5 Tips To Dial In A GREAT Tone On The Marshall Origin 20

[@Skoora]

No secret to this amp. Here are my top 5. 1. Crank it 2.Turn it Up 3. The Master Volume is Republican, move it to the far right. 4.Oh yeah, Blast it 5. Lower the bass and raise all other knobs when you crank it. You don’t need to change the tubes, you don’t need to mod it (even though you can and they sound good too). It’s basically a plexi with a pre phase inverter Master. That’s why it’s quite clean unless the Master is crushing the phase inverter. Max the EQ (or at least to 3 O’Clock, keep the bass below 12 O’Clock, move the tilt towards the right and you’re ready to rock without a pedal and volume roll off on the guitar will get you a great edge of break up to clean with a humbucker guitar. Use the Tilt and Treble/presence to tailor for Strats, Tele’s etc. or if you want a smoother/warmer OD for humbuckers. it’s completely normal to lower bass on a plexi when cranking it up. This guy acting like he’s unveiling a mystery when the Origin series is super easy to dial in if you have ever used a non master Marshall in the past. I actually like these in the way they can be a decent clean too as a lot of older non master Marshall’s, mostly metal panels from the 70’s don’t have a good clean sound. Can be stiff, sterile, no bounce (but they did use very high value bright caps which didn’t help). The Origins, for the money are the best amp Marshall makes. I like that even though there’s some great mods for them, stock they still are great.

[@lightningstrikes7314]

Great comment, the amp is indeed very good, the cleans are fantastic. I find it very easy to dial in a good sound for small/medium size venues. I was considering an SV20 plexi but it seems that the Origin holds its own and your comment-you clearly know your stuff-confirms I don't need one.

[@HeavyMetalTom]

💯👍

[@charlesaliaga4376]

Thanks for the info, Marshall engineers know what they are doing, but Jay's ideas are good too,I want to be a happy bunny.

[@chrisjones8592]

I own many plexi Marshalls. This amp is gutless and NOTHING like a plexi. I tried everything and couldn’t find any usable sound with this amp. I am currently having it modded so hopefully that will make it useable. The 50 watt origin is a much better sounding amp for some reason.

[@slimturnpike]

This is exactly how I run mine, everything maxed except bass. Treble control works fine on mine. The Tilt control is very useful when moving between humbuckers and single coils. Great amp, nails the early Bluesbreaker tone.

[@MontyPMarshall_Music]

Very good video. As an old JCM 800 guy, this amp is nothing like that and that is why I bought it. I wanted to go after that old sound from the days when Marshall was battling it out with Vox for early rock sounds, not a high gain sound. I have had a lot of success with this as a rockabilly platform ( Using a delay and reverb from a POD) and a Gretsch. It also seems to have that "feel" of a 5E3 type so it also falls into the pocket of the 80's sounds. As you pointed out throw a pedal in front if you want a high gain sound, but as is I find this to be a cool amp for size and weight. I very much liked your explanation of the panel, spot on!

[@billknudson7895]

Totally agree. I’ve also found this amp to have a really nice warmth to it. I really like the way it’s voiced.

[@StuartKReilly]

Jay this is the best video I’ve ever seen of the Origin and I’ve decided that this amp is definitely for me and a load box is DEFINITELY in my future

[@jayguitar]

Glad you enjoyed the video dude! 🤘 Check out the vid where I modded it too - it turned into and insanely good amp after the mods. Have an awesome day!

[@seancook2264]

Really helpful video. I picked up a second hand Origin 20C off Reverb as my first tube amp. Love it and these tips are fantastic as I disappear down the amp and pedal tone rabbit hole having moved from a Spark Go! 👍🏼

[@jayguitar]

You’re welcome. Really glad that the video was helpful. Very cool that you picked up a second one. I am tempted (so that I can modify it like I did my first one) but way too many amps in the studio right now 😜 Enjoy the amp dude! Have an awesome day!

[@robertlevasseur8896]

Great vid, taught me a lot about my new amp. thanks so much!

[@daleturner3507]

I’ve got a Ori 50 and it’s got entirely too much treble. Some of these tips definitely make it sound more like what I was looking for out of this amp. Great video.

