Origin 20H with Pedals - Better Late Than Never

[jeffb]

Nice tone and playing.
Sounds amazing.
You sure dispel the myth some have, that the Origin amps aren’t a fit bit of kit!

Thank you for the kind words.

I have a love/hate affair with the amp as many here know, but the amp can pull off some great tone. It's usually just a matter of volume for me. Crank it, full power, and it has some great vintage-esque Marshall tones. IME, it really suffers when you have to throttle it back (though, as I've found, works well with MIAB pedals and some perseverance when throttled back)

 

[solarburn]

Thank you for the kind words.

I have a love/hate affair with the amp as many here know, but the amp can pull off some great tone. It's usually just a matter of volume for me. Crank it, full power, and it has some great vintage-esque Marshall tones. IME, it really suffers when you have to throttle it back (though, as I've found, works well with MIAB pedals and some perseverance when throttled back)

Exactly what I've found too. The right amount of volume and you know there are a lot of players that don't go there. Then dismiss the amp due to the very thing that makes it deliver.

There are no rules. If an amp needs volume/gain to sound good? Give it the beans! Don't buy it if it won't do at lower volumes. Don't dismiss it if it depends on volume to get it on. It's a Marshall. Loud and proud applies with this one. My Tumnus Deluxe and SD-1 cinch a happy ending every time I play it.

I only play it in It's sweet spot. Lots of volume, lots of preamp gain. These 2 things together give overall volume. They work together. I'd guess many don't know to do this and send it pack'n.

 

[solarburn]

Nice tone and playing.
Sounds amazing.
You sure dispel the myth some have, that the Origin amps aren’t a fit bit of kit!

Troof!

 

[Denis St Guinefort]

I own the same amp in

As promised. Some clips. It took me alot of time, effort, frustration and $ to get this setup dialed in over the past year but it was worth it.

Amp is on full power, loud fat clean sound, but attenuated with the Rock Crusher. Medium loudish TV volume. Going through one UK G12M25. Pedals are set slightly above unity and are doing all the work. Any cleans are with the volume knob rolled off on my guitar.

It's recorded in the loft so there's a natural echo (reduced to tolerable levels by putting the cab on some thick mattress foam). Also you will hear a box fan blowing- it's hot up there in the NC summer.

It sounds WAY louder than the actual volume is.

Both the Dirty Shirley and the Small box pedals here. I futz around with them all the time for different tones. SB tone is a bit more midrangey 70s tone (with maybe a bit too much presence), and the DS tone is bit more 70s era "metal" as evidenced by what I'm playing for the most of it.

My hands were mostly cooperating today, but you might hear me groan a bit when it hurt, if you are using good speakers/headphones. Sorry. Short and sweet clips.

I own the same amp in combo version. It does need a pedal (IMHO) unless one uses it full out which is way too loud for my usage. At lower volume, the amp's boost seems to me more of a volume boost. It also seems it doesn't truly affect the preamp as a pedal (boost or distortion) would do. My go-to pedal is a Danelectro Texas Trouble, a boost pedal. My Boss DS-1 also works satisfactorily though not as well as the Dano pedal. For future buyers, make sure you try Marshall 20s with a pedal. Also, the cab makes a great difference. You might find, depending on your taste, a good option with Celestion Greenback, or a Creamback, or a Vintage 30. Many manufacturers offer choices in different format with these speakers. Even the Cheaper Celestion 70/80 don't sound bad. The amp looks great with the matching 2×12 Marshall Origin cabinet. And it can be upgraded with better speakers later on.

 

[LuvMyMarshall]

If you like the Smallbox pedal, but wouldn't mind a beefier tone, I'd recommend the LPD Seventy4, which feels very similar under the fingers, but sounds even better imho.
In general LPD pedals are really nice,
I've got the LPD Sixty8, LPD Seventy4 and LPD Eighty7.

What are you feelings on the Seventy4 copping the same tones as the Sixty8? I'm leaning toward the Sixty8 tones, but I see there is no Mids control on the Sixty8 vs the Seventy4, which to me is a must for a Marshall pedal going into to a Marshall amp.

