EdMan57

How about a Wangs VT-15?Leaves plenty of money for a decent 1-12 cab. http://cgi.ebay.com/BIYANG-15W-TUBE-HEAD-VT-15-BLACK-15-WATTS-/290586429000?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43a84d0648 Ed

^^^^^^^ Nice score!I still miss my Pro-Tube 1000 combo.If it didn't weigh a friggin ton,I would still have it today. Ed

Yeah,those older inexpensive USA Peavey guitars/basses are still a great value on the used market.Earlier this year I picked up a clean mid '90's USA built gloss black Fury bass for around $150 and it is indeed a nice sounding,good playing axe.I recently modded it out with a DiMarzio Model P pickup,CTS pots/Switchcraft jack [moved to body side] and cool looking black pearl pickguard.For a bit over $300 total investment,I now have a good quality gig worthy bass that also looks pretty cool.I will probably soon search out a Predator or Raptor guitar to do similar types of mods and tweaking. Ed

If the transformers were upgraded and not just OEM replacements,I would say give it a shot.As for the overheating problem,it looks like Marshall had it right all along with the bottom loaded chassis design. Ed

Thanks for the info-- sounds like a sweet amp. I'm going to have to try one out if I can ever find one. No problem...that's one of good things about forums such as this.Btw,try checking the Music Go Round website and simply put "Randall" in the search function.I've seen both the Pro-Tube 1000 and Pro-Tube 1000 II [in head and combo form] on there on a fairly regular basis,and usually at good prices.For what it's worth,I bought my exc+ condition Pro-Tube 1000 combo off Ebay for just $252.00...that was around four years ago.Good luck with your search. Ed

- Curious on the difference between the version 1 and 2 though-- fill me in if you know-- thanks I believe that the Pro-Tube II has the ability to blend the clean and overdrive channels.There is also a switch to cut power down to 1/3 of the amp's rated 55 watts rms.It also has a push/pull shift pot on the overdrive channel's Gain Contour control.Other than those features,I believe that the circuit is basically the same.I hope that helps. Ed

I had an early '90s Randall Pro-Tube 1000 1-12 combo that I had to sell because my aching back could no longer take lifting it's 70 plus pounds up two flights of stairs on a semi-regular basis.Mine had a Celestion G12P-80 in place of the stock G12M-70 speaker. The clean tones and great sounding tube driven reverb sat squarely in classic Fender territory,while the overdrive and distortion tones straddled the line between hot rodded vintage Marshall and the Mesa/Boogie MKII Series...with maybe a wiff of Soldano SLO thrown in for good measure.The thing had an aggressive topend,with snarling and throaty mids that could really cut through a loud band mix.Also,the bass response was fat and tight,especially through my friend's Marshall 4-12 cabinet.Surprisingly,the tones with the gain backed down gave up some nice fusion to gutsy blues/rock tones and textures. One problem that my combo experienced was some tube rattle at higher volumes,so a head might be a wiser choice.While I really miss the amps many killer tones,my back thanks me on a daily basis for letting her go to a loving and deserving home. Ed