Anyone score a Zzounds 2203x blowout?

[Alpha Stryke]

There aren’t two 2203x models. You might be confused with they use Vietnamese transformers in the UK amp.

yeah all the world famous Marshall amps have used Vietnam parts LOL>

 

[MadAsAHatter]

Even a broken clock is right twice a day

The clock...

 

[The~Kid]

I don't see why this is even an argument.

Are the new marshalls shittier sounding than the old ones? Yes.

Are the new marshalls built shittier than the old ones? Also yes.

But they have some good models, and a bunch of them sound quite good. They are just run by suits who are more concerned with penny-pinching then doing justice to their legendary badge, so yeah "no shit" they aren't as good as the old ones. They still hit the bullseye on accident once in a while. Everyone seems to dig the JVMs. The Yngwie amp was absolutely incredible, I wish they did a larger release of that one. And all the big bottle reissue type amps sound great.

For example, the aforementioned 2203x is excellent, sounds excellent, and is a proven circuit that has appeared on a billion records for a reason. On a site with members as well informed as RT this shouldn't be remotely controversial.

Especially when compared to it's competitors, some people don't want the super compressed, ultra modern sound of a friedman or whatever. They are wildly different things - I honestly don't even understand why someone would say "you don't want that 2203, get yourself a BE100." That makes zero sense they are completely different animals for different sounds.

Good points but I'm on the SIDE of yeah for the money Bad Cat/Friedman just make a better Marshall than Marshall for the same or less.

But thats me, personally the only Marshall I would Buy is something like a Vintage Modern if they still Made it or similar. Just going to be real whenever I have played a JCM800 Ive just come away disappointed...... And hey maybe it's just not for me and hell a lot of people like them and they work for them so yeah.

 

[DanTravis62]

Good points but I'm on the SIDE of yeah for the money Bad Cat/Friedman just make a better Marshall than Marshall for the same or less.

But thats me, personally the only Marshall I would Buy is something like a Vintage Modern if they still Made it or similar. Just going to be real whenever I have played a JCM800 Ive just come away disappointed...... And hey maybe it's just not for me and hell a lot of people like them and they work for them so yeah.

I mean they are different sounds though?

Friedman literally ONLY did variations or riffs on marshall sounds until recently - they weren't direct competitors for the exact tones until they came out with the plex and the jose. Just in the ballpark, doing an "evolution" of the marshall sound in a modern way.

That's like someone saying "hey I think i'm going to buy a Jaguar" and you're like "Why would you buy a Jaguar when you could buy a Tesla bro?" It's kind of nonsensical.

If someone wants a 2203 or JMP type sound, are there other things besides marshall? Sure, you could get like a Granger, a Germino, a Fargen mini plex, an Aiken, something like that - then you would have a fair point, because all those companies are actually trying to do a jmp/2203 type circuit or amp

A badcat or friedman is quite literally a completely different tone

 

[The~Kid]

I mean they are different sounds though?

Friedman literally ONLY did variations or riffs on marshall sounds until recently - they weren't direct competitors for the exact tones until they came out with the plex and the jose. Just in the ballpark, doing an "evolution" of the marshall sound in a modern way.

That's like someone saying "hey I think i'm going to buy a Jaguar" and you're like "Why would you buy a Jaguar when you could buy a Tesla bro?" It's kind of nonsensical.

If someone wants a 2203 or JMP type sound, are there other things besides marshall? Sure, you could get like a Granger, a Germino, a Fargen mini plex, an Aiken, something like that - then you would have a fair point, because all those companies are actually trying to do a jmp/2203 type circuit or amp

A badcat or friedman is quite literally a completely different tone

JEL Friedman.......


Bad Cat Lynx 2206.....



I mean yeah they are different but have a lot of that JCM800 vibe but IMO better and for the same or less money

 

[DanTravis62]

JEL Friedman.......


Bad Cat Lynx 2206.....



I mean yeah they are different but have a lot of that JCM800 vibe but IMO better and for the same or less money

They don't have the vibe, they are quite literally built to be higher gained, more refined and modern versions of that tone

Which is totally cool and its own thing, and has it's place - but it's NOT the same sound, like at all

 

[The~Kid]

They don't have the vibe, they are quite literally built to be higher gained, more refined and modern versions of that tone

Which is totally cool and its own thing, and has it's place - but it's NOT the same sound, like at all

The Lynx 50 has gain Stages in Hi/Lo and offers more friendly tones too.....


A lot of the same vibes but just Built better and sounds better too..... I figure You can also dial back the gain in the JEL-50 as well.

 

[DanTravis62]

The Lynx 50 has gain Stages in Hi/Lo and offers more friendly tones too.....


A lot of the same vibes but just Built better and sounds better too..... I figure You can also dial back the gain in the JEL-50 as well.

That's great that you like them man

they are modern amps with modern sounds that aren't really the same thing as a vintage amp that is a vintage circuit

I like the engl artist better than the 2203x

maybe I should spam the 2203 thread 1000 times that it's way better and a better value

 

[The~Kid]

That's great that you like them man

they are modern amps with modern sounds that aren't really the same thing as a vintage amp that is a vintage circuit

I like the engl artist better than the 2203x

maybe I should spam the 2203 thread 1000 times that it's way better and a better value

Well these amps mentioned are actually based on a JCM800 on some level as their base tone as well as offering some other tones.....

And yeah I wouldnt be surprised if it was a better amp either.

 

[IndyWS6]

@Kid - can you post some clips of your Marshall vs Bad Cat comparisons that support your point?

