Re: Peavey 6505 112 tube combo,
I think a person can only really experience for himself the difference between a tube amp and a solid-state one. There are solid-state amps out there that work for people, but I am not one of them. Although you can manage to dial in some good tones on some of those amps, it just doesn't feel the same.
And to me, that's the biggest thing. If I'm not feeling the music, I don't perform as well. If you're inspired, you're rocking out. If you're not, you're not. It's really as simple as that. If you find yourself inspired by the amp you're looking at, go for it. But try a bunch out first, just to see where you stand.
Now as far as the Valvestate stuff goes, it's got one preamp tube and a bunch of solid state stuff. Several amps into my playing career, I had a Randall hybrid with a solid-state preamp and hybrid tube power section, and I could never gel with it. Then I got a Blackstar HT-5, which has a tube in the preamp and a legitimate power tube section, but it wasn't voiced exactly like I wanted. I still have it, but it doesn't get as much playing time. Not because of any tube cork-sniffery, but just because it doesn't have the tube graininess that I like.
The guys from Blackstar were working on those Valvestate amps, but--and I'm relaying the story from memory so it may not be 100%--they weren't able to accomplish what they wanted to because Marshall higher-ups weren't as interested in good tones as they were in giving their customers the Valvestate stuff. So they left and started their own company. That may be worth looking into, especially something like the
HT Stage 60 or Stage 100.
I am a huge fan of the Jet City stuff, and the amp I play the most these days is a
JCA20H, but I don't know punk tones all that well. They do real well for high gain rock and classic metal, but if you want clean, you're not going to find it there. If you know Soldano, that's what you're hearing. It's not high-end, but let's be honest. Neither is Valvestate.
Honestly, I think the recommendation of a 6505 combo is probably right up your alley. At least go check it out. And be very, very sure you want a hybrid before you go buy one. The Mode 4 worked for Alex Skolnick and for the dude from System of a Down for a while, so it can definitely work, but there's a reason there are so few of them being produced these days.