Marshall Origin 20: hands-on demo
A lower-gain, mid-priced head from the legendary British amp co
One of this year’s most exciting amp announcements was the unveiling of Marshall’s new Origin series, an all-new, five-strong range of lower-gain heads and combos that aim to capture the company’s early EL34 magic while retaining headroom for pedal users.
MR’s dynamic demoing duo Simon Arblaster and Michael Astley-Brown got their hands on the 20H, possibly the series’ most sought-after configuration, which packs power scaling, a DI out and a nifty tilt control in place of old-school Marshall input jumping.
Best of all is the price, which clocks in at a tidy $549/£459.
Here, Si and Mike put the amp through its paces, demonstrating the clean and dirty tones on offer, as well as how the Origin handles drive pedals.
MORE INFO: NAMM 2018 first look video: New Marshall Origin amps aim to bottle company's '60s roots
Gear used
- PRS S2 Singlecut
- Marshall 4x12 cab
- TC Electronic Hall Of Fame 2 Reverb
- Seymour Duncan Forza
- Boss JB-2 Angry Driver
Want all the hottest music and gear news, reviews, deals, features and more, direct to your inbox? Sign up here.
Mike has been Editor-in-Chief of GuitarWorld.com since 2019, and an offset fiend and recovering pedal addict for far longer. He has a master's degree in journalism from Cardiff University, and 15 years' experience writing and editing for guitar publications including MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitarist, as well as 20 years of recording and live experience in original and function bands. During his career, he has interviewed the likes of John Frusciante, Chris Cornell, Tom Morello, Matt Bellamy, Kirk Hammett, Jerry Cantrell, Joe Satriani, Tom DeLonge, Radiohead's Ed O'Brien, Polyphia, Tosin Abasi, Yvette Young and many more. His writing also appears in the The Cambridge Companion to the Electric Guitar. In his free time, you'll find him making progressive instrumental rock as Maebe.
