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JohnnyCrash · October 28th, 2006, 07:28 PM

So, after TDPRI's big Tim Armstrong here pointed out his positive experience with the Crate Powerblock as a bass amp at a recent gig... AND the fact that it has a DI output... I immediately went out and bought one.

Why?

1. For a backup Guitar amp (at 7lbs I can easily pack it with my tube amp).
2. As a backup Bass amp (the DI works for club gigs' front-of-house mix). That's right, I said Bass amp.
3. For the heck of it, to try it out.

I built all 6 or 7 of my tube guitar amps, so a backup might be smart, knowing my soldering skills HAHAHA. I doubt my Ampeg SVT bass amp will die, but if it did, I know I've got a backup that'll almost fit in my car's glovebox!

It's very useable for BOTH Guitar AND Bass...

For clean twangin' it sounded pretty good (with some Reverb better, with my standalone tube Fender Reverb unit, MUCH better). For crunchy rockin it sounded pretty good too. With either my Telecaster or my '57 RI Les Paul I was floored by the sound coming out of this SS mini freak through a closed back 2x12" with Celestion Vintage 30s.

Same cab, but with my... Telecaster bass (this is TDPRI afterall) of course ('51 reissue P-Bass), I was surprised how tonefull it was for Bass. Probably not loud enough for a bass rig by itself, but used as Tim did (DI for the club's board to house PA and the amp and a cab for your own stage monitor), it is perfect.

I'll still prefer the dynamic, sensitivity of my tube amps - by a long stretch, but for $99 you couldn't find a more affordable, lightweight, and portable Guitar AND Bass backup amp... sounded pretty decent to boot!

Pretty cool value - for what it is. Sorry, I was so excited I felt like I had to share...

t0m · October 28th, 2006, 07:58 PM

Any chance of any clips? I was interested in trying one of these for taking to practises, would be easier than taking a valve head!

JohnnyCrash · October 28th, 2006, 08:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by t0m

Any chance of any clips? I was interested in trying one of these for taking to practises, would be easier than taking a valve head!

I'll record some as soon as I can. I'm swamped with all kinds of self -inflicted gear addiction problems right now HAHAHA

I'll tell you what though, it weighs nothing as it is, then they give you this carrying bag that carries the AC cord and speaker cable (and maybe a few other small odds and ends) and can be flung over your shoulder...

For $100 USD and 4.6 lbs (2.09k for you European twangers), it's pretty cool. Not an "awesome" sounding "studio" amp, but very useable tones.

lostpick · October 29th, 2006, 10:17 AM

check it out....

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/amp-centr...nyc-stage.html

my only reservation bout this boy is its inabilility
to give you pristine clean at higher volumes...

some guys say that they get preamp hair too
early, but that might be okay for me as I use
a Yamaha Magic Stomp and some amp hair
blends out any rare digital artifact that may show up..
the Yamaha is another crazy MF deal...does a killer
Chandler Tube Driver

JohnnyCrash · October 29th, 2006, 01:03 PM

Wow, I'm not sure if I'd gig with it as my main amp like those guys you saw.

It sounds pretty good - for what it is, BUT not quite as good as most of my many tube amps.

Magic Stomp? Hmm... I don't think I'd use it since I'd only use the PB as a backup amp anyways, I'd trim all of the extras down for ease of transport.

The Magic Stomp EB for bass on the other hand may be interesting to me for use with the Powerblock as a bass amp :)

Tedecaster · October 29th, 2006, 03:27 PM

JC, I'm still wondering if it would drive an extra monitor and sound OK. Any chance of trying that out and posting your thoughts?

Tim Armstrong · October 29th, 2006, 03:37 PM

Yep, just gigged it Friday and Saturday nights, and it was really nice. Better, in fact, than my SWR Workingman's 2004 head, and that's saying a lot.

I also snatched up one of the Yamaha Magic Stomp pedals. I used it today for a duo brunch gig, ran my bass through the Bassman model into the PA system. Worked quite well!

Cheers, Tim

JohnnyCrash · October 29th, 2006, 03:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tedecaster

JC, I'm still wondering if it would drive an extra monitor and sound OK. Any chance of trying that out and posting your thoughts?

Not sure if I understand what you mean...

It's got a few outputs:

1/4" for power amp A (for stereo cab use)
1/4" for power amp B (for stereo cab use)
1/4" for mono bridged
XLR/mic DI out (with speaker simulation)
1/4" stereo for FX loop in and out
Headphone jack on the front

My plan is to use it as a bass amp with the DI output going to the club's mixing board and my bass cab as my onstage monitor.

I guess you could run the amp in stereo, with one cab as front-of-stage and one as a monitor - then have the DI go to the front-of-house mix...

aunchaki · October 29th, 2006, 05:07 PM

I've gigged my PowerBlock as a bass amp. I used the stereo output to drive two GK BackLine cabs: a 4x10 and a 1x15. It sounds great!!

Tedecaster · October 29th, 2006, 05:31 PM

I'm thinking multi-purpose, what ever's needed. What I was asking about is a vocal monitor. Sometimes we come up short on power,travelling light, and I'm wondering if this would sound OK pushing an extra vocal monitor.(probably for the drummer anyway, he he)

Joe-Bob · October 29th, 2006, 09:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tedecaster

I'm thinking multi-purpose, what ever's needed. What I was asking about is a vocal monitor. Sometimes we come up short on power,travelling light, and I'm wondering if this would sound OK pushing an extra vocal monitor.(probably for the drummer anyway, he he)

Actually I think it would be great for that, that's why I have two.

pox · October 30th, 2006, 12:57 AM

I bought one a few weeks ago, tried it at rehearsal with a ToneKing speaker and also direct to the board. Also tried it with a few different speakers around my house, with guitars and bass. It sounded adequate, and it would make a useful gadget for odd amp situations, but I never did get a sound out of it that made me want to use it. The tones made me feel tired. Also, it had a low hummy buzz that wouldn't go away. I didn't hate it, but I ended up returning it.

