Never, EVER thought I'd mention Crate...

[chrisolson]

I bought a Crate GT3500 head yesterday. :ROTF: Brought it home, and unboxed a beehive - no surprise there.

BUT... I put my POD XT in the loop - WOW! Using the Crate's channels actually sounded pretty darn good! Never, EVER thought I'd own a Crate again after having a G20C combo as my first amp. Did I mention this thing is LOUD? Rated 350 watts @ 2 ohms (Yeah, I know - SS watts, but it's still loud), and since I'm running 4 ohms, I think it's more like 240 watts or something. For those not familiar, it's a 3 channel amp head, with Clean, Drive, and Solo channels, and reverb for all. The drive & solo channels share EQ (too bad, but Crate eq doesn't do much other than scoop mids anyway), and the solo has a contour knob, which I essentially leave set at about 1 or 2 so the mids stay around. Very bassy when you start pushing some air, and lots of SS-Sizzle, but I can get that dialed out a bit with the POD.

I'm also using it just as a poweramp for the POD as well, and it takes to that VERY well. Just running the POD into the Line In - obviously it disables the preamp, but it also disables the eq section as well - I like that!! I'll have to eq things a bit on the POD again, but all in all, it's a very satisfyting sound. I'm JUST scratching the surface of what the POD XT can do, but I like what I'm seeing so far - however, I'll have to change some of my presets since I'm running mono now. Oh well. Not really a big price to pay.

My cab is a new B-52 AT series 4x12 base cabinet - it's their mid-level cab. Looks a lot like a Rectumfrier cab IMHO. Big & black, smooth "leather" tolex, silver piping, black grill, silver logo in middle, actual birch plywood cab (no pressed wood), some of the nicest handles on a cab I've ever seen, casters that work, 320 watts, "custom" B-52 drivers (probably Eminence I would bet), stereo 8 ohm, mono 4 or 16 ohm. Got it new at Music Go Round for $250, and GC is selling them for $400 new, so for what I got, it's pretty damn nice. I'll have to pull the back off and investigate the speakers some day...or not. It seems to be able to handle anything I throw at it with no protest. Tight enough, and no buzzes or rattles. Can't ask much more! I'd recommend them if you're looking for a good deal and don't care if you have a big name on it - take the logo off!

So the set-up looks like this today -

Guitar >> POD XT w/FBV shortboard >> Crate GT3500H power section >> B-52 AT412B bottom 4x12 cab

or

Guitar >> Crate GT3500H head w/Pod XT in loop for effects >> B-52 cab

Nice setup on a budget - about $800 when all is said and done. Now I can practice all my CC DeVille wanking with pride!! On a side note - saw them at the MN State Fair on Tuesday - good show! CC is such a blast to watch, albeit a little spastic at times, and his tone is VERY in your face, just brash - not bad. He played a bunch of GMP Flying V's, and another guitar I found interesting - a white King V stayle body with the Floyd Rose "speedloader style" headstock (just the outline of the HS - cut out in the middle, know what I mean?), only it was shaped like the newer Jackson 3x3 pointy headstock on the SLS - very cool, but odd at the same time. He was using the same amps as I just recently bought, and had a pair of them sidestage along with stacks and STACKS of cabs on stage. He was actually using the amps too, because he went over and adjusted the tone while he was playing. He had about 6 or 8 stacks up on stage - not sure if they were all for real or not, but it was an impressive looking wall of sound - Poison logos where the Crate logos were - pretty cool! I'm not a big Poison fan, but it was pretty fun - the show was great! I have never seen them live before, so I guess that's pretty cool - glad I got to see them before they roll out with walkers. Firehouse played before them - say what you will, but Firehouse ALWAYS puts on a good show. They're REALLY pro - they always sound tight. Bill's not playing Pacifica's anymore. He's now endorsing a builder out of Indiana - Gren guitars. Sounded good, but not what I would play as a first choice. I loved his Pacifica's. He says he is using Framus amps, but he had 3 or 4 stacks of Marshall JCM900's on stage - slaving them I suppose. GREAT tone though. I love the way he plays.

[Shotgun]

I've said it before, I'll say it every time that it comes up: I loved my BV120. That is, of course, just me. But I love it.

Glad to hear that you're digging your new amp!

Keith

p.s. Heh heh... you said, "wanking."

[toejam]

I just picked up a Crate head, a BV60H. I like it a lot. I've also got a PowerBlock which is pretty cool. If I were going to use something for just powering my Boss GT-8 or a POD XT, I'd use the PowerBlock instead of just the full size head, because it's got stereo inputs and is much smaller and easier to carry around.

[horns666]

There was a couple guys at my local CG trying out a Crate BV120 Half stack over a year ago . The sound caught my attention, but I suspected it could be tweaked a bit. I knew the dude assisting them for the sale. I could see they liked it, but were undecided. I nicely asked "May I"..and played/tweaked it a little better. They were still iffy about it. I asked the guitar manager if he had any BBE's in stock, he replied "sure"..I said " grab one and throw it in the loop". He did and it woke it up considerably. It's the newer 482 units that I'm not very fond of, but it kicked it in the ass. It's a coin toss really with those..amps either like them or don't.

That was the deal breaker..they bought the Crate and the BBE..I want my commision..

[Nazgul]

I have a crate gx130c head. It has nice brutal distortion for those death metal riffs I play most of the time, but I it totally sucks in playing lead stuff, too cold and fizzy on high end. that's why i'm saving for a 515o now .

