I had a hard time getting a smooth, flowing lead tone out of it. It was just too tight and "stiff," though I can see how some people would like that. The range of available gain over the two channels was nice as well.
You really can't go wrong with the PT20 V2, assuming you don't need a clean...
I had one for a spell and was surprised at how good it sounded. The brightness of the full-size DR has largely been tamed, and the voicing is more modern overall. It takes boosts well and is extremely tight (too tight for my taste, as it turned out). I can see it being a great amp for thrashy...
The USAs have a heft and richness to the tone that was lacking in the import. The import wasn't a bad amp; I'd just rather spend the extra money for the OG.
You should still be able to find a good USA 100 for $1200-ish. The people who ask $1800-plus for them these days are on bath salts.
I picked this up recently in lieu of waiting for the Friedman Jose to hit. It sounds phenomenal, as you might expect, but I'm more of an "oodles of gain"-type of guy, and this is firmly in the hard rock camp unless boosted.
Mod-wise, it's virtually identical to the one in the Pete Thorn video...