Mesa/Boogie JP-2C Mark IIC+ John Petrucci 60/100-watt Tube Head - Black Taurus Reviews

This is Mesa best amp since the Mark IV. Massive transformer and the feel is amazing. The eq is very touchy which means there is a ton of room for tweaking and tonal perfection. Get to know how the amp works then dial it. Thank me later.

Simply put, this is a great amplifier for whatever you play. Very rich sounding clean channel, thick and heavy crunch and lead channels, and the 2 options of the classic Mesa EQ assignable per channel, makes this such a great amp. Go buy it.

Once you dial it in you realize Its a quality piece of gear, I did research on it before I bought it and knew ahead that it gets bass heavy, so
did the proper EQ and got my hum bucker axe and wahLah, Its a keeper and has many tones from clean to pushed clean through Metal.
I love this pig and will be keeping this one, play mostly Modern Rock/Metal but love going down memory lane for some dirty 70's rock and blues.
Recommend this 100% for quality and Fun as Heck!

Ps, thanks to my sales Engineer Ashton for the Hookup as always..!

First of all I'd like to give a shout out to Dan my Sweetwater sales rep and his team for having the patience to deal with me over years I'm a tone seeker that's always looking to try the next best thing however Dan has put up with me for many years but nevertheless he's always patient kind and very helpful just wanted to say thank you for my latest purchaseThe JP 2c is a phenomenal head unfortunately a bit much more than I need for my venues I have decided to go with the mark 35 combo and one Mesa Fillmore 50 combo.. last but not least a shout out to Sal in tech-support who help reserves my issues if I have any LOL!!!! Thanks sweetwater for making it possible for musicians to tryout and find the gear that works for them

As the title says, I've be been playing for years, and was looking for something to fire me up again. This amp absolutely blew me away! Very versatile and articulate, of course ferocious if you desire. I highly recommend the JP2C in your collection. Of course Mesa quality at its finest.

Bought this amp around a month ago. Thought there was an issue with it and Sweetwater sent me a new one next day Saturday air at no charge and a shipping label to return the original amp. You know next day Saturday on a 35 pound item isn't cheap and they ate the cost. Long story short both amps worked fine and I returned the new one without an issue. Best customer service I've received in this industry ever maybe. If your herr to read about the amp this beast does everything they say. If your looking for that Petrucci tone just set the dials according to the instruction manual and your there minus the delay and chorus.

This might be one of the best amps I've ever heard. It can do literally everything. EQs are amazing and super sensitive. Clean channel is butter. Gain channels are saucy. Definitely expensive and definitely worth the money if you're into serious tone. Direct out is clutch.

This amp is incredible. I'm done tone chasing.

...and yes I did!

I was skeptical about a reissue amp. But man am I blown away by this tone sculpting masterpiece!!! And John's contribution to the added features especially with EQs per channel is just amazing!! By far the most versatile and articulate amp I have ever played. And I have several high end heads.

The amp slays and is perfect for the touring musician pair it with a Mesa cab and you cannot ever sound bad

Hands down Mesa's best amp of all time. From clean to mean and everything in between.

I love is amp Everything I thought it was top notch

What a incredible amp tight massive get a lot of sounds out of it very versatile highly recommended

I have owned a lot of amps over the years trying to find the perfect mix of my sound and having enough variety for live situations with different bands. This has everything I love about the mark ii, mark iii and Mark iv in it, while having completely independent channels and the two graphic eqs to put the fine touches on them.
This won't replace a rectifier, uberschall or ecstasy, but if you love the mark series and want independent channel control, this is the best so far!
The clean channel on this thing deserves more than 5 stars on its own, talk about headroom and clarity!!
Midgain hits the mark as well and crank up the gain and its just mean.
The only disappointment on this is the cab simulated out, not in the same league as the tube amp expander or anything two notes, it would do in a pinch though.
The midi and stock pedal being able to override selections of eq1 and eq2 adds a lot of options live too.

