I have the same amp and am also a beginner. For about the first hour I was convinced that I had been sent a dud and was going to send it back. I even knew about the multiple volumes but somehow managed to miss one of them. Though it's a beginner amp, I think there is lots of room to grow into it. Most of the stuff, I don't believe, we'll touch for a while. I just set everything at mid and select clean or crunch, depending on what sound I'm looking for. You can really dial it in, but for now I'm really only looking for a pure sound or a "Rock n Roll" sound. I honestly do most of my practice (3/4 into fundamentals 1) without an amp right now so that I can hear what I am producing at its purest.