Why all the Crate Haters?

[Psychobilly444]

Cruising the interwebs as a buddy of mine is looking for a combo amp that will cut through drums while playing country and classic rock. Genre that is WAY outside my "wheelhouse." Anyway, that's another story (I think we settled on the Fender Mustang III V.2).

Something I have noticed not just now, but always, that there are a lot of people out there that Crate Haters (Craters?). Is there a reason (a legit one) that this is so? I've got a Crate GFX212 combo that I've had since the 90's and I love it. They are inexpensive, last forever, built like tanks, and sound amazing. Obviously, these are all sore spots that would make a priest kick in a stained-glass window. But aside from these awful features, what is there to hate about them?

While on the topic, why do people hate the Marshall MG series? Do I just have shi$&y taste in amps?

And I know it's all in "what sounds good or works for you," I get that. I am more curious about why they SOOOOO don't for other people.

 

[gball]

I've never been able to figure this out either. The older, made in USA Crates are solid amps with some good tone if you take the time to dial them in. And like you said they are pretty much bomb-proof. I think a lot of the hate comes from "first amp, starter amp" corksniffery...when I was a kid there was nothing less cool than a Peavey for this reason even though those '70's/early '80's Peaveys sounded fantastic.

As for the MG's, I really don't get it. They sound great across the line, have tons of features, are inexpensive and durable. Guess this is another form of corksniffery: if a Marshall doesn't have valves/tubes it's not a "real" Marshall.

I say just use what makes the sounds that work for you and forget about the white noise of the haters.

 

[Psychobilly444]

I agree, i'm not worried about the "white noise," I never have. Just really want to know why the hate. But your theory makes sense. I had a Crate 15w that was a total dud. But I blamed the amp, not the whole company!

WAIT! WHAT!!?? MY MARSHALL DOESNT HAVE TUBES!!?? I just thought they were very small ones!! And fired up REALLY fast!?

 

[dbb]

Typical tube amp snobbery - and Crate made a great tube amp series, the Vintage Club, too.

I have no issues with solid state or modeling amps. Why so many people automatically dismiss them is only explainable in terms of musical elitism expressed through gear - only certain gear is good enough, and other gear, even though it actually IS good stuff, cannot possibly be considered because it is either a starter amp, SS, a Crate or Peavey, modeling, etc.

I read an article about a band touring Europe, playing in the hot summer, and the tube Marshall amps were all overheating. They dragged out a Marshall MG and it saved the gig - and sounded pretty good too, even to the guys used to playing tube amps.

All I can say it I'm happy amp makers will supply all of the market's needs, not just those of the boo-teek tube sniffer sort.

 

[Karathas]

I agree, i'm not worried about the "white noise," I never have. Just really want to know why the hate. But your theory makes sense. I had a Crate 15w that was a total dud. But I blamed the amp, not the whole company!

WAIT! WHAT!!?? MY MARSHALL DOESNT HAVE TUBES!!?? I just thought they were very small ones!! And fired up REALLY fast!?

Alot of people don't think an amp is good unless it's
A big name like fender or Marshall. I say bully to them. If it's good it's good.

 

[Biddlin]

I used to play through a Crate 15W with reverb that the sound man mic'ed, with a power trio. I currently use a Crate Palomino for bar gigs. My experience has been all good. I also have a couple of Fenders and a Vox VT. I don't really like Marshall tube amps. I do like some of the SS models, though.
;>)/

 

[JohnnyGoo]

i got two Blackheart Tube amps and cabinets and love them.there kind of Crates.i do have a old beat up Crate speaker cabinet that still sounds good.

 

[bea]

My first bass amp is a Crate BX-15. Actually never got accustomed to its tone (nor to that of the larger combos of that series). Ok, fits the "mid dominated bass in jazz clichee". It is just the speaker - after adapting it to an Eminence Alpha 8 it has become a really nicely sounding bass practice amp (its a real surprise with a 112 or 115 bass cab), and it is good sa a clean guitar amp as well.

 

[CATMANDUE]

For the record, some of the bigger ones I played through in the 90s I liked. The Palomino series five watter I played through around 2004 or so was great. I have played many older ones that had lots of noise and the tone was not all that impressive. I feel these are the ones that get the "hate." Please don't take this wrong but, I've played more that were bad than good. I'm sure there are gems as well I've never ran across. I'm just a consumer like many of us on here as well. I have not heard them all. Maybe the Bugera amps are the Crates of today!