I received this amp just a few hours ago. I've owned many amps over the years, I can't quite call myself a collector but I do enjoy dabbling and trading. This amp will not be going anywhere. It ticks every box and I can't imagine there being a way to improve on it. This thing is built like a tank and will not disappoint. The headphone output is gonna be perfect for my current residence and I look forward to scheduling a gig with this beast so I can see what it can really do. Also of special note is how pleasant the sweetwater process was. Higher wattage and higher end amps have been problematic this year and the excellent team at sweetwater did not disappoint. Israel Hernandez has been my sales engineer for a while now. He kept me informed through the whole process and anyone should count themselves lucky to do business with him and the rest of the sweetwater team.

I've been playing blues gigs and I have my own metal band so I've played quite a few tube amps from unheard of names, to Diesel, Fender, and Marshall, but nothing is as versatile as this. If you cant get a certain tone from this amp youre not trying hard enough.... granted it is a metal amp you can definitely get some mellower tones for any situation.

After many months of research I bought this amplifier without ever playing one in person and it doesn't disappoint. It has the qualities I was expecting from a 2C+; tons of tight low end, the attack is fierce, and the lead is creamy with sustain for days. It was the first time in my life that I played Master of Puppets and it actually sounded like the album. To my delight, I'm really digging the cab clone feature for my home setup. The cab clone will sound a bit muffled compared to a mic'd cab, but you can just about make up the difference with the graphic EQ.

It has a "new amp smell", kind of like a car, and the quality is top notch. Luckily my tonal interests align exactly with Mr. Petrucci's. A good clean, a heavy rhythm, and sweet lead are the only sounds I think I'll ever need. Although I'm sure this amp can achieve much more than that.

I run this amp through a Mesa Boogie 1 12 wide body closed back with a C90. This amp sounds absolutely amazing on all three channels. The JP-2C is not near as versatile as the Mark V, but makes up for it with an excellent clean and two amazing high gain Mark 2C+ channels with some added tonal flexibility. I love both amps, but for heavy articulate high gain tone, you cannot beat the JP-2C. If you want to cover ever base out there, stick with the Mark V just understand your cab has a massive effect on the sound as well. A Mark V with several cabs and you can cover nearly every sound imaginable. A JP-2C with a boogie wide body closed back 1 12 C90 and you have a fire breathing dragon of old school heavy tones.

Also I purchased this amp and the Mark V used from sweetwater.com. Both amps showed up looking and playing like a brand new amp. Could not be happier.

I bought the amp this week. This amp will change my playing life.You can run, but you can not hide from this amp. the JP 2C is so dynamic that it picks up everything you do.The sound is clear in all modes. Even the headphone out jack works great. I have not recorded with this amp yet, but I am sure it will sound great also. The two- two 5 band EQs really help shape your sound in all modes. Try or buy this JP 2C, you will not be disappionted.

I should have gotten this sooner.

This amp is super aggressive, tight, and surgically precise! It plays quick and tracks your notes like what you expect of a true Mark 2C+ can do. It stops hard and punches your gut with that huge low end. I come from the 5150 family of amps, I still like them and how they grind. But this JP2C is just polished, every note is crystal clear, but can get angrier if you want it to. The EQ is a tad more sensitive than the Mark III, IV and V I have tried and played. You can sculpt your sound any which way you like from scooped thrash metal precision or to mid heavy death metal. If somebody told you that this can't do modern metal, they don't know what they are saying.

This can also do jazz and that Santana smooth lead sound. Sure, it can't do a Marshall crunch sound. But it can sound better than any of those modded Marshalls. Hell, you can even dial in a John Sykes tone on Ch 2 no problem.

And that Shred switch should be called the Metallicaizer! Just gives that amp that extra sizzle for tight chugs and grinding triplets.

Overall, the best amp I have the pleasure of owning. Worth every penny. You can just see and feel the outstanding quality Mesa/Bogie churns out with this amp.

And big thanks to my sales engineer, Evan Mehre for helping me get this awesome gear!

