ignorance, what is a Mark III+? Would that be a Red stripe with some tweaks or the first Mark III that came out?

My III+ was originally a Green stripe. It was a good amp in original form, but was a little stiff and hash for my taste. So it was sent to Mesa for the “+” mod, which basically changes out some of the caps and resistors (I think) giving it a smoother gain & top end. I also had a triode switch added, which elevates the stiffness feel. The lead channel on this amp has been my favorite of All the other amps I’ve ever owned.
However....now that I’ve had the JP2c for about a month now, it is now my new favorite amp.

bandit2013 · Jul 4, 2018

Thanks for the explanation on the +. Good to see you have discovered the JP-2C again. I did read through your posts on your first experience. Bummer it did not pan off with the first one.