Crate BV120H Blue Voodoo

see the other reviews for features. 2 channels, reverb, excellent tone control

Excellent tone. Very smooth distortion and lots of it. And this amp RECORDS VERY WELL. I tried it during our last studio sessions because Marty Friedman turned me on to these. And I ended up tracking every song with the BV120H.
The clean channel sounds much better than my rectifier.
The reverb is very smooth. Not old fender-ish but very usable.

No problems whatsoever. Everything is top notch

nice folks. very helpful. even the non-artist relations people.

THIS AMP IS THE BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK PERIOD!!! Are there better amps? For some things yes, but for the money, there is nothing that can touch this BV120H beast.

I've been playing Marshall amps for years. I came upon the Blue Voodoo in a Musicgoround in Cary,NC while looking for a used Marshall JCM 800. This is the last amp you'll ever need!!

I played it for over an hour and couldn'r believe how clean it was at any volume level. The overdrive gives crisp driving distortion that rivals any pedal on the market!

I've only had it a week or so......

Sound is awesome! Looks great! EZ to use, and has all control options you need! Wish I'd found it a long tiem ago and not wasted coin on other amps!!!

This amp is pretty straight forward, 2 channels (footswitchable), emaculate clean channel no matter what I run through it (Les Paul or JS-100 most of the time), and the lead channel is to die for. I'm suprised how much gain you can get out of an amp with only 4 gain stages. The footswitchable effects loop is also pretty nifty. The reverb is well voiced for both channels on the amp. I take this amp gigging all the time and I never have a problem being heard although my other guitarist uses a Peavey 6505+ and I have to set my volume double his in order to be heard. Don't try to convince yourself that this amp is anything besides a metal machine. I've seen people run od's in front of the clean channel and get a bluesy sound but oing straight this amp is built for metal.

The amp is a pretty straight forward metal machine but if you run some od's in front of the clean you can really open up the amp to aot more sounds. The clean channel stays clean and the lead stays heavy as balls. I'm in a Southern Metal band (myspace.com/nightafterdark) and this amp gets the job done for me. I run a Les Paul mostly but I've played everything through it and as long as the axe has humbuckers in it it'll sound good 'n heavy. A strat'll get a nice bluesy overdrive on the lead channel. It has a wee bit of hum to it but so does my other guitarist's 6505+ and that amp cost about 3 times hat I paid for this one. Watch the gain, treble, and presence levels when you're playing live because it will squeal if you don't eq the amp at the volume you plan on playing a show.

This amp has never failed me and I beat the living crap out of it. I've never had anything go wrong with it and it's the most reliable tube amp you can get for like $300(USED)

Never delt with them, I've been beating the amp up for a year and haven't had to do ANY service to it at all!

I've been playing since I was a freshman in highschool and this is my main amp, I would go and buy another one if anything happened to mine. The one problem I see with the amp is just the difference in volume between it and other amps my friends have. My volume has to be twice what their's is, and I've played it agianst a Peavey 6505 & 6505+, Mesa Dual Rectifier, Marshall JCM TSL 60 watt & 100 watt. Luckily I haven't ever had to turn up past 8, if I need to turn up past that the venue usually mikes the amps.

Mine is about 3-4 years old. Has line out, effects send/return, etc., etc.

Put a ECC81/12AT7 in the middle socket of the preamp trio. Until I replaced that one preamp tube, the amp was out of control as far as gain. Looking into the amp there are three preamp tubes together. Replace the middle of this trio with a ECC81/12AT7. This lessens/spreads the gain so you can have more control over it. There is plenty of gain left, beyond 7 it is all the way up anyway. You don't have to change any other tubes.
I set the bias at -35 just to make the output tubes last longer. Now I can turn the gain knob and it slowly responds as opposed to jumping quickly to too much gain. I don't know why Crate didn't do this, it wouldn't cost anything. The amp has tons of gain left and can be made so much better with one ECC81/12AT7 tube. Without a tube change the BV120H amp has too much gain, with it, it can be used for nearly any kind of music. You have to do this to your BV120H.

Haven't had any problems

I have a Marshall DSL and I can't get but one tone from it, thin and raspy, like a rubbing voice coil sound. The Crate has much more tone available and tone variation with the ECC81 tube change. Don't pay some
guru to screw you with mods, just change the tube dude. Would I buy another BV120? The price is starting to go up for used ones because more people are finding out it has the same and better sound than the Marshall
hi-gain amps. I don't know if I would buy another, but I won't sell this one.

