Marshall ORI20H Origin 20-watt Tube Head Reviews

So far its working flawlessly. Perfect home speaker driver. Great tone from clean to dirty, overdrive is classic Marshall.

SO far she takes pedals in the back and front like a champ BE-OD up front,Dig Reverb in the rear,not done dialing in a tone i can live with,got a cheese load of effects,having fun trying to tame the beast,thanks Sweetwater,and my guy Cameron Green.

I've had this amp for a couple of years now and find myself using it almost always for everything these days. Like many I find myself more and more in situations where amps and cabinets are not welcome and everything is pushed into the house. I've tried modelers and digital stuff, line 6 ,boss, and many other combinations and although the technology is amazing they still fall short of the sweet tube sound and feel. I use this with a captor torpedo and a helix for just effects into the front end and can pretty much create what ever i'm trying for and like what I get. If i'm not using a cab I turn the treble off and use the pres and tilt for the highs and it sounds fantastic. I have a Strat, Tele, and of course a Les Paul and any one sounds great without a whole lot of nob turning to taste. I have bigger watt stuff and several cabs but this seems to be the best trade off for the new way of doing stuff.

Well, the Amp has surprising nice clean tones. Use an Open back 1x12 cab or closed 1x2 cab. The TILT knob blends from bright to normal tones or somewhere in between. So you adjust to taste. It's great. Want that Marshall Plexi type sound, Yea it's there. I didn't want believe it was there, especially at this price point. Real Plexis are up there in cost. Slap on the foot switchable gain boost and it sings man. I usually set it at just a hint of break up depending how hard I dig in. Just awesome with drive pedals.
It's ear candy man! I use a Friedman Small Box and a RD Compact Hot Rod pedal from Origin Effects for all of my MARSHALL tones. GREAT pedal platform.
Effects Loop, just add Rev, and a delay and your good to go. Amp just ROCKS. This amp is a 5 STAR. If this amp was made in the USA, it would be over a grand. It's made in Vietnam but quality controlled by Marshall Amplification. Try one at the stores. I'd suggest bring your personal guitar if you can and test drive the amp.

This amp is a lot of bang for the money. I can get those 60s and 70s rock tones all day long with this Marshall. First thing I did was to swap out the stock Chinese tubes (and I do this with all tube amps I buy). I don't like cheap tubes in my amps and especially if they have anything to do with a communist country that's trying to destroy us.

I've been playing since 1964, and although I used mostly Fender amps (and others), I never had a Marshall. I bought the origin 20 to play around with, and also because it has tubes, and it's really fun to play through. The best part is I don't have 2-3 rows of knobs, it's straight forward, and is simply just a cool amp.

Love it!

This amp punches WELL ABOVE its weight class. While it sounds great on its own, I purchased a Friedman dual channel BE pedal to turn it into a three-channel BEAST.

Tone for days, with a quiet FX loop. One of the most "inspiring" amps I've ever played through.

CHECK ONE OUT!!

I've had this head for a year now, and I'm still enjoying it. After trying it with a handful of speakers recommend pairing it with an Eminence CV-75. This amp is very loud when using high efficiency speakers, the power stem feature is helpful. I use the mid power setting, and to keep it under 85 db for home use, I use an EQ pedal in the effects loop to attenuate it further.

Some claim that this amp is a bit thin, pull out the gain knob or use the foot switch to engage the boost, it makes this amp quite fat.

It's crazy how inexpensive this amps are, you get so much for your money. Cathode biased master volume plexi with a master volume, need I say more.

Classic Vintage Marshall sound and feel. Leave the volume low and have nice cleans. But crank it and get Van Halen tones.

Great little amp, works well with my pedals, has a bedroom volume switch. Has a nice sound, and looks good too.

Just recently received my Marshall Origin 20 and am so happy with it!! A lot of reviews noted that it was a good pedal platform which it is, but said that it is too loud for bedroom studios and such. I found this to be true but after consulting with my neighbor who is a tech wiz/guitarist friend suggested that i try adding the Bulgera PS1 100 watt Power Soak to my rig. After hooking it up it blew me away! I can now Crank my little Origin 20 and get that Amazing Marshall tone that they are so famous for without the neighbors calling the cops!! Great Sounding Amp and with the 99 dollar Bulgera you got a Killer combination for the Studio!!

Wonderful vintage inspired amp. Stunning cleans; makes a perfect pedal platform. Love the simplicity and the fact it has an effects loop. Not to mention, it's really aesthetically beautiful. Looks much more expensive than it is. Can you really get a better all tube amp at this price?

Marshall classic sound at half the price and great Sweetwater customer service. I DI mine out to a fender 60 watt 212 deville.

It looks well made and comes with a 5 year warranty from Marshall. The sound produced is very desirable and it will be the basis for my pedals that I will build on over time. Sounds great with just the one reverb pedal I built, and I just ordered a Jekyll & Hyde V3 for doing some other stuff with it. Overall seems to be a solid product and I expect to get many years of use out of it.

I LOVE my new Marshall!!!! This AMP sounds so good! If you like that old school Marshall overdrive and tone, buy this amp! Sounds great at any of the switchable power settings. Perfect for playing at low volumes! I paired this with a Fullerton OCD pedal and a TC Elec. Hall of Fame reverb pedal. That combination with my 72' Tele is deadly!!!!!!

Played through a custom built cab - 12" Eminence Patriot Cannabis Rex speaker.

This amp is punching above its weight class. If you dial the knobs right you can get great tones,but at everything at noon it sounds kind of trebley to me. When you dime out the gain and master even at the .5 watt settings it's still loud for home use, but misses out some bottom end. It takes pedals very well and does great clean, crunch and heavy rock. If you push it with a tube screamer you get biting metal tones too. I recommend this amp for sure.

