I disagree with Ralph about tube guitar amps...they're not going away anytime soon, if ever. Note that serious pro guitar players generally start with a great tube amp in pretty much every case (exceptions for those who run "into the board" with effects...rare and generally sounding sort of processed), and add their personal pedal choices to the tube amp. Duke Levine (local Boston area guitar genius) describes his current rig in Vintage Guitar...he's touring with Bonnie Raitt...VOX AC30...I've known Duke for 20 years and every time I've either worked a show with him or simply seen him play he shows up with some of the coolest tube guitar amps on earth. Same thing with the brilliant Julian Lage...tiny 50's Fender tweeds like a Tweed Champ or some other little tube amp like a Magic. Brilliant sound...and no overdrive pedals for Julian.
I considered Ralph's D monos when I bought my Pass XA-25 but the Ralph amps (that's what they're called, right?) weren't available yet so I had no idea what they were going to cost...now I'm so disturbingly enamored with the Pass amp I'm hard to nudge away from it...I'd still like to hear the Ralphs sometime...maybe a lower powered stereo amp? Loaned to me? heh heh...