Mesa Engineering

2
3
first play
27
summer 2016 Guitarist
MESA ENGINEERING JP-2C HEAD
1. The JP-2C’s distinctive
control panel features
three channels, each
with controls for gain,
master, bass, mid, treble
and presence, and an
EQ assign toggle
2. The new Shred mode
can be selected on
Channel 2, or 2 and
3, as well as being
MIDI controlled
3. John Petrucci’s JP-2C
signature celebrates
his long-time allegiance
to the Mark IIC+ amp
On the rear panel there are separate
reverb level controls for each channel;
speaker, headphone and slave outputs; a
pair of send/return jacks for the JP-2C’s
effects loop; and Mesa’s excellent CabClone
speaker-emulated DI output, complete
with balanced XLR jack. Just after this are
the connectors that make the JP-2C even
more versatile – MIDI In and MIDI Out/
Thru, together with a toggle switch to store
patches and a rotary indexer to assign the
JP-2C its MIDI channel. Finally, you’ll see
a large toggle that selects either 60 watts
output or the full 100 watts.
Feel & Sounds
The JP-2C powers on quietly and smoothly,
with practically no hum and just a little hiss.
The clean channel’s
sweet treble and
huge headroom are
the perfect foil for
aggressive and fast-
attacking crunch
from Channel 2
While the channels lose some of the Mark
V’s multi-mode functionality, there’s no loss
of tone. The clean channel’s sweet treble
and huge headroom are the perfect foil for
aggressive and fast-attacking crunch from
Channel 2, as well as the legendary Mark
IIC+ lead sound from the supercharged
Channel 3. It’s a multi-layered distortion
that’s fat, warm and smooth, but with a
vicious edge when you dig in hard. This
can be accented using the pull gain and
presence controls, and the Shred switch
adds another layer of smouldering
harmonic intensity. The reverb is typical
Mesa, with a quality that rivals some studio
outboards, and the JP-2C’s massive power
supply translates into effortless volume
that soars above lesser amps.
GIT410.rev_mesa.indd 27 7/6/16 7:31 PM