JP2C vs. Archon

elvis

Hamfisted String Banger
Joined
Feb 29, 2016
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San Francisco Bay Area, CA
Tried a JP2C today. It is actually a VERY nice sounding amp. Much better than the V IMO. I think they nailed it.

In the end, I found myself twiddling all the controls to try to get it to sound like my Archon. I think I got it pretty close, and If I had them side-by-side it might even get there. Of course you have to turn a lot of knobs and push around EQ sliders to get anywhere with the thing.

Not a bad price for a 3-channel amp. But I'm getting used to using only 2 with the Archon, and not using pedals much, and it is more and more the right thing for me. The one place I am using a pedal is to get a light bluesy OD using an OD808.

Funny that my ideal tone for the 2C would be what I get right out of the box with the Archon. I don't think the V could get there, I think the 2C could, though I wonder how to get that really sweet high-end.

The 2C feels really heavy, but it si listed as 40lbs vs. 43lbs for the Archon. Weird.
 
I have seen the vids on it also, and the new H&K Tubemeister 20 which is a killer sounding amp.
But I am hopeful PRS will do the right thing :D and release an Archon 20 watt head, then I too will join the ranks of Archon owners.
I would run it through a Rec slant 1x12 cab or 2x12 perhaps.
I have an Avatar 2x12 with V30s, but that cab is HUGE.
 
Yeah,I went to a showroom thing earlier this week, it's ridiculously flexible, like a higher quality version of a Blackstar. I'm tempted to get one just for the clean channel, and the occasional forays into dirtier territories. The two EQs plus the shred switch increase the flexibility...it's obviously targeted at proggers and others seeking that kind of tonal variety. I imagine someone like Lindsey Buckingham would crave that kind of ability out of one amp.
 
I imagine someone like Lindsey Buckingham would crave that kind of ability out of one amp.

He's a Tremoverb guy for electric guitars; that's Mesa's best all-time classic rock/blues amp IMHO; I had one as my #1 studio amp for over a decade. I can't see him pursuing a heavier tone amp like the JP-2C. I suppose one never knows until one sees, but the closest things Mesa currently offers to the vibe of the T-verb are the Roadster and Lone Star.
 
Yeah, I don't see him using the shred/metal section in their intended usage, but the clean and dirty section and all the EQs...but he's creative enough that he'd find a way to fuzz out in his own inimitable way. At least, that's my view on his abilities, not speaking for him or anything.

Maybe Steve Howe or Mike Oldfield would be a better example? I mean, think about something like Mike Oldfield's Hergest Ridge, where most everything is clean and overdrive, except that one section where it sounds like a thousand metalheads headbanging...

Yeah, proggers. Gotta love 'em.
 
I'm more of a moderate gain amp guy, but in fact, I think so highly of the Archon that I kinda wish I needed one! Same could be said of this JP amp, but both would be wasted on me despite their droolsome qualities,

Though my experience with PRS amps has been so overwhelmingly positive that I'd pick the Archon over the JP amp.

I've said several times that I wish I'd picked the PRS Custom 50 over the Lone Star, too. And that's not dissing the Lone Star, which is a heckuva nice amp, simply a testament to what I see as PRS' designs being more in accord with what I want to hear.

But the same thing gradually happened to me with guitars; I started out with an assortment of brands snd gradually went all-PRS by about 2004 (?) or so. I think I simply share Paul Smith's taste in tones, found what works for me, and that's been my story ever since.
 
Elvis, I've never said this to you before, but I'm still surprised at how little you like the Mark V. I demo'd one twice and loved it. I just got one and love it even more. I know there is a crap ton of switches and knobs, but it didn't take my any time at all to figure out how and when to use what. I love it.

Still want an Archon though.
 
I'm more of a moderate gain amp guy, but in fact, I think so highly of the Archon that I kinda wish I needed one! Same could be said of this JP amp, but both would be wasted on me despite their droolsome qualities,

Though my experience with PRS amps has been so overwhelmingly positive that I'd pick the Archon over the JP amp.

I've said several times that I wish I'd picked the PRS Custom 50 over the Lone Star, too. And that's not dissing the Lone Star, which is a heckuva nice amp, simply a testament to what I see as PRS' designs being more in accord with what I want to hear.

But the same thing gradually happened to me with guitars; I started out with an assortment of brands snd gradually went all-PRS by about 2004 (?) or so. I think I simply share Paul Smith's taste in tones, found what works for me, and that's been my story ever since.
Yup, no, I understand. I was actually thinking that you'd probably do better with the Lone Star (of their current lineup), but I do also realize that your and PRS/Sewell's thinking are more in alignment. (Me, personally, I'm all over the place -- I'm in a clean mode right now, but I will definitely be investigating more gainy tones eventually). I don't really think they're going after the same market with that crazy EQ section and three channels plus the shred switch. He even spoke to it -- it's not just proggers that will want one of these, but gigging musicians who need a tool that'll cover many many bases. This type of person may have to do a wedding one day and pub covers the next and a metal gig the following. I don't even think you'd like the clean channel -- it didn't break up at all.

