I know where you are coming from on that...

There is a simplicity and a danger in tube gear that solid state just doesn't have. When you think of it nearly all tube gear gets their results with typically less than 10 active elements. Some how I think, and regardless of how it may sound or cost, we will never see the day where a solid state 50W 2204 style amp will ever be released boasting only 8 transistors.

Yeah, the danger is all pretty much the high voltages at potentially lethal currents. 500VDC @ 300mA in a guitar amp is more than enough to switch off a human life... and if working on that gives you a 'buzz' then maybe old school AM radio broadcasting repair might be worth a try where 6kVDC @ 700mA is quite common and 25kVDC @ 1.5A over two serious power tubes in series is often encountered, The thoughts of working anywhere near those voltages make some break into a severe nervous sweat, whereas others like myself it is our day-to-day job ... go figure...

Regardless of all that my heart just loves hearing a good tube guitar amp. 2nd harmonic and even overtones sound so much better when produced by real tubes than the filtered third and odd harmonic overtones that are the more natural condition of solid state. I suppose it is all a question of balance really....