Crate BV120H Blue Voodoo

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.

I walked in to a guitar shop a few years ago not really looking for anything and i saw this head. I decided to give it a shot and it blew me away. I play grind and sludge. I never really use the effects loop and i switched out the footswitch that came with it to a single button mainly because i never used it and that i hated the fact that the footswitch cable has to plug into the footswitch aswell as the head that was always a problem unplugging it in the middle of a show. It's just your basic two channel all tube head.

I play an esp with emg pickups. Like I said I play grind/sludge so the fact that it produces monsterous gain is awesome. It lacks clarity and is extremely noisy when the volume is up any higher than 5 without my noise suppressor. With my active pickups the clean channel sounds extremely twangy and distorts anyhigher than 4 but 4 is loud enough it cuts through the mix nicely. The distortion is brutal as hell with the gain at 6 and presence at 8.

I have to re-tube it every six months because i play it almost every day at almost full volume. I don't have another head so every show i play there is no backup and i've toured with this thing and it never once went out.

i've never had to deal with them.

I've only been playing for 4 years but for those 4 years i lived guitar. I'm currently looking at new heads I was thinking about an engl powerball or a vht pittbull ultralead but for the price it is a great amp.

Not quite sure what year it is. It's the older model with the Gold Crate emblem on the front. Basic all tube head, 2 channels with seperate Eq and reverb for each. The Eqs also sweep at different points for each channel. Channel and effects loop switching on front and with footswitch. Also 12db pad switch for effects that have too much gain. Nice touch. Use the Crate FS. Others will give you strange combinations It's got what I need for what I do so I'll give it a 10. If it didn't have what I needed why would I buy it?

First, I am not a great guitar player. I'm actually the front man in my band, but I am a total gear whore and I can totally appreciate great tone when I hear it. I know tone is subjective, but what I've found is a good sounding amp will motivate even the worst guitar player to play more and get better. I have alot of guitars (I love guitars). 2006 Charvel San Dimas HB1 custom (VERY motivating), Ibanez S470, Charvel Model 2, Kramer 24 fret American, blah, blah, blah. Except for the Ibanez, they're all just 1 HB and a volume knob. That should give you an idea of what I like. My favorite players are EVH and Nuno. I'm also a Hair Band Junky. I also love Maiden, Dio, Priest and Ozzy. This amp will cover all of that and more. Not much of a "Nu Metal" drop D one finger wonder guy. I can get anything from classic rock tones to all out high gain destruction with this thing. The clean side is good but will get dirty at higher volumes (turn the bass down and the presence up a little). The distortion channel is not as loud as the clean side and needs to be turned up past 5 to really scream, but that seems to really allow the power tubes to get nice and warm. It could just be this particular amp and may be a bias issue, but in NO way takes anything away from this amp. It's really the only amp I've been able to turn up to 5. I really didn't like this amp with the Factory Groove Tubes. First I put in JJs and it really opened up. On a whim, I put in SED Winged Cs. WOW! I loved it before but now I really love it. I've tried alot of different 12ax7s in the pre amp and they all seem to be pretty close sound wise, but the Winged C 6l6s Rock! Marshall whores and Recto freaks should just go by their 1500 dollar amps and go away. 5150 guys would like this if it's tweaked right. That said, this amp has it's own sound. If you want another amps sound, buy the other amp. At 300 bucks this thing hangs with them all. At 600, it's still worth every penny. Depending on the pre tubes, it can be a little hissy with the gain cranked (about the same as the 5150), but it's a high gain amp and my rocktron Hush fixes it.

Haven't gigged with it, but I play every day and let whoever wants to play through it. I would definately use it on stage if my band would ever let me play guitar. I'v only had it for 3 months.

Haven't needed 'em, but the website is very helpful.

If I had to, I would definately buy another. I love this amp and would definately recomend it. They have discontinued this model but you can still buy a new one online from most places for 600. That's incredible for this amp. On Ebay they go for 300-400, but the prices are going up.

