Originally Posted by: DraconusJLM

Technically speaking, you could get away with gigging using just a 5W amp if it was mic'ed up to a PA system. The size of the amp means very little (just take a look at the setup used in arena sized concerts, where relatively small amps can be seen on stage, but each has one or more microphones attached to the speaker grill).

Pragmatically speaking, the OP is a beginner and has bought a low power relatively inexpensive practice amp unknowing even of its raison d'etre. I don't think rigging it with a PA is quite what he had in mind with his question. Perhaps [u]not helpful[/u] to confuse him with hypotheticals contrary to purpose or imminent execution of potential?

Again touching on the pragmatic taking your 5W amp analogy hypothetical extreme, whilst it might be possible technically speaking, audially I'm fairly sure I'd not want to gig with my 6W Blackstar Fly 3 stereo combo (or BOSS' Katana 7W alternative) miked up to a PA. : ) By the time it came to that, even street busking one would have preferred alternatives. [br][br]Even a modest venue STAGEPAS PA is expensive additional kit for personal performance use by the time one outlays on it and the PA stands, & mic stands, mics and cables, carry bags to transport all that hardware etc. Then one has to develop sufficient personal sound engineering expertise to consistently configure and operate it all so it sounds like it does in the promos and you'd want it to. I have my own PA, so I know from the personal experience of that learning curve. [br][br]So unless the venue is providing the PA, unlikely outside an effectively subsidised provided equipment church/school/college 'gig' or the open mic night, pro pub/club/ circuit, even a modest PA setup will cost around the same as a very capable standalone pro level performance amp combo usable at the kind of putting in the slog venue one might expect to perform in prior to achieving star billing status. A combo or header+cabinet can still be routed or miked through a pro PA setup if necessary and the venue insists upon it as has become more common in pubs and open mic events today, but has standalone capability where said venue doesn't have one. Just sayin'.