Jp2c or mark VII?

GJgo said:
Here's my take.

Playing in a band? JP2C.

Playing in the house? Mark VII.

Whatever you choose, don't ever A/B it with a Mark II, III or IV.
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I think what you really meant to say was get neither and go with a mark II, III or IV instead. While we're at it we shouldn't compare tropicana or from concentrate to fresh squeezed oj or really any lesser products to better products
 
That would be my choice, but I know that different guys have different gear needs. Some guys for example really prefer new amps, and that's cool. I like Mesa & want them to stay in business so they need to sell new amps! Some guys really prefer the more modern compressed thing, and that's cool too- V and newer it is. Since the OP wanted to compare those two specific choices I thought it better to answer the question rather than throwing rocks in the pool. That being said..

If I needed a Mark for general gigging, I could be happy with a loop modded IIB, III, IV or JP2C.

If I needed a Mark for recording, I could be happy with a IIC+ or IV.

If I needed a Mark for home play, I could be happy with any of them except the 90w V.

The VII does have a lot of really great things about it, and a couple things that for me personally were deal breakers- but, these are things that if you weren't A/Bing with the OGs at high volume you would never know & could be totally happy. Or, maybe your needs are different & what I experienced wouldn't matter to you. There are hairs to split of course, and YMMV.
 
Had Two JP’s, then one of each, then two VIi’s. Thought the JP was super cool but only because I was told it’s the closest to a CII. Never had a CII so took everyone at their word. Whatever it was, the VIi was so much tighter and raw. I didn’t care if it was the best CII imitator or not. All I know is it is pretty killer. As someone said, the CII and IV modes are where it’s at but I like the IV mode more. As far as shred feature on the JP, it was needed to kick it in to gear at lower volumes but was so noisy and uncontrollable it was very difficult to love. And yes, the flexibility of the different modes of which are all functional is far more useful than having dual eq’s. Loving mine to death after about six months so far.
 
I’ve owned both and I ended up keeping the JP2C. The low end was more robust and the notes had more clarity. I actually really enjoyed my time with the MK VII. Problem was it sounded way too much like a modeler. I hate to say “fake” like how I feel about ENGLs but something was off.

Also, while the low end was improved on the VII over the V, it still didn’t punch like we often like to describe. Very hard to describe accurately because again, it has a much improved lowend on all the high gain modes. MKVII mode is super fun when you learn how to dial it in. At first play, it was super fuzzy and undefined.

Overall, I would say for pure tone, JP. For live use and versatility, MKVII all day. As long as you’re having fun and inspired to play, don’t go bonkers over the nuances NOBODY else cares about other than yourself. It’s stupid, silly and expensive. If you can afford being a snob to such nuances, I say knock yourself out! Totally worth it hahaha
 
I did like my VII a lot. Never tried the JP2C though. The vintage ones does seem to have a bit more direct punchy sounds to me
 
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