I own a Mark IIC+ that I bought early in the eighty's, had the factory put in a couple of EL34 on the outside, I have a Mark V in Bubinga and the baby Mark 25, lots of PRS's and Hamer guitars. and a Jackson Phil Collen model.
What can I say I'm a true believer in Mesa amps, I've wanted to get digital profilers for the digital ease but I would only be dialing them up as Mesa's LOL. I use a TC G-System to control the JP2c with MIDI and it works great.
This amp is GREAT, and the shred ads a different sound that's more modern. I don't use low tunings or 7 strings but I use the shred and it's brighter and tighter like a Hughes and Kemptner.
Just got the 1 x 12 wide body cab and that was worth the money to match up with the grade A amp
Despite the factories attempt to make it easer to operate it still has the extreme sensitivity of all Mesa amps so don't try to dial it up on the gig and easy does it on the controls, there powerful

I've owned a number of Boogie amps, and always hoped they would re-release the Mark IIC+. They didn't just re-release it, but adding a 3rd channel and an extra EQ is beyond what I could have hoped for. Having a separate rhythm and lead channel is the way it should be. With the MIDI switching, 60/100W option, recording interface, and other useful functions, I can't think of anything it lacks.

I was wrong about this amp when I tried it almost 2 years ago. I was not playing it through the correct cab. With any mark series, they sound best through a mesa 4x12. I played the JP2C again through a mesa traditional plant 4x12 cabinet and was immediately blown away. The authenticity of the sounds we all hear in the demos, are there! The clean was gorgeous, channel 2 was raunchy and snarly and channel 3 was smooth and flowing. The effects loop worked great and a delay pedal with the amps reverb is heaveennn for leads. If you buy this amp, get the 4x12 and you will most likely not need another amp.

This amp is hands down the best amp I've ever owned, I have had Marshall to ENGL to Dual Rec's even a couple of Mark V's and many countless others i can't remember. The JP-2C is so well versed for any genre or sound, easy to dial in, sounds good at low volume and even better at higher volumes. While not the cheapest amp on the market I feel it offers more than anything else in it's price range or higher as far as tone, features and versatility. The amp responds well with all guitars and pickup combo's offering a different flavor for each, it also responds to different cabinet/speakers as well which really shows how transparent of an amp it is. The quality of build is second to none as well is the sound and tone this produces. Don't hesitate on this, it is truly a one and done amp, from clean to metal it delivers.

I've been playing for 35+ years. I have owned Dual Recs, Splawn, EVH and a ton of amps that I have probably forgotten about. This amp is loaded with features. At this price point other amp makers don't even come close. The amp has an amazing clean tone and channels two and three with the EQs and shred switch cover all kinds of territory. I can't think of a genre this amp can't cover. I am not a metal player and I don't djent nor ever played a 7 string. The JP2C is perfect for all those things but I don't do them. I like hard rock, thrash, shred, jazz, outlaw country, Bluegrass and folk. The JP2C+ does all those things too. This amp is an instrument in and of itself. It is a tool that can be used in any scenario I can dream up. If I have a complaint it's that I wish the word "shred" had not been used as its limiting and cheesey. A "boost" function on channels two and three would have been a more appropriate and professional nomenclature. That being said.....I need to go shred now !

I have played on an Egnater Tourmaster 4100 for the past 5 years or so and on solid state amps for 20 years or so prior to that. I knew there was something missing in my sound that I could never quite put my finger on, especially after jumping from SS to tube. I would try to practice and would always find myself sitting in front of the amp tweaking knobs instead of playing. I have heard about Boogie stuff for years, but never thought of buying, thinking so much stuff was "basically the same" as other stuff. Boy was I WRONG!! I was ignorant to the British Metal VS American Metal sound difference. Out of the box this thing is a beast, I am running a Boss GT-8 MIDI to it and putting the BOSS in the effects loop. MIDI allows me to switch channels and I can use the volume pedal on the Boss to control that overall. I do find that I have to put my Wah pedal in front of the guitar input so that it sounds "right" and that I lose a tiny bit of gain when I do. I dont like that, but that is how precise this head is and I can live with it. Im using a classic Cry Baby so I dont know if there is anything further that I can do. The only issue that I do see at this point is that the bass adjustments on the distortion channels are VERY sensitive and if not careful, you can get that "woofing" or "bottoming out" sound from your cabinet if you go much past 50% or even at 50%. Great thing though is that there is a 5 band graphic that you can further shape the sound with. Im sure in time I will get it exactly where I want it. I had this head for 3 days and played a live show with it without so much as an afterthought. Our list includes stuff like Slipknot, Godsmack, Fear Factory, Disturbed, Rage, Temple of The Dog, and all the way to Weezer, Blue October and the like on the other end so I have quite a number of patches set up. I do have to say, that Im a Boogie fan for life!

