Crate amps?

Tony Dingus · Post by **Tony Dingus** » 22 Nov 2003 10:19 am

Anybody used a Crate amp for steel?

tom anderson · Post by **tom anderson** » 22 Nov 2003 10:37 am

I had a vintage Crate that I ordered with a 15 inch speaker that I got for a tube amp. It had a cool overdrive feature if I wanted that effect & was plenty loud, but when I played it next to a 65 reissue Fender twin, I sold the Crate the next day.

Roger Miller · Post by **Roger Miller** » 30 Nov 2003 10:14 am

I bought a vintage club 60 and that amp was junk from the work go. It spent more time in the shop, finally I sent it to St. Louis and they fixed it. The next night, power dropped, then wound up in a music store with a price tag waiting for the next sucker.

Jon Light (deceased) · Post by **Jon Light (deceased)** » 30 Nov 2003 10:36 am

I practiced with a band that said that they had an amp for me. When I got there it was a 2x12 Crate. I strongly believe that as long as it works you can make any amp do the job for you. It didn't work.

JB Arnold · Post by **JB Arnold** » 30 Nov 2003 7:48 pm

I traded my Crate in for my twin reissue as well....

JB

------------------
Fulawka D-10 9&5
Fessenden D-10 8&8
"All in all, looking back, I'd have to say the best advice anyone ever gave me was 'Hands Up, Don't Move!"
www.johnbarnold.com/pedalsteel
www.buddycage.net

http://www.nrpsmusic.com/index.html

Dave Boothroyd · Post by **Dave Boothroyd** » 1 Dec 2003 4:50 am

I wonder if the people behind Crate knew that "Milk Crate" was a term we used over here for a 100W Marshall top which was so knackered that when you carried it, you could hear the valves rattling in their holders, like milk bottles in the milkman's crate.
To me, writing "Crate" on an amp says "beaten up old thing that will let you down any second now"
So I've never used one.
Cheers
Dave

Jerry Knapper · Post by **Jerry Knapper** » 1 Dec 2003 7:48 am

I have played through a crate for a few years along with a Nashville 400 and a rack system. Crate developed their reputation as an amp that offered maximum overdrive at minimum volume and like so many amp companies have lightened up the front end to keep the price down which makes it difficult to get a good clean sound. Currently I play through a new GTX212, modified with a single 15" eminence speaker similar to Evans amps.
For 17 years, I have been working on SLM to build a good solid steel amp, but it has not happened yet. I can promise you they are looking more strongly at this market, however. I know because I am one of their Regional Sales Managers.
The only positive thing I can say about Crate as a steel amp under the present models is it offers a full range of frequencies, so if you use a simplified version of the amp, like the new GT series and use a good outboard effects system, it won't be muddy sounding. I like the effects capability of the GTX being able to save and store two effects on each of the three channels so am using that and it works well for the show band work that I do.
One other feature that they first offered was an extention speaker jack out front so I could plug a JBL cab from my rack system into it if needed.
Doing so keeps the amp as clean as my old KK Shobud and sounds a lot better than a lot of other amps that I have owned or tried under the $600 price point.