Is bigger... better?

[Algonquin]

I've heard so many great sounding lower wattage amps that sound fantastic, so I thought I'd throw the question out... Is bigger, better?

Both Fender and Marshall (among others) make some great low wattage amps that sound incredible.  I've got a friend that has a switchable Marshall 50/25 watt amp that is absolutely killer in both settings.  My newest amp is a 30 watt 12" job that has an awesome tone & vibe to it.  I'd have to agree with anyone that said there is something to be had with a higher wattage amp for clean headroom, but there's a load of great low wattage amps on the market right now.  Heck, I've even heard some homemade .5 watt jobbies that have an incredible tone to them.

It's really hard to choose an amp nowdays, which I think is a good thing as you're likely to pick a winner with whatever you go with.

Cheers,
Algonquin

[robert]

It depends on what you are after. A 100 watt amp will likely have a bigger, fatter and better bass response. A small amp can have great tone, but it's hard to get big bottom end. However, that might not matter if you're not playing loud with a band.

It all depends on your intended usage. If you want good amp distortion at "talking volume" for home practice, a 100 watt plexi marshall ain't gonna work...

[Algonquin]

Yup... as enticing as a big amp may be, for home use a 100 watt beast may be overkill.  Unfortunately amps are like shoes... it's nice to have one pair for walkng... one pair for hiking, one pair for jogging, one for... you get the idea!.. ( My wife doesn't though    )

[indianjjy]

I have a 15 watt class A amp, 3 preamp tubes, 2 power tubes driving a 12" Eminence Swamp Thang and I have added as many as a 4X12 cabinet and there is plenty of power and clarity from low volume to 7 or 8 on the volume. Really it has the capablity of driving more sound than I need but ... MORE POWER !!!!... you can never have enough. I also have a Hybrid tube preamp,solid state power amp head that is a 100 watt'er that will blow you away, staying clear sounding until the db's are high... Robert has a 18 watt head and I am sure it has plenty of power, right Bob?

[cllvt]

I would agree with Robert, it's totally about what you are after.  A lot of people like the sound of a tube amp pushed (or overdriven) to "crunch" or distortion.  So, if that's what you are after, and you are playing at home or small settings, it's best to have a small tube amp that you crank up to get that effect.  If you want the same sound at a larger venue, a lot of folks will "mic" the amp.

If you play mostly stuff that you don't want distortion, let's say a lot of jazz ... then you want clean, a lot of headroom, so bigger is better. 

That said, there is nothing like playing different amps for yourself.  Some sound good at low and high volumes, and you can use effects for distortion too (not quite the same as an overdriven tube amp though, I don't think).  Some amps like some VOX models have a switch that essentially switches the power, so you can overdrive it at home at lower output, or switch the power up for more headroom, or larger venues.
                       Chris

[Viper]

A bigger amp with a master volume works well for home practice or live gigging.But like Robert said it's what your looking for and how you plan on using it that matters.

[sven]

I had a boogie mk II C+  85 watts loud as *&^&*  but for some reason I could not get the bass response out of it like I can out of my HRD, which operates at 30 watts with 6v6 tubes.  Sometimes it think fuller really is just louder.

My freind played a local show for a fund raiser and his guitarists had a soldano 1/2 stack and a marshall1/2 stack and they both were playing les pauls and the sound was massive. (and good)  So sometimes bigger is bigger.

I don't think I'll be playing any metal gigs with my rig though.

[zagatron1]

It depends on what you are after. A 100 watt amp will likely have a bigger, fatter and better bass response. A small amp can have great tone, but it's hard to get big bottom end. However, that might not matter if you're not playing loud with a band.

It all depends on your intended usage. If you want good amp distortion at "talking volume" for home practice, a 100 watt plexi marshall ain't gonna work...

In a nutshell!

[charlie51]

I think the amp choice is kind of a personal preference thing...depends on what kind of music you play more than anything.  Finding one amp that will do everything for every style of playing?  Not sure that's possible.  I love Marshall heads cranked up throu a 4x12 cabinet, but really love small 18 watt amps too...they can just sing.  Using one in a band situation is fine if you can run a line out to the mixing board and let the sound guy control your volume.

I'd own half a dozen amps and still find something else if I could...my satisfaction with gear is short-lived.  Unfortunately, my bank account won't support my lust to add something else every month 

[robert]

People are surprised when I tell them my 100 watt Marshall JVM is the best amp I have for low volume amp distortion.... yes this is no joke. The preamp distortion is fantastic in these amps, so you can bring the volume down to speaking level, and still have a rich, fat, distorted tone. I know it seems weird that my 100 watt powerful monster is the most useful one at really low volume, but it's the absolute truth in my case.

Food for thought.

[charlie51]

People are surprised when I tell them my 100 watt Marshall JVM is the best amp I have for low volume amp distortion.... yes this is no joke. The preamp distortion is fantastic in these amps, so you can bring the volume down to speaking level, and still have a rich, fat, distorted tone. I know it seems weird that my 100 watt powerful monster is the most useful one at really low volume, but it's the absolute truth in my case.

Food for thought.

I'd forgotten that so much of the Marshall stuff has been upgraded with a master volume so you can crank up the preamp section and not drive the neighbors crazy.  Geez...I think the last Marshall amp I played through was made in 1967 or so.  Time flies.