[@c.k.185]

Just bought the 20 combo. Loved your insight. Very helpful.

[@MS-Patriot2]

I sure hope you change the speaker, major weakness. Use an external cab. Try different speakers. Huge improvements are possible.

[@brian16164]

@@MS-Patriot2 hi im looking for Malcolm Young tone which cab do you think would help? Cheers

[@MS-Patriot2]

@@brian16164 I use an Orange PPC112. Solid cab, Celestion Vintage 30 inside. Keep the gain and bass down on the amp, fit heavy gauge strings, try a filtertron style pickup or at least a P90. Enjoy !

[@brian16164]

@@MS-Patriot2 thank you im kinda close right now. I have Malcolms signature model guitar but the 20c just doesnt seem to do it. Getting obsessed with this i gotta win this one. Any other tips would be greatly appreciated. Cheers Brian

[@MS-Patriot2]

@@brian16164 Try some different cabs/speakers. The Marshall supplied unit in the combo really is pants. Another suggestion is a graphic EQ pedal in the fx loop. I use one for solo boost, not just level but also frequency sculpting makes a big difference in cutting through. Good luck, don’t listen for too long without a break.

[@atrocity35]

I just bought an ORI20 and this right here is exactly what I needed. Very insightful. Gonna jump on it and see how I can dial in a solid tone. One thing I have noticed about this amp, it takes pedals like a champ! I got it on clearance at the local Guitar Center. Definitely a solid buy! Can't wait to get a better cab to run it through (currently running it through a 1x12 Bugera with a Turbo Sound speaker). For the money, great amp! Awesome video! Thank you!

[@jayguitar]

Glad it was helpful dude. Yes the amp takes pedals well for sure. Have an awesome day!

[@markattaway4429]

I was about to trade in my Origin 20 head, until I watched your video. Now, it’s tight and punchy, like the Alice In Chains Facelift album!!! Got it going into two 2x12 cabs. I have a Radial ABY switcher, where I can run my Origin and a 6505+112 combo, which has a Boss GX-100 effects processor in the loop of the Peavey. Kind of a wet/dry setup. Sounds awesome!!! Thanks so much for your video!!!

[@Cougar139tweak]

This thing is an amazing Pedal platform, it makes it's weakness it's strength (Mellow baseline vintage sound)

[@sisoldi]

Great video, it for sure can be an odd amp, like the Vintage Modern amps, can be tricky to dial in and why folks give up on them. One of the best tone tips with these amps is keeping the master below 3'oclock, like you illustrate at the 9:45 mark or so, that is where the bass control becomes much more usable and the flub goes away, ESPECIALLY with the boost OFF! So, Gain up, boost off, master below 3 o'clock, it kills! Cheers!

[@abeacock]

Thank you so much for this video Jay, I've had an Origin 20 head since they came out (mine had to go back to Marshall to get the "two speaker outs not working" fix done). I've often wondered about the tone stack on this amp, you made it so much clearer!

[@jayguitar]

You're welcome. It is a bit of a head scratcher for sure when you first start playing with it 😊 Have an awesome day.

[@michaelcline7458]

I don't know the technicalities of it, but these tips also seem to work well to get a good right tone out of another misunderstood and difficult to dial in Marshall...the Vintage Modern. As I understand it is essentially a hot rodded JTM and can get very boomy and flubby in the lower end. Some of these tips work to tighten it up like with the Origin. Great demo and explanation. Thanks! 🤘

[@pjmtry7]

Awesome, love the detailed dives like this!!!

[@kukeskei]

Wow, thanks man :) Spot on with the forget what the knobs says on this one. It's way to easy to set the knobs too much with eyes and not all ears. You are the best!

[@jayguitar]

You're most welcome. Yes! Good point! This is a really good lesson in dialling in the tone with your ears rather then eyes 😊 🙏 Have an awesome day 🤘

[@SONICBOOMERSOONER]

Wow Jay, massive insights!! I have the 20 and the 50 and they don't get used much but this might change that. I had the treble off and used presence for treble per the other tips video you referenced, which helped some, but your observations on the bass control may be game changing for me. BTW, inspired by Headfirst Amplification I had my DSL100H upgraded to Mercury Magnetics transformers and choke and some mods to the dirty channel to make Lead1 & 2 close in volume and sounding good with the same EQ settings. Holy smokes is that thing a fire breathing monster now, with unreal overtones! My amp tech also biased with a strobe to dial out all of the crossover distortion. I'll send you a recording sample sometime.