 

[Moony]

What are you feelings on the Seventy4 copping the same tones as the Sixty8? I'm leaning toward the Sixty8 tones, but I see there is no Mids control on the Sixty8 vs the Seventy4, which to me is a must for a Marshall pedal going into to a Marshall amp.

The Sixty8 is exceptional good in what it does - you can't get that with the Seventy4, it's gainier.
And to be honest the Sixty8 is more neutral sounding EQ wise than the Seventy4 and also the Eighty7.
Imho the Sixty8 is fine in front of an amp, the other two are more mid heavy and probably work well into an effects return, too.
I don't miss a mid knob on the Sixty8 but I wouldn't mind a bit less hi-mids on the Seventy4 (though if you run it into a mid scooped Fender, there wouldn't be any problem).

 

[solarburn]

What are you feelings on the Seventy4 copping the same tones as the Sixty8? I'm leaning toward the Sixty8 tones, but I see there is no Mids control on the Sixty8 vs the Seventy4, which to me is a must for a Marshall pedal going into to a Marshall amp.

I'd pass on the 74. At first I liked it but it's a bit too toppy/gainy/noisy overall. Left me looking for a sweet spot and when I thought I was there, became fatiguing to my ears.

I don't have Fender amps to pair with it so the near break up of my Marshalls or Marshall like amps may have not been a neutral enuff foundation. That was another issue. Adjusting the amps foundation tone and not finding joy there. My 74 sits and gathers dust.

 

[LuvMyMarshall]

I'd pass on the 74. At first I liked it but it's a bit too toppy/gainy/noisy overall. Left me looking for a sweet spot and when I thought I was there, became fatiguing to my ears.

I don't have Fender amps to pair with it so the near break up of my Marshalls or Marshall like amps may have not been a neutral enuff foundation. That was another issue. Adjusting the amps foundation tone and not finding joy there. My 74 sits and gathers dust.

Yep, had the 74 Deluxe and sent it back, great pedal and able to dial it nicely on the lower gain Green channel, but since its got global EQ for both channels, it became WAY honky when going to Red channel, then if dialed it in on the Red channel, the Green suffered. It seems its not to be used as an on the fly channel switcher, but rather set one channel and done.

I also had the 68 Deluxe and the same issue, but at least it has that Boost channel so you really can use two of the three parts of it, but still not flexible to warrant the price or the size since I have 25 different boosts in my HX Stomp XL.

Don't get me wrong, I get those LDP pedals are made for more mid scooped Fender amps, but man, that MIDS control is make or break for using it on anything else. MIAB makers need it as standard, as that is ALWAYS the issue. Next I was next going to go with the Bogner La Grange, but sounds too compressed and instead settled on the Bogner Blue Mini which will be here tomorrow.

I'm basically looking for a pedal to give me more of what is there and/or take the Origin thru where it lives at pushed JTM45-JTM50 tones (internal boost off) to 1959 based tones (boost engaged) and use the Bogner to goose up to up JCM800 gain levels either with the amp at its sweet spot, or if I decide to run the amp cleanish and want 65 thru early 80's Marshall era tones from just the Blue, it seems to tick all the boxes to do so, be we shall see!

Another missing ingredient, since I live in a very small place, even dialing in the 2:30 sweet spots for both Master and Gain on the amps lowest power scale can be too much if I want to play at night, so I grabbed a cheap Bugera PS1 Attenuator and does the trick quite well!

Note: I was going to spring for a Weber Mini-Mass which I loved with my Studio Vintage head years ago and the Weber has the Treble Boost switch which is a MAJOR plus if a darker amp and/or if you REALLY need to tame a more powerful amp, but I find myself dialing down the treble a ton with the O20H normally so its got treble to spare. So lowest amp power, 60-70 percent on the Bugera to take it down just a bit, turn up the treble a bit, perfecto!
I'll report back on the Bogner, cheers!

 

[jeffb]

I had the original Bogner Blue. It is a complete preamp and works better IMO into the loop and just using an amps power section. But it's not bad into the front of the amp.