Well, the rating section said it best: I'm absolutely blown away by this monster of an amp. I've played a number of Mesa Boogie amps, but none of them quite stack up to the JP-2C. I had originally been saving up for a Mark V and luckily the JP-2C was announced a few months before GearFest. When I played it in that tent I knew it was the one for me.

As someone who is still new to dialing in a tube amp well, I found that it was pretty easy to achieve whatever sound I was looking for with a little tweaking. Plus, 3 separate channels, TWO graphic EQ's, MIDI footswitching, and the best clean channel I've ever heard? Deal. I can't say the CabClone is fantastic, but having used it in a few live settings, it does the job. Overall, the cleans are beautiful, rhythm work comes through tight and punchy, and the leads have all the sustain/overtones/harmonics you could ask for. This is the modern upgrade the iconic IIC+ needed, and probably the last amp I'll ever need.

Played one. Played a Jcm 800 played Johns line of 2c+ amazing great clean tight gain crunch real punchy. One day I'll own this or the mark v

I have owned many Mesa amps in my time and some of them I still have (Mark III, Mark IV, Mark V, Roadster, RA100). Now that I have experienced the JP-2C, I must be in heaven. I am totally blown away how well this amp reacts to guitar volume settings, very responsive to pick attack. The tonal range of this amp is amazing. It will definitely blend with the Recto series amps. Definitely a great companion to use with the Roadster or on its own. You can set the gain just past mid point on CH2 or CH3 and dial back on your guitar volume and now you have a vintage clip. Drop even lower on your guitar volume and it cleans up nicely. Hint, to some of those who want to get to the sweet spot but do not want to play that loud, use the shred mode for low volume playing. Amp sounds great with or without the 5 band EQs. Midi control is a great feature. The footswitch works flawlessly which I believe works off of one of the midi channels. What may seem simple on the front panel there is so much to explore with this amp that what meets the eye. Very easy and intuitive controls. One of the easiest Mark amps to dial in, almost as easy as an RA100. This amp works great with different types of guitars. Single coil pickups to humbuckers, passive to active. Does incredibly well with many effects pedals in the loop. I have tried the Mesa Flux drive on the front end and that really sounded good too. Awesome amp for heavy metal and other styles of Rock. Lets not forget about the clean channel as this amp has one of the better sounding cleans I have heard.

What is there not to like about this amp? I probably could have come up with something but after getting used to the amp for a few weeks there is nothing I dislike about it. Very light in weight (41lbs) and compact size makes moving the amp quite easy. Responsive and dynamic to what I am playing or how I am playing. It is more forward and unforgiving and will exploit your mistakes with ease. Some may not like that but to me that is an excellent quality. When I plug in, I have a hard time stopping.

