What Is It About Low Wattage Amps? - Are They Worth It?

[@ZackSeifMusic]

Low Wattage amps are great for recording as they produce power amp saturation earlier at “lower volumes”. For some genres of music they are great for what they are. They can get LOUD. Wattage = Headroom.

[@florisvanlingen]

When you use a loadbox for recording, a lower wattage amp does not really have advantages though. That said I use two 20w heads and they got enough headroom for playing at home.

[@bassyey]

I don't why someone would label Blues Junior as not too loud. At 15W, crank it at max, I doubt the neighbors won't get the police involved. These people think everyone has a soundproof studio lol. But yeah, maybe they're suffering hearing loss now, I guess 15W is not too loud then.

[@tarkett8529]

@@bassyey it’s a “quiet” gigging amp same with an ac15, both will still shake the windows in your house but at a larger venue have just about enough clean headroom to be usable.

[@drv4859]

I just bought a Fender Champ and love it. 5 watts is perfect for practice.

[@NinjaMatt2201]

I actually have an Orange Micro Terror that I put into a full sized speaker cabinet. Sounds amazing with a "real" speaker. Works as a practice setup, but you could totally record with that.

[@NinjaMatt2201]

And it takes pedals really well. A lot of practice amps have a problem with that.

[@uromis]

So excited for Sasha to finally get the recognition he deserves. Such a great, humble guy who loves playing the guitar and always keeps in touch with his community. Been following since his max guitar store days. Hope you‘ll bring him in more often😍

[@BuddyBlues]

Sasha has "the thing". That thing that few guitar players have that make you go: damn anything he plays sounds like him and sounds awesome. MORE SASHA PLEASE!

[@Atlas_Mohler]

Agree, but I had buddies who didn’t like the blues sound

[@marcgallant5270]

Melodic/patient phrasing, bends and vibratos.

[@billnelson5279]

Buddy has it too, he just makes me spend more of my money on gear

[@cleagymeen9465]

Everything in his hands sounds less bright and deeper with a sort of popping sound like a pluck in stead of a pick

[@bluestom8342]

And more Buddy Blues also, please.😊

[@danielcookeb90]

Cripes - Sascha and Lee are unbelievable together. As many here have already said - they have " that thing "! Goose bumps. Brilliant sounds! Thank you guys. Not been to Sascha's channel. Soo looking forward to that!

[@carlhendrix]

I used to take a few lessons from Sasha some 10+ odd years ago. As he mentioned, he wasn't cut out to be a teacher. It's so nice to see that he still enjoys playing so much.

[@karinamesty9833]

1:18: 🎸 Interview with guitarist Sasha Evantic about his playing style and background. 5:50: 🎸 Exploring the appeal of low wattage amps and their evolution over time. 10:46: 🎸 Discussion on low wattage amps, their features, and comparison to higher wattage amps. 16:10: 🎸 Discussion on the appeal and practicality of low wattage amps for home and stage use. 21:38: 🎸 Exploring the appeal of low wattage amps and their potential for achieving a more aggressive sound. 26:25: 🎸 Comparison of low wattage amps and digital amplifiers in a music setting. 32:35: 🎸 Discussion on low wattage amps and their power scaling circuit, including the Milkman brand. 38:33: ⚡ Low wattage amps like Milkman have a unique appeal, influencing playing style and gaining popularity through artists like John Mayer. 45:27: 🎸 Discussion on the appeal of low wattage amps and their sound quality compared to higher wattage amps.

[@carlitobrigante330]

I just purchased a (used) 1978 silverface Vibro Champ with a Jensen 8" alnico speaker, and am absolutely loving it. Has more than enough volume at only 5 watts, ample clean headroom, and surprising low-end response.

[@alandes3]

I also have a "78 Vibro Champ that I bought used in '80-'81. I replaced the Rola alnico with a WGS 8C20. Perfect for home use and I have used it mic'd up for quiet gigs.