[@jayguitar]

Hey dude, glad it helped! Oh thats great about the Headfirst transformer mod. I did the Headfirst mod to my Origin (video is out tonight so look out for that) - my god! What an AMAZING amp now! Breaths fire also 😊 Wait till you hear it. You'll love the tones. I'd love to hear some recordings so please do send them. Enjoy and have an awesome day!

[@Glensully]

i have a 50H. i like it because its simple and i have a helix and a decent handfull of drive pedals. i like that i can get very clean tones out of it.

[@erikr968]

The "strange" behavior of some of the controls is natural for a non-master volume amp where most overdrive happens in the poweramp. The tone controls mainly affect the tone before distortion, compared to a typical high-gain amp, where the tone controls shape the tone after distortion.

[@jayguitar]

Hi Erik, i'm gonna have to disagree with you about some of the points you made I'm afraid. I built a 69 Plexi from a kit a few years ago - essentially the higher end version of the amp that the Origin is based on - and the EQ works as you would expect. No strange behaviour. The treble, mids, bass and presence do exactly what you'd expect. Second point, the Origin has a master volume so it is actually a master volume amp rather then non-master volume. The power amp distortion is created by driving the phase inverter tube, which is technically pre-power amp - it splits the signal into two parts and then send it to each side of the transformer in order to create the push-pull circuit. That is the tube that is creating what is termed as 'power amp distortion'. The power tubes stay completely clean and just add thickness when the volume is higher. The tone stack in a plexi sits after the preamp stages and prior to the phase inverter, so most of the distortion is created pre-tone stack. And if I can recall correctly the Origin is the same, so the EQ is affecting the overdriven sound. Also, in Marshall amps, the tone stack is at zero when all the tone knobs are at maximum. The EQ works to take out frequencies from the fully open sound of the amp, rather then adding frequencies on top of the fully open tone. I modified the amp to the Headfirst amps JCM800/Jake E Lee spec and added Jose clipping switch too and after I did the work (which basically added an extra gain stage in the firm of repurposing the tube used for the effects loop, and a few tweaks to the EQ circuit to shape the tone) the tone stack, master, gain, all controls started to work as I would expect on any Marshall. Is there an inherent design flaw in the Origin? Possibly, I don't know for sure as I haven't dived down that rabbit hole. But my experience has been that the Origin's controls don't work as most people would expect. I've heard this from many people who have the Origin. As Agent Mulder from X-Files would likely say it 'exhibited some strange behaviour' 😉 Anyways, have a great day.

[@philwertz1]

I started really messing with my 50 today and yes....the controls don't do what you want them to, definitely have to play around with them.

[@jayguitar]

Crazy how they designed it like that isn’t it? Once you get to know the controls all is zen but it takes a little head scratching. Have an awesome day Phil.

[@proffche]

I’ve bought a combo version of it hoping that low power mode will actually give me good sound on low volume, like dsl5 does. Turns out that 0,5 watts here is waaay too loud for home. On master somewhere about 3 every other knob becomes a volume knob. Gain on amp? More volume. Volume on pedal? More volume! Gain on pedal? Gain and more volume. It’s not a “quiet plexi”. It’s a plexi quiet enough to save your ears from bleeding.

[@jayguitar]

Yes you're right. It is loud even on the lowest setting. Have an awesome day!

[@CalitranoN]

Jay, thanks, i have some strange hiss coming out of my origin 50 using with EVH OD, off to guitar center for some Mullard tubes... 🙂

[@jayguitar]

You’re welcome. May I ask, is the hiss there when the pedal is switched off or not connected? Cool about the tubes. New Mulllards are good tubes - they don’t sound the same as the old ones but they are cool. Other tubes to check out are the TAD and Ruby as well. They make some great tubes. Have an awesome day!

