Our Express is pretty loud when it attains that much saturation. But, I believe the Vapour is a 2 x 6V6 chassis. I have never tried a pair of 6V6 in our Express. I have only heard it with EL34 power tubes.
Even a 5 watt amp is "loud" when it is turned up. I guess it all depends on what your noise issues are. Do you play in an apartment, is that your concern?
Honestly, if loudness is a problem, I would not not get an Express, I would build a much smaller amp. I think the whole Train Wreck mystique is a little over blown.
Good Luck

I have NEVER wound a transformer, but I know what a complex job it can be. Other than checking/playing with the bolts that hold the lams together, I do not have a clue. Are you sure it is not a lead dress problem. Maybe heater wires or the ground for the heater supply?
Good Luck

Ceriatone is a s well made as ANY amp you can name. Believe me, my wife had a backline company for a few years. I have had my hands and eyes in Hiwatt, Fuchs, Roccaforte, Dr Z, Marshall, Fender, Tone King, Two Rock, Carol-Ann, Soul-tone, and quite a few others. Ceriatone is as well made as any out there.
Yes it will be quiet.
Yeah, you can get some sort of clean from an 800. Just turn down your guitar a bit and ease up on your pick attack.
Talk to Nik about the "half power" mod. I hate the way those triode mods sound. I think you would be more happy with a good master volume, or power scaling feature.
Do not hesitate to buy a Ceriatone. You will not be disappointed.
Good Luck

Yeah.....OK
So he has suppled you with a means to deal with the bias, that's good. You know, he is a real nice guy, AND he is pretty sharp. I have conversed with him enough times to say that. He really knows about amps. He does not just copy a layout and throw a product together. He knows what is going on inside all those different colored parts.
Anyway..... Nik must figure the grid resistors are fine as is. Looks like your are all set. You can buy a pair of Tung-Sol 6V6 for not much money. If this works out, you may want to give those a try also.
Best

It will require you pull the chassis and see what resistor is burning up. Something is drawing a lot of current through that resistor. You need to be careful while you are in there. It is possible that your power supply caps still have a pretty big charge in them. It will not hurt you to just take a look though.
Regarding your tech. Do you not feel comfortable taking the amp back to him? You may have had two problems and he fixed one of them, could be an intermittent "thing" that he missed. You may want to give him another chance or phone call perhaps?
Best

The bias, as you say, will need to be adjusted via the cat resistors. I would also be concerned about plate voltage. You can probably change to a different rectifier (5Y3 perhaps) and get down to something more suited for a 6V6. Anybody know the plate voltage of a Stray Cat when it is built per the Ceriatone Layout..?
I know the JJ 6V6 can take the higher Plate V, but I hear a lot of people say they do not sound like a 6V6 "should" sound. Never used the JJ myself, so I cannot say.
The grid resistors may also be a problem.
Good Luck

I guess I would start with the KT66, they should drop in with a bias check. The EL34 will need some finagling of the power tube socket, screen resistors etc. Not a huge deal, but it seems like the 66 would be the easiest place to start....
I am assuming Ceriatones PT can handle the current demands of the new power tubes. I believe Nik uses the same PT for the X3 model, so you should be OK.
Good Luck

Questions like yours are very hard to answer. If you plugged into a vintage Hiwatt, and then into a Ceriatone clone, you might prefer the Ceriatone. That is assuming it was a blind test, so that you could not see any logos, or have any way to tell what amp you were playing.
Ceriatone build quality is as good as anybody. Reeves has made a very good reproduction of the original Hiwatts, with a lot of effort in matching Transformer specs, and other things of that nature. If you want "The Best" Hiwatt in a new amp, I would buy a Reeves. If you are a gigging musician that needs/wants an amp that sounds/behaves like a Hiwatt, you will be happy with a Ceriatone.
Have you played many Hiwatts? Do you already have expectations of what these amps should sound/feel like? How important is it to you to have an amp that is "exactly" like a Hiwatt.
The Ceriatone will be very close. I imagine the Reeves will be  a bit closer to the "real thing", but you might not even notice. Perhaps some of the guys that own both can give you a better perspective. Can you build and solder?  A LOT of guys buy the Ceriatone chassis that is complete, with the exception of the transformers. Sourcing an original spec output transformer can go a long way in making your Ceriatone a "real" Hiwatt. Then again, you might not hear/feel the difference.
Good Luck

Is that a Solid State amp?
If so, they are a bit different and only require a MINIMUM impedance. A tube amp with an Output Transformer is a different proposition. It is always best to match the impedance of the amp to the speaker. Just buy another speaker if you do not have the right one. A guitar player with only one speaker is kind of like a painter with only one color. If you are going to play, you need some stuff and speakers last a LONG time.
The worst scenario for a tube amp is for the impedance of the speaker to be Too High.  A 4 ohm out tranny into a 16 ohm speaker is the worst possible set up. That is where amp builders (and owners) worry about fly back voltage and transformer failure. If you had to, it would be better to run a 16 ohm amp into a 4 ohm speaker. That is one reason amp builders short the speaker jack to the chassis and not leave it open. They would rather have a short than an open circuit if the speaker connection goes away.
But this is all theoretical, just buy the right speaker or maybe a Z Matcher from Weber.
Good Luck

When you say gainy and hot, it makes me think Liverpool (pull).

That is some pretty nice playing IMO.
I enjoyed it.
Well Done......

Good to hear!!!!
There are so many options other than Merc Mag. Their prices are silly in my opinion, but they have a lot of advertising to pay for. TDS, Hammond, Edcor, Magnetic Component, Triad, and others. Merc Mag would be my last choice, just based on price alone.
Anyway....
Good Luck and Enjoy

I remember this amp and cab as it was coming together. This will be a great deal for somebody in your "locale"....
I saw/listened to some of your videos that were linked to on The Gear Page. Don't know if it was you or another member that posted the link, but the videos were good. I built the "normal" Champ in a head, and gave it to a friend as a gift. It had a 1x12 cab from Mojo with an Eminence Texas Heat.
Anyway......these are really amazing sounding amps. Sorry to see you part with it. Good Luck with the sale. It will really be a great amp for somebody over there. They are incredible in the studio. And, yours has some nice "extras".....
Best

AAaaahh......what would you know??   

I am not familiar with these amps, you may want to just ask Nik. I do not see why it could not be done. I suppose you would need to consider available real estate on the board/chassis. And of course, you would need to install a pot somewhere.
Good Luck