Crate BV60H Blue Voodoo

This is an incredibly versatile amp. Two channels, eq+volume and gain on the gain channel (duh). Iy's not exactly the same as the combo... the 2x12 (maybe the 1x12 too) has a bright switch on the clean channel and a boost switch on the gain channel. The head doedn't, but it does have separate reverb controls for each channel, and you can get the same sounds as boost or bright by messing with the nobs. I'm not even gonna go into what I wish it had, but if it had all I want it would probably cost 4 or 5 times as much. Besides, I use pedals to get more sounds so I'm happy with it. I use this amp for practicing and playing in a band (we haven't gigged yet). Everyone always tells me to turn the damn thing down, so I guess it has enough power. I got the full stack, but I keep 1 cab at home and one at the drummer's house so all I have to carry is the head. BTW, if you didn't know, it's an all tube 60 watt head.

I play a PRS Custom with McCarty electronics in it. If your not playing a PRS, you probably should be. I play blues and classic rock and it works great. I use it with a Mesa Boogie V-Twin and a Boss BLues Driver pedal, and I can get just about any sound I want. It's only really noisy when I have an insane amount of distortion going (like both pedals and the amp). The clean channel is incredible. That's what sold me on the amp. I didn't even like the distortion in it until I got it home and played with it. Now I have it dialed in perfectly. I haven't made the vlean channel distort yet. I did on the 2x12 once, but the volume was at 10, with PRS pickups (hot) and it still didn't distort very much. The distortion is nice, but I usually use another pedal (usually the V-Twin in either clean or blues mode) to make it sound better.

My friend has had one for a while, and he's never had any problems. I haven't had mine very long, but I don't expect any.

I had a Crate GX40D that was having some problems. I had bought it used, and I called Crate and told them what was wrong. They told me the amp wasn't registered for a warranty, so technically I should have had to pay, but they fixed it for free anyways. That was one of the main reasons I bought another Crate... It sounded and looked good, but I know that if it ever dies, Crate will back me up.

This is probably the best value you will ever find on an all tube amp. What I compared with was: Marshall 6100 Anniversary ($1400 for the head)- great amp, incredible sound. Boogie Trem-O-Verb or Mark IV- ($1600 for either head) REally sweet, both are incredible amps. Crate Blue Voodoo ($1300 for the FULL STACK!!!!!!!!) 95% as good as either one. 3 channels or Tremolo would have been nice, but I wanted an amp I could afford now, not in 6 months from now. I wish it had a third channel, or MIDI switching, or something. Actually I am thinking about buyinmg it again. I'd love another stack so I could run stereo, and maybe even a third one for a dry sound out the center. Or maybe I'm just insane. Well, anyways, if your looking for a great all tube amp for cheap, this is it.

This Amp is extremely versatile. It has an incredible clean channel. I found I could get any type of clean sound I wanted. The gain channel is awesome. This amp comes stock and sounds like an amp that someone spent $$ on getting tweaked. You will love the all tube sound. I use the amp in rehersal and I gig with it. Played through the matching 4x12 I really get the sound I want. It has built in reverb and one thing I really liked about this amp is that you can crank it where your ears bleed or you can play it soft and it still gives a mean growl.

The Amp has a great clean sound and an great gain sound. The gain channel is versatile enough where you can play a blues gig or heavy grunge or metal. I havent found the amp making any unusual noises, such as buzzing or cracking.

Very reliable comes with a transferable five year warranty. 90 days on tubes. I would gig with a backup.

If you are looking for a versatile half/full stack, the Crate blue voodoo series can offer an afordable alternative to the Marshall. I tried a lot of amps and I picked the crate for it's sound, price and appearance.

This 60W tube head has two channels, clean (EQ and volume), and high gain (gain, EQ, and level), that can be switched via footswitch. Other controls include presence and reverb. The serial FX loop does not have send or receive level adjustments, but there is a PAD button to drop the level for use with pedal effects. It ships with 5881 power tubes, but will also run (and auto-bias) EL34s. There was a special deal (though it may be over now) that included a set of EL34s with purchase. The amp will drive a 4, 8, or 16 ohm load.

The clean sound is good, very bright, with a lot of headroom. The high-gain channel has more than enough gain, and a good distortion character. I liked it a little better than what I got out of a Mesa Dual Rectifier. The tone controls were active and intuitive. I tried the amp through the matching 4x12. The combo version (BV60) sounded thin to me, but the head/cabinet had a good punch. The head also has a few more controls.
I play a guitar with P-90s and a PAF humbucker, in a rock/pop/alternative group, and this amp fit the bill fairly well.

I have no experience with the reliability of the unit, but was impressed by SLM's five-year transferable warranty.

No experience with SLM, other than when I called about some older Ampeg products to see if they were covered under the five-year warranty. The individual I spoke with was very helpful.

The bottom line is, I did not end up buying this amp. It was one of around 15 I test drove, and I ended up spending a little more money for one with different features.
That said, I think the BV60H is an awesome amp. I have never been a great fan of Crate amps, until now. The BV60H sounds better and has more features than most amps in its price range. It is also a well built unit, and looks cool with its blue vinyl covering, metal front, and mirrored back panel.