Crate Amps

[Davey]

Re: Crate Amps

i heard a couple of recordings with a blue voodoo halfstack and a RR1 and it kicked ass.

say it sounds worse or better than a mesa is all in the ear of the beholder.
my crate sounds good in bedroom settings. loud or not loud. with a band.. no way. they're good bedroom amps. there are many cheaper ones new, but for used they're good for the price, if you need a practice amp.

have yet to try the blue voodoo myself, but i doubt it's as bad as people say it is

[atilla]

Re: Crate Amps

I think many people have made good points already, but one is missing: Why exactly do you need a half-stack? If you enjoy lugging stuff around, they're great. But I'd bet you can get great tone out of half the wattage and half the speakers...

[toejam]

Re: Crate Amps

I haven't played through a Crate amp in a long time (a friend had a combo in the early '90s that was pretty cool), but I like their cabinets. Get one of these compact 4x12s... they're very lightweight, have metal speaker grilles, and the Crate/St. Louis Music speakers sound very good. http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/...se_pid/487711/

[jgcable]

Re: Crate Amps

[ QUOTE ]
I think many people have made good points already, but one is missing: Why exactly do you need a half-stack? If you enjoy lugging stuff around, they're great. But I'd bet you can get great tone out of half the wattage and half the speakers...

[/ QUOTE ]

A good PA negates the need for a stack amp but it sure looks good. I... for one.. think the Blue Voodoo amps are cool. If you are into that Flexwave high gain circuitry that Crate uses you will certainly appreciate it in the Blue Voodoo series. There are many players out there that really dig the Crate high gain tone. Johnson even had a model of it in their modeling amps. I think that Behringer might have that same model. I believe they call it Flexwave or something like that. The small SS Celestion equipt Crate amps were great bedroom amps. They also make several Class A amps. Most of their gear (if not all of it) is made in the St. Louis right here in the good ole USA. The Vintage Club 20,30 and 50 are highly regarded and the tiny 5w Class A VC508 is a pretty cool amp. I have a Crate 4 x 12 slant cab that is VERY well made.
Crate gets bashed now exactly the same way Peavey got bashed before the 5150 was released.
If you want to bash an amp, I would suggest starting with Gorilla, Marlboro and Park.
You know, back in the "old days", many players used to bash Sovtek, Sound City, Kustom, and Traynor.

[atilla]

Re: Crate Amps

[ QUOTE ]


A good PA negates the need for a stack amp but it sure looks good. I... for one.. think the Blue Voodoo amps are cool...Most of their gear (if not all of it) is made in the St. Louis right here in the good ole USA. The Vintage Club 20,30 and 50 are highly regarded and the tiny 5w Class A VC508 is a pretty cool amp. I have a Crate 4 x 12 slant cab that is VERY well made.
Crate gets bashed now exactly the same way Peavey got bashed before the 5150 was released.
If you want to bash an amp, I would suggest starting with Gorilla, Marlboro and Park.
You know, back in the "old days", many players used to bash Sovtek, Sound City, Kustom, and Traynor.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree that people are too quick to bash their stuff. I think the Vintage Club series sounds pretty cool.

My band has done a few gigs with another band whose guitarist uses a Blue Voodoo. I was looking forward to hearing it, but he unfortunately uses a boatload of effects on some kind of Digitech pedal board...doesn't even use the BV's distortion. All I got from him was a bunch of widdly-widdly sounds rather than a taste of the Voodoo.

[jgcable]

Re: Crate Amps

Lots of players do that. They shop for a high gain amp with tone being their highest priority. Then they add 10 stomp boxes and a distortion pedal and only use the amp for the clean channel. Go figure.

[OnlineStageGear]

Re: Crate Amps

Best amp ever made:



[img]/images/graemlins/headbang.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/headbang.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/band.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/headbang.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/headbang.gif[/img]

[guitarsjb]

Re: Crate Amps

I have a Blue Voodoo (120 watts), great stuff. No pedals in front for distortion, none needed. I also own a Crate GFX120H (solid state 120 watts) although it has a DECENT tone, but the built in effects are done very well, the gain doesn't even begin to touch the BV. Was it a great starter 1/2 stack..damn right. Would I use it again yes, if the BV crapped out on me. Like someone said in a previous post the gain on the SS is more "sizzle"..hard to explain. Not on the BV it rips. I love mine.

[Predator1]

Re: Crate Amps

I have been playing through my Crate V1215 for a couple of years and no problems here. I get a great 80's sound with a Boss DS1 in front.All tube tone for $300.00. They now come stock with Celestion speakers.

[Shawn Lutz]

Re: Crate Amps

I think Crate got a bad rap early in the game on their POS amps they put out. In the 80's I wouldn't touch a Crate amp with a ten foot pole [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] A weed buddy of mine in the late 80's had a full Crate stack in his living room...that thing sucked big time [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] They have come a long way since they started, they've had 20 years R&D and now make a fairly good product for the bugget minded people who are looking for more outta their dollar.. I've heard BV clips and thought they rocked.

As far as 4x12, I've always used them regardless of venue size, I just prefer the sound projected from a 4x12 at any volume level over any 1x12 or 2x12 that I've ever played...hell I play at home through 4x12's all the time, sometimes four at once.

[Deneb]

Re: Crate Amps

I was looking at a carvin catalog...buy whatever head, and pair it with their 4x12 cab. Looks like it is built like a Marshall, and has REAL celestions, not some pussy ass knock off.

That, and you're buying American.

[thetroy]

Re: Crate Amps

I would get a halfstack if it didn't weigh more than I do (135 lbs)

[zeegler]

Re: Crate Amps

[ QUOTE ]

That, and you're buying American.

[/ QUOTE ]

Crate are made in USA.

[guitarsjb]

Re: Crate Amps

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

That, and you're buying American.

[/ QUOTE ]

Crate are made in USA.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yep, St. Louis

[Deneb]

Re: Crate Amps

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

That, and you're buying American.

[/ QUOTE ]

Crate are made in USA.

[/ QUOTE ]

Did I say Crate wasn't USA? No, no I did not. If it wasn't there, I didn't say it. I was putting forth, yet ANOTHER reason to buy the Carvin cabinet.

I've often wondered about this; do you think the reason more people DO NOT have them, is because of the name? Or because they are shitty? (meaning the Carvin's).

Usually, people want a name on their cabinet, that "everyone" knows. Me, I could care less, if it sounds good, great. I remember how bad ass my Mesa looked on the Mesa cab...and how much more badass it sounds through my Marshall cab.

Maybe the BV, or the stealth (don't know much about them) are awesome amps, but so far, their SS shit, has yet to impress me. I've considered that little tiny head (I don't mean power block) for a back up because it's affordable, but I just couldn't never bring myself to it.

Me, I stay away from crate, you, as Pete would say "Your mileage may vary."