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In addition to the little Mustang (which I use as a practice tool because of the aforementioned play-along capabilities), I also have a little Bugera T5 Infinium which is perfect for home use. It has three power settings (0.5w, 1w and 5w) and does that valve breakup thing really nicely. I’d love a blues junior but to get them to sound “good” they’re just too loud for my needs

Funny though how those stereotypes can change. Look at how Gretsch are considered "the" Rockabilly guitar by so many now. Before Brian Setzer played one because Eddi Cochran did, it wasn't so.... in fact, more of the original recordings were apparently played on a Tele than anything else. So there's a now powerful stereotype that wasn't even based in reality... Audience expectation can dictate a lot, of course. The rockabilly scene is notorious for shunning an act that doesn't get the look right. That's at least those who will listen to new bands. I've been at weekenders where people spend the whole weekend dancing to old records in the dj'ed room, no interest in the live bands because they're "not authentically fifties acts". People who refuse to listen to any music other than that which was recorded decades ago for purely ideological reasons.... I also know of people who have never owned an album by some of their favourite bands because they won't buy CDs, only vinyl.... I prefer vinyl too, but not to the exclusion of missing out when it's not an option!

Then I'd go with the Helix. Decades of sound chasing (although even the presets are quality). Its great having an approximation on the valve response at headphone volumes, the effects are great and it doubles as an interface (although I use it through a separate interface). Being able to do it all in Helix Edit, rather than on the unit is great.

I've never quite got on with Les Pauls (despite owning a vintage Lefty LP Custom back in the day and currently owning a late '90s Epi set-neck with the original HBs swapped out for a pair of Dan Armstrong P90s), so feel free to take what follows with a pinch of salt... Like other posters I've heard some horror stories about what's been going on at Gibson in recent years, so would be inclined to treat any Gibson original with deep suspicion until I'd actually played it. By modern standards the Epi is not that much above being a budget instrument, but IME the quality of inexpensive guitars generally has gone through the roof in the last 10-15 years. I don't know the recent story at Epiphone, but the £500 or so for the listed model should buy you a very useable and decent-sounding guitar. Again though, I'd be reluctant to shell out for one sight unseen. That's just me though, and it may be that you have no opportunity to try them out before buying (in which case I'd have a close look at the returns policy of the retailer before committing funds). If nothing else will do then go for it, but at around half the price I'd be surprised if the Epi wasn't a very good instrument in its own right.

Lots of great kit out there at sensible prices. I guess it boils down to how important the sound is to you (and of course what your budget is). Being a recidivistic old fart, I would politely suggest that nothing beats a good valve amp for sound; no amount of electronic toys quite manages to recreate that valve magic IMHO. The downside is that they tend to be more expensive than solid state units. After a long and fascinating thread on the subject, followed by a series of instore try-outs (not really an option right now of course) I shelled out a little over £550 on a Fender Blues Junior IV. One other point; don't be tempted by power ratings: the 15w rating on the BJ IV is actually a bit more than I needed for home use (and more than enough for the recording projects I have in the pipeline). 10w will be plenty, and there are some very good valve amps out there with 5w - and lower - ratings too. If that nth degree of sound quality (not to mention hearing the sound coming out of an actual amp cabinet) is not such a big deal then plenty of good options have already been mentioned above. As always, just my opinion.

i would probably go for some kind of pedal/desktop FX/modelling unit, if you are going to be using headphones then the speaker and power amp is a bit of a waste of space, I have a couple of very nice amps (all valve) but 99% of the time I use headphones and a desktop modelling unit, (i went for a Vox Unit, the tale of which is Here) As you are tech savvy then one of the clever modern modelling units would be a great place to start, and if you find yourself needing to play live then it can either be run straigh into the PA or you can pick up something like a powered speaker to run it into (which is getting very popular at the moment. look at units from Boss, Line6 etc, the modern Zoom units are pretty good as well at the moment, much better than when i first used them back in the late 90's and really quite affordable, most of these units work great running into amps as well and some have USB outputs for recording. Matt

I agree - and I also think there’s a degree of “shorthand” in the choice; I’m a rock guitarist. I play a Les Paul I play mainly blues. I play a strat.. I’m a country boy. I got me a telecaster. Etc. Certain guitars are associated with certain genres and if you play that genre, you expect, and you’re expected, to play that guitar. Until you find the confidence to make your own choices, the path of least resistance is to conform to the stereotypes.

I think you may be right. Additionally, there are plenty of other makers out there doing almost exact replicas, like Heritage who even use the old Gibson factory in Kalamazoo, who weren't subject to this level of attention from Gibson. So it seems sensible that they would feel threatened by PRS. And there is the 305, plus the swamp ash single coil models - that's all about as strat as a guitar needs to be for the sound and playability. But the shape and the scratch plate also in the Silver Sky? I don't blame some out there for interpreting this move as antagonism from Paul. I think you're right about the pattern of emulation...which is ironic given music is supposed to be a creative industry. One would expect a bit more originality from us guitarists. But anyway, I think some of it is to do with many guitarists not being that interested in their instruments and just want something reliable without going down a rabbit hole of spec. that'll perform predictably...which is arguably Gibson also dropped the ball on...and PRS around the mid to late noughties. Lee mentions in one of the early PRS review vids with Rob Chapman by Anderton that PRS appear to have improved the quality. And speaking of Chapman, and Sire. Two brands that have managed to establish themselves through grass roots support via social media rather than support from the industry. Hats off to both Rob and Kyle Kim for that. Interestingly enough, Kyle Kim actually displayed Sire at NAMM with the support of Marcus Miller already in place. Yet NOONE in the US was interested in representing the brand despite the clear and obvious game changing nature of the products. So clearly even superstar endorsements aren't a silver bullet (although they have definitely helped Sire). Kyle Kim's theory is that there's a music industry cartel in place...which isn't exactly espousing the ideals of free trade and healthy competition.