The horrible truth about Marshall amps that no one talks about

[paul-e-mann]

Thanks, my friend. There's a guy pretty close to me, locally, selling several chinese branded OD and Klon clones, such as Moskey, Kokko and stuff like that. I may check them out, because if they are usable, two of them cost the same as a used SD-1... which, incidentally, another guy also close to me is selling.

Decisions, decisions...

And I get what you mean. When someone calls me newbie, I don't get bothered one bit - some people judges you by the post count and the date that you join in. I've been around a while and have my own ideas. But let me tell that probably the most fun I had was when I was a newbie and trying new things and figuring stuff out - not affraid to experiment and doing things wrong, sometimes being negligent... Those were great days and I miss feeling like a newbie. Back in those days, I also posted my rig in my sig. These days, I don't have the patience (or the time needed) to do such thing. Maybe Msharky67 just needs amps that are easier to dial, with inherent good sound regardless of how you set the TMB. It's all good.

What matters to me is that I get a sound that I like out of it.

A good pedal to look for is a used Fulltone OCD to try, it covers a wide variety of tones.

 

[Resident 217]

"The horrible truth about Marshall amps that no one talks about"​

Congratulations other than that-dont' have anything to say about this topic.

 

[nortiks]

As I told about it to my precious dearest wife, the sweetest budget troll ever...

That is so funny, LOL!

 

[Jethro Rocker]

if Marshall took the clean crunch channel of the DSL and made that into the Origin it would be much more of a usable amp.

But then it would be half a DSL, which they already have.

OP, congrats on your new Marshalls!
Cheers

 

[Spcv]

"The horrible truth about Marshall amps that no one talks about"​

Congratulations other than that-dont' have anything to say about this topic.

Thanks.

 

[Spcv]

That is so funny, LOL!

And yet very true.

I believe that that rang a bell for some gents in the audience.

 

[Spcv]

But then it would be half a DSL, which they already have.

OP, congrats on your new Marshalls!
Cheers

Thank you sir!

 

[Filipe Soares]

Lot´s of good pedal recommendations, but the boss sd1 is any Marshall's best friends! cheap, easy to buy and delivers the goods.

 

[guitarzan2525]

Vintage Marshall's are the ADDICTION....

 

[Toraboramusic]

One is not enough.


In fact, it may be addictive.


Story time. Long story, be warned. Based on real events.

So, just when I was happy being a potato couch dad, forcing everyone out of the room to be alone and playing with my monstruous sonic creation while watching endless episodes of mind-numbing TV shows for days ― yeah, I was on Xmas vacation and really know how to make my time worth ― I make the mistake to check the app for OLX ― let’s call it the Portuguese Craigslist ― and I’m hit right in the face with an add for a Marshall Origin 20c. Relatively cheap.

I kept it under watch, even though I wasn’t gonna buy it obviously, I mean I just had my DSL1CR upgraded with a 12” Greenback, and it was still the honeymoon phase, of course I wouldn’t buy it!

So why did I messaged the seller and made an offer, one would ask? Just to check the waters, I would never buy another amp. Not for nothing, but I have plenty to be grateful for. I have an original Peavey 5150 combo, a Mesa Dual Rectifier Multi-Watt, a Vox VBM1, a Fender Champion 600, a PSA-1 Sansamp, and like I said, I just upgraded my latest acquisition! It made no sense whatsoever to buy another Marshall, I said to myself…

As I told about it to my precious dearest wife, the sweetest budget troll ever, she asked what the seller had replied to the offer, to which I said he had accepted it. “You have some money on the side”, she replied, “that your parents gave you this Christmas”. (Yeah, old folks, as they get older, have no patience for getting present for their natural children, “just take this and buy whatever you want”, and instead spend their time and resources with their children’s children ― and I have three of those!) That reaction, although not entirely unexpected (precious, dearest and sweetest, remember?), did make me wonder and out came those fatidic words “Hmmm, what if…?”

So, I spent a bit of time reading this forum searching for opinions about the Origin20, just for educational purposes, as it made no sense to buy another amp.

The opinions were favourable, obviously, and I contacted to seller to check the amp ― I have never seen or played an Origin. It was just curiosity that drove out of town the 31st of December. It was safe to do so, because it made no sense…



Ok, so I bought it.

I didn’t even try it. “Does it power on? Good, I’ll take it. Bye, have a nice day. Oh yeah, Happy New Year. Cheers.”

