So, to get the same volume, a 40 watt amp is going to be more distorted than Keith’s 80 watt amp. For most gigs, 40 watts is plenty. Diming a 100 Watt Marshall in a small bar is obnoxious.

Another thing I’ve noticed is that the amount of air being pushed makes a big difference. A 4X10 Bassman or a Super Reverb will push more air than a 2X12 Twin and sound better than a Twin, for example. In my experience, the more air you can push, the better the sound. Many amps have jacks for external speakers. You have to lug a lot more gear to max out your speaker load, but the tonal difference and quality of your sound will be worth the effort.

Also pairing the right speaker with your amp can make an enormous difference. Fender followed the rules of American manufacturing. He always bought the cheapest component he could find that would do the job.Just because Leo stuck a Jensen, Eminence, Utah or an Oxford in your amp doesn’t mean you can’t find a speaker that sounds better. A Weber Chicago sounds excellent in a blackface Deluxe Reverb. Another great speaker in a blackface is a Celestion G12-H80. Their Vintage 10s are great, too. A Blues Jr. sounds great with a Celestion Vintage 30, also.

Tubes are also important. You don’t have to blow major dough on NOS Telefunkens, but you do need good quality tubes. If you have more than one power tube they need to be matched. The phase inverter is also a critical tube because it has two sides and they need to be balanced for your amp to sound right. Your pre-amp tube should also be good quality. Tubes for reverb and tremolo circuits can be less expensive tubes. I like JJs and Tung Sols for pre-amps, phase inverters and power tubes.. There are others that are good, too.

Great article on achieving a good sound, lots of good info. When talking about distortion you made the statement “less is more”. Speaking as a guitarist this is imo the most important point a player must understand if they want to continue to grow and be a great player. As you said ,when listening closely to heavier recordings like Zeppelin, ACDC,The Who, ect… the distortion is minimal but the impact is huge. Less is more,also known as restraint, applies equally soloing. If your covering a solo then your path maybe somewhat set for you, but if your doing your own version of a solo or jamming out a solo then the “less is more” thing may apply. I’ve heard many great players in bands belt out solos that were so busy and full of notes that the solo became boring. The life and definition was lost, just as can happen when too much distortion is used. Don’t get me wrong there is a place for lots of distortion and lots of notes but it’s knowing when “more is more” and “less is more”. Food for thought, just my opinion. By the way you make great amps, gonna own one some day.

Rick M.

I agree with the comments above about getting out front to check your sound. Radio transmitter gives you that freedom and sometimes out front it just isn’t what you thought you were putting out. Do it.

Again -just my very experienced & professional opinion.