Marshall Origin 20H 20W Valve Guitar Head

I've had My Marshall Origin for about 6 months and I've been pleasantly surprised. I've been a Les Paul/Marshall guy for 40 years and I have the hearing loss to prove it but this Marshall has it all. This versatile 20 watt head is the perfect combination of versatility and guts.This Amp is perfect for pedals as it great grand daddies were, I use an J Rockett Archer Ikon Klon clone, An OCD a Tone City King of Blues and an original Electro harmonics LPB-1 booster. I can go from crystal clear bell like tones to Ace's plexi grind to the verge of jCM 800 tones or straight in crank the Gain and get that sweet traditional Marshall tone and attack. Unlike the Marshalls of old the EQ section greatly influences the color of this Head and along with the tilt control which ... MoreI've had My Marshall Origin for about 6 months and I've been pleasantly surprised. I've been a Les Paul/Marshall guy for 40 years and I have the hearing loss to prove it but this Marshall has it all. This versatile 20 watt head is the perfect combination of versatility and guts.This Amp is perfect for pedals as it great grand daddies were, I use an J Rockett Archer Ikon Klon clone, An OCD a Tone City King of Blues and an original Electro harmonics LPB-1 booster. I can go from crystal clear bell like tones to Ace's plexi grind to the verge of jCM 800 tones or straight in crank the Gain and get that sweet traditional Marshall tone and attack. Unlike the Marshalls of old the EQ section greatly influences the color of this Head and along with the tilt control which replaces the need to jump channels from the Hi and Lo inputs its all there. The addition of the switchable effects loop is a huge plus as is the gain/Boost control which gives you that little extra edge for leads. Running the amp on full and using your guitars volume and tone controls gives you a lot of versatility as well. The adjustable power out put feature is nice for quiet practice but I prefer to use my Bugera PS-1 attenuator and keep my amp volume on 10, just a personal preference. A suggestion, I've used this head with 1x12 and 2x12 cabinets an it sounds good but when i finally plugged it into a 4x12 this amp took on a whole new personality. The 4x12 let this amp breathe and with the EH LPB-1 driving the front end and a little reverb I had ACE's Kiss alive tone dead on by using the gain boost and a little color from various pedals the tone possibilities a vast.All in all this amp would be a great deal at twice the price, marshall once again did it right.

Great Amp

I picked up a 'B Stock' from PMT great condition/product. Fantastic Amp! great with pedal boards. When the revies say its Loud they're not exaggerating! It's Loud! Really Loud!Ar home running a GX100 through the front at half volume I had to set the Amp to 0.6 (not even 1) at 5W, it has 2 more settings 5/15/50. If your looking for a Loud Amp work great tones without spending £000's this is a great choice.I wanted that classic Marshall tone and power, but love the versatility of the modern effects/pedal boards. After reading lots of reviews from various sources all 4.7/5 4.9/5. I'd agree 4.9/5. The 3 volume settings of the attenuator mean you can use it at home, with drums/SML venues. The clean tones are... to behold, warm buttery smooth. Add a pedal board to the ... MoreI picked up a 'B Stock' from PMT great condition/product. Fantastic Amp! great with pedal boards. When the revies say its Loud they're not exaggerating! It's Loud! Really Loud!Ar home running a GX100 through the front at half volume I had to set the Amp to 0.6 (not even 1) at 5W, it has 2 more settings 5/15/50. If your looking for a Loud Amp work great tones without spending £000's this is a great choice.I wanted that classic Marshall tone and power, but love the versatility of the modern effects/pedal boards. After reading lots of reviews from various sources all 4.7/5 4.9/5. I'd agree 4.9/5. The 3 volume settings of the attenuator mean you can use it at home, with drums/SML venues. The clean tones are... to behold, warm buttery smooth. Add a pedal board to the front of the amp it handles ot perfectly. Best in class at this price point.

Great amp!

