It's funny you mention the Blackstar, because I was looking at that as a possible future purchase in Guitar Center today. And I totally agree: I've only been playing a little under a year now. But I'm looking at the Mesa as a possible future purchase. Like WAAAAY in the future lol; maybe a few years. I'm just trying to learn about tube amps, what makes them priced so differently, and what kind of advantages they have.
But speaking of the Mesa Boogie Mk V head, do most heads have all those controls? (equalizer, different boosts, gain, treble, bass, multiple channels, etc.)?
And here's another noob question: can any head be used with any sized cabinet? And is it the cabinet that determines how loud it will be? Or both the head and cabinet?
Because like you said, I also want to purchase something for now that I can crank up without it being incredibly loud for small areas like my garage.