All tube. 120W.
Made in the 90's as far as i know.
Versatile? Not this head. It's simple as it looks, and you won't get much more of it.
Clean channel with Bass, Middle, Treble and Volume.
Gain channel with Bass, Middle, Treble, Master.
Overall Presence.
Seperate reverbs.
Effects loop - send, return.
Output impedance switch 8/16 ohms.
Bias control - internal.
Power - much power, will do whatever you do.

I wish it had sam shape, contour controls for the Gain channel.

Line out.

It's a basic, big tube head made for hard rock, punk and metal. Not very modern :P

Tested it wit Ibanez SZ320QM/stock pickups, OLP John Petrucci/DiMarzio FRED on three different guitar cabs - all with 4x12" speakers:
1. Celestion Vintage 30s - these speakers are definately NOT for the head's type of sound, believe me.
2. 75W Celestions in a Slash signature Marshall Cab - quite nice, really. Metal type, heavy, good bottom, tight and almost sweet... I repeat - almost. It makes a difference - remember.
3. Some Celestions in a Marshall JCM900 cab - something in between...

I play instrumental rock. Satriani sounds nice to my ears. Petrucci's Suspended Animation is okay, too. Also I'm Megadeth/Marty Friedman junkie. Pink Floyd, Anathema... Something in between.

The amp sounds good for rock a la Kiss, AC/DC and metal. It sounds a bit thin. Trashy. Screamy. Saturation on a larger gain setting makes the sound a bit smoother, but just a bit. It's a bad ass head for a rocker. Clean has a strong, very loud sound - louder than the gain channel!

It doesn't suit my music style.

Is it noisy? Just little. I've played quiter amps. Fine on this one.

The clean channel stays clean at high volumes on all settings.

The distortion is not brutal, but rather raw. Can be savage.

The head did not make a single impression on me. I don't think of it in terms of a legendary, beautiful tube sound. It sounds good, but that's it. Don't get me wrong - i think some people may love it.

If it fits all of your needs and likes, it might be a 10 for the sound. I'm giving it 7 because it's nothing that special or versatile to give it more.

One more thing to mention here is the reverb. Huuuuge. The same on every setting. It's a very, very big hall. No matter how much do you set it, it sounds the same, it's level changes and that's where your control ends. Didn't like it at all.

Built well, looks very solid, but i didn't own it long enough to tell...

Didn't have to deal with them.

I've been playing for 9 years.
If it was stolen... I think that's not what i'm looking for.

Again - I wish it had more control over the tone, especially on the gain channel!

I wish the reverb was... Different, sweeter.

Not a very special value for what it has to offer! It's just expensive. Looks nice, plays well... I think it's not worth the price.

Made around 2000
2 channels.
Blues to Death Metal sounds (and I do use the variety).
Separate reverb for each channel.
Nice effects loop setup
120 watts all tube.

I love the distortion in this amp. I can get anything from blues to rock to saturated heavy metal. Even with gain on full and volume at 10, there is not much noise at all. I have a lot of different distortion and overdrive boxes that I like to play with, but I keep coming back to this amps gain channel for every type of overdrive and distortion I look for...the tone is great for me.

The clean channel is not bad, it gets pretty loud, and breaks up pretty early...at about volume of 3. For breakup I actually prefer my gain channel with the gain at about 0.5 to 1, and volume on 10...great tone their. I can get some good breakup on clean channel, but would prefer more headroom for a clearer clean.

Again, distortion is thick, brutal, with virtually no noise...and that is hard to find.

Well, I bought this used, and had to have the input jack replaced. Also, my effects loop does not seem to work at all. I have been using the same tubes for 6 months now in a cold basement, and that seems to work well.

I giving this a no opinion because this amp was used.

Have not dealt with support...this is used with no warranty. Just go to their website for authorized support...I just took it to a local guitar center...

18 years experience...if it was lost I would replace it. In fact, I need a smaller combo for local gigs and I intend to purchase the combo version of this amp.
I run ibanez guitars with dimarzio pickups (FRED, Paf-joe, evolutions) as well as a fender squier with single coils. I even have a cheap Jackson that sounds good through this thing.