[@CalitranoN]

@@jayguitar thanks ! Its quiet when i turn off the distortion but I am wondering why I can't get intentional feedback, (where you face the amp) , i have the EVH overdrive and it goes to a squeal when i try to face the amp? I thinking pushing the front end of the origin 50 watt head is too much for it? I'm thinking of trying a compressor to get harmonics to come out like Van Halen stuff.

[@CalitranoN]

I got it,. the "hiss or squeal" is produced by facing the amp to create controlled feedback with a dist. pedal and tilt on full also presence up to 8 treble like 7... The Origin will cut out and stop producing sound... its crazy... So the front end cannot handle being pushed with too much gain and highs at the same time. Watch that Tilt control!

[@jayguitar]

Hey dude, apologies for the delay in replying. I have been out of the country and just back a couple days ago. Now that is odd that the amp wouldn’t go into feedback with the boost. It does sound like you’re slamming the front end too much though which will inevitably cause the amp cut off sound that you’re experiencing. Usually feedback will naturally start to happen even without a pedal when the amps volume is high, so you would need to start cranking the master. Even a tube screamer with the gain at 10 o’clock and level at 2 o’clock will send a Plexi style amp into feedback. So if you have the amp cranked, plus the EVH pedal cranked, then it is probably too much signal for the amp. I would be interested to know what the volume level you’re using is also. I am imagining that it is pretty low as 50 watts dimed is crazy loud.

[@SWLDguitar1]

Would have loved to see your settings after you got done talking about them. I've had this amp for about 3-4 years now. I moved on to using it as a pedal platform, but i think i want to go back to using the amps natural overdrive; pedals keep having issues with level matching, like they will be equal, turn the amp up and OD will be 2x louder than distortion/fuzz.

[@iclarkphoto]

Great video!

[@brian16164]

Hello thank you great video and playing. i have an origin 20c. do you have any experience getting malcolm young tone on these amps? cheers

[@jayguitar]

Hey dude, thanks! I appreciate it. I don’t have any experience with the Malcolm tone. I know that he used Marshall Super Bass amps which had less gain then super leads so I would imagine turning down the gain on the amp and rolling off some of the high end will probably get you into the ballpark of that tone. Have a great day!

[@MrRewski830]

Great video.

[@austin7414]

Definitely going to test out some of these tips! Curious, where your treble typically lies? I’ve got the mid, bass, gain etc all kinda dialed in. Just trying to figure out treble control. Cheers!

[@jayguitar]

Hey Austin, on this amp it lives somewhere else now because I have modified it and the tone stack works much better now (more like a regular amp). When it was stock, I think I set my treble to around 11 o'clock, but I'm guessing. You might want to check out my review video as that will probably show the front panel somewhere 🙏 Have an awesome day.

[@darralldougherty5388]

Bass on mine is the same. However, the gain knob is not. I wonder if it's the tubes you swapped out that makes it go away so quickly when you turn it down. Sounds great though!

[@jayguitar]

Hi Darrall, ah this interesting about the gain knob. Maybe the tubes? Have an awesome day.

[@glennevans5824]

Have to say there was a noticeable difference with the tube change..🤙🏻

[@jayguitar]

Hey Glenn, yeah tubes make a big difference. I remember when i first started using Mullards - changed out the tube in one of my Jet City amps and it was like it went from 2D to 3D. They make a big difference for sure 😊 Have an awesome day.

[@haroldlongone]

Hi Jay you changed the pickups on the Vintage V100 great sound 🙌🎸

[@tobymillar]

Just remembered why I bought the amp and how to get that sound. Cheerio

[@CQJR007]

Tried your settings on my OR20. Mine sounds nothing like yours on those settings. I'm using it with a 2X12 cab with Greenbacks. Unless you are playing incredibly loud.... And i have Mullards also.

[@jayguitar]

Hey dude, yeah I am playing it loud through an attenuator - the master is pretty much at max most of the time. Have an awesome day!

[@EugeneBroeren]

Thanks for the video, very usefull. I want to record with it and try it with your ir pack. How did you hookup with your DAW? I assume not with the Di but an attuenator or something ?

