So it seems like the most suitable amp solution is going to be an all valve Fender 2x12 combo with an output loud enough to be heard in a full band setting, but not loud enough to blow the windows out of the venue.
Once I factor in my budget (or lack thereof) that pretty much narrows it down to the Hotrod Deville.
Having seen a bunch of videos on youtube I'm convinced it has the clean sound I'm after, and I've been surprised by the overdrive sounds it can muster up. Other youtube videos have shown that amp being driven to metal distortion by various pedals and sounding pretty damn respectable, so I'm hoping I can do the same. Maybe it was just the earlier/reissue amps that didn't take pedals so well?
One drama everyone has with this amp is that it goes from nothing at all to ear-bleed levels with the volume knob set between 1 and 2. One fix is to have the pots changed from linear to audio ones. The quickest, cheapest, and easiest fix was this nifty little trick I spotted:
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