Johnny,
I made myself a box that has a 5 amp variac in it, along with a voltage meter and a current meter so I can measure what is happening, and the variac and a light bulb are in series with the amp under test if plugged into one plug, or just the variac if the amp is plugged into the other plug. I use a 100 watt incadescant light bulb for it and it works very well. The light bulb limits how much current the amp can draw, and really only lights up initially when the amp is turned on (since there will be a current surge from the caps charging up) or if there is a problem with the amp under test. If there is a problem, then the bulb runs much brighter than it should and it also limits how much current can be drawn so you have time to shut the amp off before a fuse would blow as compared to normal conditions. I use it any time I work on an amp.
Greg