(Ori 20) First ever Marshall, could you help please?

[MrCleaner]

Hi all, I'm new here.

I'm 36 and have been playing for 24 years, but never owned a Marshall!!! To be honest in the last 7 years I haven't owned a proper amp and been gigging with a Line 6 Helix.

However I've been wanting to get back into tube amps for a while and 2 days ago saw Andertons had the Marshall Origin 20c Limited Edition for £399.

It arrived Yesterday and I had a couple of hours with it.

It's not that I'm disappointed with the amp as I knew what I was getting, and I'm wanting to use it as a pedal platform. I'm just struggling to dial in the right sound a little. I use a fender strat HSS, and trying to dial out that ice picky sound without making it sound like a blanket over it. Also as I've only used it at home I can't get the volume loud enough for any edge of breakup, even on 0.5 watt setting haha.

Also what's people's thoughts in running a multi fx (Helix) straight into the front. As it's a pretty clean amp it should be a perfect pedal platform. But not sure whether I should start building an analogue board up and go totally old school?

And lastly, as I play in a gigging covers band, is it loud enough to gig with in 20 watt mode?

Thank You All, have a great day!.

 

[eastwood6]

Welcome to the Forum!

Be patient as you’ll need to work through some trial and error to discover which combination of pedals, effects and amp settings will deliver “your “ sound.

With Marshalls, volume cures a lot of tone inadequacies. If you can’t open up the amp, use effects to replicate that sound. I’ve found that adding some delay to even a low-volume setting tightens up the tone and makes the amp sound bigger.

I’m old school (in a lot of ways LOL) so I use a pedalboard in front of my Marshalls. No experience with digital multi effects units so will let others weigh in on that.

A 20 watt Origin should be plenty for jamming or gigging unless your drummer is John Bonham reincarnated.

Good luck on your tone journey!

 

[fitz]

to the forum.
I don't gig and never will, but I've tried a lot of things with my O20H.
Most tubes and speakers are better than the stock ones Marshall gives you.
EQ in the loop is a must.
The amp stays surprisingly clean with single coils, juice the front end with a dirt pedal.
If you have a Helix type of gizmo with any sort of pre-amp functionality, try running it straight into the loop return.

 

[mark123]

That’s a crazy low price so no fault there. That being said, I’m no fan of the Origin series especially the combos with 10” speakers and even more especially in an open back.

However, what I would try is an EQ in the loop. I think it’s probably the best solution for your case. You can do the 4-cable method with the Helix, correct?

 

[Cal Nevari]

Hi all, I'm new here.

I'm 36 and have been playing for 24 years, but never owned a Marshall!!! To be honest in the last 7 years I haven't owned a proper amp and been gigging with a Line 6 Helix.

However I've been wanting to get back into tube amps for a while and 2 days ago saw Andertons had the Marshall Origin 20c Limited Edition for £399.

It arrived Yesterday and I had a couple of hours with it.

It's not that I'm disappointed with the amp as I knew what I was getting, and I'm wanting to use it as a pedal platform. I'm just struggling to dial in the right sound a little. I use a fender strat HSS, and trying to dial out that ice picky sound without making it sound like a blanket over it. Also as I've only used it at home I can't get the volume loud enough for any edge of breakup, even on 0.5 watt setting haha.

Also what's people's thoughts in running a multi fx (Helix) straight into the front. As it's a pretty clean amp it should be a perfect pedal platform. But not sure whether I should start building an analogue board up and go totally old school?

And lastly, as I play in a gigging covers band, is it loud enough to gig with in 20 watt mode?

Thank You All, have a great day!.

Congratulations on the new amp! And for joining the Mystic Cult of the Marshall Druids. You got it at an excellent price, as well. They go for $750-800 here in the States, even used.

As you’ve already gotten several great responses, just want to add a few observations. First, you can definitely gig with it. I’ve used mine in small clubs and it cuts through just fine. In larger clubs, we just mic it through the PA.

Second, it took me quite a while to dial in tones I liked, both at home, practice, and for gigs. In general, most knobs at 2 except Tilt at 0, Master and Presence at 6, and Middle at 8 work well on the Low output for home. If you use Mid or High output, you can get louder but not grittier. To get some lovely breakup, you need to start cranking up the Gain to 6-8 range. For gigs, the Master at 8 and Gain at 6-8 cuts through the mix nicely (we are a trio playing alternative rock).

