I've built the RunoffGroove projects and modified them more to my liking (with much help from Peter Snowberg and others). I really liked the sound of the Ruby, especially with the "bassman" mods. However, there wasn't enough headroom.

I really need some advice on building a good practice amp at home. A kit would really help me, as I have a limited understanding of the theory behind all of this stuff. I know what the parts are, I know how to solder, I've modified several pedals and built several from scratch. The problem I seem to keep running into though is that I prefer single coil based guitars (strats) and the highs that I get from most projects I find nauseating, to put it mildly.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.