This amp is exactly what I expected, a Marshall tube amp at a great price. This amp is extremely loud through a 4x12 even on it's lowest power setting.

While the amp can get a nice classic rock crunch through cranking up the gain and master volume I feel it really shines as a pedal platform. An overdrive pedal is mandatory to get higher gain. I'm currently using a MXR Wylde OD with a DS1 and really loving the tone.

It's important to mention this amp can take some time to dial in with your speakers. The presence and tilt knobs really open a wide variance of tones to obtain.

I am still working out the fine tunings, but this amp is a perfect fit for me. Super nice cleans that take to my effects pedals nicely. Plenty enough head room, volume, and overall tone to boot! The price and brand initially sold me on this amp, but the sound I get out of it solidifies every thought and expectation I had about it!

Spent a lot of time reviewing this amp and the DSL20. Decided to go with the Origin 20, and I am so glad I did. This amp is great. Plenty of power and takes to my pedals nicely! I am running it through a Bugera 2x12 cab fitted with Eminence Man O War speakers rated at 120 watts/8 ohms each. What a great way to spend that stimulus money on! Can't wait to try my PRS out on it!

I went back and forth on this amp for a few months. When I finally decided to pull the trigger on it, I did so ordering an Orange V30 closed back cab for my little 'eighth stack.' I couldn't be happier. This head and cab reminds me of first playing a real Marshall head through V30 cabs. Back then, it was a JCM 800 MV into a full stack of V30s. I plugged in my LP half expecting to be disappointed but was dumbfounded by the response of the amp and cab. Even on the measly 0.3W setting, it had all the character and subtlety of that 800 from so many years ago.

Make no mistake ... this amp is not for the faint hearted. It will sing your praises and proclaim your shortcomings equally.

When I switched over to my Strat, I was able to pull out tones reminiscent of a Twin Reverb, without the Reverb with ease. This amp is a throwback to when hands were everything and pedals covered up sloppy playing.

For $… this amp is a steal.

Pros-Nice size Marshall stack for home studio-like a micro lil bigger-Plenty of power-- footswitch turns effects loop on and gain-- stands about 3' tall with tilted cab- Marshall tube
Cons- none very pleased
Excellent Sweetwater service as always

This amp came as a huge surprise!!! I just about fainted when the FedEx guy delivered this.
My Wife "Conspired" to get me this amp as a Birthday Gift. I'm so Grateful!!
I play Blues-Based Rock and this amp fits the bill. It's a low to medium gain amp that delivers Classic Marshall goodness!! At 20 watts it's loud, and only gets better when you CRANK IT!! If you need a little more gusto, just run your favorite Overdrive or Distortion pedal right into the front end because it loves pedals just like i do!
As always, i gotta give a huge shout-out to my main man, main man, main man, main man, 5 Times main man AJ Becerra!!!!!
AJ treated us like Family for almost 8 years and we couldn't be any Happier with him!
You want something? AJ is your Man!
He keeps us informed and checks in with us throughout the year.
Much Love to Sweetwater as well for being the Best in the World!

My last tube amp was a Supro Bass amp back in the mid 60's was stolen in 69, and I've been wanting something else besides the transistor solid state kinds, they are OK digital lets a lot of sounds be created but deep real soul of them just aren't there, for a long time I wanted the old sound. I bought this one after reading a lot about it over a long time. And I'm very pleased I finally took the leap and bought this one. It is amazing, First it's very quite unless you turn every knob up full even then it's a more quiet hum. But plug into it and WOW great clear sounds OR turn knobs up and get gritty blues sounds I've only heard in recordings. I've barely touched the pallets of sounds this can produce with jusst a guitar plugged in. May never add an effect except a bit of reverb. And i might be having a yard sale on used transistor amps sometime soon. Bigger watts is only louder, unless your play the arena circuit this is all you need to fill a large room, Big Bar, Etc. Now I need to build a few different speaker cabinets and play with that part of the sound. Yes I'm finally Happy. Very Happy.

I just received my Marshall ORI20H 20W Tube Head yesterday and I already love it. This is not a high gain head and that was exactly what I was looking for. I supply the gain that I want with my pedal board. Cleans are very good, makes an excellent blues type amp as well. When fed a signal from quality pedals it roars. a big 20 watts of power, should be good in any but the largest clubs. I've been playing for 50+ years and have owned a A Lot amps, Marshalls and many more, this sits right there with the best of them, very impressed for a foreign made Marshall... I might try different tubes in the future but for now I am happy

This thing is fantastic!

I play in an AC/DC tribute so I ordered an Origin 20 head to get an authentic Malcolm tone at club volume. I took it straight to the gig untested. It was love at first power chord! Warm full tone with just the right breakup. Malcolm is most certainly smiling down from heaven.

I've had my ORI20 for a couple of weeks now and I couldn't be happier. The clean tone is great, it breaks up nice for classic rock or country rock. The ORI tone to my ear is closer to the old Plexi-JTM45 tone than the JCM800, although you can get to that gain area with a pedal. I use it for a cleaner to crunchy vibe. I love how responsive it is to pick attack and I can clean it up nice by rolling off the volume without losing the top end. It is a great amp for the price.

I have seen some complaints about tubes and other components, but mine sounded fine right out of the box. I'll probably try rolling some 12AX7s in V1, but I wouldn't let the components worry me because eventually I will change tubes and caps as a matter of routine maintenance and it can easily be "upgraded" at that time at not much extra cost.

I got the head and it is worth making sure you select an appropriate speaker. I have Mojotone speakers, a BV-30 (like a vintage 30) and a BV-25 (like a Greenback) and they emphasize that classic Marshall tone. I'd be curious to see what speakers people are using when they are dissatisfied, a super bright speaker wouldn't be my pick for this amp. The amp gives you lots of control over the high end.

