Hi Richard! I used to have one of these, playing through a pair of Black Widow equipped Peavey Hisys 2 speakers. Great rig for a rock sound, not as good for acoustic based stuff, which is why I sold it. It needed either a preamp or a good DI box to get a decent piezo sound, as you describe. Well made and solid though, stands up well to gigging. For what Nick describes, I still reckon Hughes and Kettner would be very good. They are pricey new, but I dropped on one on ebay for around £500, and it's worth every penny. There's one here ebay
Might be worth a look Nick.
Tim