Crate BV300H Head

This amp was surprisingly versatile. I as well as most people I know just wont touch crate. But this amp is extremely well rounded sounds good at low as well as high volume. I play everything from rock to progressive metal, and this amp will do it all. the effects loop comes in handy as i also use a seperate preamp at times for more choices.

I am currently using an esp ec-1000 with emgs (85 neck, 81 bridge) and this amp is crushing in all aspects. The tone really needs played with to get what you want but if your willing to take the time to find the sweet spots it will take care of you. it is a very noisy amp but with anything high gain that is to be expected. no complaints on the sound, and I have toured professionally for several years and played all sorts of amps.

Have not toured with yet but im sure it will see road time. It seems way better built than the other voodoo heads. Definately a way better amp. It honestly is up there with the engl, vht and other boutique amps out there.

never dealt with them but plan to so i can ask them about switching from the 6550s to kt88s

I have been playing for about 10years 4 of which have been full time touring. I have played on all jcm heads, mesa rectos, owned a randal rm100, houghs & kettner tri amp, 5150 and more and this thing is as cool as any of those cept the triamp. it is way better sounding than any mesa and keeps up with all others. I got mine in a trade for a piano that sat for years so it was at no cost to me, so I dont know if I would purchase another one. For that kind of cash I would honestly look for something a little more obscure but if the right deal approached I would def pick one up again.

I think this bv300h is a 2003....It has all the features that I know possible on an amp....I use the amp in my house for personal entertainment.....16 tubes!

I use Ibanez with hot rails and a X2N...Fits my style and all others....NOT noisy....It will do Rammstien spot on....Distortion is way up there, chain saw on steel shed describes it pretty good...16 tubes, my triple rec didn't do that!!!! I LOVE the sound of this tube amp channel 3.....This is a true MONSTER AMP, I hear alot of people make this claim about amps in general, but this is the mother of invention, all kidding aside....It's equal to 3 100 watt Marshalls put together, figure that......

Mostly reliable, but the channel swithing flip flops aren't up to the task and may need attention.....I will eventually have to change mine but I am not that worried about not being able to switch back to the clean channel once I'm playing since I am not a working musician.....

This is the problem: Basically non-existant support, worst I'v seen....I repair ALOT of broken amps on EBAY and this company did not return email or answer the phone for support....I got schematic from nice person on the web, not company.....

I'm a 35 year player and certified repairman....Love the amp, sorry the great company lacks support....This amp is SO POWERFUL and beautiful.....Beats most other guitar amplifiers and is built extremely well (with exception of channel switching) Transformers are absolutely one of the LARGEST on record and stay COOL during operation, THIS IS LIKE, and is extraordinary for the 6 6550 power section....WOW....Heavy and heavenly....

This is by far the greatest guitar amp you can get. Three channels all with independent tone controls(cleanest clean, vintage sounding overdrive and modern high gain distortion), low and high tone controls for the power amp(I'm not sure if there are any other amps out there with this feature but if there are then its rare), series or parallel fx loop with separate level controls for send and return which sounds amazing. Before I got this amp I would plug my guitar in the input at the beginning of my pedal board and hook the output to the input on the amp. I don't do this anymore. The fx loop on this thing amazes me. My pedal board never sounded this good before I got this amp. This is the straightest amp I've ever used. No built in effects, no reverb, no bull****, and very simple tone controls. It has a slave out which can be very useful for recording direct or daisy chaining amps together)), 6 speaker outputs(yes, thats right, this amp can run a triple full stack), 300 watts rms(most powerful guitar amp ever available to the general public, which = virtually limitless headroom(which is important for good tone)). And last but not least, this is the coolest looking amp there is. It has an amazing stage presence with all the tubes visible and lit up.

Best sounding most versatile amp out there. If you can't find the right tone with this amp then you are a moron. I take a note from Eddie Van Halen and keep all the controls all the way up(except volume, i adjust that accordingly) except if I want a more cut and dry tone then I turn down the mids. You can get ANY TONE YOU WANT out of this thing if you know what you're doing and have the right guitar and cab to go with it(you would not believe how much difference a cab can make. I use a Randall XL cab with vintage 30s which allows me the best tone you can get ranging from blues and even cleaner to the best rock/classic rock tones I've ever heard. But i'm letting my friend use it right now since he has a band and I don't at the moment and he couldn't get the metal tone he was looking for with my cab so we switched to a marshall cab we had lying around(i have no idea what kind of speakers it has) and now he has a perfect metal tone.

Crates = Tanks
I'm pretty sure they're just about the highest quality, toughest, most durable, most reliable amps out there.