Bad Cat makes some great amps. No doubt. But Marshall has made great amps for, well, ever. Since the dawn of rock & roll. It has to be one of the most recorded rock tones in history. There are good ones and bad, and it’s easy to argue that these days they are a leveraged company run by suits looking for nothing but profits. Doesn’t mean they don’t have some quality choices.

The JCM800 is iconic. Not sure how you can argue it’s overhyped, or marginally good. I have a Friedman BE-50 Deluxe. It’s a great amp. It’s not a JCM 800 and you can’t really dial it in to be one. It’s a different animal.

Maybe you just have a better ear for tone and the rest of the world is wrong?

 

[The~Kid]

@Kid - can you post some clips of your Marshall vs Bad Cat comparisons that support your point?

Bad Cat makes some great amps. No doubt. But Marshall has made great amps for, well, ever. Since the dawn of rock & roll. It has to be one of the most recorded rock tones in history. There are good ones and bad, and it’s easy to argue that these days they are a leveraged company run by suits looking for nothing but profits. Doesn’t mean they don’t have some quality choices.

The JCM800 is iconic. Not sure how you can argue it’s overhyped, or marginally good. I have a Friedman BE-50 Deluxe. It’s a great amp. It’s not a JCM 800 and you can’t really dial it in to be one. It’s a different animal.

Maybe you just have a better ear for tone and the rest of the world is wrong?

To me a JCM 800 just lacks balls..... Gain, punch, Crunch and well all the good things one associates with them, hears about them and what You Hear people talk about them or about.....


Yeah You Hear them on recordings and studio use and they sound amazing right After editing and whatever pedals are being used.....


But in general IME plugging into one in a room leaves a lot to be desired. As said for me and My money there are just better options, that arent Made overseas, are better Quality, sound better, Built better here in the States too.



Simply put it's just a boring amp that didnt really live up to the hype and for My money there are just more fun amps that bring more enjoyment and something that makes me happy......



More or less many of these other amps Take all the Bad things of a JCM800 and fixes them, and just make the good things better..... You can roughly Make them sound like a JCM800 or spot on but You cant really get a JCM800 to sound like these amps.




Call me stupid but when I look for amps I look for something I enjoy and is fun to play and to me a JCM800 offers neither

 

[IndyWS6]

To each their own, but if you put everyone that agreed with you on this topic in one room and everyone else in another, you’d be in a spare bedroom and the rest of us would cranking tunes in Madison Square Garden

Which Bad cat do you have? Any clips to show what it can do?

 

[The~Kid]

To each their own, but if you put everyone that agreed with you on this topic in one room and everyone else in another, you’d be in a spare bedroom and the rest of us would cranking tunes in Madison Square Garden

Which Bad cat do you have? Any clips to show what it can do?

The Lynx 50 and there are other options too like the Friedman JEL-50.

No clips ..... Sorry


None needed to enjoy, have fun and and be happy with this amp or other alternatives in the market Made/Built in the States

 

[Chubtone]

Well these amps mentioned are actually based on a JCM800 on some level as their base tone as well as offering some other tones.....

And yeah I wouldnt be surprised if it was a better amp either.

Are there any other brands that you would suggest instead of getting the Marshall?

 

[napalmdeath]

Yes.....

Overhyped JCM800s.....


Overpriced overseas Marshall crap......


They sound so good...... Not


Again You read about how good these things are and then You play them and You realize its all just a bunch of Hype and BS IMO..... Plus IMO it just makes more sense to get an amp Made/Built in America/USA for the same or less money that is better Built and sounds better too

We all hear things different. The Lynx 50 sounds like dogshit. I couldn't return mine fast enough.

 

[The~Kid]

Are there any other brands that you would suggest instead of getting the Marshall?

Cost the same or less as well and given the opportunity cost I imagine a JCM 800 is a though sell even at a discount


Maybe if they added a switch for an extra gain stage or two on the JCM800...... Or a switch to cut the wattage in half or something....

I mean for the money it's the least they could do, why cant they fucking do that so the amp could not be so boring and basic....

 

[The~Kid]

We all hear things different. The Lynx 50 sounds like dogshit. I couldn't return mine fast enough.

Right on man, whatever makes You happy.


All I know is JCM800s are pretty boring and overrated and I'm more than happy with what I got with the Lynx 50 given the opportunity cost.


In 2026 there are much better options and alternatives that cost the same or less that arent Made overseas.

 

[Rick Lee]

I don't get how you cannot love a 2203x. Mine sounded amazing. I don't think I ever took it to band practice or a gig. But it had the pissed off, punch in the chest vibe. I've had several Friedmans, and they always sounded amazing at home and then not so great with my bands. I dunno. They just didn't cut or mesh the same way as my Marshalls when using them for band work. I don't need any more amps, but I would be very happy with a 2203x. Worst case scenario - I steal one for rock bottom dollar and replace the iron with Merren or Heyboer. How in the world could that not be a killer amp?

 

[John4021]

I honestly feel You get a better sounds out of a higher end modeler like a Katana Artist mklll or a HeadRush unit into any random tube amp.....


For the money, there just isnt much value there IMO with a JCM800 nowadays IMO. No wonder they are offering such handsome discounts and deep sales offerings for these things given other amps available on the market

In the amp cave,I had Diezel's and Metropoulos. Just HAD to get on the JCM800 bandwagon.
Huge mistake. Sorry if that offends.

 

[John4021]

...once again, You Tube sprinkled with Fairy dust claimed another victim.

Someone in here once told me "Pete Thorn steered me wrong on a few purchases"