[@JeffStarr]

I know Anderdons doesn't carry Dr. Z amps, but the Z-Plus would be great in this low wattage comparison. It's perfection. It's a Class-A 15 watt amp 1x12 combo with spring reverb that gets over 100db. It's definitely as loud as a cranked Fender Deluxe, but it's has almost zero noise/hiss and you have a lot more control over the eq thanks to a 3 band control and the gain is a lot more usable due to the volume and master controls. It's also switchable down to 7 watts. If you run it at 7 watts and switch out the 3 band EQ (presence cut is still in the circuit) it basically creates a 12" tweed champ, so you get all the touch sensitivity and filthy gain but with a bigger fuller sound. The Z-Plus only has a handful of controls but I continue to find all sorts of tones in the amp. It really does it all, from super beautiful cleans to wicked dirty overdrives.

[@josephrogers9796]

I built an 5 watt vacuum amp based on The Guitar Amp Handbook written by Dave Hunter from the UK. I built it over 10 years ago and still working. I simply love it

[@Bobby_Digital37]

This was great!!! Cool to see Sasha!! Most of us use these lower wattage amps who are just home noodlers and not professionals.👍

[@stoneysdead689]

They're actually used in studios quiet often. Not very common for live performances for obvious reasons- lack of volume- but they record great.

[@LewWelchThePoet]

🤘👍🏿 We don’t see much about the British Cornell Amps across KZbin but they are great and one that I have (Romany 10) also has an EQ cut like the Silktone. As Sasha mentioned with the Silktone, really changes the character of the amp and it feels like you have two amps as a result.

[@adamkrauss303]

My oh my! I just finished up a Sasha vid marathon, catching up and then KZbin served me up this Andertons (which I also devoutly follow for years 🎸) What a treat. Cheers!

[@johnott193]

Milkman is about as good as it gets. I’ve always found them to not have a bad setting. Even their solid state power amp pedal versions are incredible.

[@michaeljohnson8058]

Tim M is the man!

[@nickfit3]

I have the Vox Mini Superbeetle, but I swapped out the speaker for a 10 inch Cream back. Totally impressive with so much better harmonic content. HUGE IMPROVEMENT!!

[@ruiseartalcorn]

I love low wattage amps and this lot are all awesome. I prefer the Morgan though.

[@lotusmark2]

Loving the guest, really fits the dynamic. And that Benson sounds so BB at the Regal

[@hgostos]

Agreed!

[@waynebridger4998]

In my view, yes. I use a vox ac10c1 a home and at church. I used to use 100w Marshall tsl 2x12, an ac30 and fender hot rod deluxe, great amps, but I learnt that valve amps needed to be turned up. So, I went lower wattage

[@stoneysdead689]

:33 seconds in- listen to that compound bend- that sounded so good, perfect placement. I was seriously considering a low wattage tube amp at one point- simply because they are cheaper- the Supra Delta line or the Kustom Defender 5-watt head are both pretty reasonable. The Supra though, even though considered a budget option- costed more than the used 60-watt Blackstar I ended up with and had nothing but a tone and a volume pot- that's it. Man, I feel so weird about owning this Blackstar- I bought it from a pawn shop for just 300 bucks- and it was almost brand new. Only had been used for 3 moths they said- by a guy playing in his bedroom. So, I bought it and then got curious about why someone would sell a 700$ amp for so little that the buyer can flip it for just 300 bucks and still make a profit. So I looked up the guy who sold it- I wish I hadn't of, now I feel like dirt. The poor guy didn't sell it- he pawned it to pay his electric bill and then lost it because his wife lost her job, they couldn't pay the pawn ticket. After wrestling with it for over a week I just called him this morning and told him what I paid and that if he can pay me that amount- he can have it back. I told him I would give him 2 months- after that the deal is off. I love this amp man but- I can't stand feeling like this. But hey, I think I've been more than fair so if he doesn't come up with the money- and he is trying- I will put it out of my mind and forget it. I think he's going to get it through- he was so happy when I made the offer he cried.

