Hello there!
I've been playing with a Line6 Spider III for about one year and a half, and it is a good amp, but now I'm starting to find the sound a little bit "artificial" and as my first payroll approaches, I'm thinking of buying a new amp, this time a tube amp. I was looking at Marshall's Vintage Modern series, the 2266c comco in particular, which has a veru good reputation and just fits in the budget I set. Still, since I have never played with a tube amp yet, I have a few questions that might seem stupid, but I am really lost with all the technical stuff:
* I've read that with a low volume, tube amps don't sound good. The main purpose of my new amp would be to play at home, even though I also want to be able to use it elsewhere. Is the loss really significant?
* I've just heard about the THD Hotplate, which appears to be a device used to reduce the volume of a tube amp while keeping the benefit of a cranked up master volume. Does it really work well? Also, that might be a stupid question, but if I am supposed to put the hot plate between the amp and the cabinet, is it possible to use it on a combo amp, like the 2266c?
I'm asking this because it is really hard for me to go to a guitar store with my agenda and so I'd like to know as much as possible before I go to the store. Thanks in advance for your advices!