Amp help for a(n old) newbie

[czgunner]

Hey all,
I've been fooling around with guitar since about 2000. My playing should be better, but I'm trying to get back into it.
When I was deployed to Iraq in 2004 I bought some gear to ship to my house in the States.
I've a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe and US Masters dual humbucker strat style guitar.
I haven't had any amp issues yet, but I went down the rabbit hole reading about their common issues.
I pulled the cover and I don't see any caps leaking or burned/hot spots on the PCB. I don't want to have issues down the road, so I'm thinking about selling it for something else. I've read about the Luigi mod and some other parts kit upgrades.
I am drawn to rock/blues and like the old style of Fender tone. I don't perform, and want something smallish for the house.
I'd really like to do the Luigi board, but I'm not sure I'm ready for that level of work right now. I recently was laid off work (auto tech for 10 years) and am now going back to school full time. I also don't know of any good shops around here (Vancouver, WA) that I would trust or be able to afford. Looking for suggestions if you have any.
What do you all think? Should I sell this and look for something else? I don't have a lot of money to add to the cost of something else, so what I sell it for would pretty much determine my budget.
Thanks for looking!

[duhvoodooman]

I would suggest just selling the HRD and getting something like the Fender '68 Custom Princeton Reverb. It's a great size for home play and certainly has that classic Fender sound, and is reasonably priced at $900. If you want something a bit bigger, the '68 Custom Deluxe Reverb gets you 10 more watts and a 12" speaker for $1100.

[czgunner]

I would suggest just selling the HRD and getting something like the Fender '68 Custom Princeton Reverb. It's a great size for home play and certainly has that classic Fender sound, and is reasonably priced at $900. If you want something a bit bigger, the '68 Custom Deluxe Reverb gets you 10 more watts and a 12" speaker for $1100.

Thanks for the advice.
I was actually looking at building one of the mojo tone kits. I see they have a “blackface” Princeton reverb style kit. Pretty cool it’s not a PCB setup.

[duhvoodooman]

As it happens, my favorite of the amps I currently own is a kit I built from Allen Amplification called the Sweet Spot. It's based upon the Princeton Reverb, but with some modern enhancements and a 12" speaker. Sounds just fantastic, if it's that Blackface tone you're going for.

http://www.allenamps.com/sweetspot.html

[czgunner]

As it happens, my favorite of the amps I currently own is a kit I built from Allen Amplification called the Sweet Spot. It's based upon the Princeton Reverb, but with some modern enhancements and a 12" speaker. Sounds just fantastic, if it's that Blackface tone you're going for.

http://www.allenamps.com/sweetspot.html

Looks cool, but more than I am able to spend.