Thanks for your idea, Capnjuan. I have been getting a lot of good input from a lot of people. I have been entertaining the idea of a custom built Class A amp. I am also duing an experiment on my Peavey Classic 50 tonight. The idea is to pull 2 of the 4 amplifier tubes (1 from each side) and set the speakers to 16 ohm from 8 ohm. The amp will then run at 25 watts and I can crank it up to get a better blues tone with out making anyone's ears bleed. A number of Classic 50 owners have done this with great success. I also ran into a blues player at a local club over the weekend who builds custom blues amps. Let me tell you, the sound blew me away. I am supposed to talk to him later this week to see if he would consider building me one and how much. Another option is the vintage amp idea that you suggest. That one is interesting me more and more. I am leaning away from the custom amp idea. The vintage amp, if I can locate one for a reasonible price, will also be a better investment than a custom built one that might be hard to sell if I decide to change sounds. Alas, the search for the perfect tone continues. Thanks again, I appreciate the suggestion and I will check out the reviews.
Mike