What a great topic. Due to budget limitations I played my Les Paul for years through a Sony Reel to Reel tape deck with "sound on sound" for the echo and that into my home stereo. Good enough for playing in the room. Then I needed a live amp and the salesman at my local music store sold me a Randall Switchmaster in the early 80's. Wow, when I think of all the great used tube amps I could have bought back then for much less money I kick myself in the butt for listening to a salesman.

Twenty years later I decided to put together a decent rig, still on a budget though so everything is used. Sure I wanted a Fender Super Reverb but I still don't have that kind off money so I've picked up several modeling preamps (Behringer, Digitech). I use them with other rack effects (BBE maximizer, Lexicon Reverb) into the effects "return" jack of a Peavey Triumph 60. The amp has two 6L6GC's and the clean channel sounded awesome so I figured it would make a great power amp and it does! These triumphs are selling for around $150-350. They also made a 120 watt version. They make awesome power amps if you want to use an amp modeler or preamp.

Also recently I picked up a used Ampeg V4 with the original Sylvania 7027 tubes in it. Shiiiiiiiiiit! F-ing loud man. This is the real deal in tube tone and the spring reverb can sound like you're in a cavern.

I got kind of hooked on Peavey tube amps because they're so cheap and the clean channels sound just fabulous. I found an old Deuce (peavey's early answer to the Fender Twin) for $139. It has two scorpion 12" speakers and kind of a sucky solid state preamp but has 4 - 6L6GC's in the output stage and an effects loop so, you guessed it, you can use it as a 120 watt tube power amp! I also picked up a Peavey Heritage VTX which is a later kind of Deuce with a much better solid state preamp, the tried and true 4 - 6L6GC tube power amp and two Scorpion speakers. This one is fabulous. I'm using a digitech RP-200 multi-effects pedal into the low input and it sounds awesome. When I think that I got the Heritage and the Digitech for under $250 (used of course) I just break out into laughter everytime I play it.

Try to go to music stores and plug into as many kinds of amps as possible before you settle for anything. Don't let a pushy salesman make up your mind for you. Tell him you're just listening for now and that you make it a habit never to carry credit cards or cash before you've decided what you want. Don't rule out being creative like using certain amps just for their power amp sections and others just for the preamp. If an amp has an effects loop then you've instantly got the flexibiilty to cut out it's preamp section (by plugging into only the return jack and not using the send jack) or it's power amp section (by doing the reverse). If you can get an old ('65-'70) Fender Super Reverb amp cheap, buy it! They're probably one of the best sounding guitar combos ever made. In addition to the great circuitry back then they used real wood - solid pine - not partical board to make the cabinets. Have fun!