Marshall ORI20H Origin 20-watt Tube Head Certified Open Box

Name: Marshall ORI20H Origin 20-watt Tube Head
Brand: Marshall
Rating: 4.5 (77 reviews)

20-watt, 1-channel Guitar Amp Head with 3-band EQ, Tilt Control, Switchable Low/Mid/High Power Output, FX Loop, Gain Boost, and Footswitch

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Item ID: ORI20Hd3

Marshall ORI20H Origin 20-watt Tube Head

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Condition Notes:

This item is in excellent condition and perfect working order. Product includes all original accessories. This item ships in its original factory packaging.

This item was thoroughly inspected by our factory-authorized service team and is backed by Sweetwater's exclusive 2-year warranty. The images shown do not necessarily represent the condition of this particular item.

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A No-frills Gateway to Classic Marshall Tone

Packed with a generous complement of tubes, the Origin ORI20H exhibits vintage-inspired Marshall tone. This amp is powerful in its simplicity. Dial in the Gain and Master controls to get the right amount of crunch, then shape your tone with the Presence knob and the 3-band EQ. A unique Tilt control blends bright and normal sounds, while switchable power enables high-output sounds at any volume. A built-in FX loop makes integrating your pedalboard a breeze. There's even a footswitchable gain boost for adding extra punch to your solos. The Origin ORI20H is a no-frills gateway to classic Marshall tone.

From the music store to stages everywhere

Jim Marshall didn't start out building great amps. In fact, his entry into the amp world came about in part because the drummers that visited his music shop for equipment and lessons often brought along their guitar players. Conversations about their amplification needs led to the birth of a line of amps that would eventually change the sound of music. From those first humble creations to Pete Townshend's first monster full stacks; from the mid-'60s combos to Hendrix to backlines of multiple Marshall rigs, there's a reason why so many guitarists (including quite a few here at Sweetwater) swear by Marshall amps. Try one out and see for yourself!

Marshall Origin ORI20H Features:

Packed with 3 ECC83 preamp tubes and 2 EL34 power tubes
Separate Gain and Master controls for dialing in the right amount of crunch
Presence knob and 3-band EQ for shaping your tone
Unique Tilt control blends bright and normal sounds
Switchable Low/Mid/High power enables high-output sounds at any volume
Built-in FX loop makes integrating your pedalboard easy
Footswitchable gain boost for adding extra punch to your solos

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At Sweetwater, we're so picky that what we call "Certified Open Box" is actually better than what most music retailers sell as "new" gear! Our gear hasn't endured hundreds of people a week plunking away at all the keyboards, fumbling through Stairway to Heaven on every guitar or playing with every fader and knob on a mixer or control surface.

Certified Open Box (also known as a demo) means we’ve had it out of the box for our YouTube channel, displayed at events, tested in our studio, or maybe it was in a customer’s hands for a few days and isn’t ‘factory fresh’ as a result. Every Certified Open Box item we sell has Sweetwater’s 2-year Total Confidence Coverage™ warranty and has been tested and verified up to ‘new’ specs by our factory-authorized technicians to make sure it’s in perfect working order before we ship it to you.

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Resources

Guitar Amp Buying Guide

Marshall Amps' Legendary Legacy of Loud!

Sep 24, 2021

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Tech Specs

Type: Tube
Number of Channels: 1
Output Power: 20W (3W/0.5W power settings)
Preamp Tubes: 3 x ECC83
Power Tubes: 2 x EL34
EQ: 3-band EQ, Tilt control
Inputs: 1 x 1/4"
Outputs: 1 x 1/4" (16 ohm), 2 x 1/4" (2 x 16 ohm / single 8 ohm), 1 x 1/4" (DI out)
Effects Loop: Yes
Footswitch I/O: 1 x 1/4" (gain boost, effects loop)
Footswitch Included: Yes, 2-button footswitch
Bias Type: Cathode Biased
Construction Material: Black Tolex
Power Source: Standard IEC AC cable
Height: 8.8"
Width: 20.4"
Depth: 8.6"
Weight: 20.7 lbs.
Manufacturer Part Number: ORI20H-U

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The mid-forward, "hoarse" tones this thing puts out are unreal once you get it dialed in and sitting on the edge of breakup. With a Bad Bob + light OD stacked in front, it sounds woody and open without getting compressed. It takes drives the way people always claim Marshalls do. And the fx loop for spring tank + delay is the cherry on top.

One thing I want to echo from another reviewer: the EQ section, Tilt and Presence controls are everything on this amp. If you treat it like a typical 3-band EQ, you're going to get a VERY average, to pretty crappy tone out of this amp. The secret sauce really is turning the treble almost off (mine sits at Treble-0.5, Mids-2, Bass-2), and then shaping the top-end with Presence + Tilt. The tilt control replaces having to jump the normal/bright inputs, so being able to sweep that blend is immensely useful. That's where the magic lives. Once you find your preferred balance and adjust presence to taste, it opens up in a way most modern amps don't.

Huge thanks to Greg O'Keefe for always being so great to work with! Appreciate you, brother!

In spite of online reviewers saying that it's "based on a plexi", it isn't - Marshall never said that it was and I don't know why people keep repeating that. It's more along the lines of a JTM45 ("Origin" = beginning, 1st Marshall was a JTM45). It's not a high-gain amplifier, it's not a "practice amplifier" because of the power scaling, and it's not a JCM800. Now that we got that out of the way, it's a pretty bad little amp with vintage Marshall tone all over it. And it's LOUD, even scaled back to 0.5W, but not ear-shattering loud by any stretch. The beauty is in the power section. Crank the master to 10 and the gain to 10 and that menacing Marshall snarl explodes out of every note. What I have found is that you need to turn the treble knob all the way back to zero, and just use the presence and "tilt" knobs to adjust your high-end. This is not one of those amplifiers that you can just put the knobs anywhere and expect it to sound great. You need to know what you're looking for, but once you get there it's worth it. It could use a delay or reverb in the loop, so I'll do that next. If you are thinking you're going to get this down to "bedroom" levels with the built-in power scaling, you'd better have a huge bedroom and nobody else in the house! It really is a nice amp, but it's absolutely rooted in the Marshalls of yesteryear, and this is how they are.

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.

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

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?

There are countless "British"-style guitar amplifiers out there, but take it from the lifelong guitarists and tone connoisseurs at Sweetwater, when it comes to Marshall tone, there's nothing like the real thing. We've played them all, from vintage JTM45s and the ultra-cool Plexi reissue to modern handmade masterpieces such as the JVM410. There isn't a model among them we can't recommend with total confidence, and that includes their more affordable models too, like MG, DSL, and Code series amps. Thanks to our tight relationship with Marshall, Sweetwater's always on the cutting edge of their latest designs, custom models, and limited-edition gems. If you want iconic tone from across the pond, you want Marshall, and your Sweetwater Sales Engineer will help you find the perfect one.

See also: Amp Heads, Marshall, Marshall Guitar Amp Heads