No, it is not a question of "quality".
MJE3055/2955s are designated output high current transistors, they need to be driven properly to function in an apropriate way. You can use them for input devices in sensing circuits for example, when high currents have to pass through. They have only low gain, and are quite non-linear at low currents, which can also be a problem here. And they are much bigger and more difficult to implement, and...
I think that they will not work the way you want. But if you insist, you can try it nevertheless ! It is up to you.
You can use - as Rod suggests - any transistor which meets the voltage specs. Current will be low, so possibly BC546/BC556 will work as an alternative. Boy, I have lots of these lying around ! (A zip-loc bag full of them actually...)
best wishes
Klaus