After careful research for the last couple of days I have decided to get both.
Great, have fun with them! And remember, with gear 'more is more'. :D
Yep, a tubescreamer is great but will not quite get you there. You are pushing the preamp only, but not the powertubes. An attenuator allows you to push the preamp and powertubes, but you do not get the overdriven tones from the speaker.
The only true way to get the tone you want is to push both the preamp, powertubes, and speakers into saturation. That can be done at some gigs.
You might also look into a less powerful amp like the new Epiphone Valve Junior head. This amp is 5 watts and gets a great Blues overdrive (I own one). Match it with some quality speakers like Vintage 30's and this amp is pretty awesome. It is not a bedroom amp. Pushed to max it just keeps up with a loud drummer. So you would have to mic it in most situations.
But it is really easy to push this amp into saturation and it sounds great.
Here are some good clips of this little amp into Celestion Vintage 30s and Celestion Greenbacks. See what you think.
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
