yeah they are extremely thin and harsh compared to the impulses IMO, if I A/B them with the same settings the emulated output sounds like a low-fi radio If I change settings I can get pretty close; but again, the impulses work a lot better and sound a lot bigger IMO
I bought it for only 200 euros second hand.. I could recommend the Soldano SP-77 as well which can be found for 350 euros second hand online.
I'm not sure if I'd use it for any professional recordings though; you're better off with a head and a cab anyway, but since I record my own stuff at home and reamp it later.. the JMP is a nice tool to use!
on the other hand; if even I can make it sound proper; there's lots of possibility for improvement since I'm nowhere nearly as talented as most of you are in terms of mixing and recording
I saw Scar Symmetry live in Madrid (7 december) and Per used a JMP1 with a Mesa 50/50 to a Marshall Cab. His sound was awesome, very different from the albums.
So yes, JMP1 can sound great