Many of the giants of rock, like Led Zeppelin, did their classics (like Stairway to Heaven, the loud part) with low-wattage (like 1W or 5W) tube amps. You don't

Many of the giants of rock, like Led Zeppelin, did their classics (like Stairway to Heaven, the loud part) with low-wattage (like 1W or 5W) tube amps. You don't need a big amp to sound loud when recording; what you need is that the power amp is turned up to get that sweet distortion. You don't get it with pre-amps or stomp boxes alone. Personally, I have an old 25-watt Mesa/Boogie and it is infinitely nicer than the 100-watt transistor monster or 60-watt Fender tube amp that I had earlier. It is still a bit loud for training room, but just okay for live gigs with PA where it's miked.