They used to make a ZEN guitar amp, although I don't see it on their current amp page.

Thanks for the suggestions.  I've never seen these pedals before.

I do have a Fender Blues Jr. which rocks the house when it comes to tube tone.  The thing about the Fender G-Dec are the built-in drum and bass tracks that are in the amp.  I can dial in any key at any tempo with several different types of background music.  I can't beat it when it comes to turn on and go.

Actually, the Fender will play the tracks without a guitar plugged in.  I actually don't need another amplifier.  I just want to alter or augment the one I already have.   The sound is actually very nice; however, after you play a tube amp you can feel the difference when you switch to a transistor and I sort of miss that feel.

The preamp sounds good.

Speaking of no tone controls, I always disconnect the tone controls on all of my guitars.  I want as little interference between the amp and the guitar.  Any extra tone either comes from my fingers or I get the amp or a pedal to create it.

The thing about the Fender G-DEC is being able to play with an entire band at a button.  I love that.  

I just read that the Damage Control pedals are discontinued.

Yes, that's why I noted "used" prices. They were between 250 and 500 new.

The Electro-Harmonix box does look dinky but I'll see what it is like in person.  I think they have one at the Guitar Center.  I could go try it out before I shell out some cash.  I just want it for dinking around in the living room so I don't need anything state of the art but I do want it to work.  That Damage Control stuff looked promising.  I wonder why they are discontinued.

There's got to be other options available that aren't so steep.

One more:

http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/stompboxes/sfx11_power_gri/

Ideally, I want to get a B.B. King tone.  I have a Gibson SG and I can get all sort of very heavy, very ACDC tones out of it, no problem.  I have a Fender Strat and I can get various Hendrix/SRV tones through the Fender Blues Jr.  What I have is an Epiphone DOT that I had heavily modded with Duncan P-90 pickups in the rear and a Dimarzio Super Distortion in the bridge.  I can crank this guy and get Ted Nugent tone if I want but when I clean it up it misses that tube edge that B.B. King gets.  Most people can't hear what I mean but I can so for me that is all that counts.

To get that kind of practice thing I have with the Fender G-DEC will require and drum machine and maybe some kind of music thing together.  So, I don't want to go through that much of an effort to set up something like that.  The Fender G-DEC is a simple and quick solution.  

I don't know, lots of possibilities I guess. That Grant Fidelity stuff you'd have to use adaptors or wire in some instrument cord connections. I'm sure you could or would do that. Still, in your shoes, I'd look for a Valve Jr. or a Blackheart combo to plug in to. using your Fender amp for the bass 'n drums bits. Simplest, most tube solution. Yeah, putting tubes in front of a solid state amp does improve. But to me the real "tube-iness" is in the amp itself. Same holds true for me in Audio.

I'm familiar with Epiphone Dots. I think you should get that sound and I guess you're missing the tube amp component. Be sure you play around with the midrange control on the Blues Jr.-- that might help you to dial in the sound. I think it took me a half a year to realize that on the Blues Jr. the mid control is very influential on the sound. I usually had more mid removed from the sound than it would seem that I needed.

Thanks, Donnie, but I don't want to modify anything.  That is just too much trouble and resale, you can forget it.  I want an out of the box solution.

Lon, check this out.  The Grant Fidelity unit already has the proper connections built in for whatever use you have for it.  Here is a guy demo-ing it with a SS guitar amp.  Although he is doing a heavy metal slant to it, the idea is the same.

I know that two amps of the same make can sound vastley different.  Lon, what does your Epiphone sound like?  Here is a guy testing it out and it sounds like crap but he isn't that much of a player.  I mean, B.B. King could probably make it sing but that is B.B.  This guy makes it sound cold and brittle.  Ouch!!

dfh