[@havardask]

❤️

[@michaelwilliams6824]

I tell my wife that there are still good people in the world and you just proved my point! 👍

[@mrcarpentertoyou]

So…you still got that amp or nah?

[@stoneysdead689]

@@mrcarpentertoyou No- but I got one just like it. I found one on eBay I could drive up to Memphis and pickup for 350$. So, he bought his back from me, I put 50$ with it- and he rode with me to go get it. He and I jam together now about once a month. Both he and his wife are working again and have things under control, it seems. I think they just hit a bad spot and had to do what they had to do to get by.

[@mrcarpentertoyou]

@@stoneysdead689 the world needs more of you, my man. Good on ya.

[@igordemoraeslenzi]

A great addition for this shootout would be the fender vibro champ reverb! 5W, but no attenuation, but much more affordable than mostly of the amps. It would be fun to see the vibro side by side with the milkman.

[@jesuschristpose896]

I always felt that the low watt tube amps allow you to really get the most out of the tubes without blowing your windows out are causing the neighbors from calling the cops on you.

[@michael_caz_nyc]

I love my 65 Blackface Fender Princeton Reverb ( nothing sound like it ). Starting to get great sounds on my ( new Black ) Yamaha THR30II = low wattage amps Sound and work great for me. Those back-braking days ( lugging refrigerators ) are Over !!!

[@richardmerriam7044]

Fender Champ and Princeton amps have been used since the 1950's in major studios on some of the best selling albums of all time. Original, mint condition amps from studios and churches are fetching huge money today.

[@joshscott3271]

Your right on Lee, Sasha plays lovely, very tasteful choice of notes and flows in his blessing, certainly a gift you both have there Mr Sasha and Mr Anderton. 👌🙏🌠🚀

[@johnlawrence3170]

Sasha is great! Love watching all his vids and hearing his playing. Not only is he a great player, maybe more importantly, he's got great tone with the way he sets his amps on his channels. I DIG IT

[@BobJones-bh9qz]

No you have it backwards lol. It’s more important that he’s a great player, playing takes precedent over tone

[@tonystartup3817]

I've been using my Cornford Carrera (bought from Anderton's) for 16 years and still love it

[@EdgeofBreakup]

Sasha is the man! Nice to see him back!

[@rob28781]

Love the Fender Tone Master amps! I've got the Twin Reverb Blonde with Celestion NEO Creamback speakers. They're not cheap, but as a bedroom player I never thought I'd have a Twin Reverb. Surprisingly at it's lowest 1watt setting it can still get pretty loud. It's nice to mix it up when I don't feel like playing my Laney Cub-Supertop

[@Dogsrule777]

I could listen to Sasha riff out all day man. So good. :) ✊🏽

[@timchalmers1700]

Very interesting! Can you do a comparison of some of the actually affordable low wattage amps?

[@TheMoonUnitExperienc]

I sometimes struggle to see the need for an amateur gigging guitarist to have a high wattage amp these days. I have a Fender Bassman that is very loud and rarely use it for gigs as I can never put the volume to a level where it sounds like it should. I used to play in a covers band and used a Vox AC10 that was plenty loud enough without even a mic most of the time.

[@jeramym9506]

Lee that Tele is soooo amazingly cool. We need it to make more appearances.

[@jonathonrich8061]

I agree 100%!

[@BastognesBulge]

That was a killer intro jam, guys! Really cool

[@MrMalq]

Really love that Franchin strat body in that green.

[@lcvol73]

Great video! Outstanding playing guys!!

[@leschab]

Been Subed awhile and Man, you guys always get the most excellent guitars players to listen and talk to. Lucky the Algo pitched your channel to me. Mcloven it.