I'm also not entirely sold on it myself -- it's fixed bias, so I can't tuberoll. And I'd have no idea what to do with the shred switch.
 
I can't see him pursuing a heavier tone amp like the JP-2C.
That's the unfortunate stigma surrounding the Mark series. I played in '50s/'60s rock bands, country, prog, classic, etc. all with the same amp. You have to be creative with the tone knobs (and leverage that 5-bandEQ) but it has been a Swiss Army knife amp.

It's also my opinion that the Archon is facing the same mindset. Yes, it can be heavy, but if you're open minded, creative and not afraid to change cabs/speakers, you could probably make it do anything.
 
That's the unfortunate stigma surrounding the Mark series. I played in '50s/'60s rock bands, country, prog, classic, etc. all with the same amp. You have to be creative with the tone knobs (and leverage that 5-bandEQ) but it has been a Swiss Army knife amp.

It's also my opinion that the Archon is facing the same mindset. Yes, it can be heavy, but if you're open minded, creative and not afraid to change cabs/speakers, you could probably make it do anything.

Well, I don't disagree - having owned (and really liked) a Mark V, Tremoverb, Maverick, Blue Angel, Lone Star, Subway Rocket, and Stiletto - that you can dial in all kinds of tones with a Mesa, and same is true of the Archon. But while what you're saying is true, it's also only part of the story.

A Swiss Amy Knife is a useful tool, but you might want to eat your meals with a regular knife and fork, for example, or use a standard hammer to pound a nail, or a power drill to make a hole instead of the awl that comes on the knife. So you can certainly get by with the Swiss Army Knife for these tasks, but it might not be ideal for any of them.

The details tend to make all the difference in the world.

There are subtleties of tone color that certain amps possess that other amps don't, and if you're playing through an amp designed to get the tone colors you're most interested in to start with, it makes achieving those sounds a simpler matter, and you often have a wider range of more subtle adjustments within that overall tone, as opposed to a more coarse approximation of "close enough.".

And in many cases you simply can't get to the sound of one amp from another; my Lone Star simply can't be dialed in to sound like my HXDA, for example, and vice-versa. I can get similar kinds of tones in general terms, but they're still different enough that one would never be mistaken for the other.

This is not a bad thing; it's a fun thing to have different amps on tap as we would both agree! If your Mark could do exactly what your Super Dallas does, and vice-versa, you might not need both.
 
You'll get no argument from me on this topic. Because, try as I may, my band mates tell me to take the Boogie home...it doesn't fit "our music" like the Super Dallas. And we're talking some pretty progressive rock. Even non-guitarists can easily tell the PRS difference.
 
Elvis, I've never said this to you before, but I'm still surprised at how little you like the Mark V. I demo'd one twice and loved it. I just got one and love it even more. I know there is a crap ton of switches and knobs, but it didn't take my any time at all to figure out how and when to use what. I love it.

Still want an Archon though.

I actually loved the V:25, but it couldn't push the low-end at higher volume. I got a full-V and found it too hard to control the vicious mids, and I never got the aggression that I get with the Archon. Also, the Archon is really sweet at the top-end. The V was ice-pick city. The JP2C seems to have a better voice in those respects. And it may seem like no big deal to twiddle knobs and switches once you get the hang of it, I really hate having to do it. I got to be really good with the V:25, and I can still dial it in any time I walk into a store. But why go through that? I only want one tone, just the best one. Not the ability to have lots of tones I'm not thrilled with. I think that you can't really make a Swiss Army Knife. YOu can add a lot of filtering and whatnot, but an amp is voiced the way it is voiced. It either gets there for you or it doesn't. Adding lots of extra knobs to a Marshall won't get you a Mark. And vice-versa. So I dumped the V. It actually sounded HORRIBLE through a recto 4x12 with my band. The Archon though my recto 2x12 is just magic.
 
To be clear, I don't think the V is a terrible amp. It just didn't work for me.

It honestly worked well for me, but I discovered that because I like to live in that "transition area" between clean and dirt, where you control the transition from clean to gain with your pick, going back to a single channel amp makes my playing more expressive.

So the HXDA was like going back in time for me. Not a bad thing to be rediscovering feeling 18 again... ;)
 
It honestly worked well for me, but I discovered that because I like to live in that "transition area" between clean and dirt, where you control the transition from clean to gain with your pick, going back to a single channel amp makes my playing more expressive.

So the HXDA was like going back in time for me. Not a bad thing to be rediscovering feeling 18 again... ;)

So it's you I bump up against in that "transition" zone eh?

I had the same experiences with the MKV - and was a long time Mesa fan. Have moved on to new pastures now, with different tools that sit more comfortably in that transition zone. Still trying to get my hands on a 2 CH Custom here in the UK, but no one stocks them. Contacted PRS Europe recently for clarification, so will hopefully be part of the PRS amp family soon :D
 
Just added the LE JP-2C to the Boogie farm this week. Awesome amp for sure. Played my '12 P-22 with a nice channel one clean setting, via the Mag/Pie and just wow! Clear and crisp clean tone with a superior crunch or gain channel to jump to. Will post up pics once the custom oxblood 2 X 12 cab arrives.
 
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