I came home and felt ashamed of my weakness… for less than half a second, feeling pretty darn good since then, because I really like the amp! Like I said, I play in an apartment and I’m very self-conscious. I like to play for my own enjoyment and one of my favourite things is to get a tone I like and just listen to it for ours, chugging new riffs and solos, while I’m watching TV. I’m passed my mid-forties, I’m not going to be a rockstar or a sports champion anymore, just like I’ll never be as thin as I was. I have a desk job, a wife, three girls and a dog, so sitting on the couch is the national sport in my life. So I like to set the amp volume low enough to (barely) listen to the TV of to have a polite conversation while keeping a good tone. Of course I like to feel speakers moving air, but by the time I get home, doing that would be offensive to my neighbours and those around me. So, with the low power setting, boost on, gain on 10, master on 1 I managed to get a slight crunch with the Origin, very slight but non the less very pleasant. Not gain territory as the DSL, mostly clean at those volumes, but it sounds good. I tried it with the 12" Greenback and liked it better. Not that the 10" V-Type is bad, like many said, but different, more... compressed? Can't really explain. It kind of makes the amp sound old, in a good way, and maybe that was Marshall's intetion when they chose it. I read that a 12" fits there, so maybe I'll upgrade it. Or maybe I make a cab for the chassis and 12"+10" and keep them both, who knows? For now I'm enjoying it as it is, it just needs an OD.

So now, I am presented with a new problem. Everyone mentions the Origin as a great pedal platform. So, I tried it with the Maxon OD808 and it came out pretty good. I also read lots of people mentioning the Boss SD-1. Opinions? I’d like a little more saturation without compromising the amp’s natural tone. I don’t intent to go into Van Halen or even GnR’s Appetite For Destruction distortion levels, but something… plexiesque. Cliché, I know. Don’t judge.

Anyway, I read lots of threads about what pedals works well, but came to no consensus, as the choice of a pedal is obviously a personal preference. I’d start a new thread about it, but I fear it may be redundant… Still, any help is appreciated.


Cheers, guys!
View attachment 143167View attachment 143168

So what is the horrible truth about Marshall again?
Sensational heading draws attention - when you actually really like the amp..

 

[ESPlovr]

Enjoy your new Marshall.
I have a similar problem. Started with a DFX half stack, then wanted more. Got a TSL-602, still hadn’t had enough. Got the JVM-205c, then a DSL. I’m extremely happy playing my DSL and hopefully I’m done as I’m in my 50’s now. One (strong) suggestion I’d make is to try a Fulltone OCD in the front of your amp if you’re not getting what you want. Personally, the only pedal in front of any of my Marshalls is a DynaComp. Maybe a TubeScreamer if I’m going after Ozzy stuff. Rock on bro.

 

[C-Grin]

Hell only 1 negative post in 2 pages in a thread about an Origin, ya'll are slipping up . I like mine, congrats.

 

[peterplexi]

One is not enough.


In fact, it may be addictive.


Story time. Long story, be warned. Based on real events.

So, just when I was happy being a potato couch dad, forcing everyone out of the room to be alone and playing with my monstruous sonic creation while watching endless episodes of mind-numbing TV shows for days ― yeah, I was on Xmas vacation and really know how to make my time worth ― I make the mistake to check the app for OLX ― let’s call it the Portuguese Craigslist ― and I’m hit right in the face with an add for a Marshall Origin 20c. Relatively cheap.

I kept it under watch, even though I wasn’t gonna buy it obviously, I mean I just had my DSL1CR upgraded with a 12” Greenback, and it was still the honeymoon phase, of course I wouldn’t buy it!

So why did I messaged the seller and made an offer, one would ask? Just to check the waters, I would never buy another amp. Not for nothing, but I have plenty to be grateful for. I have an original Peavey 5150 combo, a Mesa Dual Rectifier Multi-Watt, a Vox VBM1, a Fender Champion 600, a PSA-1 Sansamp, and like I said, I just upgraded my latest acquisition! It made no sense whatsoever to buy another Marshall, I said to myself…

As I told about it to my precious dearest wife, the sweetest budget troll ever, she asked what the seller had replied to the offer, to which I said he had accepted it. “You have some money on the side”, she replied, “that your parents gave you this Christmas”. (Yeah, old folks, as they get older, have no patience for getting present for their natural children, “just take this and buy whatever you want”, and instead spend their time and resources with their children’s children ― and I have three of those!) That reaction, although not entirely unexpected (precious, dearest and sweetest, remember?), did make me wonder and out came those fatidic words “Hmmm, what if…?”

