NAD - Mark VII

stratjacket

stratjacket

Well-known member
Bought this a couple weeks ago brand new off Reverb. It was already on sale and I watched it, received an even better offer from the shop after I watched it. Cheaper than any used prices I could find. So I got my first Mesa Mark series, ever. Technically I have the IICP Synergy Module, but this is my first Mark series amp. Actually it's my first Mesa ever...weird.

Anyway, I moved a couple months ago and I've been putting shit back together. So I just got it is a place where I could play it with a full setup last night. FUCKING A, awesome amp. I've read all the comparisons and threads to older Marks, that's cool, but this thing is awesome. Every channel is useable and there's 9 of them !!

I've taken the liberty to place it right on my desk so I can play and spend time learning and adjusting.

IMG_1302.jpeg
 
How do you like the VII mode compared to IIC/IV?

Seems like the older modes alone make it worth getting but haven't heard much about VII except the marketing slogan of "Mark+Recto".
 
ners said:
How do you like the VII mode compared to IIC/IV?

Seems like the older modes alone make it worth getting but haven't heard much about VII except the marketing slogan of "Mark+Recto".
Click to expand...
I'm no Mark expert like many on here, so take that into consideration. But setting the channels up identically, the IIC/IV have more bite, more edge. The VII is fuller sounding, still packs an edge, but not as sharp edged sounding. The VII is definitely a different flavor of the same thing though. With the VII, I can use the bass knob and turn it up and it works. It's kind of like the inverse of a Tight knob on the Savage pedal (and some others) where when the bass down, there is more bite, but turning it up keeps the edge but adds some low end while keeping the bite, no mud though. Bass about noon, Mids at 10:00, Treble cranked feels pretty good. This is my impressive after about a few hours though, so just initial gut reaction/feeling.
 
Congrats!

I owned a few Mesa cabs in the past, and I still have a TriAxis somewhere, if I can find it! That's about it. Other than that, I've always been more of a Marshall / Engl player (edit: and Vox for many years too).

I stumbled upon a great deal last November on a Mesa JP-2C rack amp.

I'd been enjoying the Neural DSP Mesa IIC+/++ Suite and Archetype Petrucci for a few months, and started looking at real JP-2C for sale.

Found a new rack model with 19% or 20% off + free shipping.

Sounds amazing IMO, running it into a Mesa recto 2x12 compact cab, and recently integrated my HX-FX in 4CM. I created a HXFX patch for each channel, now I need to program the MIDI so the HXFX patch change changes the amp channel.

Mesa-JP2C-Rack.JPG
 
Last edited:
Awesome, congrats of the JP2C. I spent a week checking out everything I could to decide between the JP2C and MK VII. Both look to be amazing. I only went with the Mk VII because of the deal, I was about to buy the JP2C when that happened.
 
stratjacket said:
Awesome, congrats of the JP2C. I spent a week checking out everything I could to decide between the JP2C and MK VII. Both look to be amazing. I only went with the Mk VII because of the deal, I was about to buy the JP2C when that happened.
Click to expand...
I was the same way, Mark VII or JP-2C until I watched an Andertons video interview JP about his gear including the JP-2C. having the three channels and two EQs, and how he used it; just made sense to me, and sold me on the JP-2C.

FWIW, I've always been big on EQ; back in the day my main rig was an ADA MP-1 and ADA MQ-1. The MQ-1 showed me how powerful EQ can be. I eventually replaced both with an MQ-2 which had a post-EQ for each patch. EQ is also one of the reasons I dig my ISP Theta Pro preamp/effects board.
 
Man that's got a lot of toggle switches on it! I counted 14 on the front panel alone. Might want to get a knuckle brace to wear when operating that bad boy. I bet when someone asks you what kind of tones you get out of that thing you can confidently say "all of them". Badass amp. Congrats!
 
I had two JP-2C's, one for each room, and both went out quickly after I got the first VII to try out. To each their own, the JP was cool but the VII is far more flexible thanks to all the channels and kicks serious ass. Particularly the IIC and IV modes. Don't care how they compare to the original, the amp sounds bad ass.
 
It's fun to play...been jamming on it now about 4.5 hours straight...can get a good sound out of every channel. Even the Crunch channel boosted sounds pretty damn cool. This is the sound I've wanted for a long time, I know it's like day 2 with it, but it's a helluva honeymoon, I've shot many loads, she might be pregnant !!
 
rsm said:
I was the same way, Mark VII or JP-2C until I watched an Andertons video interview JP about his gear including the JP-2C. having the three channels and two EQs, and how he used it; just made sense to me, and sold me on the JP-2C.

