Crate BV120 head

[NickCormier]

Hey guys.. This amp recently has caught my interest, I heard lots of mixed reviews, but it seems like a good idea at this time.. I want a BV300 but theres no way I can afford that, and i seen some BV120 heads go for as cheap as $400 on ebay! so I want one now

Whats your opinions on this amp guys? Also, Anyone selling one? I am just looking for the head, and I'll buy a cab somewhere else, as I heard the crate cab with this is not the greatest.. but if someone's selling the combo at a good price, I would definately be interested.. Thanks!

[Shotgun]

Re: Crate BV120 head

I liked mine just fine - several members own and use them, or have used them in the past. Would have kept mine, even, but I got a deal on a XXX that was too good to pass up, so the BV had to go.

Good luck, bro,
Keith

[DSS3]

Re: Crate BV120 head

I really, really dislike them. Thin, fizzy, undefined.

The cabs on the otherhand, are pretty damn good. Loaded with v30's, too.

[guitarsjb]

Re: Crate BV120 head

I love mine...great amp. Not fizzy, thin or undefined at all. Lots of bottom end...great articulation. But this is my 2nd one..my first one sucked ass. I guess maybe it's hit and miss.

[NickCormier]

Re: Crate BV120 head

yea.. well Im not looking for a "metal" amp, as my dad has a nice marshall halfstack.. but Im looking for a nice clean amp, nice tube sound.. and I heard good things about this from lots of people about its clean sound

[gkelly]

Re: Crate BV120 head

I owned a blue voo doo, 60 watt 2 12 combo the blue one (older model) it was plenty loud,,,,sound pretty good,,just make sure you get a good one,, for reliabillty they are hit and miss,turn it on let it set for 5 to 10 minutes to make sure it dont start make a loud popping,,power tube sockets in a lot of them had problems(not solider correctly). that was the case on mine,,to fix i took the electronics case out turn off the lights a wait to see the blue sparks on socket ,,then re solider them never had any problem after that>>>>

[zeegler]

Re: Crate BV120 head

Mine's definitely not thin, fizzy, or whatever. It kicks ass all over my other guitar player's 5150, according to everyone that hears them. However, the clean channel sucks monkey balls IMHO.

[NickCormier]

Re: Crate BV120 head

lol just funny.. most people say the normal amp sucks for everything but clean, then zeegler says it sucks for clean but kicks ass over his friends 5150.. so confusing lol

Either way, anyone selling one of these heads? I want =]

[DSS3]

Re: Crate BV120 head

For what it's worth, I had a BV60 1x12 combo, and yes I tried it with an external cabinet.

My XXX, 5150, and Single Rectifier crap all over it, for everything. Cleans, mid gain, high gain, etc. Some kick its ass more than others, but whatever.

To me, it sounds like a horribly mimic'd 5150.

[NickCormier]

Re: Crate BV120 head

theres a diff between the bv60 and bv120 im assuming, and I do know for a fact the BV300 is like, the best tube amp I've ever heard.. just costs $2500 lol so im assuming they get better up the higher they go (as everything)

[DSS3]

Re: Crate BV120 head

Have you ever heard a 5150, XXX, or Rectifier, let alone a Cobra, Uberschall, or VHT?


I would never pay 2.5k for a Crate. Honestly, I'd sooner shred my money than do that.

[PoisonGodmachine]

Re: Crate BV120 head

I hate the crate BV120 head... i think its Very Brittle and hard on the ears..

[Inearthed]

Re: Crate BV120 head

Don't care for the Blue Voodoo series... I know of two local guys that use them in bands and they've broken down repeatedly. An old bandmate of mine had one and it couldn't cut worth a damn. It had trouble keeping up with a AVT100!

[zeegler]

Re: Crate BV120 head

I've never heard of a Blue Voodoo costing $2500. I paid $899 Canadian for mine about 3 years ago, and that was brand new out of a store. [img]/images/graemlins/scratchhead.gif[/img]

Don't forget, that often, the type of speakers can greatly affect how an amp sounds. I'm running mine through Celestion G12K85's, which supposedly are very bright speakers, with not much midrange. Now you get some people claiming the BV120 sounds brittle, thin, whatever. Tell me then, how is it, that my drummer and bass player say that at equal volume to my other guitar player's 5150, they can't hear what he is playing, but can hear me fine, hear what notes I'm playing, actually hear some tone, etc.

I realize there are a lot of 5150 lovers here, but seriously, anyone who says the Crate Blue Voodoo is a cheap copy of a 5150, you're out of your mind. The BV sounds NOTHING like the 5150. Not even a remote resemblance. The 5150 is all sizzle, and no growl. My BV is very midrangey, with a nice fat, tight bottom, and the high end is so versatile in its adjustment range, you can go from smooth, mellow tones, to high frequencies that will make your frikkin ears bleed. I would really like to try this out with a cab loaded with Vintage 30s. To the people that slag on these all the time, I'd really like to know what speakers they were going through, and who was messing with the controls, because if you can't get a decent sound out of one of these, there's something wrong with you.

I'll even back that up. Someone give me somwhere to host them, and I'll record a couple of soundclips. Guitar to amp, no effects, EQ, anything. Step up kids!!!

[DSS3]

Re: Crate BV120 head

I ran mine through Eminence V12's and V30's, on different occaisions. It blew on both [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img].

What the hell? 5150 with no growl? Somethings wrong here. Mine had plenty.