I enjoy the Fender Rumble 100 2x10, but it's a bit of a chunk to move, particularly if there's stairs involved. So, I'm leaning toward getting a head -- okay, an AMP head, smart guy -- that'll give me options in different cabs for different uses.

And the darned Musicians Friend catalogue showed up a few days ago, so I've got 15% off....

Having tried Acoustic heads in the past, & found them quite nice for keyboard as well, the B200H is high on my list, especially for $250. Solid, hard to burn up, long-lived, 200 w rating, notch filter. A nice clean 9-knob head with no hype. And I'm trying to confirm, but the catalogue has 'em on sale for $200.

But the upstart contender is the Behringer BX4500H. For a standard-size head, & $251 street, it packs in a LOT of bells &/or whistles: 450 w rating, 2-switch pedal, subharmonic processor, lo-Z post-EQ XLR out, Neutrik speaker out, limiter function, three-knob middle notch, input VU meter, thermo fan, effects loop... heavens. The worst reviews say it might cause the house's foundation to settle. But a few, especially 5-string players, say that driving the head with lots of low-end at higher volumes sometimes causes the whole thing to shut down when it overheats. As I don't intend to play anywhere that the comparatively tiny Rumble can't handle, I don't KNOW this'd be a major problem, but still....

So, I'm stuck. Cachet & nostalgia & simplicity... or $50 more for a tone-monster?? Anyone got input?

UPDATE: having dithered awhile, I've got a BX4500H, NIB, just a-waitin' for a cab. And I'm bidding on a used Avatar B112 because I almost took the leap at a NEW Avatar SB112 & then I woulda had to talk myself out of the bright-blue Tolex...

BUT -- the adventure continues!! See next thread.

(Oh, btw, I have it on good authority that the Behringer BXR1800H is Definitely Not Worth It. It's 40% less than the 4500, but apparently very prone to overheating & occasionally dying in a hail of sparks.)