I think there are some players on this site so....Guitar players (seem to) rave on about Marshall amplifiers. A 100 W head and 4*12 cab is going to be blisteringly, anti-socially loud, right ? But then I also read that big speakers need to be fully powered up before they give the right sound... So given that I want to practise at home, what can I (or anyone) do to get a good sound without p*ssing everyone off ?
Your best bet is to buy a portable practice amp - which as the name suggests is deigned to give good sound at low volume, and if volume is a mjor problem, invest in a pair of headphones which should eliminate your Jimmy Page impressions for all but your good self.
sorry to disagree again andy but your wrong practice theory is wrong i feel. Practice amp's can be very limiting in their range of sounds and performance. I think your best bet is to go for a Line 6 Pod which is an advanced amp modeler and a 2nd hand cheap combo amp. This will open up a range of sounds otherwise unavailable to you and let you play with oddles of distortion at reasonable sound levels.
I use a Johnson J Station amp modeller - this allows a good selection of amp and speaker models to be played through headphones or stereo system or a practice amp. This means that I can deafen myself and leave the neighbours in peace.