Mesa Boogie Mark JP2C | John Petrucci Signature Head

Ladies and gentlemen, we are extremely excited to announce the re-introduction of Mesa Boogie amplifiers into the United Kingdom! Originally founded back in 1971, Mesa Boogie quickly established themselves as a real force to be reckoned with in the tube amp game. Under the careful guidance of legendary amp builder Randall Smith, Mesa Boogie would go on to drastically alter the world of music and quickly became the original "boutique" amplifier brand. When players like Carlos Santana, James Hetfield, John Petrucci and Dave Grohl choose your amps, you know you must be doing something right! Back in 2021, our friends over at Gibson acquired the Mesa Boogie brand and promised to take their iconic designs to new heights. Headed up by Master Designer Randall Smith, this new era of Mesa Boogie promises incredible tone and unprecedented reliability.

After 30+ years dedicated to playing MESA amps, no one is as deserving of a permanent signature amp in their catalogue than the one-and-only John Petrucci. Across Dream Theater, his solo ventures, and collaborations, Petrucci has taken such amps as the Mark IIC+, Duel Rec, TriAxis, Mark IV, and Mark V through their paces - both in the studio, recording iconic albums, and on tour, playing to countless dedicated fans worldwide.

This JP2C is built off of the extremely coveted Mark IIC+ amp but with a few added features that make it truly John's. This amp features 3 channels but, unlike other Mark amps, it does away with the different modes in each channel. Instead it features a single Clean channel, Rhythm channel, and Lead channel. Each come with controls for Gain, Master volume, Presence, Treble, Mid, Bass, and a switch to assign either Graphic EQ 1 or 2 to the channel - or make the Graphic EQ footswitch assignable. Furthermore, each channel has an individual Reverb control on the back of the amp to add a blend of the rich all-tube spring reverb to you sound.

Being 100/60 Watts, the Clean channel has a whole lot of headroom to work with and as such, won't start to clip until much higher volumes. It also features the Mid/Boost dial found on newer Mark amps but even with the boost, it stays squeaky clean - causing it to act instead as a mid control with extended range. On to channel 2 and 3 and you have a LOT of gain on tap - including Gain and Presence controls that can be pulled out to increase the internally set 'Volume 1' and to increase the adjustable frequency to a more traditional value respectively. Channel 2 is based off of the original IIC+'s Lead channel but makes it perfect for John's heavy aggressive rhythm playing. Finally, Channel 3's character is a little warmer, fatter, and compressed thanks to its 100-watt Class A/B power section (compared to the 90-watt Simul-Class).

Also found next to the dual 5-Band Graphic EQs are 4 mini toggle switches for Reverb, Effects Loop, and Channel Select as well as one for the SHRED feature. Here you can set it to either be off, only affect channel 2, or affect both gain channels. SHRED introduces a new voicing feature to its high gain Channels, enhancing harmonic layering. Ideal for Crunch Rhythm sounds, it injects aggression and harmonic richness, expanding the versatility of the JP-2C amplifier.

Finishing touches of the include the 100/60 Watt toggle to choose whether to run dual or quad 6L6 power tubes for lower volume and more tube saturation, CabClone D.I. for recording or silent practice via the Speaker Mute and Headphone Out, a Slave input to power the preamp of another amp, and full MIDI and footswitching capabilities.