It also sounds much better and is more versatile than the LaGrange (which I still own). The LaGrange seems to work better with Fender amps. Doesn't really like any of the three Marshalls I've used it with (Dsl, Origin, C5)

 

[LuvMyMarshall]

Bogner Mini-Blue, good sounding pedal, VERY flexible, but the noise floor is ridiculous. I realize its from the active EQ section but even with every control at 0, the base pedal noise with guitar volume down is loud. I've read other posts attesting the same issue, perhaps quality control? I dunno, but no matter, not gonna waste time with a replacement since between using my Mullard OC76 Lovepedal BBB11 for fuzzy sounds, the Timmy and TS-9 models in the HX Stomp XL for slight boosting and shape, and the attenuator, I'm set, well, for this week anyway

The next move is gonna be a treble booster since the Rangermaster clone in the Helix doesn't behave like a real one in rolling off the guitar doesn't roll off the "honk" of the booster as a real one like the Beano, Range Lord or honest vintage circuit does. They should behave like a fuzz in this aspect, almost like you don't have the pedal on except for the little glassiness to the sound when you roll back the guitars volume.

One thing I will say, the Fuzz Face on the Helix is actually pretty good in the guitar volume rolloff aspect, you just have to set the input impedance right when using it, and it sounds like a pretty decent lower gain Fuzz Face.

Cheers!

 

[LuvMyMarshall]

I had the original Bogner Blue. It is a complete preamp and works better IMO into the loop and just using an amps power section. But it's not bad into the front of the amp.

It also sounds much better and is more versatile than the LaGrange (which I still own). The LaGrange seems to work better with Fender amps. Doesn't really like any of the three Marshalls I've used it with (Dsl, Origin, C5)

Thanks for this, this post helped in my decision too!

The Big Blue seems more the preamp side, where the LaGrange is a "preamp-thru-power tube" modeler, which I was looking for at that start of this GAS session, but they seem hit and miss like the Caitlinbread DLS, so congested sounding, I've also had the SL Drive a couple of times and while souding pretty good, it doesn't do lower gain settings or guitar volume rollback cleanup very well unlike the orginal Plexi Drive and Zvex Distortron, perfect volume cleanup.

I used the Distortron with my previous SV20 so I wouldn't have to attenuate since that amount of needed attenuation simply killed the tone at late night levels, vs. the O20H with its 1/2watt setting where all it needs is a touch of attenuation to get it there and with the boost out and gain and master on 7&7, SLP tone at low TV volume loudness.

Two tweaks where I personally think the amp sounds like its suppose to at 7&7 (2 o'clock & 2 o'clock) on master and gain while still behaving nicely and fairly quiet with boosts, etc and FWIW I use LP and Strat's with vintage output pickups and Celestion V-Type speakers in a 2x12, so a cross between Greenbacks and V30's.

- Boost on for 100w amp style tones, boost off for 50w style amp tones, and with boost on, turn the bass from 0-3 to keep the wooliness in check, like you would a real 100w Plexi, for more loose JTM sounds, add more bass, trim some gain.

- Leave the Presence all the way up, turn off the Treble, and bring In the Treble to suit, usually to about 9-10 o'clock, Mid's to taste, guitar and cabinet dependent of course.

Cheers!

 

[jeffb]

Bogner Mini-Blue, good sounding pedal, VERY flexible, but the noise floor is ridiculous. I realize its from the active EQ section but even with every control at 0, the base pedal noise with guitar volume down is loud.

Same issue with the Friedmans. Noisy as hell even at low volume.

And I use unpotted pickups for the most part, which exaggerates the issue.

Very annoying. And probably my biggest complaint from a technical standpoint about the DS and SB pedals.

 

[LuvMyMarshall]

Same issue with the Friedmans. Noisy as hell even at low volume.

And I use unpotted pickups for the most part, which exaggerates the issue.

Very annoying. And probably my biggest complaint from a technical standpoint about the DS and SB pedals.

Even the Joyo British I had tried a ways back was noisy, but with gain applied, not with the pedal on and every knob a ZERO.

Even at that, its understandable in a $39 Joyo pedal, unforgivable in a $169 Bogner pedal