Love the tone you can get both by controling the gain and by cranking the volume and use in the gain to get power section creamy tones. The clean side is as good as any. I use a strat full of single coil seymore duncans and a tele with two seymore duncan humbuckers that you can do the single coil tap and the sounds are very nice with either. I'm a bluesy/rock sound is perfect kinda person, so no comment but probably not a metal amp. However, no problem feeding it pedals and it does sound cool with a line 6 ubergain and a radial tonebone in line. Not sure how much more gain you might need.

Only downside is the 16 ohm only output. Spring reverb is good, EQ gives a nice range. Simple straight forward stuff. Everything works well with the desired effect. Footswitch on channels and reverb.

It just doesn't get much simpler to use. Loads of good tone and plenty of power - 30 tube watts is pretty loud. I use it with a 4x12 full of vintage 30s and the sound is just fine.

Built like a rock. It isn't point to point but it isn't 2000 bucks either.

I never knew anyone that didn't like the tone.

Good reutation but never used.

If you like bluesy rock and portability, it would probably be a tossup between this and the Vox nightrain. Both are EL84 tone mini-beasts. A little more and the Egnator rebel comes into play. I bought mine before the Vox came out and not sure which way I would go now but I'm not selling the Peavey to get the Vox.