You've come full circle when an amp model inspires you to buy the real tube amp.  

Jim Roseberry
You've come full circle when an amp model inspires you to buy the real tube amp.  

Ha, that's pretty much what it was.  I picked up a 5150 III 50w head... one of my favorite models from the Axe-FX II.

Genghis
 
Ha, that's pretty much what it was.  I picked up a 5150 III 50w head... one of my favorite models from the Axe-FX II.

That is a great amp (especially when factoring in cost).
I've owned that head three different times.  LOL
 
On the longest stretch, I swapped out a couple preamp tubes.
Tamed the gain on the red-channel just a bit.
One of my favorite amps...

Yes, I did the tube swap to tame the red channel a bit.  I still only run the gain on that channel at about 11 o-clock even then.  It evened out the sweep a little so now the usable gain is in a better range and it seems slightly more open.
 
The other cool thing is this has a mod done by FJA Mods that adds concentric pots on the pre and post gain for the green/blue channel so you can control the gain and levels independently on those channels.  Really helps with balance the volume on those two channels with no compromises.
 
As much as I love the amp I find myself gassing just a bit for the new Mesa Triple Crown.  If I get a chance to try it out I will, but I have a feeling that could be dangerous!