I've been browsing for chips and the TDA2040 looks on paper pretty good.   ~ 6 watts per channel @ 12 v and good distortion numbers (if they hold up at 12 V)  If anyone has experience to the contrary please let me know.

I'm NOT playing loudly, so feedback is not an issue.  Besides it's a highly damped archtop (Eastman 810CE)   I  need the high frequency response to replicate the scratchy sound of fingers on strings (I don't use picks or fingernails).  The Acoustisonic would be fine if it weren't so damned heavy.

It;s important to understand I'm not trying to get above the loudness of a normal speaking voice or a flattop guitar played moderately hard.  What I'm after is being able to control the dynamic range w/ my right hand rather than a pedal or knob and having the fine control that comes w/ playing softly.  Typically I set volume at 1-2 on the amp & midway on the guitar.

BTW if someone built what I'm looking for I'd buy it in a heartbeat.  I'm *very* out of practice at circuit design/construction which makes building it myself a very high dollar solution.  I only do this when I can't find what I want.

AC primarily, but I'd like to be able to run off 12V DC.  LM1875 looks good but for the 16 V min on the data sheet.  I'm not much concerned w/ a PCB for a one off at audio frequencies.  (lots of RF experience  built point to point over a ground plane)

I want a small (I've got an Acoustisonic Jr)  super clean amp to play an archtop using  various combinations of magnetic pickup, acoustic transducer and an FET microphone.  The goal is to capture the sound of the unamplified guitar I hear playing in my easy chair w/ the f hole 12"  from my ear.  I plan to build a delay/reverb unit into the enclosure which will probably house an 8-10" speaker

Before I engage in a gratuitous design exercise I thought I'd ask here for suggestions/pointers to designs w/ similar goals.