[@thomashalley7258]

One of the big changes I haven't heard part way through is the change of using the sound you brought vs the house providing the sound for not needing the loudest thing to gig with. Like you can have a 5w with a mic in front of it and it would be perfect.

[@LEUNN_]

the shirt and playing gave me those good old guitar paradiso vibes

[@BrianFMusic]

Most of our favorite recordings were track with low wattage amps or used a power attenuator.

[@benlogan430]

Reliability’s a strange beast. Everyone says digi and SS are more reliable than tubes/valves. I’ve had three SS amps in the shop lately and I’ve never had a tube amp in the shop? I did change a pre-amp tube once though.

[@lesterksi4521]

Loved this video. I always loved low wattage amps. Just that there are not enough high gain model which I'm into.

[@jordanpratt3821]

Orange makes a ton of low wattage amps.

[@otisdriftwood3829]

Great video, I've been looking into low watt amps for years, but always had a bit of anxiety over it. Fear that I would purchase one, regret it, and then have issues recovering the purchase price in a resale scenario. This demo has eased a lot of my worries , thank you.

[@andrewharper1887]

I suggest getting something second hand, then selling it if you don’t like, or if you do like but prefer new.

[@guitargrandpa282]

Enjoyed this video. I would like to put in a plug for the Fender Custom Vibro Champ Reverb. A good sounding 5 watt amp for less than most of the amps you featured here.

[@vince8081]

Great playing and great tone Sasha, hope see you soon on the channel.

[@ericwilliamson9869]

Sasha is the best. So happy you had him on. Great video!❤

[@ericwilliamson9869]

Also, for the TMDR, you can load in the firmware to make it sound like the cream back and the Jensen speaker is garbage. Basically if you get the neo cream back from the blonde one, you can make it too notch or you can just get the blonde and be set already. I like the black ones and swapped the speaker and the firmware.

[@PraetorianPhalanx]

That was fun! Thanks guys!

[@predragtadic]

Bravo, Sasha!!!

[@joshbabbitt9243]

Absolutely love Sasha. His personality, like Buddy's, Pete's, is just A++. He kills it on everything from insta, to KZbin, and especially his playing. His chops are top class and just so enjoyable to listen to. Great to see he made it on here!

[@snörre23]

If i crank a 5 watt amp in my apartment, neighbours from more than half a mile away will hear it and complain. Might be low wattage but not low volume. But does Andertons sell Milkman Amps, i can't see any on the website.

[@coolwaterdvr]

Loved Sacha's guitar playing. Subbing to his channel. 👍

[@mrtelechi]

I thought I would be watching this video for maybe 5 mins, but listened to it and was totally absorbed... Superb, and another artist that I will subscribe to. Beautiful amp sounds, love the Fender, but, it would be my last choice in this line up if I'm being honest.

[@murkyfluid7625]

I like the silktone. The milkman was great to

[@masterreif]

I have the black spirit at home. You can choose 2/20/200 W and I play with 2 W. It is loud enough for playing at home.

[@rossbowen6418]

Nice video again. I'm a home guitarist and have small wattage valve amps but I have recently found a not very well known 70's transistor amp called a , Maine c50. It's got 2x 8" celestion speakers and sounds great. So much so that I only use this one now. I don't know if you have ever heard of them, maybe worth looking up.

[@jaybird697]

And a few years later, you see your old coworker in retail on one of your favorite channels 🎉

[@richardsandson]

One of those intros that you have to listen to twice and then immediately pick up your guitar. Pure filthy soul. Loved it.

[@julius2538]

Since Lee talked a lot about good attenuation devices, I started to wonder: What affordable alternatives to the Ox are there? Would love a shootout video ^^

[@matthewtucker1699]

tone king ironman is the..pun intended...king of attenuation devices. no shootout needed!

