A decade ago musicians were often measured by the size of their stacks. If a guy had two 100watt Marshall heads and four cabinets, he had to be good, right? Right. So what’s the deal with these tiny amps that keep popping up behind musicians on video broadcasts, in recording studios and on live gigs? Why have a lot of players traded off their big rigs for these dinky little critters that are so small they can be carried in a VW?

The answers lie in the fact that everybody knows more about sound reinforcement than they did 10 years ago. Musicians today realize that with a good sound system thqy can use a smaller amp and still be heard* provided the amp is properly miked. So the majority of the money is spent on the sound system—power aynps, mikes, cabinets, speakers, horns, drivers, mixes, monitors, snakes, and so forth—and all the musician needs is an amp with sufficient wattage and a good ^speaker. (Of course, individual taste dictates what brand of amp, what features, what type speaker, etc.) The point is, music is growing up all the time. People don’t always measure the player by the size and volume of his equipment. Nowadays people seem to listen for a quality, a stone, and a balance (mix) between all the instruments being played.