Any advice on next step

[darrin_h2000]

why would a little 5w be big enough?
i thought you hit that tonal sweet spot the louder the amp is. i used to blast my half stack to get a real crunchy tone

I was surprised how a 5 watt tube amp drove my 4-12 cab...I sold a 300watt amp for it and I have zero regrets.

 

[moresound]

This is all true Desh...even my Vox 30W now feels to loud compared to the couple of 5W amps we have in the studio. And the sound/recording of them is out standing.

 

[DeshevldMusic]

amps

so what amps do you all recommend?

the music I tend to play leans more towards chevelle and breaking benjamin nd staind.....

sometimes a ballad here and there...

which 5w should i be looking at?

 

[EtherealEntity]

Have you considered modelling units? What's your budget? Something like a high end POD will get you a large variety of sounds (even make your own, not just presets) and probably sound better than a 5w for most applications.
If you have no budget and really want to go crazy - research Fractal Audio Axe FX units

 

[suprstar]

I was surprised how a 5 watt tube amp drove my 4-12 cab

Me too without a doubt! It actually makes the speakers bounce, you can see the excursion..

Have you considered modelling units?

IMO modelers can't compete with a good mic'ed amp/cab. I've done it both ways, so far my best tone comes from LP -> pod -> epi valve jr -> v30 -> sm57. I did a lot of direct recording from my pod straight to my interface, when I switched I thought it was an instant improvement.

 

[grimtraveller]

You never heard of 'puter groupies ?

lol NO! And Im a network/db programmer, if they existed, I'd KNOW!

Ah, they like to go undercover..........