Why do you guys bash CRATE?

[bombtek]

I am really thinking about getting a BV120 and saw this one on ebay
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...category=38073
I was just wondering, why the Crate bashing? Is there really something wrong with these amps??
I've had a Crate G212 (back in the day) that kicked serious ass for a solid state combo, and right now I play through a G1500 half stack that is VERY effin loud just kinda sounds like ass. The distortion is kida weak, but the amp is built like a tank.
Anyways, why don't you guys like them?

[ColdVayne]

Re: Why do you guys bash CRATE?

Well i dont hate crate but they charge alot for there amps and you can get a way better amp for what they want for one of there's. The only crate amp i like is the BV300( i think thats it ) the 300 watt all tube amp , the only problem is they want 2000$ and i can buy small 45 watt vht combo for 750$ off of ebay and the tone will kick the crates ass.Crate has some cool solid state amps, one of my friends has one but damn he spent like 500$ on it and it dont even have a mid range knob for the distortion ( i love to put my mids at like 7 or 8 to get mega chunck ) and i know 100$ marshalls that have mid ranges , but his amp is a few years old.

[rodrigo_echeverri]

Re: Why do you guys bash CRATE?

well, have you ever played a Mesa Recto powered by a 90/90?... thats why Crate gets bashed around here.... [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[buzzsaww]

Re: Why do you guys bash CRATE?

Box is right, good practice amp. I don't know how Crate rates their stuff because it sure isn't what they rate it at. A guy i used to jam with has a GFX series half stack rated at 120watts. My Mk3 blows him out, no sweat, everytime. I'm on 2 he's on 7 or more. Get's blown out by any heavy hitting drummer too. Not only that it sounds like ass.

[Suck my kiss]

Re: Why do you guys bash CRATE?

Is that because he sounds like ass though?

[buzzsaww]

Re: Why do you guys bash CRATE?

LMAO!! It's a combination of him and the amp, notice i said "used to". The fuzz is it just sounds horrible. That's not his fault though

Originally posted by Suck my Kiss:
Is that because he sounds like ass though?

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[ April 01, 2003, 11:30 PM: Message edited by: buzzsaww ]

[AlexL]

Re: Why do you guys bash CRATE?

I have a Crate GT50 Stealth Combo (single 12"). It is all tube, and I use it with a TC Electronic G-Major. I really like the sounds I get from those two pieces of gear, so you won't get any Crate-bashing from me. The clean sound is nice, and there is a LOT of gain for distortion.

I got the amp free from a friend who gave it to me in exchange for some web design work, and I'm very pleased with the trade.

- E.

[lerxstcat]

Re: Why do you guys bash CRATE?

They're nicer than they get credit for, but you could get a 5150 halfstack for his BIN price that would be a better buy.

They look sort of lame, too; cosmetically
cheap-looking. The Vintage Club Series
amps look cool though, and sound pretty
good also, and their new EL84-based combos with digital effects built in are also supposed to be nice, though I haven't tried one myself.

Really, though, they're the new guy in the amp world, and thus will take a lot of crap. Peavey was glad to see Crate
come along, because it relieved them of that role - plus Peavey started to make
some good guitars amps in the 80s too!

[Boxcar Willie 84]

Re: Why do you guys bash CRATE?

I use a Crate GFX212 combo, and while the cleans are nice, the distortion is awful. For a long time I used a Boss DS-1 and GE-7 in the front end of the amp. Now I have a BBE which I use in the loop, it tightens up the distortion sound quite a bit, so it's tolerable. But the best sound I've gotten from it so far is using my POD in the effects loop return with the BBE after it. The amp is pretty durable, the speakers aren't the best, and the built in effects are ok, but not really versatile. I don't like how they cut corners, like with the effects loop-you have to use a Y cable or a splitter box to get it to work right. I would say it's a good practice amp, but I can't wait to get my Single Rectifier.

[Ric1983]

Re: Why do you guys bash CRATE?

