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Marshall ORI20C Origin 1x10" 20-watt Tube Combo Amp

20-watt, 1-channel 1x10" Guitar Combo Amplifier with 3-band EQ, Tilt Control, Switchable Low/Mid/High Power Output, and Footswitch
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Marshall ORI20C Origin 1x10" 20-watt Tube Combo Amp
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A No-frills Gateway to Classic Marshall Tone

Packed with a generous complement of tubes, the Origin ORI20C 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. The Origin ORI20C 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 ORI20C Tube Combo Amp Features:

  • Packed with 3 ECC83 preamp tubes and 2 EL34 power tubes
  • 10" Celestion V-type speaker provides classic British tone
  • 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

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Tech Specs

  • Type: Tube
  • Number of Channels: 1
  • Total Power: 20W (3W/0.5W power settings)
  • Speaker Size: 1 x 10" Celestion V Type
  • Preamp Tubes: 3 x ECC83
  • Power Tubes: 2 x EL34
  • EQ: 3-band EQ, Tilt control
  • Inputs: 1 x 1/4" (instrument)
  • Outputs: 1 x 1/4" (internal speaker 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: 16.5"
  • Width: 20.4"
  • Depth: 9.4"
  • Weight: 30.6 lbs.
  • Manufacturer Part Number: ORI20C

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Customer Reviews

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Rated 5/5

Classic Marshall

If the Marshall company would let me into their factory and design my own amp, it would be the Origin 20 - not kidding. This amp suits my needs to a tee. I play mostly edge-of-breakup clean and prefer to get my high gain dirt from pedals (see pic). The cleans from this amp are crisp, bright and full-bodied and soak up pedals like a sponge. It is a low-gain affair so there are miles of headroom to work with. There is some inherent OD but you really have to crank the gain AND the master volume to get there, at which point it is very, very loud, even at the lowest power setting. Even then, it is AC/DC type distortion at best. Humbuckers or P90s might get you a little more than that.

It is a bright amp with ample mids and bottom end, imo. The brightness can be controlled 3 ways; Tilt, Treble & Presence. I've found that by keeping the Treble knob low, around 3, and dialing in my highs with the Presence & Tilt, I'm getting some very sweet trebles without any harshness. You'll have to do some experimenting to find where your sweet spot is, but it is there, I promise.

The stock speaker seems to be well chosen for this amp. The VT Jr has great clarity & definition, tight bottom end and a very slight mid-hump that is actually a little flatter than what is typical of Celestion speakers. I plan to give it at least 100 hrs before deciding if an upgrade is necessary. In the meantime, it sounds glorious and is everything I think a Marshall speaker should be.

I'm not going to pretend to understand how "Powerstem Technology" works but I can say with 100% surety that this is the best power reduction circuit I've ever seen on any amp. To my ears, the tone quality of the 20w, 3w & .5w settings sound identical. I have other amps with built-in attenuators and I never use the lower settings because the tones sound thin & muffled. The lowest setting on the Origin 20 sounds crisp, clear and full, only quieter, of course. This makes for an amp that is equally useful in the studio or bedroom as it is on stage. Don't take my word for it -go check one out. I didn't believe it myself until I heard it in person.

I've never played through a Plexi, so I can't attest to the Origin's claims of sounding like that iconic machine. I will say that the ORI20C sounds like what I believe a classic single-channel Marshall should sound like. As previously stated, this is not a high gain amp. If you need modern metal tones from your amp, look elsewhere. If you want pristine Marshall cleans, this amp is for you. If, like me, you prefer edge-of-breakup clean-ish tones and use pedals for the heavy dirt, it's hard to beat the Origin 20C. Get one before the price goes up again.
Music background: Playing Guitar Since 1979
Rated 5/5

Exactly What the Doctor Ordered

Was super easy dialing in the range of tones I wanted. Sounds great with straight onboard controls. Ran my pedal board through the fx loop...super clean. Great clean tones, sweet, disks up all the crunch I want. Putting a MOJO MOJO on the front end brings the amp all the home. Speaker, even pre break in, is very nice. Good upper mids, highs aren't shrill even when tone shifted to the brightest set. IMHO, great amp, priced right, and my welcome back to the first half of the 70s.
Music background: Composer producer
Rated 5/5

It's an Old School Marshall

If you want a proper old school Super Lead/JMP sort of sound, (basically the sound of 70's classic rock) this will do it.

