Best recorded 2203 tone

[shredi knight]

Best 2203 tone? Probably anyone who ordered a L*rry amp in 2025.

 

[Eazy-ESP]

Is Back In Black a master volume Marshall for sure though?

That’s the rumour and as an owner of one, I believe the rumour.

 

[ChurchHill]

I always liked their sound on For Those About to Rock. That reminds me of what a 2203 is supposed to sound like.

 

[SFW]

No More Tears. That hands down is my favorite JCM800 tone.

 

[DrewJD82]

100 percent the best ever 800 tone imo . I guess I was wrong about 5150 mixed in ? Idk obsolete sounds like pure 800 imo . But I’m a dumbass

I pissed off Dino on Twitter a few years back when someone asked him why he had a JCM800 modded instead of buying a Dual Rec or 5150 with more gain, I suggested 800’s were pretty cheap around that time and it was probably quick and easy to get one and have it modded. Dino came back and ensured I knew he wasn’t broke then.

 

[Bxlxaxkxe]

No More Tears. That hands down is my favorite JCM800 tone.

100%

 

[Techdeth]

100%

No way fear factory all the way

 

[Anje]

It's hard not to list Zakk Wylde's early albums with Ozzy.
Btw, always wondered what kind of power tubes & speakers Zakk actually had during the recordings of those albums, especially No More Tears; I'd bet EL34 & standard high power Celestion (T75?) of the days?

Judas Priest starting around Defenders of the Faith I think?

Guns / Slash work on Use Your Illusion is also what I think of.

 

[nightlight]

I like Slayer tones a lot, but most of their albums are mixed and mastered badly imho, with the exception of Reign In Blood, so that gets my vote.

I like Appetite for Destruction, but the guitars on that one lack definition and sound a bit wooly. Fear Factory also seems like a good bet, as does Ozzy.

 

[ChurchHill]

I could be wrong about all of this, but I think Zakk was using 6550s and EVM-12L Prolines. I think Judas Priest and Iron Maiden were using 2210s. Pretty sure that Slash was using a modified Super Lead on AFD and a Jubilee on UYI.

I think the 2203 is one of the greatest amps of all time. It's obviously a great platform for modification, but stock is maybe even more versatile. It takes all kinds of boosts, think Zakk vs Slayer which are very different sounds from stock amps. Just straight in, it's a force of nature. Highs and mids that cut through perfectly, lows that can remain tight, and a thump that shakes walls. Pretty damn good for a design that is 50 years old this year (and Marshall does nothing to commemorate that).

Might throw in that there are basically four variants of the 2203, the JMP 2203, which is similar to the later JCM800 2203 vertical input, then the later JCM800 2203 horizontal input that used different power supply filtering, and finally the reissue. The early JMP 2204s were not the same, different preamps, but later JMP 2204s used the cascading stages like the 2203. JCM800 2204s were largely unchanged from the JMP 2204 and remained so through the end of production regardless of input orientation.

 

[Deleted member 77333]

100%

RIP -

 

[SoooRad]

I believe Vivian Campbell was using 2203s for the early Dio stuff, and I want to say thats what all the Dio guys were running from him through Rowan Robertson. (Though I also recall Rowan was using some Lee Jackson stuff)

 

[RaceU4her]

 

[tallcoolone]

Is Back In Black a master volume Marshall for sure though?

Pretty sure that was mostly 2203s

 

[Metalhex]

 

[chumbucket]

I believe Vivian Campbell was using 2203s for the early Dio stuff, and I want to say thats what all the Dio guys were running from him through Rowan Robertson. (Though I also recall Rowan was using some Lee Jackson stuff)

I think that he was actually using one of Dio's amps. Ronnie wrote some of those riffs as well. There's a cool interview at the end of the reissue of Holy Diver that gets into this I think.

 

[311boogieman]

Those Ozzy albums Zakk was on is pretty hard to beat tone wise I'm not gonna lie.

I also appreciated Mick Mars' tone a lot and he did primarily use a modded JCM800 with his early '70s JMP.

Mine.

Point us to something you've done big boy.

 

[Anje]

I could be wrong about all of this, but I think Zakk was using 6550s and EVM-12L Prolines. I think Judas Priest and Iron Maiden were using 2210s. Pretty sure that Slash was using a modified Super Lead on AFD and a Jubilee on UYI.

I think the 2203 is one of the greatest amps of all time. It's obviously a great platform for modification, but stock is maybe even more versatile. It takes all kinds of boosts, think Zakk vs Slayer which are very different sounds from stock amps. Just straight in, it's a force of nature. Highs and mids that cut through perfectly, lows that can remain tight, and a thump that shakes walls. Pretty damn good for a design that is 50 years old this year (and Marshall does nothing to commemorate that).

Might throw in that there are basically four variants of the 2203, the JMP 2203, which is similar to the later JCM800 2203 vertical input, then the later JCM800 2203 horizontal input that used different power supply filtering, and finally the reissue. The early JMP 2204s were not the same, different preamps, but later JMP 2204s used the cascading stages like the 2203. JCM800 2204s were largely unchanged from the JMP 2204 and remained so through the end of production regardless of input orientation.

I'm no absolute expert on those, but about Zakk I remember interviews where he was talking about "discovering" 6550 and EV after having been using his 2203 for some time, and that he was initially using EL34 and Celestion "70w" with his Marshall. Don't know the exact time frame for the switch though.

OG Judas Priest post 82 I have little ideas to be honest, again only remember Glen talking about making the switch to "JCM800" after the Screaming for Vengeance era.
Prior to that I mainly associate them with older 4 input NMV Marshall + different kinds of boosts in front.

For Slash, I'm pretty sure the Silver Jubilees were mainly for touring in the G'n'R era; Appetite indeed was the infamous Caswell/Levi modded ST/SL 4 input Marshalls, but I remember Use Your Illusion to be the Levi #34 2203. I think that's the one Slash still has and they looked at when designing the AFD signature model.

But anyway, yes I'd agree the 2204/2203 are some of the very best amps of all time; they managed to build on the older classic NMV amps and make it one of the main bases for a lot (most?) of rock amps that have come ever since.

 

[chumbucket]

I'm no absolute expert on those, but about Zakk I remember interviews where he was talking about "discovering" 6550 and EV after having been using his 2203 for some time, and that he was initially using EL34 and Celestion "70w" with his Marshall. Don't know the exact time frame for the switch though.

OG Judas Priest post 82 I have little ideas to be honest, again only remember Glen talking about making the switch to "JCM800" after the Screaming for Vengeance era.
Prior to that I mainly associate them with older 4 input NMV Marshall + different kinds of boosts in front.

For Slash, I'm pretty sure the Silver Jubilees were mainly for touring in the G'n'R era; Appetite indeed was the infamous Caswell/Levi modded ST/SL 4 input Marshalls, but I remember Use Your Illusion to be the Levi #34 2203. I think that's the one Slash still has and they looked at when designing the AFD signature model.

But anyway, yes I'd agree the 2204/2203 are some of the very best amps of all time; they managed to build on the older classic NMV amps and make it one of the main bases for a lot (most?) of rock amps that have come ever since.

Priest was using JCM800 4-holers on the SFV tours.

 

[Jakem]

No More Tears album tone.