Marshall did it right! Great tone, lots of options with the tilt knob. Great effects loop (you have to use the foot switch to activate). I definitely got a value.

Tom Welgos
Talon Guitar Works

I was looking for a low watt amp for bedroom recording and practicing, but I also wanted an amp that could do a high quality clean sound but can still take a line of heavy distortion and fuzz pedals well. This amp does exactly that the fx loop and footswitch are great. I'm playing a strat with a supro galaxy cab and it covers everything from Pink Floyd to napalm death.

To be honest, I have yet to use an amp I liked better under the $1000 mark. At $... this head is absolutely perfect if you want vintage plexi tones without having to fork over a couple grand for the Made In England Marshalls, or just great if you want a good clean pedal platform. One thing to note, however, is that this is absolutely not an amp you want to be playing at bedroom volumes. Much like a plexi, all the gritty hard rock tones come from power amp distortion, so you're gonna have to be cranking it pretty loud if you want any real crunch out of it. Don't use the .5W or 3W power settings, either, because they suck a lot of the bottom end out and really aren't representative of how good the amp sounds. Your best bet is honestly just to run it at the full 20 Watts and attenuate it to get more listenable volumes out of it. If you do that, you will absolutely not be disappointed.

I could not be any happier with this head. I primarily play classic rock and blues and this thing just does it for me. It has those great, classic Marshall sounds that have had such a big impact on my playing style during my formative years (back when you could still get an 8-track player for you car). The Origin 20 is absolutely prefect for practicing here at home as I can cut the power down and still drive the tubes into full saturation without the wife or kids getting bothered. Or I can take it out to a gig, flip the switch to full power, and have absolutely no issues being heard over the rest of the group. I have turned the knobs every which way but loose and have yet to find a sound I didn't like. The layout is simple and straightforward. It looks awesome. For me, the Marshall Origin 20 is, simply perfect.

I recently purchased the Origin 20 watt head (ORI20H) & I am impressed. Let me start out saying if you are looking for a "Bedroom amp" this isn't for you. Because of the nature of a single channel tube amp, you have to crank it to get that Marshall tone. Even at the 0.5 watt setting this amp is LOUD. I started my life long love of guitar & music in 1966, and have played in my share of bands. I had the pleasure of playing out of several Marshalls, and owned many different makes of amps, but never a Marshall. I must tell you that this Origin amp takes me back to the old days of that classic Marshall sound & tone. Well done! The constuction & looks are flawless, the sound is classic Marshall. With a Tube Screamer pedal in front, & a reverb & chorus pedals in the effects loop, there is nothing this amp can not do. The low, med, & high power settings are great for my home studio. My wife hasn't even threatend me yet! I did crank it once in the full 20 watt setting, just long enough the Police weren't called. Holy crap it's loud! I have it hooked up to a homemade cabinet, with a single 12" 50 watt Jensen Falcon speaker. I have no doubt that with a 2x12 cabinet you could play all but the largest venues. It holds it's tone & clarity through it's entire range. This isn't a High gain amp, so if you are looking at Grundge, buy something else. Don't look at where it was built, it has the Marshall constuction quality & tone.

I cannot express how impressed I am with this amp. I have gone through a couple different amp heads trying to find the tone I was looking for and I definitely should have started here. No it may not hold up perfectly when compared to a real plexi but at around a 10th of the cost can a guy really complain? No this isn't a high gain amp but with a good distortion pedal in front it can sure get there if thats what you want. The natural breakup is sweet and smooth and takes every overdrive and boost i have extremely well. Honestly unless you're looking for a lead boost the built in gain boost is plenty for a lot of occasions if you are looking for more of a classic rock kind of tone. If you are worried about 20 watts not being enough, don't! This amp is loud, amazingly loud in fact. If you are looking at this amp, stop looking and get it already, you won't regret it.

My experience: [Thirty years of playing & gigging and ten plus years doing home recording] I love this little amp. 20-watts of great tone. Works great with pedals ( and I uses a lot of pedals). I like the boost feature on this. The tilt is another great feature on this not to mention the 3-wattage settings (20-w, 3 w, .5 w). Oh, and yes, it has an XF loop. Got mine… on sale… and for that kind of money, I couldn't pass it up. It is not the purist of clean tones but that doesn't affect me as I like my cleans to be a bit dirty.

Let me put this in perspective. I own a 100-watt DSL-2000 and a DSL-401. All Marshalls, yes, but each have there own distinct sound. I love this well built Vietnam-made Marshall just as much as my other two. You know how different models of Marshalls are, they all have their own thing happening (i.e. JCM-800, Plexi). Different, yes, but have that distinctive Marshall tone just the same. That being said, this amp will not disappoint.

Just got the Origin head.Just what I wanted.I play blues and some rock,works great for that.Not a high gain amp but that wasn't what I wanted. Nice and simple layout and easy to dial in some great tone.Glad I made this purchase. Love the styling and old school look to it.Great all tube Marshall tone at a great price.
Thank you Brad Jahn and the great people at Sweetwater.Been using Sweetwater for all my purchases since 2016.I call them and always get my sales guy,Brad.Great service and you talk to your sales guy,love it.

Excellent sound clean not a lot of drive on it's own. I suggest pedal in front I use a 5150 and it sounds great, lots of power with no break up

Makes my guitars sound fantastic. Super clean sound with awesome boost setting. Love having an fx loop with its own footswitch. Looks great too.

I bought this after playing the 50 watt version in a store, this 20 watt head sounds really good! I love the cleans and the responsiveness of this amps. Just lay off on your picking and you can get nice cleans, hit the strings hard for some OD.

