Crate Vintage Club 30

GoldGTR · April 10th, 2005, 12:32 AM

I went into a local shop today to try a Peavey Classic 30. I loved the "dirty" channel of the C30 (EL84's), but overall, I don't think it has the BASS response and "girth" of my Hot Rod Dlx (6L6's). However, I can't stand the "dirty" channel of the Hot Rod Dlx. I wish I could take the clean of the HRD and the dirty of the C30 and put them in one amp.

I asked what else they had and they brought me this old Crate Vintage Club 30. Man, the thing sounded great on BOTH channels! I was blown away - I've never even considered "Crate" from the ones in the past that I've heard.

Anyone familiar with this amp? Any advice? Reliability? Common issues? Any thoughts? I turned my nose up when he brought in a Crate, but after I tried it, I was really impressed.

Thanks in advance.

Led Hed · April 10th, 2005, 08:16 PM

I bought one of these used back in late '95 (paid $430 at the time, no idea what a fair price is these days). I ended up using it as trading material toward a new guitar a little over two years later. I don't even remember now exactly what I didn't like about it, just that it ended up not giving me what I was looking for at the time. When I played it in the store I was impressed and just had to have it, eventually regreted the decision...but I've done that more times than I care to remember.

In general, I think Crate amps do not have a great reputation for quality and reliability, but that doesn't mean the one you're looking at wouldn't be fine. The bottom line is, if it sounded good to you and it appears to have the tone you're looking for, then that's what really matters, right? "Good tone" is subjective, and not everybody is looking for the same thing.

What I can tell you is that I bought a Peavey Classic 30 back in '96, and I still have it and I love it. It's been modified with JJ tubes and a Weber speaker, the stock tubes and speaker were crap, in my opinion.

Ringo · April 10th, 2005, 08:44 PM

I've had the Crate and the Peavey C30, no comparision IMO, the Peavey sounded much better, also was a lot louder amp.
And as mentioned, good tubes and a better speaker will REALLY make the Classic 30 sound even better.

GoldGTR · April 10th, 2005, 11:16 PM

Thanks for the responses, all.
I think what's really turning my ear in each case (C30 & VC30) is the EL84 power section. I really, really like the dirty channels of both of those amps, so I'm thinking it's the 84's I'm diggin'.

So, along those lines, can anyone recommend their favorite EL84-based amp? I'd like to stay under $700, but even if you can recommend something with great "clean" and "dirty" channels for OVER that amount, please do. I've heard Rivera's are nice, but I don't see them much in the local shops, so it's hard to *test* them.

(Also, does the Weber speaker give the C30 better Bass reponse? It just sounded really nasally (MIDS) to me - and I had the mids down and bass on '12'.)

Thanks again.

Geyser · April 11th, 2005, 11:43 AM

Wow, this is an ironic post. I was just checking E-Bay over the weekend for one of these Crates. I bought a Crate VC 30 new back in 97 (for about $475, I think). I had it until late 2003 when a car load of my gear was stolen. I have since replaced it with a Hot Rod Deville 2x12 but have come to the conclusion that the Hot Rod is just too much amp for small club gigs. And like a lot of forumers, I think the distortion on the Fender leaves a lot to be desired. The Crate had a very fuzz-like distortion and it really responded to the tubes heating up. The tone was a lot thicker and more intense after about a half-hour of playing. I never thought it sounded like "metal" distortion either; just thick, fuzzy, and warm. The clean channel would really start to cook with the volume on about 2 or 3. Granted, it had some mechanical issues (I had all the tubes and the speaker replaced a couple of times and had footswitch issues) but that amp still has the tone that I dream about. The next one I see in a pawn shop, I'm getting. Lots of bang for the buck.

Joe-Bob · April 11th, 2005, 07:07 PM

I have a Vintage Club 5212. I've had it for years, but I did replace the O.E. no-name tubes. It has a great sound, it's REALLY loud, and really heavy.

Ringo · April 11th, 2005, 08:04 PM

I changed the stock speaker to a Celestion Vintage 30 in my Peavey Classic 30, it made the amp sound a lot bigger, better highs and lows.

Personally I didn't care a lot for the OD channel but I liked the clean channel a lot, I used OD/Dist pedals with the clean channel cranked and the amp sounded great.
I just had a new set of Sovtek el84's in mine, but I hear the JJ el84's are nicer.

Several of the Mesa Boogie amps use el84's, and are available used in the below $700 price range.
Ditto on the older Trace Elliot Vellocette amps, which are now the much higer $ Gibson Goldtone amps.
Some of the older Gibson / Epiphone 60's amps use el84s.

Silverface · April 12th, 2005, 01:01 AM

I had the Crate. It sounded great, but was built like crap. It was in the shop a ridiculous number of times, and I saw the cheesy components inside.