I play through the BV 60 and 120 heads(Blue-Gold)
along with 2 Celestion Vintage 30 loaded BV cabs.
I also use the POD XT in the loop and I get brutal
sounds that are on par with upper end amps. I
keep my amps sounding good with old N.O.S. tubes
in the pre amp and Groove tubes in the power section. Dont get me wrong these arent a Recto
or Vht but with some Tone shaping tools a high
quality and high definition sound can be attained.
Also the Crate stuff can be had cheap. I paid $900
total and got two heads and the two 4-12 cabinets.
Also always have these amps biased when retubing.
That is why most of them sound less than desireable. GC has used Crate stuff real cheap all the time also.

Ric

[JACKSONFREAK]

Re: Why do you guys bash CRATE?

Crate over priced? Really? Have you compaired a Marshall of the same options and power rating to a Crate? (ie The MG100dfx @629.99 vs the GFX212 @
$499.99) The Crate is rated at 120 watts at 4 ohms meaning you need another cabinet to get full power. The Marshall is rated at 100 watts at 4ohms. Both have digital effects and two 12' speakers. The Marshall is made in Korea the Crate is made in St Louis MIssouri. Thats in the US the last time I looked. I would rather buy a US made Crate and get reliability and a different sound than everybody else than buy a Korean made everybody sounds the same solid state Marshall.
But thats just me.
Crate is the same company making the Ampeg stuff.
It's all good stuff and doesnt get the recognition it deserves. Everyday I get a customer that doesnt want a Crate becuase they break or they've heard they're unrelialble.
Then I plug them into one. Tell them the warranty and where they're made. I nine out of ten times sell the parents on the Crate before snot nosed johnny wanksa-lot. We've actually had more repairs on the MArshalls then the Crates.
Take about the reliability. And the Crates are less expensive across the board including the tube amps. 120 watt tube head for under a grand with a five year warranty and made in the USofA.
Just my two cents.
Gil

[OklaStrat]

Re: Why do you guys bash CRATE?

Made in the USA means squat in the amp world... I'd rather have a 'made in the USA' VHT than a 'Made in the USA' Peavey or Crate.

A music store I taught at sold Crate amps. One guy kept bringing his VC often for warranty repairs. I saw him four times in a year. Each time he'd bring the amp in, we'd send it off, and several weeks later he'd get it back. I think five years of this would suck, personally.

The VC amps in my opinion sounded great, but they were built like crap and had some really stupid cost-saving features like an effects loop you had to use a stereo cord on. Wow, Crate saved .15 or however much they paid for those cheap jacks that yes, were USA installed by the cheapest labor they could find.

Crates are great for practice amps, but I wouldn't trust one any further than I could throw it for live use. However, Marty Friedman loved his, and actually used Blue Voodoos - I asked him personally about that, and I was surprised when he said that's what he used. Everyone else (me included) that I've heard through the BVs sounded like two cats fornicating on a trash can lid, imho.

Pete

[horns666]

Re: Why do you guys bash CRATE?

I don't like Crate...Sorry I'll just Keep O' Bashin' [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[Inazone]

Re: Why do you guys bash CRATE?

The only redeeming quality that I've found most Crate amps to have is price. You can buy a brand new Crate for the cost of a used [ insert brand here ] if having a new amp is important and you're on a tight budget. When I joined my first band at the ripe old age of 15, I tried a few different practice amps and ended up with a 30W Crate combo. It got me by, but when someone ripped it off, I got a Peavey. I've stuck with Peaveys ever since, both tube and solid-state. My brother has a Crate GFX212 that sounds fuzzier as the volume increases, while my Peavey Special 212 holds its own at higher volumes. Both are rated at or above 100W, but I'd never want to take that Crate anywhere near peak.

[ChickenScratch]

Re: Why do you guys bash CRATE?

I'm not a Crate basher but given the option I'll stick with my Line 6.