I've played for 45 years now and still play in a power trio on the weekends. This little head is perfect, lightweight and easy for an old guy like me (0;

I've been working with Jed here at Sweetwater for years. He is very knowledgeable and answers all my questions fast. Thanks Jed!

I agree with the other reviewers, a tube swap makes a world of difference. I swapped the tubes to the same setup another reviewer used (Mullards and JJs) and it's by and far my favorite head now. I've seen reviews about this head not liking pedals, I have found the exact opposite to be true. Everything from cheap chinese clones to boutique pedals have worked great with it. I liked it so much I picked up the matching vertical 2x12 to go with it.

This is the head I've been wanting for a while - simple, single channel with an FX loop and a boost. Bravo Marshall.

Bought this. All I can say is AWESOME. I run a tube screamer ( Ibanez ts9) in front and that’s it. I like to keep it simple. I wanted enough crunch for open chords not sounding sludge but enough for power chords having oomph. DONE . This amp and TS9 achieves this.
Had it set on .5 watt on volume 1. Louder then a vacuum cleaner 5 feet away !! So you can imagine how loud a all out 20w setting cranked will be.
I wanted an amp to last me decades.., found it.

There are several reviewers of this amp that basically called this a piece of cr@p. It's not the amp design that's at fault but the modern Chinese tubes that come with the amp. Replace V1 with a NOS Blackburn Mullard and she sounds incredibly close to a real 1960's Marshall head.

I can"t believe how powerful a 20 watt amp can be. Very crisp sound. Turn up the gain until you hear that breakup and it"s awesome. Great price. And it"s a tube amp! It pairs well with my Orange. Using an ABY switch I can bounce between them or combine them for unique tones. Great service from Darius at Sweetwater as always.

I have been wanting Marshall to do something like this for years. I pre-ordered one but unfortunately got one of the first runs which had the speaker jack problem . From what I hear now, it has been fixed. I ended up returning it and just getting a DSL 20HR. That is a fantastic sounding amp, btw. I have since picked up a used Origin 20H. This one didn't have the speaker jack problem. Ok, so now I get to spend some time with this amp.
I got this for at home low volume jamming and recording. It does that very well. With the right guitars, pedals and speakers this little amp can sound very close to the real deal Plexi amps we know and remember. I also have a 50th Anniversary JMP1H and they sound different as should be expected but I have every bit as much fun playing the Origin. Actually the Origin is more versatile being able to get more Plexi tones than the JMP1H. I have tried it with several different cabs and speakers and as would be expected, Greenbacks sound the best with this amp. Pedals that work well in the front are an EP Booster and obviously a tube screamer. An OCD can get it into JCM 800 territory as well.
I am glad I was able to pick one up used and gave this amp another shot. I am very happy with it and I believe this will be a keeper for a long time. When I got the amp it had the stock JJ tubes in it. I replaced the EL34's with Svetlana which I think make it sound a little more detailed. If you are thinking about getting one of these, do your self a favor and use a greenback equipped cab with it. V30s, 70/80s and T75s will not allow this amp to reach it's plexi tone potential. Creambacks would be a close 2nd.

BTW, with regards to below review, have played mine thru avatar 412 w Greenbacks and 112 w Private Jack and sounds fantastic thru each. Very transparent, warm (but not overly so), awesome bottom end, all around solid.

Man, what an amp. Fantastic Marshall tone, clean and dirty, sounds sweet throughout. Great tone at low volume setting, slightly fuller at mid and high volume, but all great. Also own Marshall Class 5 (now entirely obsolete), dsl 1 head, dsl 40c, orange rocker 15, dr z ghia and maz 18, mesa mark v, fender blues jr... others. Sure to pair down the gear one of these days, but this one is here to stay. Suggest previous reviewer that left low stars try another cab. Also must say the fit/finish on this head is exceptional; way better than my England made class 5 and some of my other of my amps. Made in Vietnam is fine by me, given this amps build.

Man, what an amp. Fantastic Marshall tone, clean and dirty, sounds sweet throughout. Great tone at low volume setting, slightly fully at mid and high volume, but all great. Also own Marshall Class 5 (now entirely obsolete), dsl 1 head, dsl 40c, orange rocker 15, dr z ghia and maz 18, mesa mark v, fender blues jr... others. Sure to pair doen the gear one of these days, but this one will always be here to stay. Suggest previous reviewer that left low stars try another cab. Also must say the fit/finish on this head is exceptional; way better than my England made class 5 and some of my other of my amps. Made in Vietnam is fine by me, given this amps build.

Beautifully simple and quite possibly the last amp I buy. Okay, it's not hand wired, so what? It sounds great. Those AC/DC and Skynard tones that I've been struggling to dial in forever, are here. It has the right sound and the right number of knobs (very few). It takes pedals well and has a few amenities (FX loop, and Tilt control) that make it perfect for my needs.
I'm running mine through a 4x12 cab with Seventy/80s but it sounds pretty good through a single Vintage 30 as well. If you like the sound of the old Plexi, I think this gets you there without the huge price.

There are not enough stars to rate this amp, Glad I got the 20 as I have four 100 watt heads a 900,2000,JMD:1and a DSL .Facts are this amp through one of my Marshall 1960A bottoms with 4 x 75-watt G12T-75 speakers set at 16 ohms is all you need in a small club .just crank it up I run tilt at 7 o'clock it has a lot of bite with the 4 x 75-watt G12T-75 speakers I also run the front end with a Tc E.Dark Matter gain set at 11 o'clock output at 2 o'clock my taste might not be yours but this is what a real Marshall is ! Strait up in your Face Badd. and that I can jack it in a 2x12 10'' Bottom with green backs at home or in the studio is heaven and that is why I chose the head it gives me options .this was worth the wait !!! My advice to some one who has never had a Marshall get this head and a dark Matter Run a 4x12 Birch bottom and cut loose ...