I've been using crate since I started playing and I've never had a single problem with all 4 crate amps I've owned.

I'd like to start by saying that this is not some made up advertising ploy to get people to buy Crates. This is my honest to god, completely unbiased opinion. I speak only the truth and what I say only comes from first hand experience. That being said...
If it were stolen I might commit murder if I found the person who stole it or commit suicide if I couldn't. This amp is the center of my universe. I play guitar anywhere from half hour to 8 hours a day(yes, EIGHT hours) and I only use My Blue Voodoo (unless I'm trying to be quiet then I use my GX-15R). These amps are incredibly hard to find. The only BV300 I've ever seen in person is my own. They don't make them anymore, you can't find them in any store(for the most part, but people do get lucky every now and then), and they only come up on ebay every so often and they always end up selling for way more than I paid for mine. If I lost my Blue Voodoo I would do ANYTHING I could to get another. I've played Marshall JCMs, Peavey JSX and XXX, Line 6, Mesa Dual and Triple Rectifiers, Orange, and more and NOTHING can hold a candle to Crate in any category especially not The BV300. Crates have the cleanest tone out there and the overdrive and distortion have perfect gain saturation and they are the loudest amps out there(bar none). They are some of the cheapest amps out there especially for the quality. There are amps out there that cost three times as much as a crate and are half as good quality.
The main negative thing I have to say is that this thing is ridiculously heavy. Also, not necessarily bad, but this thing has the power to blow just about and single cab out there (including bass cabs). Its 300 watts RMS at 2 ohms, near 600 watts if you push it, and its all tube. I've been told that 1 watt tube is equivalent to 16 watts solid state. Therefore, this amp is damn near 10000 watts in comparison to solid state amps and cabs that were designed for solid state amps. Sometimes i do wish it had reverb but I only like spring reverb which doesn't really work that well with a head.

I am unsure of the year this amp was made, but its definately still up to date with its sounds. It is my most versitile amp. It plays anywhere from blues to death metal(i use it in my death metal band "bloody blood orgy" haha). It is probably the most powerful amp in the world other than the 600 watt versoin. It has 3 channels and an effects loop witch ive never used. The only problem i have with it is replacing tubes. It has a buttload of em.

this amp can sound like anything from a hi end tube amp to a grungey solid state amp depending on the channel setting and the type of guitar used. I have 15 different guitars, but my favorite to use through this head are my xyphos, my iceman with a d-sonic in the bridge, and my special edition b.c. rich bich. the reason it doesn't get a ten is because it could get a little more gain. ive heard lots of complaints about noise with these amps, but that could be one of 2 things. 1-there mite be a problem with your amp, and 2-the person using the amp may not know how to set there eqs at certain volumes. i will have it up to 8 and get no feedback whatsoever. this amp beats out my mesa dual recto and my randall rh200 in sound quality and volume.

When i got this amp from ebay it had a blown 12ax7 preamp tube, but i got that fixed over half a year ago, and haven't had a problem since then. I always bring a back up head to shows cuz you never know what mite happen, but i haven't ever had to use one.

never delt with them.

Ive only been playing for about two years, but ive played on mesa dual and triple recs, randall rh200 and v2s, engl powerball and fireball(sweet amps!), and just about every different crate amp except the flexwave and v-series. I run it through a marshall 1960 cab or a monster crate 4x12 cab with celestion 80watt speakers. I love the power(when you play metal in an oppresive christian metal scene they usually try and sabatoge your sound by pretending to mic you amp but not actually turnig you up. this way i can tell em to suc it and have all the volume i need without ever having to mic my cab). no offense to jesus. i love him. I do hate the amount of tubes. its gone be pricey to replace em. if it were stolen id hunt the person who stole it and smash his skull with this hundred pound monster head. It could use a tiny bit more gain, but its still a perfect amp for me and my style of music.

I think in 03

Yes I play from death metal to a off set noise jazz..Perfect for the range of sounds. Plus It has the ability to switch it up with the different distortion sounds.

3 channels. Yes. Yes plus the extra gain boost if u loop it. No head phone jack.

I am still finding uses for the options this thing has.

I use it in my studio and my bands. Does it have enough power.. If there was a way to tap into Chernobyl when it had the meltdown this would be the mutant offspring.

It does have 16 tubes so I know when I have to retube it I might need a loan. The 6550s are great tunes of low end. Don't listen to the other reviews stating no low end. I made the wood in my window panes rattle. Right guitar for the trade.

