Hi guys. New to the forum. Bought my first Marshall amp used a month or so ago. It was a used MG series. Although I know the solid state stuff isn’t very popular I loved the sound. Decided I wanted to get a Marshall combo since half stacks aren’t the easiest to carry around. At first I was going toward a MG15FX but next to it was the origin 5. Loved the looks and more vintage sound of the origin. Perfect size also. Also is my first tube amp. I love everything about it except it’s pretty much clean unless the boost is on and the volume is at least half way. Besides pedals, is there anything I can do to the amp to get a more dirty/overdrive sound to the amp? Like I said this is my fist tube amp, I know different tubes will make different sound, but didn’t know if I can get different tubes to make the boost be more overdrive at a lower volume as well. Thanks guys.
Would a different series be better for my needs? Thinking of returning this for something that will give me more dirt at lower tones. Love it when volume is up but anything less than half is just basic clean.
Welcome to the forum You have already got the answers to your question, I have both the DSL, and the Origin, they are good at what they do. But to get your heavy tone at low volume you need a DSL.. Cheers Mitch
I don't have any problem using a pedal to get more gain, but the origin is a vintage voiced amp that will probably not have a beefy saturated tone regardless of what pedal or combo of stacked pedals you use. I just bought an Origin 20 and love it, but a DSL is on my wish list to add to the collection. And nobody says you can't have both.
I have a DSL40C and an Origin 50c and the DSL not only has more drive, but more drive options. The Origin is very organic, like a natural breakup overdrive which sounds great. Push it with a pedal and it gets even better. But for overdrive, you don't need a pedal with a DSL. You can if you want, of course, but, IMO, it's not necessary.
EQ.....use it to boost signal either in the loop or pre amp(experiment to find where you like it best....I use one for both positions....but the loop usually gets me the best increase in gain....)...it really depends on how much your first tubes are already driven....some amps drive better in front and some drive better in the loop.(my old JCM900 DR drove horribly up front because of the diode's used for gain clipping in front block the eq from really driving the up front tubes....the loops tend to work better for gain staging in these amps).
Having had a few of the amps in the discussion here, this is my suggestion. The DSL 5 is a great amp. The Origin 5 is not really liked here ( I haven't tried one) but the core of the Origin series is that it needs volume or pedals to drive. Whatever you do, don't get the DSL 20. IMO it misses the in-between drive channels the 40 has and has a massive hole between clean/crunch (CH 1) to all or nothing distortion (Ch 2). I sold it and am back looking for a used DSL 5 to compliment my Origin 20.
If 5 watts is where you want to be, (5 tube watts is loud), then a Dsl5cr is a no-brainer for what you want. Besides getting a great clean channel you also get the heavy drive channel you want. Also, it comes with a 10” speaker instead of a 8” like the Origin. Great little combo imo.
Welcome!! I have the origin 5 and dsl1hr. If not too late I'd opt for the dsl1 and a 1x12 cab. Class 5 gets my vote too.
I dont understand the stigma so many have against pedals to get dirt. A lot of great guitar players I can think of used pedals in addition to natural distortion to achieve good tone. My Or20 sounds good at any volume and can get any level of dirt with pedals. Havent tried the 5 but I wouldnt think it would be a lot different. Before you throw a bunch of money at another amp hit it with an EQ or OD boost. FYI I dont like the boost circuit on my origins.
I wanted an amp that was extremely portable. That’s why I was against using pedals. Although I’d like to go for a DSL they are too much for what I want to spend.
Until I had to pack my ORi20up recently, I'd been using a Bogner LaGrange I'd had sitting around for a few years. Its OK. I mean the pedal is one of the very best PIABox pedals out there (still prefer the Blue, and CM Plexitone), but even then it still has some characteristics that drive me nuts. Try playing complex chords beyond the 8 or 9th fret- especially ones involving the low E string- 7th, 9th, 11th, 13th chords totally mud out and sound like a wet fart. Same with leads on the Low E and A in the upper registers. Even the best MIAB pedals have this issue (Single coils work better than humbuckers, and you will notice on so many demos players using Telecasters and Strats and avoiding that upper register using humbuckers most of the time). If I was just playing alot of power chord diads/triads and playing alot of "metal", this would be fine, but that's not my thing. Using a goose of some sort on top of the amps natural distortion works better for chord issues but most of them cut (and thus tighten) low end frequencies , boost mid frequencies , and may either mud up or clarify highs- which changes your sound and the feel of the amp in a fundamental way. Not really trying to drive the amp into more gain. Level up, gain low still drives the amp in a way that changes the tone (I do this for leads, where I want things to get more pokey) Both are band-aids, unless you like muddy chords, or a pedal is a significant factor to your tone (like say Fuzz pedals, or a TS or HM2 in front of a 2203 for power metal). My sound is and has always been myself, the guitar and amp. I like the natural sound of a cooking lower gain Marshall (or Hi Watt, or Fender) and the speakers are starting to beg for mercy (high sustain, not high gain). I use those 4 knobs on my guitar to get edge of breakup and cleans. I should be able to plug into the amp with a single cable and 'arrive" at my tone. I use effects for ....effects! This includes drive pedals. So, volume, or pedals. That's your two options on the Origins. Going to low power mode, engaging the boost and cranking the volumes gets you gainy on the ORI20, but it sounds like undefined muddy fizz thanks to the PI getting blitzed, power tube starvation, speaker inaction, and diodes. Whenever using the boost in low or medium power I recco setting the boost gain all the way up and then dialing in your master from 0 to just where it starts to sound like crap, and back it off a hair.
Buy yourself a Caline Orange Burst OD for around 25 quid brand new and your Origin 5c will have all the drive you want. Best budget OD on the market IMHO.
These amps don't get a lot of love here, but if you are looking for portability, you might consider a Code 25. Ballsy litter bugger (IMO) with a ton of emulated Marshall tones and built in effects.
You could try some JJ ECC83S, Tung-Sol 12AX7 or Sovtek 12AX7LPS preamp tubes. Any of those should give you optimal preamp gain/overdrive.
The drive on a DSL is basically a built in pedal. Boss OD's are like 40 bux and much loved around here. You can velcro it to the back of the amp if you don't wanna see it. My Haze 15 has a drive channel but i actually prefer to use my Rat on the clean channel.
