Mesa Boogie JP-2C vs Friedman "Butterslax" (YT Find)

[slash57]

Reza, could you just for once be less condescending? Thanks.
FWIW, I think both sound really cool. Thanks for the link.

 

[Faded Abyss]

decent heaphones? whats the frequency response? LOL.
Its a youtube clip. take it from someone that always uploads high quality audio to youtube.
Youtube CRUSHES your audio quality...
It ALWAYS sounds better in the room. I have played both and they are both fine amps. But IN REAL LIFE. the Friedman has a depth and width the JP just doesnt have. Thats my 2 cents.

Audio Technica ATH-M50x

frequency response is 15 Hz - 28k. Im not into those kinds of specs though because that seems insanely unrealistic. I just consider those headphones an industy standard which is why i bought them. they isolate well too, but have an unrealistic bass emphasis as part of the design. I would like to get open back monitor headphones some day.

As far as youtube crushing the audio quality, that may be true. I dont know much on that subject. I dont think its worse than Itunes, Pandora, Spotify etc. might be different though. I think alot of it depends on how you limit/process the mastering chain

ACTUAL monitors: Yamaha HS8's in an untreated room

 

[messenger]

I liked Channel 2 on the Friedman better and Channel 3 of the Mesa. Both cleans are cool (but different) so tie for me.

 

[1meanplexi]

that was fantastic. I have to go with the Butterslax though. I thought the mesa sounded boxy and congested comparatively.

This^^^^. And coming from a guy that you would have to peel my MKIV out of my dying hands.

 

[mniel8195]

I liked both a allot. The reality is that can you live with just one amp and be happy with the tone? At this level of quality i think its justified to have both sounds and not just one over the other. Its not like we are comparing a 5150 to a 5150 II.

 

[Racerxrated]

i can't believe not one of you fucker's gave that guy any props for his playing
dude is killing it

He's a great player. But this is Rig-Talk....everyone here is an expert and a virtuoso.

Hey man you know... Everyone's opinion is the right one. We're all listening to each other with our arms crossed thinking about how much better we would have done it.

Kinda like the days when you go to a club, and watch the band playing..then say "pfft....we do that song better...." Lol.

 

[Fox77]

that was fantastic. I have to go with the Butterslax though. I thought the mesa sounded boxy and congested comparatively.

I also preferred the Butterslax and I am glad that the video showed that it can actually do real cleans. Maybe that was not shown in the official Friedman video because Mastodon rarely play real cleans

@Reza: since you already played it: did you also play the JJ and could you tell me what the difference is between the JBE and the 2nd/3rd channels on the Butterslax? There seem to be not so many people who had a chance to play the Butterslax yet. Any ifnor you might have would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[Hey_bert_whtcha_doin_bert]

Sooooo... The same amp in this thread has been called boxy by some people and open by others? Hahaha! I think if you want the real skinny on an amp you either have to take a leap of faith and buy it or find a way to hear it yourself in person. People obviously either a) hear things differently b) tone deaf c) have lost hearing from years of high decibel auditory rape. I liked them both and think I could dial a good sound on either.

 

[maddnotez]

TLDR; Obviously tone is in the dangly price tag on the guitar.

I would have to choose the Mesa based from this clip.

If by boxy you mean the tone sounds like it is trapped in a box and really wants to come out to spread its wings then yes I agree it sounded boxy but the Friedman sounded like complete shit to me in this video. Fuzzy and not very defined. The Mesa just sounded better to me. Maybe a bit darker but much tighter and defined. I play metal so preferences I suppose......

The playing was great but I do think he could have spent a little more time getting better sounds from these amps. I do not think this video did either amp justice but in a blind taste test from this video alone I would get the Mesa.

The clean channel on the Friedman sounded better than the Mesa to me but not by much and that would not be worth the trade off. Anyway, I have never played the Friedman but I feel for certain that amp can sound way better than this video portrays.