Spectacular amp. The sound is a Marshall, hands down. It sounds vintage. It sounds like an old hand wired SLP. You don't need 100w to get great tone. This is it. Last amp I'll even buy right here. Well done, Marshall.

I have to echo all the positive reviews posted on the web thus far. I just got my Origin 20 head last week thanks to Sweetwater. I finally had the chance to run it through and dial it in. I'm very impressed.

Background: I use a pair of Gibson SGs, one with Burstbuckers and one with P90s. I run my amps through a Two Notes Captor then into my DAW using IRs. I use a 4x12 Greenback cabinet and Vintage 30 cabinet for IRs via Wall of Sound. With this setup, it took a few days to dial in the sound I wanted. I have obtained a great low to mid crunch AC/DC, Thin Lizzy, Free guitar tone using the Origin 20 with the following settings: TMB at 6, Tilt at 8, Presence at 10, Master at 8, Gain at 8. I roll my guitar volume back to about 7 and tone to about 5 to get the sound I want. With this setup I can get a great crunch sound, and have the ability to dial up more gain on the guitar and also add punch with the boost.

The boost function seems to hit the front end like a clean boost, very similar to my Soul Food. It thickens the low mids and adds some gain. I really like the way the boost works here.

I haven't tried the FX loop, I don't generally use FX loops, mainly because I don't have any pedal to put in there.

On the setting described above, the amp itself is extremely quiet. No hiss or hum that I can detect. My SGs have unpotted pickups and I have no problems with them being unwieldy.

The amp can really clean up nicely. If I back the gain and master down to 6, I get a barely crunchy sound thats really nice and crisp.

I have a Vintage Modern to compare the Origin to. On the VM I max the master and gain (Detail at 10, Body at 5). I also set the TMB to 7 and the Presence to 10. The Origin compares very well to the VM with a slightly different voice. It's hard to describe the difference between the two though. The VM has a little more oomph, but that could just be my ears being used to the VM tone. The VM definitely has more gain available. I noted that the Origin doesn't like the master at 10 - it seemed to lose a lot of definition but didn't get mushy. Kinda like having a huge fuzz in the front, where the low and mids get crunched up. I really like having the whole power section blasting away, in most cases, and I enjoy that type of crunch. On the Origin however I backed the master down to 6-8 and it loses that fuzzy bottom end whilst still getting a huge loud sound. I don't think the loss of definition is due to using the Two Notes Captor as the VM sound amazing with the master cranked. It might be the stock Marshall EL34 tubes. Its also possible that the 50w head might not exhibit the fuzzy low end at maximum master volume. I'm not likely going to replace the tubes though, the amp sounds smashing at the settings described.

The Origin 20 is the first Marshall I've bought in years and the first Marshall I bought new. I am very impressed. My amp search is over. I can cover any type of material I want with the VM and the Origin.

Ok. I'll be the first. One of the more anticipated Marshalls to come out I got my pre-order in quick for the 20H. I had a general idea of what to expect but it has exceeded my expectations. Descriptions were thrown around initially about it being a pedal amp and it does eat up overdrives well and the effects loop works great but believe me when I say this is also an amp you can just plug straight in and go with it. It is very open and expressive sounding. Vintage crunch when cranked up that will easily clean up with a nudge from your instrument. Way less compression in the tone than the later voiced Marshalls. This is the way Marshalls sounded before they started getting more gained up. Nothing wrong with that but the tone that comes from the Origin is the kind of tone a player can connect to. It will respond a lot more to what you give it. It is very easy to dial in a sound with all my guitars. Les Paul and Stratocaster gets the tones from earlier British Blues tones. I think straight in with the amp breaking up the built in boost works well and this simple setup alone makes a great Blues rig. Im going to keep my comments short because i believe this review section is going to fill up. Very happy with the Origin 20H.

first off waited 4 months for this amp,but really been waiting years for it,1 channel amp master volume,fx loop and power scaling!! oh and it sounds bad ***...to me puts my silver jubilee to shame this amp has the fat ACDC crunch that just makes you smile, i am old enough to remember the plexi sound and to me this amp nails it . and more gain needed just step on a overdrive pedal and there you go. this amp lives up to all the hype that it created and then some great job on this one marshall . and a big shout out to my sales guy TYLER DAVIS for all his help along this long road to get this amp !!!!!

Love it - Once you open up the master volume, this thing is a pure power amp rock machine.
Plenty loud - not a "bedroom" amp if that's what you're looking for. The team at
Sweetwater is the best - thank you Mason Moss! Factory sealed amp arrived on day 2 after
ordering it.

This is the sound. I have a ton of gear and 55 years performance experience. Using the master and gain controls, coupled with the boost switch and the power attenuator, you can dial in a clean articulate sound, a smooth high gain sound, and a lot of steps in between. It is very responsive to touch, and the volume and tone controls on your guitar also give you a lot of leeway to customize your sound on the fly. It is lightweight, low cost, and looks like a real Marshall. I suppose it is, it's just made in Vietnam, and I have no problem with that. I've had no reason to look inside it, but the quality seems fine from the outside by what I see, hear, and feel. I miss the trem and reverb from my fenders, but this amp is so much better sounding and versatile. The effects loop seems well designed, I could not hear it color the sound in any way when I turned the effects loop on and off. My analog tremolo unit works well there, haven't tried digital reverbs or delays yet. You should know that it is not designed to accomodate a 4 ohm speaker load, just 8 or 16. I'm using a 2-10 cab with 16 ohm speakers wired in parallel, and plugging into the 8 ohm jack, and it sounds great. Very pleased with this purchase, and with Sweetwater.