I use 3 guitars . My fav 1993 Ibanez S540 LTD with d sonic in the bridge, ESP M3 with JB in the bridge and hot rails for the singles, old Hammer slammer with a jb and duncan demon in the neck. For a 100$ probably the best neck I have ever played on neck to the Ibanez.

I play mostly heay stuff. In the veins of Corpse, Crowbar, Morbid angel. So it has the lowend crunch that I look for also when I want a really dark, cold clean sound it is there.

I have owned a BV120 not even in the same category, Peavy XXX this is just amazing how quiet it is at high volumes.

You can dial into any sound u can imagine. What sold me was I owned a BV150 for a week read my previous review to see that story.(thanks UPS) I love the ability to have a 3 channel for the extra distortion for the leads. so when I bought this I was just blown away.

No I have had the clean cranked but again use the right tool for the right sound. If you are gonna use a high output pickup then yes it distorts, I run about 3/4 on my neck and ram the tone 1/2 and I go about 5 to about 6 and the sound is amazing.

How brutal is the distortion?? Picture you are sitting in a car watching Jeffery Dahmner walk up to the door and ask to take out your younger brother to a nice quiet walk on a beech .. That would be the emotion I say to describe the distortion. Shames boogie, VHT and Diezel. Crate made a bad move not keeping the tradition with the 150 and 300.

I have not had it that long, but it is used so I know it has been beat up. I got used from this chinese punk band and from the guy told me it was toured with and the tolex is all chewed up. And it switches channels flawlessly and sounds amazing... I would use this for the primary head.

Nope And hopping not. I do not want to sell me siblings to a nike sneaker plant to pay off that bill.

I have to say the good people at crate(loud music) have been nothing but helpful. (Peavy should take some pointers on how to answer a phone) Got me the foot switch and spent a awhile trying to get me replacement casement. Great job.

Nope has been great so far

I have been playing bass for about 12 years drums for about 25 and guitar about 6 but very offset 6. For my cab I have a older Crate 4x12 that has the lowest end punch I have heard. A BBe, fender tuner, NS2 and furnman in the rack. Looking to get a good Octave pedal and echo or delay effects Pro then get a good foot switching system.. oh yeah forgot about that .... 6 speaker outputs, 4 port foot switching inputs (badass). For the money you are up into the boutique heads with these options.

I love the sound, build great tube warmth... But I must add to the rest of wimps 90+ lbs

When I sold my XXX I was looking for another high gain 3 channel head. and for 400 bucks there is nothing that could compare. Even at full price I still think I would have a hard time not wanting this head.

I do wish it came with a linebacker to carry it around.

Yes dont listen to people when they say crate are crap. Every Brand has a high end and low end. People seem to miss on the higher ends products that crate has put out. Give the head a try you will not be disappointed. Hope this helps

Made in 2005, played for sponsored event in December of this year. 3 channels, but only used 1 for playing on a metal show. This amp was part of the backline. Tube powered, but has queer lights in it to simulate actual glow of tube heaters. Whatever...

I hooked my effects rig to it, using the same settings I've used for years with my 100W Marshall JCM800s. I could not get the thing to stop feeding back. Only when I backed off the master gain to about 3, would it behave. On distorted programs, it sounded reasonable...but when I switched to a clean program on my rig and used the same channel, the sound remained distorted and would not clean up no matter how I dropped the input signal. This means that the tubes in this amp are a GIMMICK. This thing is a MODELING amp. Even a true high-gain channel would clean up noticeably if the input signal were dimished...this thing kept the same distortion regardless of level. That is MODELING. Save that crap for DI recording. If you want real tube distortion, response, sustain and attack, get a Marshall, Mesa, ENGL, anything but this BLUE DOODOO...

It didn't crap out during our 25-minute set, but would I ever own one...no f'ing way...

I'll give it a 2 since it sounded so-so at playing volume, once I got it to stop feeding back. But I've been playing through full-size rigs for over ten years, and there is a LOT better stuff out there for the money. This is a modeling amp. It tries to: "copy" true tube sounds, but it just don't cut it. For the money, I'll stick to my Marshalls with the real bottles back there, and no crappy ICs and software algorithms trying to tell the tubes what they should sound like. I'm glad this was backline gear because I didn't need to take it home!

The head was made in 2003 and is probably the most versatile and best sounding guitar head I've ever heard. I compared the sounds to my MESA 3 channel Tripple Rectifier and Diezel VH4 heads and was sad to say that it kicked their asses. Kinda sucks because I selled out 4 grand for my Diezel VH4 but in it's defense the VH4 has some cool effects that the BV300H does not.