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OFF TOPIC - need some help:

I'm getting a lee jackson gp1000 preamp today and I will be running it thru the poweramp section of my crate. does anbody know how should I connect it to it so it bypasses preamp? and how do I connect it if I want the crate's preamp to be working?

crate has: mono line out, stereo line out, stereo line in on the back and send and return jacks on the front (effects loop)
lee jackson has: out 1 and out 2 on the back

both, the crate and lee jackson, are stereo amps.

I was thinking:
lee jackson out 1 -> send on crate
lee jackson out 2 -> return on crate

will that be good? I'm afraid to burn something.

[Inearthed]

I was thinking:
lee jackson out 1 -> send on crate
lee jackson out 2 -> return on crate

will that be good? I'm afraid to burn something.

Don't run your "out" into a "send" - only into a return.

[chrisolson]

Toejam - yeah, I had considered that as well. ALOT. It would have saved me about $300 give or take, but I went with the head because I wasn't really fond of the way it sounded on it's own. Stereo is cool, but pretty much unnecessary in my world. The concerts I put on in my bedroom don't have enough room for the big stereo spread anyway!! Sounds like most people who buy it like it though. Just me I guess.

Horns - I *was* a Crate hater for a long time - A LONG TIME!! I hated walking into GC and having the kid with the "V" scoop eq jammin to "Enter Sandman" - and every one of them were using Crates in that super-saturated buzz tone. HATED IT!! And I didn't like it much either... But I'm willing to try, and in all honesty, my Pod will probably be the chief "tone-maker" for the most part, but it'll be fun to have something else around to mess with when I get bored. But with that said, even when I play through a Crate, I still sound like me, so there's something to that "tone is in the fingers" thing - I could make a Bogner sound equally shitty as a Crate!!

I'm kinda kicking around picking up one of those BBE stomp boxes. I'll have to find one to try out. I'm not going to go with rack units though - too much crap, ya know?

BV's seem to still get a lot of love. I'm not a big fan, but there's something to them I guess, because most people that get them really seem to like them. They really have the "Crate sound" though, unlike the differences between Marshall tube vs. SS amps, which I find there being NO notable similarities in. But that may just be me as well. I've had both, and didn't think they sounded much alike. Crates ALWAYS sounds like Crates though.

[chrisolson]

Geez!! My posts are way too long!!

[Nazgul]

Don't run your "out" into a "send" - only into a return.

yes, I can run one out from lee jackson to return on crate. but what about the other out on lee jackson? Don't forget, both are stereo amps and I *think* it's not wise running only a half of one.

[horns666]

Chris, I actually tried to make my Uber sound as bad as humanly possible..I was bored..and it still sounded "OK"..

But I could nail a killer 5150 tone..Those could actaully sound bad. I didn't know how bad until I saw a Judas Priest Tribute band over the weekend. They used two full stacks..it was incohrent , thin, noise..I had to waite for the vocals to hear what song it was..

I never heard a 5150 sound that bad in my life..much less TWO 5150s..what the hell??

Some people just don't know what the fuck their doing!!

[eaeolian]

Boss GT-8 or a POD XT, I'd use the PowerBlock instead of just the full size head, because it's got stereo inputs and is much smaller and easier to carry around.

Steve form Imagika used a PowerBlock and some pedals for their set on Friday at MMM3, and his tone was quite nice - and fit in his suitcase.

[toejam]

yes, I can run one out from lee jackson to return on crate. but what about the other out on lee jackson? Don't forget, both are stereo amps and I *think* it's not wise running only a half of one.

You don't need to have both sides of the Lee Jackson preamp running. Like Inearthed said, run your guitar into the Lee Jackson preamp input, run out from the Lee Jackson into the effects return on the Crate. Since the Crate doesn't have a stereo effects loop (two returns), then you can only run in mono. You can always run the other side of the Lee Jackson preamp out into another amp's normal input or effect loop return.

If you want the Crate's preamp to interact with the Lee Jackson at the same time, then you'll have to have the Lee Jackson going out into the Crate's input.

[toejam]

Steve form Imagika used a PowerBlock and some pedals for their set on Friday at MMM3, and his tone was quite nice - and fit in his suitcase.

Sweet.

[rjohnstone]

I've had my Crate G-120C since forever.
I stopped using the pre-amp section ages ago. This thing has stereo line inputs on the back. I just plugged my GNX-1 straight in the line in and used it strictly as a stereo power amp. 60x60 watts.
Not bad for what it was, but it's tired now and has lost all of its punch.
I finaly replaced it with a Spider II 2x12... still getting used to it.

I dig the BV series, but still too rich for my blood right now.

[Nazgul]

You don't need to have both sides of the Lee Jackson preamp running. Like Inearthed said, run your guitar into the Lee Jackson preamp input, run out from the Lee Jackson into the effects return on the Crate. Since the Crate doesn't have a stereo effects loop (two returns), then you can only run in mono. You can always run the other side of the Lee Jackson preamp out into another amp's normal input or effect loop return.

If you want the Crate's preamp to interact with the Lee Jackson at the same time, then you'll have to have the Lee Jackson going out into the Crate's input.

thanks, got it to work now!

Sounds kinda like metal zone lol, must be the SS power amp. the bitch is loud anyway. will crank it up tomorrow and play with the settings a bit more. It's 22:00 here and I start with school tomorrow at 7:00.