These amp have high quality of manufacturing, in real looks better that on photos, but and on photos not bad)About functionality:1) Equalizer with three regulators will allow to tune high, middle and low frequencies in depend from guitar and using picups for to get sound what you need.2) Master volume - in here all understandable.3) Presence and Tilt knobs give possibility to change character of sound, you can make bright and impact sound or deep and warm.4) Gain knob with pull sistem - pull-up these knob for boost activate (soun becam more brighter and distorted)Amp have three regeme amplification - 20, 3 and 0.5 watt.In back panel a few inputs and outputs: outputs for 8 and 16 Ohm cabinets ( I have 8 and 16 cabinets with differen loudspeacers - 1x12 v30 ... MoreThese amp have high quality of manufacturing, in real looks better that on photos, but and on photos not bad)About functionality:1) Equalizer with three regulators will allow to tune high, middle and low frequencies in depend from guitar and using picups for to get sound what you need.2) Master volume - in here all understandable.3) Presence and Tilt knobs give possibility to change character of sound, you can make bright and impact sound or deep and warm.4) Gain knob with pull sistem - pull-up these knob for boost activate (soun becam more brighter and distorted)Amp have three regeme amplification - 20, 3 and 0.5 watt.In back panel a few inputs and outputs: outputs for 8 and 16 Ohm cabinets ( I have 8 and 16 cabinets with differen loudspeacers - 1x12 v30 and 2x10 alnico, all working good), input for footswitch, DI-out and send/return FX-loop.Footswith included in set, and have good metal body with hight leght wire. On footswitch two buttons (FX-loop and gain boost), and two LED indicators. When use footswitch pull sistem on gain knob is disable.In all these amp is very good, possible to choise different sounds with classic marshall tone! The main - these amp havent hi-gain, and if you play metal or any hard stile, better take look on enother model, or using distortion pedals. Sound of these amp its classic rock, hardrock and not bad clean sound.

Great amplifier for the money especially as a pedal platform

Great amplifier, especially for the money. First of all it is an amazing pedal platform amp with nice bass and mid response. Everything I've run into it sounds really good, and it's near breakup gain is gain on 10 and boost off. It is most like a JTM45, it has a lot more bass and more active tone controls than later Marshall amplifiers like the JCM900 I previously owned. It doesn't overdrive too much on its own, but if you push it with a booster, it does pretty well. It is loud, even in the low power setting, and to really get it to drive, you need to push the power amp. It also doesn't seem to have as much drive as I remember from trying a 50 watt version, but that may have been the guitar more than the amp. Great value, I would recommend it to anyone looking for ... MoreGreat amplifier, especially for the money. First of all it is an amazing pedal platform amp with nice bass and mid response. Everything I've run into it sounds really good, and it's near breakup gain is gain on 10 and boost off. It is most like a JTM45, it has a lot more bass and more active tone controls than later Marshall amplifiers like the JCM900 I previously owned. It doesn't overdrive too much on its own, but if you push it with a booster, it does pretty well. It is loud, even in the low power setting, and to really get it to drive, you need to push the power amp. It also doesn't seem to have as much drive as I remember from trying a 50 watt version, but that may have been the guitar more than the amp. Great value, I would recommend it to anyone looking for what I just described. If you want something that sounds like a Super Lead, Super Bass, or JCM800, this is not the right thing to buy. If you want a great pedal platform or early Marshall sound, you can't beat it.

JCM 800 MV rather than Plexi

Overall:I played my buddy’s 800 MV through a full stack of V30 loaded cabs in about ‘91. It was almost a religious experience. My ‘77 LPC never sounded that good before. I bought many tube amps over the years ... Carvin T-100 rack mount 50 Watt rack mount, VHT 12/20 Special RT, a Vox here, an Ampeg there but nothing really caught my ear like the Origin 20.It’s not really loud enough to gig. I paired mine with a 1x12 Orange V30 closed back cab and I’m back in front of that 800 MV again. The Origin 20 is what it is ... a great amp to use when not playing MSG or Red Rocks. It never pretended to be a big loud head ... it was and is everything it says it is ... a great tube amp at lower than ‘rattle the windows’ levels.I use it as a practice amp because it exposes my ... MoreOverall:I played my buddy’s 800 MV through a full stack of V30 loaded cabs in about ‘91. It was almost a religious experience. My ‘77 LPC never sounded that good before. I bought many tube amps over the years ... Carvin T-100 rack mount 50 Watt rack mount, VHT 12/20 Special RT, a Vox here, an Ampeg there but nothing really caught my ear like the Origin 20.It’s not really loud enough to gig. I paired mine with a 1x12 Orange V30 closed back cab and I’m back in front of that 800 MV again. The Origin 20 is what it is ... a great amp to use when not playing MSG or Red Rocks. It never pretended to be a big loud head ... it was and is everything it says it is ... a great tube amp at lower than ‘rattle the windows’ levels.I use it as a practice amp because it exposes my weaknesses but rewards good playing. That’s what a practice amp should do. My playing is much more crisp and precise and I get that great Marshall 800 punch when I really push it. I’ve played vintage Plexis over the years and the Origin 20 has many of those characteristics but to my ear, it’s much more an 800 MV. Plexis could only do so much high gain stuff but the Origin 20 does those tones well without straining the amp. With the Origin 20, I can go beyond Malcolm’s perfect rhythm tone into other territory. I use it on Rush and even Queen covers and while it’s not Class A, I can get a lot of May tones from it when I pair it with a Strat.It’s not a Vox or a Plexi or even an 800 ... it’s just a solid 20W tube head with great tone at less than club volume. It’s not a road amp either ... it’s not an amp to throw in a flight case and say, ‘Let’s go.’ It’s a great amp to write with and a great studio piece when paired with a good cab. If I needed a 50W head, I’d have bought one. I didn’t and don’t. I got a great writing amp with EL-34 tone I can play without getting the cops called.