[@mrc2662]

@@matthewtucker1699 I’m thinking of getting the Fryette Powerstation - it’s seriously good too

[@volv]

Fryette Power Station PS2-A is what I have. As good as it gets for an attenuator I'd say. It doesn't have any IR loader etc but for adjusting the volume of an amp it is awesome. Power amp tubes too (6L6). A few switches/knobs to adjust the character slightly when needed (for example boosting the highs when you play low volume).

[@jacobbockover1628]

I have a half watt amp its great for my apartment it you have 3 tone options a blackface style tone stack or you can bypass that and use just a treble boost thingy or just a sorta mid boost/cut thing. It sorta lacks low lows but thats part of why i can use it without bugging people

[@TraneFrancks]

"Why would you at five Watts?" -- Fun fact: DSL1 has 1 Watt at full power and 0.1 Watt at low power. It is, IMO, the ultimate apartment amp. It is 100% loud enough to get complaint notices from building management. #BeenThereDoneThat

[@nathanjunior503]

I teach with the NJRC and the DSL1 side by side, so if we need VH style saturation, we can get it from the DSL at talking volume. Love the DSL1! I can almost nail the DSL1 tone with a Benson Preamp pedal in front of the NJRC, but teaching kids that maybe can’t afford that tech, I’m always attempting to show them how to get close to the sound anyway they can. GarageBand, a Line6, whatever they have. But the bloom in the room of a great tube amp cranked, is undeniable.

[@digitalchris6681]

Blimey, that bloke can play guitar. Sasha's not bad either.....

[@julianmetcalfe1070]

good stuff gorgeous amps, was surprised by the fender tho which is very affordable handy light, the others how ever very nice very pricey good great to hear them , think i would go for the milkman

[@josephestes7076]

Love Sasha. His review of the reeves zo is so good.

[@TheGuitarman1968]

I stiil have a Marshall MG-15 MS II amp (The "Mini-Stack"), that I use for practicing at home, after all of these years. I also have a Zoom G3Xn multi-effects processor plugged into this amp. This combination works great together, and it's all I really need for playing at home, or even at smaller venues. The Marshall MG-15 can get really LOUD for a 15 watt "practice" amp, and with the Zoom G3Xn I can customize the sound to any tone that I want. I much prefer a "practice" setup like this over something like the very Gimmicky and overrated Spark Positive Grid amp, which to me sounds like an old AM transistor radio from the 70's. Now, with all of that being said, if I want to make my (and your) ears "bleed," I also have a Marshall JCM800 head, and a Marshall 4×12 cabinet to blow the roof off with. I mostly use my effects pedal board with this amp. Both amp/effect setups have their place, and can be really fun in their own respects. It all just depends on my mood, and which guitar I have plugged into the amp at the time. Whatever keeps us playing is all that really matters anyway, right? 🎸 🎸

[@ryano.5149]

Those original MGs were perfectly fine, gig-able solid-state amps. As far as I'm aware, aside from the effects, they were analog transistor based amps. They "do the thing" just fine.

[@darrenofdrivers]

Unless that Tonemaster has had an update applied, the fizz that sasha is referring to is the virtual bright cap. Sounds much better when you do the update to remove it. The blonde is the way forward (mine is black but have changed to blonde specs).

[@michael_caz_nyc]

For those Clapton fans - I think his Tone on The 1992 Rush Movie Soundtrack ( 4 Tracks ) new recruit, tracks & lines, kristen & jim, preludin fugue - His tone & playing is insane.

[@MAP448]

Low wattage amplifiers have smaller output transformers, smaller output transformers are mostly easier to saturate. Which makes them much nicer to play because you can still get a decent amount of volume out of a 15 watt amplifier plus your able to saturate the output transformers at a lower volume But still get that spongy type feeling under the fingers which we guitar players love so much. It's also why we like overdrive pedals so much because we get that same spongy feel under the fingers at a lower volume.

