If you ask around, the vast majority of guitarist will swear by the classic tube amplifier.
Undoubtedly they produce a tone that you just cant get with integrated circuits and digital technology.
That said, having been a metal head in my younger days, there is no overdrive like some of the harsh solid state designs. The most raspy, overdriven distortions I ever got out of a dry signal came from a solid state amp.

Now, if I could only have one...there is no question...I play on a tube amp.
Still...its good to have options.
These days, 90% of my playing make sense through a more classic tube preamp / amp.....but when I am feeling nostalgic, nothing screams like a digital distortion processor

What 'tool's are in your toolbox?

My main amp now is a Marshall TSL....the backup is Digitech processor with a 12AX7 preamp....that feeds an old Mosvalve solid state (but MOSFET) power amp. Both are totally different....neither can duplicate the other.

I've been through Silvertones, Crates, Peaveys, Marshalls (Valvestate II 100w head and a TSL 100w head), Fenders, Dean Markleys, Laneys and more before deciding to build my own rigs.

Currently, my stable consists of a JTM45 "type" amp in a 2x12 combo and a 1987/JCM800 (switchable gain stages) 50w head through a 1960B cab. I'm currently finishing a 1986 Bass 50W build for a friend (effects loop, line out, PPIMV) that I don't want to give up.

For home use, I just picked up a Fender Super Champ XD which is really cool. 15W hybrid (tube/ss pre with a 6V6 output section) into a single 10". The 10" sounds good for the living room and studio, but I prefer running it through a 2x12 or 4x12 for a huge tone. Due to the fact that none of the local shops carried the footswitch, I built my own for less. Sweet little amp!

For guitars I roll with a 1998 Clapton Sig Fender Strat, an 08 MIM Strat, an old Ibanez SZ320, a '76 Gibson LP Custom, and some cheap Peaveys that I have for grab and play guitars that sit around the house.

BTW, OP, you mentioned that you have a TSL. You do know about how to use the effects loop (either one) as a lead boost right??? I miss my TSL......need to buy again.....

I've had this amp maybe a month.....its the 3rd Marshall (technically 4th) that I've owned....and by far my favorite.
Damn thing is versatile...big time.
I'm using loop A for the digitech unit I mentioned above.
Havent been doing a lot of switching on the fly...still dialing in tones I like (and I like a lot of what I'm hearing)
I could see using the crunch channel for a lot of rythm stuff and then punching into the lead channel for a solo...so many options. Next thing to get for it is a decent cabinet. I have a cheapo 4x12 that I will soon be replacing with a Marshall....I love the tone I get out of a 4x12 cabinet...just my favorite sound.....in some ways I like it more than a full stack.

I didn't know that you could use one of the effects loops to boost the lead channel on a TSL. Good to know (i have one but a friend is using it).

So anyway, back when I didn't know any better, I would just use a Boss Metal Zone in front of my Peavey VTM 120 & later on used a Digitech RP20 in front of it. I got alright tones, but I ended up moving on to better amps.

Later on I bought a 5150 combo & liked it at first, but that harsh Peavey midrange got on my nerves after awhile.

Then I bought a JCM2000 TSL 100 & a Marshall 1936 2X12. It is worlds better on tone, but I ended up getting a Wylde Overdrive to push the front end a little bit.

Then when the JVM came out, I tried a 410H out & that was it. It was what I had always wanted. It doesn't exactly nail all the classic tones that Marshall says it does, but its close, and it has some more modern tones that I like too. And I'm never wanting for more gain, in fact it has more than I actually use.

And a few months who, I saw a Fender Blues Junior on clearance for $300 brand new, so I bought it. And its great if you're going for clean tones, but that's about all its good for. I want to try a Radial Plexitube pedal in front of it. And if it works like I hope it does, it would be a great setup for going to a friend's house to play. Especially since with a few Mods, it can push 40 watts, which is more than enough to push a pair of 12s & is more than enough for most gigs.