So, I spent a bit of time reading this forum searching for opinions about the Origin20, just for educational purposes, as it made no sense to buy another amp.

The opinions were favourable, obviously, and I contacted to seller to check the amp ― I have never seen or played an Origin. It was just curiosity that drove out of town the 31st of December. It was safe to do so, because it made no sense…



Ok, so I bought it.

I didn’t even try it. “Does it power on? Good, I’ll take it. Bye, have a nice day. Oh yeah, Happy New Year. Cheers.”

I came home and felt ashamed of my weakness… for less than half a second, feeling pretty darn good since then, because I really like the amp! Like I said, I play in an apartment and I’m very self-conscious. I like to play for my own enjoyment and one of my favourite things is to get a tone I like and just listen to it for ours, chugging new riffs and solos, while I’m watching TV. I’m passed my mid-forties, I’m not going to be a rockstar or a sports champion anymore, just like I’ll never be as thin as I was. I have a desk job, a wife, three girls and a dog, so sitting on the couch is the national sport in my life. So I like to set the amp volume low enough to (barely) listen to the TV of to have a polite conversation while keeping a good tone. Of course I like to feel speakers moving air, but by the time I get home, doing that would be offensive to my neighbours and those around me. So, with the low power setting, boost on, gain on 10, master on 1 I managed to get a slight crunch with the Origin, very slight but non the less very pleasant. Not gain territory as the DSL, mostly clean at those volumes, but it sounds good. I tried it with the 12" Greenback and liked it better. Not that the 10" V-Type is bad, like many said, but different, more... compressed? Can't really explain. It kind of makes the amp sound old, in a good way, and maybe that was Marshall's intetion when they chose it. I read that a 12" fits there, so maybe I'll upgrade it. Or maybe I make a cab for the chassis and 12"+10" and keep them both, who knows? For now I'm enjoying it as it is, it just needs an OD.

So now, I am presented with a new problem. Everyone mentions the Origin as a great pedal platform. So, I tried it with the Maxon OD808 and it came out pretty good. I also read lots of people mentioning the Boss SD-1. Opinions? I’d like a little more saturation without compromising the amp’s natural tone. I don’t intent to go into Van Halen or even GnR’s Appetite For Destruction distortion levels, but something… plexiesque. Cliché, I know. Don’t judge.

Anyway, I read lots of threads about what pedals works well, but came to no consensus, as the choice of a pedal is obviously a personal preference. I’d start a new thread about it, but I fear it may be redundant… Still, any help is appreciated.


Cheers, guys!
View attachment 143167View attachment 143168

Wow the DSL cab looks great! Who built that for you?

 

[benderb9]

heck I have an Ori5 mad like it just fine thru a 12" Marshall cab. So much so I keep thinking of a 20 or maybe a Ori50. They're cool amps even for a 71 year old futz lol

 

[StraightToTheBar]

How is no-one telling him this? A wife not objecting, even hinting to buy a new amp is a BIG RED FLAG. It's a womans way of saying I'm seeying someone else.

Sd1 will do but maybe too much of a low end cut, Bluesbreaker mk1 works great, xotic bb preamp too.

 

[Burk]

One is not enough.


In fact, it may be addictive.


Story time. Long story, be warned. Based on real events.

So, just when I was happy being a potato couch dad, forcing everyone out of the room to be alone and playing with my monstruous sonic creation while watching endless episodes of mind-numbing TV shows for days ― yeah, I was on Xmas vacation and really know how to make my time worth ― I make the mistake to check the app for OLX ― let’s call it the Portuguese Craigslist ― and I’m hit right in the face with an add for a Marshall Origin 20c. Relatively cheap.

I kept it under watch, even though I wasn’t gonna buy it obviously, I mean I just had my DSL1CR upgraded with a 12” Greenback, and it was still the honeymoon phase, of course I wouldn’t buy it!

