I'm a Marshall guy through and through. As a previous poster mentioned, it's all about the tone, but I like tone and volume, since some places we've played have sh1tty PAs, I can tell 'em to not worry about needing to mic me.
I saw you mentioned getting a Cube, which is a nice amp, I like 'em.
As far as Marshalls go, if you want a good amp you won't soon outgrow, check out the Vintage Modern line by them. Versatile, effects, and the circuit is based, (loosely), on the old Plexis, so it'll sound great, but has more bells and whistles, so it can give a more modern, gainy sound if desired.
