by ricochet » Mon Jun 09, 2008 1:25 am
Depends on what you want. In that small space, even a 5W amp cranked is going to be LOUD! I often play (nearly always, actually) in situations where I have to keep the volume low, so I use the volume knob on mine. A master volume amp like my Electar Tube 10 (yeah, it's rated at 10W and can actually put out more) can still make a pretty good fuzzy sound with the gain up and the master volume down, but some folks aren't satisfied with that. The tiny Z-vex mini-amp has been recommended, but it uses a subminiature tube that's hard to find now and will get harder. I've still got a funny feeling about him from 6-7 years ago when he jumped all over me like I'd attacked him for E-mailing him to report that the link on his page for dealers in my state was 404. (I meant it to be a helpful report, not a complaint.) I'd wonder about support if it had problems. Lots of folks could build you a lovely low wattage mini-amp. I'd suggest talking to our own BrianP. And of course there are many options (homebuilt and commercial, from ~$10 to hundreds) for using attenuators on amps of greater power.