So why did I messaged the seller and made an offer, one would ask? Just to check the waters, I would never buy another amp. Not for nothing, but I have plenty to be grateful for. I have an original Peavey 5150 combo, a Mesa Dual Rectifier Multi-Watt, a Vox VBM1, a Fender Champion 600, a PSA-1 Sansamp, and like I said, I just upgraded my latest acquisition! It made no sense whatsoever to buy another Marshall, I said to myself…

As I told about it to my precious dearest wife, the sweetest budget troll ever, she asked what the seller had replied to the offer, to which I said he had accepted it. “You have some money on the side”, she replied, “that your parents gave you this Christmas”. (Yeah, old folks, as they get older, have no patience for getting present for their natural children, “just take this and buy whatever you want”, and instead spend their time and resources with their children’s children ― and I have three of those!) That reaction, although not entirely unexpected (precious, dearest and sweetest, remember?), did make me wonder and out came those fatidic words “Hmmm, what if…?”

So, I spent a bit of time reading this forum searching for opinions about the Origin20, just for educational purposes, as it made no sense to buy another amp.

The opinions were favourable, obviously, and I contacted to seller to check the amp ― I have never seen or played an Origin. It was just curiosity that drove out of town the 31st of December. It was safe to do so, because it made no sense…



Ok, so I bought it.

I didn’t even try it. “Does it power on? Good, I’ll take it. Bye, have a nice day. Oh yeah, Happy New Year. Cheers.”

I came home and felt ashamed of my weakness… for less than half a second, feeling pretty darn good since then, because I really like the amp! Like I said, I play in an apartment and I’m very self-conscious. I like to play for my own enjoyment and one of my favourite things is to get a tone I like and just listen to it for ours, chugging new riffs and solos, while I’m watching TV. I’m passed my mid-forties, I’m not going to be a rockstar or a sports champion anymore, just like I’ll never be as thin as I was. I have a desk job, a wife, three girls and a dog, so sitting on the couch is the national sport in my life. So I like to set the amp volume low enough to (barely) listen to the TV of to have a polite conversation while keeping a good tone. Of course I like to feel speakers moving air, but by the time I get home, doing that would be offensive to my neighbours and those around me. So, with the low power setting, boost on, gain on 10, master on 1 I managed to get a slight crunch with the Origin, very slight but non the less very pleasant. Not gain territory as the DSL, mostly clean at those volumes, but it sounds good. I tried it with the 12" Greenback and liked it better. Not that the 10" V-Type is bad, like many said, but different, more... compressed? Can't really explain. It kind of makes the amp sound old, in a good way, and maybe that was Marshall's intetion when they chose it. I read that a 12" fits there, so maybe I'll upgrade it. Or maybe I make a cab for the chassis and 12"+10" and keep them both, who knows? For now I'm enjoying it as it is, it just needs an OD.

So now, I am presented with a new problem. Everyone mentions the Origin as a great pedal platform. So, I tried it with the Maxon OD808 and it came out pretty good. I also read lots of people mentioning the Boss SD-1. Opinions? I’d like a little more saturation without compromising the amp’s natural tone. I don’t intent to go into Van Halen or even GnR’s Appetite For Destruction distortion levels, but something… plexiesque. Cliché, I know. Don’t judge.

Anyway, I read lots of threads about what pedals works well, but came to no consensus, as the choice of a pedal is obviously a personal preference. I’d start a new thread about it, but I fear it may be redundant… Still, any help is appreciated.


Cheers, guys!
View attachment 143167View attachment 143168

Have you ever tried a jcm800 4010 ? That’ll really get you going….IMO

 

[Phoenix1]

One is not enough.


In fact, it may be addictive.


Story time. Long story, be warned. Based on real events.

So, just when I was happy being a potato couch dad, forcing everyone out of the room to be alone and playing with my monstruous sonic creation while watching endless episodes of mind-numbing TV shows for days ― yeah, I was on Xmas vacation and really know how to make my time worth ― I make the mistake to check the app for OLX ― let’s call it the Portuguese Craigslist ― and I’m hit right in the face with an add for a Marshall Origin 20c. Relatively cheap.

I kept it under watch, even though I wasn’t gonna buy it obviously, I mean I just had my DSL1CR upgraded with a 12” Greenback, and it was still the honeymoon phase, of course I wouldn’t buy it!

