antichef
pornk rock
If you're crossing the line to modeling amps, be sure to check out the Vox AD30VT or AD50VT - I have the AD15VT, which is too small for your purpose. The speaker in mine was not so good, but once I switched that out, I've been impressed with the versatility and overall sound quality, and it can make so many different sounds that it'll help you resolve unknown issues you may be wrestling with. The built in noise gate is OK, too, so at least it won't be hissing when you're not playing 
. Or maybe just get a cheap used AD15VT with part of your money, and use it to train yourself toward getting the amp that works best for you. It has been very educational for me, even after 20+ years of playing with many different amps and guitars.
Two comments on the general themes in this thread so far -- the first, and most important, is that what sounds good in the guitar store or in your living room / bedroom, isn't necessarily going to work at all when you're playing with your band -- you probably already know this -- scooped mids and fizzy crunch can sound kickass in isolation, but completely disappear in the mix, where the bass guitar and drum beat up your low frequencies and the cymbals utterly own your high frequencies.
Second, I prefer tube amps, too. I don't have a blues junior, but I do have a number of small all-tube combos, and one thing is clear -- with the wrong combination of pre-amp / power tubes, they can all sound tinny, and then farty or muddy, but when the tubes are right, they're fantastic. I used to think that a power tube that was overdriven easily was a good thing, but when they get too stressed, in comes the mud -- worst case is when I have a weak preamp tube sending a farty line level signal to a weak power tube that is muddying it up further. I no case can I get a super heavy metal sound from one of these amps without pedals, but...
Pretty much all my live gigging experience has been through a Marshall JCM 800 50 watt half stack using 12AX7s and EL34s - out of your price range, but definitely worth what I paid for it back in the 80's. I'm not in love with the newer solid statish Marshall combos I've seen either. To my aging ears these days, the JCM 800 sounds plenty heavy, but it is that chunky 80's sound -- works great in a mix by itself, but back when I was playing through it all the time, I *always* used an Ibanez Tube Screamer TS-10 (it was always on, that is), and the sound was tremendously big and heavy, and still mixed up well. My (somewhat belabored by now) point is that you shouldn't rule out achieving your sound with both pedals and a tube amp.
. Or maybe just get a cheap used AD15VT with part of your money, and use it to train yourself toward getting the amp that works best for you. It has been very educational for me, even after 20+ years of playing with many different amps and guitars.Two comments on the general themes in this thread so far -- the first, and most important, is that what sounds good in the guitar store or in your living room / bedroom, isn't necessarily going to work at all when you're playing with your band -- you probably already know this -- scooped mids and fizzy crunch can sound kickass in isolation, but completely disappear in the mix, where the bass guitar and drum beat up your low frequencies and the cymbals utterly own your high frequencies.
Second, I prefer tube amps, too. I don't have a blues junior, but I do have a number of small all-tube combos, and one thing is clear -- with the wrong combination of pre-amp / power tubes, they can all sound tinny, and then farty or muddy, but when the tubes are right, they're fantastic. I used to think that a power tube that was overdriven easily was a good thing, but when they get too stressed, in comes the mud -- worst case is when I have a weak preamp tube sending a farty line level signal to a weak power tube that is muddying it up further. I no case can I get a super heavy metal sound from one of these amps without pedals, but...
Pretty much all my live gigging experience has been through a Marshall JCM 800 50 watt half stack using 12AX7s and EL34s - out of your price range, but definitely worth what I paid for it back in the 80's. I'm not in love with the newer solid statish Marshall combos I've seen either. To my aging ears these days, the JCM 800 sounds plenty heavy, but it is that chunky 80's sound -- works great in a mix by itself, but back when I was playing through it all the time, I *always* used an Ibanez Tube Screamer TS-10 (it was always on, that is), and the sound was tremendously big and heavy, and still mixed up well. My (somewhat belabored by now) point is that you shouldn't rule out achieving your sound with both pedals and a tube amp.