Just great sound

Overall:I purchased this with the single speaker cabinet and its been a couple of days so I thought that I could write a review. It was either this or a Blues Junior and I took my time with the choice, I chose the Origin 20 for these reasons. First, the sound is amazing, it has got that warm creamy tube sound that we all love. The best feature for me is the variable power output selector. I play at home and sometimes jam with a few friends. One of the problems I have always had with tube amps is that I need enough power to jam, but also don't need to loosen the light fixtures. So this is perfect, I keep it at the lowest setting at home and can still turn it up, and just last night played with a few friends and turned it to the highest setting. Keep in mind this is ... MoreOverall:I purchased this with the single speaker cabinet and its been a couple of days so I thought that I could write a review. It was either this or a Blues Junior and I took my time with the choice, I chose the Origin 20 for these reasons. First, the sound is amazing, it has got that warm creamy tube sound that we all love. The best feature for me is the variable power output selector. I play at home and sometimes jam with a few friends. One of the problems I have always had with tube amps is that I need enough power to jam, but also don't need to loosen the light fixtures. So this is perfect, I keep it at the lowest setting at home and can still turn it up, and just last night played with a few friends and turned it to the highest setting. Keep in mind this is a single channel amp, so you will need a few pedals to get the tone you want. Distortion, reverb, etc. I also use a wireless transmitter through my pedalboard and directly into the amp and have had no issues with noise. It comes with cables if you are buying the combo, but I opted for a better cable. Not too heavy, but definitely has some weight. In the end could not be happier unless it was free.

Just waiting to crank it...

I've had this for a month now, and it sounds fantastic on the low power setting. I haven't had a chance to take it out of the apartment yet, but it's kept me AND the neighbors happy so far! Between the Tilt, Presence and Treble knobs, it's very easy to dial in a dynamic, touch sensitive, low volume tone for my single coil, humbucking, and p90 guitars. Running through a Bugera 2x12 closed back cab (which, cosmetically, matches PERFECTLY) takes care of all the low end I need at these levels. The footswitchable gain boost doesn't sound like just a volume punch to the front end; it also thickens up the tone very nicely. It sounds great at home, but I'm interested to see how well that extra low end will be heard in a band scenario. I don't use the effects loop, but ... MoreI've had this for a month now, and it sounds fantastic on the low power setting. I haven't had a chance to take it out of the apartment yet, but it's kept me AND the neighbors happy so far! Between the Tilt, Presence and Treble knobs, it's very easy to dial in a dynamic, touch sensitive, low volume tone for my single coil, humbucking, and p90 guitars. Running through a Bugera 2x12 closed back cab (which, cosmetically, matches PERFECTLY) takes care of all the low end I need at these levels. The footswitchable gain boost doesn't sound like just a volume punch to the front end; it also thickens up the tone very nicely. It sounds great at home, but I'm interested to see how well that extra low end will be heard in a band scenario. I don't use the effects loop, but running fuzz, OD, trem, delay, and reverb pedals into the front sound fantastic. The DI out is a cool feature, but one I haven't spent enough time with yet. Initial results into a Scarlett interface were underwhelming, and there's no way to turn off the cabinet emulation. Maybe into a PA at gig volumes will have a different outcome. Supposedly you can use the DI without a speaker load for true silent recording, BUT I haven't been able to confirm that since the manual is impressively vague. I'll wait to hear back from Marshall before risking that expensive experiment. Despite that, I'm VERY pleased with this amp. It's hard to get a bad sound out of this thing, and it's versatile enough for easy use with all my guitars. The power scaling allows shockingly good tone at apartment volume, so I can't wait to hear what it's like at full wattage!