[@BeefNEggs057]

You can Replace the transformer in smaller amps if you want better headroom - most people get dirt from pedals anyway. Sounds better than amp falling apart dirt to most people. Tighter clipping. Both have their place of course and both sound great (we aren’t SRV though).

[@dustinpeele2748]

Would love to see a poll of what people think the top 8-10 best low watt tube amps are and then do a shootout. Could be heads or combos.

[@allatsea2746]

My vote would be the original made in England Laney Lionheart L5T (the one with the spring reverb) ;-).

[@mikeaustin4138]

My first amp was a ''70 Silverface Twin that I replaced the blown CTS/Jensen speakers with JBL D-120s. It was a horrible choice for me. On "3" it would compete with a Marshall full stack and it was impossible to get "my tone" with it. I've never understood the logic of buying a 100-watt amp so you can play it on "3" and then buy a raft of pedals to try and get it to sound good. IMO, the sweet spot for an amp is when the volume is at 6-7. There's plenty of electrons flowing across the vacuum tubes without it going overboard, so there's plenty of bass, sustain, etc. A 20-watt amp is plenty loud, unless you're playing in auditoriums or arenas.

[@reverb508]

Sasha! This guy rules!

[@mwyatt222]

when l play now at the open mic blues jam by me in Dallas Tx l always enjoy being the guy that will haul a 100 watt jmp marshall head and 4x12 1960b and play lower volume and they hate me b/c l dont require a boosted middle to sit in the mix. l have a huge tone but l simply leave my master on 3-4 and pre amp around 7 and dont upset stage volume. l add a deja-vibe and a wah at all times. To make this even worse l sometimes when lve had my wheaties will lug my Fender Super Twin Reverb combo, super fuzz and angry charlie and will out 'headroom' everyone w/ 180 watts rms with the master high and pre volume low for stage volume. Either way tone-wise little low wattage amps get exposed. lf they cant overdrive their mids into 'unfriendly' levels theyre sunk and lm talking about drZ's, PRS's, Fenders etc.

[@aidanparker9543]

Could you guys build a stand that held the amps one on top of another? Wouldn’t be perfect but might help a bit maybe worth a shot

[@SirPrizeMF]

I know this guy, I think he worked with one of my friends, Mark Lotterman, for a bit. Incredible guitarist, he's definitely got "it".

[@bijnaniethuman]

Great vid! Love to see him at Andertons.

[@texasbootlegger3752]

Very good video. Milkman I would use!

[@TarenLeitzke]

Subscribed to Sasha this last summer after watching his excellent video breaking down the Beetronics Zzombee. I've been keeping up with most of his new videos and really enjoy his playing in his reviews. He and RJ Ronquillo both have very expressive playing, and they are probably my two favorite KZbin reviewer guitarists.

[@str8shooter36]

The tone master sounds good but I'm of the opinion of the milkman with just a little bit more gain . I had a friend who played a 25 watt milkman and a clean boost and he had the best tone when we would jam. He would play a Fender tele and a Gibson 335 and we played everything from Buddy Holly to 70's Aerosmith, Bad Co, SRV, and lots of alternative style tunes. He was able to achieve great tone with those 2 guitars and 1amp and he used a tuner pedal, mid boost, clean boost, and another pedal that was like 2 pedals in 1. Great memories of great times.

[@stanislavmigra]

Milkman with Strat was sound of the day. With Les Paul I prefere the Silktone. Looser of the day was ToneMaster with LesPaul. With Strat it sounded good, but abyssmal with LP. The clear winner is Sasha. Man is ON FIRE

[@Afterasimplelife]

Great player. Hopefully you did a film with Lee Pete and Sasha playing?

[@endezeichengrimm]

Oh it is useful to see the decibel meter behind them.

[@lance134679]

Great comparison. If you were including a Tone Master, I thought the Princeton would be the obvious choice.

[@jimdep6542]

I've got a Mesa Boogie Mk 1 reissue. What would be a decent /low cost attinuator I could use with this for lower volume home playing with a backing track ?