[@jayguitar]

You're welcome. I plugged into a loadbox - TwoNotes Captor - as I much preferred the sound to the DI output on the amp. Have an awesome day!

[@73prd]

Honestly I boost mine with a boss metal core or a boss ds1 that's had the diodes removed sounds massive, oh and I run an eq pedal in loop

[@Realmatberge]

Quick question for you. This amp is loud, im wondering how your can max out the master volume and gain while using the 20Watts option and not bleeding out your ears...

[@jayguitar]

Hi Mathieu, I use an attenuator with the amp so that I can drop the volume even more then at the lowest setting, which is still very loud 😊 Hope that helps. Have an awesome day.

[@jordiumethar4963]

Good tricks!!! I'll keep it in mind for when I buy a Marshall!!! 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼😅😅

[@jayguitar]

Hey Jordi, you well? Hope all is good dude 😊 Have an awesome day.

[@DiegoRodriguez-je2ok]

I just had this amp yesterday.... I seen you taking the juice of this amp in this video... I love the way you making it sound.... But last night I watched a video of you of this amp again saying the good and the bad and the terrible...lol to late for me haha...

[@jayguitar]

Lol! You found that video! Doh!!! 😊 Its all good though - the reason I made this video is to show folks that although it has some shortcomings with some knowhow you can get a decent sound out of it. My plans was always to modify it, which I did, so it was a win anyways. Have an awesome day!

[@DiegoRodriguez-je2ok]

you Rock!!!@@jayguitar

[@kermlnator3]

Jay - what model Les Paul is that?

[@jayguitar]

Hey dude, its a Vintage V100AFD - really great guitar 😊 kzbin.info/www/bejne/o6SkdpmPp9iGhtk - Have an awesome day!

[@patrickmacleod2415]

Great tips. Thanks for sharing. I just got this amp for Christmas. I’m thinking about getting an attenuator next, because even on the .5 watt setting I have to basically dime the master and gain so it is still pretty damn loud and too loud to play while my wife is home. Any recommendation on attenuator? Also, since you are presumably going to open it up soon to mod, I would love to see how to change those tubes.

[@merwinjm]

Same. Exactly.The.Same. I thought the amp was broken. I couldn't get the sounds I was seeing in videos. Empty house, I cranked the master volume, and there it was. but even on low power, it was way too loud. I should have known. I have a 4 watt Fender tube amp I can't let go higher than 2. I bought a OEM version (multicomp PMATT from Newark) of the Brugera PS1 100W on close out ($29 shipped). It does the job, but note that the attenuation kills the trebble, so you'll have to adjust the knobs specifically for the attenuated sound. I've seen DIY attenuators that have a bright switch. One of these days, I might open it up and see if I can wire in a bright switch. I suspect it's just a glorified L-Pad ($20 on Amazon +jacks, wire, and case).

[@jayguitar]

Hey Patrick, yes its loud even when on low power! Crazy how loud even 0.5watts is. Attenuators - I use a variety of them. The Redstuff Variload and Varsuckers are great - they are low cost and work really well (built to order). I have the Two Notes Captor as well which sounds great and is mid-priced, and a BOSS Tube Amp Expander which is a much higher end attenuator which I use when I play live. Important thing to think about an attenuator is that it needs to protect the amp while a cab is not plugged into it. The ones I have I completely trust 😊 Hope that helps. Have an awesome day!

[@patrickmacleod2415]

@@jayguitar Thanks. I ended up getting the Bugera, as the price is reasonably and the reviews seem pretty good, and as I’m not a pro it is more than enough for my needs. I just got it and haven’t plugged it in yet.

[@patrickmacleod2415]

@@merwinjm Thanks for sharing your experience. That’s good to know about the treble. I ended up getting the Bugera for about 100 pounds here in the UK. I just got it and haven’t had a chance to plug it in yet.

[@jayguitar]

@@patrickmacleod2415 Very cool - you know, I started to wonder if they can be modded as well 🤔 I will have to investigate at some stage 😊 Enjoy the amp!

[@rrapeez]

This or the DSL20 for Lez Zep tones?