FWIW, I've always been big on EQ; back in the day my main rig was an ADA MP-1 and ADA MQ-1. The MQ-1 showed me how powerful EQ can be. I eventually replaced both with an MQ-2 which had a post-EQ for each patch. EQ is also one of the reasons I dig my ISP Theta Pro preamp/effects board.
Click to expand...
Yes, saw the same video. It;'s a cool setup and I was set on it for a minute. I bet it's badass.
 
  • Like
Reactions: rsm
VonBonfire said:
Man that's got a lot of toggle switches on it! I counted 14 on the front panel alone. Might want to get a knuckle brace to wear when operating that bad boy. I bet when someone asks you what kind of tones you get out of that thing you can confidently say "all of them". Badass amp. Congrats!
Click to expand...
It's a lot, but they are the same across each channel. One for the 3 modes of the channel, 1 for EQ or not, 1 for 25w/45w/90w. Right side is channel select, FX loop and Reverb. Like most amps, but you can choose per channel instead of the whole amp.
 
Tonelover said:
I had two JP-2C's, one for each room, and both went out quickly after I got the first VII to try out. To each their own, the JP was cool but the VII is far more flexible thanks to all the channels and kicks serious ass. Particularly the IIC and IV modes. Don't care how they compare to the original, the amp sounds bad ass.
Click to expand...
I hear ya, I also don't care how close it is to the original, it sounds damn good.
 
  • Like
Reactions: rsm
stratjacket said:
It's a lot, but they are the same across each channel. One for the 3 modes of the channel, 1 for EQ or not, 1 for 25w/45w/90w. Right side is channel select, FX loop and Reverb. Like most amps, but you can choose per channel instead of the whole amp.
Click to expand...
It's a beast. What cab/speakers are you going to run it rhrough? I hope it serves you well man. Enjoy it loudly, often, and in good health
 
Killer amp, Congrats brother. Go to the mark 7 mode on channel two but crank the Mid's to 100 percent like you would treble on the c+ channel. Adjust the other to taste, Its built differently and you get more of a recto gain type thing out of it that way. This amp has so many cool things.
Love it. Enjoy man

Ohh and if your using a boogie 4x12 double tap the cab with 2x4 ohm instead of 1x8 speaker cable. I really dont know why but the big boogie cabs sound better that way to me. Especially older heads but still with newer ones too.
 
  • Like
Reactions: rsm
Tonelover said:
I had two JP-2C's, one for each room, and both went out quickly after I got the first VII to try out. To each their own, the JP was cool but the VII is far more flexible thanks to all the channels and kicks serious ass. Particularly the IIC and IV modes. Don't care how they compare to the original, the amp sounds bad ass.
Click to expand...
I thought about VII flexibility too, in the end, I can get three channels: clean, rhythm and lead that I really like, with and without effects, I wouldn't need other options I'd never or rarely use not looking for recto or high gain., and having the second EQ sealed the deal for me!
 
rsm said:
I thought about VII flexibility too, in the end, I can get three channels: clean, rhythm and lead that I really like, with and without effects, I wouldn't need other options I'd never or rarely use not looking for recto or high gain., and having the second EQ sealed the deal for me!
Click to expand...
One nag I always had with the JP was that although the cleans were amazing (better than the VII) and the aggression was there in spades, I couldn't get a middle ground out of it. Certainly I'm not great at dialing things in and admittedly am still working to find a good crunch now but at least the base is there to work with. Channels 2 and 3 were just too similar and it seemed repetitive. Also, I really liked the shred feature but it was noisy as hell on both of mine.
 
  • Like
Reactions: rsm
Tonelover said:
One nag I always had with the JP was that although the cleans were amazing (better than the VII) and the aggression was there in spades, I couldn't get a middle ground out of it. Certainly I'm not great at dialing things in and admittedly am still working to find a good crunch now but at least the base is there to work with. Channels 2 and 3 were just too similar and it seemed repetitive. Also, I really liked the shred feature but it was noisy as hell on both of mine.
Click to expand...
In the Andertons interview, JP said channels 2 and 3 are the same, but channel 3 has slightly more gain IIRC.

I'm happy with my rhythm tone, but it's more high gain than crunch....I have Marshall's for crunch, not a tone I was looking for in the JP-2C...more like RTL-era Metallica rhythm tones, I'm close but not close enough...and I don't want to use any dirt pedals in front. You can see my settings in the pic I posted I think, but the pic was the first time I played it after getting it into the rack and just starting to dial it in, so I'm sure the settings have changed.

Also, the shred was designed for drop tunings 7+ strings which I don't use either.

Channel 3 is noisy at my preferred settings, I may need to add a noise gate in front of the amp, the one in the HXFX didn't help but I probably need to try it in different locations.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top