I also find it amazing what they don't do for... is the amp cathode biased? is pin 1 connected on the EL84 tube sockets. meaning, can you use NOS EL84's Everything else sounds great! Buffered fx loops are great for your time based fx.
Tube amps have the biggest sound per watt than any other design. But they're only as good as the tubes used. Modern offerings are not as good as NOS designs. I recommend JJ's if you have too. NOS tubes will cost you as much as the amp does. Mullard's. and Amperex preamp tubes. At least buy one Mullard ecc83 for V1. it will change the whole character of the amp for the better. (Natural crunch with compression / sustain & harmonic's . That's rock n roll sounds from its roots. Check out the Egnater tweeker , same price point but with 6V6GT they're plug and play with no pin issues with NOS tubes. Good luck guys and keep it fun.

Within a few minutes, I dialed in a perfect sound for me and felt at ease with any doubts I did have about the origin series. The first thing I noticed as I carefully and slowly turned up the volume on the .5 watt power setting was that the volume is incredibly smooth. The amp can be very quiet up to fairly loud for our small bedroom. On the 20 watt setting it has plenty of volume to keep up with other live instruments.

On its own, the gain is fairly moderate and reserved, but dial in a clean sound and add a distortion pedal and you're all good for going heavier. It has remained clear and punchy no matter what I've played through it.

Thanks to Matthew Lamarche for helping me choose the 20 watt model. Someday maybe I'll upgrade to the 50 if I can find a scenario where the 20 isn't enough. I don't see that happening anytime soon though.

As a 63 year old incurable Guitar playing Studio Rat, I have bought and used a lot of Marshall amp's (and plenty of others) over the decades, but, I could never achieve the creamy tones my old (and first Marshall) Super Lead 100 and subsequent JMP 100 seemed to deliver with ease. In 1975 I refinanced my rusty Chevy Vega, put a Grand in my pocket and bought a lightly used 1959 Super Lead 100 stack. No master volume Lol. I think it was made in '70 or '71. I sold it in the late 70's and regretted it ever since. Anyway, after buying and quickly discarding a new DSL 50 (with a new Greenback loaded 4x12 slant cab), DSL 40 combo, Haze 40, Class 5 (I know), and a couple of Ceriatone heads (JTM45/18 Watt TMB Clones) in misguided attempts to get back to that British sound I remembered, I decided my 10 year old Fender 65DRRI and Mesa 25/50 Express (purchased from Sweetwater) were going to be my "go to" amps in my studio and when gigging and just call it good.

After recently reading reviews of the origin 20 and the favorable feedback, especially on the Tilt control from a few individuals that clearly seemed to know how the old Plexi's really did sound, I bought a discounted open box Origin 20 head from Sweetwater. It arrived in perfect brand-new condition 2 days later. I would never have suspected it was an open box item if not for the Sweetwater logo on the tape used to reseal the box. It is important to note that I also recently bought a cheap Marshall MX112 cabinet locally and a new 16 Ohm Celestion G12M-67 20 Watt Greenback (actually made in England) and immediately upon getting the cab, opened up the back, yanked the horrific sounding Celestion 70/80 out of it and installed the G12M-67.

That cheap, heavy MDF material the MX112 is constructed with is very neutral acoustically, so what I'm hearing is all Origin, Greenback & Gibson. Yesterday I hooked up the Origin and gave it a two-hour workout on the 20 watt and "Mid" power settings with my '97 Les Paul Classic loaded with Seymour Duncan 59's and RS Guitarworks upgraded pots & Orange Drops. I was pleasantly surprised to say the least at what a good job the Origin did replicating those great old Plexi tones. Granted, the Celestion will need a few dozen hours to break in, but, holy cow! First, the clean tones are excellent across the board, nice and warm. Boosted with the Master at 12:00 and gain about the same with Bass set at 11:00, Treble/Mid at 12:00, I was able to consistently hit sweet spots that took me right to Billy Gibbons, Duane/Dickey Betts, Frampton, Thin Lizzy, Foreigner, Kansas, Angus, Clapton/Beano tone, etc. This is definitely not a scooped midrange sounding high gain amp. This is a Loud, Classic Rock Workhorse that will drive a 4x12 cab with ease and really roar if used for playing out live.

This amp, coupled with my fairly inexpensive 1X12/20 watt Greenback speaker cab "experiment" that cost me a little over four hundred bucks, has resulted in very accurate, creamy "Golden Age" Plexi tones at studio friendly volume levels that will record well in the studio. The Origin sounds a slight bit "fizzy" at times when driven hard with a lot of gain at the Mid Power setting, but at 20 watts those EL34's sound great, period. I am so glad I tried the Origin 20 head before spending an additional thousand bucks on the SV20. Then again, I wonder what if....

Thanks to Kurt Martin for having my back all these years, especially with all the recording gear, which is why I buy from Sweetwater with complete confidence.

This amp at this price is an absolute "No Brainer" if you are searching for that vintage Marshall sound on a budget.

Like many, I have been on a voyage to try to get a glorious tone. Not trying to match anyone elses tone, just looking for the tone that gives me butterflies.

I have gone the solid state route, Boss Katana, Fender Mustang GT. They do great, but I don't think there is a time that I come back to the amp when I don't spend a few minutes buggering around trying to get a sound I really like.

The Origin sounds fantastic. All other amps are now gathering dust, I have found the sound I was looking for and she sounds beautiful as soon as she is turned on.

There are two limitations though that prevent five stars, First the lack of reverb is a tad annoying. I have a reverb pedal which is wh I made this compromise, but the DSL has it included and at an increase in cost of less than a reverb pedal, it's a good consideration.

