The Marshall MG and Orange Crush series of amplifiers are geared towards entry-level guitarists, or those looking to upgrade from their first amp and get something a bit bigger with more features. In this article I’ll compare all the amps available in the MG and Crush series to help you figure out which amp is best for you.
Contents
- Orange Crush Range Overview
- Marshall MG Range Overview
- Tone Comparison
- Controls, Features and Effects
- Price Comparison
- Orange Crush 12 vs Marshall MG 10
- Orange Crush 20RT vs Marshall MG15GFX
- Orange Crush 35RT vs Marshall MG30GFX
Orange Crush Range
There are four amps in the Orange Crush range:
- Crush 12
- Crush 20
- Crush 20RT
- Crush 35RT
The Crush 12 and Crush 20 have the same controls, but the Crush 20 has a higher power rating, slightly larger speaker and is foot pedal compatible (unlike the Crush 12).
The Crush 20 and Crush 20RT have the same power rating and speaker size. The difference between them is that the Crush 20RT also has a built-in reverb effect and a tuner.
The Crush 35RT is the highest powered amp in the range and has a larger 1×10 speaker compared to the Crush 20RT and is the only amp that has a built-in FX loop.
| Crush 12 | Crush 20 | Crush 20RT | Crush 35RT | |
| Wattage | 12W | 20W | 20W | 35W |
| Channels | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Controls | Gain Bass Mids Treb | Gain Bass Mids Treb | Gain Bass Mids Treb | Gain Bass Mids Treb |
| Effects | None | None | Reverb | Reverb |
| Speaker | 1 x 6” | 1 x 8” | 1 x 8” | 1 x 10” |
| FX Loop | No | No | No | Yes |
| Tuner | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Foot Pedal Compatible | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Price | $110 | $150 | $200 | $300 |
Marshall MG Range
There are 6 Marshall MG amps:
- MG10
- MG15
- MG15R
- MG15GFX
- MG30GFX
- MG50GFX
The amps with “GFX” at the end of the name have 2 extra channels and 6 effects. The MG15R has a reverb effect and 2 channels and the MG10 and MG15 don’t have any effects and have 2 channels.
| MG10 | MG15 | MG15R | MG15GFX | MG30GFX | MG50GFX | |
| Wattage | 10W | 15W | 15W | 15W | 30W | 50W |
| Channels | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Controls | Vol Gain Contour | Vol Gain Bass Mids Treb | Vol Gain Bass Mids Treb | Vol Gain Bass Mids Treb | Vol Gain Bass Mids Treb | Vol Gain Bass Mids Treb |
| Effects | None | None | Reverb | Reverb Phaser Flanger Delay Chorus Octave | Reverb Phaser Flanger Delay Chorus Octave | Reverb Phaser Flanger Delay x 4 Chorus Octave |
| Speaker | 1 x 6.5” | 1 x 8” | 1 x 8” | 1 x 8” | 1 x 10” | 1 x 12″ |
| FX Loop | No | No | No | No | No | Yes |
| Tuner | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Foot Pedal Compatible | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Price | $140 | $170 | $200 | $230 | $300 | $500 |
Tone Comparison
The Orange Crush has less mid-range compared to the Marshall MG so doesn’t sound as full, however it has more top end clarity and brightness. When maxing out the gain, the Marshall MG sounds quite artificial and fuzzy.
Personally I think the Orange Crush sounds superior, particularly when using the distorted channel. Tone is all a personal preference though and you should choose the amp you prefer the sound of.
Check out this YouTube video to hear a comparison of an Orange Crush and Marshall MG.
Controls, Features and Effects
All Orange Crush amps have a 3-band EQ (bass, mids and treble), and all Marshall MG amps except for the MG10 have a 3-band EQ as well.
All Orange Crush amps have two channels, as do the Marshall MG10, MG15 and MG15R. The Marshall MG15GFX, MG30GFX and MG50GFX have four channels (clean, crunch, OD1 and OD2).
If you’re looking for built-in effects then you’ll want to go with the MG15GFX, MG30GFX or MG50GFX which have reverb, phaser, flanger, delay, chorus and octave. If you’re just happy with reverb, then you can also look at the Orange Crush 20RT and 35RT, and also the Marshall MG15R.
