As you dial up the wick, you get sweet, milkshake-thick overdrive and nothing but; no buzzy preamp distortion in this babe, just the classic Class A characteristics, a slightly furry 'halo' around the note that adds to the perception of thickness and girth. (though it lacks the subtle sub-octave note produced by some inferior Class A designs) A touch of chorus puts you in BritPop heaven, and if you find the Class A amp options in your modeling preamp to be lacking a certain something, this is the cure. It will drive a 16 ohm 4X12 cab sufficiently for studio use (and at apartment-friendly levels) and almost unbelievably, (for a six-watt amp) it can hang with a not too loud drummer when driving a 4X10 Bassman-style open-back cab, even producing controllable feedback, when paired with a stompbox or other preamp.
Using my Line6 X3L as a preamp, I was able to absolutely nail the Edge's tone on "Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For", something my push-pull (Class AB) tube amps could never quite muster; the real-deal 'blizzard of nails' Vox AC 30TB sound that chimes like a bell and sounds ever so slightly chorused, even when it ain't. I found mine for under $200 in excellent used condition, and it's already adding a burnished depth and dimension to my guitar tones that I've been unable to produce with any of my other gear, and it'll undoubtedly come in handy for adding authentic amp 'bark' to my ROMpler-based keyboard rig as well; it's perfect for overdriven Wurli and Leslie. For the price of a boutique stompbox, it's a pretty tough deal to beat.
*edit: there is also a footswitchable boost function that I haven't even tried..
ADDENDUM: the boost is perfect; it ramps up the gain and thickness without changing the tone or character. Bonus, it obviates the need for the afore-mentioned stompbox/preamp.