I've got the blue/gold one. Versatile for rock; what it's made for. Two channel, 12 knob. I have used this amp unmiked in the Granada theatre in Lawrence, KS and the Beaumont in Kansas City those are not small venues, it's loud. It's the sound I've wanted forever so I must not be very good according to some of you idiots. I instructed the sound guys NOT to mike me. The BV sounds like an amp is supposed to sound on 6 and a half. Not a tube amp, not a solid state amp, a friggin' guitar amp. Oh, gear snobs or spoiled brats, the Vintage 30 cab is not that much better than the Crate American Vintage cabs. I've had multiple experienced sound engineers as well as myself and my band verify this.

I grew up with a tone in my head and could never get it with a dual rec, JCM800, 900, 2000, JCM900SLX the list goes on. The closest I could get to the tone I wanted was with a Les Paul and a JCM800. The full bodied crunch was there, just not enough gain. I plugged my Gibson into this BV and heard my sound. It's natural but according to some of you it's not a real tube amp. Talk to guys who do amp mods, they may disagree with ya. The tone, with a good guitar, is raw and tubey, it's crunchy, raunchy and Marshallesque. Rather ideal for those who like to play, rather than whine. Unless you've drunk the puppet koolaid and can't hear past people you think are better than you's reviews, it might sound okay. The BV is real american distortion and I think those things with the letters GT on them that glow in the back of it are tubes, thus making it a tube amp. I could be wrong. I lined this up with a Mesa and TSL at Chapman studios in KC with the same guitar. The crate won. No joke, no exaggeration, certain people were speechless. And yes we knew how to work the almighty dual rectifier and its mystery settings. To those of you who can't live with spending less than 2 grand on a pre-amp might be a little pre-occupied with something other than guitar playing. Maybe its your chops, success with females or males, or cup size, but do yourself a favor and leave that out of your amp reviews. You might scare away kids who have real talent, and think they can't play unless they spend what you claim to have spent.

No problems yet-2 years solid.

N/A

Played for 12 years, taught for 2, opened for Suicidal Tendencies, Jackyl, few other national acts. Love Dime, Sabbath, Zack, Randy, Pepper Keenan and Mr. Cantrell as well as some fusion. I studied jazz with Fred Hamilton and Tim Miller at the University of North Texas and classical with Luis Millan and Randy Klingbeil at Washburn University. The amp is worth trying out if you like good tone.

I have a millenium model with the bronze Crate emblem and actually blue tolex. It features two independent channels with 3-band eqs and controls for gain, reverb and presence. It also has a FX Loop boost, which is pretty cool. Contrary to what the model number implies, the Blue Voodoo amps are rated at 100 watts (read the specs on the back).

The eq controls a decent-enough range, and there's more than enough gain to distort your sound to the moon. The one spot the BV seems to be limited is volume in the distorted channel, which makes it a problem for someone playing in a loud, metal-type band. For some reason, the clean channel has enough power to match any 100W amp out there. However, when you kick on the distortion, you really have to crank it to compete. For example, typically I play with my distorted volume at 7 to 7.5 while my other guitarist's JCM-2000 is at 3 to 3.5. Needless to say, they laugh at me a bit. But for the price I paid, I believe this was the best amp I could get.

The sound quality isn't a problem. The clean channel can sparkle, but you have to watch the high end. I like it a lot, but it's a bit limited on the low end. Not to big of a deal, though, because most guitars have a neck pick up for that reason. I've already expressed the volume issue with the distorted channel, but what's totally awesome about this amp is the amount of gain saturation you can get before everything becomes white noise. Even with stock tubes, the pre amp in the BV has a big range.

It's 7 years old, been through 3 owners, and lately, I've been really pushing it. It's reliable. But ANY amp can break down at ANY time. I bring my Peavy solid state with me to every show just in case.

Heard good things, but haven't had to call them.

For the price range, I really don't think you'll find anything better. Everything else is solid state or highly overrated, in my opinion. If you want a truly sick amp, get a Mesa Boogie or a handmade Diezel from Germany. Then again, you probably don't have 4300 bucks to blow on just the amp. If you're looking for something that will rock and give you plenty of room for your sound to breathe, the Blue Voodoo should be a prospect.