The only amps without any effects are the Orange Crush 12 and 20, and the Marshall MG10 and MG15.
All Marshall MG and Orange Crush amps have a built-in headphone jack and MP3 input so you can play without annoying your housemates/ neighbours, and jam to your own tracks from your MP3 compatible device.
Here’s a table outlining the other features available.
| Amp | Footswitch Compatible | Tuner | FX Loop |
| MG10 | No | No | No |
| MG15 | No | No | No |
| MG15R | No | No | No |
| Crush 12 | No | No | No |
| Crush 20 | Yes | No | No |
| MG15GFX | Yes | Yes | No |
| MG30GFX | Yes | Yes | No |
| Crush 20RT | Yes | Yes | No |
| MG50GFX | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Crush 35RT | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Price Comparison
The prices shown below are correct as of the time of writing but are subject to change.
| Amp | Average Price |
| Orange Crush 12 | $110 |
| Marshall MG10 | $140 |
| Orange Crush 20 | $150 |
| Marshall MG15 | $170 |
| Orange Crush 20RT | $200 |
| Marshall MG15R | $200 |
| Marshall MG15GFX | $230 |
| Orange Crush 35RT | $300 |
| Marshall MG50GFX | $500 |
Orange Crush 12 vs Marshall MG10
Personally I think the Orange Crush 12 is the best option here and one of the best entry-level amps on the market. It has a 3-band EQ (bass, mids and treble) controls unlike the MG10 so it’s much easier to dial in a good tone with the Crush 12. The Crush 12 is also around $30 cheaper than the MG10.
| MG10 | Crush 12 | |
| Wattage | 10W | 12W |
| Channels | 2 | 2 |
| Controls | Vol Gain Contour | Vol Gain Bass Mids Treb |
| Effects | None | None |
| Speaker | 1 x 6.5” | 1 x 6” |
| FX Loop | No | No |
| Tuner | No | No |
| Foot Pedal Compatible | No | No |
| Price | $140 | $110 |
Orange Crush 20RT vs Marshall MG15GFX
If you’re looking for more built-in effects then go for the MG15GFX over the Crush 20RT which only has reverb. The MG15GFX has reverb, phaser, flanger, delay, chorus and octave which is really useful if you don’t want to buy pedals. The MG15GFX also has 2 extra channels.
However, if you prefer the tone of the Crush then you can always use effects pedals and save yourself $30 on the price of the amp.
Both amps have the same sized speaker, a built-in tuner, 3-band EQ and are footswitch compatible. Unfortunately, neither amp has an FX loop built-in.
| MG15GFX | Crush 20RT | |
| Wattage | 15W | 20W |
| Channels | 4 | 2 |
| Controls | Gain Bass Mids Treb | Gain Bass Mids Treb |
| Effects | 6 | 1 |
| Speaker | 1 x 8” | 1 x 8” |
| FX Loop | No | No |
| Tuner | Yes | Yes |
| Foot Pedal Compatible | Yes | Yes |
| Price | $230 | $200 |
Orange Crush 35RT vs Marshall MG30GFX
The MG30GFX has 5 more effects and 2 more channels compared to the Crush 35RT. However, the Crush is the only amp with a built-in FX loop so it’s ideal if you want to run effects pedals through it instead of using built-in amp effects.
You choice should really come down to which you prefer the tone of, and if you would rather use effects pedals, or built-in amp effects.
Both these amps are the same price, have the same sized speaker, have a built-in tuner and are footswitch compatible.
| MG30GFX | Crush 35RT | |
| Wattage | 30W | 35W |
| Channels | 4 | 2 |
| Controls | Gain Bass Mids Treb | Gain Bass Mids Treb |
| Effects | 6 | 1 |
| Speaker | 1 X 10” | 1 x 10” |
| FX Loop | No | Yes |
| Tuner | Yes | Yes |
| Foot Pedal Compatible | Yes | Yes |
| Price | $300 | $300 |
Here are more comparisons you might find useful:
Fender Champion vs Marshall MG
Fender Champion vs Orange Crush