Tube guitar amps- Fender Blues Jr. vs. Epiphone Valve Standard?

I play blues at jam sessions with friends- no gigging- I've been shopping for something with tubes for my Jimmie Vaughan Strat -I've played through both at GC-can't seem to make up my mind- any input either way? They're both 15 watts, the Fender is about $100 more than the Epiphone, but if we disregard the price tag...I'm not looking for volume, just good reasonably-priced tone-and if anyone can point me to a low-priced tube combo amp besides these two, that would be great also..Thanks-

Seamus
PS- I've been checking out AX84.com-brings out the DIY'er in me, but that's a project for another day-after the lawn, the painting, the bathroom remodeling, the new fridge....

If you want a all tube amp and you are trying to stay at low power(the 15 watts you speak of) I would go for the Fender, its a more reliable amp then the Epiphone,but in my opinion, you should go for 30 to 50 watt tube amps, there are hundreds out there for sale, new and used.Here is a web site that I recommend to check out used and new equipment,type in daddy's junky music.com. and click on the sit that says ''Daddy's music located in New England and New York,and the east coast, they have 21 stores and some of BEST prices on used amps,I have bought from them and I am TOTALLY IMPRESSED with the quality of their used gear.I live in Indianapolis where the ''mother'' Guitar Center is and I frequently go ther to check out gear and they will beat anybodys price on gear,except on the used gear, they are too high priced, so go and at least humor me and check out the site I recommended and you be the judge. Good Luck.

I agree with the above . Go with a higher wattage.

go with fender, i have a hot rod deville, 2-12's its a little big!

i would like to have the fender amp with built in jam loops, a good practice amp.

The Fender over the Epi.. no question... for blues, the tone is better.

check out www.ceriatone.com they build clones of legendary amps so basically you get the same quality but for MUCH cheaper cause you aren't paying for the logo. you really can't beat a handmade amp. i've got a 18watt marshall from them and it is amazing. they can send you parts for you to DIY or they build the amp for you. if you want the absolute ultimate then check out the trainwreck clone. authentic trainwrecks have gone for $30,000 and ceriatone have a clone for $600 :P. if you've never heard one they have samples of a similar amp at www.brownnote.net - you will be absolutely blown away by how that amp sounds. it has a lot of gain which is good if you're playing with a strat.
just thought i'd give you some more options :D

The Fender Hot Rod line is a great choice. Affordable and high quality. They are probably a little more pricey for what you want, but I would check them out. I recently got a cheap VOX amp...I can't remember what the hell the model is, but for a 15 watt solid state amp for $150, I couldn't ask for more. It has an impressive amount of volume for 15 watts and it bleeds tone. I love it and hope to get a higher end VOX soon.

I have a Traynor YCV40WR which is a 40 watt tube amp and very reasonably priced. They also has a 15W model with footswitchable channels and boost (something that Fender and Epiphone may or may not have). I think it sounds better the the Fender Hot Rod, especially after re-tubing with JJ Eurotubes. It has a 12" Celestion and the crunch channel is a warm and creamy classic rock crunch, excellent sound . I would not use it for a heavy metal shred sound, however as the sound gets harsh if you crank the gain control too much (like the Fender does also). They have a 50W model which is geared to be more like a Marshall. I push the power tubes with a Marshall Power Brake for a warmer sound. Check out the reviews at harmony-central.com.

I haven't heard the Epiphone so I can't comment. Use your ears to judge the two.

I have a Strat and a Les Paul Classic. Traynor sounds good with both but especially with the Strat. If you buy, definitely go for the re-tube.

Check it out at http://www.traynoramps.com/. Good luck.

For best blues tone you want to drive the power tubes and with more than 15 watts the neighbors might get mad. Of your two choices, I'd go with the Blues Jr., but I know what you really want...Mission Amps 5E3 Tweed Deluxe kit. Forget those boring other projects for now and build the kit.