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Im checking out all of your suggestions but what do you think about a vox ac50/100 head? The ac15 I had would not do pedals but I've heard the 50/100 is pretty different so it might.

Middle of nowhere + wanting to try before you commit, means ordering online with a liberal return policy..... I'd look at the VHT 20W'er and the 30W Ibanez. Both are octal power stages, like your DRRI, both are supposedly vaguely fender-ish, both are in your budget and can be purchased online with warrant and a 30 return policy.

scienceman wrote:Im checking out all of your suggestions but what do you think about a vox ac50/100 head? The ac15 I had would not do pedals but I've heard the 50/100 is pretty different so it might.

do you mean the old school ones or the classic plus line?

i have the 50w classic plus 2x12 combo. i only play through the clean channel, i dig it, it can get loud and clean but can get some nice break up around 10 - 11 o clock on the gain knob (i never really go past that). the eq on the amp is interactive so it took me a little time to get used to it. likewise, i couldn't really get many dirt pedals to agree with me when i had an ac15, but haven't had nearly as much difficulty finding good sounds with the ac50.

however, i do agree with doommeow. if you can't try something before you buy it, buy from somewhere that you can return/exchange.

OddKnowledge wrote:

scienceman wrote:Im checking out all of your suggestions but what do you think about a vox ac50/100 head? The ac15 I had would not do pedals but I've heard the 50/100 is pretty different so it might.

do you mean the old school ones or the classic plus line?

i have the 50w classic plus 2x12 combo. i only play through the clean channel, i dig it, it can get loud and clean but can get some nice break up around 10 - 11 o clock on the gain knob (i never really go past that). the eq on the amp is interactive so it took me a little time to get used to it. likewise, i couldn't really get many dirt pedals to agree with me when i had an ac15, but haven't had nearly as much difficulty finding good sounds with the ac50.

however, i do agree with doommeow. if you can't try something before you buy it, buy from somewhere that you can return/exchange.

That's good news. I've seen them around for about $300-$400 so that would give me more money to buy a cab with.

rfurtkamp wrote:JC-120 you go casters, all day.

Any 2x12 combo, really. JC-120 is just built to genuinely survive the rigors of the road back in the days when bands were bands and hairspray was hairspray!

The Labs are alright, but finding one for a reasonable price is difficult.

I agree about the casters. Essential on anything with more than one speaker. Even boomboxes should come with wheels.

As for the OP saying they live in the middle of nowhere...

I would say that I live close to "the middle of nowhere" in terms of gear shops. The closest crappy music store chain is 40 minutes away, and the only good
shop (1 hour drive away) closed two years ago to focus on live music gear rentals because, due to the internet, there wasn't enough margin in selling guitar gear anymore.

So... if your country of origin has some return-friendly online retailers, that's the way to go.

Being in the semi-middle of nowhere I was able to get my Lab L7 for $200 Canadian (meaning less than $200 US). I had to drive an hour to pick it up.
The seller-dude plays jazz, so the amp was in good condition and fully operational and clean and didn't smell like smoke or cat pee.

But perhaps the true "middle of nowhere" has far less gear than the semi-middle of nowhere. It's a lot like fishing. You just have to be looking when some
elderly gentleman who has takeN good care of their gear finally succumbs to their progressively worsening arthritis and/or senility and decides that they
need some spare cash to buy up a supply of Depends and Viagra to last them the rest of their lives. Or two months. Whichever comes first.

I've been scoping Craig's list adds around my area and I've found some good stuff but it's at least a 4 hour drive to get to it.

My impression of the JC-120 isn't based on anything ligitimate, but almost everytime I hear someone else playing a jc-120, the cleans sound sterile and thin, for lack of better adjectives

The amp would actually make a lot of sense for me though, since I don't ever play clean at all. Loud clean pedal platforms are sorta where it's at for me, none of the amps I have now really fir that description. The weight/size thing is still a pita, but it's mainly the current going prices for JC-120's that ruin it for me.

Anyway, since the OP mensioned the AC15 is easy available: Have you tried one? I went from a DRRI to an AC30 to an AC15C2, couldn't be happier.

Okay. So you are more "middle of nowhere" than me.

Although... I did see a classified ad online for a Digitech RDS 8000 at a ludicrously good price.
The only drawback would be the 9-hour round trip to pick it up.

If you're middle of nowhere and looking at used gear, GC's used site is your friend. Call the store. Find out what shipping would be. It'll be a LOT cheaper than almost anywhere else.

rfurtkamp wrote:If you're middle of nowhere and looking at used gear, GC's used site is your friend. Call the store. Find out what shipping would be. It'll be a LOT cheaper than almost anywhere else.

That's true I called about a vt-22 awile ago and they quoted me $50 which I thought was pretty good for a 80+ pound amp.

Yea, and you can return to any nearish GC if you want to use the return policy. I've ordered from NY, returned to the SLC by mail, paid $10 to return instead of $40.

What exactly went down on your amp? Was it the same thing each time, or something new each time around? because if you're feeling adventurous, or have faith in your tech, this might be a viable option:
http://www.mojotone.com/amp-parts/amp-k ... UHNmiFViko

Gut your amp, save the cab, speaker, chassis, reverb tank, transformers, and tubes, and rebuild it to be bulletproof. Granted, if your iron or tubes are shot, that would be another expense, and possibly cost prohibitive.

Also, don't go poking around inside unless you know what you're doing, lethal voltages and all.