[@jayguitar]

Hmmm… now that’s an interesting Q. The DSL is more versatile so that would probably be my personal choice as you can lower the gain and get kinda plexi’ish levels of gain, but you can also turn it up and do high gain for leads too. The Origin is cool for doing lower gain sounds, but I find the EQ on the amp tricky to dial in and the loop on my one didn’t work very well either. Hope that helps. Have a great day.

[@rrapeez]

@@jayguitar thanks! Love your channel

[@jayguitar]

@@rrapeez You're welcome. And thank you 😊 🙏

[@73prd]

I find a ts9 makes the amp sound even thinner and the amp is thin enough already

[@kowpow2259]

Strangely I felt the same way.

[@whiteon5627]

This amp response really different depending the pickups you are using. IMO the best to play with is a Les Paul model… tried with a Telecaster 72 HH special, and the sound is warm and rich but really vintage.. tried with noiseless pickups in a Elite Strat and there’s no way I would like that combination… but the Les Paul humbuckers are the definitive sound, richer and warmer than anything else…

[@willdenham]

I can only make my Tele sound good through my 50wt. It doesn't like Les Pauls as much.

[@Michel-r6m]

The Origin may be my fav Marshall. There are other great Marshalls (and Fenders etc.). What I'd like to see is a pedal that does the Tilt, an expression pedal kinda.

[@craigyoung4068]

Jay - have you tried RFT (German made) 12AX7's? These tubes also sound great in a Marshall. Sounds good in my Friedman.

[@jayguitar]

Hi Craig, yes I have - they are good tubes. A friend of mine had sent one to me some years ago. I still have it somewhere 😊 Have an awesome day.

[@philw8049]

Yeah I see what you mean about the bass, wow that’s bad! Kinda surprising considering how long they have been making amps cmon Marshall!

[@jayguitar]

Agreed 😊 🙏 Have an awesome day.

[@lionchamp29]

ive got no distortion. It came to my house with some...Now nothing

[@jayguitar]

Hey dude, it would be worth checking the tubes - both preamp and power tubes. If you have no gain, then my guess would be that the one of the preamp tubes might not be working. If there is no sound whatsoever, then it could be preamp or power amp tubes. Hope that helps. Have an awesome day.

[@darrylheld345]

Tip #1 change the speakers in your cab or combo. The stock speakers are crap. Tip# 2 buy an eq pedal. Tip#3 it’s a single channel amp…dial gain to taste, buy a Klon type pedal for extra gain Tip# 4 use your guitar knobs for everything else.

[@MS-Patriot2]

This is exactly the process I used to get my Origin 20 to play ball. I also used a graphic set to a -10dB overall in the fx loop as a means of keeping the master high but the volume lower for rhythm playing. When I want to play lead I just disengage the graphic and the full bore is available.

[@richinderbyshire4779]

Seems strange. What was Marshall thinking? Was this how amps were decades ago?

[@jayguitar]

Hey Rich, yeah it does - headscratcher as to why they created the amp in this way. Have an awesome day.

[@watersnortmoment3734]

People wanted a budget old school Marshall. Then they realized they don’t actually want an old non master volume Marshall.

[@Jeremy-kw2fe]

I hear a delay

[@kennyh5083]

What a novel idea! hahaha!

[@Tiler-ju9zl]

30 years ago mashall was great. But now due to where there made. They have comply lost there sound

[@jayguitar]

Hey dude, yeah old amps were great - I don't think it has to do with country of manufacture as I have played amps from around the world which have been just as good as vintage amps. It has more to do with the circuit design and layout in this amp and cost cutting too. I have modded the amp with $10 of parts and it sounds immense now. But, for a major manufacturer, $10 times 200,000 units is a huge outlay. Have an awesome day.

[@charliestubbs6151]

Dude the music is so loud

[@jayguitar]

Rock and roll is always loud dude! 😊 🤘 Have an awesome day!

[@sidewaysrain7609]

Sounds like a shity investment to me (

[@jayguitar]

Turned out to be a great investment as I had always intended to mod it. And the modded amp turned out to be amazing 😊 kzbin.info/www/bejne/qWOvhH6gqZdpjNE - Enjoy and have an awesome day.