The BV300H has 3 channels a clean, vintage & modern and they are all awesome. The clean is amazing due to it's 300 watts of tube headroom. Possibly the most amazing clean sound ever despite the annoying fans that cool down the tubes but you'll never hear them while you're plugged in anyways.

The distortion is the crowning achievement on this head, it offers every kind of tone you could possibly imagine and plus 300 watts to back it up.

The only thing I would add to this amp is reverb but that can easily be solved via the built in effects loop in the back.

I can literaly hook up a wall of sound to this head with the 4-300 watt rms 1/4 outputs and the 2 nuetrik speakon outputs for subs.

I use this amp in the studio and at live venues. I used to use both my Mesa and Diezel at the same time to equal the volume and power live but now all I use is the BV300H head and I'm good to go, even at large venues this head still kicks more ass than my Mesa & Diezel combined!

I play everything from experimental metal and sludge rock type of music to classic rock, blues & jazz.

I play on a Gibson Les Paul Standard and a Gibson Les Paul Custom with Seymour Duncan JB's in the bridge positions.

The head fits all genres but will sound best for hard rock, metal & blues. Switch to the clean channel, pull back the tone on your neck pickup, turn the bass up and you'll get the most amazing jazz cleans you've ever heard!

There is so much headroom the clean can get as loud as you want without distorting but turn up the gain and you can be jaming with some awesome overdrive tones.

The distortion options are the most versatile I have seen yet! You can get all amp distortions you have ever dreamed of with the eq's available on the BV300H plus add extra tweaking with the eek and ugh knobs. Switch to the third channel and turn the gain all the way up and you'll get the most bone crushing tube distortion you have ever experienced period!

I have never had any issues with the head, the footswitch had a bad midi jack so I called Crate and they sent me a new protoype midi footswitch that works perfectly! I love the switching options and the switchable effects loop on the 4 button midi footswitch.

I just recently changed the tubes and upgraded to Groovetube 6550R's instead of the 6550A's and the amp actually sounds better than it did when I first got it. This is a really awesome mod for all you BV300H owners. I couldn't be more happy with my tone.

Crate was very prompt with shipping me the new footswitch and I have never had any problems with their customer service department.

I've been playing for about 9 years and I'd say this is probably the best sounding amp I've ever owned, if it were stolen I would definately hunt that person down and stick their ear to my 2x15 sub cab and make them pay for it! but seriously I would definately go out and buy another if it were stolen. Can't beat the value on this head either! I'm trying to sell my VH4 now cause it disapoints me that Crate of all companies could put this head to shame.

If you are in the market for a new amp I seriously reccomend checking one out at your local music store.

Amp has 3 channels, effects loop, and quite a few speaker outputs. As far as internal features, amp is very lacking. No reverb or anything... just LOTS of knobs.

Good crunch section on channel 3. Clean section is very nice on channel 1. Not too sure why there is a channel 2, this is something that could have been split between channels 1 and 3. I think Crate just used this along with all of their knobs as a marketing gimmick.

BiGGEST PILE OF CRAP crate as ever produced in my opinion. Ive had this thing AWOL since May 2005. I wish there were lemon laws for this kind of stuff, Ive now had the amp less then what ive owned it. Warranty work since then? This is a joke. Ive heard the inside info from my dealer and his sales rep, and i know why this has taken so long. Its cause crate was all about marketing for this giant pos. They were never out to make it the baddest and loudest head. If there were a rating of 0 for this category, its what I would give.

So I called these morons with all of the info they needed to see wtf was going on with my amp, and low and behold they were unable to tell me anything. They were helpless as far as im concerned.

O00000000000000000000000000. I will never buy a crate tube amp again. If ive been told correctly, there were only @ 60 of these things even made and sold to begin with. Its junk. Its all about marketing anymore, never the consumer. Wanna know why everyone uses Marshall and Mesa these days? Its because THEY ARE THE BEST. I should have went old school with Vox. Definitely cant go wrong with them.

The crate BV300H has three channels. Caused by the very unique EQ-section (bass,mid,high and a special tone knob which influences a different frequency-spectrum on each channel) you are able to play a huge number of different sounds. This amp has got no common master volume so that you have to turn every single channel up if you want to change the whole setup. There is no builtinreverb but a tube FX-loop which you can switch with the original footswich. The BV300H has enough power to destroy a weak 4x12 cab or your ears (300W Tubepower!!).

