i have never owned any hand wired amp. my fault...but all the fenders ive owned seemed to have a problem here and there. i did have a hrdx that i never had a problem with. i have never had to repair any Marshall i have. at least not yet after 3 years or more. couldnt say that for my 94 Twin Amp though. i love that amp but was always something it seemed .DSL100'2004, dsl401 '2004, avt50 '2000, all work very well and i enjoy them all. a lot of fun for my punk style classic rock tunes. the AVT 50 has a JJ 12ax7 and a HRDX stock speaker in it and sounds ok to me. yes Marshall rules my bedroom. the 59 bassman is good as well. i gave mine to my nephew. he likes it a lot. you do get tones similar to a marshall with a good pedal