I have played through peaveys for years, and while they are a very road worthy (can fall of truck, withstand a brawl etc) they are still solid state and tone can get thin at times, of course that depends on your style and who you are playing with. I changed about 8 years ago to Fender tube, then I got so tired of hauling that heavy tank around. Last month I found a new name to me in amps.. TRAYNOR, the company has been around since the 60's and they make tube amps. I thought I would chance it and bought one, site and sound unseen. This little 40 watt tube amp kicks butt, and is light compared to the fender tanks. I LOVE IT. If you are into heavy metal you will still need a good pedal, but for everything else, jazz, classic rock, blues, hot country, this amp will do the job. Traynor is a canadian company so they are not real popular here in the states such as some of our standard names in amps, but I did notice there was a dealer on ebay selling new ones for $469. So you may want to check it out. Good luck in your new amp purchase.