Lt. Bob - or anyone else who may want to offer opinions.
How does the Epi compare to a Fender Blues Junior. The reason I ask, I don't have any speaker cabs - so I would have to buy a cab, or at least buy a speaker and build a cab. If I pay $100 for the Epi and maybe $70 for a good speaker I'm already at $170 and by the time I add in the other supplies (wood, jacks, speaker cable, etc), not to mention the value of the sweat equity (I hate spending my little spare time on "projects") - I will be at $200 plus.
I can buy a Blues Jr for $299
I record mostly "new country" type of tracks (I really don't do any crunch metal, etc.) using mainly a Tele or Strat (although I do have an SG & and Epi Dot for times when I don't want a single coil "sound"). I know the Blues Jr. can do clean well - but I haven't seen any specific reference to the Epi clean sound.
Guitar is not my main axe and I have been using a Pod 2.0 and/or a J-Station for amp sims. I have an old Fender Champ (I have to crank it too loud) and a couple of other small amps (Roland Cube, etc) - but I really want to try the sound of a tube amp. However, I really don't want to spend much more than $300. I use an ME-50 for my "stomp boxes"
I'm finally getting to a point as a guitar player where I understand that tone comes from fingers--->guitar--->amp and the simulations simply don't respond the way I beleive an amp can. So after many failed attempts to get tone (the Holy Grail) from sims, small solid state amps, etc - I'm starting to understand why many guitarists already endorse tube amps - so now I have to decide on which amp.
So - anyone have any thoughts????