The F30 has got TONS of gain on the lead channel! I don't know who told you that, but I own one, and the lead contour setting has a ridiculous amount of gain - I commented on another thread about this amp - I actually don't really like the sound of the amp that much, but the reason for that is probably because I am used to a very different setup which I use live, and I was kinda hoping I could capture that sound (albeit in miniature) at home with the F30, and it doesn't.
Having said that, plugging in a JEM and dialling up what I consider to be a reasonable amount of gain (and for me that means the gain control on about 2 by the way - at which point the F30 has about as much overdrive as my Marshall JCM800 combo with the gain on ten), you can wail for hours!
And while it is a great, compact amp for using at home, they are LOUD - you can easily gig at almost any small/medium sized venue with an F-30. For $600-800US, you could also probably get a Studio, or a Calibre, or even a Mk4 1x12 combo (dunno, I might be stretching things a bit there, but Boogies are a LOT less expensive secondhand in the US than they are here at the end of the world!).
So, for anyone who read my comments about the F30 in the other thread, they are just my opinions as a user who was perhaps expecting the amp to do something other than what it was designed to do - try one first, and besides, all of the other gear I use is Mesa stuff, and I love it - they don't do much that sucks!
Cheers