Originally Posted by: dlwalke[p]In a few weeks, I anticipate I will be buying my first amp. I don't need much volume at all
You should write down a list of what [u]you[/u] need in a first amp to achieve [u]your[/u] intended purpose and where you intend to use it versus what you think [u]you[/u] want in an amp, then determine your min - max budget spend range to achieve it and either choose one or reassess and modify choice accordingly relative to budget if that's the critical factor.
KISS. Simply put, for the overwhelming majority of us playing at home or intimate gigs, digital amps are the way to go today for a myriad of reasons you can research yourself.
Whether or not you want modelling, and the degree of programability desired and type of interface, is a [u]personal[/u] choice. Most digital amps today have some degree of modelling even if not firmware patchable/modifiable. Pretty much every solid state amp today has an MP3/Aux input and auto output switching headphone out ports. Some have USB connectivity and a pedal input jack - usually proprietary. Where applicable, supporting software functionality, interfaces and real world support vary wildly if that's important to you.
Although stemming from an era before onboard modelling, pedals can still serve a purpose in conjunction with digital amps as Brandon explained, ergonomic dynamic switching of effects through facilitation of Wah being but two of them.
How much noise? Around 40W is plenty for home use in solid state IME. Many are happy enough with 20W, and they're pretty impressive in the home today too. Mind you, I even have have a 3W mini which does just fine for learning and practise which has its own strengths of ultimate portability with a super low footprint and go anywhere battery independence.
Any of these are affordable pretty good all rounders which are still reasonably portable.
Boss Katana 50
Blackstar ID Core 40/20
Fender Mustang GT 40/LT 25
Fender Champion 40/20
Marshall Code 50/25
Yamaha THR10/ 5
Roland Cube 40/20GX
My own first amp choice 16 months ago was Blackstar's ID:Core 40. It was a solid choice for purpose, and inarguably, with total GAS budget a consideration I did like the chunk of change I was left with in my pocket which bought me loads of ancilliary gear.
