The way something looks is of no importance to me. I don't care if someone ran a grinder over the faceplate. I'm also not worried about the color of the piece. It can be silver, black, gold or purple and lime green. I only care about how it sounds. Price, and all things being equal, of course I have a preference. Who doesn't. But looks, or name brand, never sway my decision. That being said, I probably wouldn't bother even listening to an amp that cost a couple hundred bucks. I should maybe reconsider that opinion.