“A wolf in sheep’s clothing”: Mesa/Boogie and John Petrucci celebrate 40 years of partnership with “the most aggressive” and modern Mark IIC+ ever made

2024 marks the 40th anniversary of Mesa/Boogie and John Petrucci’s professional partnership, and to celebrate, the two have unveiled the JP-2C 1x12 combo.

Though it might look rather unassuming (save Petrucci’s signature embossed on a metal plate attached to the bottom of the guitar amp’s grille cloth) this particular Mesa/Boogie invention was crafted by legendary amp designer Randall Smith for a specific purpose.

Namely, it was crafted to provide “the most aggressive, purest sounding IIC+ in a versatile package that delivers the goods to meet John’s recording and stage needs”.

The Mesa/Boogie IIC+ is a pretty historic amplifier, and has been used throughout the decades to help craft rock and metal’s holy grail tones. James Hetfield, Steve Lukather and Prince can all be counted as fans.

So, an updated version that looks to improve upon that already rock-solid foundation – and that has Petrucci’s personal seal of approval – looks very enticing indeed.

The JP-2C 1x12 follows Petrucci’s JP-2C amp head, and as such also looks to package the latter’s feature set into a conveniently sized, but appropriately loud, combo that simultaneously aims to take the IIC+ design to new heights.

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On paper, that means lashings of headroom, plenty of parameters to fine-tune tone, suitable JP-style tweaks, and a faithful homage to the legendary 100-watt IIC+’s sounds are the order of business.

Rather than having multiple voices per channel, the JP-2C instead dedicates each of its three channels to one of two voices from the original IIC+. The first channel, for example, is for cleans, and is optimized to provide the highest headroom possible.

The second offers the crunch of the original Mark IIC+ circuit by replicating the amp’s lead circuit in its original state, while the third is all about “high gain sustain and explosive attack”.

These latter two channels also offer an additional Shred mode, which bolsters the lead circuit of the source material to make good on that ‘most aggressive IIC+ ever made’ claim.

There are also modified pull pots on the Gain and Presence controls, which further updates the IIC+ blueprint. Now, the pull functions have been optimized based on the opinions of “savvy MARK IIC+ aficionados, artists, and the MESA Design Team”.

The tweak comes from Mesa/Boogie’s desire to strip things down to “the bare essentials”, deciding instead to focus solely on delivering the desired tone in the simplest and most intuitive ways possible.

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Other updates include the presence of Mesa/Boogie’s modern-minded CabClone DI cab simulator and recording interface; a footswitchable, channel independent reverb function; and= FX loop; and two five-band graphic EQs.

It’s also MIDI programmable to change EQ settings, for example, and retains the original's usability with the classic 100W/60W mode switch.

So, it looks to be very much a modern reimagining of the cult classic Mark IIC+, and that was something Petrucci was especially keen to achieve.

“The goal was to build an amp that covers everything while honoring the heritage of its iconic Mark IIC+ predecessor,” Trooch says of the design.

“It offers three channels of authentic Mark IIC+ tones and also includes updated features like Dual Graphic EQs, MIDI, and a CabClone Direct Out that make it the ultimate amplifier for today’s guitarists in any situation.

“The new JP-2C 1x12 Combo incorporates all the features of my JP~2C Head into the classic 1x12 Boogie Combo format. They’re great for gigging because they’re versatile, loud, and powerful.”

The JP-2C will be available in limited numbers for $4,299 apiece.

Head over to Mesa/Boogie to find out more.