[@rcdowdy]

I would have included Tone King's Gremlin. Great show.

[@MrIantodd]

Great video! Thanks for making it! I wonder if Lee was to perform live, what would he use

[@JamesAllan9]

I'm finding that my DSL20 sounds nicer when using my strat. Single coil and low wattage seem to be rated for each other or something. My JVM210H sounds a hell of a lot better with my humbuckers though, which in turn don't sound as good on my DSL20. Notice these two are playing single coils?

[@simonedstrom4467]

Don't run drives into the vibrato channel on the deluxe. It has a bright cap that gives you that sizzle. Run drives into the normal channel or make a firmware upgrade to remove the cap 😊

[@Sagerydian]

The Milkman is the winner for me. Wow!

[@JohnLee-mq4hk]

Back in the eighties guitarists would change out the speakers or put in a set of groove tubes to sweeten up the sounds of their amplifiers.

[@TheGetawayMan]

The Tinder comment cracked me up. Cap' is so good at rolling with it.

[@jamesbarrick3403]

The Silktone is the king of premium amps. The 1/2 watt feature is arguably the best feature.

[@Matt-rk3de]

5f2a handwired kit/chassis + 8” speaker/cab + attenuator + nos tubes

[@matzer8846]

Great review ... but even low wattage ones are applicable in a single house or studio or isolation box only 👍 Me is "forced" to use power soaks and TwoNotes WOS software ... no speakers allowed ... Urarrr 🧐maybe the 1/10 Watts on my Vox occasionally and not at night 📢⛔ ... Soooo it ain't matter if i burn 100 Watts 😂🤣 The ToneMaster is a great curved ball in this collection‼

[@doctoribanez]

Dude made them all sound good. Idk a favorite

[@MrRubenrivera9649]

Nice sounds great video and tone Nice for jazz as well.

[@billgreen3629]

The Milkman was the clear winner for me. I’m curious how the Blackstar Studio 10 would fit in. Sasha is great.

[@LousReview]

Man for me when you switched back and forth between the Benson and Fender, I heard the Benson just bloom and become way more 3 dimensional than the Fender. Valves!

[@uuno.turhapuro]

Hello, is this 12watt silktone combo enough to play rock with drummer and basist ?

[@igordemoraeslenzi]

Did the DRTM was updated with the new firmware (bright mod cap)? When the drive pedal is turn on that could explain the sizzle.

[@mb5o]

VHT Special 6 Ultra, hand wired, sounds great at a much lower price.

[@simonnotthepieman1581]

Thoughts on internal attenuator vs external attenuator? Worth buying an amp without an attenuator but buying one separately? Use case includes ability of using the attenuator with other amps and/or the external attenuator may be of better quality than internal

[@castleanthrax1833]

Personally I'd rather buy a good low wattage amp, AND a good higher wattage one, than spend the dollars on a good attenuator. They seem rather costly for what they are. If you already have a 100 watt amp, I see the use, but I don't see the point of buying a powerful amp, and also spending big bucks on an attenuator, when there's lots of great low watt amps, for the price. Just my opinion though.

[@simonnotthepieman1581]

@@castleanthrax1833 I have an original 57 Champ that has a mod to cabinet which I've never used. I've never owned head + cab before, just smaller amps . However, I have my eye set on getting old disgracefully and start by buying a new Hiwatt SA20 w/ cab. Hiwatt also make what looks an identical amp with an attenuator called a Little Rig. Having an external attenuator would allow me to push the Champ through the cab, turn it up to around 8 then temper it back down not to annoy the neighbours whereas the Little Rig gives me less options. An attenuator like the Boss would also allow me to power up the amps to 100 for when I want to RIP The Neighbours! PF/The Who fan here so Hiwatt being the dream

[@jdl2180]

Buy an amp with an internal attenuator or a really good master volume.