Finally, it is great for pedals. I don’t use the foot switch that comes with it because it is bulky and has a captured cord. Instead I use a Boss FS-7, which works fine and fits on a pedal board. As for my board, it’s all Boss pedals in a Boss BCB 90X carry case in the following order: TU3W, SY1, FB2, BD2W, CE2W, and TE2. The synth, chorus, and echo pedals are used briefly on only several songs, so the main ones are the blues driver and the feedback booster.

Hope that helps. Enjoy your new beauty!

 

[MrCleaner]

Congratulations on the new amp! And for joining the Mystic Cult of the Marshall Druids. You got it at an excellent price, as well. They go for $750-800 here in the States, even used.

As you’ve already gotten several great responses, just want to add a few observations. First, you can definitely gig with it. I’ve used mine in small clubs and it cuts through just fine. In larger clubs, we just mic it through the PA.

Second, it took me quite a while to dial in tones I liked, both at home, practice, and for gigs. In general, most knobs at 2 except Tilt at 0, Master and Presence at 6, and Middle at 8 work well on the Low output for home. If you use Mid or High output, you can get louder but not grittier. To get some lovely breakup, you need to start cranking up the Gain to 6-8 range. For gigs, the Master at 8 and Gain at 6-8 cuts through the mix nicely (we are a trio playing alternative rock).

Finally, it is great for pedals. I don’t use the foot switch that comes with it because it is bulky and has a captured cord. Instead I use a Boss FS-7, which works fine and fits on a pedal board. As for my board, it’s all Boss pedals in a Boss BCB 90X carry case in the following order: TU3W, SY1, FB2, BD2W, CE2W, and TE2. The synth, chorus, and echo pedals are used briefly on only several songs, so the main ones are the blues driver and the feedback booster.

Hope that helps. Enjoy your new beauty!

That's some great info and will try it out with your settings!

I was wondering if I felt like I needed a little more oomph for gigs, would buying a 2x12 cab provide me with this do you think? And also if its a possibility any reccomendations on any?

Thanks again!

 

[Dave_11]

To dial in the high end, try turning down the treble almost all the way, then turn up the tilt and presence almost all the way. That's what sounds good on my setup with pedals at lower volumes anyway.

 

[mark123]

I was wondering if I felt like I needed a little more oomph for gigs, would buying a 2x12 cab provide me with this do you think? And also if its a possibility any reccomendations on any?

A Marshall 1936 is a decent choice. An EVH 5150 III 2x12 has better speakers. That’s subjective, for sure, but the closed cabinet sounds much better than the 10” built in.

 

[Maxbrothman]

It's called the 4-cable method and works fine with the Origin. It isn't easy to figure out the cabling first go, so do watch tutorials. However you can set FX loops with the Origin and the Helix.

The EQ is reversed on the Origin, so make sure you aren't accidentally dialing bass instead of trebs.

Getting most Marshalls into a Marshall crunch is a loud experience, even with the Origin.

You can get early dirt from the Origin in a few ways, but my best experience outside of playing 110db+ is with a good dirt pedal in front.

If you decide to attenuate you can use full mode power and dial what you want and let the attenuator handle global loudness.

 

[Eric'45]

Also what's people's thoughts in running a multi fx (Helix) straight into the front. As it's a pretty clean amp it should be a perfect pedal platform. But not sure whether I should start building an analogue board up and go totally old school?

Maybe I'm pointing out the obvious here, but have you deactivated all amp Sims, and especially Cab Sims inside your Helix? Especially the Cabinets should be deactivated or turned off.

 

[Cal Nevari]

That's some great info and will try it out with your settings!

I was wondering if I felt like I needed a little more oomph for gigs, would buying a 2x12 cab provide me with this do you think? And also if its a possibility any reccomendations on any?

Thanks again!

Hope it helps! I have not used a 2x12 but others on the forum have and will no doubt give you useful advice.

 

[Mitchell Pearrow]

To The Forum
Lots of great advice so far.. congratulations on your new amp.. they are an old school flavor, and do it well in my opinion.
I also am a proud owner of the 50H.
Take your time and listen with your ears is the best advice I can give.. because everything else has already been mentioned.