Secondly, the amp is old school, so you are balancing gain and master. This means when you want to play at realistic bedroom volume, most of your gain is lost. Put the amp on full gain and balance out with the master will leave you with a very mild crunch on a humbucker and almost clean on a single coil. All this is done with the 0.5 Watt setting. Now crank it and you really get those classic tones. Now for me this is not much of an issue. I have a quality distortion pedal and tube screamer so I get all the tone and crunch I want, but that's another $400-$500 if you don't have that in your arsenal.

So I guess what I am saying, is the tone is phenomenal, It always sounds good, but you may have to use additions to make it totally usable for your situation. Am I pleased with the purchase? Totally! but for some there could be some dissatisfaction if they don't have the resources at hand.

Should I have bought the DSL instead? probably not. The Origin tone is fantastic and much more what I was looking for, but go into it with your eyes open because you may have other expenses to get you to where you want to be for the playing volume and sound you are looking for.

I bought this amp a few weeks ago after playing it a lot at the local store before buying it here. First off the quality of the amp is very good and the amp is very loud even at the lowest power setting and I had to also buy an attenuator from SW as well to use sometimes to really get the sound I was looking for. I would also call this a low gain amp but it does seem to take gain pedals well. I have been using either a Boss blues driver or an OCD pedal with the gain turned low in the front of the amp to boost the gain a bit. The overall tone of the amp is very rich but very clean but will get to ACDC level of drive at full gain mode. I have fond the Presence and Tilt knobs seem to be useful in helping shape the tone especially when using the aforementioned drive pedals. The effects loop is not great on this amp and it makes my reverb and delay pedals sound a bit strange especially at higher volumes but overall I like the amp a lot and I was glad I tried it before buying because the gain that people are getting in videos wasn't really close to what I was getting in real life. If you are looking for a fairly versatile low gain amp with a rich clean to low growl you will like this amp. If you are looking for something gainier from the amp itself and not from pedals I would look elsewhere probably at the DSL or JCM800.

Marshall rated this their "most expressive amp" in their line-up at the time of it's release in Europe. It is a very expressive amp on the full 20 watt setting thru a 2x12 cab with Greenbacks inside. Sounds big, warm, full and deep with a high end that is bright but not too bright. Just like a good Marshall should. Now this is not a JCM 800 series as it is not a high gain amp - it is way too old school sound for that. Think 60's Marshalls and you've got the sound.

Marshall tried to modernize this model with the switchable power, FX loop and recording out. Let's talk about those. The switchable power is kinda gimmicky because as you lower the output you lower the headroom of the amp as well. I like headroom so I stick with 20 watts and play softer. The FX loop has such low gain you have to push on the gain boost as well to get back to the same output volume as it was before stepping on the FX loop. Why not add a valve boost to the FX circuit from the get go? And while I love the recording out for direct recording the signal is super weak and requires close to 50dB of gain at the desk to make it work. Why not boost that too Marshall?

So ... all in all I love this amp but with a few changes to the design this could be a killer amp. Otherwise, it is very expressive and sounds like a good 60's Marshall should.

This 20 watt head is perfect for what I needed. I been using a 15 watt tweaker with a 12ay in v1 socket since they came out and just about to order another one for backup even though I haven't had any problems with it.Then Marshall origin 20 popped up so I ordered it and was very satisfied with the sound especially how clean it was and of course it can do dirty.I have really been missing a presence control because I don't run the treble very high on any of my amps.This is a keeper and the shocker is I like it better than my 73 50 watt head.I may try a 5071 in v1 socket later but right now it will stay as is. The 3 gain switch is really nice as is the tilt control for different applications without having to touch the other controls. I am 65 years old and don't fall in the honeymoon category for reviews and I will feel like this 2 years after I had this amp (if I live that long).Hope I don't steer any body wrong on this amp but I like it

The reviews you see online are misleading. You aren't going to get even close to overdriven tones unless this thing is really cranked up. You aren't going to get that at bedroom level even on the lowest setting. Trying to achieve that it's way to loud. So I'm back to running my pedal board into the effects return. And it sounds great. It sounds better this way than running them into the front of the amp with my set up. But I was a little disappointed that I couldn't use the amps overdrive tone like I expected. Maybe some different tubes would help. Maybe mine is just a lemon in this department.

I have a 2555x head, a jvm410 head, a 1987x head, a dsl20hr head, a jmd 50 head and a valvestate 100 combo, also a 1960a lead cab. I wrote this for you to understand that this review comes from a guy who knows what to expect from a Marshall not to brag about the gear I have. This amp is a great platform for your od or distortion pedals, I have a bogner ecstasy red pedal and it sounds incredible infront of this amp! But don"t expect the amp itself to give you a high gain sound! This sounds exactly how a vintage marshall amp should sound with gain on the middle! It produces crunch only and in a great way but if you are looking for high gain sounds than this will be a total loss of time.

(Second draft)

This is a really great little amp. I got the 20 watt head because I hate heavy gear (bad back) and I don't currently gig with a drummer. I think the 20 watt head would be fine for bands with good volume discipline/sane drummers, etc. I have not been in such a band. I would buy the 50 watt version if I were playing rock and roll in clubs. Truth be told, it's only about 5 pounds heavier.

This is a medium-gain amp with really stellar clean tones, and killer crunch overdrive. The clean sound is so good it is worth mentioning a second time-it is *really* something special, as is the "edge-of-overdrive" sound. It's easy to push this amp into high gain territory if you use the right pedals. Catalinbread's Dirty Little Secret comes to mind. This is a great pedal amp if you want it to be. That is how I use it. Then again, it would be right at home in an AC/DC cover band with few or no effects.