So why did I messaged the seller and made an offer, one would ask? Just to check the waters, I would never buy another amp. Not for nothing, but I have plenty to be grateful for. I have an original Peavey 5150 combo, a Mesa Dual Rectifier Multi-Watt, a Vox VBM1, a Fender Champion 600, a PSA-1 Sansamp, and like I said, I just upgraded my latest acquisition! It made no sense whatsoever to buy another Marshall, I said to myself…

As I told about it to my precious dearest wife, the sweetest budget troll ever, she asked what the seller had replied to the offer, to which I said he had accepted it. “You have some money on the side”, she replied, “that your parents gave you this Christmas”. (Yeah, old folks, as they get older, have no patience for getting present for their natural children, “just take this and buy whatever you want”, and instead spend their time and resources with their children’s children ― and I have three of those!) That reaction, although not entirely unexpected (precious, dearest and sweetest, remember?), did make me wonder and out came those fatidic words “Hmmm, what if…?”

So, I spent a bit of time reading this forum searching for opinions about the Origin20, just for educational purposes, as it made no sense to buy another amp.

The opinions were favourable, obviously, and I contacted to seller to check the amp ― I have never seen or played an Origin. It was just curiosity that drove out of town the 31st of December. It was safe to do so, because it made no sense…



Ok, so I bought it.

I didn’t even try it. “Does it power on? Good, I’ll take it. Bye, have a nice day. Oh yeah, Happy New Year. Cheers.”

I came home and felt ashamed of my weakness… for less than half a second, feeling pretty darn good since then, because I really like the amp! Like I said, I play in an apartment and I’m very self-conscious. I like to play for my own enjoyment and one of my favourite things is to get a tone I like and just listen to it for ours, chugging new riffs and solos, while I’m watching TV. I’m passed my mid-forties, I’m not going to be a rockstar or a sports champion anymore, just like I’ll never be as thin as I was. I have a desk job, a wife, three girls and a dog, so sitting on the couch is the national sport in my life. So I like to set the amp volume low enough to (barely) listen to the TV of to have a polite conversation while keeping a good tone. Of course I like to feel speakers moving air, but by the time I get home, doing that would be offensive to my neighbours and those around me. So, with the low power setting, boost on, gain on 10, master on 1 I managed to get a slight crunch with the Origin, very slight but non the less very pleasant. Not gain territory as the DSL, mostly clean at those volumes, but it sounds good. I tried it with the 12" Greenback and liked it better. Not that the 10" V-Type is bad, like many said, but different, more... compressed? Can't really explain. It kind of makes the amp sound old, in a good way, and maybe that was Marshall's intetion when they chose it. I read that a 12" fits there, so maybe I'll upgrade it. Or maybe I make a cab for the chassis and 12"+10" and keep them both, who knows? For now I'm enjoying it as it is, it just needs an OD.

So now, I am presented with a new problem. Everyone mentions the Origin as a great pedal platform. So, I tried it with the Maxon OD808 and it came out pretty good. I also read lots of people mentioning the Boss SD-1. Opinions? I’d like a little more saturation without compromising the amp’s natural tone. I don’t intent to go into Van Halen or even GnR’s Appetite For Destruction distortion levels, but something… plexiesque. Cliché, I know. Don’t judge.

Anyway, I read lots of threads about what pedals works well, but came to no consensus, as the choice of a pedal is obviously a personal preference. I’d start a new thread about it, but I fear it may be redundant… Still, any help is appreciated.


Cheers, guys!
View attachment 143167View attachment 143168

Yep one then an extra cabinet then a UK built ok then another cabinet..... well I understand I tried a solution and it was rewarding and a lot of fun ! I built one ! I bought a kit from Tube depot one that had at least some basic instructions ane wow got it done and the damn thing works ! Just a 45 watt but it has all the tone and balls that the big boys have. It has options for mods and options for more in the back of the book so it also teaches me what make them work.

 

[OneOcean]

You sure it was Origin? The 20W Origin actually has no clean headroom to speak of. It absolutely doesn't work as a clean amp.

That not what I've found with mine. The key to the best Origin tones are by cranking the Master Volume above 12-O'clock. Much like original Plexis and most Fenders the best tones are with the power tubes working harder. This makes it a friggin loud amp for home use but it offers hi, med, and low power modes to attenuate the output volume.

 

[Jamil Ecrire]

If I could only have one Marshall it would be my JVM410, that would be enough for me. I've got like 8 now though I think.

Valvestate 8080, Class 5, Silver Jubilee, JTM45, JVM410, ST20, SV20, Astoria Dual, ... I think that's it. Only had the 8080 for about 25 years. So I could probably survive with just it. Perfect cleans and perfect crunch/distortion, even for a purist hated Hybrid amp.

 

[ShawnThePlumber]

Next Christmas Eve I will read the family this story over eggnogs instead of T’was the Night…..