Crate Amplifier Owners Club

[Hulk]

Count me in!

I've got a Crate V-30 Head (USA made) and a 212 Cab with Tone Tubbies.

Also have a Crate V-5 (Vietnam) with the Cleeve mod retubed & an Eminence Copperhead

I have a Vox and a Randall as well, but truly enjoy my Crate's. Never really understood why they were considered to be lesser amps (the USA ones anyways).

[XinTX]

V18-112 here. Play it at home through an attenuator to keep from rattling the pictures off the walls though.

Also have one of those little SS modelling amps that rangercaster has. Not crazy about that one though. But it works for practicing at home.

[PraiseCaster]

Crate V18 1-12 owner here!



Love it!

[SpinWheelz]

Anyone sporting a Crate V18 (I have a 212 version) with preamp tubes other than the 12AX7s that came stock? I've been thinking about switching to a different tube, perhaps 12AY7, to reduce the impact of the gain and possibly achieve some additional clean headroom. Right now, it's nigh on impossible to get very clean sounds from it because if I so much as turn that Gain knob anywhere over 1 (with the Level knob turned up for volume), it starts to get overdriven. And I tend not to dime the Gain knob to overdrive the tone anyway - I typically have it between 11 o'clock and 2 o'clock.

Anyone using something other than 12AX7 preamp tubes in their Crate V18?

[Mockingbird]

Count me in!!! I have a Crate XT120R SS. Man that thing gets loud!!! The OD channel sucks, but the solo channel is AMAZING!!! But I use the clean channel most of the time.

[Phat-o-Caster]

My Vintage Club 50/212- it can make your ears bleed in a small room if your in a punishing mood and outdoors the whole neighborhood can bask in the sonic sunshine-great amp. Brian

[Bones]

I have a V8 Palamino

[jbmando]

I have a V3112 and it is a very loud, clean amp with a very good sounding reverb, a mid boost and a very usable gain channel. It would be perfect if it had tremolo. With my Dano Cool Cat trem pedal, it is really all I need. I modded the knobs though. You couldn't tell where they were set because you can't see the indicator dot, so I put chickenheads on it.

[chicotele]

Has anyone replaced speakers in a VC30? Any Idea's? I know theres so many options. :)

[longbow]

My bad mine are VC5015 not 16, and VC2110(small 10" Eminence speaker) but 15 watts nominal and then putting the hammer down it bumps it to 20 watts. I'll post some pics when I get a chance, they are mint too! thanks

[Stephen Hall]

I have a GFX-30 Solidstate. Very nice practice/studio amp. Tone is very close to Fender blackface tube amps. I'm very pleased with it for being my first amp. I've used other friends amps (tube and ss) during practices and I have to say I always want to come back to my Crate.
Love the built-in effects too.

[Joe-Bob]

Originally Posted by Phat-o-Caster

My Vintage Club 50/212- it can make your ears bleed in a small room if your in a punishing mood and outdoors the whole neighborhood can bask in the sonic sunshine-great amp. Brian

I used to have one of those! Amazingly good-sounding amplifier. Amazingly loud amplifier -- you could make people soil themselves. Amazingly heavy amplifier.....that's why it's gone. Too loud for the house; too heavy to take anywhere.

[bdgregory]

I have a few, the VFX 5112 is awesome - stock, as is, no need for mods. It runs a pair of EL34s and is creamy. Fantastic clean channel and decent effects and dirty channel.

I also have a V18 - which is pretty bad stock, but dirt cheap and easy/fun to mod so it sounds good.

Also, the Cimarron ca15 is a decent/cheap acoustic amp I picked up for $35.

[GeriatriRocker]

They origianlly cam out in 78 from what I`ve been able to find out, they had the Crate I which was a 5 watt tube amp and the Crate II which was a 60 watt solidstate amp.I had seen them the year they came out and figured they7 were too gimmicky looking and promptly for got about them. Because they haven`t been heavily marketed in my area I never really saw any until 2008 when I found an old Vintage Club 5115 for sale , it had been on the road and was in rough shape, but I figured it may have some hidden charm and bought it. As others complained there was a probelm of the volume changing, but it was a simple fix, I cleaned all the pots, removed and cleaned the jacks ( the jacks require a clean contact to ground on the chassis as well as the PC board) , and cleaned the tube sockets. I became a Crate convert on NOTE 1, and several friends who visited and tried it out tried it, again played one or 2 notes, and just stopped and stared at the amp as if to say `where has this amp been all my life´ having been converted I kept an eye out for their other models, and justt missed out on a Blue Voodoo, then I found the Crate II , I wasn`t really looking for a solid state amp but by now my curiosity had peaked about Crate so I went to see it. It was covered with kitchen grease, the pots were hopelessly dirty, the speaker was loose, but the guy pulled out a MIM strat ( sorry tele guys) , that had seen better days, the strings were probably as old as the guy selling the amp and all rusty, but the sound got through and I took it on the spot.Solid state yes, but no op amps, very quiet, and after the wife and I had spent an hour cleaning it ( she did the box I did the pots and jacks and chassis) we both siad this one is a keeper, and it still is. A local guy who had bought a V18 and had done some mods and run into trouble advertized locally for help brought his amp over ( I used to do some work as an amp tech) in a non-working state, I was impressed enough by the design to start looking for one, even without hearing it ( starting to take Crate on faith) found one out of town near where my daughter lives and got her to pick it up for me, it ended up being the V18 212 , and I got it a week later, by which time I had got the 112 working. I wasn`t impressed with the 112 because the mods had removed it`s character , but the 212 stock blew me away. I have been playing guitar over 50 years and only re-discovered Crate a couple of years ago, but I`m glad I did. I`ll dig up a pic of my CrateII if anyone is interested, it`s in pretty decent shape for it;s age, the origianl acid burn on the metal handle is still there, the only thing not original is the speaker.

Originally Posted by rangercaster

here is a pic of the original ... i would love to find one these !!!

[Just Fred]

I have recently purchased a Crate Vintage Club 30 which I used at practice last night I like the amp but tones seem kinda harsh. Would preamp tubes be the answer? If so what would you guys recommend?

Thanks
Fred

[Jaybird]

This old crate had a slight transplant and is a great sounder, as well as good looker.

[Jaybird]

Originally Posted by rangercaster

here is a pic of the original ... i would love to find one these !!!

If you live in the San Francisco Bat area this is on CL right now.
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/msg/1603616037.html

[Ironwolf]

I have a V33H head and the 2x12 cabinet. I also have a FW15R solid-stat. I like them both....I like them a lot.

[bullitt]

The local music store has an original Crate on display,thats in mint condition,of course NFS,still remember my buddy that had one bout 78 or so,awesome amp.

[66stang]

My GX-212 won't switch from the gain channels back to clean. Any ideas?