Love it. Was exactly what i hoped it would be

I play mostly at home for myself: either writing or practicing or messing around with recording. I got this because of the versatility it has with the built in voltage attenuation. One thing of note is that I agree with what i've seen on various forums about using headphones. The marshall forums have discussions about the loss in volume when plugging your headphones into the DI out. Marshall states that you can do this because the amp has a dummy speaker load but it is true that you need to raise the volume on the amp up as loud as possible to hear it through headphones at all and when you do what you get is not clean but overdriven. My work around for this, because I was anticipating the problem and I do play a lot through headphones late at night, is to use a ... MoreI play mostly at home for myself: either writing or practicing or messing around with recording. I got this because of the versatility it has with the built in voltage attenuation. One thing of note is that I agree with what i've seen on various forums about using headphones. The marshall forums have discussions about the loss in volume when plugging your headphones into the DI out. Marshall states that you can do this because the amp has a dummy speaker load but it is true that you need to raise the volume on the amp up as loud as possible to hear it through headphones at all and when you do what you get is not clean but overdriven. My work around for this, because I was anticipating the problem and I do play a lot through headphones late at night, is to use a mixer. I plug the DI out straight into the mixer and then use the headphone out on the mixing board. Works very well and you get added control over the sound using the mixing board EQ filters (ie. removing any high eq noise if you choose to).

Review of Marshall Origin ORI20H 20 Watt Head

Got this as a single channel and a more traditional valve sound.it has a toggle switch which gives you 20 Watts (more clean), 3 watts (still clean) & 0.5 watts (which can still be clean or give a bit more drive).Don't let the low wattage fool you this is a loud amp head. I have the master on 4 & gain on 5 on the 0.5 watt set with the gain boost off and it is still loud (compared against a 50 watt & 100 watt head into 2 Celestion V30's). It has plenty of headroom.just plugging straight in and testing it out, everyone listening preferred the 0.5 set (you can get the drive in easier). I like it in all high/middle/low and front loading it with a Fulltone pedal, vintage chorus & analogue delay.I have run pedals through the send/return and front loaded a parallel ... MoreGot this as a single channel and a more traditional valve sound.it has a toggle switch which gives you 20 Watts (more clean), 3 watts (still clean) & 0.5 watts (which can still be clean or give a bit more drive).Don't let the low wattage fool you this is a loud amp head. I have the master on 4 & gain on 5 on the 0.5 watt set with the gain boost off and it is still loud (compared against a 50 watt & 100 watt head into 2 Celestion V30's). It has plenty of headroom.just plugging straight in and testing it out, everyone listening preferred the 0.5 set (you can get the drive in easier). I like it in all high/middle/low and front loading it with a Fulltone pedal, vintage chorus & analogue delay.I have run pedals through the send/return and front loaded a parallel compressor & Dirty Shirley pedal at the same time, it sounds great.I tried various overdrive/distortion/fuzz pedals and various guitars with different pickups. It surprised me just straight as it gives a really nice natural harmonic sound.I got this for an ideal pedal platform, but am really enjoying it bare which I don't normally do with other amps.

Simple, loud, clean(ish) amp

Bought this as a compact, simple budget amp for primarily for rehearsals, and gigging when I don't want to carry the bigger vintage ones around. Very loud, very clean and very bright. I haven't been able to engage any natural overdrive at a useable volume yet, even on low power settings with the gain boost on. The cleaness, brightness and headroom mean it has the potential to be obnoxious, even with "knobs at noon". It does respond to pedals very well, but I did find that because of the headroom my fuzz had to be turned way down compared to how I'd have it with other amps - having not started clipping it doesn't compress naturally.So despite having a separate Gain and Master volume, don't be fooled into thinking there plenty of pre-amp distortion available at low ... MoreBought this as a compact, simple budget amp for primarily for rehearsals, and gigging when I don't want to carry the bigger vintage ones around. Very loud, very clean and very bright. I haven't been able to engage any natural overdrive at a useable volume yet, even on low power settings with the gain boost on. The cleaness, brightness and headroom mean it has the potential to be obnoxious, even with "knobs at noon". It does respond to pedals very well, but I did find that because of the headroom my fuzz had to be turned way down compared to how I'd have it with other amps - having not started clipping it doesn't compress naturally.So despite having a separate Gain and Master volume, don't be fooled into thinking there plenty of pre-amp distortion available at low volumes - there isn't. The clue is in the title - Origin - this is how they used to be, and why distortion pedals came to exist.Overall I'm happy with the amp - it's different to the other models I have but it's meant to be, and it does what it's designed to do very well.