Hey Duke,

   Where have you been hiding, welcome back

   I still have Microtube 200s, and BS 200 power amps, but I also have a couple of Peavey 50/50 Classic power amps too which sound good with my MP-1 Classic. They're not too bad with the MP-2 either. What I'd really like to find these days and they are getting rarer than hens teeth, are Mesa 20/20 power amps.

Harley 

I've ended up with 3, ADA B200s in my new(ish) 4 RU rack, Carvin DCM200L in my 8 RU rack and Carvin TS100 in it's own 2 RU case. 

The TS100 is the later model with 2 x 12AX7 per channel, IIRC the earlier version only used 1 per channel.

Looking to put my MP-1 back into a rig to use.  What's everyone using for Poweramp now days ? 

Thanks

Sweet axe, Zilthy! I sure like playing my Strats (which are similar to that Kramer body style) and I did have a Wolfgang for awhile, but I traded it for my H&K head, so that was a great trade....love that amp, and don't miss the guitar (Like Harley, I wasn't crazy about the Wolfgang...little things, nothing major, just not my cup o'tea)

Like you, I also decided "EFF IT, I'm getting what I want..." and bought my first real Gibson Les Paul. I have had other Gibsons, I still have my Explorer, had a Sonex 180 Deluxe in the 80s. And, I've had other Les Pauls - Ibanez PF160 was a TANK of a guitar, my Ibanez AR200 Goldtop is still what I consider my "go to" Lester but it shaped more like a double cutaway.

To be honest, none of my Gibsons (I'm up to 4 now) play half as nice as the Ibanez guitars, especially the semi hollow ones. Those necks are slim and fast. So, I practice with the Gibbys and gig with the Ibanez and Epiphones. I do love Burstbucker pickups tho, they sound nice

What's my point? I have no idea, but if you have the money to get what you want, do it. You only live once. If you don't have the money, either sell something or put a down payment on it and just keep the payments comfy until you get it.....DO IT

Sometimes it works out and you have the dream guitar, sometimes you realize that guitar wasn't all you thought in the first place. Glad you found a keeper 

Pretty much any college town should have a bunch of bars, and some of those should have a stage....head towards the nearest big school

I can relate to that 

Dante,

   You're lucky to have an active music scene close by. I wish there was one around where I'm living, but karaoke and DJs killed that off around this area. Even the jam nights have pretty much disappeared from the area.

   I think I might need to move out towards the left coast. 

Congratulations Zilthy,

  You did the right thing going for the guitar that you really wanted. I went through the same thing a year and a half ago and bought back a guitar that I used to own in the 80s.

   I've missed those guitars since I sold them and regretted that I did. Now that I've paid nearly five times what I paid for one back in the day, I find myself reaching for it more than any other of my guitars. When you have the right guitar in your hands, the magic happens, and you can't help yourself.

   I looked at those EVH guitars and kind of wondered if I'd like it as much as I do my other guitars. The ones that appeal to me the most from that line are the bumble bee and a Wolfgang model that I think it is called the special. (That's the black one with the ebony fretboard). I don't know if I'll ever get one since no one around here carries them and I can't even try one out. The last time I tried a Wolfgang model was when Eddie was still with Ernie Ball, and that was a pretty solid guitar, but there were a couple of small details I didn't like about it, so I didn't think much about it after that.

   I'm rambling now. Anyway, I'm glad to hear you found the "one" that flips your switch. You're getting great tone and pushing your playing out further which is exactly what a great guitar is supposed to make you do.  Enjoy!

On the one hand, as far as tubes go, for myself I think they actually make a minimal difference, unless they are bad. And usually my pre-amp tubes last forever, and my power amp tubes last a long time. That being said, there is a combo I have found that I usually like, and that make up that 1 - 2 percent difference that I enjoy, at least in the amps I have. And V1 and V2 usually make the most difference. Works well in Soldano and Boogie type circuits where V1 is going to be for the clean and V1 and V2 for overdrive. It also worked out really well in H&K Grandmeister, I think fits a lot of pre-amp circuits well.

V1: Electro Harmonix. Great clean with chime without being overbearing and a nice 'almost' treble boost for going in to V2 for overdrive.
V2: Tung Sol. Warm and smooth breakup for the overdrive channel.
Phase Inverter: Sovtek long plate. To me this is where the magic happens, and it's going to get loud or be using a load box or attenuator. But Push that volume up to 6 or more, and these handle that nicely, adding some generous girth to the sound. Most people think of pre-amp and power-amp distortion, but it's really tickling that phase inverter to the point where it is ready to open up and swallow where the magic happens, and the Sovtek Long Plates seem to do that well.

Hey Zilthy, nice guitar and some great playing