Now that I'm starting to get regular paid gigs with my band I'm starting to get concerned about the reliability of my gear, more specifically my Fender HRDlx amp. I've had it for over 10 years (at home) and only started gigging with it recently, it's one of the US made models and completely stock.

What's concerning me is my lack of knowledge when it comes to changing tubes and biasing etc. along with a complete lack of any trustworthy guitar/amp techs in my area.

So I started thinking that there maybe some alternatives to tube amps, I'm not sure if modeling is the way to go when it comes to playing at gig volumes. The Tech 21 Trademark 60 has caught my eye as an analog SS with plenty of beef, although there's no stockists that I can find in Ireland so I'd have to order one from the net without trying it out.

Anything else out there that fits the bill? Or maybe I should just teach myself how to service my tube amp