It's as basic as the old Marshalls, but it might not be intuitive to some (like me), on a lot of amps, you can turn up the gain, and turn the master volume way down, and get all the distortion you want at a low volume. Not with this amp. You have to run the gain and master high in order to get that good old marshall filth (it's power amp distortion). So yes, it's going to be terrifically and terrifyingly loud, even on 0.5 watt mode!

If your guitar has humbuckers, you'll naturally get more amp distortion than with single coils. With the boost, you get a bit more amp distortion (it's a 20db clean boost, it doesn't actually make the amp louder, it pushes the preamp to distort a little more) The boost also adds a little bass, which can actually be helpful with cleaner settings and single coils.

The tilt feature is pretty neat, they say you can replicate the different sounds from the 2 channels of old Marshalls with it, in reality it's simply an over all tone control. But you know, marketing...

The EQ is what you'd expect from a Marshall, the bass control doesn't do a lot, (guitars don't need much bass anyway) the mids are quite dramatic, and smooth, even on 10. The treble control doesn't do a whole lot once you have the mids turned up (there's quite a bit of high end in the mids)

The presence control is where it's at. If you're going to run a fuzz, that needs to be set high. If you don't turn the presence up high, the fuzz is going to sound absymal. Doesn't matter how you have the EQ and Tilt set, it will be too bassy, and just very muddled, and a pretty bigh perceived volume drop once you turn it on.

But if you run the tilt around half way, the presence all the way up, and the treble all the way down, you'll have the marshall "bite" when bypassed, and with a fuzz, you'll have a loud and simply berserk fuzz tone. Think of a live Hendrix sort of fuzz sound. It won't get messy even with the volume and gain at full blast.


Anyway, the amp does have a pair of EL34's and 3 12ax7's and it's Cathode biased. Meaning as long as you use a matched set of tubes, it's plug and play, no rebiasing necessary.

The cabinet is nice, the tolex is well done, and inside there's more than enough room for a 12" speaker. Wonder why they decided on a 10? But the V Type Jr does seem to be a good speaker anyway.

All in all, I have no complaints at all. This is a really good Marshall.
Rated 5/5

Fantastic Pedal Platform

This thing sounds wonderful clean and takes pedals really well. I posted a pic of my board to give you an idea of what is running into it. I don't use the effects loop, so no opinion there, nor do I run it dirty.

The 2 best things this has going for it is the 10" speaker, and the fact that you can adjust the high end at 3 points along the signal path. These are Tilt, High, & Presence. Coming from mostly Fender amps, the mid knob is also welcome. The knobs aren't like some vintage, where they don't do much, but are quite reactive. The "10 V Type is nice and focused. Non pedal users may miss the low end of a 12" driver. What I've noticed with the 10", is that I'm able to utilize more of the range on my mod and time based effects. No muddiness or thumping, but a clear and focused tone. I would argue personally that the amp has enough low end. I think anything you're missing is falling victim to the mix anyway.

Weight is great and it's roughly the size of a Princeton.
Rated 5/5

20c

I love it .
It’s a low gain amp so take that into consideration when buying.
I also have the 50h but I got the little combo for when I feel silly bringing a head and cab to a little gig.
Feel and response is my favorite quality of this amp and how well the controls work to tune it. Most every time I thought my rig didn’t sound right I have been able to fix it with the dials. I’ve added a video. Take into consideration that I owned this amp for 3 hours before taking to this show and since learned to get a little more out of it. Also it’s camera audio. The camera is right in front of the bass amp and directly over a 60 watt hot rod deluxe ... I’m surprised you can hear me at all with that camera location. The little combo is kicked back against the wall behind me across the room. I have a prince of tone overdrive on for the whole song. I was very impressed with the output and handling of this little amp.
Music background: Guitar addict lol

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.

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