
Ain't it wonderful how folks like to spend yer hard earned Bux for ya?
It looks like you are looking for great versatility for lil coinage to me. I was in the same boat almost 3 years ago when I got back into music. I spent the better part of 4 months comparing everything that I could find new and used for 500 bux or less and I'm talking just about every name brand out there. Tube, Hybrid, and Solid State.
I now have two great Peavey 112 Combos and
a Behringer V-AMP2.
Let me mention the second one that I bought first because right now, there's one on ebay just like mine that will prolly go for well under 300 Bux. It's Peavey's best kept secret. It's called
the Peavey Prowler and it's comparable to the Marshall DSL 401 and much better than
a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe because it has a very usable and versatile Distortion Channel whereas the Fender HRDlx does not. The Prowler will do anything from Fender Clean on the Clean Channel (and I'm talking like
a Twin Reverb here, it's clean even if ya Dime it). The Distortion Channel can do anything from Dirty Blues to Grunge so ya can leave the stinkin stomp box distortions and overdrives at home. Here's the link to the auction:
http://search.ebay.com/search/searc...SortProperty=MetaEndSort&query=Peavey+Prowler
The only prob with this amp is that it's best played loud (like most tube amps, ) but it does do a decent job at low volumes.
My other Peavey Combo is a Second Generation TransTube Studio Pro 112II that Peavey released late in 2000. I bought mine right after Thanksgiving that year and I still love this amp because it's so freakin versatile. The Clean Channel can do both the Solid State Clean like the Roland JC120 and it can do Tube Clean. The Distortion Channel on it can do everything from Classic Rock to Dirty Blues to High Gain to Metal. Again, just leave the freakin distortion and overdrive boxes at home cause ya won't need them.
The trick to using a Peavey 2nd Gen TransTube Amp is to Read The Freakin Manual. (RTFM) There is a suggested settings page in there for different tones and ya start there and tweak to taste. Believe me, if there is a sound that you are looking for, it's in there. You just have to tweak till ya get it.
My sidekick uses either an 80's Fender Deluxe Reverb or an original 65 Fender Twin Reverb and he has to bring three different stompboxes to do what I can do just with either of my amps. Both of those ol Fenders have gone down, the Twin more than once, over the past two years. My Peaveys just keep on goin like the Energizer Bunny.
The V-AMP2 is a whole story in itself as far as it's versatility and the same can be said for most Modelers out there.
That's what I use and it works for me and it will work for you.
CR ><>