Not to stray from the topic but........ I would think that Ireland would have serious inspections of anything coming in. I mean with the IRA and terrorist factions being factors. I would think that nothing would get through. Though I do have a suggestion. Whatever amp you buy, get a used flight case or severely tatter the thing if you must buy new before returning with it. This way it looks more used and it will be easier to convince anyone that it was in fact yours for a longer period of time than you were here thereby nullifying any suspicions. As far as resale value goes, I second the idea to buy used. Never buy new unless you absolutely must have a new highdollar item. Like amps, I buy cars at least a couple years old. This way you do not lose money in the depreciation of it having been owned. In the case of cars, you not only get a break on the price but you also get a break on insurance and registration fees (usually reflected by the value of the vehicle). In any event if you are in any way looking to sell the item in the future why not let some other sucker take the initial depreciation hit and actually get back close to what you bought it for if not more (in your case more due to Mesa pricing abroad). It is funny but I remember when you could buy used Marshall tube amps here in the states for a few hundred dollars all day long. You could even buy some that needed a little work for a couple hundred. This was back in the eighties and even early nineties. Then there was a resurgence of tube amps and now you can't touch those old amps for less than $600 and those will need serious work usually. I mentioned this too because it can be strange sometimes the way things work out. Who knows? Maybe someday all the modeling crap will take off pricewise and everyone that sold off their modeling crap for cheap with the enlightenment of tone and real tube amps will be remorseful. Personally I think I will gag if that ever happens. But really, if that ever happened I would still play my Mark IV, JCM800 and my JMP and not even care. I think that if that ever happened I would be looking for what would then be seriously vintage Fender stuff (I know Fender vintage tube amps are not that pricey currently but it is to make a point) or maybe even a real Plexi. A IIC+ would be on the must-get list too. This stuff all goes in phases so I am sure that there will be another technological advancement that rears its head that claims to better tube amps for sound.
As far as your tone quest goes. I like the Mark IV (versatility supreme with tight bottom and Lead tones that ooze flavor). Did I forget to mention the power settings and voicing options? Or availability on the used market?Ok enough about the Mark IV.
With regards to the Triaxis I do not like digital preamps because you cannot get that little tweak of a knob like you can from an analog knob. This is precisely the reason that I sold my JMP-1. That and the fact that no matter what you do it will always inherently sound like the preamp it is. With that in mind low volumes will not affect the Triaxis but it will affect the sound of the power amp that you are using.
20/20, though it is a solid poweramp, it will only be able to amplify what you put into it and having had stereo power amps before I know that unless you are deadset on having a stereo rig it is just added cost. I had several poweramps and to be honest though I had stereo effects in my rack I never really appreciated them. Sure it was fun to pan or ping pong your sound but to me it was more just a gimmick. I do currently own a Valvestate 8008 but it was only as an emergency back up in a rack that I no longer use or have half of. Even with it I have not found use for the stereo nature of the amp. I can say that the tube power amps sounded much better than the hybrid I have and the SS amps that I tried. I can say that though 20 watts may be plenty to play smaller gigs and is still mic'able at larger PA equipped gigs, a heftier amp will sound better. The fact that it only has 20 watts means that it will brake up sooner and you will get power tube distortion sooner.
As far as the RK goes, I am not sure that you will be able to get your hands on one fast enough on a vacation. The hasty nature of such a venture might force you to pay too much for one even used. If you must get the RK I would suggest lining up your deal in advance before your come so that you will have no problem getting it. This may cause you to be stuck buying an amp before having heard/played through it. This in and of itself can be risky business. Since my last E-bay amp purchase I have vowed not to buy another amp without having played it first. It can get ugly, discouraging, and downright expensive trying to figure out what you really want. NY is a great source of gear though. I have found that it is almost like LA. Just be careful of any gulfstate items (Hurricane Country). If you install yellowjackets, yes, your RK will be powered down and break up sooner.
And yes, Mesa's are setup fixed mains for US voltage. Be sure to get a converter.
What sound is it that you are after anyway?
Just out of curiosity.... How old are you Scary Guy?
Why not .1 increments?
