yes, most of crate's stuff is ####, but i can say from personal experience that their blackhearts and palominos (excepting the v8) are very good amps. actually, the killer ant might be a great amp for you, as its 1/4 of a watt, so you can crank up at about tv volume. of course, not much headroom, for clean tones it will be around conversation level, even lower, so it depends what youre after. i second that the vox pathfinder is great for its price and solid stateness, as is the roland cube. but its still barely comparable to the sound of a real amp pushed to the brink.
