I've used a lot of amps live and in practices. A fender twin is too much for almost any application, it just sounds dull and lifeless until you can get the volume past '3' and by then you can't hear the drummer. My mesa 5:50, I kid you not, stays clean in the 5watt setting up with the volume halfway: if you dig in you get a bit of 'burr' to it but back off the volume or pick attack and its as clean as you'd like, but with more body and harmonics and sustain: I barely use the 50watt mode, its only better for the heavy distortion tone when a push-pull config is preferable. I don't see why anyone would need more than 50watts for ANYTHING. Even if you're play stadiums, you are miced up. Everyone think eric johnson gets amazing clean tones? Well, hes using 22watt 1x12 fender deluxe combos. Death cab for cutie get fantastically full clean tones, and until recently were using 20watt Dr Z amps to get them. Some of the heaviest bands I've seen recently have been using orange tiny terrors into 4x12s, and they're only 15watts. The high wattages on amps today are simply a product of a time when not all venues mic'd up, but I can't remember the last gig (that wasn't in a pub) that didnt use the PA. Whenever I've giged (I;'ve used a silverface twin and a marhall jcm800 live), the volume didnt get past 1. Whats the point in that? You might as well have a solid state power amp to be frank. A blues junior would be a great option, if you need more volume, put it through a 2x12 cab.