Manufacture date March 2000
Blue Tolex / large brass name plate model
Specs have been covered
This one was re-tubed by previous owner Haven't opened it up to verify mfg.
Running it through a true vintage-basket weave marshall 4X12 Celestions straight cab bought from back of van @ pawnshop parking lot for $50!
Effects loop boost switch

I have noticed several "credible sounding" reviews here that claim there is a solid state circuit in the distortion channel. I got on phone with Crate tech support this morning to discuss this and they clarified that there is no distortion chip per se. There is however a ss rectifier. The point is the impression given of a "shaped" solid state distortion channel is totally erroneous. This was also confirmed by Jerry Pinnelli
of FJA Mods ( FJAMods.com or FJA Mods Myspace)
"...There is no solid state in the signal path of the Blue Voodoo. The amp does have a bright, buzzy tone that can sound a bit like it has solid state distortion, but it doesn't.
Different speakers will have a big affect on the amps tone..."

Guitar: Gibson Les Paul Studio stock (Seattle craigslist $600 after haggle)
Clean is clean and bright. Complements the LP sound
Distortion is excellent through the old Marshall Cab. Chest thumping lows great sustain (LP)
Tube distortion.

Presence potentiometer has an open circuit. I will probably just touch up the connection to the circuit board with my $10 soldering iron.
The trade off with this inexpensive design is that components - jacks, switches, pots - are directly mounted to the circuit board and the solder connections are often subject to fatigue cracks from movement, heat and impact. An ounce more of engineering would help here and save Crate some $$ in warranty repair and reputation. But it's not a huge deal considering the value/ cost of the amp

I don't care what amp you have, always have a backup available within 30 minutes

Spoke with tech support. Very helpful even with out of warranty amp. Recommended a local shop with phone #.
Parts are inexpensive and available by phone and credit card. I bought a channel switch for Vintage Club 50 for around $6 shipped.

Crate produces a value engineered product and does a good job at that. I find the cosmetics ie mirrored back and tube enhancing light bulbs more than a bit pretentious.

I've been playing for 30 years. This amp is for my 15yo kid who plays circles around me!
Other equip in house:
Crate vintage club 50
Fender Champ 1966 Blackface (Mint)
Ibanez S470 (japan 80's?) Personally autographed by Steve Vai ;)
Gurian JR
Martin 0-17 1936
Ibanez ae18 acoustic elect cutaway

Crate contact info:
LOUD Technologies Inc. Corporate Office
16220 Wood-Red Road NE
Woodinville, WA 98072 USA

Tel: +1 425 892 6500
Tel: +1 866 858 LTEC (866 858 5832)
Fax: +1425 487 4337

If you call them, be clear, concise and professional.

2003 - $599 - new.
2 Channels - clean and heavy
Effects loop.
Great for all styles.
100 watts - NOT 120! (all tube)
4 6l6's 4 12ax7

Okay so, with the stock Sovtek's (GT6L6B's) you really have to crank the power tubes to get good sound. At pratice today I played my channel volume on 7 and my gain on 2. It sounded like a whole new amp. Power tube distortion is very underrated! It had plenty of distortion and was decently thick. Playing with you channel volume on 5.5 and your gain on 3 causes the amp to be thin sounding. It has a decent overdrive tone. I wouldnt call it the best, but it is definately not the worst. The clean channel sparkles, but the highs can get out of control pretty easily. Clean channel is much louder than the overdrive channel when dialed the same (up to 7). I don't like the overall tone if the power tubes aren't cranked. I plan on putting in some SED Winged "c" 6L6's and Tung Sol pre amp tubes.

The reiliablity is great. I had one pre amp tube go out, but it was 3 years old. I got a five year warranty with it (for all electronics). Built strong, built heavy. heavy gauge wiring inside. I trust this Blue Voodoo with all my life.

Never delat with them.
But I have hears that they are amazing. I mean c'mon they give a 5 year warranty from the time you walk out the door with the product.

I've been playing for 3 years. Im lead guitarist/lead singer in my pop/rock band. This BV out performs many amps for the price. Not as loud as a Mesa or Marshall DSL. But still very loud. I actually took the chassis out, flipped it around to where the back panel (black) it the front, and the grill is the back. Looks more professional to me. I can't wait to put in those Winged C's, Ill let you know how it changes.

Features as below. All my cabs are 8 or 4 ohms. Having 16 or 8 as selections is very odd. Peavey at least has on my VTM120 4 jacks to please almost any combo of cabs you have.

If you get one of these and want a full stack you MUST have 16 ohm cabs.

The EQ section is adequate, but I would have liked a bit more bass.

As usual with most if not ALL amps that have them, the "OVERDRIVE" channel sucks, but I have a few pedals that have killer overdrive sounds that work fine in the "CLEAN" channel.

