Frank pretty much covered the points I would have made (thanks, Frank...
), and I agree with you that the best way to find your preferred tone is to get out there and do some hands-on auditioning. About the only thing I'll add is that, since you're seeking what amounts to one or two clean high-headroom tones, IMO it would be best to go with an old-school (tube or
analog solid-state) combo with simple WYSIWYG controls and a minimum of bells-&-whistles (built-in reverb/trem are OK) rather than a modeling rig with a whole bunch of stuff you'll never need or use; in addition, while there are some solid-state mini-amps that are popular with dedicated jazz players (Henriksen
et al.), IME it's easier to achieve a traditional jazz tone with a 12" speaker - until the late-60's Ampeg products were pitched predominantly to club/studio players, and throughout his tenure founder Everett Hull wouldn't allow anything smaller in
any of his amps, regardless of price...
Good luck...