I have owned many different amps over the years, Marshalls, Peavey, Carvin, various Blackstar amps including the HT Club 40 and HT Metal 60. Although some of them were good amps in their own right, noneof these amps can hold a candle to this Mesa Boogie. Every other review I have read and John Petrucci's own insight is dead on when they say that a Mesa Boogie has a sound all its own.
First of all, it is a sonic beast. I still have not had the volume past 3 on 60 watt function and it is loud. The volume is very sensitive so you do not actually turn the knob and go from soft and blaring. This amp is very versatile in that there are three distinctive channels. I set all of them up just as John Petrucci would. I use the first channel for cleans (no EQ), channel 2 as a crunch channel (EQ1) and the third channel as the lead channel (EQ2). Each channel has its own reverb, which again gives you sound options you do not get with other amps and the said can be said for the two EQ channels. Sometimes you do not want to share the same EQ with 2 different channels. With this amp, you don't need to. The Footswitch that comes with the amp is very helpful makes switching between channels, reverb and EQ a snap. For practicing purposes, how many amps of this power give you a headphone jack? Usually you need a tube performance amp and a solid state practice amp in order to get the headphone option; not this beast. Pair this amp with Mesa Boogie's 2x12 horizontal rectifier cabinet and this thing will soar.
Mesa Boogie support is top notch and they tell you to call them anytime even after purchasing the amp. Sweetwater staff are awesome. My rep is Dave Walent and he takes the time to explain a product and will not push something on you in order to make money if another product will suffice that is less money and a better product. I could not ask for a better rep in the way Dave deals with you.
In conclusion, this is the best amp I have ever played and you can hear chime in chords with this amp that I have not gotten out of other amplifiers. In this particular case, you get what you pay for. It is solid construction and I should get years enjoyment out of this amp. I will be reviewing the cabinet as well.

This is the most amazing amp from the Mark Series! Really easy to dial in, you get great fat, crunchy and lead-liquid-singing tones pretty much right out of the box; specially when comparing to other Mark Series amplifiers from Mesa Boogie. I also own a Mark V, a Mark V 25, and a Mini Rectifier; and they are now all for sale after getting this beast of an amp.
The addition of the two EQs and the Shred mode are what really make this amp to stand apart from any other amplifier on the market. Also, the midi capabilities means you can incorporate to your existing rig easily, since you no longer need any special foot switch cable or any special switching device.
I used this on my home studio with a 4x12 Mesa Rectifier Cab and I can get great tones (i.e. set it at 10-11 o'clock), or even go as low as 9 o'clock for bedroom-level type of volume.
As always, the experience of buying this amp at Sweetwater was smooth and pleasing. Thanks to Dan Overstreet for helping me get this amp and for making the purchasing process a very pleasant experience.

First, I didn't get this through Sweetwater. I unfortunately had to make a trade to make it happen, so went to my favorite local music store. I want to review this here for anyone on the fence.

I was picking up some accessories and saw the JP-2C sitting in the store. I had a Mark V which I was very happy with but decided to take Mesa's latest amp for a test drive. They plugged me into a Marshall 4X12 because that's what was in the tryout room at the time. After letting the tubes warm up a bit, I started playing through this beast and was immediately blown away. I was able to dial in great tone after great tone and it seemed easier then any other amp I've owned. That's saying a lot seeing Mesa Boogies are usually a task in patience with a learning curve to get an amp to sound like you want.

The clean channel sounded better than anything I could get out of my Mark V, and the gain channels had more gain on tap. I immediately went home, packed up my Mark V head and my Krankenstein+ to trade in towards the JP-2C. I also threw in my Mini Amp Gizmo because the JP-2C has MIDI built in.

I was nervous getting it home because sometimes things don't sound as good as the store, but plugging into my 2 1X12 Widebodies, I got a full frontal assault with this amp. I've now owned it over a month, and have gigged with it, dragged it to rehearsal, and am now recording with it using Cab Clone. It's a monster of an amp. I run a Helix through the effects loop and use the new G10 relay for wireless - I have a great sounding setup that's compact and easy to dial into any situation.

The only things I am missing from my Mark V is the Output volume (volume is on channels only) and the sheer variety the Mark V offers. But the JP-2C sounds better for what I do (hard rock, punk influenced metal). I love the fact that the two gain channels are very similar in nature, but I get to shape one for rhythm and one for lead, and when I switch between them I'm not worlds apart. You can setup the channels to behave any way you want, but I prefer continuity when playing live.

This amp is loud. Real loud. But you don't have to be turned way up to get some great tones. It also has a headphone jack, which I got mixed results from. Cab Clone has replaced my Two Notes Torpedo Reload out of convenience and after sitting with it I got some great tones dialed in for DAW recording. My Sure SM57 is sitting in a drawer right now. Will definitely try it FoH next gig.

