Crate CA125D

The Crate CA125D is a solid state acoustic guitar amplifier with built in digital effects. I bought it brand new. This amp has two 8 inch speakers at 50 watts each and a tweeter with 25 watts, for a total of 125 watts. It offers a 5 band graphic EQ on the master and three channels: on channel one (the instrument channel)there's a 3 band rotary EQ, feedback eliminator, and chorus; on channel two, Hi and Low impedance inputs with separate gain and effect levels; on channel three, a Hi impedance input with separate gain and effect levels. The back panel sports an effects loop, an input for a footswitch that activates the chorus and effects (footswitch not included), and a line out. The effects included are okay; they are mostly different flavors of reverb and some delay effects. There are a total of sixteen settings on a rotary dial. This is pretty weak. I wish this amp had footswitchable effects like the Acoustasonic Pro. The on-amp descriptions are very cryptic (SPR , LAR, SAR?) and it is pretty easy to switch to the wrong effect. They do sound pretty good, though. I definitely like the fact that the stereo chorus is separate from the other effects. On the other amps I looked at, the chorus was wrapped up on the effects channel.

I play a Martin 000C1E with a Fishman pickup with three band EQ. For the occasional slide work, I use a Celebrity Ovation Super Shallow with the standard bridge pickup. The band I'm in now plays mainly modern rock with a good helping of some classic rock thrown in; I am trying to push a few blues tunes onto the set. The CA125D has a great sound with plenty of power. So far, I have only had to crank the amp up to a tad under 5 to be heard over the bass, drums, keyboard, vocals, and electric guitar. It has plenty of volume with no distortion. The amp offers a lot of control over the sound. In addition to the 5 band master EQ and three band rotary EQ on channel one, the midrange (which is critical to getting an acoustic to sound well amplified) has a 'Contour' control that you set close to the sound you want; this becomes the midpoint setting for midrange frequencies. Then the Mid control fine tunes the sound around that midpoint. This is very cool and provides an extra layer of control over the sound. I am extremely pleased with the sound of this amp.

I just recently purchased this amp, so it hasn't had much of a chance to break down. I will probably bring a backup to gigs until I get more confidence in it.

No contact with customer support. The warranty is five years transferrable

When I began my acoustic amp quest, I had every intention of buying a Fender, either the Acoustasonic SFX or their latest offering, the Acoustasonic Pro. I own a Vibrosonic Reverb from the mid-70s that I played blues through; that amp is awesome. The Fender blinders were on and my heart was set. But while playing through the Pro at the local guitar shop, another customer asked if I had played the Crate. I then set the Pro and the CA125D side by side and was stunned that the Crate was the better amp for me. Although it apparently has less power than the Acoustasonic SFX and Pro (both boasting 160 total watts compared to 125 for the Crate), the CA125D was louder than both those amps. The CA125D also more faithfully reproduced the sound of the unamplified guitar than either the Pro or the SFX and had a warmer tone. If it were lost or stolen, I'd definitely buy it again.

Stereo, 50w x 2 for 8" speakers, 25w for tweeter On-board DSP (Digital Signal Processing) and stereo chorus 3 channels, 5 band EQ, effects loop
I wish it had a headphone jack. I use it for small gigs and some recording, even though it is a bit noisy at low levels. Very Loud!

I play a Martin D-16 with an LR Baggs Dual Source. I play folk, eclectic acoustic jazz and unusual covers (eighties, disco, fun stuff) It is perfect for my playing style, but the chorus is a tad noisy at low to medium levels. Sounds great loud, and it can get very loud! It has several reverb and delays, as well as combinations of both. I can't get the thing to distort, which is good. Interestingly, my electric sounds great through it, very clean. Great low end, unlike the CA-60. All things considered, a lot is packed in.

Rock solid so far (6 months), but I haven't had it long enough to really comment.

Since I have had no problems, I don't know about customer support.

I have been playing 12 years, and I play a lot of different styles. This amp is great if you need everything in one package and you like to experiment with effects. For purists that just need a little reverb, go with the Peavey Ecoustic. I really love the variety I can pull from this amp. It does many things pretty good, but they need to work on the noise level.