Why only 4 stars? Well, I always think things could be better. Marshall may well improve this amp in the future. I think the preamp gets a bit hard and buzzy over 75% (3 o'clock) or so. You want 5 stars? You will need to spend more, and you will not get a night and day difference. I'm talking about buying a real Marshall Plexi or JTM45 here–handwired stuff from the 70s, or boutique amps. Over 1500 bucks for sure.

One caveat: my copy had some funky preamp tubes. Nothing *defective* mind you, but they sounded really fizzy and harsh when the preamp was over halfway. A new set of JJs (30 bucks) fixed that, though the last couple of notches of preamp gain are still off limits. Could have been just one tube, but I just replaced all 3. I don't like brand name tubes, even if they do say Marshall on the outside. The power tubes say Marshall on them, but they are also labelled as JJs, and JJ tubes are good by me.

MY REVIEW IS , I AM UNFAMILIAR WITH HOW A, 20,WATT HEAD, SOUND'S, BUT I THINK THAT, IT PROBABLY GOOD, BUT FOR, A, COMPANY LIKE, MARSHALL TO ASK, FOR $, FOR JUST, THE, HEAD AND, NOT EVEN, INCLUDE TWO, SMALL, CABINETS, WITH A COUPLE, OF, 10 OR 12"CELESTION SPEAKERS, IN A COOL TYPE OF, MINI,STACK, EVEN, WOULD SELL,LIKE, HOTCAKES, I, THINK, THAT, PEOPLE WHO, LOVE MARSHALL SOUND,&,TONE, TO PEOPLE WHO ALWAYS, WANTED A, MARSHALL SOUND, ALSO, YOU SHOULD, COLABERATE, WITH, A GUITAR,COMPANY,THAT WOULD SELL A DECENT, ELECTRIC GUITAR, WITH SEMOUR DUNCAN'S, IN IT

It is ok. If mid-late 80's sound is what you are going for it will work ok. If you are looking for any type of modern gain this is not what you are looking for. It works for a pedal platform. Bought mine in October 2023 and already having issues with it. Micro-phonic tube. Just not impressed for the pre price drop price. Or any price for less than two months of light use. Waiting on sweetwater response to service or return.

So I will start this off by saying I did really like the sound of this amp. I bought this based on reviews and figured hell lets use these reward points and try it and see if its really that good. I got the amp on Feb. 19, 2020 and it lasted to April 22nd. What I thought was the crappy factory power tubes going out ended up being the output transformer on this guy. This amp was never moved and sat in a small studio for the 2 months I had it, so it wasn't abused. Now I wouldn't be getting a second one but I made the mistake of NOT buying it from Sweetwater and using points to buy it from another place, so I'm stuck like Chuck.

The inside of this amp is nothing to write home to mom about, even a child could tell it was made in China. If you are thinking of using this as a gigging amp, please do yourself a favor and spend a few bucks more and buy a DSL. They are built better and use better components even though they are probably built in the same factory. They use Marshall branded tubs in these so I will venture to say they are not the best. I changed my preamp tubes almost right away due to a weird harmonic noise I was getting and it cleaned it right up.

This amp does however sound great when you run it through a good cab. I will tell you right now it sounds horrible on a crappy cab with crappy speakers so if that is what you have laying around the house you wont be happy. I found the BOOST to be, well crap so I just didn't use it. The effects loop worked but only if you have the pedal that they send you hooked up. The one I had, I couldn't get the Boss ES-8 to control the loop, so I hope when the new one comes it works and it was just something wrong with the first one. I didn't really find many pedals that it didn't like but 2 that really shine are the Wampler Triple Wreck, and the JRockett Archer Icon. Its like any Marshall it loves any tube screamer pedal. The loop has no control so you will have to adjust anything you put there from the pedal. The EQ section is actually really good and was very surprised, much better then my 800 or 900.

I'm giving this 2.5 stars. Liked the sound, liked how it handled pedals and loved the EQ, hated the reliability and build quality / parts inside.

I have to concur with some other reviews here... it was nearly impossible to get a good sound out of this thing, even with different guitars, pedals, etc. No good clean sound, but the drive sound was bad also. It got me through one rehearsal, managed to get a decent range of dirt by stacking a DS-1 and an MXR Dist+... those were actually the only two dirt pedals that sounded ok with his amp. After fiddling with all this for a while, i hooked my cabinet up to my old Laney SS practice amp, and the tone was GODLIKE compared to this Marshall.

I had this on my to buy list. I was hoping it would be a replacement for my JTM45 at reasonable volumes. Maybe it was just the speakers I played it through but it sounded mediocre at best. I tried it through the low - medium - high settings and the high did sound a bit better but nothing like I'd expected based on everyone's reviews.

I'm a huge Marshall fanboy (JVM410, JTM45, Class 5, ...) so I really wanted to like this amp. I suggest you try it in person before buying because I was only trying it out to test a used guitar (JS24P). Sadly, I'm skipping this amp. I suggest you try it next to a JTM45 if you think that's the tones you're getting, because it's not even close.

I think this is the first below 4 star review I've ever left as well, so I'm pretty forgiving on music equipment.

This is a really cleanly built amp.PThis is a really poorly constructed amp. Lots of plastic. Sounds ok but I would havneer bought one of Really poorly constructed amp. Sounds ok if it would have been $100. Don't recommend for sure. Arranged to send it back a half hour after it was plugged in. If you are looking for a decent amp at this price range there are thousands of better options. Can't believe Marshall put this out at all.

I have tried everything, over 20 guitars, over 10 different speaker cabinets, i just cannot get a useable sound out of it. I also plugged in at least 40 pedals and nothing but bla bla fuzzy flubby noise. Anyone who wrote a good review of this amp dosen"t know jack about real tone. Oh, i did find a use for it, makes a great door stop for the bandroom. Seriously buy something else, hell anything else, get the dsl .. you"ve been warned, don"t waste your money like i did.