I've played my EBMM Majesty through it and while I'm no Petrucci, it's just such a versatile setup now. Piezeo pickups sound great through the clean channel. Also have been running a Gibson SG and a 7 string LTD Viper 407, which does benefit from shred mode.

Finally - MIDI has been great. It took me a good 2 hour session to really figure how the JP-2C uses Midi, but I now use my Helix to control every aspect I need of the amp. I don't need a Mini Amp Gizmo in between, and it's streamlined my setup that much more. My whole live rig is now the JP-2C, Helix, G10 Relay and 2 1X12 Cabs.

After seeing the official demo of this amp i knew i had to get my hands on it. While im not a huge Dream Theater fan i can definitely understand the love and fan base of John and Dream Theater. As someone who owns Deizels, Marshalls and Orange amps i can say without a doubt that this is by far my favorite amp i own. If you ever get a chance to try one out, do it.

This amp has the best clean channel I ever played on. You can get from rock to deathmetal with channel 2. Lead channel 3 is smooth. It doesn't have the pop when switching channels with the foot switch that some other Mesa amps have. It's not a rectifier which I also own but gets close to the same sound. I use 7 strings tuned down a whole step and the amp stays tight with no boost pedal in front. I see this amp getting more use than my triple rectifier and 6505. It has more options, I don't need all the pedals I usually take for shows, and the fx loop is better. Amp is compact but heavy. It has a massive transformer. Only thing I wish was added was a over all master that controlled the the volume after all you channel volumes was set. I would recommend this amp to anyone who plays any style of music.

Is this the best amp I've ever owned? NO, there is no such thing. Is this amp worth its cost? Absolutely!!!!

I could go on and on about how awesome this amp is, but it would turn into a ramble fest. Instead, I think I should point out some important features.

I think I should start out saying that I ordered this amp without ever hearing it. I am a huge DT and Petrucci fan and have loved Metallica's Master of Puppets Mark 2c+ guitar tone my entire guitar playing life so I took a chance.

First off, I was terrified about this amp not having a global master volume. I played a MEAS/Boogie Mark V:25 that was set this way at a store a while back and the volume jump made it unacceptable for a bedroom/gig amp for me. I can honestly say that MESA/Boogie nailed it with the JP-2C. It's volume adjustment dose not have that cliff effect that classic boogies have. It rolled in very softly. So, in short you can play this guy set low easily. Now to be fair the channels are missing some of that Boogie goodness when the master is set low.

Second, the clean channel. the clean channel is nothing special at bedroom volume levels. This is not saying its bad, but just not magical. the gain knob has no real effect when the master is set supper low, but when you turn this thing up (WOW!!!!!) it is awesome! Once you allow the power section to truly kick in every knob opens a new experience. I set my Master & Gain at 12 o'clock and had that pick attack sound and feeling you only get from a real quality tub amp. The best part, like all great amps, my guitars changed the sound. I love this clean. It is so pure that you could run any quality clean drive pedal thru it to get any sound you want.

Channel two is pure classic Metallica Master of Puppets. I can honestly say this is the first three channel amp I have ever played thru that has a usable rhythm channel. honestly this could be a two channel amp and it would still be awesome!

Channel three is basically channel two with a bit more. I don't know how to describe it, but there is just something more. I know how Spinal Tap that sounds, but its the best I can do.

My favorite feature of this amp is the two separate EQ's. I set one up as a classic Boogie mid scoop and the other as a tube screamer type mid boost. This allows me to set the two amp channels for separate musical styles with the ability to add or take away mid's and highs. If you think about it that gives me six drive sounds. A pure channel sound, add EQ one with scooped miss, and then EQ two with pushed mid's. Thats awesome!!!!!

For all you DreamTheater fans, I played a Fender American Strat with a Steve special bridge humbucker and an Air Nortan mini neck humbucker and nailed Johns tone with minimal effort. I can't say enough about how easy this amp is to dial in. Mesa has nailed it

As for Sweetwater, my sails engineer Evan Mehre was awesome to work with. He talked to me about his personal vibe with the amp and assured me that I could send it back if I did not like it. I never got that pushy salesman vibe from Evan. It was more like I was talking with a buddy about some new cool amp.