Stay as far away as possible. Much more trouble than it's worth.

GoldGTR · April 12th, 2005, 11:21 AM

Thanks for all of the suggestions. I'm sure it will take me some time to test out all of the possiblities. Having forums are definitely a big help - I appreciate all of the responses. The "road to tone" continues...

Led Hed · April 13th, 2005, 04:57 PM

Quote:

(Also, does the Weber speaker give the C30 better Bass reponse? It just sounded really nasally (MIDS) to me - and I had the mids down and bass on '12'.)

Not really, unfortunately. Bass response is the one area where my C30 falls short. The Weber speaker did change the tonal characteristics of the amp, but did not noticably increase bass response. I tend to have the bass set on 12 most of the time, and it could use more. The speaker I put in is the 12F150, there's probably other Webers that would give better bass response.

teledude66 · April 13th, 2005, 05:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Led Hed

Quote:

(Also, does the Weber speaker give the C30 better Bass reponse? It just sounded really nasally (MIDS) to me - and I had the mids down and bass on '12'.)

Not really, unfortunately. Bass response is the one area where my C30 falls short. The Weber speaker did change the tonal characteristics of the amp, but did not noticably increase bass response. I tend to have the bass set on 12 most of the time, and it could use more. The speaker I put in is the 12F150, there's probably other Webers that would give better bass response.

i have a C50 212 ,i know it's a lil different, but i actually turn my mids to about 6 or 7 bass there also, and turn the treble down to between 3 to 5 ...i also have the HR Deville and thats the clean sound i'm going for i know i won't get it with the C50 but these tone settings cut th hi end out and make it a lil smoother ..i'm debating on getting th JJ's but there is a sweet Rivera at th local shop and i may try to work out a sweet trade ...as for the Crate amps if you watch the Crossroads DVD there seemed to be a few onstage ...Joe Walsh had 2 i think

bluescube · April 13th, 2005, 08:33 PM

Carvin Vintage 16, Vintage33, Nomad or Belair

Chris S. · April 13th, 2005, 09:29 PM

...the Crate VC3112 and the Peavey Classic 30, and I'd have to go along with some of the comments above. While the Crate definitely sounded cool, the construction was an issue. And for being so poorly built, it weighed too much for what it was. :-\ I wouldn't want to have to count on one for a gigging amp.

The Peavey Classic 30 has been written about a TON here on the TDPRI and elsewhere; check the search feature on the main page and the Harmony Central reviews to find out more. I'll repeat what I've said before, though: for the money (especially buying used for $250~$325 USD), IMO it's hands down one of the best gear values on the market. I still own one, and do gig with it fairly regularly, everything from country/rock/blues stuff to lower-volume jazz work. It's never let me down.

Btw GoldGTR, getting the Crate some years ago did start me on a rediscovery/romance with EL84s, athough I sold that amp as soon as I played some of the better offerings out there. For a small amp, I can highly recommend the <u>newer</u> model Crate V1512. Design, construction and sound are all excellent.

You also asked about amps over your price range: in addition to the amps I mentioned, I also wound up with a Dr. Z Maz 38 Senior, which I love. I have the 2x10 combo with reverb, and it's a killer amp I gig with often. I haven't owned one of the smaller Maz 18s, but I read good things about them all over the Web. Again, do a search on this site, a number of TDPRIers have written about theirs.

And of course, one of the mainstays of the "EL84 sound" has always been the Vox AC30. Vintage hand-wired models can get pretty expensive, but there's a new Asian-made (I think) "Custom Classic" version due out any day now that will sell new for under $1,000. See info here: http://www.sweetwater.com/store/manufacturer/Vox

Hope it helps, CS :-)

msteurbaut · April 14th, 2005, 01:22 AM

Since I'm mainly an acoustic player, I only started playing electrics some months ago.
I have a 20W amp for playing in my living room, and could use my brother's Mesa Boogie for jamming with other players.
Now I want my own amp...
I was thinking about 30 to 40W. The Mesa Boogie is too expensive. Should I choose an all tube amp or a less expensive digital amp (and rely on effect pedals to 'imitate' a tube amp)? I play mostly Blues and Blues Rock.

Thanks

Marc
Belgium

GoldGTR · April 14th, 2005, 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by msteurbaut

Since I'm mainly an acoustic player, I only started playing electrics some months ago.
I have a 20W amp for playing in my living room, and could use my brother's Mesa Boogie for jamming with other players.
Now I want my own amp...
I was thinking about 30 to 40W. The Mesa Boogie is too expensive. Should I choose an all tube amp or a less expensive digital amp (and rely on effect pedals to 'imitate' a tube amp)? I play mostly Blues and Blues Rock.

