I went to see a friend play with a band playing outside on a deck at a waterfront bar this afternoon. When they took a break they ask me to sit in. I had my Strat in the car, but there was no amp for me to use. At my office 5 minutes away I small pedalboard (tuner, Gt-500, carbon copy), pretty minimalist but adequate and a deluxe reverb. When I got to the office I remembered that I had taken the board home. All I had was an amp and a chord. I thought about just not going back, but I decided to give it a shot, realizing that the DR breaks up pretty nice when cranked. I played with them for an hour. The crowd dug it, and it was really fun. The other guitar player offered to loan me a blues driver but by then I was into the challenge. It was a good time. im sure others play straight into the amp. I had it cranked up to seven, the volume was about right. I've been playing out like this for forty plus years. This might be the first time with not even one pedal.