I only own tube amps at or over 100 watts... a Peavey VTM120, a 70's Fender, and this one. Their volume potential is in that order. The VTM is brutally loud, the Quad Reverb is WAY more than enough, and I'd say it's a real 100 watts. The Crate is not. After trying other tubes in it. I'd call it no more than 75 watts or so being generous.

The clean channel lends itself nicely to pedals and if you play a big box like an ES175 or 335 you'd like this amp.

I have three 4x12 cabs, two with Celestions (70 and 80 watters) and one with Eminence 30 watt speakers. The amp seems to like the lower wattage speakers better, especially for chords. It has killer sounds for that. For lead, no speaker combo I fed it sounds really good till you slip a pedal in the middle.

I think this head may like a 4x10 cab. I think I'll try that next.

Seems OK. I bought it used in really like new shape.

N/A

I've been playing a long time, I bought the BV120 because I like tube amps. It reminds me a lot of my old BF bandmaster sound but louder... not earthshattering loud, but enough to push through in most bands that play smaller dates.

I read a LOT about this amp needing some tube replacement games going to get the power and tone up. I guess the owners of those amps have expectations are different than mine. A 120 watt amp shouldn't have favorite tubes to get near it's power or tone envelope. Be that as it may, it's a nice amp as a primary or backup, and at prices around $500 to $600 it's really not a bad investment.

My amp has the gold Crate insignia on the front. I bought it in early 2001, so it was probably made in 2000. It is your basic 2 channel amp that is versatile enough to play anything from classic rock to brutal metal. I'm sure you can play some decent blues or jazz through the clean channel, but that's not my area. It comes with 2 reverb knobs, effects loop, line out jack, and footswitch. The amp says it's a 120watt amp, but I don't know. A Marshall JCM 800 50watt amp can blow this amp away when it comes to volume.

With the shitty Groove Tubes that came with this amp, I'd rate it a 5. For the first 4 years I had this amp, I didn't do any gigging and lived in an apartment, so there was no need to blast it loud and expose any weaknesses with the amp. It was adequate for bedroom level playing. I knew nothing about tubes, so like most others, I assumed groove tubes were good enough and didn't need to be replaced. When I started playing in a band and had to crank her up loud, I realized what a shitty sound I had. My band mates suggested I get rid of it and I agreed. I did some research on the Internet and found a place called thetubestore.com. With the help of their reviews on tubes, I decided to get 3 Tung-Sol 12XA7 preamp tubes, 4 JJ 6L6 power tubes, and 1 GE 5751 preamp tube. I placed the GE 5751 tube in the slot that is seperate from the other preamp tubes. The 5751 tube has 30% less gain, and consequently less power, than a normal 12ax7 tube, but it will allow you to turn the volume knob up higher and push the power tubes harder. The BV has way too much gain inherited in the amp, so I felt it was necessary to take some of it out to get a more professional sound. I use a Hagstrom Super Swede (which is the equivalent to a Les Paul Studio) with Seymour Duncan TB-4 pickup in the bridge, and a 4x12 cab with Celestion Vintage 30 speakers. There was only one word to describe how I felt when I plugged in and cranked her up. WOW!!! I have struck gold my friends! There's no noise or feed back issues and the sound has been improved big time! I play old school metal, punk rock, and hard rock 'n' roll, and honestly I wouldn't trade this amp for my bandmates Marshall JCM 800 or my friends Soldano and Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier amps. Those amps are all great and are much louder (and much more expensive), but the new tone I've achieved with the BV suits me damn near perfectly and it's still plenty loud enough. I don't need an amp that causes ear and speaker damage! Is the BV the best amp in the world? Probably not, but for the first time ever, I'm really satisfied with my tone and I don't have to worry about sounding great on stage. Later on I'll try putting in some Tung-Sol 5881 power tubes to replace the JJ 6L6's to see what that sounds like. I heard they are some of the best power tubes around that aren't rediculously priced.

Never had a problem with my amp in six years.

Never had to deal with them.

I've been playing for 15 yrs, but I don't claim to be an expert. I've seen and played many shows and heard some great guitar tones out there, but most people like myself can't break the bank experimenting on high priced boutique amps. I'm sure their are many amps out there that would sound incredible if I had the time and money to invest in them, but I don't. With some tube and amp EQ experimentation, the BV is a fantastic value and an awesome amp that can compete with those much higher priced brand names, and even blow some of them away! I wouldn't have believed it a few years back, but it's true. There is great tone to be had if you choose the right tube combination, amp EQ settins, guitar, pickup, and speakers. Email me if you're interested in knowing what settings I use on my amp.