I've had my JP2C for about 3 weeks now and it is unbelievable the tone that comes out of this amp on all three channels. I have compared it to my Triaxis, Mark IV, Mark V and Triple rec amps as well as some other brands and it is by far my favorite now. The Triple does do some sounds this amp doesn't but believe me if I could only have one the JP2C would be it. I've put this amp through several cabinet's and speaker configurations too and all of them sound great. For me, I'm normally going to run it on the 1X12 Mesa Thiele cabinet with an EV12L loaded in because it sounds huge and perfectly fits this head in a NO compromise portable package. The shred mode on channels 2 and 3 really make a difference in the tone too and give this amp even more tone options than previously available in other Mesa Amps. This amp has so much gain and the ability via the dual EQ's to sculpt almost any tone conceivable if that is what your looking for you will not be disappointed. The cleans are well rounded and sparkling some of the best I've heard even from vintage amps. The cab clone feature is a very nice addition too, it sounds great and you can use it to track a direct track with your mic'd tracks or just use it and turn the speaker off altogether for late night practice or tracking.

I can't say enough about the care and integrity of Sweetwater and Mesa Boogie as well. There is a small issue that was discovered after the first batch shipped but this only happens at low volume levels when your running a delay in the loop of the amp. When you switch from channel 2 or 3 to channel 1 there is a loud volume jump due to the delay having a higher send level on channel 2 and 3 because it is derived from the gain knob which is typically set higher in those channels. This causes the repeats that spill over on channel 1 to be much louder. Mesa has already acknowledged this and sent a letter to people that have already purchased one offering to have it fixed for those who need the loop to work with delay at low volumes. Personally, I don't see this as a problem because all you have to do is turn off the delay when switching back to channel 1 when playing at room levels then switch it back on or use a midi foot controller to turn the loop on and off. When you are at higher volumes this is not an issue as the amp is already loud and the repeat levels blend in with channel one just fine. Mesa has already addressed this in the future batches that will be shipping out anyway by changing channel 1 effect send level to be based on the gain control as opposed to the master volume control like channels 2 and 3. I'm not sending my back for the free repair because I think this makes the lucky people who bought the first batch even more unique and like I said it's not a real problem and only happens with delay. The only thing I wish for in this amp is that the foot controller had two more switches one for the effects loop and one for the shred mode which can be remedied by using a MIDI foot controller instead of the foot switch that comes with the amp. Note: you can't use a Midi foot controller and the foot switch at the same time.

THANK YOU MESA BOOGIE and John Petrucci for bringing us a no compromise modern day IIC!

I just received my JP-2C head today. After 10 minutes of playing, I've concluded it is THE best Mesa I've ever owned. I just parted ways with my trusty 90-watt Mark V and Transatlantic TA-15 to help purchase this. The cleans (Channel 1) are sparkling and sound awesome with the internal spring reverb. Channels 2 & 3 are very flexible and do the hard rock / metal tone easily. With the assignable EQs, you can create scooped mids on one channel and great lead sounds on the other. It's going to take some time to learn all the possibilities in tone with this head (lots of knobs and new pull-out options). Check out the Sweetwater video for sounds with the knobs at twelve o'clock. For starters, I copied the John Petrucci settings from his YouTube video on the JP-2C. Through my old Splawn 2x12 cabinet with small block speakers, channel 2 was spot on high-gain razor tone (Metallica). With the Petrucci settings, channel 2 is uniquely different and even sweeter than my old Mark V. I couldn't be happier. Thank you JP and Mesa for resurrecting and improving upon a fantastic amp. My next purchase is the Mesa 2x12 slant cabinet.

I have used many heads through the decades but none can match this one. Pristine, shimmering and pure tones on Channel 1. Channel 2 brings it with get down, rockin' tone which one can dial up to just outright bad to the bone overdrive with tone selection adjustable infinitum. Channel 3 is my lead channel that cuts like a knife through the mix. Of course my settings in Channels 2&3 are different (my formula is mine alone) but the point is that for me, this amp does it all. Matched with my new MB 4X12 STD V30 Slant Rectifier cab. AMAZING AND JAW DROPPING SOUND! Thank you Gahrett Kidd and Sweetwater for all your help.