 

[RockyStar]

The guy playing did a great job. Both amps sounded nice to me. In this particular video, I liked the Mesa more overall throughout the entire video but not by much. I will say the Friedman could have sounded better and I have seen other vids where I felt it did. Again, both great amps. Bang for the buck, Mesa hands down. If you have the cash, get both...lol.

 

[errrrrl]

Butterslax sounded pretty damn good to me. But for the price hard to beat the Mesa

 

[SpiderWars]

I liked the Butterslax better in this clip. Going into it I expected to like the Mesa more but I just preferred the tonality (overall shape of lows/mids/highs) of the Butterslax. Dude rips.

 

[mniel8195]

Not knocking the jp because its a cool amp but i hear allot of hate of the Friedman compression or soft mids thing or even the polish. There is a tonal quality and feel in the Friedman line that is very different then most of the amps on the market. When you think about these high gain amps there just is not a huge difference in there voices. One buys a Friedman for the reasons i have listed above.

 

[skoora]

It just seems to me modern voiced gain really lacks in attack and articulation. There's a always a softness in saturation at the leading edge of the note that I can't gell with for a lot of my playing. Every now and then I do like a slightly swampy attack like with old Fenders and I dug it in the Butterslax vid that Kelliher did. In the style of the OP's vid, CH 3 on the Butterslax was a mess but I liked it's CH 2 much better than the Mesa equivalent. Neither amp blew my skirt up in that vid.

 

[stompboxfreak72]

I like the JP2C solely bc I have one arriving on Tuesday......

 

[Ventura]

Clips suck in general, but it's for the most part all we have usually... Right?

First off, jesus h. that sumbitch just ripped that tag-dangling Anderson a new arhoolie with his chops!!
(not something you'd expect to see every day...I was watching and listening going "half-speed, HALF-SPEED PLEASE!!!!!.... daaaayuuum!!)

Onto the amps. From the "clips" aspect which I don't like critiquing on - whatsoever - I'll say this:
- both amps sound great
- the JP2 seemed to focus slightly more on the higher mids
- the Butterslax seemed to focus more on the lower-to-mid mids
- I'd not be displeased with either amp, but so hard to say without being in the room

I've just acquired a JJ100 and the touch-sensitivity and feedback and playability is second to almost none. This immediately prompted me to pull the trigger on a Butterslax. I'm not biased in saying the Mesa this or the Friedman that - but having the amp in front of you makes the decision for real.

Video clip alone - I'd be happy with either amp. If I got the JP2? I'd knock the presence down a touch and get rid of that hissing fizz I noticed up top (could just be the clip/mic/truncation). If I got the BS? I'd knock the presence up a touch and leave well enough alone after that.

Both sounded great - I like the slightly darker nature of the BS though. I'm into weird mids.

 

[oldmtlhed]

No comparison. The boogie is $1,400 less and has more channels and options. You can get the JP2C, a Boogie 4x12 and still have $400 left over. Let that sink in for a moment.

Now you sound like ME!

That is exactly the same thing I would say!

 

[oldmtlhed]

First off, jesus h. that sumbitch just ripped that tag-dangling Anderson a new gooty-hole with his chops!!

No shit, huh.
I was thinking, "DAYUM! That must be a magic baseball cap he is wearing!"
Gotta watch them nerdy-looking dudes. They rip.

As for the amps.... it would have been nice to toss a BE100 in the mix.
Because honestly, I dig the high-gain stuff from the BE100. So much you can do with it.
It's like the perfect starting-point to dial-in your killer metal tones.

They say the magic is in the mid-range. I won't argue that!

 

[JerEvil]

Both sounded good. Slax could have used a bit more high's and the Mesa seemed to lack any girth. Not a great shootout IMHO but cool to hear two amps that I'd consider to be polar opposites side by side. I am very interested in the JP2C for sure.

 

[thiswaythatway]

A year later and the Mesa still sounds better and is that much cheaper regardless of what any banned super douche said.