Crate CA6110D 212 Cabinet

I bought this amp in 2005 by mailorder from Musician's Friend to play at small venues and worship events. The purchase was based on a suggestion from a fellow guitarist who had played one.

The CA6110D has all the features I could possibly need, 2 channels, XLR & 1/4" jacks, DSP. The reverb is a bit "thin", so I use the insert loop and my Alesis MiniVerb.

I play a Taylor 710CE 6-string and a Breedlove 12-string, both with Fishman pickups. Mostly 70's and after folk/country and worship music.

The Sound quality is a bit muddy. It takes a lot of adjustments to make the amp sound good. It has a strong hiss that requires me to use the "tweeter cut" control to the point of losing a lot of highs. Sound quality is pretty even across volume levels. No significant distortion.

The controls are on top along the back edge, protruding without anything to protect them. I have broken off control knobs (stem and all) and have had to replace the pots. You should be careful carrying the amp. It is heavy and bulky, making it hard not to rub against the controls while carrying.

I finally attached some aluminum angle bar to the top/back to protect the controls. This is definitely a design flaw by Crate.

The electronics seem reliable - I have not had any problems yet

I asked Crate where to get the controls repaired. They transferred me to their parts sales and told me to repair them myself, after which they sold me the parts.

I have been playing the guitar for 40 years, I used to play coffee houses in Boston.

If the Crate was ever stolen, I would go out and buy a Fishman Loudbox Pro. It costs a bit more, but you get what you pay for and I didn't get much for my $350 when I bought the crate.

Purchased in Fall of '05 from GC in Austin, TX. This little acoustic amp is great! Very versatile and really excels as a small PA. I play for acoustic special music in worship services, older R & R, modern country, some blues & folk. Has 2 channels that will accept XLR or standard 1/4" plugs. Tons of connection capability. (IE effects loop, channel switching, line out to board (w/sep volume control), CD/tape input, and more. Has 3 separate filter capabilities to control feedback. 60 Amps of power w/aux speaker jack & line out to go to board or PA. Sounds very well for a solid state amp. Has DSP effects which are Ok and includes a 3 button footswitch which is worable, but I prefer my Boss ME 50 for effects use even with the use of my EF341C Takamine.

Use a EF341C Takamine & Sure Bros Mic and it does very well w/small venues... fills room up very well. Have plugged CD in and used for sound track backing w/vocals, and this is where the unit REALLY shines. Very little or NO noise. This amp is largely UNDISCOVERED and is a sleeper because it's less expensive than a Fender AC Jr and sounds just as good, because the 10" speaker & tweeter do a sweet job. I would give this cata gory a 10 but I'm partial to a multi speaker set up, but the tweeter & tweeter adjustment capability is a nice option.

Very tough. Well built. The speaker/tweeter covering is a light metal so no need to worry about grille cloth wear/tears. Have used it without any backup. A little heavy and I'm not really crazy about a fixed/recessed handle in the top. All controls are top mounted and I usually prefer front face mount like the Fender Acoustisanic Jr., but hey, the price difference has to come in somewhere. The tilt-back bar underneath is also a nice option. I would normally give a 10 here but because of the knob location and fixed/recessed handle still warrants a very strong 8.

5 yr warranty. Haven't had to dea with them yet. This thing is ruggedly built and don't think it will be a concern. It's still USA made I think. Would go for a 10 here but since no protective cover comes with it, my wife will have to fabricate one for me. I couldn't find a cover for it on Crate's web-site, so I'll go with another strong 8 here.

I'm an old dude, been playing over 35 years. Primarily I use a Fender Lone-Star Strat, a Roladn-Ready Strat thru a GR33, a '76 Tele, and a Nashville Tele w/ noiseless PU. My elec amp set ups are a '79 Fender Deluxe, a 2002 Fender Twin re-issue, or a '78 Music Man HD30 amp. So, I needed a good acoustic set up. If lost or stolen I would consider this amp again strongly. I compared this to a Fender Acoustisonic Jr., but saved over a $100 bucks. The connection capabilities of this little jewel blows all the competition away. Wish it had a cover, front mounted controls, and throw away the hard recessed handle. Overall a good "UN-discovered" amp.