Okay SlapChop forgive me for thinking first of reasonably priced "small room" sized amps. Of course you can find lots of boutique stuff that costs and arm and a left nut. If that's what folks are into, and that's their thing it's cool. For myself, I like big loud amps even if you don't really need them anymore.

I still don't think it will sound any better than my V3 though

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"Life is like eating jalapenos. What you do today may burn your arse tomorrow"

I'll take a small amp over my Twin any day. Just a guitar, cord and amp. No pedalboard involved.

No injury intended, sir... just making the point that size, price and audio quality in guitar amps can't be correlated.

I'm glad you're digging your Carvin, but a Fuchs ODS will sound much, much better.

No injury taken Bro.

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"Life is like eating jalapenos. What you do today may burn your arse tomorrow"

How many times must it be said? Size does not matter. However, nothing will change your opinion quickly. A tube amp hits it sweet spot a long time before the volume knob gets to 10. You have to have the patience to work your way through it to learn your amp. Low stage volume makes it easier to hear each other and as someone else has already said, that is when the magic starts. A high wattage tube amp when turned up is only one thing, and it isn't magical.

Its a simple fact that nothing looks better onstage than a stack or 7. Whether you use them all is another matter. Slayer guitarists use 12 4x12's each. Yet for their stage setup they have a wall of 50 odd.
Nothing looks better but your missus complains when you try and install similar in the bedroom. I tried.

5watts in the house. 15 onstage now that we use a good sound engineer and great rig. In the pre-pa days it was 2x 100 watt stacks both set at 6'ish either side of the stage.

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No no and no

C'mon, bro, that's not a fact, that's an opinion. Staging is a matter of making the band look good, and we've all seen stages that looked great with virtually nothing but the drummer visible above the boards.

In fact, I think that big rigs are starting to look kind of silly. Dinosuaric, if you will.

I'm with you, jgauker: a 100 watts of tube power dimed is one thing, and it ain't magic. I was one of the only rockers of my day who wore earplugs on stage, because I just didn't like the hideous roar of my band (my contribution to which was a Les Paul into an Ampeg VT22 and a 50-watt Marhsall into a 3x10 cab... kick on the Big Muff and it was nothing but pure hell). Lucky break on my lack of tolerance, since I now need to be able to hear the whole spectrum to do my work, and most of my contemporaries can't do that.

I play through this: , a little bit bigger than an Orange Tiny Terror....but, it puts out 60W and is used with this:
,
a little bit smaller than a Mini Cooper!

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Current Gear: Ron Kirn Barnbuster Tele,
Marshall: 1971 SuperLead 100>1997 1960-TV, bunch of pedals
and a 1987 Porsche 911 Carrera coupe named Veronica

I downsized from a 100 watter to this 50 watter !!!!! Mike

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The blues ain't nothin but a good man feelin bad.

It may be opinion granted but this setup looks awesome and in no way archaic.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/eb/MarshallStack_Slayer.jpg/800px-MarshallStack_Slayer.jpg

Can you spot the dummy cabs?

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No no and no

I'm guessing the ones that are not miked......

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It's a mix between Jazz and Funk, it's called "Junk"

Bingo!

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The blues ain't nothin but a good man feelin bad.

Niki, I know you're kidding now... you don't think that wall of cabs - most of them not even functional, but just there to communicate a mindless sort of machismo - doesn't look totally 70's-arena-hair-band, groupies-n-blow, "don't want nuthin' but a good time," Whitesnake-Cinderella-Manowar sort of retro stupid?

If I saw that pile on stage, I'd ask for my money back before they played a note!

Well said!


100 watts is simply too much, but I'd pick a 50 watter over a mic'ed 5/15 watt amp(except for a real champion, not the 600)

I'd expect no less of you sir, thats why i find you amusing. I could honestly imagine you walking into the arena, jaw drops, turn round walk out, then a heated discussion with the person on the turnstile.

I also honestly think there is no better sound on this planet than 4 el34s on the cusp of breakup. Not 6v6's, el84's (yes i own a real class A amp, not a ac30 class a/b), kt66's or kt88's. Though i do like the kt88/6550 sound. I also hear a difference between 50watters and 100watters in terms of tone regardless of volume. It must be further component related, i cant seriously imagine its due to the number of valves. That said volume must always be manageable. I dont leave the house without my attenuator now.

Anyhow thats my opinion on amps.

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No no and no