Hmmmmm crafty.... Mesa didn't fit into this post but somehow you managed to "Plug" it. I bet your Mesa has a glory hole....
Roland Cube is a good solid state modeling amp that fits into the low volume home recording scene great. A tube amp in your price range usually has to be cranked pretty high to get a good drive on it since features will be limited.
Roland, Line 6, or even Behringer all fit the bill pretty good for what you are looking for....