Guitar Amp Technical Assessment

I have been working on Mrs. S. to agree to let me buy a new guitar amp (new shower tile, new tile on front porch, new garden gate, and 5 scruffy trees in the back garden cut down).

The little Fender amp I have is ok (Blues Jr), but it does not have either the power or the tone I am looking for. I am looking real hard at the Mesa Lonestar 2X12 : (allows you three power options that are channel assignable via 10/50/100 Watt Power Switches: Choose 2 power tubes operating in pure Class A (single-ended), producing 10 watts, or 2 or 4 power tubes running in time-honored Class A/B, producing 50 or 100 watts.)

http://www.mesaboogie.com/Product_Info/Lonestar/Lonestar.htm

The problem is that this bad boy is big and friggen heavy… It is also really loud… But it really sounds sweet…

So first of all, does anyone play a Lonestar, and if so how do you like it? Is it worth the weight? Worth the price? How is the quality? Has it lasted ok?

Secondly does anyone have an alternate suggestion for a high quality tube amp I should look at instead of the Lonestar? I have generally played Fenders. Marshall, seems to have dropped in quality. What technical specifications should I be paying attention to? Watt rating obviously does not tell the whole story…

Third, am I better off buying the head and a cab, or is the combo fine. At least a head and cab setup would split the weight into two parts.

Digital amps need not apply. I like that tube amp tone. I am not even that keen on hybrids (although I have not looked hard, the Mesa may be a hybrid).

I play a Nashville Tele and a Strat with SRV pickups right now. I am also shopping for a Les Paul though… I also generally play small venues, and at church. I don't expect I will ever be onstage in a stadium....