That's my report.

October 28th, 2006, 07:28 PM	#1 (permalink)
JohnnyCrash Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Fullerton, CA Posts: 8,743	Crate Powerblock, what the he;; ? So, after TDPRI's big Tim Armstrong here pointed out his positive experience with the Crate Powerblock as a bass amp at a recent gig... AND the fact that it has a DI output... I immediately went out and bought one. Why? 1. For a backup Guitar amp (at 7lbs I can easily pack it with my tube amp). 2. As a backup Bass amp (the DI works for club gigs' front-of-house mix). That's right, I said Bass amp. 3. For the heck of it, to try it out. I built all 6 or 7 of my tube guitar amps, so a backup might be smart, knowing my soldering skills HAHAHA. I doubt my Ampeg SVT bass amp will die, but if it did, I know I've got a backup that'll almost fit in my car's glovebox! It's very useable for BOTH Guitar AND Bass... For clean twangin' it sounded pretty good (with some Reverb better, with my standalone tube Fender Reverb unit, MUCH better). For crunchy rockin it sounded pretty good too. With either my Telecaster or my '57 RI Les Paul I was floored by the sound coming out of this SS mini freak through a closed back 2x12" with Celestion Vintage 30s. Same cab, but with my... Telecaster bass (this is TDPRI afterall) of course ('51 reissue P-Bass), I was surprised how tonefull it was for Bass. Probably not loud enough for a bass rig by itself, but used as Tim did (DI for the club's board to house PA and the amp and a cab for your own stage monitor), it is perfect. I'll still prefer the dynamic, sensitivity of my tube amps - by a long stretch, but for $99 you couldn't find a more affordable, lightweight, and portable Guitar AND Bass backup amp... sounded pretty decent to boot! Pretty cool value - for what it is. Sorry, I was so excited I felt like I had to share... __________________ -- I constantly have to remind myself I'm a grownup and it's just the internet.

October 29th, 2006, 10:17 AM	#4 (permalink)
lostpick Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Staten Island, NYC Posts: 1,232	YO.......JC check it out.... http://www.tdpri.com/forum/amp-centr...nyc-stage.html my only reservation bout this boy is its inabilility to give you pristine clean at higher volumes... some guys say that they get preamp hair too early, but that might be okay for me as I use a Yamaha Magic Stomp and some amp hair blends out any rare digital artifact that may show up.. the Yamaha is another crazy MF deal...does a killer Chandler Tube Driver

October 29th, 2006, 01:03 PM	#5 (permalink)
JohnnyCrash Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Fullerton, CA Posts: 8,743	Wow, I'm not sure if I'd gig with it as my main amp like those guys you saw. It sounds pretty good - for what it is, BUT not quite as good as most of my many tube amps. Magic Stomp? Hmm... I don't think I'd use it since I'd only use the PB as a backup amp anyways, I'd trim all of the extras down for ease of transport. The Magic Stomp EB for bass on the other hand may be interesting to me for use with the Powerblock as a bass amp :) __________________ -- I constantly have to remind myself I'm a grownup and it's just the internet.

October 29th, 2006, 03:37 PM	#7 (permalink)
Tim Armstrong Moderator Doctor of Teleocity Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Ocean Pines, Maryland, USA Age: 50 Posts: 13,144	Yep, just gigged it Friday and Saturday nights, and it was really nice. Better, in fact, than my SWR Workingman's 2004 head, and that's saying a lot. I also snatched up one of the Yamaha Magic Stomp pedals. I used it today for a duo brunch gig, ran my bass through the Bassman model into the PA system. Worked quite well! Cheers, Tim __________________ http://www.moodswingers.org

October 29th, 2006, 05:07 PM	#9 (permalink)
aunchaki Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Western New York Posts: 1,487 24 Photos	I've gigged my PowerBlock as a bass amp. I used the stereo output to drive two GK BackLine cabs: a 4x10 and a 1x15. It sounds great!! __________________ Two Teles + One Strat + Three Acoustics (6, 12 & solidbody 6) + Two Mandolins (4 & 8 strings) + One Bass (5 strings) = 59 strings total

October 28th, 2006, 07:58 PM	#2 (permalink)
t0m Tele-Meister Join Date: May 2006 Location: UK Posts: 123	Any chance of any clips? I was interested in trying one of these for taking to practises, would be easier than taking a valve head!

October 29th, 2006, 03:27 PM	#6 (permalink)
Tedecaster Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Greensboro, Vermont Posts: 1,018 26 Photos	JC, I'm still wondering if it would drive an extra monitor and sound OK. Any chance of trying that out and posting your thoughts?

October 29th, 2006, 05:31 PM	#10 (permalink)
Tedecaster Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Greensboro, Vermont Posts: 1,018 26 Photos	I'm thinking multi-purpose, what ever's needed. What I was asking about is a vocal monitor. Sometimes we come up short on power,travelling light, and I'm wondering if this would sound OK pushing an extra vocal monitor.(probably for the drummer anyway, he he)

October 30th, 2006, 12:57 AM	#12 (permalink)
pox TDPRI Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: near Seattle, WA Posts: 34	I bought one a few weeks ago, tried it at rehearsal with a ToneKing speaker and also direct to the board. Also tried it with a few different speakers around my house, with guitars and bass. It sounded adequate, and it would make a useful gadget for odd amp situations, but I never did get a sound out of it that made me want to use it. The tones made me feel tired. Also, it had a low hummy buzz that wouldn't go away. I didn't hate it, but I ended up returning it. That's my report.

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