JMP 2203 - EL34 vs 6550

[Greazygeo]

The title is comparing EL34 to 6550. Not how do 6550s sound on their own. I’ll say it again for the back audience. On their own without comparing to EL34 differences, 6550s are wide, big, bold, and have a slight V EQ. Compared to EL34, they lack mids and that makes them sound hollow. They are shrill because they lack EL34 dynamics when you’ve got significant volume.

No need to insult anything in my arsenal and there’s a few others that agree to boot.

Yes I know what the thread title says...I showed my example of how 6550's sound in a Marshall amp with a tweaked 2203 preamp, neither shrill nor hollow. And they sound fine doing ACDC. If an amp sounds shrill and hollow with them, don't know what to tell you, could be how its is set or something in your signal chain making it sound that way. Or it could be the 6550's being used. I always used GE's till they were gone. Modern 6550's I have no experience with. If you took that as an insult, sorry it was merely an observation.

EL34's IME don't have dynamics at significant volume in Marshalls, that is one reason I didn't like them back in the day. My amps were always played at significant volumes at band gigs, for cleans roll the guitar volume down. EL34's were never good for this for me and they lack bottom and top end.

In a Marshall 2203, there just is not that big of a difference in tones between the two tubes. But it is enough for me to have preferred 6550's back in the day.

Played many many many gigs over 10-15 year period, all I had back then (till getting the 5150). When I had el34's in this amp (which it does now and back to 1959 preamp) the basic voice was / is the same. In the 2203 the only difference IME is the low end and clarity in the chords. 1959 circuits I prefer el34's (not relevant to the discussion.