It's hard to review a Mark series amp in a blurb but here it goes in no particular order. This amp is amazing, but it's complicated, and it may not be for everyone. If you're thinking about this amp then you probably know all the back story etc. so I'll spare you and just share some things that I learned after owning. Before I even start, RTFM. This is required for Boogies. First, the volume knobs are very linear from kids in bed quiet to blow your walls off loud. Very rare with an amp over oh about 20 watts. Do yourself a favor & play it through a traditional Rectifier cabinet w/ V30s with the volume over at least 11:00. Second, the mid knobs in the tone stack for channels 2 & 3 don't really control mids. They do kind of control where you sit in the mix. So they are useful, but it leaves a little latitude on the table not having stack mid control. It's kind of like how all the push/pull from the IIC+ are permanently set in this amp- it's JP's idea of the perfect re-creation. You may or may not take issue with that, or you could just suck it up & play a killer amp & use it for what it is. You didn't think you needed 3 channels & 2 GEQs till you have them! So versatile. Next the headphone out is very quiet, wish it was louder. Shred mode adds a lot of hair, but it's awesome for a different style, so you have to re-EQ when you toggle. Being pentode & "not Simul-Class" the amp has a lot of sag & organic feel compared to say for example my Simul-Class triode Mark III, which has a very high degree of attack. Now to be clear the amp is extremely tight, and very forward, yet it has sag as opposed to attack. Think 3-D here. Personally I think if it were Simul-Class it'd be God's gift but my initials aren't JP! This is the first amp I've used where it has so much gain on tap that my boosts are actually useless. To contrast I think they're required for Rectos. To sum up, I would take this over a Mark IV or V any day, but I would want to also have a Mark III in the stable to cover some bases. Now quit reading & buy one!

First thing is first: the build quality is superb as we would expect from a Mesa product but I had the chance to try this amp out a few days ago, put it through its paces and I was not impressed at all. It doesn't even come close to the sounds on the demos. It functions as a mark amp but the gain is not useable without a gate pedal. I am not a fan of gates. I had the same problem with this amp as I did with the mark 5:25 and 5:35. It squeals out of control when the gain isn't even pushed to the max making it sound bad. The clean was good and channel 2 was more useable than channel 3. The shred control added way too much hiss and squeal. This does not live up to the original Mark iic+ or the mark IV. I still prefer the 90 watt Mark V over this. Maybe I played a bad one? Who knows. If Mesa wants to send me a new one to test, I'll be more than happy. Until then, I wouldn't waste my time with this.

The clean channel is pristine, channels 2 and 3 are not for me. I will sell it to buy a Friedman

When this amp was announced I was so excited for it and had to have one. I ordered a custom build through Sweetwater around May and received my amp in August. The end result is extremely disappointing and frustrating.

The amp looks and sounds like I expected. However, when put to the ultimate test in gigging and how I would use it in a live situation, it failed miserably.

The issue is with the effects loop. I use delay and only delay in the effects loop, and my problem is whenever I am in channel 2 and 3 using delay and switch over to channel 1 for a clean tone, the delay and volume bleed over into channel 1. It is not a clean switch. Instead, what I'm getting is a distorted delay switch into the clean channel with volume boost.

I was fully aware of an effects loop issue the amps were having that Mesa apparently fixed, and my amp also came with a document stating the issue with the loop has been fixed, but this does not seem normal at all. I've owned several Mesa amps including the Mark IV, V, and V mini, and never experienced this issue. I can't even imagine Petrucci playing Dream Theater songs with distorted repetitions sounding during clean sections. Completely intolerable!

I've contacted my Sweetwater rep and heard from a tech once and never again. My Sweetwater rep seems to be supportive, however it seems evident to me Sweetwater is taking this as a Mesa issue.

Finally, after speaking with Mesa and sending them a couple of videos of the issue, they claim it is normal. I just can't believe it. If anything it is completely everything but normal. In the end, the amp was a let down if this is indeed normal.