Hell yeah!! Lets start with the 3rd channel of the amp because thats the one the amp's built for. Endless distortion very chunky or smooth (depends on your EQ setting). Everyone who plays metal or other hard stuff will start to smile listening to this amp. In fact I've also a marshall JCM 900 TSL (both amps on 1960AX cabs) and I won't miss it. I can't say that the BV300H is better; just different. Both together sound realy great. I think that the sound of the crate is a mixture of marshalls smooth gainsaw and mesas brutal dominance.
The 2nd channel is also very useable if you turn up the gain. Than it sounds like a pulled up JCM 900. In low gain area it should sound like a vintage amp. I didn't get that sound. (maby the wrong guitar)
The 1st channel has a very brillant cleansound that can get grundgy if you turn up the preamp. I've never heard so clean tones in that loudness.

I think this amp is a very stabile built. It has to be because it weights about 40kg (thats almost like two marshalls!), so nothing for girlies without a strong friend! There are just two things I want to critisize:
1.) the knobs on the footswitch are to near to each other so that you might push two at one time.
2.) if you push the footswitchbuttons the channel changes a bit to slow.
Last but not least remeber: If you want to change the tubes imagine the crate has sixteen!! that means it will be quite expensive. Maybe so that someone else could buy a solid stateamp with this money!

Had no problems so no contact to company!

I've been playing guitar for 12 years. I tried Marshalls, Engls, Mesas and now the crate. In fact none of this amps is better or worse. It depends on what you like. If you want to play classic metal ala Megadeath or metallica (also Panthera!!) than take marshall. If you like Newmetal ala P.O.D. or Nickelback take Mesa boogie. If you like both and other hard stuff and you need a very versatile amp take the crate.

Everythig you need is on board! 3 channels from brutal Gain over smmoth grundge to brillant clean. effective EQ section with witch youre chances to get your individual sound raise. One tube-effectloop (seriell/paralell) with variable gain for out- and input. output for 6 cabinets!!! and a bias section for the Powertubes. There is no inbuilt reveb like in view other amps but I don't mind.

I need a versatile amp with Monstergain for powerriffs, smooth grungy gain for slower parts and a brilliant clean sound. My individual answer: Crate BV300H. The caracteristic of this amp is between Mesa and Marshall. The channel 3 is very evil. It has got more punch than the marshall lead channel but it is not that smooth. Engl Powerballs lead has also got a lot of gain but I didn'like the EQ-section that much. The 2nd channel has got a very harmonic overdrive sound that can turn to a realy hard Gainsound if you turn up the preamp. So if you just need two channels you can use this (or the 3rd) channel as Solobooster. The clean channel (1st) I just say one thing: If the soul of an amp is the ampeg svt it must have a good clean sound. With 300 Watts You can play clean as loud as you never played before!
The BV 300 H is definitly a beast. I can't emagine that any other amp has got more gain (maybe different but not more!)
So for classic Heavy metal ala early Metallica or Megadeath (also for Dimebags Panthera-sound)take the Marshall TSL. For Newmetal ala P.O.D. Linkin park or Nickelback take Mesa or Engl. For progressive Rock with metal influence and hard altenative and if the clean channel is important I'd prefer the crate. After all I'd give all those named amps 9 points soundrating.

It seems to be a high quality built amp. All components look strong and undestroyable. The most imposant parts except the tubeforest are the two gigantous transformators. Big transforators = constant sound wether you turn it up or down and long living. But be careful! This amp is nothing for weak persons. If you play in a girly- band you got to have a strong friend. The weight of the top is about 40kg. That's as heavy as two Marshall TSL2000!!
The only thing to critisise is the footswich. It is a bit to small so that you might fail the knob in a hectic moment (nothing for big feet). But that's the same with cars. If you buy a racingcar (the BV300H is definitly a formula one racingcar!) and the engine is wonderful You won't care bout the comfort!

Not yet a problem, ergo: no customer contact!

My brother plays a Marshall JCM2000 TSL, I own a JCM 900 using Marshall 1960 AX cabs. I wanted to have a 3 channel amp and so I chose the BV300. Before buying the crate I compared several amps like Mesa boogie Dual Rectifier, Krank Krankenstein (2 ch), Engl Powerball... with the Marshalls. I think you've to know which sound you want. None of this amps is bad, they're just different.
My guitars with wich I compared the amps were: Washburn Dime333, Ibanez RG, Ibanez Musican (vintage), Fender Telecaster U.S.A. I realised that the bigest influence on the outcoming sound has the guitar you use. F.e. the Dime333 on my JCM900 turns the amp to a heavy monster with much low frequency reserves. When I used the Ibanez I had to turn up the bass-EQ to the end and it sounded not as bassy as the Dime in midposition.
First test guitars, then buy an amp. If you do it right you will love the crate BV300H!