Marshall Origin 20 VS 50 (Comparison)
Our pick: The Marshall Origin 20
Unless you need the extra power of the Origin 50, perhaps for outdoor gigging or larger-scale performing, we'd recommend saving the money and going with the Origin 20, which is still plenty loud.
Whenever you have two amplifiers that have essentially the same name with the exception of a differing number, you usually have a variation in wattage. That's exactly what's happening with the Marshall Origin 20 and Origin 50.
With some subtle exceptions, these two amplifiers are almost identical.
The biggest difference is the wattage rating, at 20W and 50W respectively.
If you're looking for the simple answer, that's it. But if you want a little more information about these two amps and you want to see them side by side, read on into the comparison tables and details sections below.
Read more: Best Marshall amps
Marshall Origin 20 VS 50 Comparing Tool
The compare buttons will give you pricing, but otherwise there isn't much to distinguish these two amp heads. Even the full specs sheet below is pretty much identical.
Amp | Title | Rated | Browse |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marshall Origin 20 | n/a | |
 | Marshall Origin 50 | n/a |
In-Depth Specs Sheet
Note the difference in size and wattage rating. The Origin 50 is slightly bigger.
Header | Origin 20 | Origin 50 |
|---|---|---|
Amp Type | Tube | Tube |
Channels | 1 | 1 |
Power | 20W (3W/0.5W power settings) | 50W (10W/5W power settings) |
Preamp | 3 x ECC83 | 3 x ECC83 |
Power Amp | 2 x EL34 | 2 x EL34 |
EQ | 3-band EQ, Tilt Control | 3-band EQ, Tilt control |
Effects Loop | Yes | Yes |
MIDI | No | No |
Height | 8.8" | 8.9" |
Width | 20.4" | 22.7" |
Depth | 8.6" | 8.8" |
Weight | 20.7 lbs. | 26 lbs. |
Marshall Origin 50 VS the Origin 20. Is there much of a difference? Not really.
What's unique about the Origin 20?
The Origin 20 is less powerful than the 50, but more ideal for indoors and quieter environments.
The Origin 20 is a vintage-leaning amp with a classic Marshall tone, driven by ECC83 tubes in the preamp and EL84 tubes in the power amp.
As mentioned and indicated by the numbering convention, it's a 20 watt amplifier that's slightly smaller than the Origin 50.
If you're trying to decide between the two, the one significant aspect of lower wattage is that it will be more ideal for indoor playing or more confined spaces, since it's not as loud and can be more easily turned down without losing tone.
What's about the Origin 50?
The Origin 50 is a little louder and a little bigger.
Predictably, the Origin 50 gives you 50 watts of power with selectable 10W and 5W options.
But unless you need the added volume, perhaps for gigging or playing in outdoor venues, it doesn't seem like a necessary expense to incur. The Origin 50 is $100 more than the Origin 20, and doesn't provide any significant features beyond the added wattage.
If you don't need that wattage, you don't need the Origin 50.
Concluding
Your decision between these two amps should come to where you're planning to use them. If you need the extra volume and power of the Origin 50 for outdoor venues or medium-sized gigging, then spending the extra $100 makes sense.
But for indoor playing, small venues, and most general use, the Origin 20 will be enough and it'll save you $100.
Props to Marshall for - if nothing else - giving us plenty of options.
Questions
Do you have questions about the Marshall Origin 20 or Origin 50? If so, leave it in the comments section below.
We'll jump in and help out as much as possible.
See you there.
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Written by Bobby on Amps and Roundups
Written by Bobby on Amps and Roundups
Well, l8 to the party, but anyhow:
The difference is NOT in the volume!
I won’t start with Watt/dbA, but 20 VS 50 Watts ain’t that much of a volume difference – that does NOT mean oone amp is TWICE AS LOUD… the difference is somewhere else:
I used to own a 1974X which I sold in 2020 (18W, 2x EL84, tube rectifier, 1×12, open-back) , and that amp taught me a lot: The (original) 1974 is one of Marshall’s most sought after vintage amp, with prices to match – if you can find one. So, when I bought it I thought: “Finally a small package. Easy on the back, and Rock’n Roll-sound!” Well… nope!
The clean sound was wimpy, there was no “substance” for lack of a better term. The EL84 DID produce volume alright… but the sound was as “small” as the amp. A good friend of mine bought a JTM 45 around the same time, so we did quite a lot of comparisons.
As far as I am concerned, the JTM won EVERY TIME: The pre-JCM Marshalls can do ONE THING the more modern Marshalls lost on the way somehow – CLEAN!
The capital let us out on purpose, as the bigger power section produces way more bass, then a smaller power amp is able to produce. the result is not a bass-heavy tone (as one might think), but a mighty clean sound very evenly spread across the frequencies we are used to associate with the guitar. Or, in other words: a small power amp will sound small – unless you play overdriven all the time. this is exactly what we found with my 18 W and my buddy’s 45W (in reality, it’s rather 30 W)…
CLEAN: my combo just couldn’t deliver; only when I hooked up an additional 2 x 12 cab, could I get a more or less decent clean sound. but even then it sounded kind of brash and often harsh.
The JTM on the other hand, is able to produce one of the nicest cleans I have yet heard: massive, powerful, enabling you to play lead – and we are talking CLEAN, mind you!
OD: When overdriven, the 1974 is quite nice – but the sweet spot is extremely narrow, thus you will either have to mike or attenuate…
The JTM, on the other hand, will rip your guts out when you are trying to dial in a similar amount of OD… waaay too loud!
But then, I personally found that on the JTM, I was very happy to play with much less gain than in the 1974X.
All in all, I will say that the situation is not as easy as described in the article above. I therefore recommend you try out BOTH Oris, if you are interested in buying one. I bet you will realise very quickly, that the difference is not so much in volume… but rather, in the sound!
I have the Marshall Origin 20H with the 212 Origin Cab. I’m using a Player SSS Strat with the Friedman BE-OD Deluxe. I am not able to get a meaty enough tone with this pedal and it sounds thin even with the gain boosted on the amp. I have tried several settings and I know the limitations of single-coils with overdrives, but is there anyway I can get it to sound meatier? Will a tube-screamer stacked with the BE-OD help in adding more body to my tone? Any suggestions will be appreciated. Thanks!
Are you looking to replace the pedal? Part of your problem is the single coils. I’d replace the pedal with an Empress Heavy or AmpTweaker Tight Metal. If you want something cheaper go with the TC Electronic Dark Matter ($50ish). But yeah, the SSS pickup configuration is a major piece of this puzzle.
The BE-OD has some internal adjustments that might help. I use the Deluxe version (two ‘identical’, but adjusted differently channels) with a Tonemaster Deluxe (Creamback) and get great ‘Marshall-esque’ tones, admittedly with P90’s. I’m shopping for an Origin 20H now, to get my clean more Marshally too. I suspect that you may even want to turn the gain of the BE-OD DOWN a little so you can drive the front of the amp with volume to push it closer to its sweet-spot, then add some gain to get the crunch character you’re after. IMHO, FWIW, YMMV, break-a-leg :-)
You need an Humbucker at the bridge!