 

[zisme]

my first real amp was a crate gt120 2x12 combo. it's still around somewhere (a friend is borrowing it for his kid who is learning guitar). definitely loud enough to jam with a band, and i thought it sounded pretty good - very punchy. i just bought my mom a 10 watt crate acoustic amp for her acoustic electric. sounds lovely and seems very well made. no hate for crate here.

i prefer solid state for the cost factor and reliability. at home i use an amt stonehead and in my band i use an orange cr120. both sound great to me. the orange gets plenty of tone compliments at gigs - most never realize it's solid state. i JUST bought an old sunn beta lead head too, so that should be fun!

 

[DrBGood]

I just sold my GTX212 for not much. That amp was a tone beast, made for metal. The bass coming out of those 12 inchers ... But you have to work your ass off to find your sweet spot tone. The effect board on that amp requires a nuclear physicist degree to figure it out. Never really bonded with it, but it sure made the house shake and rumble. I think I loosened a few nails in the structure.

I still have a G40C I can't get rid of, can't give it away. Little 2X10" that sounds like ... garbage. I'll either burn it or bury it in the backyard.

 

[defaultoprime]

I've got a V8 Palomino... It's not a US built one... Just the same, I love love love it... such a great little amp...

I also have a V33H and 2X12 cab... It's amps like this one that give Crate a bad name... Unmodded, it's lead channel was so muddy that it was completely unusable... I'm astonished that anyone would sell an amp with one channel being that bad... after the resistor swap mod, it's much better... not great, but better...

 

[gball]

I've got a V8 Palomino... It's not a US built one... Just the same, I love love love it... such a great little amp...

I also have a V33H and 2X12 cab... It's amps like this one that give Crate a bad name... Unmodded, it's lead channel was so muddy that it was completely unusable... I'm astonished that anyone would sell an amp with one channel being that bad... after the resistor swap mod, it's much better... not great, but better...

I have one too, one of the early US-built ones. I upgraded the tubes and speaker and it sounded amazing for the price...until I was running it flat-out one day, and it was really cooking and sounding amazing, and something 'popped' and then no more sound. Checked and it wasn't either of the tubes - so I looked at the board and there is a spot where several of the components are scorched and the board is a little fried. Would like to fix it but I think it will require a whole new circuit board and that may not make sense for a decade-old amp that only cost me $200 on sale.

 

[bea]

Old amps need new electrolytic capacitors. Otherwise effects like the described one may happen.

 

[gball]

Where it scorched seems to be several of the surface-mount components near the input IC. The filter caps seems fine, although I did not specifically check them to see if they are doing their job correctly. In 10 years I really didn't use it that much as It was more of a novelty amp to get that "one" sound that it did, so I think it was a one-in-a-million faulty component that went out. This thread got me thinking about it again and I just sent an e-mail to Crate service to see if they can assist.

 

[defaultoprime]

well that stinks...

Yea, they're a bit of a one-trick pony... but damn... that one trick is awfully good

 

[Dave_Death]

I thought Crate had wound up.

Yeah the hate for Crate and Peavey ... they are as underrated as Oranges and Mesas are overrated ... some kind of snobbery involved

 

[Karathas]

I thought Crate had wound up.

Yeah the hate for Crate and Peavey ... they are as underrated as Oranges and Mesas are overrated ... some kind of snobbery involved

Around here its like being on the Brady Bunch...."Marshall Marshall Marshall" . Lots of orange lovers too. Mesa here are expensive so most people are unfamiliar with em. I wouldn't call them super popular or overrated either tho. The one I have is pretty good. Doesn't mean lower priced amps aren't good either. I try to keep an open mind

 

[gball]

I thought Crate had wound up.

Yeah the hate for Crate and Peavey ... they are as underrated as Oranges and Mesas are overrated ... some kind of snobbery involved

I do think they went **** up, but I sent an e-mail to a service center to see if they can get a replacement board. If not, I put a real nice speaker in it, so maybe I will convert it to a cabinet.

 

[Rain]

A lot of people seem to like to put on a show when it's time to give an opinion - usually there's very little substance to those reviews since it's all about them and the product reviewed is only an excuse...

I can't tell for Crate.

I've owned a variety of solid state Marshall amps through the years. Best of them was an old Marshall Master Lead combo. Worst of them was a Valvestate AVT50 2000. I'd own different Valvestate's in the past which were okay, but that particular one was way too fizzy for my taste.

I still own a little MG - it's "in the ballpark" in terms of Marshall tone. Some of the higher frequencies are a bit acid for my taste, but then, I have very picky ears because, well, it's my job. But I don't think it's half as bad a some drama queens put it. I'd be curious to hear the bigger ones.