Thanks

Marc
Belgium

Once I went from my old SS Peavey to the Fender TUBE amp, it was over...I love that tube sound.

Bill Ashton · April 14th, 2005, 05:46 PM

I have a VC30-112, and it is a very tele-friendly amp. Like the others, the distortion channel leaves something to be desired, although with my brother's old SG-Jr you can get that Jeff-Beck-Ain't-Superstitious-vibe.

April 10th, 2005, 12:32 AM	#1 (permalink)
GoldGTR TDPRI Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: MI Posts: 74	Crate Vintage Club 30 I went into a local shop today to try a Peavey Classic 30. I loved the "dirty" channel of the C30 (EL84's), but overall, I don't think it has the BASS response and "girth" of my Hot Rod Dlx (6L6's). However, I can't stand the "dirty" channel of the Hot Rod Dlx. I wish I could take the clean of the HRD and the dirty of the C30 and put them in one amp. I asked what else they had and they brought me this old Crate Vintage Club 30. Man, the thing sounded great on BOTH channels! I was blown away - I've never even considered "Crate" from the ones in the past that I've heard. Anyone familiar with this amp? Any advice? Reliability? Common issues? Any thoughts? I turned my nose up when he brought in a Crate, but after I tried it, I was really impressed. Thanks in advance.

April 10th, 2005, 08:16 PM	#2 (permalink)
Led Hed TDPRI Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Eugene, OR Posts: 31	Vintage Club 30 I bought one of these used back in late '95 (paid $430 at the time, no idea what a fair price is these days). I ended up using it as trading material toward a new guitar a little over two years later. I don't even remember now exactly what I didn't like about it, just that it ended up not giving me what I was looking for at the time. When I played it in the store I was impressed and just had to have it, eventually regreted the decision...but I've done that more times than I care to remember. In general, I think Crate amps do not have a great reputation for quality and reliability, but that doesn't mean the one you're looking at wouldn't be fine. The bottom line is, if it sounded good to you and it appears to have the tone you're looking for, then that's what really matters, right? "Good tone" is subjective, and not everybody is looking for the same thing. What I can tell you is that I bought a Peavey Classic 30 back in '96, and I still have it and I love it. It's been modified with JJ tubes and a Weber speaker, the stock tubes and speaker were crap, in my opinion.

April 10th, 2005, 08:44 PM	#3 (permalink)
Ringo Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Memphis TN Posts: 1,925	another vote for the Peavey C30 I've had the Crate and the Peavey C30, no comparision IMO, the Peavey sounded much better, also was a lot louder amp. And as mentioned, good tubes and a better speaker will REALLY make the Classic 30 sound even better.

April 10th, 2005, 11:16 PM	#4 (permalink)
GoldGTR TDPRI Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: MI Posts: 74	More EL84's ? Thanks for the responses, all. I think what's really turning my ear in each case (C30 & VC30) is the EL84 power section. I really, really like the dirty channels of both of those amps, so I'm thinking it's the 84's I'm diggin'. So, along those lines, can anyone recommend their favorite EL84-based amp? I'd like to stay under $700, but even if you can recommend something with great "clean" and "dirty" channels for OVER that amount, please do. I've heard Rivera's are nice, but I don't see them much in the local shops, so it's hard to test them. (Also, does the Weber speaker give the C30 better Bass reponse? It just sounded really nasally (MIDS) to me - and I had the mids down and bass on '12'.) Thanks again.

April 11th, 2005, 07:07 PM	#6 (permalink)
Joe-Bob Friend of Leo's Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Dallas, Texas Age: 46 Posts: 4,016	I have a Vintage Club 5212. I've had it for years, but I did replace the O.E. no-name tubes. It has a great sound, it's REALLY loud, and really heavy. __________________ "German is the language God uses when He really means business." --FZ

April 11th, 2005, 11:43 AM	#5 (permalink)
Geyser Tele-Meister Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Minneapolis, MN Posts: 291	Wow, this is an ironic post. I was just checking E-Bay over the weekend for one of these Crates. I bought a Crate VC 30 new back in 97 (for about $475, I think). I had it until late 2003 when a car load of my gear was stolen. I have since replaced it with a Hot Rod Deville 2x12 but have come to the conclusion that the Hot Rod is just too much amp for small club gigs. And like a lot of forumers, I think the distortion on the Fender leaves a lot to be desired. The Crate had a very fuzz-like distortion and it really responded to the tubes heating up. The tone was a lot thicker and more intense after about a half-hour of playing. I never thought it sounded like "metal" distortion either; just thick, fuzzy, and warm. The clean channel would really start to cook with the volume on about 2 or 3. Granted, it had some mechanical issues (I had all the tubes and the speaker replaced a couple of times and had footswitch issues) but that amp still has the tone that I dream about. The next one I see in a pawn shop, I'm getting. Lots of bang for the buck.