But I still do like some solid state distortion pedals, but I'm picky about them.

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OK....so as I remember Loop A can be global or, if something is in the B loop, deicated to only the clean channel.

When I owned my TSL, I was not a distortion channel effects user (other than reverb and front end delay). So I would place a jumper in effects loop B and crank up the return for both channels 2 and 3. When I wanted a solo boost, I would activate the effects loop via the footswitch....and voila, instant solo levels.

Figuring out the TSL only took me a week or two, but then again, at that time I was rehearsing twice a week for 6/7 hours each night and gigging Friday and Saturday nights. That amp is extremely versatile but you need to learn to dial it in. Let the beast breath and she will provide some awesome tones!

BTW, both distortion channels sound almost the same. I used to dial in channel 2 for a mid range crunch (Nickleback) and channel 3 for a higher gain sound (Tool) and EQ them differently. I would use the loop trick for my solo boost.

Gone Shootin, try out the Vox Ice 9......I own one and think that it will do what you want.......

Sorry for the high jack OP......

I've listened to alot of different pedal demos & have settled on the Plexitube. I'll give the Ice9 another listen, though.

And I forgot to mention in my other post that I do love the Peavey Vypyr amps, but doubt I would ever gig with one & as great as they sound, I still like tubes better.

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My main noise makers are a Peavey Valveking half-stack and a Mesa/Boogie F30 combo, but I have a wife who gets migrains and a toddler in the house so my little Marshall MG is perfect for practice.  Out of the box I think it sounds terrible, but when running my Line 6 POD through it I get some pretty killer tones at very low volume which is great.

I mainly use either my  fender deluxe reverb  for cleans and bluesy tones, or carvin v3m for more driven stuff  

I also have a 15 watt line 6 for dinking around with. I can get decent tones from it, but have to really mess with it to get them, so it usually just collects dust.

I currently have a Soldano Hot Rod 50 on a 2x12 cab for my main amp. Love it. I also have a 1957 Fender tweed Champ and a 1964 Fender Bassman for blues and clean tones. The Soldano has two channels, crunch and lead, but it will do cleans as well. It's a great versatile amp but one tone I love that the Soldano absolutely will not do is the Marshall tone. I have always wanted a late-70s Marhsall JMP 2204 but don't want to spend the coin. I had a DSL100 that I foolishly traded away because it was too loud and I didn't know about attenuators at the time. I have been considering getting the Mesa Boogie Stiletto Deuce to compliment my Soldano by bringing Marshall-ish tones into my home Does anyone feel the Mesa Stiletto would be more versatile than a straight=up Marshall?

I would just either get a Marshall or build a clone. Green Canoe, Cage77 & I think one or two members have experience building amps & can steer you in the right direction if it's something you're interested in.

Here's a good thread to ask about building amps in: http://www.ar15.com/mobile/topic.html?b=1&f=148&t=1190148

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Hughes & Kettner Edition 20th Tube combo in parallel with a Tech 21 Trademark 60. Get Both!!!

Pedal board is a 3-option path. Option 1 - Clean, thru Boost N Buff. Option 2 - Crunchy, thru a Carl Martin Plexitone, Option 3 –– Lead distortion, Brown Sound in a Box. Each of these paths goes thru s Duncan Double Back Compressor and an Ibanez DE7 Delay.

I miss my Marshall but could not tame the beast. It was just too much power and the attenuator that I had killed the sound. These days I mainly play a lil Vox practice amp.

When I was younger, my amp tool-box was a 1974 Marshall Super Lead A/B boxed with a '67 Fender Super Reverb.

Now that I'm older and don't like hauling big stuff as much, it's a Trace Elliott Velocette 12R A/B boxed with a '68 Deluxe Reverb.

My interest is classic rock of the '60's, '70's, & '80's.  Here's my journey:

Peavey Backstage 110 that came in my first guitar & amp package:  It didn't sound right for any kind of distortion I liked.  It does have that solid state buzz saw if you want it. I didn't.

