On the GVP Series II, that's the same model I have, and it was definitely a bit tight the first time. I almost thought I'd have to take the A500 apart and see what was jamming, but after carefully applying pressure (and a lot of praying) I was able to get mine in. After the first time it should be looser. (okay, no perv jokes about that last sentence!)
If you're still having problems it might be that your power supply has gone bad. Fortunately there's a real easy mod that allows you to ditch the external PSU and draw power directly from the A500 bus, provided you have one of the lightweight, higher-powered A500 PSU's. Instructions here:
http://members.iinet.net.au/~davem2/overclock/a500hd.htmlBridge two pads and done. I did this on mine because the only place I could find the controller for sale was Europe, couldn't find a North American power supply, did this mod and it works fine.
You might also check that the ROM chip and memory chips are seated properly, although changing out the memory on these things can be a real b****. ;-) You can buy copies of the latest 4.15 ROM from tjlazer on Ebay, Amibay, etc.
As for joysticks, keep your eye on ebay, I found a lot of a half-dozen for under $20 when I got my Miggy, now I've got more than I know what to do with. Also keep your eye on ebay for other minor upgrades, I've bought all sorts of chips for in the $5-$20 range, extra memory, a 68010, 3.1 ROM, Super Denise, even my SCSI CD drive only cost $2. Probably the most expensive part I purchased was my Indivision ECS, but was definitely worth it. Heck, I only paid $40 for the computer + 1084 monitor in the first place! ;-) As was said above, now is definitely a good time to be an Amiga hobbiest.