April 11th, 2005, 08:04 PM	#7 (permalink)
Ringo Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Memphis TN Posts: 1,925	C30 speaker I changed the stock speaker to a Celestion Vintage 30 in my Peavey Classic 30, it made the amp sound a lot bigger, better highs and lows. Personally I didn't care a lot for the OD channel but I liked the clean channel a lot, I used OD/Dist pedals with the clean channel cranked and the amp sounded great. I just had a new set of Sovtek el84's in mine, but I hear the JJ el84's are nicer. Several of the Mesa Boogie amps use el84's, and are available used in the below $700 price range. Ditto on the older Trace Elliot Vellocette amps, which are now the much higer $ Gibson Goldtone amps. Some of the older Gibson / Epiphone 60's amps use el84s.

April 12th, 2005, 01:01 AM	#8 (permalink)
Silverface Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Hermosa Beach CA Age: 56 Posts: 1,934	I had the Crate. It sounded great, but was built like crap. It was in the shop a ridiculous number of times, and I saw the cheesy components inside. Stay as far away as possible. Much more trouble than it's worth. __________________ “No Chops – Great Tone” ©

April 12th, 2005, 11:21 AM	#9 (permalink)
GoldGTR TDPRI Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: MI Posts: 74	Thanks for all of the suggestions. I'm sure it will take me some time to test out all of the possiblities. Having forums are definitely a big help - I appreciate all of the responses. The "road to tone" continues...

April 13th, 2005, 08:33 PM	#12 (permalink)
bluescube Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Greensboro NC Age: 41 Posts: 1,071 6 Photos	Carvin Vintage 16, Vintage33, Nomad or Belair

April 13th, 2005, 09:29 PM	#13 (permalink)
Chris S. Moderator Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Near TELE-Town (Wash. DC) Posts: 2,970 7 Photos	I've owned both ...the Crate VC3112 and the Peavey Classic 30, and I'd have to go along with some of the comments above. While the Crate definitely sounded cool, the construction was an issue. And for being so poorly built, it weighed too much for what it was. :-\ I wouldn't want to have to count on one for a gigging amp. The Peavey Classic 30 has been written about a TON here on the TDPRI and elsewhere; check the search feature on the main page and the Harmony Central reviews to find out more. I'll repeat what I've said before, though: for the money (especially buying used for $250~$325 USD), IMO it's hands down one of the best gear values on the market. I still own one, and do gig with it fairly regularly, everything from country/rock/blues stuff to lower-volume jazz work. It's never let me down. Btw GoldGTR, getting the Crate some years ago did start me on a rediscovery/romance with EL84s, athough I sold that amp as soon as I played some of the better offerings out there. For a small amp, I can highly recommend the <u>newer</u> model Crate V1512. Design, construction and sound are all excellent. You also asked about amps over your price range: in addition to the amps I mentioned, I also wound up with a Dr. Z Maz 38 Senior, which I love. I have the 2x10 combo with reverb, and it's a killer amp I gig with often. I haven't owned one of the smaller Maz 18s, but I read good things about them all over the Web. Again, do a search on this site, a number of TDPRIers have written about theirs. And of course, one of the mainstays of the "EL84 sound" has always been the Vox AC30. Vintage hand-wired models can get pretty expensive, but there's a new Asian-made (I think) "Custom Classic" version due out any day now that will sell new for under $1,000. See info here: http://www.sweetwater.com/store/manufacturer/Vox Hope it helps, CS :-) __________________ "I go online sometimes, but everyone's spelling is really bad. It's depressing." – Tara, from "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" "It was born at the junction of form and function." – Bill Kirchen, from "Hammer of the Honky-Tonk Gods"

April 14th, 2005, 01:22 AM	#14 (permalink)
msteurbaut Tele-Holic Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Belgium Posts: 608	Amp Since I'm mainly an acoustic player, I only started playing electrics some months ago. I have a 20W amp for playing in my living room, and could use my brother's Mesa Boogie for jamming with other players. Now I want my own amp... I was thinking about 30 to 40W. The Mesa Boogie is too expensive. Should I choose an all tube amp or a less expensive digital amp (and rely on effect pedals to 'imitate' a tube amp)? I play mostly Blues and Blues Rock. Thanks Marc Belgium

April 14th, 2005, 05:46 PM	#16 (permalink)
Bill Ashton Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Central Massachusetts Posts: 512	Have you tried a Laney? I have a VC30-112, and it is a very tele-friendly amp. Like the others, the distortion channel leaves something to be desired, although with my brother's old SG-Jr you can get that Jeff-Beck-Ain't-Superstitious-vibe.