Crate Amps

[guitarsjb]

Re: Crate Amps

Sorry Deneb, calm down..we were discussing Crate amps and your post said to buys Carvins (great product too)..then at the bottom said "That and you're buying American" I took that to mean you thought Crate was not american made. Apparently a misunderstanding on my part...sheesh..I also said the SS stuff was "sizzle" (as stated in a previous thread). Overall Crate made crap in the past, makes a good product now, and still is trying to get over the stigma.

[Deneb]

Re: Crate Amps

I quoted zeegler. Not you. I re-read my post. It's difficult to get the idea of emotion people have, just from text.

No animosity, I was just offering a suggestion to the guy (he wanted a half stack) and I was trying to offer up some other nice alternatives to the Crate.

Here is the bottom line, try some shit, and see if you like it. If you do, great. Who cares if it says Super-O, if it's your sound, great (btw my Super-o model is stupid...why would anyone model that turd).

[Twisteramps]

Re: Crate Amps

If someone digs the BVs, more power to them. I could never get a sound out of one that I liked at all... but I thought Marty Friedman got a decent sound out of one live at the Guitar Xpress clinic years ago. Other than Marty though, every time I've played through or heard one I was less than impressed.

My favorite Crate amp tone-wise would be the VC series. They had some EL84 powered combos that were great sounding for vintage to classic rock tones. Only bad thing was, they were pretty unreliable.

Pete

[SixStringSuicide]

Re: Crate Amps

Im not gonna lie, the blue voodoo is worth it. Yea you can get an outrageously overpriced Single Recto,but those distortions are crap. The only good Recto tone ive heard is Petrucci's tone. When its behind an Eventide Harmonizer and assloads of other processing. Mesa distortion is just too dry for my tastes, IMO. Now onto crates. The blue voodoo was my first amp to get me into tubes. For the price (700 for a full stack cuz the store wanted to clear it out) it was amazing and being as young a player as I was to own it (15 years or so) it was crazy. 120 watts was more than enough for a band situation, and it didnt really whine at high volumes. During the period that I did own it, I bought a Marshal 1960 cab, which I still have, and it sounded so much more badass. So Id reccomend not skimping on a cab- although in my tender age, I said "Fuck those dudes Ill buy what I want" and you just gotta learn as far as cabs go. I know that they do make some blue voodoo cabs with celestions, but I really didnt have access to any or the patience to wait for the store to order one in :-D But all in all, the blue voodoo's worth it if your not entirely a "man of the world" as far as sampling the many high gain tube heads out there. Its got reverb, three channels, and I still remember that clean channel as being quite bright and sparkling. Any questions, just let me know man. [img]/images/graemlins/headbang.gif[/img]

[bluebullet]

Re: Crate Amps

petes right the vintage series sound good but there not exactly built ford tough but bang for the buck they are pretty good

[jgcable]

Re: Crate Amps

[ QUOTE ]
Im not gonna lie, the blue voodoo is worth it. Yea you can get an outrageously overpriced Single Recto,but those distortions are crap. The only good Recto tone ive heard is Petrucci's tone. When its behind an Eventide Harmonizer and assloads of other processing. Mesa distortion is just too dry for my tastes, IMO. Now onto crates. The blue voodoo was my first amp to get me into tubes. For the price (700 for a full stack cuz the store wanted to clear it out) it was amazing and being as young a player as I was to own it (15 years or so) it was crazy. 120 watts was more than enough for a band situation, and it didnt really whine at high volumes. During the period that I did own it, I bought a Marshal 1960 cab, which I still have, and it sounded so much more badass. So Id reccomend not skimping on a cab- although in my tender age, I said "Fuck those dudes Ill buy what I want" and you just gotta learn as far as cabs go. I know that they do make some blue voodoo cabs with celestions, but I really didnt have access to any or the patience to wait for the store to order one in :-D But all in all, the blue voodoo's worth it if your not entirely a "man of the world" as far as sampling the many high gain tube heads out there. Its got reverb, three channels, and I still remember that clean channel as being quite bright and sparkling. Any questions, just let me know man. [img]/images/graemlins/headbang.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree, most players think Rectifier tone is crap. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/bs.gif[/img]
Another thing, I believe the Petrucci tone you are talking about is from his Mark III's and Mark IV's and on his latest solo record there is virtually no processing on it. Its straight up Boogie bro. In either case, both of those amps have crap tone too. I am actually surprised that Mesa Boogie is still in business. Overpriced crap tone amps shouldn't be this popular. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/brow.gif[/img] I actually like the Crate BV series and several other of their amps but stating that Mesa Boogie tone is crap and dry is just wrong. Just say you don't like it. That would suffice.

[Twisteramps]

Re: Crate Amps

[ QUOTE ]
The only good Recto tone ive heard is Petrucci's tone. When its behind an Eventide Harmonizer and assloads of other processing. Mesa distortion is just too dry for my tastes, IMO.

[/ QUOTE ]

I can think of several examples of awesome recto tone... how about King's X Dogman album for starters?

Pete

[Endrik]

Re: Crate Amps

I've heard great Recto tones in almost every music style (modern metal, classic metal, rock, pop, jazz, blues etc.) Can't say that about Crate.

[Shawn Lutz]

Re: Crate Amps

All Rectos suck and only tone deaf homos play them...my J-station through a solid state Crate power amp slays anything tube [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

-Seriously-

People often bash stuff that they don't own, never heard or never tried themselves. Here's a bit of advice...listen with YOUR own ears, make YOUR own assumption and take what other people say about amps with a grain of salt. After all it will be YOUR amp and you'll be spending YOUR money, not some dudes on an internet message board!

[Endrik]

Re: Crate Amps

Ears give the best advice because everyone has a totally different taste in guitar tones. There are a lot of pros who know a great deal about gear etc. and there are a lot of people who are amazed of their tone, but there are also some people who think that their tone sucks.

[Dreamland_Rebel]

Re: Crate Amps

crate and ampeg are made by the same co.

[SixStringSuicide]

Re: Crate Amps

I have owned a Dual Rec, the rythm tone was pretty good, but the lead tones were horrible. Those were the dry tones I was referring to, sorry I wasnt more specific. I replaced the tubes with JJ's, which helped a little but not by much. I even had a EBMM petrucci signature and a mesa cab :-P Maybe its just my ears. But I didnt say all MESA sucked either, I was referring to recto tone. I currently have a mark IV as my main amp and it destroys all the tone Ive ever heard. And to the one who said that there is very little processing on petruccis new album, you might be a little mistaken. Have you seen his live rigs for his clinics, let alone his new touring rig?? Its complete insanity. Guarantee that tone is processed like no tomorrow. http://www.johnpetrucci.com/equipment.html think hed completely do away with most of that to record an album? I dont know about that. Also, jgcable, why would saying I just dont like it suffice? Wheres the fun in that? Perhaps you really do understand what I said, but refuse to acknowledge [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

[Deneb]

Re: Crate Amps

Yeah, I thought that, because I was going to mention owning this Ampeg 2x12. I forget the exact model, so bear with me, 2x12, open back combo LOUD, I mean FUCKING LOUD, SS, alright distortion, nothing great. Probably from the late 80's, early 90's.

I dropped it down a flight of steps, from the 2nd floor of this club, we were playing. Plugged it in, and as someone in the classifieds said about an Gibson with a crack "it was able to take it like a man".

[guitarsjb]

Re: Crate Amps

Damn..tough amp.

[jwoods986]

Re: Crate Amps

Did it have built-in chorus and reverb? If so, it may have been an SS140C. Great SS amp.