Cheers
Mitch

 

[fitz]

I was wondering if I felt like I needed a little more oomph for gigs, would buying a 2x12 cab provide me with this do you think? And also if its a possibility any reccomendations on any?

I run my O20H into a home build 212 with G12M-25 greenbacks.
I've tried a few different combinations of speakers, and these work best for me.
Not sure what kind of tone you're going for in your cover band, but any pair of 12's will get you more thump than the 10"er.

 

[Georgiatec]

I can't really help on playing the Ori20 at low volume, but for gigs and band rehearsals, (in full or half power mode) start with the Bass, Mid & Treb all on around 6. Master almost full, Gain around 8. Then with the Tilt on zero turn it to the right until you like what you hear. This should give you a good vintage Marshall crunch. The Boost adds more gain and thickens the tone.
If you're going to use the effects loop you will need to use the footswitch as the loop will not work without the footswitch plugged in. You can defeat this by plugging in a shorted jack plug...contact @fitz for the detail on this.
Enjoy getting to use your amp. It is not a Master Volume amp and there will be a compromise to playing at low volume. My solution is I don't.

 

[fitz]

If you're going to use the effects loop you will need to use the footswitch as the loop will not work without the footswitch plugged in. You can defeat this by plugging in a shorted jack plug...contact @fitz for the detail on this.

Any TRS adapter in the FS jack will turn on the boost & loop.
Short tip to sleeve to turn off the boost.
Short ring to sleeve to turn off the loop.
Switchable with some mini switches and some creative wiring.
Also, any 2-button latching FS will work if you want to just hide a FS in the combo back or fit a smaller FS to a pedal board.

 

[vivanchenko]

Oh, those rumours and "conventional wisdom". The 20W Origin is not a good pedal platform, by far, because it brakes up too early which will interfere in a negative way with dirt pedals. All good pedal platforms have tons of clean headroom which brings us closer to the Origin 50 which is still lacking in this regard.

Overdrives, on the other hand, are not supposed to be played with "pedal" platforms, because they are meant to emphasize the character of an overdriven amp. Good overdrives are transparent. The Origins will sound amazing with overdrives, because they emphasize their true character.

If an amp sounds good with overdrives and not so good without them then it means that you are not playing it cranked. Any tube amp doesn't sound good at low volumes. Unlike your Helix the Origins are meant to be played cranked!

If you can't crank it, play it with good overdrives or attenuaters, but it is not the amp's fault that it won't sound good without them at low volume.

 

[Ufoscorpion]

Oh, those rumours and "conventional wisdom". The 20W Origin is not a good pedal platform, by far, because it brakes up too early which will interfere in a negative way with dirt pedals. All good pedal platforms have tons of clean headroom which brings us closer to the Origin 50 which is still lacking in this regard.

Overdrives, on the other hand, are not supposed to be played with "pedal" platforms, because they are meant to emphasize the character of an overdriven amp. Good overdrives are transparent. The Origins will sound amazing with overdrives, because they emphasize their true character.

If an amp sounds good with overdrives and not so good without them then it means that you are not playing it cranked. Any tube amp doesn't sound good at low volumes. Unlike your Helix the Origins are meant to be played cranked!

If you can't crank it, play it with good overdrives or attenuaters, but it is not the amp's fault that it won't sound good without them at low volume.

Yep , my Ori50h settings are pretty straightforward, everything on 10 except gain which is on 6/7. I’m using a buxom boost into tube screamer and also using a torpedo reload otherwise it’s way too loud in my small studio even on 5 watt setting . Sounds freeking awesome mind .

 

[speyfly]

A of of great advice and yes, it took me a while to dial it in. One thing I will say it that you add a boost pedal to the front, really has made a difference for me. I have a Spark boost in front of the OD's and the Engager (that is a fantastic pedal for the ORI 20) at the end. Now I rarely use the OD's unless I want a ton of gain. This is the config I use now after rolling many pedals and I'm pleased to say I have found the right combo for blues and rock.

 

[scozz]

Don’t forget about an eq in the loop as suggested earlier, easiest, simplest way to get your amp where you want it to be imo.

 

[EJstrat&JVM]

You have a great pedal, the Blues driver, now you need something more important, a good attenuator.