Seymour Duncan 84-40 tube amp:  It got me closer to what I wanted but at 40 watts it was just too difficult to push hard enough in my dorm/ apartment/ house to sound the way I wanted.  It was better once I got a guitar w/ hot humbuckers but it still wasn't perfect.  Too much power and too "Fendery".

Then I build my first amp, a 5 watt version of the JCM800.  It was pretty near watt I wanted within the confines of the JCM800 design.  Much of my favorite '80's music was made on a JCM800.  It still didn't do the late 60's or early 70's as well as I would have liked but I could get very close.  5 Watts with an efficient speaker was plenty to play small live venues with our drummer.  It had the right power level but mostly preamp distortion until the volumes got very loud.  The rhythm guitarist in our band liked it so much I built a second for him.

Then I had a little detour:  I build an Ampeg B15N (35 watts) for my wife to play her bass though.  I don't play my guitar through it much but when I do it gives me buttery smooth cleans through it's 15" speaker.  When I overdrive it rewards me with a very smooth distorted tone but it's far too loud for most of my guitar uses.  If I played clean tones, which I don't, this would be a real contender.

Finally I built a 4 watt Trainwreck clone.  This one covers all my dirty tones very well but the cleans are a challenge to get.  They're in it, but they're not it's forte.  This amp is much better suited to a lead style player.  It's got a very smooth overdrive with just the right amount a grit.  The only issue I have is I'm more of a rhythm player than a lead player so I don't think it's ideal for me.  I think I need a little more punch for power chord playing.  I'm pretty sure the push pull power amp added a lot of grit the single ended power amp of the 5 watt JCM was missing.

So where am I headed next?  I've found amp building to be more about the journey rather than the destination.  I've got salvaged transformers that will allow me to build things like a Hiwatt 504OL or a Marshall 18 Watt or a Supro Model 24 for a minimall cost.  I'll likely build the Hiwatt first for the cleans.  (I've always had a thing for the bands that use Hiwatts: Nazareth, Led Zep, Rush, Pink Floyd,  etc.) If I ever need high volume dirt when I play my next theater sized gig (fat chance) the Hiwatt can supply it.  Most liikely I'll end up with an 18 watt clone by the time I'm "done" to give me the classic chunk of 60's and '70's power chords at a reasonable volume level for the gigging I do.  When it comes to good tones for my bedroom playing I think I'll probably end up with a 2 watt version of a Marshall Plexi.

I know what OP is saying. At one Time in the 80s I had a crate 50 watt with digital distortion that seared your ears. I miss it.
Nowadays, digital or solid state distortion means DSP which is very versitile and tunable.

BUT

I don't have any digital or solid state distortions anymore. H&K rack 2 channel preamp that ranges from smooth to decapitate that feeds a
Marshall solid state amp which drives my stack.

This is after 30+ years of collecting gear. I achieved my sound, finally.

But for that thrash sound, 80s death metal sound, you can't beat the hard clipping of digital or simple op-amp circuits.

It depends on what style music you play.
If you're looking to sound like Kenny Burrell you'll be looking at something like a Polytone.
If you're looking to sound like BB King you'll be looking for a used LabSeries.
If you're looking to sound like you're favorite rock star, you'll want a quality tube amp with speakers that compliment the sound.  I like a Fender amp with vintage Celestions.  Many prefer Marshalls.

As computer models continue to improve, this may all be moot.  We'll all be using a laptop plugged into the PA.

I'm an equal opprotunist

In my band I regularly play a 5150II through a Mesa 4x12
When I first started playing out many years ago it was an Ampeg VH-140

I would feel confident with either on stage, both have theirs highs and lows.

I love the tight responsiveness of solidstate, but love the brutality of a good tube amp like the 5150.

For recording ideas I use a Line 6 PodXT, which I mostly hate the sound of, but it allows me to play at all times of the night without disturbing anyone.