Crate amps

[bombtek]

What is the general consensus of Crate amplifiers around here. I've always liked them, but then again I've always had a soft spot for them as my 1st true "metal" tone came from a G-212 that I bought brand new back in the mid 80's. It might have been the pickup in my Model 5a (J-95) in conjunction with the gain on the amp set at about 8-9 and the reverb cranked as well, no effects...just guitar straight to amp....it just killed.

If I could find another G-212 in good condition for cheap money, I would snap it up in a heartbeat....but then again, I might need to find a J-95 pickup to go with it LOL.

Anyways...how do you guys feel about what Crate is putting out now? ...say from the mid 90's to present.....solid state, not tube.

[emperor_black]

I used to own a 1x12 Crate GLX30 which had the most beautiful sounding distortion through headphones my noob-ears had heard. But through the stock speaker, it sounded like crap. That's what I think of them. Great amps from the inside, but crappy on the outside.

I have a crate Powerblock and for its features, its awesome. Very loud, very small stereo head.

[Racerx2k]

I had a Crate Excalibur head that I really liked alot, prior to getting my latest Laney head. Great for metal. Not as good for classic/hard rock.

[jdr94]

i like the gt120hl, the gt3500, and the bv120. i own em all. i like crate.

edit-just noticed you said SS. oh well. i think the gt line was the best.

[Predator1]

I have a Crate V Series all Tube 18 watt combo that sounds great at lower volumes. I put a Boss DS 1 in front of it to boost the gain. It was very reliable and went 4 years of daily play before the tubes went. It was one of the early ones made here in the states. I believe they make them in China now for about half the price I payed?

[Learn Guitars]

Had a BV60 that wasnt bad...Had a BV 120 that sucked major ass.

[Aaronharmon]

Depends on how cheap you can pick one up. I have only owned one, a G60 which is pretty old school now. It was alright for a solid state amp, but would not compete with the stuff that is out now.

I perfer tube amps now and I think you could probably get a decent tone out of one of their tube amps with an OD pedal and a little work.

I wouldn't spend much on it though. I think in general, their quality is a little lower than I woulld like.

[toejam]

I had a BV60 head that was very cool. I've also got the Power Block and use that once in awhile.

[ihocky2]

I have the Flexwave 120 head and 4x12 slant cab and love it. Nice crisp, snappy clean channel. I get a great blues and rock tone from the overdrive channel depending how I set it and what guitar I am playing. The high gain channel steps up nicely for being a lower priced solid state amp. But I get a nice heavy tone. It's not a Dual Rec or a Soldano, or Bogner, but I prefer it's tone over Marshalls. I only run guitar to a tuner pedal and a Boss DS-1 distortion as a lead boost. But it is basically just the amp straight away.

[horns666]

The best Crate tone I ever heard is a BV 120 half stack with a BBE in the loop. Several years ago I was at GC and some customer was on the fence on the damn thing. I asked to help dial it in, I did but then I asked my dude John C to grab a BBE and throw it in the loop. John C (Beyond Fear) listens to what I say. John threw it in ..I turned it on and it woke up like a motherfucker. The customer immediately bought the Crate and BBE 462 and was a happy camper.

No, I didn't get a commission.

Y'know I bought a small two 10" combo around '90..with a tube preamp. That fucker sounded so good..I bought another one and ran them in stereo. I can't remember what model that was..let me check.

[horns666]

Ahh here it is..I bought two new Crate TD50 C two 10" combos. I would put one in each corner of the room. It used to nail Tooth and Nail tone big time. Well that's all I listened to and played at the time so..they were loud lil' fuckers. plenty of gain at that time. I like it better than my Randall RG100 combo with two 12's..



Found a couple for sale for around 90 to 125 bucks. I had alot of fun with those amp at the time.

[bombtek]

I'm looking at either the GT1200h or the GLX 1200h heads seeing as the G-212 is way too hard to come by....they almost never show up.

I know that both of those heads have been discontinued, but either one of them looks extremely versatile.

[guitarsjb]

I used to have the GFX1200 half stack. I really liked it. Sold it to the other guitar player in our band when I got my BV120.

[CharvelRocker]

I have a VC6112 I may never part with. It is from a bygone era of Crate amps. All tube, USA made. Two channels, each with it's own PCB so they each sound different (Like a Marshall and a Fender) with their own EQs. The speaker was crappy, as was the foot switch, but tonally it is a fantastic amp I will hold against any amp around $1000 in tone and versatility. My only complaints nowadays is it sounds a bit fizzy when the gain on the B channel is at 10, but that is because the powertubes are getting tired and I keep putting off new ones. Nowadays though, I am not impressed with the QC practices of their products. The GC here always has at least 2 broken Crate amps, tube or not. I've heard of issues with the Vietnamese Palomino's having phantom rattling noises from poor build. These ones MF are blowing out I've not heard a lot about, but expect to soon.

[jdr94]

am i the only one who noticed this was to be about solid states only